Augesten Burroughs is definitely one of those authors whose work you either love or hate. There's not much gray area in his style and tone, so you don't find a lot of ambivalence in his readers. Personally, I am charmed by his quick wit, dry humor, and bizarre life. His books are never boring, and while they are memoirs, they aren't self-aggrandizing nor self-pitying. I enjoyed "Dry" thoroughly and look forward to more from this talented -- albeit disaster prone -- writer.

This is a collection of mildly interesting stories that become grating very quickly. Burroughs comes across not only as self-absorbed, but also self-righteous. David Sedaris is much funnier and much less cynical. Couldn't make it through 2 full discs.

This is a great book. I am a huge fan of augusten burroughs. This book was so funny. I find myself forcing my friends and family to read some of my favorite stories! Buy this book! And all of his other books! Do it now!

I've read all of Augusten Burroughs' books and enjoyed watching his maturation as a writer. From "Sellevision," to "Running with Scissors," (a story that likely could not withstand the scrutiny James Frey was subjected to), to "Dry," and "Magical Thinking" his writing got better and better. And then this. "Possible Side Effects" reads like a collection that was slapped together at the 11th hour of yet another extended deadline. The essays are too cute, too easy and generally not very well developed. Maybe Mr. Burroughs should spend a little less time resting on his laurels and more time developing his craft.

Burroughs is a funny observationist with a snarky view of the world that is filtered through a pretty odd background (as anyone familiar with RUNNING WITH SCISSORS might know).Though I find his humorous take on things entertaining about 98% of the time, sometimes his style gets a bit tiresome. If he were a cocktail, I'd call him David Sedaris lite with a splash of bitters.

Augusten Burroughs is clearly out of material and his talent for tall tales is in a death spiral. As another review mentions, this collection of stories appear to the rejects from past efforts. While reading this I can imagine the same content being typed by a 13 year old who is out to try to impress his audience with tales of forced juxtaposition and icon shattering. I am embarrassed for St. Martin's Press and can only assume that they are stuck in a contract with Mr. Burroughs and that is why they published this future pulp.I liked Sellevision and elements of RWS and while I do not expect Updike when I open Burroughs, I do expect not to be preoccupied with the question of whether or not I can return this book. If you want a good summer book, keep looking.