Augusten Burroughs is my favorite author.  I had the oppertunity to meet him at Mount Holyoke College soon after his 5th release memoir Possible Side Effects. He has five books and finally a movie based on his second book, Running With Scissors. I got into his work in spring of 2005. I went on my usual splurge at Barnes and Noble and found this on the new release shelf. It just looked interesting, the title, so short, yet the descrete style turned me on to it, i wanted to just pick it up and open to the first page, immediately, when i am at a bookstore, this is what i do when i find a book that looks even remotely promising. I read the first two chapters standing infront of the new release shelf, within minutes of finishing the second chapter, i bought it. I finished dry the week of my 17th birthday, April 16, 2005. It kept my mind off the fact i had been discarded by one of my past girlfriends on that day...nevertheless, the days before my birthday i went on a trip to florida, i had my birthday with my dad and my brother. because i had been kicked to the curb on the phone, i lost interest in pretty much everything though it was awkward to tell my dad and my brother, i had to. I sat down at the fancy dinner table in the hotel resturant my dad, my brother and me were staying at that three or so days. Before and after my birthday had gone by, i went on the balcony of my hotel room to read this book, it kept my mind from turning against me. When I got back from florida, i immediatly bought his other 3 books (he only had 4 at the time) and read them all into that summer.