Wallace is a fantastic writer, but I find him to be somewhat hit or miss.

My single favorite piece of travel writing to this day is "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" (from the book of the same name), but I find many of the other essays in the collection to be far less entertaining.

Likewise, while I don't share many readers' fond affection for Wallace's magnum opus "Infinite Jest," I was thrilled to find that "The Broom of the System" is now out in a new edition after languishing out of print for many years. Truly one of the most underrated and under-read novels of the past ten years.

I remember reading parts of "Hideous Men," in public. There are plenty of short, short stories in it so it lends itself to that. So, I read it on the train or trolley or while waiting in offices. But, you have to be careful doing that. Wallace can be so funny there's a risk of cackling out loud.

I also prefer "Broom' to 'Infinite." It is hard to believe they let that book go out of print. Proves quality is not necessarily what drives publishing.

thanks Mac, great story and very relevant