Book review - The Areas of My Expertise

Book: The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman, 230 very odd pages

The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman is certainly the strangest book I have ever read and maybe the strangest book ever written. But I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy large parts of it. Who wouldn’t want a list of the 700 hobo names? (And really, if the names hadn’t been written down in this book, these heroes of the Hobo Wars may have been forgotten forever.)
Hodgman has collected an encyclopedia of facts known to him alone, which he is kind of enough to share. I got on to this book by seeing Hodgeman - who you probably know as the PC in the Mac vs. PC commercials - on a local news channel where he told a very dumbfounded newscaster about the facts he had gathered in his book. Hodgman was very funny there ,as well as during his frequent appearances on The Daily Show, so I had to check out this book.
I think I wasn't disappointed. This book was funny. But would I recommend it to you? Well, let me ask you:
- Are you looking for a list of nine U.S. presidents who had hooks for hands? (Jefferson designed his own.) If yes, you will like this book.
- Are you looking for facts on all 51 states, including Hohoq, the floating state? If yes, you will like this book.
- Are you curious about the seven U.S. phone numbers that have 666 as a prefix? If yes, you will like this book.
- Are you curious to read the brief timeline of the lobster in America? If yes, you will like this book.
- Would you be interested in five jokes that have never produced laughter? (Sample: “A duck goes into the pharmacy. He says the pharmacist, “I need some ointment for my beak. It is very chapped.” The pharmacist says, “We have nothing for ducks here.”) If yes, you will like this book.
- Do you require hints on building snow forts? If yes, you will like this book.
- Have you been searching for some brief biographies of well-known hoboes? If yes, you will like this book.
Otherwise, look elsewhere.

Good book for: People who thought the above list was intriguing. (Which it kind of was.)

Skip it: If you thought the above list was ridiculous and stupid. (Which it kind of was.)