Inge Sorensen

Daniel Handler, also known as the iconic author of Lemony Snicket's "And Then? And Then? What Else?", is a vibrant, outlandish, and eccentric amalgamation of critical literary essays, a personal memoir, and a guide to developing one's writing skills and practices. This is one of the most quotable books I've ever read, too many passages to count, and too many books, poems, and music to explore after reading all 230 pages. Daniel Handler is hilarious, emotional, bold, daring, with little to no filter or censorship in anything he puts down on a page! For any person who enjoyed reading Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" as a kid and still finds joy in reading books today, will surely enjoy this work by Daniel Handler - now aimed at their developed superegos. I don't want to give any spoilers about the plot or Mr. Handler's adventures; I want readers to discover them for themselves and form their own interpretations. However, I will say that he has written one of the greatest portrayals of San Francisco ever put to paper!

Seeing yourself lost in a painting, becoming an artist's composition, watching flower petals dance in the wind, witnessing San Francisco become its own living & breathing being, and discovering your animal guardians, these are only some of the adventures and imagery that James Morehead's "The Plague Doctor" evokes within its written word. Not all poems or collections can bring back vivid and beloved memories of the past, or the simple joys among daily life, and that truly is a gift that these insights are accomplished within this book's poetry.

I read this book for a college course, and I honestly loved it for about 3/4ths of the novel. My Mom read it after me and she felt the same way. It was a detailed, enriched, emotional, and haunting story. I'm so lucky I got to read this book. The book's progress became more "meh" after the three-quarters mark, but still had a nicely conceived ending. (Can't believe I'm the first one to review this book on Google!)