Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman.

Having been a fan of Chuck Klosterman for so many years, I've gotta say.... I really enjoyed this.
However, Klosterman, who is nothing if not self aware, seems to be a little... reflective of his status as a literary/pop culture phenomenon. He's trying to be a little less gimmicky, a little less crazy connection to a crazy conclusion... which is in ways both good and bad.

I honestly don't think that this book is as good as some of his other works. But I find that the more I love an author, the more I'm disappointed by a work the first time I read it. And as I'm a huge Klosterman fan, my expectations are naturally gonna be way too high. I mean. It recalls the first time I read the last Harry Potter.... that should probably be The Last Harry Potter. I loathed it. I was angry and disappointed. But when I got over myself and went back and read it again... I've read it probably twenty times now.

I adored Klosterman's new distancing from his previously formulaic wacky connection works. But even though I appreciate him delving a bit more into the philosophical part of the subjects he's been writing about, I think I just wanted to read a new chapter or two out of Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs and that isn't really fair to Mr. Klosterman, the book or myself. So I'm gonna stick to loving his dissection of the Chris Gaines/Garth Brooks experiment and of course... I almost peed myself with his essay about Rivers Cuomo. I'll pick it up and read it again later and develop a more fair and balanced sort of perspective on it... which is exactly the sort of thing any of his writings demand. These are bar essays, toilet essays--the sort of thing you can pick up at any time and start a conversation about, with anyone, and it's guaranteed to take you places you never thought you'd get by just talking to someone.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone, possibly even as a first foray in the world of Klostermania. Because let's face it... it's what it's become.