This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike

For my second read in May, I read This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike. by Augusten Burroughs. 

I REALLY wanted to like this book.  I have been a fan of Augusten Burroughs since I read Running With Scissors and then proceeded to immediately read all of his other books.  I then waited impatiently each time for his next work to come out and devoured it as well.  This book was no different.  I was ecstatic when I read it was being released in May, back in January.  I pre-ordered it months ago.  However having just finished reading it, I'm wonder what on earth just happened?

This Is How is not a typical Burroughs book.  If you are a fan of Burroughs you'll already know that his other works are all memoirs, except one highly entertaining fiction novel.  This Is How is a "self-help" book.  He takes on a variety of topics and basically give you his opinion on how to deal with them.  That might have been okay, if it was written at all in Burroughs' usual style.  There was no humor.  There were very few personal stories to relate his opinions too.  There were sections and chapters where he kept repeating himself.  This is me, disappointed. 

It honestly pains me to write this, but I did not like this book.  There were a few chapters that were tolerable, but overall I just can't say I would recommend reading this.  I would give this book a 2/3 out of 10 rating based on my own reading preferences.  However, as a "self-help" book I would still only give it a 3/4.  If you want to read a fantastic book by Augusten Burroughs, go pick up his memoir Dry.