Bill

I must admit that I have been burned by "blogger books" before, so I was very skeptical about this one, a book based on a Twitter sensation. While the Sh*t Mt Dad Says is the only thing I actually like about Twitter, I couldn't help but think that this book would get stale really quick. Halpern, it turns out, is a pretty great writer. He has a great knack for comic timing and dialog (which, obviously, he got from his father) and understands and conveys the complexities of the father-son dynamic with some terrific anecdotes. In fact, I enjoyed Halpern's stories far more than the short quotes dispersed throughout the book. As far as the narrator goes, he reminded me of Ben Stiller, which seemed sort of appropriate, although the gruff "dad voice" takes some getting used to.

This was an extremely entertaining listen. Honestly, this is one of those books I'm glad I listened to versus reading. Very dramatic, lots of atmosphere, with plenty of good, creepy twists. The narrator was superb. My only complaint is the lack of depth. Defines scary ride. 3.5 stars

If, like me, you were drawn to "Everything Matters" by the description of the novel as a story of a man who knows when the world will end, you may be disappointed by the initial few hours of the book. The obtuse style of the novel takes a while to get used to, and, for me, never completely gels, but it eventually reveals a family drama with world destruction as distant backstory. The biggest problem I had with "Matters" is its relentless need to prove itself, piling on quirk after quirk, plot twist after plot twist until, frankly, I just didn't care anymore. That's not life, that's melodrama. Currie gains some redemption with a heartfelt third act, but it's too little, too late for this reader to recommend the book without reservations. The voice cast, for the most part, is excellent.