I have mixed feelings about Augusten, but I think that's because I always pick up his books in thrift stores, so I don't go into reading with any 'preciousness' that might be needed to start out as forgiving of an author's grittiness. There's nothing to forgive, he is lovely and so open and honest about his faults and history, ugliness and all; but fit some reason it took me a couple of books to feel this way. I can't remember what else I read of his, but I think it had a black cover and was also a collection of stories. I think I had a prejudice against him in reading that book because I thought he was the son of William Burroughs and so found him talentless by comparison.
Now I realise he's somewhat of a mix of the gentlemen farmers' whose names escape me, and David Sedaris, so that makes him lovable. Unfortunately, there's only one story that sticks in my head from this book and that's not even his story. Apparently some old lady on the street told him that her mother used to give her Dr. Pepper enemas and then make her drink the liquid. I can't imagine the process or why she didn't figure out how to get adopted and now it's stuck in my head.
I haven't been keeping track of all the books I've read since I got back to California; hopefully I'll be better now.
