Waiter Rant and the books on my shelf coming up

So--just finished Waiter Rant. Very entertaining nonfiction about the life of a waiter who works at an upscale Tuscan restaurant in the New York City area. (Nyack, I found out today online.) Not only does the author skewer himself (why is he 38 and still waiting tables, why does he work w/ CRAZY people, why doesn't he have a relationship), but he also skewers the nutty behavior of customers (complaining about not being able to get a table in the rear of the restaurant, because a woman has just had a stroke, so the customers would have to step over her to get to their preferred table--which they would do!), his coworkers (substance abuse problems, dating issues, etc.) and especially his nutty boss. This book was funny & revealing and reminded me a little of the David Sedaris essay about working as an elf at Macy's. I did cringe a bit whenever the author talked about himself, especially about enjoying strip clubs. But that is the tone of the book--adult, and honest. And I'd rather he reveal the warts and all--gives you a sense that he's not lying. Well, he's probably lying about some of it, but that's expected.

So I gave this one a 4 out of 5 stars, because it's entertaining--plus he's got tips on how to be a good customer in an appendix at the end. Extras are good.

Other good reads I've got waiting for me:

--Masterpiece by Elise Broach. A juv. fiction that got good press in 2008. Some thought it was a Newbery contender.

--The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. All of my friends at work have been raving about it, and it's our next book club book. Adult Fiction.

--Nation by Terry Pratchett. A teen novel by one of my favorite authors. Can't wait.

--Old Masters, New World: America's Raid on Europe's Great Pictures by Cynthia Saltzman. Read about this on Amazon or goodreads. Love to read literary nonfiction.

So that's it for now. I'm off today, so I'm still putting the teachings of It's All Too Much to work for me and getting rid of some stuff. Au revoir!