An appropriate question indeed for this talentless hack. Do the environment a favor: waste one less tree and DON'T buy this piece of crap.

The contents of 'Why Write?'are more or less the same as in 'The Red Notebook': a collection of very short stories in which coincidence plays a major role. It's of no importance whether the stories are true or not. Coincidence plays an important role in the works of Paul Auster. Maybe it's exagerated to say that, according to Paul Auster, life has little meaning, but the music of chance dominates our life whether we like it or not. You could consider 'Why Write?' as an introduction to the more

important works of Paul Auster.

This snappy, deceptive book grows on you when you piece together the real point of the 10 or so micro chapters (some are only a few paragraphs long)- human experience is by nature a series of surprises and the good writer revels in them. Fans of the film Smoke, script by the same author, will see how Auster's theory works: the story's structure consists of surprising turns of events as they thread through and are integrated by the imagination of the viewer.

ENOUGH already. Yes, there were some interesting books, especially the earlier ones. But now that Auster has become a wealthy boy who can publish whenever he wants to, the public is getting loaded down with dreck. Enough already. You don't have to publish every single word you write.

I've missed out on the Paul Auster hype, and I'm not done with the book yet, but I like this one.

I've never read Paul Auster before, but my wife made me read this slim little volume and thought it was enchanting. Perfect size for a stocking-stuffer for that literary-type person in your family.

By and large, this book will be of interest to Auster fans only. The first section is a brief autobiography, which may be boiled down to this: "How I Tried to Avoid Having a Regular Job." It's all about the crazy schemes Auster had to make money while not working 9-5. The stories are good, though nothing amazing. As he chronicles his early life, he references his "Appendices" -- a couple of one-act plays, a card-based baseball game he'd invented, and his first novel. I'd say of the entire book, the novel may be the best part. It's strictly a by-the-numbers noir novel (the unwilling detective, the femme fatale, a larger-than-life victim), but it's executed very nicely. It's funny how Auster thinks nothing of his work -- according to the memoir, he churned this out in three months (June-August), which to me is pretty impressive, but I suppose Auster thinks it's just pulp... I don't think it is, though because he stays so within the confines of the genre, it almost comes off as parody. Still, it's an enjoyable read.

3 stars

Like some obscure import record of your favourite band or musician, Hand To Mouth is really only going to appeal to the most die-hard fan. Auster's honest though somewhat uninteresting chronicle of his early failures may appeal to struggling 20-something wannabe writers, but generally the appeal is limited. One can't help but feel Auster should of held onto this material until later in his life - a complete autobiography in his later years would be more valuable.

The early previously unpublished works included in the book are a must for fans and Auster must be commended for being so brave as to include them here. Perhaps most entertaining is the publication of his 'action baseball' game.

Paul gives us his first book under his new contract. The result: A short memior, some plays, a detective novel, and something about "Action Baseball (I can't figure it out). Everthing except the memior (Hand To Mouth) are from his early days. Nothing breathtaking, but it's Paul Auster, so that means it's good. Regarding his memior, I must say that Mr. Auster is a very lucky man. Look how long it took Kelman to win the Booker Prize. And, more importantly, what happened to him. Anyway, this is a good book for fans. New ones should read "The NY Triology" and maybe "Moon Palace."

If you read City of Glass and Ghosts, read The Locked Room. There is no point in stopping now, but do not expect anything to be cleared up.

Back when I read the New york Trilogy the books were sold seperately and therefore I have so far reviewed each book under its single title. If you own this one, you probably bought it with the other two so you might as well read it.

Remember, it will not answer any questions, but it is interesting like the first two books of the NY Trilogy.

To be honest, I really wanted to like this book because Terry Leach seems like a good guy and an honest man, but this book isn't one that I'll think of when I think about good baseball books. It's an autobiographical account of his playing days in college at Auburn, the minor leagues, and the big leagues with the Mets, Royals, Twins, and White Sox. It's not a very well-written book. For example, there are a number of grammatical errors. He tends to use the word myself a lot when he could just use I or me. He also makes way too many excuses for his failures (I wasn't used right, I was hurt, etc., etc., etc.,) and he also complains too much about not being treated right by the different teams that unceremoniously dump him. When he does taste success he can't stop raving about himself or praising himself. On the plus side, this book is easy to read and easy to follow. It's possible to finish this book in the amount of time it takes to watch an entire major league baseball game. Another good thing is that he doesn't have anything bad to say about old teammates, managers, etc. The closest he comes to bad-mouthing someone is when he says that he didn't care for some of his teammates in the minors. He seems like a genuinely good man, and that's why it's too bad this book wasn't a bit more interesting to read.

This book is a short fast read a fairly detailed account of Terry Leach's major league career. While it contains almost no controversy or dirt, espicially when he was a member of the "bad boy" Late 80s Mets, the book is a good read when if you would like to know about the lesser players in baseball.