A review by abbywdan
Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches by John Hodgman

3.0

I bought Vacationland (let’s call it 3.5 stars, really) for Charlie, lifelong lover of Maine, who has not yet cracked it, and I came to Vacationland in the middle of the night last week when I could no longer bear Sing, Unburied, Sing. In my Eleanor Oliphant review, I think, I mentioned that I can no longer handle stories about children being mistreated or suffering in any way. So uh, Sing, Unburied, Sing was not a great pick for me in this particular life season! In the middle of the night, feeling sick to my stomach for Jojo and Kayla, I quit, clicked around on my kindle for something lighter, and boy is Vacationland LIGHT.

I haven’t read any of John Hodgman’s fake facts books, and I don’t read his column, but I do go to Maine every year for a few weeks. And he nails the Maine Summerers, beautifully. This is a lovely collection of stories (Mainey and otherwise), I recommend it for when you feel like you are sinking into a terrible pit of despair!