Hi from a newcomer here. I’d originally heard of this book back when Scalzi gave you the “Big Idea” page one day at Whatever (I pop in there every morning, partly because I like his books but also because Whatever is a good description for his anything-and-everything discussions). Whew, was that one sentence?? Sorry about that.

Anyway, I finally gave up on waiting for a paperback release (the hardcover is surprisingly inexpensive, about Cdn$15 from Amazon) and ordered it last week. Finally arrived this morning via UPS, after unspecified “problems” en route from Vancouver, and naturally had to get into it immediately. It’s simultaneously hilarious and heart-breaking, and a delight to read.

I’m in my late 60’s now, but was a skinny nerd (that label hadn’t yet been coined then) with glasses in my high-school days. It didn’t help any that I went to an all-boys school, or that I’d skipped a couple of grades so was a couple of years younger than others in my classes, so naturally my social development, especially relating to girls, was somewhat delayed.

Once I’ve finished with this one, I’ll definitely be interested in checking out your earlier stuff.

Best,
Mike