Rissie Lundberg listed this as one of her favorites on episode 123 of WSIRN: Books that will totally make you cry (with laughter). It's a collection of essays that Wallace wrote for magazines when they sent him places like the Illinois State Fair and a Caribbean cruise. He tells stories based on his people watching -- observing cruise attire from corporate informal to tourist tropical and the lady who cleans his room, but he never sees. If you're a fan of Bossypants , you'll love the humor and reference from her chapter 'A Supposedly Fun Thing That I Will Also Never Do Again.'