Running With Scissors

Running With Scissors, a memoir by Augusten Burroughs was book #31 of 2005 for me.

Here's a quick overview from the author's website:

The #1 bestseller, Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a oet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus. So at the age of twelve, Burroughs found himself amidst Victorian squalor living with the doctor's bizarre family, and befriending a pedophile who resided in the backyard shed. The story of an outlaw childhood where rules were unheard of, and the Christmas tree stayed up all year - round, where Valium was consumed like candy, and if things got dull, an electroshock-therapy machine could provide entertainment. The funny, harrowing and bestselling account of an ordinary boy's survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.

The book has drawn a lot of comparisons to David Sedaris' writings, which I think is a pretty accurate assessment. Both author's have a similar sense of humor, so if you like one you'll probably like them both. Much like Sedaris' works, I found Running With Scissors to be mildly amusing, but not nearly as hilarious as I would expect given all of the accolades they've received. Burroughs was even selected last year as one of Entertainment Weekly's Top 15 "Funniest People In America". Anyways, if you'd like you can judge for yourself by reading an excerpt from the first chapter, "Something Isn't Right".

Much like everything I've been reading lately, it looks like the book is currently being made into a movie. The film is currently scheduled for release some time next year and stars Annette Bening, Gwenyth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin, and Joseph Cross as Augusten.