I heard an interview with author John Hodgman on NPR and his new title piqued my interest. John Hodgman, it was pointed out in the interview, was the actor who portrayed the personification of the uptight inflexible PC in the popular Apple television commercials from a few years ago. His resume goes deeper than this though, he has frequently had various TV appearances, and his books apparently have attracted attention when they were published in the past (though not so I noticed). Vacationland is essentially a loosely linked series of essays on a middle-aged family man / minor celebrity living in the Northeast. It’s mildly entertaining-- there was some humor to be sure, but if you are expecting David Sedaris-like belly laughs (as I think I was) you might be disappointed. The most interesting thing for me was the final portion on Maine (of said painful beaches), and identifying the town where he now has a house. The mystery literary icon who once...