As a young man and a hot shot in the advertising business, Augusten Burroughs dreamed not of his next big ad campaign, but of becoming a best selling author. He realized his dream when his first memoir, "Running with Scissors," became a bestseller, followed by his second memoir, "Dry."

He can now chalk his newest book up as another success. Burroughs's third memoir, "Magical Thinking," has lived up to the achievements of the previous two. "Magical Thinking" is a memoir consisting of short, true stories from the author's life.

Burroughs begins by giving readers a glimpse into his self-proclaimed "screwed up" childhood, which is only slightly touched upon in this book. From an early age, Burroughs could tell he was different than other kids. Attracted to all things flashy and fine, for a time he dreamed of being adopted by a rich family like the Vanderbilts.

The author goes on to reveal he had always identified with girls more than boys and in his chapter "Transfixed by Transsexuals," the author describes his fourth grade experience, when the girls in his class were wearing Calvin Klein cords and aspiring to be psychologists while boys wore Levis and dreamt of being pro-football players. Burroughs, on the other hand, wore polyester bellbottom stretch pants and wanted to be Christine Jorgensen, the world's first famous transsexual. This is the point where, without prior knowledge attained from one of the other memoirs, one would become aware of the author's sexuality.

It is interesting how the author develops his own character within his stories. He in no way idolizes himself, and his writing style is creative, making his audience want to keep reading.

As a child, the author was hooked on commercials, to the horror of his two academia-minded parents. He would memorize jingles and knew that one day he would be the one writing them. After a brief stint in modeling — an experience he now deems embarrassing — he was able to break into the advertising business, without having ever finished junior high.

It was during this phase of life that some of Burroughs's most witty and insightful stories developed. Some stories are told as if they just happened, while others seem more like recounted memories. Either way, these stories chronicle a variety of the author's experiences as a gay man in New York City — from risqué sexual encounters to disastrous apartments and jobs. His writing is at times satirical and at other times very reflective. Stories like "Holy Blow Job" and "Rat/Thing" are shocking, but at the same time incredibly humorous.

During the time documented in this memoir, the author, who once rejected the written word, turned to it. Besides reading from the stacks of books in his apartment, Burroughs would write for hours, mostly in a journal. Many people who work in high stress work environments use writing and journaling as stress relief. Burroughs is his usual blunt self as he confesses that he writes about himself because he is self-centered.

One might think that meeting the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with might change some of Burroughs's self-proclaimed flaws. Instead, the stories produced as a result of the chapter entitled "My Last First Date" shows that a person does not try to change the person he loves, but instead accepts and accommodates that person. The title of this chapter reveals a dramatic change in the life of any single individual.

A usual saboteur of relationships, Burroughs admits that he would usually replay every part of the evening in his head, finding some fault with it. For once, as documented in the book, he refrained. As a result, he has a subject and inspiration for many of the stories found in "Magical Thinking" including "Schnauzer," "Key Worst" and "Up the Escalator," as well as many others.

As the author becomes "domesticated," he also realizes his limitations as a partner. This is exemplified in his unchanging aversion to children. He states that although gay couples adopting is all the rage, he and his partner will never become adoptive parents; instead they get a dog that becomes a character in many of his stories.

Whether Augusten Burroughs's stories are meant to influence readers in some way is something only he can verify; he is, as a talented writer, able to give his readers a different perspective to the world and a look into his own life, a life different from what many would experience otherwise.

Grade: AB