I first encountered Stephen Tobolowsky, the writer, with his collection The Dangerous Animals Club. When I picked up that collection of personal essays that focuses on his childhood, I thought that his name and picture sounded familiar. With a quick Google search I realized that he’s “that actor in that show”. Seriously. He’s a character actor with an IMDB listing as long as Shaq's arm. The Dangerous Animals Club was absolutely hilarious and the title essay reminded me simultaneously of Stephen King’s The Body (the story that inspired Stand by Me) and David Sedaris. It is a must read.

The next time I ran into Tobolowsky (the writer – I can’t keep track of how often I see Tobolowsky, the actor), I was browsing iTunes for podcasts to listen to and there it was: The Tobolowsky Files! Sweet. Sign me up. After I had taken in just a couple of episodes, there he was again, with a new essay collection called My Adventures with God.

Tobolowsky’s latest essay collection, hot off the presses this week, turns away from his childhood and focuses on moments of his life dealing (however obliquely) with religion and spirituality. Never fear, the essays still have a great deal of humor and charm. But they are also tender and raw and deeply contemplative. He shares not only his own stories, but those of other people in his life and his ear for storytelling is impeccable. While this collection has themes of religion and spirituality, it is non-judgmental and widely accessible. I highly recommend everything I’ve heard and read so far and am looking forward to anything he may publish next.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!