And Then? And Then? What Else? (2025)

If you are my age you were either a Harry Potter kid or a Lemony Snicket kid, and I was a Lemony Snicket kid. This is not some retroactive correction on my part because JK Rowling is a horror; I read and loved both, but Snicket went into the bones, and Harry glanced the skin. The first email I ever wrote – like, EVER wrote – was on a computer in the Douglas library in County Cork, and it was addressed to Lemony Snicket. I asked him if I could be his assistant. Not his writer’s assistant, you understand, but his assistant in helping him track the Baudelaire orphans. I was that deep in. I was old enough to write an email, and I was still completely invested in these fictional orphans.

Lemony Snicket was there for me when I was ten, and now I’m 34 and I write books for a living, and Daniel Handler is here for me now. I’m going through a prickly time in my writing life, sick but not terminal, and I read this book over two evenings. I never read memoirs. The idea of a memoir about being a writer, i.e., a job I already have, makes me want to yak. But this was really transcendent to me. I underlined everything. Don’t ask me to type it all out again here. This book won’t be for everyone, but it was for me, and I’m grateful it exists.

This was such a letdown, and I don't know how I ended up the only outlier so far in these reviews. I’m a huge fan of Lemony Snicket. But this is Daniel Handler, specifically. Not Lemony Snicket. It’s kind of astounding to me that they are the same person, but the stuff they write is so different. This book in particular reads like you’re sitting across from a guy who just drank a highly caffeinated coffee and he’s telling you everything that’s on his mind without stopping. It says a lot without really saying much at all. Could this really be the same writer that crafted A Series of Unfortunate Events, one of my favorite series of all time? I remembered enjoying what I'd read of the "When Did You See Her Last?" books as well, but when I looked back to check those were indeed also written under the Snicket moniker.

I can’t figure out what this is supposed to be. It’s not really a book about how to write, or a memoir, or something else. But at the same time it tries to be all of these things and doesn’t do a great job at any of them. It all blurs together like a stream of consciousness mess and the topics chosen don’t seem ideal. Many of the personal stories are VERY personal, and I had trouble figuring out why he was including some of them or how they related to any of the other things he was talking about. Most of the book is pop culture analysis and personal anecdotes. If you’re hoping for writing tips, they are well hidden.

This is the second time one of my favorite authors has written that nobody ever wants to hear about or read about dreams. (The other author was Chuck Palahniuk.) Respectfully, I disagree 100%. That device can certainly be overused, but I love reading about dreams and I absolutely love to hear about the messed up things that another person's subconscious subjects them to. The key is not to be BORING. But then again, Handler says this and then in the very next chapter describes a dream that he once had. So it’s very possible that he’s fucking with us.

He also talks a lot about various works of art/pop culture that he loves and goes into analytical detail about why he loves them. (When I got to the section on Nabokov I was like, “Oh no, don’t do this to me.”) It’s like that meme with Drake: talking about Nabokov? No thanks. Singing the praises of Edward Gorey? Yes, absolutely!

The most charming part of the book to me was when he talked about the tour for A Series of Unfortunate Events and all the kids he met that were weird little Baudelaire orphan super fans. Though even this only lasts for a few sentences.

I hate to even go into it, but what really soured the reading experience for me was the following: He brings up times when he has been “misunderstood” or “criticized” in the past by colleagues and then claims that it was simply a matter of his sense of humor being taken the wrong way or other people being too uptight. The first time, he made crass comments to women and was annoyed when they got uncomfortable. The second time, he read an essay that was not age appropriate to a group of school children and then got defensive when a woman told him to “do better.” He followed this up with a section on his thoughts about censorship. Sir, you were not being censored. You were being asked to act appropriately. Already disappointing, but then I was treated to a lengthy and hostile diatribe against the term “problematic.” There’s messaging against book banning, which of course I agree with, but even his reasoning for this seems misguided and self-righteous. Honestly, given how he wrote about past criticisms in this book I was a little bit afraid to be scathingly honest in this review, so I toned it down quite a bit.

I’ll always love the books of Lemony Snicket, but Daniel Handler's, not as much. Luckily Snicket is very much a distinguishable character with his own voice because if ever there were a case to “separate the art from the artist,” it’s this one. The beautiful, funny and inspiring writing from the Snicket books just wasn’t to be found here. Unfortunately, the biggest thing I learned from this book is that Handler is just another guy who can’t handle being told that he did something wrong and, when given a platform, will go on angry diatribes that make him look even worse.

I do still want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

TW: Mention of mental illness/eating disorders/suicide, psychiatric hospitalization, sexual assault of a minor

i KNEW lemony snicket couldn't possibly be straight

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company/Liveright for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I grew up reading Lemony Snicket novels. As a kid, I felt as if Lemony Snicket truly understood what my generation was wanting to read and didn't just write books to teach us lessons or to talk down to us... but, instead, to provide us with fun and mysterious ways to think about life and all of its unfairness (particularly to children). So, when I saw Daniel Handler was publishing a memoir focused on writing, I had to read it! I was so excited to hear more about how he wrote and where he took inspiration from. I was both excited and nervous to see how his style would hold up in a nonfiction format. I am thrilled to say that this book exceeded my expectations in so many ways.

One highlight of And Then? And Then? What Else? for me is its authenticity. I went to a Lemony Snicket book signing when I was in middle school. I will never forget asking Daniel Handler what advice he had for aspiring writers; he pulled out a pocket-sized notebook and showed it to me (I remember feeling like I was let in on a secret as he flipped through pages full of writing!). He told me that he always had a notebook with him, and he recommended that aspiring writers do the same, because you never know where you'll find inspiration. The first chapter of this book discusses essentially the same thing, and it made me smile as I read it. The entire book genuinely feels as if the author is opening himself up to readers and explaining what shapes his craft, without sugarcoating any details. I was surprised throughout many chapters about what Daniel Handler was open to discussing about his personal life and found it valuable to read about how events he experienced may have been influential. It made the writing all the more impactful, because I could tell it was coming from a reflective, honest perspective. It was almost like I was back at that book signing and being shown another secret to writing - this works fabulously for a nonfiction book, because it really draws the audience in.

This book is partially a memoir and partially a thoughtful look at art, writing, and how the things we love influence our own art. It's full of references to other art (books, movies, poetry, music, and more) and explanations of how those pieces shaped the author's writing process and, ultimately, his own books. It was absolutely fascinating. Daniel Handler comes off as someone who truly loves literature and art; it's so interesting to see how little pieces of media lived in his mind and found their home in his work. He even includes many quotations from other writers and discusses what he found notable about those quotes. This book serves as a great example of how language shapes us - even small segments of greater works. There are so many other authors and musicians I want to check out after reading this!

I also greatly appreciate how the author emphasizes throughout this book that everyone will have a different, personal literary canon of things they admire, and that it's worth exploring more of what you enjoy to learn why you are drawn to those things. Too often, it seems as if society pushes certain media at us and tells us what to aspire to, when actually, everyone has different preferences, and diving deeper into what you like may ultimately be more insightful to your creativity than the content professors or famous writers tell you to admire. If you can't already tell from this review, while this book is deeply personal to the author, its themes also inspire self-reflection in the reader. It gave me so much to think about. Much as other literature stuck with the author throughout his life, I expect that Daniel Handler's words here will live on in my mind for a long time.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves Lemony Snicket or Daniel Handler books. The author has a fantastic voice in other novels I've read by him. I was happy to see that his voice was still strong here. If you like the almost stream of consciousness style of writing that he uses, you'll adore this book! It's full of little anecdotes and stories - each one offering something different. At times I found myself laughing out loud, only to tear up or feel a gut punch of emotions a few pages later. I'd also recommend this to anyone who enjoys admiring art in general, as well as to aspiring artists. The book is certainly focused on literature and writing, but I imagine anyone who appreciates art itself will find something valuable within its pages. It's been about a decade since I read Stephen King's On Writing, but I think it's a great comparison to this book. If you liked that one, you should definitely give this a try.

I don't really have any critiques. I'm not sure everyone will find this as moving as I did, but I know there is a group of readers who will genuinely love this book. If you don't like books that are filled with references or that meander off into many side stories, you may want to skip this... but if that's your cup of tea, then I highly recommend picking up And Then? And Then? What Else? as soon as it's published!

5 out of 5 stars.

Major thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company/Liveright for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:

"𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩—𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘱 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦—𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘺𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨—𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘺𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴."

This is the kind of book that makes me love reading, writing, and the role of the writer. It's a tough job, and Handler shows us all the ways in which it comes together.
From love. From trauma.
From fear. From excitement.
It's all here.
It's Handler at point blank. Incredibly honest. Learned things that I think have been meaning to come to surface for a long while. From Barthes to 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯 9 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, Handler talks about why he loves Baudelaire and rejects cancel culture. He comes from the school of read everything. See how it works. See how it's done. Do better.

It's this year's A Horse at Night: On Writing but without all the seriousness.

Funny. Informative. Full of surprises.

*loved his list of favorite books/films at the end of the book. if you get the chance, go out and look to the back for the list, but as an appetizer:

- "𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘺𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘯, Whale, 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘪-𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘪𝘮’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬."

-and his favorite Murakami is A Wild Sheep Chase

p/s: will be writing DB in all of my manuscripts from now on <3

Fun. I got to see him at a book event at a little theater down the street from our apartment, which was cool and also somehow fitting. Unsurprisingly, Daniel/Lemony is great in front of an audience.

This book was interesting! I guess memoir is the right genre, but the effect was more kaleidoscopic than narrative. He spent time zooming in on small anecdotes, snatches of literature, and life stories. He also spent time talking about his process as a writer, which also zooms in on the small. I exited the book with many great recs on what to read next and with a simultaneous sense of knowing him better and realizing it is hard to know anyone well at all.

I'm going to start this out by saying that I cannot be unbiased about Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler. I read each book in A Series of Unfortunate Events nine times, I skipped school once to go to one of his signings, I wrote about his books for my college application essay (and got accepted), and I've read most of his other work as well. So I went into this book fully planning on loving it and I did.

But, that being said, I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone who isn't already familiar with his other books. I think having that background knowledge is important to appreciating everything Handler details here. I loved getting a look into his mind, learning about what inspired his writing and the events of his life that led him to becoming an author. After being a fan of his for so long, it felt like a great joy and privilege. And I'll definitely be checking out some of the other works he recommended at the end.

A big, big thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company/Liveright for the ARC!

Daniel Handler seems like the type who appreciates a nice evocative word. Here are some to describe his new memoir: inessential, banal, self indulgent.

“the reason we read— the reason you’re reading this book—is because some other book enchanted you, earlier on, and before that another, and before that another. This is the real literary canon, not some hegemonic pantheon, adapted and debated over time. We each have, a literary canon, and we make it ourselves, not out of what is respectable or prestigious or prominent or lasting or moral or even well-made. We make it out of enthusiasm, to which I try to connect myself, conjuring it up when I’m writing, from the books I have with me, on the table or just in my mind. And not just books. Perhaps my biggest inspiration, my true artistic hero, isn’t much of a writer, though he is an endless fountain of such ecstasy.”

so glad Lemony Snicket & Daniel Handler are in my literary canon!

A generous 2.5 stars. I enjoyed the Snicket books as a kid, but I don’t think I could describe Handler as a literary hero.

Other reviews have summarized my issues with the book more completely - this felt like a deeply disorganized memoir, which notably included several long diatribes, one against the term problematic.

He tried to justify making jokes that made other people uncomfortable with the defense “actually they just don’t get my sense of humor”. Bro just don’t make sexist jokes to people you don’t know? If someone has to know you for it to be funny, it’s frankly just not very funny.

His commentary on the art he liked was interesting, and I felt a lot of sympathy when he spoke of his time in the hospital and other challenging period. He also seems to genuinely love his wife (respect).

I think he could work on taking the accountability for his actions.

This was an eARC from NetGalley that I took too long to read. Nonetheless, thank you to NetGalley for providing the ~goods~ in return for an honest review

Have you ever wanted to purchase a shrink ray, use on yourself, and crawl inside someone's brain to experience them more in depth? That's what this book feels like, in a good way.

This book is a stream of consciousness memoir of beloved author Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler including ramblings on his favorite books and music and life experiences.

I'd recommend this book to people who love to understand how others' operate.

3.5 rounded up

I was honored to see Mr. Handler last week, fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine. No author has influenced my life more than he has, and I say that with full confidence. I handed him a letter after his really invigorating discussion, a word here which means effortlessly tolerating and volleying with the interviewer who I could not stand, so I won’t waste too much time talking online. I guess I just want to say that this book, like many of his books, made me feel seen in a strange way, like I have a best friend who doesn’t know I exist and I like it that way. It’s a book that I’ll think of often, like Handler thinks of his literary canon. It’s not for everyone, but that’s wonderful because it’s for me.

P.S. I’m sorry I gave Why We Broke Up two stars; forgive me, I was a teenager scared of sex when I read it. I’ll give it another shot.

And Then? And Then? What Else? is a pretty apt title for this memoir from Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket. It's pretty all over the place, almost stream-of-consciousness in places, but I was happy to be along for the whole wild ride. Most of the places he goes in the book have to do with his coming-of-age as a reader and writer, the bizarre and obscure books he's loved, the little scraps and tidbits of reading and movies that have always stayed with him, and the creative connections he is sometimes able to make with those. I wouldn't say Handler is madness over method in And Then? And Then? What Else?. Instead, he's clever, engaging, funny, and also strategic. Every strange scrap and tidbit he lays down, he comes back to pick up and play with again later. I didn't love this book quite as much as Poison for Breakfast, but it's still a lot of fun. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about books, writing, and creativity.

Surprisingly boring fare from an otherwise amazing writer

Unfortunately this was a little hard for me to get through but I'm sure I know other people who would like it. You might enjoy if you are well read. Somehow this required more concentration than other memoirs I've read.

Incredible book if you liked A Series of Unfortunate Events and don’t know what you want to read next.

Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company for the ARC of And Then? And Then? What Else? in exchange for an honest review.

There’s no question that the series that had the largest impact on me as a child was A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I was enthralled by the timeless, dreary world Snicket created populated with lovable and intelligent orphans, and messy adults who failed and disappointed. It’s an empowering series for children, one that not only teaches them to be their own advocates but to stand up to any kind of abuse. It honors the integral acts of reading, writing, and thinking for oneself. To me, it’s always been surprisingly hopeful, in a way that those who don’t get it never seem to understand.

I was thrilled when I got approved by NetGalley for And Then? And Then? What Else? By Daniel Handler (aka Snicket), eager to step into the mind of one of my favorite brilliant minds. What follows is a tribute to the stories and memories that made the writer, those foundational moments that inspire, confuse, delight, and spark creation. I lived for the little bits of connection to ASOUE and Snicket’s other works, but that’s not what And Then? And Then? What Else? is really about. It’s a free-flowing expression of storytelling that tries to make sense of a career and of a writer, that finds perspective in small moments, and asks us to really think about the way art (film, television, books, theater, so on) changes us irrevocably.

There’s a lot to unpack and a lot to think about. At times the writing is chaotic and veering sideways, leaving the reader with the task of drawing conclusions and staying on the right track. It’s much more fun to just let it be what it is and go along for the journey, to not try to categorize all of the bits of dust and magic that make a person, but accept the mind of a creative for what it is: endlessly trying to put humanity into words, and find that string of connection to somebody else so we all feel less lost.

Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) writes a sort-of memoir, meandering through the literary references that influenced his life, his ideas, his novels and other writing. From Baudelaire's poetry to punk rock to indie films to contemporary fiction, he follows threads of thought, emotion, and style; at times I felt like I could barely keep up.

"His sentences rolled around in my mind, multi-tentacled with loopy vocabulary, inscrutable jokes and fierce opinions, sentences that stayed luminous whether you picked them apart like a scholar or just gobbled them up. ...the world felt more magic, more elaborate in detail and experience, just taking a walk or looking at ordinary items, after spending time reading him" (49). That's Handler talking about Nabokov, but it expresses how I felt reading this book.

Near the end, Handler gets at what might be his main idea: "The reason we read . . . is because some other book enchanted you, earlier on, and before that another, and before that another. This is the real literary canon, not some hegemonic pantheon, adapted and debated over time. We each have one, a literary canon, and we make it ourselves, not out of what is respectable or prestigious or prominent or lasting or moral or even well-made. We make it out of enthusiasm, out of what we love" (214).

3.5
This was so interesting to me as someone who read A Series of Unfortunate Events as a kid. I didn’t know anything about this author but really loved the short stories about significant life events, books, and people that shaped his interest in becoming a writer, especially a writer of such unique books for children. I wish there was a little bit less literary analysis of poems and pieces from other books but besides that I thought it was thought-provoking and eye opening.

One of the most fantastic memoirs I've ever read. Granted, I haven't read all that many memoirs... but I truly love the way that Handler writes. There is so much great insight in here, about life in general, about the writing process, and about Handler's inspirations for his different works (especially, most excitingly for me, A Series of Unfortunate Events).

Type of read: Commuter Read

What made me pick it up: I remember diving headfirst into the world of Lemony Snicket when I was a young reader and thoroughly enjoying those journeys through the page. I'm also a sucker for a good author memoir.

Overall rating: It was love at first sentence for 'And Then? And Then? What Else?' Handler shares their thoughts and musings on writing, reading, and life in general. If you get nothing else from this book, you will get a long list of books to add to your TBR. I blame Handler for the tumbling stack of books that were delivered to my house just in the short time between starting and finishing 'And Then? And Then? What Else?' I would highly encourage any writer or bibliophile to read this book. At the very least, you'll get a glimpse into the magical mind of Handler and how their life has been shaped by the pages they've devoured.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC!

As a fan of Daniel Handler, I really was excited to read this part memoir, part insights from Daniel Handler about writing and art. It was fascinating and a speed read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be purchasing a physical copy once it's sold in stores.

A thousand times yes

This is a very difficult work to classify. At times it ranges from being an autobiography, to a memoir, to philosophical musings. If I had to put a label on it, I would say it’s a glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of Daniel Handler and what influenced him, both in terms of personal anecdotes and literature. If you’re a fan of Handler’s work, either published as himself or under his literary pseudonym Lemony Snicket, I would highly recommend checking out this book.

Many authors write about how they go about writing. This is the first book I've read where the author writes about how he goes about reading.

I finished this book with more items on my to-read list than before I started.

wandering and wordy, with one vignette in particular that will haunt me forever

Woah. Kyra was right when she said this book is about books but also a lot of other things—San Francisco, art, queerness, life, minds, love, children. The hidden depths of Lemony Snicket do not come as a surprise to those who are familiar with his work.

I'm not sure why, considering it was brand new and cost almost $30, this book makes a crackling, papery sound when I open it. It happened every time: like a campfire at night, or the old door to a library. I'm not complaining, that's one of my most favorite sounds.

I could have done with a lot more series of unfortunate events and a lot less other stuff (particularly the literary analysis of poems and sections from other books)

I still love The series of unfortunate events, and I continue to read books by Lemony Snicket and Daniel Handler. When my daughter was young, we would borrow the audiobooks from the library for road trips so we could hear the brilliant Tim Curry narrating The series of unfortunate events, with his own style and tunes.
So I enjoyed having a chance to read this, a short memoir that still managed to cover many pivotal points in the author's life. There is so much honesty here. It was fantastic how Handler also talked about the different works of art that influenced him, mainly books.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this