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Chuck Klosterman is the only writer where I’ve stockpiled the complete collection of his books. With X he’s on his tenth book, which is a feat in itself for any author to have ten books. That said, I have yet to read all ten, but this one called to me as an immediate read when it arrived in my mailbox. As someone who has similar interests in general with Klosterman, his writing always intrigues me.

This book is a collection of Klosterman’s writing over the years. Some were familiar, namely his GQ interview (or lack thereof) with Tom Brady while the whole “Deflategate” situation was going on. And despite having already read it, I read it again anyway. In a way, I would like my writing to grow to be what his is, but still something that’s my own. Hopefully that makes sense to someone other than myself. Klosterman covers sports and music in a way that many writers in those areas probably wish they could. He has access that not just anyone gets. His interview with Kobe Bryant is fantastic, and the Lakers fan in me is beyond jealous.

Aside from Kobe, Klosterman talked to some of the greats in music as well. Can you imagine just being in a car with Taylor Swift while she takes a call from Justin Timberlake? Yeah, I can’t either. But Chuck Klosterman can. All jealousy aside, I truly love reading his writing. This book gives a great look at the various topics he can tackle and it gives you a look at how his writing has evolved over the years. You have articles from 2007 and more recent ones from 2015. That’s a big span when you’re talking about a career, especially one in writing. Anyone that writes knows that even if it’s a slow process (or constantly feels like one), your writing changes a lot over time. For some writers, it’s hard to look back and not cringe at previous articles, books, etc. However, Klosterman still thinks he has stuff that is worth collecting and it’s hard to argue with that.

Breaking Bad, Harry Potter, the Cleveland Browns, and zombies are just a few of the other topics covered in this collection. For fans of pop culture, Chuck Klosterman is a writer you should definitely check out. Not everyone will feel the same about his writing as I do, but it’s worth a shot. If you want to start with something you can pick and chose stories or topics from then X is as good a place as any to start. And if I’m being honest here, my writing may never be what Klosterman’s is, but at least I can say I tried and I’ll continue to enjoy his writing in the meantime.

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