If only know John Hodgeman from his appearances on The Daily Show, or as the PC in the old Apple ads you are missing out. He had a run of fake trivia books. He also has a podcast where he settles your petty social disputes.

Vacationland moves away from Hodgeman’s adopted personas and instead is a straightforward memoir. We start out with him as a child in his parent's vacation home in western Massachusetts. And we end with him as a mildly successful TV personality in Maine with other middle-aged weirdos.

I don’t want to get into the various stories in the book. They fit together in this meandering way that doesn’t become a narrative but feel like a set of stories someone told you during a long night at the bar.

Instead, I think that Hodgeman’s mix of self-reflection with descriptions of the cultures and customs of Maine make the best kind of dry comedy. Vacationland isn’t stand up, the jokes come alongside earnest storytelling.

If you like dry humor and travelogues not really about traveling, this book should be on your list. I got a good picture of Maine and its characters, but also Hodgeman fits enough of himself in here to keep the memoir label here as well.