What on Earth Have I Done?: Stories, Observations, and Affirmations

Twenty years after his All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten became a record-breaking bestseller, Fulghum's authorial voice is still distinctive and his tone welcomingly upbeat, but this new collection of short pieces suffers from self-indulgence, roping in too many vague and inconsequential essays. The majority of the book falls into three sections, one for each of Fulghum's homes-Seattle, Moab, Utah and the island of Crete-and the strongest section is the Cretan, containing some lovely, incisive essays on his indomitable Greek housekeeper, ""The Invincible Ioannoulla."" Elsewhere his writing is well-meaning but feather-light while taking on topics like holidays, history, ""players"" and the conversations of strangers; even in the midst of terminal naivety, however, Fulghum's able to land an unexpected, resonant thought: ""I walked on with the dog of my imagination running unleashed through the bushes of my brain, looking for a place to unload."" Though these worthwhile passages and brief, shining moments make Fulghum's dissolution into wispy koans (""Go on. Escape over the walls of your asylum."") all the more disappointing, fans of Fulghum's storytelling will find much to savor.