"Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer's Life" can perhaps best be described by what it is not:

- It is not a book about writing--it is a book about a "writer's life," and there's a big difference between the two. Some other reviewers have noted that they were expecting a how-to book or more details about the craft of writing. That's understandable, given the cover image and subtitle.

- It is not a memoir. While Greenberg writes about his own life, many of the stories here are "slice-of-life" looks into the lives of people that the author has met over the years. Including rats.

- It is not drop-dead funny. Greenberg is a much dryer writer than other popular essayists, and, while his writing is occasionally funny, the tone is more akin to Roth or Updike than Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs.

- It is not a "follow-up" or sequel to Greenberg's first book, the memoir "Hurry Down Sunshine."

- It is not simply a bunch of blog posts, although the length of each entry is short enough. The writing is much more polished. It *is* a collection of short, literary essays that the self-described New York Jew Greenberg wrote for the UK's Times Literary Supplement from 2003 to 2009.

It *is* an amazing book that is well worth reading, even if it is difficult to describe. If there's one connecting theme to the stories and the characters, it's New York City--the good, the bad, and the rats. You don't have to be a New Yorker or a writer to enjoy Greenberg's book, but if you're either (or both) then "Beg, Borrow, Steal" is a pleasantly-rewarding read.