When you're joining a stranger at their table in a café, you don't know what that will be like. Is it a philosopher who shares insights into their view on the world with you? Is it a random weirdo who bores you with random musings? Is it anything in-between?

"M Train" is Patti Smith, poet and musician, doing all of the above. It's a memoir, a dream diary, a short story collection (?), a travel guide, and a book with advice on how to buy real estate.

A enjoyed some of the texts in this book a lot: Patti Smith's travel reports are fascinating to learn about her experiences in many different parts of the world. Her descriptions of the creative process of a writer

Often during the "M Train", Patti Smith refers to other authors and their work, mostly with short references only. I was worried because parts of the meaning would remain hidden for me, since I'm not very familiar with Beatnik literature, Japanese authors, or mid-century French books. Fortunately, Patti Smith has me covered, because she wrote exactly about this problem:

"[Books] float through these pages often without explanation. Writers and their process. Writers and their books. I cannot assume the reader will be familiar with them all, but in the end is the reader familiar with me? Does the reader wish to be so? I can only hope, as I offer my world on a platter filled with allusions."

Her texts about her life in New York City reveal interesting insights into the life of this one person, her favorite places, her interactions with other people.

The parts in "M Train" in which she tells us about her dreams - that was when she lost me. Those pages remain mysterious to me, and not necessarily in a good way.

Overall - an enjoyable read for the poetic-minded, big Patti Smith fans, and those who like listening to strangers in a café.