I think this may be my favorite Hofstadter book to date. There is no denying the brilliance of “Gödel, Escher, Bach”, but GEB is a pretty hard slog. This volume is shorter and, I think, much more accessible.
That is not to say it is just a trip through the daisies. There are some deep ideas being explored here, including all of Hofstadter’s usual interests: consciousness, self-reference, and analogies, with all of it shot through with his trademark word-play.
This is also a much more personal book than GEB. The tone is warmer, but also sadder at times, largely because of the death of his wife.
A very good book.