I read through chapter 15 and decided to stop. The discussions of family trauma were too intense for me. I may finish the book someday. But not today.
I read through chapter 15 and decided to stop. The discussions of family trauma were too intense for me. I may finish the book someday. But not today.
I figured out when I saw David Sedaris live in Raleigh in the late 90s or early aughts that hearing him read his essays is probably the best way to experience them, so although I will read his books in print from time to time, I prefer the audiobook versions. Sedaris is a little the curmudgeon in these essays, but he's self-consciously so, which works. As usual, the essays are hilarious, poignant, or squirm-inducing (and sometimes all three).
Hilarious! I don‘t usually read essays/memoir and I loved this! Laughed out loud. Aging parents, Social issues, sexuality, long-term relationships & the possible abuse of his sister are all written about with frankness. And often humor. Trigger warning: sister‘s suicide is discussed briefly in one essay. Highly recommend! #essays #memoir #humor #5stars
I‘m not sure how to rate this. Parts were very funny and true. Other parts made me uncomfortable - maybe because I don‘t think those things should be said in “polite society”. He is a good writer
David Sedaris; a champion storyteller with dead pan delivery and perfect timing, striking the balance between cynical and hysterically funny. In happy, go lucky we see a touching but also almost brutally honest side of his relationship with his family, siblings & father. His take on COVID and the protocols is part reminiscing while on a walk down memory lane and part hysterically funny. ( Hey, you can either laugh, or (cont in comments)...
Another winner from Sedaris. This one focuses in on his life mid and post pandemic. Also lots about his family, especially how he and his siblings responded as their father was dying.
Just not my jam. Not my kind of humor, I rolled my eyes several times. A lot of superficial/shallow contents.
I just adore David Sedaris.
This essay collection was timely, funny, and sometimes disturbing.
I could hear his voice as I read - normally I listen to his audiobooks.
Maybe this is the year I'll finally get to meet him...
Cashed my bonus check from work and spent it all at the Barnes and Noble half off sale 😄
A few more serious topics in this one, but always a pleasure to listen to this man!
The most recent Sedaris is a bit darker than some , but with the death of his father and Covid 19 being topics it‘s not surprising.his powers of observation & his sense of humor still provided laugh out loud moments.I love the essay about missing his live readings, it‘s a way to evaluate if the material is working and makes his work a cross between traditional writing & stand up in a way. I have no idea why I haven‘t ever seen him live.
David Sedaris does it again! I always enjoy seeing the world through his quirky lens as he‘s able to highlight the bizarre and alternatively the poignant moments in life. In this book he covers his experiences during COVid pandemic and the loss of his father with whom the family has a complicated history. I read this in print but may look for it in audio at some point as I love listening to him as well.
Was very lucky to see David Sedaris perform in my town the other night, and got to meet him. It was a delight, as is his new collection. One of the few things my husband and I can enjoy together on car rides!
If you like David Sedaris, you will enjoy this book of essays. He covers some heavy issues, but also made me physically laugh-out-loud. Not always comfortable reads, but always worth it. Plus we see a good amount of sister Amy. And this cover! 🤦🏼♀️😆
At this point most people know whether they like Sedaris‘ work or not. For me, I will always listen to it on audio and it will always make me laugh uncontrollably. There are also obviously things he writes that make me cringe. This particular collection is full of reflections on living in a pandemic, the complicated emotions that come from losing his father, and musings about growing older. It‘s slightly more maudlin, but still full of hilarity.
I only had a few days to read this before my book club discussed it. Fortunately, it‘s short, so I was able to read it real fast 💨
Reading is not going well. Someone stole my book! 🐈
#catsoflitsy #littenkitten
I‘ve read everything he‘s written. I don‘t know of another author who shares such personal information that makes you laugh. The chapter on him going on a book tour and hearing other peoples jokes had me rolling on the floor. And he spoke with such realism about his father‘s end of life. I highly recommend all his books, especially if you want to give your day a big lift.
David Sedaris never disappoints. Masterful blend of humor, introspection, and family dynamics/history dissection. I didn‘t love the pandemic parts of the book but that‘s more due to my personal preferences and not a reflection on the writing. I would love to come back in a few years with fresh eyes.
I started reading this one out loud to my aunt while she was in the hospital for some laughs-& while glossed over for her some of the sections about Lou‘s decline & death, it still gave us some last happy memories to laugh about- gunderpants especially! Because I read it so slowly, I also listened to it myself. While it‘s not all new material, I found this essay collection to hit a wide range though I‘ll probably always associate it with my aunt.
In my eyes, David Sedaris can do no wrong and is always a pleasure to read.
From laugh out loud moment to poignant ones, he covers the entire gamut.
Stories about his crazy family, his dying father, book tours and travel in our pre and post-Covid world... and teeth.
I read this when it first came out but wanted to wait until I listened to it to post a review. I really liked this book. It has some essays that are personally revealing and consequently seem a little more raw and honest for Mr Sedaris than his ordinarily snarky family tales. That said there were still some that I laughed aloud heartily. Oddly, the book ends with a mention of Springfield, MO which is the place I mean when I‘m “going to town.”
I picked this book up at E Shaver bookstore on a recent trip that my family and I took to Savannah and I couldn't put it down. This book is hilarious. I love Sedaris' dark humor.
I listened to the audiobook read by the author, and my husband read the hardcover. If you have read the two volumes of David Sedaris‘s diaries, you will find many repeated stories in this collection. I didn‘t mind, because I enjoy his work. While I am sure many of his anecdotes are exaggerated for comic effect, his reflections are brutally honest. I highly recommend the audiobook so you can hear the work read by the author.
I loved this so much. We saw David Sedaris in April and this collection was very similar in tone, in fact he read “Pussytoes” during his presentation. There‘s some really rough content here about his relationship with his father. Sedaris‘ signature wit and observations were timely, this time about the pandemic and guns in America. His stories about his relationship with his sisters/family and his husband are always hilarious.
Listening to David Sedaris read his own work is always a pleasure. Highlights in this collection are:
—examples of his close relationship with his sisters
—learning to shoot a gun
—his father transforming into Mr Congeniality when he was in his mid-90s (even admitting his voting for Trump had been a mistake)
—Sedaris‘ surprise about what women readers said to him about wearing bras
#audiobook
Spent today working on projects for my online Paint and Print with Natural Dyes course. And listening to the tagged audiobook.
#audiocrafting #craftersofLitsy
Did David Sedaris write funny essays during political turbulence, a pandemic and after the death of his father? Yes. Not as funny as say, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” but worthwhile. I wanted to know his take on everything and I was thrilled to get it. The only caveat is that if you‘re not already a fan you should probably start with his earlier essays and get to know him first.
My husband and I went on a short trip, and we visited four bookstores along the way!
If you see a woman on her hands and knees, shoulders hitching up and down, laughing so hard that she‘s crying while weeding her flower bed, just keep walking. She‘s listening to David Sedaris‘s latest and she‘d be me. Say hello if you‘re a Litten. 😂
Sedaris‘s latest essay collection finds him in good form. I chuckled along with this in a number of places and really enjoyed it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Another great essay collection from David Sedaris. More related to current events (guns, COVID, BLM) than most of his other work, and it sounds like a more honest portrayal of his dad after his recent death. Definitely worth reading if you‘ve enjoyed his other work.
Sedaris rule: “Be yourself. Unless, of course, yourself is an asshole.” Started this to run and knit to, and have enjoyed some laugh out loud moments already.
Got it as soon as it dropped and finished it same day. Sedaris continues to deliver. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fellow Sedaris Stans: He was on Conan‘s podcast last week and it‘s a fantastic listen! He was also on back in February of 2019, so you‘ll probably want to check that one out, too. Really fun!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My only complaint is that it‘s too short, so the obvs solution was to read it twice! It‘s an excellent collection largely about Lou Sedaris and pandemic times. Funny and dark commentary as usual. The last essay where he mentions his first post-Covid show in Nashville? I was there, at War Memorial Auditorium, front row center! I could see his freshly Invisalign-ed smile. It was an incredible evening!
A group road-trip requires a David Sedaris audiobook—and he never fails to entertain and provoke! In this collection, he touches on the COVID-19 pandemic, his father‘s deathbed, Black Lives Matter marches of 2020, the value of corrective dentistry, and things people stick up their rectums! I do have to say Sedaris had me cringing with a couple places where his wealth and age have him a bit out of touch. Still worth a listen!
#NetGalley
This might not be my favorite Sedaris, and it definitely has some darker more emotional stories, but it was still overall an enjoyable read.
I like reading David Sedaris because he makes me uncomfortable - uncomfortable with his perspectives and judgments and choices that don‘t resonate with me, but also uncomfortable with the ones that do! 😝 I always appreciate his humor and LOLed while listening to this perhaps more than any of his recent collections, I think. Would like to purge the cover from my memory forever, but otherwise a great read!
This is a truly horrible picture of us, but Parnassus was wonderful about accommodating my dad‘s disability and so was David Sedaris.
They saved front row end seats, so he could get in and out easily. I was three seats down from Ann!! 🤩🤩 And David signs disabled people‘s books first so between my cast and dad‘s cane, we went right up! I‘ll share our personalized autographs and what we talked about tomorrow. It was a great night!!
David Sedaris tonight!! Squee!
David Sedaris delivers on many of these essays about Hugh, random interactions with others, and his family. Some are a little off, but he still makes me laugh and plow through his books in less than 24 hours.
I am always here for a new David Sedaris essay collection. As others have mentioned, this one is a bit darker, more reflective than his previous and brutally honest. Still great. Life can be dark and you have to laugh about it (or at least I do). I‘m sad to have finished. Now I‘ll just have to wait patiently for his next!
David Sedaris has been one of my favorite essayists for many years. This collection hits a bit differently, and honestly that is fine with me. While there are plenty of laugh out loud moments (gunderwear, book tour themes, etc) that we have come to expect from Sedaris, this collection is extremely introspective. His humor and tone may seem a bit darker with this book, but I find it appropriate for the subject matter tackled.
🦩I‘m only about a third of the way through, but so far 😆 🔫 🕰 🇫🇷 ✉️ 🐜 😂
🦩 Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden was a fun debut thriller. It felt like it could be the set up for a series and I‘d love to get more Virgil Wounded Horse.
🦩 The Book of Cold Cases ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️—I liked it
#WondrousWednesday
@Eggs
Summer can now officially start. The new David Sedaris arrived today!!! He is always one of my “must buy” authors! Happy-Go-Lucky looks sooooooo good! The cover is so perfect!!