Calypso

This was a great audiobook for a roadtrip – a series of self-contained, slightly rambling essays that don't require too much attention to follow along with. I'm not sure if I'd have enjoyed it quite as much in another format, but I liked it enough that I think I will try something else from the author to find out.

Fantastic as usual. David Sedaris never fails to keep my attention and to make me laugh, cry, deep sigh and to create an entertaining, comedic and cathartic sense of “it’s not just me/my family/my relationship;” a refreshing solidarity in all the ways being “abnormal” is really the only normalcy that exists. I think families and relationships can be/are messy but fun, torture and treasure, grounding(in chaotic ground), terrific, and terrible... all at the same time and I always feel better knowing that others have similar experiences. David (I feel like we should be on first name basis after this many years) has a way of thinking and looking at the world that I truly appreciate and enjoy, and his ability to convey his unique perspectives in writing is sensational. I will never not love his work and never stop reading/listening to whatever he puts out there. Thanks David, for another great listen that I couldn’t stop listening to, fell asleep to, “rewound” the next morning, ignored my family and dogs to finish and loved every minute of listening. I always love the audiobooks he reads/narrates/performs, and this one has some pieces from a few of his live readings interspersed, which was an unexpected treat!

I wish this book was twice as long. Three times as long. A perfect book to read when one is sick to death of the news. Sick to death of our current president. Sick to death of politics.

A great blend of the poignant and the absurd. And absurdly poignant. Laugh out loud funny. Recommended when one wants to escape into something easy going and lighthearted, but at the same time, never shallow. I've read a few books by David Sedaris at this point and I think I'll read them all because they are the perfect antidote to our current time.

I'd heard most of these stories when he tested them during live readings in recent years, and - like any great story - was happy to sit through them again. (I listened to the audiobook, which in my opinion is the ONLY way to truly experience Sedaris's magic, since he reads the essays himself.) Not surprisingly, the most hilarious story of the collection is the one that starts out with a stranger shitting himself on an airplane. And once again, Sedaris has reserved a seat at my table if I ever get to arrange a dinner for 10 interesting strangers of my choosing.