275 pages
English language
Published Oct. 30, 2013 by Little, Brown and Company.
From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences. Whether railing against the habits of litterers in the English countryside or marveling over a disembodied human arm in a taxidermist's shop, Sedaris takes us on side-splitting adventures that are not to be forgotten.
When did David Sedaris start to sound as irritatingly clueless and curmudgeonly as late-period Erma Bombeck? I’m stunningly disappointed in this collection. Here’s a summary: Successful middle aged well to do white guy is occasionally moderately inconvenienced and really hates his dad. Gonna go read “Santaland Diaries” and wash off the stink of this one.
There are some of Sedaris' trademark short stories in here about his childhood and family that I really enjoyed, but then there are a couple other stories that fell flat for me, usually when he talks about more recent events. Have funny things just stopped happening to him?
This is a good book to read when you're feeling bummed out and blah. I mean sure, it's not going to cure depression or anything like that, but it's good for some literal LOLs. I liked it. David Sedaris is a kook with a twisted sense of humor. Just exactly my kind of person.
Listened to this on my commute.
Pros: Read by David Sedaris. Nobody reads David Sedaris better than David Sedaris. This is Sedaris at his best, by turns funny, acerbic, warm, and always witty. I like that the essays are frequently surprising -- some of the essays open with vignettes long enough to be engrossing but, it turns out following skillful segues, are merely introductions to the actual topic of the essay.
Con: The major drawback isn't about the book, but rather is inherent to listening to books instead of reading them (at least for me) I listen to books on CD because it makes my commute nicer, but I'm primarily focused on the driving, not the listening, and books I listen to don't "stick" the same way books I read do. I'm not sure I could describe more than 4 or 5 essays from this collection now that it's over. …
Listened to this on my commute.
Pros: Read by David Sedaris. Nobody reads David Sedaris better than David Sedaris. This is Sedaris at his best, by turns funny, acerbic, warm, and always witty. I like that the essays are frequently surprising -- some of the essays open with vignettes long enough to be engrossing but, it turns out following skillful segues, are merely introductions to the actual topic of the essay.
Con: The major drawback isn't about the book, but rather is inherent to listening to books instead of reading them (at least for me) I listen to books on CD because it makes my commute nicer, but I'm primarily focused on the driving, not the listening, and books I listen to don't "stick" the same way books I read do. I'm not sure I could describe more than 4 or 5 essays from this collection now that it's over. That's not to fault the essays (see pros, above).
I love David Sedaris, but this is basically more of the same. I've read pretty much all of his books, and while these essays were, as always, funny and charming, within the first couple of paragraphs I already knew what the rest of the essay would be. Bottom line: If you like Sedaris, you'll probably enjoy this collection as well, just don't expect anything new or surprising.
David Sedaris never fails to be funny, as well as charming, insightful, and fascinating. In "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls," Sedaris revisits his family, travels, and frustrations with his characteristic hilarious snarkiness (if that's a word). I thoroughly enjoyed it.
