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I had a big boil, my queen lances it, the fluid inside smells. This book is, no question, the worst book I have ever read. I had high expectations going into this book based on all the hype. Are you serious. I did not laugh once, not even a chuckle. This life situations this dude tackles are not funny. That's just gnarly, not humorous. Don't waste your time or money on this set of booooooring stories.
this was my first Sedaris book and although not totally blown away, it was definitely entertaining and good fun. and a more recent effort to quit smoking. i listened to the audio version, which is narrated by Sedaris himself and although this is not an old book (pub. 2008), the dry sarcasm and tone of his voice was reminiscent of an older style of stand up comedy.the book is written in short stories of various happenings in Sedaris's life, including babysitting experiences of his younger days, what it what like going public about being gay, his crazy neighbors (which i can completely relate to). there were definite highs and lows in the stories, with some absolutely hysterical laugh out loud moments in between. some stories held my interest more than others, notably That's Amore and The Smoking Section, but regardless, it was worth the time spent and i would probably pick up another Sedaris book someday.
Not a bad track record, of course, but just not as uproariously funny as others. I'm a big David Sedaris fan, but I didn't love this book as much as some of the others. My favorite stories were those that chronicled his interactions with other people--the one with him fighting with the woman who sat next to him on the plane (I did laugh out loud during this one); the story of Helen, who lived in the same apartment building he and Hugh did; the horrible babysitter, Mrs. When I read "Barrel Fever" and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim," I found myself laughing out loud numerous times. In this book, there were a few stories that made me laugh out loud, but mostly I smiled or chuckled. Peacock; and the final story, which chronicled his attempt to quit smoking while living in Japan. Those new to David Sedaris, I would recommend you start with a different book so you truly appreciate his amazing sense of humor.
I love David Sedaris, but this book felt darker and less funny to me. Plus, there were uncomfortable sexual undertones that made it sound much more like a regular autobiography instead of one that was supposed to evoke a comedic reaction. Overall, I just really didn't enjoy it nearly as much as, say, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" or "Naked".
Ouch.But there's a humor there as well that can't help but make you chuckle: "I peeled away my [nicotine] patch last night and was disgusted by the cruddy shadow it left. A woman can throw her newborn child from the roof of a high-rise building. I've read, and heard, that I needed to read some of his other works. What I've been doing instead is rolling index cards into little tubes.
In particular, I liked his long treatise on his efforts to give up smoking during a long visit to Japan:[In regards to depictions of smoking in high school textbooks,] Sedaris wrote, "It seems crazy to cut smoking mothers out of textbooks, but within a few years they won't be allowed in movies either. This was my first David Sedaris book, I know I've read at least one other article, and I may have read others (but I never paid attention to who the author was). It feels like I've been wearing a bumper sticker, so instead of replacing the one I took off, I think I'll just go without and see what happens. 276). She can then retrieve the body and stomp on it while shooting into the windows of a day care center, but to celebrate these murders by lighting a cigarette is to send a harmful message.
As for my three hundred dollars' worth of lozenges, I still haven't opened them, and don't think I'm going to. I'm chuckling even as I type this.There's enough here that I want more. The uniqueness of the cover art on his many books makes it easy to remember that his books are all around the bookstores.So I gave it a try with When You Are Engulfed in Flames.I enjoyed it, and was surprised later to read that many loyal fans considered this collection of essays a let-down. I put one in my mouth when I sit down to write, and then I slowly chew it to a paste and swallow it. There are, after all, young people watching, and we wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea" (p.
250-251). I'm now up to six a day and am wondering if I should switch to a lighter, unlined brand" (p. Time to look for one of those distinctive covers.
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