Rating:  Summary: Outstanding: I almost shot coffee out of my nose... Review: What can be said? Truly one of the best story tellers around. Yes, I've read a number of the stories in other places previously or heard him read them live (a treat unto itself) but I cracked up just as hard the second time. The new ones were hysterical.Do yourself a favor and catch him live. The book was well worth the wait. Outstanding.
Rating:  Summary: try to not laugh outloud! Review: I always look forward to spending time inside the mind of David Sedaris. I don't know how many times I have read Naked and Barrel Fever ( if you haven't read either get thee to thy shopping cart! ) He doesn't disappoint this go around either. Marvelously twisted and dead on. From being tagged a "future homosexual" to foul mouthed siblings, you will laugh out loud and then read out loud to anyone within earshot. If you've ever watched his equally wicked sister Amy's show on Comedy Central, the equally perverse,twisted, and hilarious "Strangers with Candy", you will wonder what went on in that house? And wish you had been part of it. If I could invite three men to drinks it would be Bob Smith, Dan Savage and David Sedaris.
Rating:  Summary: Disappointed Review: After a 3 year wait since Naked, it's a bit of a letdown that this book is made largely of material that has been printed elsewhere. After being such a fan I suppose it's my own fault for having sought out his various articles in anticipation of a new book. But so much recycled material is disappointing, better for a paperback perhaps. There are some very good laughs and expected Sedaris worldview, but the tone is disjointed, rushed- it's magazine writing on deadline basically. Descriptions of life in Paris and 22 -city book tours (like a rock star) are also not likely to appeal to readers who enjoyed his hilarious depictions of life in the working classes. He seems to be above it all, moved on from crude America, and the work is far less engaging for it.
Rating:  Summary: Well worth the wait! Review: "Me Talk Pretty One Day" is the most enjoyable read I have had so far this year. Anyone who has read "Naked" will appreciate the continuing adventures of David Sedaris. There is no other writer who can tell a story like this man. (No, I'm not one of his sisters). "Me Talk Pretty One Day" is comprised of various essays about family, relationships, New York, France, pets and the most interesting situations that happen in the life of this most talented writer. This book will make you laugh out loud, particularly if you have ever thought of yourself or your family as eccentric. I thank David Sedaris for speaking out in such an honest way about his life for our reading pleasure. Can't wait for the next book!
Rating:  Summary: Me Laugh Hard One Day Review: These hilarious essays reveal the unoticed surrealty of daily life. From the absurd eating habits of family members to the "Youth in Asia" every amusing passage can tell you a bit more about yourself and what our society considers to be "normal." David Sedaris is certainly one of the greatest literary comedians of our time. These quirky stories are filled with Sedaris' real family and freinds, who make the situations he writes about all the more amusing and fun to read, especially the stories about his father, Lou, the natural mechanic who proves time and time again that genetics aren't everything. His laid-back mother and rough-neck little brother, Paul (the rooster), also bring humor to this collection. But, by far, the strongest character has to be his sister, Amy (who also co-wrote Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, and Naked). With her imaginary boyfriends, "fatty suits," and fake bruises and scratches, Amy "shines like a diamond" in the face of normailty. However ridiculously funny these adventures are, only the truly open-minded and those willing to expand their horizons and read about possibly opposing lifestyles will really enjoy Sedaris' experiences. At times his actions may suggest him as the village idiot, but besides his occasional wacky stupidity, Sedaris won't fail to amuse. Sedaris captures the faults and humors in American (and even parts of European) culture. The ridiculous antics of the people in his life are displayed in fantastic detail, which will bring a smile to your face for every page you turn. All in all, Sedaris bases his creativity more on reality with imagined fantasy rathar than fantasy or reality alone, which makes him unique on the national bestseller list.
Rating:  Summary: Very Funny Review: This book is very funny: I read it on the bus every morning, and got a lot of dirty looks for laughing out loud. Every now and then, however, I got the feeling that Sedaris knew he was being clever and hilarious, and, by the end of the book, his tone started to irritate me and I longed for something sincere. Overall this book is funny and very well written. Just take a few weeks off before reading another Sedaris book, or you will quickly get sick of him.
Rating:  Summary: absolutely hilarious Review: I have never read a book so consistantly funny. I wasn't laughing at every page, but there was at least one line or paragraph in each essay that honestly made me laugh out loud. I won't give any away; enough are posted here. Any more, and I'd give away half the laughs. I'll admit, I wondered what was going on in Sedaris' head at some points, but at others his thoughts so closely mirrored my own that it was just too funny. His one-liners and anecdotes are wonderfully witty (my favorite was the American tourists in Paris who arrogantly think no one else on the train speaks English). He accurately points out negative qualities of Americans in the second half, yet he doesn't talk down to his readers as he himself is a lazy loaf who spends most of his time in France in a movie theater. Just wonderful. You'll laugh your way through it.
Rating:  Summary: Me Talk FUNNY One Day! (And You'll laugh, too) Review: Sedaris, in another collection of autobiographical essays, showcases his wit and dares to be as politically incorrect and offensive while still maintaining a strong pull at the heartstrings of the reader. This is a book to read on those days when you just think your life couldn't get any weirder- and you will thank Sedaris for demonstrating how relatively normal your life is. Part One of this book is a collection of autobiographical essays from various times in his life, including a hysterical essay about teaching a writing class entitled "The Learning Curve," as well as the essay entitled "The Youth in Asia" about his family's pets, which is all at once laugh-out-loud funny, and oddly touching and thought-provoking. This is a pattern one will find in Sedaris's writing. He falls in the same category as Kurt Vonnegut was labeled: a Zany satirist with a heart. And indeed, he has a heart, strange and twisted, but still lovable. Through his misadventures, tales of a grandmother who he couldn't stand and being glad of her passing, and tales of weeping at the death of a cat ("she was never really fond of the outdoors, so I sprinkled her ashes on the carpet and vacuumed them up,") we gain a particular insight into our own social dysfunctionalities while laughing at another person's. Part Deux (part TWO, for those of you less inclined towards the French language) is about Sedaris's (mis?)adventures in France with his partner. Sedaris takes a stab at religion, the Easter Bunny and French Easter traditions all in one swipe in the essay "Jesus Shaves," while providing a touching and serious explanation of the importance of faith. In his typical style, however, he pins onto the end of this touching monologue the phrase "that's just f*cked up" as a mischievous punchline. In this section of the book, we also follow him on adventures with the concept of masculine and feminine vowels in French, and how he avoids this conflict by referring to everything in the plural. ("Hugh may be annoyed by the two turkeys in the freezer, but wait until he sees the CD players I got him for his birthday.") This collection of essays will consistently make you laugh, while maintaining a strong emotional connection to your own life: In this book one can glimpse elements of their own predicaments and faults, while laughing over how much stranger Sedaris's are. For all the authors that strive to make their everyday characters able to relate to everyday persons, Sedaris makes the reader able to relate to himself through the insane exaggerations and misadventures that we all like to think we have. Me Talk Pretty One Day is a great book! Don't Miss it! Another Amazon quick-pick I recommend is The Losers Club by Richard Perez
Rating:  Summary: Fan Of Memoirs Review: <br />What a beautifully poignant memoir this is. Everyone should read this book. It is so beautifully written, I can not say enough wonderful words.<br /> Other Memoirs: Nightmares Echo by Katlyn Stewart,Lost Boy by David Pelzer,Beauty For Ashes by Joyce Meyer
Rating:  Summary: I guarantee you will laugh out loud... a lot Review: As usual, David Sedaris has written a collection of personal essays that are downright hilarious. I read this book cover to cover last night and am still laughing the next day any time I think about it. The first part of the book features essays dealing with his childhood experiences and his colorful, occasionally dysfunctional family (if you haven't, also read Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim for more on the Sedaris family--especially his gruff, often belligerent and always foulmouthed brother). The second part covers the author's early visits to and life in France--his borderline sadistic French teacher, the joy of watching American movies in Paris, and (the best essay in the book) riding the metro with American tourists.
All in all, this is a great book that will put you in a good mood and keep you laughing.
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