Wednesday, September 24, 2008

#62 - When You Are Engulfed in Flames


Book No: 62
Title: When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Author: David Sedaris
Genre: Memoir/Essays
Published: 2008
Obtained: 2008/Audible
Completed: 7/21/08
No. of Pages: N/A
Rating: 4/5*****

I have been hearing that I have to read Sedaris for some years now. Not a big listener of the radio I had no idea who he was. So when I found this available on audio, when I was looking for something light I finally decided to give him a try. And guess what?? I freaking love David Sedaris. I laughed out loud so many times while driving in my car that I am sure I scared more than one driver. This collection of essays was funny, sad, poignant, sweet, cute, and hysterical. One story after another with Sedaris doing the reading, it was just a great way to spend time in the car. The scary thing is wondering who is watching you and taking notes- Sedaris bases his tales on people and events that he has observed, his notebook and pen always handy to jot down a few notes. The story entitled Solution to the Saturday Puzzle was one of the funniest I have ever heard and I wonder what the star of the piece, Becky the nasty plane seat-mate, thinks of it- if she has indeed ever seen it. The ending essays, which cover Sedaris’ trip to Japan in order to quit smoking, run the gamut of emotions and were also among my favorite pieces. I just downloaded Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim to my Kindle. I want to compare the listening experience to the reading experience because I so enjoyed listening to Sedaris’ rendition of his stories. I think I have found a new favorite, and that always makes me happy!

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