Tuesday, July 15, 2008

#31: More Reading

So I put two and a half days without television to good use: I also read When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris.
Sedaris is one of my favorite authors. I read his first book (Barrel Fever) in the late 90s, and immediately knew I'd be buying anything else he published. Sadly, I've never had a chance to see him read in person. His first (as far as I know) visit to Austin coincided with my wedding rehearsal dinner, and each of his subsequent visits have either conflicted with another big pre-planned event or I haven't bought a ticket before they sell out. (Which usually happens an hour or so after they go on sale, apparently.)
A Plague of Tics (from Naked) remains my favorite story of his, though any story about his brother Rooster would be a close second-favorite. Sadly, Rooster wasn't featured in the latest book, but I still really enjoyed the stories in When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I did laugh out loud several times, particularly when I stumbled across a literary gem like “Shit is the tofu of cursing and can be molded to whichever condition the speaker desires.” Awesome turn of phrase.
I was pleasantly surprised that several of the stories have a poignant ending I wasn't expecting. I think my favorite story of the collection was the last story, which described his battle to stop smoking in Japan. In particular, his descriptions of his struggle to learn the language and a memorable haircut experience were most entertaining.
From the Barnes&Noble website:
Once again, David Sedaris brings together a collection of essays so uproariously funny and profoundly moving that his legions of fans will fall for him once more. He tests the limits of love when Hugh lances a boil from his backside, and pushes the boundaries of laziness when, finding the water shut off in his house in Normandy, he looks to the water in a vase of fresh cut flowers to fill the coffee machine. From armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds to the awkwardness of having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a sleeping fellow passenger on a plane, David Sedaris uses life's most bizarre moments to reach new heights in understanding love and fear, family and strangers. Culminating in a brilliantly funny account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris's sixth essay collection will be avidly anticipated.

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