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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
“I later learn that what I suffered was called blunt force trauma. It's remarkably similar to how I felt after the election, as if I'd been slammed into a wall or hit by a car. Both pains persist-show no signs, in fact, of ever going away. The damage is permanent. I will never be the same as I was before the accident/election.”
I can’t believe it has been nine years since I listened to Sedaris tell his stories. I have always found his books to be both funny and touching. They have always been a fun read. I don’t know why I have waited so long to listen to Sedaris again.
This set of stories was especially bittersweet. We are all getting older and so are our families. Sedaris’ mother has been dead for a while, but his dad is still alive, and their relationship plays a big part in the book. Also, Sedaris sister, Tiffany, had committed suicide and Sedaris writes about the effects of that on his family. So for me, overall is this not Sedaris’ funniest book.
However, I liked it more than I expected. Although Sedaris is only two years younger than I am, I have not always been able to relate to his life. We have taken different paths. I like reading about other lives, but sometimes it is good to find connects to those books that I am reading. There was a lot to connect to with this collection of essays. I need to remember that the next time I am considering listening to Sedaris.
I can’t believe it has been nine years since I listened to Sedaris tell his stories. I have always found his books to be both funny and touching. They have always been a fun read. I don’t know why I have waited so long to listen to Sedaris again.
This set of stories was especially bittersweet. We are all getting older and so are our families. Sedaris’ mother has been dead for a while, but his dad is still alive, and their relationship plays a big part in the book. Also, Sedaris sister, Tiffany, had committed suicide and Sedaris writes about the effects of that on his family. So for me, overall is this not Sedaris’ funniest book.
However, I liked it more than I expected. Although Sedaris is only two years younger than I am, I have not always been able to relate to his life. We have taken different paths. I like reading about other lives, but sometimes it is good to find connects to those books that I am reading. There was a lot to connect to with this collection of essays. I need to remember that the next time I am considering listening to Sedaris.
funny
inspiring
reflective
I used to listen to David Sedaris read when I was a kid, so when I started this book, a wave of nostalgia hit me. The book itself maybe is for a slightly older audience- dealing with different concerns than I currently do, but his manner of writing left me to laugh out loud. In it, there is always something for everyone. That is, in fact, the magic of David Sedaris.
Have been a fan of David Sedaris for years and continue to be. The audiobook is mostly standard narration by Sedaris, but also includes a few live recordings at his events, which I enjoyed (as I've seen him multiple times, but not recently). He is very funny here (as usual) - I laughed out loud at the essay on swearing in various languages. And he is poignant here (as usual) - the time he spends on his aging father and their relationship with its various strains and evolution over time hit close to home in ways I didn't anticipate. Overall: would highly recommend, especially if you are already a fan (but even if you aren't).
David Sedaris’ humor is so perfectly timed and off-kilter that it made me burst out in “pftts” of snorts. His crude depiction of the world around him is refreshing and so very funny. Like, so very funny. Focusing on family and middle-age, this book still touches on a part of all of us. Sure, we may not all share a beach house with our family called the Sea Section or take multiple trips to Tokyo with our siblings to shop all the clothes that look like they have “been pulled from the evidence rack at a murder trial”, but Sedaris’ ensuing reflections are universal. Thoughts on shifting relationships within family, on regrets, on roles in family, on grief - wrapped all snug in sweetly sardonic humor.
I so wanted a laugh this week. This wasn’t it. There’s nothing wrong with the essays. In fact they’re excellent. But the topics are heavy and intense. There’s humor in even the darkest moments of life, but it’s a hollow sound. Lots of that here.
I've read a handful of Sedaris' books in the past and always enjoyed them, but this one just didn't do it for me. I'm not having a great deal of luck with my short story/essay collections right now in general.
While there were a few essays I loved (And While You're Up There, Check My Prostate, The Spirit World, and A Number of Reasons I've Been Depressed Lately), I found the majority of them to be underwhelming.
I dunno. Maybe I read this at the wrong time or in the wrong mood. It's still worth checking out if you're a fan.
While there were a few essays I loved (And While You're Up There, Check My Prostate, The Spirit World, and A Number of Reasons I've Been Depressed Lately), I found the majority of them to be underwhelming.
I dunno. Maybe I read this at the wrong time or in the wrong mood. It's still worth checking out if you're a fan.
The first David Sedaris book I read was [b:Me Talk Pretty One Day|4137|Me Talk Pretty One Day|David Sedaris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431013639i/4137._SY75_.jpg|1030767]. At the time, I was a language teacher, so his descriptions of trying to learn French had me weeping with laughter. His essay about his brother, “Can’t Kill the Rooster,” remains one of the funniest things I’ve read.
Calypso is not like his other books. Yes, there are parts that made me laugh out loud, but I don’t think that’s its main purpose. I think with Calypso, Sedaris is working out his feelings about the death of his alcoholic mother, the death by suicide of his sister Tiffany, his father’s increasing age and frailty, his own mortality, and—this is important—his own awareness that he is not always a nice person or good to his fellow human beings.
This may not be his funniest book, but I found parts of it very moving and some of his reflections on death, aging, and grief to be quite profound.
Calypso is not like his other books. Yes, there are parts that made me laugh out loud, but I don’t think that’s its main purpose. I think with Calypso, Sedaris is working out his feelings about the death of his alcoholic mother, the death by suicide of his sister Tiffany, his father’s increasing age and frailty, his own mortality, and—this is important—his own awareness that he is not always a nice person or good to his fellow human beings.
This may not be his funniest book, but I found parts of it very moving and some of his reflections on death, aging, and grief to be quite profound.
Audiobook: excellent! I laughed throughout and enjoyed the more serious beats as well. My first David Sedaris read, but likely not my last.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide