2024 the best of me david sedaris review

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(as of Dec 13, 2024 21:57:09 UTC - Details)

David Sedaris returns with his most deeply personal and darkly hilarious book.

If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong.

When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.

With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny - it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's powers of observation have never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.

This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.

Reviewer: Lela Best
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Will You Laugh Or Cry?
Review: Calypso is a collection of stories that focuses on heavy themes, including death, family and aging. Despite such themes, David Sedaris makes his book easy to read with the use of self-deprecating humor and relatable stories that anyone with a family could understand.The book almost acts as Sedaris’ way of grieving loss in his life. A pivotal character in Calypso is Sedaris’ sister, Tiffany, who Sedaris introduces to readers early in the book through the heart-wrenching story “Now We Are Five.” He speaks on the death of his sister and how her suicide affected him. Although Sedaris does not focus hard on his emotions in this book, you can still sense the feeling of regret and guilt as he talks about his sister. He has a way of making these moments in the book very moving, causing you to feel sorry for his family. Sedaris even brings in stories of gay marriage, politics, and other hot-button issues that some would be fearful to bring up in writing. Sedaris is not a sugar-coater; he takes the honest approach with these topics and provides a clear stance on his positions. “A Number of Reasons I’ve Been Depressed Lately” is one of the few stories in Calypso where Sedaris showcases his dislike of President Donald Trump, and even talks about how he became nervous at the time of the election when thinking about a Donald Trump presidency. This sounds rather intense, right? Don’t worry. Sedaris has his way of making these serious topics still laughable. His own awareness of himself is one way that Sedaris is able to be so successful with his humor. He knows that he is an older man who is dying, and he is very mindful of where he comes from. Therefore, it is easy for Sedaris to make fun of himself and allow readers to laugh at him. He also has an impressive way of taking the most mundane instances and turning them into something hilarious. A trip to the airport or picking up trash from the side of the road seem pretty lackluster, but Sedaris makes these moments come to life with his humor. He also does not drag out a topic for too long. He will not sit on a deep topic for an uncomfortable amount of time. As soon as you think you are walking into a depressing topic, you come upon a paragraph that offers a random, silly comment that makes you laugh. Some of the stories are made up of small tangents, keeping you on your toes and making you fit these things together. This puzzle-like aspect of Sedaris’ writing makes you focus more on what he is trying to say, which makes the reading that more interesting.The books personal touch and Sedaris’ impressiveness to turn the ordinary into the most entertaining is captivating. The reading truly is an experience and a whirlwind of emotions, making you fight back tears or fight back laughter. Give this book a try if you are looking for something different than a sappy romance novel. You will enjoy Sedaris’ take on his personal life and bask in his impressive ability to make nothing into something.

Reviewer: Donald N. Powell
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A very worthy read and diversion
Review: David Sedaris is a very good writer with a great sense of humor, evolved from precise observation. This biography is touching, hilarious, thoughtful and revealing. He has a knack for creating a funny caricature of events we have all experienced in some degree. This was a fun little book.

Reviewer: T Reilly
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Hilariously dry random humor
Review: First time reader of David Sedaris after hearing him on a pod cast, and I loved this book so much I'm already on my 3rd book by this author. He is GENUINELY FUNNY, SMART, & CLEVERLY WIT WITH HIS WORDS. Highly Recommended for a good read & laugh!

Reviewer: KasaC
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Gem
Review: The last time I saw David Sedaris in person, he was still visiting a local bookstore, but he has since outgrown that venue and even then, he was at the store until almost 1 a.m. Hence, they book him into larger venues when he comes to the Bay Area. The reason is not just the looping line that went through the store, the cafe, and into the parking lot, but that he really takes his time with every autograph seeker, adding personal messages and in this case, even affixing stickers. People are thusly willing to patiently wait for hours in line. Several times in this collection he addresses this fascination he has with other people, whether he loves shopping in order to connect with a cashier or even someone next to him in line. Although he sells out all those larger halls, his persona is somewhat low key, so that he can go out in public without recognition and go about his life, absorbing information about others and using it as fodder for his observations.Every one of these essays is a gem. The real deal. Equal amounts of pathos and humor, well, maybe a bit more of the latter, and wonderful generous sharing moments with his family mostly at Sea Section, a house he bought in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. They gather over endless, ruthless games of Sorry!, lie slathered in sunblock trading insights, and eat wonderful meals prepared by his life partner, Hugh. His pieces are so remarkable, so individual, because they are honest, generous, and unsentimental no matter the subject matter, even the death of a sibling.

Reviewer: The T
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Funny and sad
Review: Liked his humor.Easy to read.Too much bodily function.No plot, just a series of personal experiences.Don't recommend

Reviewer: Janet McCallum
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Love all David Sedaris' books. I am busy reading them all! Big fan 🙂

Reviewer: Lizzie Weitendorf
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Well its just David Sedaris being onto of his game loved it it made me laugh so much and then slapped me in the face with it's human truths!! BRILLIANT!

Reviewer: Cols
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is full of delightful stories and i loved it. The writing is superb, and the stories are so unique and amusing. I thoroughly recommend this book. I am going to have to read more books by David, they are just so beautifully written and funny !

Reviewer: steven redant
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I read books on my phone with the Kindle app to pass time when insomnia hits (with the black screen I need less light). But this book kept me awake, made me laugh out loud in the middle of the night.

Reviewer: Mônica de Mattos Silva
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Muito divertido. Um retrato inteligente e crítico da sociedade norte-americana atual e suas contradições. E muito, muito bem escrito, tornando a leitura muito prazerosa.