Enjoyable essays. Since this is the second book of his that I read, he seemed less bizarre to me than the last one. Or maybe since he is older in these essays, he actually is less bizarre. I have to say that I admire his imagination. I sometimes try to imagine what other people's lives are like, but I never come up with anything close to his reveries. ( )

One thing I really appreciate about Sedaris is not only does he share the often unflattering foibles of everyone around him, he never spares himself. Indeed, he often paints himself as the one with the worst intentions and habits. I laughed particularly hard at "In the Waiting Room" and "What I Learned". The final and longest essay, "The Smoking Section," goes through his first few months after quitting smoking. It's made more interesting by the stay in Japan during this time. These essays are sometimes poignant, often funny, and always unexpected. All in all, this is one of Sedaris's better collections. It doesn't beat out Me Talk Pretty One Day as my favorite, but it's probably in second place. ( )

Sedaris is a great humorist; our gay Mark Twain. ( )

David Sedaris' latest collection contains 21 essays and a final, longer essay, almost a novella of its own. In this audiobook read by the author, some of the essays included are live readings. His deadpan delivery enhanced the humor in his stories, so I enjoyed this more than the first book that I read, Dress Your Family in Corduroy in Denim. On the other hand, having the live readings made me feel a little strange when I wasn't laughing along with the audience. He was funny, sure, but every line wasn't as funny as they seemed to think.

While I enjoyed it overall, I don't really feel the need to seek out more of his books. I've been wondering to myself why I don't like his stories more. He writes about his life and family in such a way that comes across as self-deprecating and funny rather than narcissistic or whiny. What it comes down to, I think, is just too much information. I just don't need to know everything he shares, like about a worm coming out of Hugh's leg when he was a kid. So while I could see myself recommending his works to the right reader, I'm not planning on reading any more myself. ( )

This is my fourth Sedaris audiobook. I liked this 2009 Audie Award winner (for narration by an author) better than Holiday on Ice, but not as much as Me Talk Pretty One Day or Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

I thought the cover art was some modern graphic design, but it’s actually Van Gogh’s Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette. It’s reflective of some of the themes (smoking, death) and stories in this book, particularly “Momento Mori,” a live performance about Sedaris’ attempt to buy a skeleton in France as a gift for his partner Hugh. The last two discs (out of eight) are all one long essay, "The Smoking Section," about Sedaris quitting smoking at the same time he and Hugh make a three-month trip to Japan. The stories in this essay about Sedaris taking Japanese language classes felt repetitive of similar stories about taking French in France in Me Talk Pretty One Day. The title of the book comes from this essay - about instructions in a Japanese hotel room telling guest what to do in emergencies - one of the sections being titled "When You Are Engulfed in Flames."

The travel theme also runs throughout the audiobook, with one of the funniest stories being another live recording, “Solutions to Saturday’s Puzzle.” This is about Sedaris accidentally sneezing a throat lozenge into the lap of a plane seatmate whose husband he refused to exchange seats with, because he didn't want to sit in the bulkhead. He begins filling in his crossword puzzle with words of unspoken response to this crabby woman, whether they fit the clues or not.

His mother's death from lung cancer after years of smoking is also an undercurrent, but there is less of Sedaris’ family of origin in this book as compared to the other ones. Sedaris is apparently about my age, as he says he'll be 68 in 2025 as I will, and his themes seem to be getting more mature. However, this audiobook is definitely not for prudes – there is sex and lots of foul language. Good sound effects (especially for smoking - matches striking, paper burning, etc.) and acoustic bass interludes performed by Tommy Harron intersperse the essays."In the Waiting Room" and "Town and Country" are also performed live, which is David Sedaris at his best. ( )