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A couple of bright stars

Customer Rating:
"SantaLand Diaries" and "Dinah, the Christmas Whore" save this one. Sedaris is at his best telling tales (tall or otherwise) of his own life and family. I like the satirical stories less. Still, it is David Sedaris after all... which means you'll no doubt laugh and enjoy yourself.

Not Sedaris at his best, but still really really good.

Customer Rating:
I'm a big David Sedaris fan. I think that Me Talk Pretty One Day is one of the funniest books I've ever read. I've checked out several of his books, the most recent being Holidays on Ice, a collection of holiday-themed comic essays.

If you've seen the stage production of Santaland Diaries, then the anchor story in this collection will be very familiar to you. It details Sedaris' stint as a Macy's Christmas elf one year, and it is freaking hilarious. From the humiliating "uniform" to the strict instructions by the Gestapo-like Macy's Christmas management team, you will chuckle during this one.

I found the rest of the book a bit uneven. "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" went on far too long, as did "Christmas Means Giving," which took one joke and spun it out for more than 10 pages. I did enjoy reading "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," though, as well as "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol."

Though every story isn't a gem, the book is a quick read and worth checking out if you're in the mood for some subversive holiday humor.

Enjoy!

Dark stuff

Customer Rating:
Try to imagine David sitting next to you, bathed in the twinkling glow of the tree, telling these stories to get the full effect.

Casual Brilliance at it's best

Customer Rating:
Must read - brilliant!
For everyone who has felt weird or knows weird people - these are the voices and stories.
We've all been there or been near it.

David Sedaris is brilliant. A must own!

Customer Rating:
Holidays On Ice is a terrific compilation and should be given as a gift to anyone who is less than enthused when December rolls around. David and his sister Amy are two of the funniest people on earth it seems. While there are a couple of stories in here that are less enjoyable than others, it is still superb comic writing and had me in hysterics while reading some parts of this collection. SantaLand Diaries is pitch perfect and ends on a hilarious note that sums up much of the ridiculous nature of the Christmas season. Front Row Center With Thaddeus Bristol is a brilliant idea executed to perfection as various children's pageants are picked apart without pity. My favorite in this collection is perhaps Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!! which is written in such a similar nature to so many Christmas letters I've read over the years except for some of the more theatrical elements of course. The tone he writes with in that piece is dead on. An absolutely wonderful present to give yourself or anyone who deserves a treat at any time of year. I'm fairly irritated to see that it is being released again this coming holiday season with new stories included which seems like a ploy to make more money, similar to the Christmas shopping season exploits depicted in this book.