Okay, I’m on a book reading binge again, after some time to read a new batch of neat stuff. A reminder that this project is in support of Battenkill Books, not me. I don’t need any recommendations I have books stacked up to the ceiling. If you like this book please consider buying it from Battenkill, my local bookstore. You can call the store at 518 677-2515, e-mail Connie Brooks at [email protected] or visit the store’s website. They take Paypal and ship anywhere in the world.

__

They call David Sedaris’s writing style observational comedy, he is one of the most popular and unique humorists and essayists in the country, he writes books and does commentary and essays for NPR, The New Yorker and Esquire Magazine. He is a fascinating writer, he is complex. His new book of essays, “Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls,” published by Little Brown is a mix of non-fiction remembrances and fictional explorations. Almost every book-loving person I know loves reading Sedaris and has urged me to get his next book. So I did.

This is my first Sedaris book and it was different than I expected. He is very, very funny, laughing out loud funny. He is sometimes crude and vulgar. He is sometimes sharply political, almost always to the left. He is sometimes very poignant and touching. He makes very telling observations about America – his book tour at Costco is piercing, his childhood recollections about his father and childhood are very poignant.  I loved his journey through China and hilarious description of the food and the epidemic spitting on the streets of the population. He takes us through his colonoscopy and a visit to a London taxidermist who tried to sell him a stuffed pygmy. He buys a house in the British countryside only to discover that the British love to throw their trash all over the road.

Sedaris pokes a lot of fun at political correctness while generally staying politically correct.

Every essay is different, surprising. You read along with Sedaris and you are laughing, and then suddenly you are not. He can be hilarious in one line, painful the next. He definitely kept me engaged.

I have to confess that this is not my favorite book genre. Sedaris fans will love it, I have no doubt, I am happy to return to the narrative form of fiction, not because there was anything wrong with this book but because I am learning that fiction is my thing as a reviewer.

For Sedaris fans and those who love comedy combined with very sharp cultural observation, this is a no-brainer. You’ll love it.