When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Or how about...
when set on fire, most of us either fumble for our wallets or waste valuable time feeling sorry for ourselves. David Sedaris has studied this phenomenon, and his resulting insights may very well save your life. Author of the national bestsellers Should You Be Attacked By Snakes and If You Are Surrounded by Mean Ghosts, David Sedaris, with When You Are Engulfed in Flames, is clearly at the top of his game.
Oh, all right...
David Sedaris has written yet another book of essays (his sixth). Subjects include a parasitic worm that once lived in his mother-in-law's leg, an encounter with a dingo, and the recreational use of an external catheter. Also recounted is the buying of a human skeleton and the author's attempt to quit smoking In Tokyo.
Master of nothing, at the dead center of his game, Sedaris proves that when you play with matches, you sometimes light the whole pack on fire.
(front flap)
Here's my take on Sedaris, or maybe my take on Sedaris before I listened to this book: Naked is easily his best work because it's his most thorough, his most unencumbered by his own fame. If we were to compare his oeuvre to MTV's The Real World, Naked is the original New York season (despite not being Sedaris's first book). In New York, the cast members were people already living in the city (with the Alabama exception) and trying to make a living; the whole "be on TV" part of it was something
Some people find that after reading one or two of Sedaris's books, he becomes less ha-ha funny. Maybe they get used to his style of humour. Maybe there's a golden order in which to read them (personally, I find chronologically by publishing date works well). Maybe there is a slight advantage to hearing him speak in person. I tend to read him while imagining how he'd say it, and immediately a dry sentence comes to life.I could go on about the maturation I see happening in his work, but I won't.
How different life looks when people behave themselves."When You are Engulfed in Flames" is a more mature and serious work from Mr. Sedaris. Just like the rest of us, he is growing up. Death, the comfort and security of old relationships, and the humility of age are all thematic elements in this text. However, that is not to say that Sedaris has lost his inimitable sense of style and humor. Flames is a seriously funny book, but it has more pages between the laugh out loud antics of some of
Dear Mr. Sedaris,First off, I understand that you live in France. With your boyfriend. In France. Where they speak French, because it's France. Thank you for reminding me you live in France, with your boyfriend, where they speak French, with funny French accents, and funny funny French words, with their French ways, every ten to twelve pages. Else I might have forgotten you live in . . . wait, where was it again?No, seriously, I'm glad you have an army of NPR-head fans to squirm with delight at
David totally brought the funny in some of these stories, but overall, this was not my favorite collection of his. I list all the stories at the end.The Understudy had me in stitches. Oh, so funny. Town and Country was pretty funny. Oh, In the Waiting room had me rolling. I almost had to pull over for that one. Solution's to Saturdays puzzle had me laughing uncontrollably also. So there are some gems in this book. It was well worth reading. I felt like the last story about Japan and him wanting
I don't quite get the people who say this isn't as funny as his other books- I thought it was plenty funny. The comment about having a 400 dollar sweater that looked like it had been thrown to a tiger and thus was already ruined and incapable of being further ruined.. that made me laugh. And saying a cracker tasted like penis. And lots of little one-liners. But what's really awesome about his stuff is that it's MORE than just a bunch of one-liners. He really is a very observant, intelligent,
David Sedaris
Hardcover | Pages: 323 pages Rating: 4.06 | 178340 Users | 9664 Reviews
Particularize Books As When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Original Title: | When You Are Engulfed in Flames |
ISBN: | 0316143472 (ISBN13: 9780316143479) |
Edition Language: | English URL http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/david-sedaris/when-you-are-engulfed-in-flames/9780316143479/ |
Characters: | David Sedaris |
Literary Awards: | Audie Award for Narration by the Author or Authors (2009), Grammy Award Nominee for Best Spoken Word Album (2009) |
Rendition Toward Books When You Are Engulfed in Flames
It's early autumn 1964. Two straight-A students head off to school, and when only one of them returns home Chesney Yelverton is coaxed from retirement and assigned to what proves to be the most difficult and deadly - case of his career. From the shining notorious East Side, When You Are Engulfed in Flames confirms once again that David Sedaris is a master of mystery and suspense.Or how about...
when set on fire, most of us either fumble for our wallets or waste valuable time feeling sorry for ourselves. David Sedaris has studied this phenomenon, and his resulting insights may very well save your life. Author of the national bestsellers Should You Be Attacked By Snakes and If You Are Surrounded by Mean Ghosts, David Sedaris, with When You Are Engulfed in Flames, is clearly at the top of his game.
Oh, all right...
David Sedaris has written yet another book of essays (his sixth). Subjects include a parasitic worm that once lived in his mother-in-law's leg, an encounter with a dingo, and the recreational use of an external catheter. Also recounted is the buying of a human skeleton and the author's attempt to quit smoking In Tokyo.
Master of nothing, at the dead center of his game, Sedaris proves that when you play with matches, you sometimes light the whole pack on fire.
(front flap)
Itemize Of Books When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Title | : | When You Are Engulfed in Flames |
Author | : | David Sedaris |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | US / CAN Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 323 pages |
Published | : | June 3rd 2008 by Little Brown and Company |
Categories | : | Humor. Nonfiction. Autobiography. Memoir. Writing. Essays. Short Stories. Comedy. Audiobook |
Rating Of Books When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Ratings: 4.06 From 178340 Users | 9664 ReviewsWeigh Up Of Books When You Are Engulfed in Flames
When I am not reading David Sedaris, I am thinking: David Sedaris, man, there is a popular guy whose books are kind of just always around and not very interesting. But when I *am* reading him, I'm always like, there are five or six absolutely brilliant punchlines in every one of this guy's books, and the other parts are, y'know, enjoyable enough. I think it's a testament to my always forgetting how much I like him that I guess I've read all his stuff, but I absolutely never think of him as anHere's my take on Sedaris, or maybe my take on Sedaris before I listened to this book: Naked is easily his best work because it's his most thorough, his most unencumbered by his own fame. If we were to compare his oeuvre to MTV's The Real World, Naked is the original New York season (despite not being Sedaris's first book). In New York, the cast members were people already living in the city (with the Alabama exception) and trying to make a living; the whole "be on TV" part of it was something
Some people find that after reading one or two of Sedaris's books, he becomes less ha-ha funny. Maybe they get used to his style of humour. Maybe there's a golden order in which to read them (personally, I find chronologically by publishing date works well). Maybe there is a slight advantage to hearing him speak in person. I tend to read him while imagining how he'd say it, and immediately a dry sentence comes to life.I could go on about the maturation I see happening in his work, but I won't.
How different life looks when people behave themselves."When You are Engulfed in Flames" is a more mature and serious work from Mr. Sedaris. Just like the rest of us, he is growing up. Death, the comfort and security of old relationships, and the humility of age are all thematic elements in this text. However, that is not to say that Sedaris has lost his inimitable sense of style and humor. Flames is a seriously funny book, but it has more pages between the laugh out loud antics of some of
Dear Mr. Sedaris,First off, I understand that you live in France. With your boyfriend. In France. Where they speak French, because it's France. Thank you for reminding me you live in France, with your boyfriend, where they speak French, with funny French accents, and funny funny French words, with their French ways, every ten to twelve pages. Else I might have forgotten you live in . . . wait, where was it again?No, seriously, I'm glad you have an army of NPR-head fans to squirm with delight at
David totally brought the funny in some of these stories, but overall, this was not my favorite collection of his. I list all the stories at the end.The Understudy had me in stitches. Oh, so funny. Town and Country was pretty funny. Oh, In the Waiting room had me rolling. I almost had to pull over for that one. Solution's to Saturdays puzzle had me laughing uncontrollably also. So there are some gems in this book. It was well worth reading. I felt like the last story about Japan and him wanting
I don't quite get the people who say this isn't as funny as his other books- I thought it was plenty funny. The comment about having a 400 dollar sweater that looked like it had been thrown to a tiger and thus was already ruined and incapable of being further ruined.. that made me laugh. And saying a cracker tasted like penis. And lots of little one-liners. But what's really awesome about his stuff is that it's MORE than just a bunch of one-liners. He really is a very observant, intelligent,
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