I am, I think, the world's biggest fan of the first volume of David Sedaris's diaries, "Theft by Finding," so this is a huge event for me. I've been watching the calendar for months.
This is funny — It's #1 (and #3) on Amazon's "Best Sellers in Classic Greek Literature":
He's beating out Marcus Aurelius and Sophocles!
He is of Greek descent (on his father's side), and he's certainly "classic" in the sense of being "Of the first class, of the highest rank or importance; constituting an acknowledged standard or model; of enduring interest and value" (OED).
And, really, if you want to exclude modern Greek writers from that bestseller list, you ought to write "Best Sellers in Classical Greek Literature" — "classical" rather than "classic." And yet even "classical" has been used in the more general sense. The OED has examples going back to 1599.
My claim to being the world's biggest fan of the first volume of David Sedaris's diaries is based on the fact that I have listened to the audiobook over 1,000 times — much of that was while asleep, but it's long been my go-to falling-asleep book. I love Sedaris's reading voice, and the fact that it's diary entries and quite long allows me to start in different places and let it run through the entire night. I've heard all the entries many times. I mean, seriously, quiz me about anything — the potato cutlet, the bloody shoe — anything.
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His audiobooks are 10x his written books because he has a great voice.
I’ll look for David Sedaris in the ASMR category on You Tube.
It is one of the best bathroom reading books ever.
'...but it's long been my go-to falling-asleep book.'
Not sure if this is a ringing endorsement : )
Is that an endorsement......???
I've tried reading Sedaris. It's all about him......I'm not reading that shit.
Your claim is a quite humorous expression of appreciation. In my case the favorite authors voice to fall asleep to is Antonya Nelson, but not reading her work. She appeared on the New Yorker Fiction podcast and read and discussed Tom Drury’s short story “Accident at the Sugar Beat.” I love her voice and the story too.
1,000 times? Quiz you about the potato cutlet?
You surely are an interesting woman! Really!
Stay classy, Sedaris.
And Althouse led me there. The New Yorker Fiction podcast was one of the few I’ve subscribed to and it was after reading about Althouse listening to something that tickled my curiosity. Thanks!
I have never listened to an audiobook, and falling asleep is often hard enough for me without the distraction of someone talking.
My wife does listen to audiobooks, mostly works by that woman Gabaldon while she (my wife) does her walks; I find it hard to concentrate on a disembodied voice for very long.
Ok. What were David Sedaris’ most and least favorite things about attending a nudist camp (my favorite Sedaris essay, though reading it once was enough)?
I ask because yesterday I ended up spending a long time in a grocery store discussing different cuts of meat with the owner of a huge, local nudist camp. He was picking up crates of meat for fajitas night and said some of the guests had found the meat too tough the last time because it had been cut with the grain, not against it. And that may be fine for really expensive meat, but cheaper meat needs different preparation.
I believe that question covers all your topics today.
Is this a post about 'Books We're Excited About and are Here at Last!' or just 'Books From Shitty Human Beings Ann's Excited About and are Here at Last!'?
If the former Waterstones tells me my copy of Rutherford and Fry's Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged): Signed Edition is on its way and soon will be Here at Last!
Ha. When I first saw the picture of the book today, my mind's eye read "Cannibal Snackery".
I doubt that would put you to sleep.
Warning: There's a lot of Tracy Ullmann doing some of the reading. I love her, but I want long passages of just David!
"I've tried reading Sedaris. It's all about him......I'm not reading that shit."
Ridiculous! He's all about not talking about what's going on inside himself. He's observing everything around him, including all sorts of strangers. That's exactly what the diaries do. You really don't know what you're talking about.
I never bothered with him. The promos for his sister's show were disgusting, and I figured that I got enough of the North Carolina Greek experience from Zack Galifinakis.
"Ok. What were David Sedaris’ most and least favorite things about attending a nudist camp..."
My claim relates to "Theft by Finding," not "Naked." "Naked" is too short to work as a falling-asleep book. I wake up if the book ends, so I need a book that's at least 7 hours.
Plus, "most and least favorite things" isn't a good format for a trivia question. There needs to be a right answer, quite specifically.
'There's a lot of Tracy Ullmann doing some of the reading.'
She is a treasure...
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