Happy-Go-Lucky

I enjoyed this, just design joy all of his books. DS is clever and insightful. I was kind of surprised at his revelations about his dad. And, I understand how other people here felt it was too dark, but I appreciated that he was honest about the past couple of years for us as a country and for him personally. I don't want him just to laugh out loud, but to recognize the humanity and reality he observes.

So... I was about three quarters into the audiobook (because you NEED to listen to Sedaris read his own books—it's like 50% of the appeal), and I was thinking this is yet another great Sedaris book. More of the same, but no complaints, because I genuinely enjoy it. And then we got to “Lady Marmalade” and WTF, man. Crying during Sedaris was definitely not on my bingo card for the month. It hit so damn hard. Especially if you've been following him for years and have built this weird kind of relationship with his family through all the stories. That one just punched me in the gut.

That said, there's still plenty of Sedaris being Sedaris. His pandemic stories are hilarious in that brutally honest way only he can pull off. He's self-aware enough to know he lives a pretty privileged life, and he doesn't try to hide that—he just leans into the absurdity of it. If you're new to Sedaris, maybe don't start with this one. But if you've been reading him for a while, “Happy-Go-Lucky” feels like both a continuation and a kind of turning point. It's not his funniest book, but maybe it's his most sincere.

Definitely some funny parts, classic Sedaris observation stuff. But also some tone-deaf old, rich, white guy moments, which I don't remember from his earlier books.

Necessarily heavier than some of his previous works - addressing the death of his father, and his sister's sexual assault allegations against their father. Also pandemic. This is the closest I've come to actually wanting to hear about Covid in my reading, he always tells a good story along the way, but some of his behavior during lockdown was appalling and risky to others' health, and he doesn't much seem to be bothered by that. As always, the audio was good.

Everything David Sedaris writes I give five stars, but for this, I'll give him more!
Not every essay was typical Sedaris. But he was more vulnerable than in his other collections. More reflective and maybe a bit more mature. That is not to imply that this was sad in any way. He will still make you cry laughing. I just loved that he also made me think more and appreciate more after I read this (in three days).
This is my favorite collection of essays of all time. I'm glad I have the hardcover so I can read it dozens of times and lend it out–to very specific people–without destroying the book.

This was my second David Sedaris book. I read Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls 6 years ago as an audiobook and absolutely loved it. GoodReads tells me I even rated it 5 stars! Which back then was even more rare for me than it is now. I especially recommend reading his books as an audiobook.

This is an honest, at times brutal, at times ludicrous, and usually privileged recount of David's own life focused mostly in the last two years. There are a lot of essays on his father and his contentious relationship with him, as well as his sister Tiffany's accusations against their father, and finally his death. Aside from his father, his essays cover a wide range: about his relationship with his boyfriend Hugh, his experience with the BLM protests, New York during the height of the pandemic, his love of shopping, and some great stories from his tours.

I like David's brand of brutally honest sharp humor. He shares his thoughts without filter, even when they may put him in a bad light. He's wont to say things that make you think, should he really be saying this? There were some stories in the book that were so wild, that I had to share them with others and question WTF? out loud.

The book has a good balance of realness and humor. He manages to fit in jokes (albeit sometimes inappropriate ones) even in the most serious stories, and great insights in the most wacky ones. Sedaris is not the most likeable and I don't think he tries to be. His privilege shows through many times, and he's way too judgmental against others, but he writes with honesty and heart. He finds the special in the mundane and is not afraid to share the difficult stories.