Naked by David Sedaris

 

David Sedaris, author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, chronicles his life in a hilarious collection of essays. I listened to the abridged version on audiobooks, and enjoyed how he and his sister performed the book. It was fantastically done. Their voices made the story so hilarious.

Sedaris begins the book with his memories of his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder behaviors during his grade school days. Even though OCD is not something to laugh about, the way he describes it is hilarious. His teachers did not understand his disorder and year after year they made their way over to his house to talk with his mother about his compulsion to lick light switches 100 times a day. Sedaris's alcoholic mother always invited them in for drinks and to discuss her son. The subject matter could have been interpreted a completely different way, but how Sedaris decided to write about his past was with humor rather than sadness or seiousness.

Family relationships, his sexuality, and nudist colonies are some of the other topics explored in this memoir. The way Sedaris writes will have you laughing out loud. This book is unusual, funny, and memorable.

My Horizontal Life

 

Okay. So, I know how I am going to keep up with my reading when the school year starts.  AUDIO BOOKS. I decided to get an audiobook when I drove 2 hours both ways to my friend's wedding. When I was in grad school and I would drive back and forth to visit Chip I would often times listen to a book. So, the other day I went to the library to see what they had. This particular branch did not have a wide selection, but I hadn't read this Chelsea Handler book yet so I decided to pick it up. It was only 5 disks so I thought that would be good for a weekend trip.

This book was the best Chelsea book in my opinion. She channels her early to late 20s in this one night stand tell all book. I still cannot be sure how much of her books are true and how much are fabricated, but either way I was laughing out loud as I was driving up highway 77. She chronicles her intoxicated late nights with strange men and how they turned out. SUPER funny, laid back, easy to listen to audiobook. As you know by now, I really enjoy stories that are mindless and don't require much brain power every now and again.

I've already picked up two more audiobooks from the library. I am back to work now and my commute is 30-40 minutes, so as I take it, that's more than an hour of "reading" per day. I should be able to get through quite a few books even if I don't have as much reading time.

Kris Jenner...and All Things Kardashian

Ok. First of all I have to plead, please do not stop reading my blog just because I read this book. I think the entire family is crazy and I do not know why these people are famous... so I read the book. I wanted to know: how did all of this happen? Why are these people soooo famous? This book tells you how it all started, which was very interesting. I will give Kris Jenner credit for helping all of her children become wealthy in their "careers." What I really enjoyed about this book was her insight about the O.J. Simpson trial. She was best friends with Nicole Brown Simpson and gave background about their relationship. I read this book on the beach while hanging out with my family. It was a good beach read because it was quick, easy, and not a big deal if you had to put it down for a while. My aunt loves the Kardashians so it was fun for us to discuss the book while at the beach together.

For anyone who likes the Kardashians, is amused by them, or wants to learn more about the O.J. trial, this book is a decently entertaining read.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

 

My current read is Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen. I wanted to read this book for a long time because I thought that the synopsis on the back of the book sounded interesting: A forty something woman was raised Mennonite (you know the religion where women wear the little bonnets and long dresses who aren't allowed to dance or partake in anything secular?) and married outside of her church. She was left by her husband after over a decade of marriage for a man he found on gay.com. Sounds pretty interesting, right? The book got nice reviews saying that it was a funny and memorable memoir. To be honest, I disagree. It is a very short book that I thought would have taken me a day or two to read. I have been reading it for about a week now and I can't wait for it to be over. Don't get me wrong, some parts are quite funny, but I thought that it was going to be much better. I am still reading it and I find it to be a bit boring.

I am currently looking for my next exciting summer read. It is my turn to pick the next book for my book club, but I am stuck! Last summer I had a long list of books that I couldn't wait to read, but I feel like the only book that people are raving about right now is Fifty Shades of Gray. I will probably read it to see what the hype it about, but I want something better. I am looking for the next Water for Elephants kind of book. Hopefully I will find it soon.... Until then I am going to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

Happy reading!

-Jacq