Dear Fellow Reader:

I was very happy when I received the notice from the library that it was my turn for Calypso, the new book by David Sedaris.  I was slow in finding out that he had a new book out and I wanted to read it.

As I read it last night, there were many times that I laughed out loud. I think David Sedaris is funny but I will tell you that his humor is not for everyone.  It can be a bit crass (sometimes surprisingly so) but I like his writing.

As with most of his other books, this book is a compilation of stories from his life. Many of these stories feature times he has spent with this family. He also is fascinated with his health and the aging process. He is an observer of everyday life and his observations are funny. Sometimes a bit crass – which is why I would not recommend David Sedaris to everyone. If you like him, this book is great.

There were some stories that had a familiar ring. For example, the chapter entitled “Calypso” is about David having a fatty tumor removed by a woman who attended one of his book signings. He let her remove it because she claimed to be a doctor and she would let him keep the tumor.  He had gone to a surgeon to have the tumor removed the surgeon would not let him have the tissue after it was removed. You see, he wanted to feed the tumor to a misshapen turtle that lived by his home in North Carolina. Yes, you read that right.

I do think my favorite chapter was “The Perfect Fit” which was about the clothes that he and his sisters buy in Japan. His descriptions are so funny.

“The Ginza branch sticks to clothing and accessories. I’d gone with Amy on our first trip together, in 2014, and left with a pair of wide-legged Paul Harnden trousers that come up to my nipples. The button-down fly is a foot long, and when I root around in my pockets for change, my forearms disappear all the way to the elbow. You can’t belt something that reaches that high up on your torso, thus the suspenders, which came with the trousers and are beautiful, but still, suspenders! Clown pants is what they are – artfully hand-stitched, lined all the way to the ankle but clown pants all the same.  They cost as much as a MacBook Air, and I’d have walked away from the were it not for Amy saying, “Are you kidding? You have to get those.”

The pants are the least of what they bought. The descriptions are great. You can see the bazaar clothing and just imagine them acting like they are dressed beautifully.

If you are familiar with David Sedaris and find him funny, this is a great book for you. If you are unfamiliar with him but can accept some crude humorous stories, this book is for you.

Thanks for reading!