Holidays on Ice
Holidays on Ice puts David Sedaris on ice. Why? Because, aside from one inclusion, this is a collection of short fiction, where as when he's riffing on real life in his other books, the man is on fire!Sedaris is best listened to rather than read, in my opinion. I always go the audiobook route with him, because he narrates them himself, adding in all the oh-so-necessary inflection, as well as some hilarious renditions of his parents and, one of my favorites, Billie Holiday. But here too is an issue. Some of these shorts are not read by him, but by guest narrators. That's like casting Rip Torn as the evil-yet-somehow-handsome villain in your movie...
...and then firing him halfway through the picture to insert Rip Taylor instead because you thought it would liven things up.
Just one last gripe. At least two of the half dozen-ish stories in Holidays on Ice actually appeared in previous publications, so this shit ain't even fresh!
Go take a listen to Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family Up in Corduroy and Denim or When You Are Engulfed In Flames. They're non-fiction pieces about his life and they are comedy gold.
Rating: "The Santa Land Diaries" is of 4 star quality, but the rest drags it down a notch.