Naked...Animals

I couldn't resist putting "Naked" in the title of this entry. Call me immature; you'd be at least half-accurate in your accusation...

After what seemed like years of reading, I finally finished David Sedaris' autobiographical collection of essays, Naked. As mentioned previously, I like to take my time while reading books; however, I have to admit that part of the reason it took me so long with this particular read was that I frankly lost interest. The book definitely was amusing, an attribute to Sedaris' ability to paint even the most boring scenes in a comical light, but it was repetitive. The characters and settings changed, but each essay (mostly) read the same way.

I understand that Sedaris is a humorist, but when I read an autobiography, I want to get to know a part of the writer. I want the writer to expose herself a little. I want to see the author... naked. It wasn't until the second to last essay that I really felt Sedaris take on the risk of touching something a bit deeper. Ashes, an essay about his sister's wedding and his mother's looming death from cancer, was by far my favorite. Sedaris' dark humor and wit were at its best, but the chapter touched on a piece of Sedaris that you don't get to see in other essays without being overtly emotional.

It's definitely a good book to have around as a casual read, but I will stick to recommending Holidays on Ice if you haven't ever read him before.

My next read is We are the Animals: A Novel by Justin Torres. I was scheduled to read Bossypants, but after two autobiographical works I really needed a piece of fiction, and Animals came highly recommended by a few of my friends on goodreads. I'll keep you posted.