Author: David Sedaris
ISBN: 9780316078917
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Synopsis (from BN.com): HOLIDAYS ON ICE collects six of David Sedaris’ most profound Christmas stories into one slender volume perfect for use as a last-minute coaster or ice scraper. This drinking man’s companion can be enjoyed by the warmth of a raging fire, the glow of a brilliantly decorated tree, or even the backseat of a van or police car. It should be read with your eyes, felt with your heart, and heard only when spoken to. It should, in short, behave much like a book. And, oh, what a book it is!
My thoughts: My book club, Coffee & Cozies, chose this for our December book to lighten things up a bit and read something “holidayish”. Well, I have never read any David Sedaris before so I knew it was humor, but didn’t know much more. This book is a collection of 6 short stories with a holiday theme. I must say I thought the first story about him working as a mall Santa elf was pretty hilarious at points, to the point of laughing out loud. Beyond this first story, the humor got really quite dark for me. I don’t consider myself that much of a prude, but some of the humor was just a little too dark and not all that funny for me. A baby dying by being put in a dryer . . . come on, that goes beyond holiday humor for me.
I’m not saying I won’t give Sedaris another shot as I’ve read that many of his other books are really quite hilarious. Perhaps this just wasn’t the type of Christmas humor I was looking for.
If you are into dark humor that at times borders on not too funny, this is the book for you!
Happy Reading,
Heather
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