An Embarrassment of Riches
Laugh out Loud Funny - by Shandra
Our guest blogger is Shandra, who works at the Holgate library. Shandra has been a voracious reader since childhood, with a penchant for
giving up sleep in favor of finishing those last... few... chapters. She is a
fan of mysteries, fantasy, sci-fi, graphic novels, comic books, manga, humor,
vampire books even before they were cool, non-fiction that reads like fiction
and anything interesting that crosses her path.
Listening to David Sedaris read his own work, either on audio book or the radio, is definitely entertaining! But if you like to read aloud, as I do, and you have a willing audience, which I also do, reading them out loud to someone else is a fun way to pass some time. You just have to keep a tissue handy if, like me, you’re prone to laughing until you cry…
Me Talk Pretty One Day is my favorite David Sedaris book, a collection of essays about himself and his family. He has a unique way of looking at things, and even when the subject is painful, it’s still wickedly funny. Another fun and soon to be timely collection is his Holidays on Ice, featuring four short stories and two essays, including the hilarious "SantaLand Diaries", Sedaris's chronicle of his time working as an elf at Macy's.
We’re Ju
st Like You, Only Prettier: Confessions of a
Tarnished Southern Belle’ by Celia Rivenbark is another fun read-aloud, and also
a bit of an education if you happen to be a Northerner like me. You’ll soon be
able to add all sorts of "Southern-isms" to your vocabulary! Says author Haven
Kimmel, "I laughed so
hard reading this book, I began snorting in an unbecoming fashion. I loved it
nonetheless. I'll be sending copies to everyone, especially my baby's
daddy."
Speaking of Haven Kimmel, next
on my list of books to read aloud is A Girl Named Zippy: Growing up Small in
Moreland, Indiana’. Somewhat sweeter than the two 
above, Kimmel’s memoir is
insightful and humorous, full of vignettes from her childhood. She does a great
job of telling her story from a kid’s perspective, without sounding childish. I
enjoyed reading it for our Pageturners group, even though I’m not usually a
memoir fan, and I’m looking forward to sharing it aloud very
soon!
Posted by Alison
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