Review: Holidays on Ice (Audio)

Summary: David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow"); the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations ("Six to Eight Black Men"); what Halloween at the medical examiner's looks like ("The Monster Mash"); and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry ("Cow and Turkey").

No matter what your favorite holiday, you won't want to miss celebrating it with the author who has been called "one of the funniest writers alive" (Economist). -- Hachette Audio

I have heard so many wonderful things about David Sedaris and his audio books that I finally decided to give one a try. A few weeks ago, I started listening to HOLIDAYS ON ICE in the mornings while I run -- yes, I know I'm a little early for the holidays but they will be here before you know it. I thought David Sedaris was hilarious and I was immediately hooked from the very first story.

I have to be honest. I tried to read a Sedaris book many, many years ago and it just didn't work for me. Of course, I'm much older now (and wiser) so it's possible that my tastes have just changed; however, I think one of the reasons I liked this book so much is that I was able to listen to the stories. (In fact, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have enjoyed this book near as much if I had read it rather than listened to it.) David Sedaris narrates most of the stories, and I think he's a hoot. It's a given that his prose is hilarious, but I also think his presentation of the stories really brought this book to the next level for me. I think his voice and tone definitely provide some of the humor, but his timing is also pretty darn perfect!

Usually when I read to books made up of different stories, there are some that I enjoy more than others. That was definitely the case of HOLIDAYS ON ICE, but I can't really say that any of the stories were dingers for me. I guess I'd have to say that I did enjoy the stories surrounding Christmas a bit more than the Halloween and Thanksgiving stories, but they were all entertaining in their own right. I especially loved the Christmas story about the Macy's elf -- I was laughing so hard at times that I could barely run. But I also thought the story about the competitive neighbors was hysterical too. It's hard to pick a favorite.

I definitely recommend HOLIDAYS ON ICE. It's the perfect escape for this crazy time of year and I intend to revisit each holiday season from now on. I actually think this book might help me to keep things in perspective this year...we'll see!

Thanks to the publisher for sending me HOLIDAYS ON ICE.