Calypso

Book looks like new. Great bargain.

As humorous and thoughtful as ever, this one is also more real. It’s not laugh out loud funny as the author and his family members age, and our country’s politics spiral down a fearful, shameful path. Sedaris continues to recognize the absurdities of the human condition with glee, but he doesn’t cheer anyone up. It’s somber, almost, and delightful to read as always.

David Sedaris always makes me laugh! More than that, he makes me glad to know that other people are going through this thing called life… with the same fears, craziness, regret, joy, sadness, dysfunction as me! In other words, I can relate! I am glad David found his gift to the world, his writing. Thanks for the laughs, David!

I SAVORED “Calypso”, David Sedaris’ latest book of essays, reading them slowly over the summer months. I’ve read everything Sedaris has published and I think this is his BEST collection yet. In these essays/stories he is more revealing, and sometimes raw, than ever before. Always laugh out loud funny, Sedaris has a way with words like no other. I’ve heard him in person and on the radio, so when I’m reading it’s his voice that I “hear”. He’s a treasure. Note to some readers, several of these stories would be Rated R – in a good, honest, way, in my opinion.

I am typically a slow reader but devoured this one like a potato chip. Not to say that it wasn’t substantial! I laughed, cried and even gasped (42nd St Oyster bar story). Good stuff.

What a deal! I am a huge Sedaris fan and while I have not finished this book yet, I am extremely pleased with the price for a hard cover. This is $29.99 in stores!!!Now to comment on Sedaris’ writing. He is witty and comical. His anectodal style of writing is relatable and easy to follow. There is meaning in every chapter. I am thrilled with this latest edition and cannot wait to see him in Orlando!

A variety of essays mostly about his family spending vacations on Emerald Island. Most are serious with some excellent one-liners sprinkled about.

Sedaris is frickin’ hilarious! His sense of humor is definitely an acquired taste–it’s dark and somewhat twisted, so it’s not for everyone. But it was right up my alley, hahaha!I haven’t read any of his other work, so I don’t have much to compare it to, but I’ll be adding his books to my ever-growing to-read pile.

If you love David Sedaris’ writing, I promise that his newest book of stories entitled CALYPSO will make you laugh, perhaps cry a tiny bit, and love him even more (which I didn’t know was possible), and wonder how can a grown man have the imagination of a child (a slightly twisted one) at times, anthropomorphize foxes but not think it necessary for him to be locked up, realize that his siblings share the same language and sick sense of humor and should be crowned as our own American royalty because their humor is so badass, and I am still holding out for a Sedaris family documentary written by David, starring David, directed by David but equally starring his father, sisters, his partner Hugh, and bit roles to Hugh’s mother and sister, as well as his brother Paul’s wife and daughter must be playing Sorry! as they do so well and absolutely get producer credit.If you need me, I’ll be re-reading CALYPSO. When you finish it and want to talk about escapades at his house in Sussex, their family trips to the beach on Emerald Isle, or when he and his sisters go shopping in Tokyo, think of me as your go-to virtual book club member.

I have read several of his books. I think my favourite is still “When you are engulfed in flames” but this was was quite enjoyable. I felt it was more mature and reticent than some of the other books. Immensely enjoyable!

I have almost all of David Sedaris’s books and have enjoyed them all. This one is very similar to the rest. But this one gives insights into his family that I hadn’t known and his relationship and his English home. For those who are familiar with Sedaris, you will be comfortable with an extension of your knowledge. For those who don’t know, this will give you a sense of who he is.

I read this book on a blanket in a park on a hot summer day. It was hilarious and had me tearing up at some points. It’s been passed through my family and we all love it and found it strikingly similar to our family and quirks. Can’t wait to catch Sedaris live one of these days! Thanks for another brilliant read.

This book was a pleasure to read. I laughed but shed a few tears as well. Dave Sedaris always shares stories about his family with humor but in this book, he also opens up in a more personal way by writing about his mom and sister’s death. I could have read the book in one go but forced myself to put it down. I wanted to look forward to the next time, I would open it again.

I have been a big fan of David Sedaris’s writing for many years and Calypso did not disappoint. I enjoyed reading it so much that I immediately started reading it a second time after I finished it. His observations about life and his stories about his family just make me laugh and laugh. Love him and loved this book!

The last time I saw David Sedaris in person, he was still visiting a local bookstore, but he has since outgrown that venue and even then, he was at the store until almost 1 a.m. Hence, they book him into larger venues when he comes to the Bay Area. The reason is not just the looping line that went through the store, the cafe, and into the parking lot, but that he really takes his time with every autograph seeker, adding personal messages and in this case, even affixing stickers. People are thusly willing to patiently wait for hours in line. Several times in this collection he addresses this fascination he has with other people, whether he loves shopping in order to connect with a cashier or even someone next to him in line. Although he sells out all those larger halls, his persona is somewhat low key, so that he can go out in public without recognition and go about his life, absorbing information about others and using it as fodder for his observations.Every one of these essays is a gem. The real deal. Equal amounts of pathos and humor, well, maybe a bit more of the latter, and wonderful generous sharing moments with his family mostly at Sea Section, a house he bought in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. They gather over endless, ruthless games of Sorry!, lie slathered in sunblock trading insights, and eat wonderful meals prepared by his life partner, Hugh. His pieces are so remarkable, so individual, because they are honest, generous, and unsentimental no matter the subject matter, even the death of a sibling.

If you’re like me, you finish a Sedaris book only to impatiently await the next one. Calypso is no exception. It may be his best book yet, darker than the others perhaps, but often side-splittingly funny.“WHAT are you reading?” my husband asked last night, as I shook with laughter. “Oh, of course,” he said to himself. “Sedaris.” Is there a funnier writer alive? I think not.

Reading Mr. Sedaris’s book is like having a visit with a good friend. Me. Sedaris is a wonderful story teller of life’s true tales.

Heartbreaking and hilarious! Yes, this book of 21 essays is both. Occasionally at the same time. Brilliantly written by David Sedaris, these essays are deeply personal—sometimes to the point that I wonder if his partner, siblings, and friends still talk to him!—but also they are so focused on our own common human nature and foibles that they speak to us all.If you think a collection of essays sounds boring, think again. I couldn’t stop reading! Sedaris examines something—trivial, such as buying funky clothing in Tokyo or people talking about ghosts, or significant, such as his sister’s suicide or his mother’s alcoholism—that happens in his daily life and then finds the universal meaning in it, as well as the funny side. (Unless it’s the heartbreaking side.) This is the opposite of boring. Sedaris is a bold and fearless writer and we are his beneficiaries.Some of my favorites:• “Stepping Out”: David gets a Fitbit, and it doesn’t take long for that little watch to start ruling his life. For anyone who has felt beholden to a pedometer device of any kind, this essay will have you in stitches.• “A House Divided”: David and his partner, Hugh, bought a beach house at Emerald Isle, North Carolina, the site of many childhood family vacations. They named it…Sea Section.• “Now We Are Five”: David is one of six children, and when his sister Tiffany died by suicide at age 49, her death destroyed her siblings. This essay explores all those feelings…and the last few paragraphs were just so poignant when a stranger asked him how many siblings he has. The answer, of course, is now five. But it’s really six.And if you’re wondering about the strange design on the book cover, read the title essay, “Calypso,” and all will be revealed.

I’ve read around 5 Sedaris books. Enjoyed them all, but this is probably my favorite. Found myself giggling out loud multiple times. My wife enjoyed it too, and I gave it to a friend for Christmas and she loved it. It was her first Sedaris book and she said it won’t be her last!!!

After I read Naked and Me Talk Pretty One day, I felt a little let down by Sedaris’s subsequent books, almost as if he had toned down. With this book, written by him at age 60, and read by me at the same age, I felt that same connection with his humor that I had originally. The failings of one’s body with age, aging parents, a kind of detente with difficult family al struck me as true and deeply deeply hilarious. Sedaris zeroes in on some of the most mortifying and heartbreaking human experiences, self-centered acts, and really outrageous behavior and makes them fully human, understandable, and funny. I have great affection for his work.

David Sedaris at his best. I never want his books to end. He always seems to give me an insight into what he is thinking, what he is doing and why. I always wish that I had the talent to make my daily life seem so interesting to everyone else. I can’t wait until his next book.

This is as well written as all of Mr. Sedaris’s books. It is a bit darker dealing with his strained relationship with his father. Not to mention his sister’s suicide.

A great story about a family that could be anyone’s family. I laughed out loud at some of things David did. I so sorry he had a tough time coming out. I’m so glad he is happy and at peace with himself. I highly recommend this book, my dear sweet brother-in- law had just passed away, this book was my salvation! Thank you David!

Calypso is David Sedaris’s most intimate book, a tender, funny, and challenging memoir from an author renowned for writing humor that lays bare his own and his family’s soul. In Calypso, he spares no one, especially himself.The central theme of the book is his sister Tiffany’s suicide and the emotional turmoil that follows. He writes with great clarity of the mental health challenges that she faced, the fights she inflicted on her family, and his own sanity-preserving estrangement from her. In the aftermath of the suicide, all the Sedaris family has left left are strange clues—like a phone number written on her apartment wall—to try to comprehend why Tiffany would take an overdose of prescription medication and then tie a plastic bag over head.Against the suicide’s backdrop, he is forced to face issues around caring for his elderly father, who lives alone and in increasingly-eccentric fashion, determined not to use electricity in order to leave a larger inheritance to the surviving children. More than two decades after his mother’s death, David grapples with residual sadness that she died before he achieved literary success, without their ever confronting her about the alcoholism that left her a mess each night. He expresses his poignant longing to have had the chance to spoil her.Still, Calypso is about a family drawing closer after a tragedy. Attempting to recreate the summer vacations of their childhood, Sedaris purchases the Sea Section, a duplex on the beach in North Carolina, where he encounters a deformed snapping turtle, a vacationing former FBI Director, and man-eating sharks that fail to terrify his boyfriend Hugh. In their own unique, strange, and often-hilarious way, the Sedaris family heals. Every step along their quirky journey is a joy to read.

I am a big fan of David Sedaris, and this is probably my favorite of all his books. There is a lot of humor, but he also delves into more personal subjects, such as his sister’s mental struggles and suicide, his adored mother’s alcoholism, and his father’s aging and hoarding. These challenges and the love for his family make the book very relatable. And despite these very serious things, there is still plenty of absurdity and wit to keep you laughing.

A more revealing autobiographical take by David Sedaris. The usual witty, laugh-out-loud guy but more, this time, of the sadder, darker side of the Sedaris family. Love all his books.

David always sends you on a roller coaster of emotions in just a few pages: you’ll chuckle, cry, empathize, laugh really loud, reflect on your own life, and then cry again. Calypso is his best work. I enjoyed every second of it.

I am once again amazed at David Sedaris’ ability to describe life. Every family should have such a brilliant narrator who can so poignantly describe the laughter and the tears that accompany living.I read this book on vacation and laughed out loud far too many times. Imagine the blank stares I got when I tried to describe feeding tumors to a deformed turtle or performing sitting down because of a stomach situation….Mr. Sedaris- I will leave the story telling to you but please keep telling them!

I read this book during the Covid19 lock down in my state of Michigan and it brought great joy and welcomed relief with big laughs during this frightening and depressing time. I read it slowly because I didn’t want it to end and I fantasized about being best friends with David Sedaris. He’s my kind of people. I wonder how he and Hugh are handling this quarantine. I hope all is well and another great book is about to be born.

Written as a series of essays, an honest look at the family and relationships of the author. Filled with wit and humor, topics covered are serious as well – such as alcoholism, suicide and ones aging (and that of our parents). These things are a part of life – and what I appreciate most about the read is the topics are not sugar coated nor are they made to be insurmountable – you just get through them. Beyond this take this read as a good reminder that whatever you face – laughter can be the best medicine.

Calypso is a fabulous collection of autobiographical essays. They are poignant and funny and thoughtful and self-deprecating. Sedaris is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but I always enjoy his writing. I could have done without a few of the stories, the fatty tumor ones in particular, but I still enjoyed the book.

Each chapter of the book has at least one gut buster. Yet the part about his dad. Ugh. I was dissapointed that at age 60 the author thinks taking care of his 90 year old father with dementia is a choice on his part. Dementia destroys the brain David. Do you really not get that your father can no longer make his own decisions or that your bad memories don’t give you a pass in the parent trap end of life duties thing? That part was not funny.

Brief essays that are like short stories, humorous, touching reminders of the experiences of ordinary life that lift us out of ourselves and recognize in one another the important times that we share with those who are closest to us, from death to love and renewal. Most of the pieces can be read in a few moments. Some are very funny, others poignant and painful, all memorable.

He writes well, and keeps you interested. Very funny as an adult humorist. His culotte obsession must help him!

I’m a long time David Sedaris fan and love his new book! He gets into more personal stuff in this one (his mother’s alcoholism, the effect of his sister’s suicide on his family). In spite of the darkness of some of the material, Sedaris, as always, finds the humor. I’m only sorry that I binge read this as it’s over too soon.

This book arrived in perfect condition and was absolutely what I was looking for. It is meant for my book club so I was looking for anything really, but just wanted a physical copy. I do not mind marks and whatnot, but this book did not have any of that. And for the low price, I would recommend it again! Very quick to arrive as well. Wonderful stories overall, very witty and humbling.

Sedaris is still incredibly funny, but this book also has a wistful quality that is different than his previous work. Death and age have made their marks on the family. Definitely worth a read.

Sedaris is not an easy writer to love. The humor is dark and ranges from infantile to insightful. That being said, I’ve read many of his books. Before Calypso, Me Talk Pretty One Day was my favorite. Sometimes it’s like laughing at a funeral, reading his work, but amongst the outrageous, nauseating, filthy tall tales are intense moments of snarky humor laying bare the ridiculous inner lives we all live. I’m not one to laugh a another’s pain, but Sedaris makes me laugh at his.

I loved this insight into his family and found the stories about his Father hilarious = it’s easy to understand the genius of David Sedaris once you’ve read about his family.

As with all of David Sedaris’s books this book is superb. Sedaris’s outlook is truly formed by a unique pair of glasses, communicated via skilled, fluid prose and generously sprinkled with both delightful and wicked humor.You will certainly enjoy this as well as other books by David Sedaris.

Calypso is a collection of stories that focuses on heavy themes, including death, family and aging. Despite such themes, David Sedaris makes his book easy to read with the use of self-deprecating humor and relatable stories that anyone with a family could understand.The book almost acts as Sedaris’ way of grieving loss in his life. A pivotal character in Calypso is Sedaris’ sister, Tiffany, who Sedaris introduces to readers early in the book through the heart-wrenching story “Now We Are Five.” He speaks on the death of his sister and how her suicide affected him. Although Sedaris does not focus hard on his emotions in this book, you can still sense the feeling of regret and guilt as he talks about his sister. He has a way of making these moments in the book very moving, causing you to feel sorry for his family. Sedaris even brings in stories of gay marriage, politics, and other hot-button issues that some would be fearful to bring up in writing. Sedaris is not a sugar-coater; he takes the honest approach with these topics and provides a clear stance on his positions. “A Number of Reasons I’ve Been Depressed Lately” is one of the few stories in Calypso where Sedaris showcases his dislike of President Donald Trump, and even talks about how he became nervous at the time of the election when thinking about a Donald Trump presidency. This sounds rather intense, right? Don’t worry. Sedaris has his way of making these serious topics still laughable. His own awareness of himself is one way that Sedaris is able to be so successful with his humor. He knows that he is an older man who is dying, and he is very mindful of where he comes from. Therefore, it is easy for Sedaris to make fun of himself and allow readers to laugh at him. He also has an impressive way of taking the most mundane instances and turning them into something hilarious. A trip to the airport or picking up trash from the side of the road seem pretty lackluster, but Sedaris makes these moments come to life with his humor. He also does not drag out a topic for too long. He will not sit on a deep topic for an uncomfortable amount of time. As soon as you think you are walking into a depressing topic, you come upon a paragraph that offers a random, silly comment that makes you laugh. Some of the stories are made up of small tangents, keeping you on your toes and making you fit these things together. This puzzle-like aspect of Sedaris’ writing makes you focus more on what he is trying to say, which makes the reading that more interesting.The books personal touch and Sedaris’ impressiveness to turn the ordinary into the most entertaining is captivating. The reading truly is an experience and a whirlwind of emotions, making you fight back tears or fight back laughter. Give this book a try if you are looking for something different than a sappy romance novel. You will enjoy Sedaris’ take on his personal life and bask in his impressive ability to make nothing into something.

Best David Sedaris book to date. I laughed out loud many times and teared up a bit. Love that we’ve gotten to know a little about his family in past books, but this book he shares more of his vulnerability with family relationships… it goes deeper, but is still belly laugh out loud throughout the book. Also now, having heard his voice on many a This American Life stories, when reading his books, I can hear his voice and tone in my head which makes it that much better. I’ve gone back and reread some of his older books just to experience them in his voice now.

There’s always going to be someone who takes that kind of sentence the wrong way. Some, deliberately. There are people who would get so offended at those who do, they’d stalk and comb through their twitter trying to find a tweet to use against them.This is the world we now live in.Calypso is a way of escaping from it. Perhaps not far, but far enough to look on from the sidelines with David.

Once again we’ve been invited into the life of David Sedaris and he doesn’t disappoint. His stories may seem over the top, but knowing him, they seem normal. I have even been inspired to buy a 52″ snake wand grabber and use it to pick up garbage in my neighborhood while riding my ATV!When I turned he last page, I was truly sad that the book was finished.

I very rarely read books in this genre, but this one seemed interesting so I took a chance. So happy that I did! I do have to say that I read a lot of reviews that made it seem that the tumor incidence was funny, I found it disgusting. Aside from that, wow, this was so touching! I loved this. Sad, poignant, funny. I think one of the things that was most interesting is that this author tells us his random thoughts, even if they’re not pretty, even if they’re in a gray area.

My daughter turned me on to Sedaris. Getting the audio book is a must as his reading is half the value. His accounts of his family issues are a little depressing but only because they are so sincere. The rest is hilarious as always.

How can a short story make one laugh and cry in the span of just 10 minutes?! This book is easy to read and love how the stories build on one another. Enjoyed it very much!!

I don’t laugh easily and I laughed all through this book. Such an excellent writer and when you hear the word “craft” that is David Sedaris, only it doesn’t feel like he’s crafting a story, it seems effortlessly his own voice. I love him, I read a ton of books, mostly Crime Fiction and Nordic Noir but I have to say this IS my favorite book all year!

This is a collection of essays mostly about family and relationships: between Sedaris and his husband; Sedaris and his siblings; Sedaris and his father. The author has the rare talent to make descriptions and observations about mundane day to day existence, extremely entertaining. Reading Calypso is like eating comfort food. It sits well and you don’t want it to end.Chief among the characters is paterfamilias Sedaris. The Sedaris clan are a close-knit bunch and as Sedaris states: their father waited until late in the game to steal their hearts. Growing up, their Dad was a somewhat detached figure. But with the passage of time and a softening of his edges; he is a lovable curmudgeon who regularly nags the author about looking after his health.Among my favorite passages were Sedaris’s reflections on: middle age, Fitbit obsession, shopping sprees and hanging out with family on vacation. Sales for the board game Sorry may have spiked as a result of his observations about game strategy and the play of his 12-year old “show no mercy” niece.Sedaris muses about his sister Tiffany. She was estranged from the family (what fun she missed out on!) and lived a hard scrabble, tragic life. Also, very sad, is his description of an unfettered public expression of racism that he witnessed as a boy after his family had settled in North Carolina.The only passage that didn’t work for me, was his comparison of swearing and cursing in various cultures. It goes on for way too long and it felt like filler material.Reading Calypso often made me laugh out loud and usually had me grinning. I wholeheartedly agree with one sentiment that Sedaris expressed; I have zero interest in hearing about the dream that you had last night.