Search - Holidays on Ice

David Sedaris is at his best when writing his memories. The first of the six stories was my favorite. His description of being an elf at Macy's was hilarious and when I tried to read parts out loud to my husband, I was laughing too hard to finish. I love his sarcastic yet amused outlook on life.

I didn't love the other stories, but they were a fun read. He knows when to lay it on thick and poke fun at the hyprocrasy of Christmas and how it's about the *idea* of giving in many cases. The annual Christmas letter is also lampooned, and he goes so over the top with it that you have to laugh.

Not my favorite Sedaris book, but SantaLand Diaries alone made it worth the read.

I've listened to David Sedaris on APM's This American Life for years now, and finally decided that I'd like to read some of his books. So I requested a bunch on paperbackswap.com, and Holidays on Ice is the first that showed up.

This book has six stories; three original and three previously published. One of them, the SantaLand Diaries has been everywhere, and I'd heard about it before. It's also the best story in the book.

Overall, the book is kind of hit-and-miss. The stories based on his own life are the best (often making me laugh out loud), but his fictional pieces seem a bit forced.

hilarious! a perfect introduction to David Sedaris or a must-have for an established fan.

Sedaris' twisted humor, at times, was a bit too much for me. The stories were entertaining and somewhat funny, but just okay. Fortunately, it is a quick read. For those who like his type of dark humor, this would be enjoyable. Not really my cup of tea.

Giving this book a rating was a bit difficult. For the most part I was not impressed by the short stories in the book. HOWEVER, I did thoroughly enjoy the first rather lengthy story about Sedaris' stint as an elf at Macy's. I found that an extremely funny and well crafted story. Had that been his only offering I would have given him 4 stars.

Very funny short collection of short stories.