- I love David Sedaris, I find his writing to be hilarious, just hilarious. I shared one of my favorite David Sedaris tales in this post. When P sent me Sedaris’ take on the Fitbit in the New Yorker, I just had to share. Here is a little part of the piece (click on the reference for full post). I feel like this could happen to me if I got a Fitbit…but maybe that would not be such a bad thing.
“Shortly after I decided on a typeface, for reasons I cannot determine my Fitbit died. I was devastated when I tapped the broadest part of it and the little dots failed to appear. Then I felt a great sense of freedom. It seemed that my life was now my own again. But was it? Walking twenty-five miles, or even running up the stairs and back, suddenly seemed pointless, since, without the steps being counted and registered, what use were they? I lasted five hours before I ordered a replacement, express delivery. It arrived the following afternoon, and my hands shook as I tore open the box. Ten minutes later, my new master strapped securely around my left wrist, I was out the door, racing, practically running, to make up for lost time.” –David Sedaris, “Stepping Out”, New Yorker, June 2014
- I not terribly convinced that George R.R. Martin is going to finish the Game of Thrones series (A Song of Fire and Ice). For a while I boycotted the TV series until he finished the book series. Then I faced facts and have resolved myself to the fact that HBO is more likely to finish the series than Martin. Having read all the current books, the story is not really wrapping up, if anything I feel like it is spreading even further out. It drives me mad that there is no expected release date for the next book…what is he working on?! I saw this post, where basically you can donate $20,000 and he will write you into his next book…seriously, seriously he has time to develop and kill a whole new character!! Though I did feel a bit vindicated when the article mentioned the fear of him never delivering. Thoughts? Am I the only with this concern?
- Now, this one is a bit of a stretch in using the term “literary” but hey, it’s my blog and I do what I want 🙂 Have you read/seen the Cat versus Dog Diary? I could not figure out the original source, it has been around for years. Our friend R, shared this YouTube version with us and the voice is just perfect! Speaking of funny animal reads, did you catch Steph’s (Life According to Steph) post “My Dog Can Tell Time”. I like to call the post “The A-hole Wakeup Committee”.
And to make this seem more like a real confession here are a few:
- I did not really like the Twilight series. Maybe it is because I’m old but it’s team Lestat for me. The Witching Hour (Mayfair witches series) by Anne Rice is one of my favorite books in that genre.
- I’ve never read Fifty Shades of Grey and don’t really plan on it. The closest thing to a “romance novel” that I have read is the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.
- I really like Stephen King books, but I don’t like some of the ones that are the popular movies (like Pet Cemetery, Carrie). I’ve read the whole Dark Tower series, and was totally hooked.
It’s Wednesday, so you know where all the cool kids are linking-up at…
I’ve read a few books by David Sedaris a looooong time ago and did enjoy them, but I can’t remember the books off the top of my head! I never got into Game of Thrones but it sounds like a series worth catching up with during deployment. Also, I never use to be a Twilight fan until my friend made me watch the movie with her. So I’ve watched all three and plan on maybe reading the books sometime. However, I love most Vampire movies: Underworld, Interview, and of course Twilight. Also, have read LOTS of Stephen King books and I enjoyed most of the them. I might have read the Gunslinger, but I barely remember it because it was so long ago. Horrible, but since I’ve graduated, I am going to get back to reading the books I once loved: just looking through Amazon now; I’m going to reread The Talisman, The Dark Half, Black House, and Gerald’s Game. Thanks for the reminder! -Jess L
Love the quote on the fitbit by David Sedaris. Describes exactly how I feel about my fitbit! haha … I was thinking of starting to read the Game of Throne books but dude it’s so long …
It is long, but they are good…just no ending 🙂
Earlier this year I listened to the entire David Sedaris archive on my commute! It was so fun to revisit some of my favorite essays. And I love hearing him read–makes me laugh even harder than reading his books!
Love the video! I swear I’ve watched it a dozen times in the last year, so funny! You MUST read 50 Shades!!!!
David Sedaris is great, I have a couple of his books at home I haven’t read yet. The ones I have are hilarious. I’m reading the most recent ASOIAF book now, what the hell. Things just keep getting worse for these people!! Don’t bother with 50 Shades, maybe my mind is just dirtier than some ladies, but I did not find it thrilling whatsoever. Outlander, however, that is a good book. I haven’t read any besides the first one.
I love David Sedaris. His audiobooks are great for long drives. He better finish Game of Thrones! It is one of the few good shows on television.
i have some david sedaris books in my queue that i haven’t gotten into yet! haha i just told jacob that he could be written into game of thrones for 20,000. 🙂 i don’t watch it, but he loves that show. also, i’ve taken a look at how long the books were and it seemed like a huge commitment.
I love Stephen King, including Carrie. 🙂 As for Twilight, the writing is so painfully horrible that I couldn’t make it through the first book. Even when I watch the movies with my bestie (who loves them), we still make fun of them.
Oops. I thought the first one didn’t post. Haha
I love Stephen King, including Carrie. 🙂 As for Twilight, the writing is so painfully horrible that I couldn’t make it through the first book. Even when I watch the movies with my bestie (who loves them), we still make fun of it.
I LOVE David Sedaris. He’s so brutally honest and self-deprecating, and just such a great writer.
I had not heard of the Cat and Dog Diary, thank you so much for introducing it here! I’m in love, it’s hysterical. Oh cats, you are such condescending divas!
Steven King is probably one of the most brilliant authors of the age. He has a way of absolutely grabbing you with the story and presenting you with perfectly flawed, absolutely average everyday people to whom something absolutely horrible and extraordinary happens, giving them a chance to be either horrible or absolutely extraordinary. His book “On Writing” for writers is amazing.
That being said, I read the Twilight books when my sister sent them to me during a deployment, and spent a huge amount of time in agony because I wanted to give them a fair chance but could barely make myself finish them. The idea is creative, I’ll give her that. But the writing is wretched, the dialogue stilted, and the character immaturity absolutely painful. Oddly enough, she fixed a lot of that in her novel “Host” – it’s a terrific story, the writing isn’t top tier by any account but it’s much improved, and it really lets her creativity show through.
Absolutely no, no, and no to 50 Shades of Grey. The fact that it started out as a Twilight fanfic is enough to make me refuse to even touch one of the books.
I’m with you on GRRM and finishing his books. If he does kick out the last two, it will be interesting to see how they’re influenced by the show. You could see that happening with JK Rowling as the Potter movies caught up with her books – there was a very visible point where she segued from writing her characters and started writing Daniel Radcliffe and the rest. It would probably be impossible to write Tyrion without writing Peter Dinklage.
I’m a bit of a book nut. Can you tell? :p
I’m a little afraid that George R.R. Martin is going to die before he finishes those books. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s an actual concern of mine. I have read the Fifty Shades books, but I gotta admit, I love me some Outlander too. Diana Gabaldon knows how to hook you!
Oh, and Team Lestat here too!!
I loved Twilight and the fifty shades series but omg I cant read horrors so no stephen kings for me!
I am going to have to check out that David Sedaris book, it sounds hilarious! I have the books by George R. R. Martin but I haven’t had a chance to read them yet. I really hope that he finishes the series, it would drive me nuts if he didn’t. I read all of the Twilight books (mostly because they were so popular and I wanted to see what they were about), but I wasn’t that impressed. The main character Bella really drove me up the wall. I haven’t read any Stephen King books, but I need to! I love your literary confessions 😀
David Sedaris is pretty great. I had not read that FitBit quote before but love it. I imagine I’d feel the same way if I got one! Ha!
I’m with you, girl. Twilight sucked balls full time. Love me some King and Dean Koontz, but only read the “Carrie” and “Pet Sematary” books after ALL the others were devoured and I was desperate.
Don’t get me started on George RR Martin. He literally will NOT give any dates or ETA because of all the complaints. He USED to give dates, and claim that the ENTIRE Song of Ice & Fire series was going to be THREE books. He said the story keeps growing as he goes, and he gets MORE characters and MORE books, and yes I’m a medieval glutton, but come on FOCUS and finish up. Someone slip some Provigil in his mead mug already! Mama needs some damn closure.
We’re so desperate for the story we’ve taken to watching YouTube nerdy videos on the shizz, like “History of House Baratheon” and whatnot. Half of them don’t even HAVE any video, you’re just starting at a drawn picture of a river or some shit, but it IS helping with the withdrawal symptoms. I’ve stopped shaking. For now.
i did like the twilight series, but i was younger, so i forgive myself. also, i dont think that everything needs to be amazing, classic pride & prejudice type stuff, sometimes i need a little fluff. however, i never need fluff enough to read 50 shades. blech. i dont mind a romance novel or two, but i couldnt even get past the first page it was so badly written. anywho, i agree with you on Martin, although honestly I’ve heard he is a bit of a jerk anyway?! like I heard he sued people for writing fan fiction. bit rude. I can’t believe you can pay to be in his book. and I love David Sedaris’ audiobooks! so funny.
I hate myself completely for liking the Twilight series haha. But ommgggg LOVE David Sedaris!! Definitely read his piece in The New Yorker! 🙂
Game of Thrones – I read that George R. R. Martin had to promise HBO that if he hadn’t finished the books by the time they caught up, he had to reveal where the story was supposed to go. There’s no way he can keep up. The show is moving way faster than his previous books came out.
I have read 50 Shades and the Twilight series and I actually enjoyed them but I go through different stages in what I feel like reading and I suffer with FOMO *hangs my head in shame*
This must be why I like you! Back in college when I made time for things like books, I loved David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs and basically any slightly messy male essayist. I’m going to read this later. I also never got into Twilight or 50 Shades. Andrew tried to make me read the Dark Tower books because he loves them but I only made it through ten pages and I was bored. No interest in Game of Thrones but I looooove The Walking Dead, except last season when it too was boring. Maybe it’s just my attention span, though?
Team Lestat here as well. I definitely didn’t read but a chapter of Twilight before giving up. I wouldn’t even think about 50 Shades of Gray. My mom is a huge SK fan and has been for years and she likes a lot of his lesser known stuff as well.
Yes! I actually saw David Sedaris a couple weeks ago at a book signing and he read that piece about the fitbit. I had the exact opposite experience – I used it for one week and now I can’t even tell you where it is.
Also, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m obsessed with the Game of Thrones series, but have not read one single book. This post makes me feel better about that. In my opinion, HBO is doing such a wonderful job, it isn’t really necessary. I’d also rather spend my time reading other books – there I said it.
Finally, my mom is a HUGE Stephen King fan and has been trying to get me to read the Dark Tower series for years, but I’ve never listened to her. Maybe I should do that.
Oh, I’ve wanted to see him! I do have a book signed by him, a friend got it signed for me. I’m considering one…I don’t know…I’m afraid it will end up in the draw too 🙂
I’m not sure if I could follow the show if I had not read the books, it nice to have an idea of the characters 🙂
The Dark Tower series starts off slow but hooks you once you get into it.
stephen king circa 1980s is my jam. he’s written some of the scariest shit ive ever read!