Book Review - David Sedaris' Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an advance copy of David Sedaris' latest book, Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Humorist David Sedaris shares his diary entries from the years 1977-2002. 

LIKE- I'm a huge Sedaris fan and I was thrilled to be granted an ARC of Theft by Finding. I've seen Sedaris speak several times and at each show, he reads a handful of entries from his diary. Often, they are absolutely hilarious, especially his wry observations of fellow humans, including their conversations that he eavesdrops. I couldn't help but hear Sedaris' voice as I was reading Theft by Finding. If an audio version with Sedaris narrating becomes available, I highly recommend it. His tone is half of what makes the entries so funny.

Sedaris explains that the title is from a British law called "Theft by Finding," in which a person can be punished if they find something valuable and do not turn it in. For example, you're unlikely to get punished for keeping a pound, but if you find a wallet with a wad of cash and don't hand it over, you're guilty. Many of Sedaris' diary entries involve snippets of conversation and characters that he "finds" by observing strangers. The title couldn't be more perfect.

Artists will find hope in Sedaris' career journey. At the start of the diary entries, in 1977, Sedaris is twenty-one. The early entries show Sedaris struggling to figure a career path and his attending art school. He works odd jobs, many involving manual labor, and like a lot of twenty-somethings, lack of money is a major issue. Even when Sedaris sells his first two books ( he earns a two book deal), he still doesn't earn enough to completely quit his day jobs. As someone who is a late-bloomer with regard to career goals, I took heart in Sedaris' story, especially that earning a solid living from writing didn't happen until he was middle-age. Sedaris is a brilliant writer and his success certainly didn't happen overnight. I'd also argue that some of his best stories come directly from that delayed success. If Sedaris had success young, he'd never have had to take a job as a Macy's Elf and Santaland Diaries would exist. I don't want to imagine a world without Santaland Diaries!

I was surprised by the tremendous amount of time that Sedaris has spent at IHOP! 

DISLIKE- At the start of the diaries, Sedaris mentions that he envisions Theft by Finding, to be a coffee table type of book, something you'd pick up now and then, rather than read straight through. Since I had a review copy, I read it straight through. Sedaris has the right idea with his advice ( imagine, an author knowing what's best for their own book!), reading it cover-to-cover in two days, was overwhelming. I found the more recent entries to be far more insightful and entertaining than the earlier ones, likely due to maturity and Sedaris becoming a stronger writer. It also may be that his later entries were written when he was around my current age, so I found them more relatable. 

RECOMMEND- Yes. If you're a Sedaris' fan, Theft by Finding, is a must-read. If you're not familiar with Sedaris, don't make this your first pick. I'd recommend starting with Me Talk Pretty One Day or Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. I'm hoping that Sedaris will release a companion book with his Diary entries 2003-present. 

Book Review- Ellen Klages' Wicked Wonders

Thank You to Tachyon Publications for providing me with an advance copy of Ellen Klages' short story collection, Wicked Wonders, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- In her short story collection, Wicked Wonders, Ellen Klages explores a variety of themes; such as pregnancy in space, teenagers caught in a parallel world of classic board games, and what to do with a twenty-year old ham that has been aging in the basement of your childhood home. Wicked Wonders contains stories in several genres, including high fantasy, science-fiction, and literary fiction. Klages writes stories that are hilarious, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.

LIKE- Wicked Wonders is my first experience with Klages' writing. Although I now realize that she is well-known and award-winning, I had not heard of her prior to this collection. I have added all of her books to my wishlist = must read more now! Wicked Wonders is marvelous. Klages has a unique world-view and her stories are both fresh and surprising. While reading this collection, I felt a range of emotions, from laughing to crying and everything in-between. 

I loved that Klages included background info on all of her stories, explaining her inspiration for each. As a fellow writer, I felt relieved to find a kindred spirit in Klages with regard to how she becomes fixated on certain things, especially during research, and that her writing process is a little scattered. She's an amazing writer and hearing about her process gives me hope!

The entire collection is strong, but here are a few of my favorite stories.

The Scary Ham - I didn't realize this was non-fiction as I was reading it, but Klages confirms that this story was autobiographical, about her cleaning out her childhood home after her parents died. In the basement, her father has kept an expensive ham that he has been curing for two decades. Klages and her sister decide to throw a funeral for the ham. It's hilarious. Having dealt with more than my fair share of family death and cleaning out homes, I can relate. I've never found a ham, but there are weird secrets lurking when you start emptying a house, and if you don't laugh about it, you'd probably cry.

Echoes of Aurora- Jo returns to her childhood home after her father dies and meets a mysterious woman, who moves in with her. This story is beautiful and unexpected. I loved the story world, with Jo's family having owned an arcade in a lakeside tourist town. The arcade has not been maintained over the years and it's filled is unusual vintage machines. This mysterious story is a constant battle between decay and life.

Friday Night at St. Cecilia's - Rachel is grounded on a Friday night at her Catholic boarding school and her evening is rather dull, until the new housekeeper, Mrs. Llewelyn, invites her to play a game. I loved the creativity in this story, with Rachel finding herself lost in a board game world. Clue is my all-time favorite board game, so I got a kick out of being included. This story is funny and sinister. 

Goodnight Moons- Zoe has dreamed of space travel, and after years of hard work and good fortune, she has been picked to go on a colonization mission to Mars. It's suppose to be short-term; years, not a lifetime. However, while Zoe is in space, she learns that she is pregnant and that changes everything. It's hard to choose, but this may be my very favorite in Wicked Wonders. It stuck with me. It made me feel uncomfortable. The part that is troublesome is the reactions that Zoe receives regarding her pregnancy and the shift in her life. Baby aside, other choices now cease to be her own. Her wishes and dreams cease to matter. It's terrifying. 

DISLIKE- Nothing. Klages is such a gifted writer, I can't wait to read more of her stories.

RECOMMEND- Yes, yes, yes!!!! Klages is the best "new-to-me" author discovery that I've made in a long time. I have a serious crush on her writing style. I enjoyed the diversity of the stories included in Wicked Wonders. I don't often read fantasy or science-fiction, so it was great to step out of my reading comfort zone. 

Book Review- Catriona Menzies-Pike's The Long Run

Thank you to Crown Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of Catriona Menzies-Pike's memoir, The Long Run, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - When she was in her early twenties, Catriona Menzies-Pike was dealt a major life-change, when her parents both died in a plane crash. She spent the following decade finishing her education, while dealing with both her profound grief, and the extensive probate process to close her parent's estate. She had never considered herself very athletic, but when she turned thirty, she decided that she wanted to change her lifestyle and began running. The Long Run chronicles her journey to becoming a marathon runner, including an examination on how running helped her cope with loss and the history of female runners. 

LIKE- I'm not a runner. I've finished a handful of half-marathons and other athletic events, but I've always been more of a slow finisher, mostly walking. I've never had the drive to turn myself into a runner. Running is not what drew me to Menzies-Pike's memoir. Like Menzies-Pike, I also lost my parents at a young age and this is what made me interested in her story.

The Long Run is half a history of running, specifically female runners. I was not expecting her memoir to be so heavy on the history, but I'm glad it was, as it was fascinating. I had recently heard the story of runner Kathrine Switzer, who in 1967 was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an official participant. Switzer registered using her first initial, rather than her name, and snuck by in a time when women were not allowed to participate. Famously, a race official tried to physically remove her from the course, but her boyfriend at the time, stepped in and Switzer kept running. The Long Run is filled with stories of other female runners from around the world who helped break down barriers. I may have zero interest in running, but I'm grateful to these women who took risks so that I could have opportunities. It's amazing to me to think that Switzer's Boston Marathon run was just ten years before I was born. I feel like I grew up in a world where I could aspire to anything.

Menzies-Pike also writes about the fear that women have, a fear that has been drilled into them, regarding things like running alone or running at night. Until last summer, when I moved to downtown Portland, I've never felt unsafe in my environment. Now, I live in a place where I would not walk outside of my building at night without my husband. In the daytime, I even feel nervous. A big part of this, is that we live right next to a pretty park, where unfortunately, bad things have happened. This fear has limited my life. I don't go to writing events or other things, stuff that I wouldn't have hesitated to do when we lived in Los Angeles. Fear is powerful and controlling.

DISLIKE- I wish Menzies-Pike had made her memoir more focused on her grieving and transformation. It could have been more introspective. If I was a runner, I think I would have been more interested in the specific details of her major races. As a non-runner, these portions were a little tedious and I found my attention drifting.

RECOMMEND- If you're a female athlete or interested in the history of marathons, The Long Run would be a great pick.