When I finished reading Barrel Fever, by David Sedaris, there was only one thing to do: Pick up another book by him and don't stop until I was done. His latest, When You are Engulfed in Flames, is one of the funniest I have read. I literally could not bring myself to put the book down. Each personal essay was as funny if not funnier than the one before, making me want to call my friends in the middle of the day or night to read favorite passages out loud to them. Here are some of my favorites:
He adopts a female spider as a pet, names it April and takes it to vacation in Paris, then spends all his time hanging out around garbage cans in public parks to trap flies for it. The title of this story is "April in Paris."
He describes how he once scared the birds away from hitting his windows by posting pictures of terrorists on the glass.
He talks about how he quit smoking after thirty years by living in Tokyo for three months and taking Japanese classes.
It doesn't matter what happens to him, David Sedaris has a peculiar funny way of recounting the story and I absolutely recommend reading his books, especially When You are Engulfed in Flames.

Becoming a mother has brought many joys to my life in the last 19 months. Alas, the joy of reading has not been one of them, unless you count reading Parenting magazine or instruction manuals to put together various toys, and baby accessories. I have had the pleasure of reading three great books in the last three months though, and wanted to give you a quick review and my strong recommendation to read them.

My very favorite has to be the Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, M.D.  I wish I had read this book twenty years ago as it provides such a fascinating perspective into the deep and complex mystery of female psychology, but it is so fun and easy to read. I recommend reading this book to all my female friends and all the men who love them and wish to understand them better. Having been an English major, I have always chosen fiction over non-fiction, but I found that I couldn't put this book down once I started it and that it was such a quick and easy read.

I enjoyed the Female Brain so much that I decided to start reading a book by another female author I admire, Firoozeh Dumas. After reading Funny in Farsi, I couldn't wait for her second book to come out and Laughing without an Accent, did not disappoint. Dumas is a great storyteller and her memoirs are filled with simple, funny, and entertaining stories. Another fun, easy and quick read which also provides you with an insight, albeit a funny one, into Iranian culture.

Speaking of funny and memoirs, one of my favorite funny writers is David Sedaris. I've been hooked since I read, Me Speak Pretty One Day. Barrel Fever is funny, but we are talking dark, twisted and sometimes rather sick kind of humor, if you are into that kind of thing. I found myself closing my eyes and stop reading at a few instances, but couldn't stop reading altogether. The essays at the end of the book were my favorites, especially his recounting of his days working as an elf during Macy's Christmas Holiday specials.

I have a stack of books waiting to be read on the bookshelf. I am not sure which one I'll read next. I am finding that whether I have to pay for a babysitter or beg and plead family members to entertain Milan for a while, it is definitely worth it to renew my reading habit. Happy readings to all!