David Sedaris

Caitlin, it's difficult to think now that whatever I write will be worth reading. I'm a destined-not-to-be-famous Auntie Slob. Well, may my fingers be more worthy than the rest of me for the sake of your entertainment. (So you're moving in the dorms today?? How is it??!!)

If I had to be famous -- and art dealers don't get famous, do they? -- I would love to be like David Sedaris. He's one of the funniest writers there is, period. And all he seems to do is pay attention. People are funny. Life is funny. He just writes it down, in deceptively simple language.

The following list could be called one of two things: "Some of my favorite books," or "All David Sedaris' books." Whichever you prefer, here it is, in order of how much they almost made me pee:

• Holidays on Ice, which contains The Santaland Diaries about his time spent making money as an elf at Macy's Manhattan, is probably my favorite.
  
• Me Talk Pretty One Day about moving to France and being able to say only "ashtray" and, ooh, what was it? One other utterly unhelpful word.
  
• Naked about some time he spent at a nudist colony.
  
• Barrel Fever which I barely remember but I hope is the one in which he describes his childhood. He was a compulsive and hyperactive child, and felt compelled to lick light switches and touch his forehead to his desk over and over.
  
• Dress Your Children in Corduroy and Denim. When he came to Cincinnati last year to speak, Eileen and I went. He told a story like this: his boyfriend had a dream that he was standing outside a house looking in the window, and on the shelves he saw a book called Dress Your Children in Corduroy and Denim. He woke up and asked David who would buy a book with that title. (A good question!) And David said, "Let's find out." In this manner the new Sedaris book was named. It isn't as funny as any of the others, but it has its moments. My favorite is the swimming mouse. You'll see.
  

He also wrote a play called something like The Book of Liz with his sister Amy. Has anybody read it? It's supposed to be bizarre.