Barrel Fever

Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays by David Sedaris, 196 pages

In this short collection, Sedaris presents us with a series of essays and short stories drawing from both his personal life and his off-kilter imagination. I have always enjoyed Sedaris' stories about his family life, and he does not disappoint here, with frequent tales of his foul-mouthed redneck brother Paul and his wacky sister Amy; the rest of his siblings and his parents also have roles, but theirs are relegated to supporting characters. He also throws in some fictional tales, ranging from his imagined tabloid-covered relationships with male celebrities (including Bruce Springsteen and Mike Tyson) to the long, meandering Oscar acceptance speech by a lazy schlub named Don.

If you're a fan of Sedaris' odd brand of humor, I highly recommend checking this out, especially in audio format. Sedaris reads most of these stories and essays, though his sister Amy had my sides splitting in her take on their brother Paul, as well as in her delivery of a rude, spiteful suicide note meant to be read at the funeral of the teen girl who wrote it (that last one is definitely fiction). This was fantastic.