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    Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls
    Unavailable
    Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls
    Unavailable
    Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls
    Audiobook6 hours

    Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls

    Published by Little, Brown (Hachette UK) Audio

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new book of essays taking his readers on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences.

    Whether railing against the habits of litterers in the English countryside or marveling over a disembodied human arm in a taxidermist's shop, Sedaris takes us on side-splitting adventures that are not to be forgotten.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLittle, Brown (Hachette UK) Audio
    Release dateApr 23, 2013
    ISBN9781405525091
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls

    3.5/5

    1,111 ratings91 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Not his best, but still excellent and funny.
    • 4/5
      A collection of personal anecdotes and ramblings, interspersed with short pieces of satirical fiction, many with a bit of a political edge.You know, I appreciate David Sedaris' sense of humor, with its mixture of the snarky and the droll, but his writing often straddles the line between funny and painful and leaves me not feeling exactly sure what to think of it. This particular collection wavers back and forth over that line a lot, and while I quite liked several of the pieces here, I do think he spends just a little too much time on the "painful" side of the line for my personal taste.
    • 3/5
      I still can't figure out why it's called Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. Some of the essays are interesting, but some are just too over the top. Not a book I would recommend.
    • 2/5
      Frankly I debated between 2 and 3 stars on this one, but I've come to the realization that Sedaris will always get this reaction from me. The stories I find funny make me laugh until I cry, but others just leave me shaking my head wondering what I'm missing. I really feel I share some of his takes on life (waiting in line behind the woman at the coffee bar), and the rest of the time he's just a little too precious for my taste. Still, I expect I'll keep reading seeking the gems.
    • 4/5
      I don't think I could ever tire of David Sedaris. One of my very very favorites! It felt really nice to lay in bed after a long day and literally laugh out loud at his short stories. Such a gift he has!
    • 3/5
      Same old Sedaris, which is as much as I could have expected. I've got to hand it to him, he did make my commute to work pretty entertaining for a week since I was caught up on my book, internet justice, and snack podcasts.
    • 4/5
      Having read other David Sedaris books before I knew what to expect. Sedaris is as funny and witty in this book as in his others. Along with his true-life stories he includes a couple of monologues, which are amazing. They are hard to describe and I can only say “Bravo Mr. Sedaris, Bravo.”One of my favorite stories entitled A Cold Case involves the time when Sedaris’ laptop was stolen. Not only was his laptop in the bag which was taken, but so was his passport and bank checks. To make matters worse he was in Hawaii (he was currently living in England.) While I feel bad for him and what he had to go through, I find it did make a rather interesting story. I know you are all wondering and yes, he did get his passport back over six months after it had initially been taken.There are times when I was reading where I felt as if I had read the story before, knowing I had not. I think this is due to the fact he writes the same sort of stories. There was no re-hash of old thoughts, but the writing is the same as his other books and reminds me of them. I will say, though, if he comes out with another book, I will be reading that one as well.
    • 3/5
      Not bad, but not as good as previous collections. There's a deeper darkness to this set of essays that for me was a bit offputting. It has a few essays, though, that are laugh out loud. If you are a Sedaris fan, you won't regret buying it. If you have never read David Sedaris before, start with Holidays on Ice or When You Are Engulfed in Flames
    • 4/5
      Essays making humor out of awkwardness and occasional pathos, especially when Sedaris discusses the cruelty of his father.
    • 5/5
      Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls is right up there with Sedaris’ best works. I utterly loved it.
    • 5/5
      If I could give this book six stars, I would. I laughed out loud at least once every two pages and when I reached the end I started it over again. Never met a Sedaris book I didn't like and this one is a combination of the best parts of all the others - brutally honest but loving tales of his father; hilarious observations of life in France and England; his aversion to Chinese food; the endearing insoucciance of French dentistry; and 6 monologues from the lower echelons of American vox populi.
    • 4/5
      Now this is the David Sedaris I've enjoyed so much! It's rare for me to read a writer's work back to back. Normally my attention span is far too short to create the momentum needed to stay with the same type of book, let alone same writer.In part because of when it became available from the library, but also in part because I was so shocked how little I liked the Sedaris work I had just finished, I jumped right into Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls praying that my last experience was a fluke, but still fearing there would be a "Say it ain't so Joe" moment.The voice of Sedaris is, at least it seems to me, genuine when writing about his own life, and his interaction with the world around him. Even though there are incredible differences between his life and my own, if for no other reason than I am one of the dreaded “conservatives” for which he holds such disdain and disgust, his writing makes his experiences seem familiar to me. In his writing and its space in my mind that which is common fills in the spaces where differences might be found. Even the thing about David that frightens me most, his meth use, still leads to a place of understanding. He never uses the word addicted or addict, and I no right to diagnose him. He is the only person who can define David Sedaris as someone addicted with the noted exception of his teeth. Appearntly having had all of David and his meth they could handle, the teeth abandoned him before he was 50 years old. Like women and children on the Titanic, teeth are the only part of the body met with understanding at their fleeing the human vessel. All other organs great and small, liver, spleen, heart and nails, are doomed to go down with the ship. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls is the newest of his writings, and my newest favorite.
    • 3/5
      The latest essay collection from David Sedaris has some laugh-out-loud moments, but perhaps fewer than I would have wished. Sedaris does seem to get a little darker as he goes along. A bit about visiting Costco with his brother-in-law was screamingly funny, and as always, his take on travel and on language is a hoot. But there was some stuff about his childhood that came dangerously close to self-pity, to my ears anyway. And the first essay, in which a taxidermist sees into his soul and knows he wants to see grotesqueries – was funny, very funny, but also kind of telling. Like I said, dark.
    • 4/5
      Very funny, per usu. My favorite was the colonoscopy story. I listened to this on audio and I probably looked like a completely insane person walking around target laughing out loud with my headphones on.
    • 4/5
      I always find it difficult to review a David Sedaris book. I love his writing and humor but explaining why leaves me starting and stopping sentences with a silly grin and a "you've just got to read the book yourself" shrug. If you have read Sedaris you get what I am saying. If you haven't, and you enjoy sarcastic, biting humor, then go grab any of his books now. This particular book is a collection of short stories that as best as I can tell are about Sedaris growing up in his highly unconventional home. This isn't a new subject for him but it is always an enjoyable ride as he describes his family and his insights.
    • 4/5
      I have to admit that I kept putting this aside, worried that I wouldn't like it as well as Sedaris' earlier work--nothing will ever top _Me Talk Pretty One Day_, IMHO, though I keep hoping he'll write something even better.Some of the essays come close to being that laugh-out-loud funny--the final chapter about his first colonoscopy is especially clever. Others show a deeper poignancy and sense of regret than some of his earlier work, especially "Memory Laps" and "Attaboy," confessional pieces that reveal Sedaris' longing to please his father. However, there's also an untempered bitterness in places, and the monologues, in particular, are drawn way too broadly to be either funny or satirical. Still, I read the whole thing in two sittings, and was sorry when I got to the end. I recommend it highly, especially to old-school Sedaris fans.
    • 4/5
      David Sedaris tells stories about his experiences. The stories are not that interesting, but they are the fodder for interesting writing. Mr. Sedaris is a video camera that gets turned on intermittently and records out of a beat up backpack from odd angles and questionable focus and filtering. The treasures are the life experiences that really would not be caught any other way but by this haphazard recording. and records some very average stuff
    • 4/5
      I don't know anybody who covers quite the same range as David Sedaris. He writes these wildly funny reminiscences of growing up, and observations of life as we know it that you'd have to look at sideways if they came in over your TV. Dave Barry came close. Maybe if you mixed Dave Barry with Mark Twain. But David Sedaris occasionally comes up with something that resonates with a sad poignancy, and you have to wonder what he could write if he tried to use only the not-funny hemisphere of his brain. All I know for sure is, if I ever go on a gastronomic tour of the world's great cuisines, I'm crossing China right off my list.
    • 3/5
      This is a book about the trials of misanthropy. A somewhat patchy ragbag of witticisms, it is a triumph of form over content. Sedaris turns in humor like a technocrat - occasionally hitting the mark but too often sliding into the wilds of cynicism and self-pity.
    • 3/5
      I'm rating this against other Sedaris books. It's not as laugh out loud hilarious as Naked or Me Talk Pretty One Day, but the stories are mostly funny and heartfelt.My favorite stories were about his childhood, family and travels. Highlights were Memory Laps (David's time on his childhood country club's swim team), and The Happy Place about his first colonoscopy.Sedaris also includes several fictional bits, some relating to politics. These stories were fun and bordered on ridiculous.
    • 3/5
      Let’s Explore Diabetes with OwlsWritten and narrated by David Sedaris Ⓟ 2013, Hachette Audio8.10 hoursIf humor is a house built on the foundations of pain, David Sedaris has built a comfortable home. Sedaris presents 26 stand-alone comic compositions, ranging from the autobiographical to the fictional - all reflecting Sedaris’ keen sense of irony tempered by a softly cynical wit. Sedaris alludes to outrageous and embittering experiences & situations that have been mitigated in their virulence by over-long familiarity, the passage of time and, a sense of humor that mocks the absurdities of life. For those unfamiliar with Sedaris’ humor, it is is like being stung by a bee even as you eat the honey. There is an underlying tone of causticity even as you recognize the ridiculousness of the the situation at hand. If you are a homophobe, politically right-of-center and/or dress badly, you may feel more of the sting than the taste of the honey; but Sedaris is no less valid or funny for all that.The whole of the audiobook is remarkable for its ambition in bringing in a number of different sessions of varying sound levels & qualities from different venues & studios, as well as Andrew Bird’s interstitial music and an exclusive bonus track for audiobook listeners. Some of the “comic essays” are performed live before an audience while others are read in a studio; and in each case Sedaris has a great sense of timing and seeming intimacy with his listeners whether they are immediately present or not. Andrew Bird’s haunting gypsy string style music is fantastic, though it is unclear what the relationship between the music has with the material.OTHER: I borrowed a CD edition of Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls (Written and narrated by David Sedaris) from the Jackson County Library System in Oregon. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.
    • 4/5
      The unusual title introduces the readers to what awaits them. It is a joy ride packed into less than 300 pages. Each essay will surely bring a smile to your face, a chuckle to your throat and maybe even a laugh out loud guffaw! So, reader, kick back and settle down with this little book and enjoy many moments of pleasure.Sedaris takes ordinary, mundane, everyday occurrences and turns them into events in which we can sometimes see ourselves and our own attitudes, at our best and our worst, but he enables us to laugh at ourselves and our sometimes not so admirable behavior and reactions.Each story pokes fun at some ordinary moments in life and some not so ordinary ones, with a brilliant satiric wit, using subtle inferences which point out the inconsistencies and contradictions in our way of life. He enables the reader to find laughter even in life’s moments of grief.He shares many of his own experiences with us by tackling many of the subjects we face, such as: homosexuality, politics, gay marriage, airline travel, healthcare, death, relationships, parenting, friendship, family, taxidermy, waiting on lines, drugs, menageries, crucifixion, the blind, diaries, colonoscopies and even the experience of eating in restaurants in China. He manages to find laughter in the most unexpected of places.From the stuffed owl in the taxidermy shop to the tragedy of his sister’s death, Sedaris inspires the readers to laugh at life and themselves. He enters the reader’s psyche as he superbly reads his own book.
    • 4/5
      Why do I keep myself away from David Sedaris for so long? This may be one of his best compilations. There are the usual self-depreciating autobiographical essays woven in with short satirical pieces. The tone is perfect and the book is highly readable.
    • 3/5
      Kurze Geschichten aus dem Leben von DS, Familie, Homosexualität, Lesereisen, Schreiben, alles relativ witzig und mit viel Ironie geschrieben.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed Me Talk Pretty One Day so much last month that I decided to download another of David Sedaris's audio book. Once again Sedaris reads the book and some of the chapters are read in front of an audience. Once again, I found myself laughing out loud. Sedaris has range. He talks about almost everything - from colonoscopies to Valentine's Day gifts. He riff on European healthcare had me in tears. If laughter is the best medicine, Sedaris should be a doctor. I'm a fan.
    • 4/5
      Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls: Essays, etc is Sedaris's latest book of essays detailing the odd observations about his life. It is always refreshing to see life and all of its quirkiness through Sedaris filtered eyeglasses and continuing hilarious to hear about his unique childhood with his family.

      As much as I like the essays, I liked the "etc." part a lot. The asides included Health-Care Freedoms and Why I Want my Country Back and Just a Quick E-mail. The former included a really good acronym for a profane word. The best, and possibly only, I've ever seen. Those little tangents are great for a giggle.

      David Sedaris is in his 50's and I felt it. There was a kind of growth in Owls that was missing from his previous work. Essays are usually reflective but this bunch seemed particularly so. Perhaps it was because of such work like The Happy Place which he describes the events and the procedure of his colonoscopy or maybe it's because he mentioned it fifty times. Who knows? Either way, it was nice to see because I felt I grew up with him and these are the last dog days of summer.

      I can't wait for his next one!
    • 3/5
      This book was funny, as many of David Sedaris's books are but I found myself not laughing as much as I do upon a first read of his work. This is due to the insertion of fiction pieces in between the memoir anecdotes, which was kind of jarring. He did the same thing in Barrel Fever which is probably my least favorite of his books. These short stories were written in the same tone as his non-fiction and until he identifies a characteristic or trait that he doesn't share with the fiction narrator, it can be impossible to tell the difference. His memoir writing is his strength and I would have liked to see more of it instead of the weaker short fiction pieces which were often very broadly drawn and approached a level of caricature that approached overdone. I would have given this four stars if it had stuck to the memoir format.
    • 4/5
      As a long time David Sedaris fan I was really looking forward to this book. It has been a while since I have read one of his since I didn't read his last book which I believe was completely a work of fiction.I really enjoyed this book. When David Sedaris is funny - there really isn't anyone who is funnier. I feel like after reading and listening to him on the radio for so many years that when I read his voice it is almost like the voice in my head takes on his voice. Some of these stories will become classics - I loved the early one about his dentist. There were others that I thought were really strong too. But nestled among all the ones that I loved were some that I really disliked. I never like it when he expounds on his love for the macabre. It makes me really uncomfortable. I also could have done with out the gross out chapter about his trip to China. I thought the fiction pieces were not as strong as his essays. But even with this criticism I would still recommend this book to any fan of his work.
    • 5/5
      A collection of essays about his life with short stories mixed in, this is Sedaris doing what made him famous: writing about the strange episodes in his life and the weird thoughts he tries to keep to himself. Very funny.
    • 4/5
      I expect there will be more David Sedaris books appearing in my future. This was at times laugh out loud funny.