Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris is his latest essay collection. Many of the essays discuss the writer's existence during the pandemic as well as the recent death of this father. These essays are full of the wit, crude humor and insights into humanity Sedaris is known for. Unfortunately for this reader, the name dropping (does it matter where he and his sister shop?) and the many references to how his wealth now removes him from everyday inconveniences were a little jarring. He writes about his life, which is now the life of a rich man who threw dinner parties during the height of the pandemic and offered to pay to "fix" the teeth of someone less fortunate. Recommended for hardcore (and upper middle class) fans only.

I had mixed feelings about this recent collections from Sedalia. Some stories hit their marks while others didn’t, It could be that I’m getting tired of his style and his family’s purported oddities. I also think that this genre has played itself out. I did read all the stories but felt meh once I completed the book.

Typical Sedaris fare, which is perfect if you're a fan. Anyone who has read a book or two by him knows that some of his books are a bit darker than others and this was one of them. It was still funny but deals with death and the pandemic. Great book for Sedaris fans.

I enjoyed another installment of David Sedaris's essays in Happy-Go-Lucky. But don't let the title fool you. This book tackles so difficult subjects. This book is filled with his whit and humorous observations about the world and people. As I have ready many of his books and seen him in person, I found that several of the essays in this book were repeats from those other books or engagements. I would have liked a book of new essays. Overall, this was an interesting look into David's experiences over the last few years, including the pandemic and the death of his father.

David sedaris does it again. Does what?! Makes me wish I was his best friend- his books are always engaging, authentic and hilarious. Every time I read one of his books I feel like I peek into his mind and I am here for it. This most recent book is very real- dealing in part with the loss of his father. Death often complicated and is filled with mixed emotions which I think he encapsulates perfectly.
Highly recommend!!

I love David Sedaris books, I wish this one were longer and had more stories in it I had not already heard or read elsewhere, but it certainly won't stop me from reading further books by him. I love how he finds humor in the little things. The things you keep to yourself because of fear of what others might think of you. He puts them down on paper and then I think I'm not such a horrible person after all.

I've read most of his books and always enjoy his ability to find dark humor in sometimes ugly, scary scenarios. I was surprised to read the stories about his father, in past books he hasn't painted quite such a bleak portrait of their relationship. I loved reading his perspective on the pandemic and more modern times.

I always wondered about David’s Sedaris books, not only because he is a prolific writer, but because many consider his books humorous. I dived into this David Sedaris book, my first, and finished unsure if I continued reading because I liked his stories or I found him humorous. I’m still not sure to this day, so I would recommend this book to anyone, with the hopes that they will tell me if they kept reading because they found his tales humorous or just an interesting set of stories to absorb, maybe both.

This was my second David Sedaris book. I read Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls 6 years ago as an audiobook and absolutely loved it. GoodReads tells me I even rated it 5 stars! Which back then was even more rare for me than it is now. I especially recommend reading his books as an audiobook.

This is an honest, at times brutal, at times ludicrous, and usually privileged recount of David's own life focused mostly in the last two years. There are a lot of essays on his father and his contentious relationship with him, as well as his sister Tiffany's accusations against their father, and finally his death. Aside from his father, his essays cover a wide range: about his relationship with his boyfriend Hugh, his experience with the BLM protests, New York during the height of the pandemic, his love of shopping, and some great stories from his tours.

I like David's brand of brutally honest sharp humor. He shares his thoughts without filter, even when they may put him in a bad light. He's wont to say things that make you think, should he really be saying this? There were some stories in the book that were so wild, that I had to share them with others and question WTF? out loud.

The book has a good balance of realness and humor. He manages to fit in jokes (albeit sometimes inappropriate ones) even in the most serious stories, and great insights in the most wacky ones. Sedaris is not the most likeable and I don't think he tries to be. His privilege shows through many times, and he's way too judgmental against others, but he writes with honesty and heart. He finds the special in the mundane and is not afraid to share the difficult stories.

As my first David Sedaris book I can safely say I get the hype. These are all so good, such concise essays about such a wide range of topics but it doesn't feeling overwhelming at all. Hopefully I can check out some more of his back catalogue but for a first book by him it was really good :)

I'd like to thank NetGalley, David Sedaris, and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This is Sedaris' newest book, filled with timely and relevant stories about the past 3 years, including stories about the pandemic, life on tour, hurricanes, and sensitive topics like protesting and guns. Sedaris handles these topics with the same wit, humor and turn of phrase he has built his whole career on.

With themes spanning from family issues, trauma, death and love, this book is funny with a biting edge and an occasional eye-roll. It's not his best work but its close.

David Sedaris is back with Happy-Go-Lucky but don't let the title fool you. As always with Sedaris, there are a bevy of emotions but I found this book to be a bit sadder and more poignant than his others. You'll still laugh out loud (the only author who can get me to do so) but the stories about losing his father and their fractured relationship hit like a punch in the gut. Any Sedaris fan will enjoy it but I would not recommend new readers start with this collection.

Though I have enjoyed his last two books of diary entries, this is the kind of storytelling I find Sedaris does best. I attended one of his readings earlier this year where he previewed a few stories from Happy-Go-Lucky and I may be an outlier but having just experienced it, I don't want the read about the pandemic. Since I had already heard , I skipped over those chapters which, had they been about another topic, I don't think I would have done. Sedaris is a master storyteller; curious and insightful while always maintaining his self-deprecating honesty.


Many thanks to Little, Brown & Company and Netgalley for the ARC.

My entry point into David Sedaris was his essay reading on This American Life a few decades ago. Had I not had that introduction to his work, Happy Go Lucky would have been a difficult read.

It definitely had a more serious tone because so much of it circled around his father slowly fading away and attempting to find resolution to such a negative relationship. To balance the heaviness, there were humorous moments and then cringeworthy ones that made me really wonder what I was missing from the story that would make it clear for me.

That’s typical of His work, and why many of us read his work; he says what many are thinking without worrying about filtering those impulses. Sometimes a little more filtering would benefit him.

Thanks to NetGalley Little, Brown & Company for an ARC of this book.

Another wonderful book by one of my favorite writers! David Sedaris is astute, funny, fascinating, and perhaps most of all—honest. He writes the kind of inner thoughts that I think most of us have in our heads, but wouldn’t say out loud. the results are sometimes hilarious, but often give you that funny feeling of recognizing a part of yourself—kind of like hitting your funny bone where you get that sharp zing that overwhelms you for a minute.

I felt that this book was slightly less humorous than some of his others, but definitely hit close to home with stories about his father. Overall, it wasn’t my favorite, but I’m glad I didn’t miss out on it, and definitely recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGally for my ARC

I’ve been following David Sedaris’ works for about 20 years, since I stumbled across Me Talk Pretty One Day during a non-fiction unit in high school.

Happy-Go-Lucky, Sedaris’ latest collection of essays, might not be the best entry point to Sedaris’ work. Though approached with humor and levity, this collection explores the darkest range of experiences yet: living in New York during COVID, a natural disaster, and the loss of his father. Sedaris also seems to share things here that he held close to his chest until after the death of his father, including illuminating some of the abusive and otherwise appalling behavior his father perpetrated against Sedaris and his siblings.

If I didn’t have experience reading Sedaris’ work and understanding his humor, there were stories and jokes here that may give me pause and that may generally raise some controversy. One thing I did find frustrating reading this book was how Sedaris described his behavior during the pandemic, including discussion of not wearing (or improperly wearing) masks and hosting dinner parties. There are some fatphobic comments, some complex feelings about his father’s behavior that didn’t seem quite fully processed, and a story about a boy he believes may have had a crush on him ("Bruised") that was frankly uncomfortable. In the context of his larger body of work, Sedaris basically feels like a somewhat-eccentric uncle at this point, which allowed me to consider these moments in the context of what else I’ve learned about Sedaris over the years, and allowed me to give him the benefit of the doubt I may not afford to other authors. Overall, in most ways the resilience, moments of joy, and many laugh-out-loud moments here outweighed the more uncomfortable moments, but this wasn’t my favorite of Sedaris’ works.

Hachette Audio provided me with an ALC, so I was able to listen to the audiobook version of this one in addition to taking a look at the DRC provided by Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for review. As always, Sedaris narrates the book himself, with some segments recorded at live events, and I always recommend listening to Sedaris’ audiobooks if possible in lieu of/in addition to reading them physically.

I think this one will most likely appeal to others who already know Sedaris’ work well. Readers new to Sedaris may want to start with his earlier collections instead, such as Me Talk Pretty One Day, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, or Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

Happy-Go-Lucky publishes on May 31, 2022.

My favorite way to read an essay collection is one chapter each night. That was my plan for Happy-Go-Lucky, but it quickly became clear that I simply do not have that kind of self-control. I’d plan to stop at the end of each chapter, but as I’d flip to the next page in preparation for picking the book up later, I’d get sucked right back in.

This collection isn’t as light as Sedaris’ past books, which I saw coming. Still, each essay has moments of levity, and I found myself laughing out loud again and again. He covers a wide range of topics, from COVID-19 to traveling through Europe to his relationship with his father, and all are riveting to read about through his eyes.

I loved this, and will honestly probably listen to the audiobook when it comes out, too.

I enjoy reading about the life events of David Sedaris, generally. in previous books there have been a number of laugh-out-loud moments, but HAPPY-GO-LUCKY seemed anything but happy.

This book, like so many other new releases, focuses on the pandemic. Since Sedaris writes about his life and the people around him, it makes sense this was not one filled with laughter. He talks about his aging father and his difficult lifelong relationship with him. There are a few laughable moments when Sedaris talks about his book tour/signings. I especially liked hearing the information his fans would tell him while he was signing their books.

If you are a Sedaris reader, you will recognize his style of writing and the continued narrative of his relationship with his partner, Hugh, and his siblings. If you have not read any of his other books, I suggest you pick up one of those so ease your way into Sedaris' head

David Sedaris is one of my favorite writers because of his painful honesty. He’s always willing to share a story for a laugh even if it doesn’t put him (or his family) in the best light. He’s peculiar, craves attention, and seems to truly enjoy people (or at least, enjoys the stories they provide).

Happy-Go-Lucky is his latest collection of personal essays and it covers a wide range of topics from shooting guns with his sister, being stuck in NYC during lockdown, straightening his teeth, and his relationship with his family (which is always my favorite), as well as the death of his father.
Sedaris’ candid and brutally honest accounts of his dad are always so poignant and surprising in the midst of humorous essays. This collection showcases his incredible ability to connect with people - any of us; many times for a laugh while exploring human nature, but always to share with readers.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Happy-Go-Lucky is scheduled for release on May 31, 2022.

David Sedaris has produced another thoroughly engaging collection of essays, but, be warned; it is dark. How could it not be when half the stories center on coping during the Pandemic and the other half describe the final days of Sedaris’ father. If you have read any of his previous collections, you know Sedaris and his siblings had a dysfunctional relationship with their father, but this book goes into details which are stark and appalling.. it is amazing that they survived relatively intact. (One sister did commit suicide as an adult.) He writes without apology or anger which makes the story even more heartbreaking. In his final days the father, Lou, who dies at almost 98, loses the inner rage that seemed to motivate his every move, but clearly six months of genial charm can not make up for a lifetime of twisted perversion and just plain meanness. It is astonishing that this author has been able to turn his life into a source of so many laughs for his readers.

David Sedaris has been a solid favorite since I read Me Talk Pretty One Day. I was absolutely thrilled when I received the arc for his newest book, Happy-Go-Lucky, through NetGalley.

While commenting on his experience meeting an author, Sedaris writes, “...if it was ever my turn and I was the author seated at that table, I was going to engage people until they grew old, or at least thirsty.” I have met David Sedaris at different book signings and I have never seen him fail in this regard. His talent lies in seeing people and communicating with them. This is not only true one on one during book tours (though his talent certainly shines there!), but also in his writing. Sedaris will admittedly write things in a way to be funny, but he also tells the truth about his relationships. Sometimes his spouse yells and he’s still the person for him. His dying father wasn’t perfect and he’s very blunt about it in his writing, but he still grieves when he passes.

Like many of his previous books, Happy-Go-Lucky does a great job of looking at mundane events we all experience and passing them through a lens that highlights the humor without adding false optimism or embellishing the positive aspects.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.