David Sedaris's latest collection of personal essays is mostly hilarious, though also cathartic and heartbreaking at times. I really enjoyed almost ever essay, particularly those in the first half of the book that remind me of classes David Sedaris, ribbing on his family and partner and full of observational humor. Other favorites described trends in his book tours, beach house drama, and dental surgery.

Some of the COVID essays hit the mark for me, but others did not, as you would expect for anyone writing on such a divisive issue that is still ongoing. The main one that I did not care for was the final one, with his take on those in service industries "not wanting" to work, which is also likely a generational ideology divide.

Overall, I loved most essays and this is a must for any David Sedaris fan!!

Every time I read David Sedaris, I am in awe. In awe of his talent and ability to take the horrible moments in a life, and the boring day-to-day events and turn them into something that the reader can laugh at or with, appreciate the moments of someone else’s experiences when we are unable to find the humor in our own, and relate to (in some instances, at least), sympathize with, and feel affection for people that they will likely never know in real life.

I may not always agree with or like his topics, but I always appreciate what he shares of himself.

David Sedaris is a gifted writer, and this latest collection showcases his humor and heart in a variety of essays on numerous subjects.

I highly recommend this book.

Following last year’s release of A CARNIVAL OF SNACKERY, his second collection of diary entries, David Sedaris returns with HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, his first new collection of essays since 2018’s CALYPSO.

In HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, David touches on a multitude of topics including school shootings, his own mortality, the deaths of both his sister and his father, touring and the Covid-19 pandemic, all of which are presented with his signature humorous slant or skewed world view.

I’m not going to lie, when I received an advanced copy of Sedaris’ new book, I was about as excited and appreciative as you can get. I tore through this book in two days, which I suppose was not hard given that it was under three hundred pages and like all of Sedaris’ work, was easily digestible.

While he touched on the pandemic in his last collection of diary entries, he produces fully fledged out thoughts and experiences this time around, the best being his inability to hoard supplies in New York City during the first few weeks of lockdown (“I returned home with a quart of buttermilk and taco shells”) as well as his awe of Manhattan as it transformed into a ghost town of sorts.

All the usual players make appearances including his siblings, his Dad and his boyfriend, Hugh. The essays about his father’s decline are both heartbreaking and hilarious, a line I sometimes feel that only Sedaris can walk. Despite his father’s many, many faults, he was always someone I looked forward to hearing about with every new book. It’s sad to know we’ll never get new material (although, to be fair, his Dad lived to ninety-eight, so he had to go sometime).

It’s worth pointing out David’s experience with the pandemic as he often says in the book that it was surprising that he, nor Hugh, contracted the disease (to date). His day-to-day life didn’t really change outside of his inability to tour; he still hosted dinner parties, flew between NYC, Europe and North Carolina, and he spends a good chunk of an essay or two lamenting his inability to shop. It is frustrating to hear given that many of us tried our best to remain isolated and those that couldn’t, like frontline healthcare workers, didn’t have that option. But it’s not like Sedaris isn’t aware of that – he often points out how lucky he was/is.

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY is another great collection of essays from one of my favorite writers. I always struggle with whether or not to read or listen to his books, but when presented with a free copy, I couldn’t turn it down.

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY is scheduled for release in May 2022.

Happy-Go-Lucky is a series of short essays about events in the author's life. One of the main threads that is continued throughout the book is the relationship that David Sedaris had with his father throughout his life. The writing is classic Sedaris, so if you enjoyed his other books and his sharp, acerbic wit, you will enjoy this one too. There were several laugh-out-loud moments, which is rare for me when reading a book, also many heartfelt ones too. The author's brutal honesty about the everyday aspects of life and interactions with others is refreshing, and I related to a lot of the parts about the pandemic, all the way down to his experience going through Invisalign treatment.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A more somber collection that focuses on his father's eventual death and the CV-19 pandemic, plus the connections he cherishes, I knew this was a thin volume when I managed to download it from NetGalley. I really tried to not gobble up the few stories here to make it last, but Sedaris' writing is like candy -- bright and shiny gems that are easy to digest -- and I'm a gleeful child every time I get a new set of his essays in my hands.

It is always good to see that David Sedaris has come out with a new book of personal essays. It feels like a dear, eccentric friend has sent a batch of letters to let us know how his siblings Amy, Lisa, Paul, and Gretchen are doing. Dad Lou is returns in his assisted living home, and we see him continue hoarding, complaining and making us laugh with quirky comments. Sedaris's longtime boyfriend Hugh returns with his home cooked feasts, straight man retorts and cranky comments. Sedaris tackles foreign travel, tour dates encounters, and so many more engaging topics. Welcome back my off beat, sometimes snarky, always hilarious friend!

I've been a David Sedaris fan for awhile so I was so excited to learn that he had another book coming out - this one did not disappoint. Great writer, always funny.

I want to preface this by saying that I've been a fan of David Sedaris for years. This... did not work for me, for the most part. I think his exploration into. grief is poignant and incredibly relatable, but that's really where this stops working. There's such a feeling of "proudly being anti-woke" in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic that makes this incredibly cringe-worthy; it feels so tone-deaf, which isn't something I'd typically associate with Sedaris or his works.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

David Sedaris never disappoints. His essays are always heartfelt with his classic touch of humor. I will definitely be purchasing this book as soon as it’s available.

I have been a David Sedaris fan for probably close to 30 years now. I’ve seen him perform a half dozen times and have read virtually everything he has ever written. Many of the essays featured in his latest collection easily rank up there with his finest work ever. But… there is a very distinct “anti-wokeness” vibe that permeates his latest work that seems to imply that not only is David Sedaris not meeting the current moment, he resents even having to trying. There is no denying that in his career Sedaris has gone from a guy who got famous for being so broke he had to work as a Christmas elf to a guy who literally buys Picassos and admits to having so much disposable income that he can blow $3k on a sport coat that he can’t even wear because it’s too small. Oh, and buy apartments in Manhattan and beach houses in North Carolina just to avoid having annoying neighbors. But being rich isn’t in an of itself the problem, it’s the tone deafness of his remarks about having maskless dinner parties at the height of the pandemic, joining social justice protests as a means to get across town in the same way he would get on a bus, making fun of the types of names non-binary kids choose to call themselves. The most telling comment came as the final line of an essay where Sedaris soberly discusses his sister’s suicide and possible sexual abuse in his family. Sedaris mentions that on his way out of a restaurant he complements a couple on having a beautiful family but given “the world we live in today” he then scurried away lest he said something that is now considered offensive. The implication being that people have become so sensitive that you can’t say anything anymore for fear of being cancelled. Well, I call bullshit. People haven’t become sensitive, they have always been sensitive. But it’s not until recently that they have felt empowered to speak up because the onus has always been on the abused/bullied/butt of the joke to develop a thicker skin. And now that the punching bags have started to complain, those who have been used to saying whatever they want under the guise of it being “a joke” resent having to consider how their words and actions make other people feel. Ultimately, it’s just a lack of empathy. Maybe it’s because we’re all older now, but it just doesn’t feel funny any more.

Hurray for a new book of essays from David Sedaris! I was delighted to hear his take on the pandemic as well as a variety of other things. Some of the stories about his father were difficult and emotional but that's what makes for such a compelling read. You never know what you're going to get.

David Sedaris is one of my must-buy authors. His newest collection of essays centers around the pandemic, and his relationship with his father before his death. Sedaris chronicles both before and after his father's death, using his signature dry humor and reflection. A must read!

This book is David Sedaris at his finest. Witty, self deprecating, and filled with love for his family, every essay in this book exemplifies the talent of Sedaris. I read the entire book in a day and a half and will be purchasing a copy on publication day as well. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of the book!

Happy-Go-Lucky is the newest collection of essays from David Sedaris and covers the death of his father and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the the fifth David Sedaris book that I have read, and the first one that I have actually read instead of listening to the audiobook. I was expecting fewer laugh out loud moments because of the subject matter and reading it instead of listening, but they were definitely present in abundance! I love Sedaris's dry wit and life observations and enjoyed getting to read more of them. Processing the complicated relationship with his father before and after his death was thought provoking and had me thinking about relationships with parents long after I finished the essays.

The reason why I am giving this book a lower rating than his others is because I found the treatment of the pandemic aggravating. Sedaris talks about flying out of the NYC hotspot to his beach house in North Carolina and his other house in the UK during the height of lockdown. He also mentions continuing to hold dinner parties and complains about wearing a mask. Seriously? Following that up with poking fun at Black Lives Matter did not help. These seemed so tone deaf and privileged to me that I could feel my blood pressure rising as I read. This affected my overall appreciation of the book, even though I liked many of the other parts.

Overall, I enjoyed these essays as I have enjoyed Sedaris's other work and recommend this book if you are also a fan of his. 3.45 stars rounded down to 3. Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book!

David Sedarís is the best! This is a new collection of his essays, primarily focused on the pandemic and the death of his father. I thought this was funny, as always, but hit solemn notes. I enjoyed reading this.

Having read all of Sedaris’s previous work, I took comfort in his voice, his quirks, and his way of seeing the world. His consistently funny takes felt like fresh air: healing and refreshing. I also appreciated the somber moments that anchor the book. What worked really well for me was the pacing, balancing the frivolous with the weighty. I sped through this in less than a day. This felt like catching up with an old friend after being years apart.

I will never get tired of Sedaris' witty cynicism. I enjoyed this book as much as I expected to, which is a whole lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “Happy-Go-Lucky” in exchange for an honest review. I thought Sedaris’ newest work is fantastic. Grappling with the death of his father, a pandemic, and world events - Sedaris articulates what many of us witnessed and felt in the last several years. I found myself laughing out loud and deeply moved. 4.5 stars.

David Sedaris has always had an antagonist relationship with his father. This features heavily in his latest collection, during which his 98-year-old father dies. This collection is more bittersweet than his usual fare as he contemplates grieving someone whom you loved very much, but didn't like.