You have to have that kind of sense of humor to fully appreciate this book, and I do. I actually found myself laughing uncontrollably while food shopping. I’m sure people thought I was pretty unstable, but I couldn’t help it.

I wished I liked this as much other reviewers but the fact is I didn't find this as funny as other Sedaris titles I've listened to. Don't get me wrong there were still plenty of bits that had me suppressing laughs on crowded buses and David Sedaris is a perfect narrator...That said there were lots of essays where I wasn't sure if he was going for humour or more serious writing and if it was supposed to be serious it didn't work for me.
I don't see a lot of humour in his relationship with Hugh, his love of spiders or his friendship with the village pedophile. I would suggest listening to some of his earlier books before this one.

This was the first time I have listened to anything by the author. From reading the other reviews I figured that it would be a comedy or at least funny. It took me almost 3 chapters to figure out the authors sense of humor. Once I did, I did occasionally find myself laughing out loud. Overall a good book, but if you are looking for some easy humor/comedy this isn't the book for you.

I did not enjoy this quite as much as his other books, at times the balance between darkness and humour was slightly out wack to me. If this is your first Sedaris book try 'Naked', or 'Dress your family in courduroy'. If you are a confirmed Sedaris fan like me, you will still want to download this, and you will still get plenty of enjoyment from it, even though like me, you may not list it as your absolute favourite.

I love this book. Witty and humorous. I am now going to download the super collection of David's work and give that a whirl!

...When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Whether or not you're a Sedaris fan you will surely enjoy this book. This was quintessential David S. with an added bonus. FUNNIER and MORE FULFILLING than any other! Real life experiences with real life reactions are the cornerstone of this witty dry comedy!

I had never read or listened to anything by David Sedaris before this book and now I am hooked! I read the book before I listened to the audiobook. I actually enjoyed doing it this way because I had one idea in my mind of what David Sedaris was like after reading the book but then after I listened to the book, and heard his voice (he narrates it), I had a totally different impression. The audiobook brought him and his book completely to life. I never realized how preferable it is to have the actual author narrate the book. He really brought these short stories/chapters to life and provided an incredibly enteratining experience.

This book was outstanding. I mean classic Sedaris. If you are a fan of humor or just love having a story read to you Sedaris is the way to go. Observational humor at it best.

I've loved Sedaris for years, but find that I've grown out of the "Naked" era lunatic-kinder stories. "Fun with meth" isn't meaning much to me as I get older. These new stories show Sedaris changing also -- and I love it. His "boring" romance with Hugh (who I find charming) is not boring at all. The story in the zoo, chokes me up every time (I've listened to it three times). At fifty, it's completely right that Sedaris should be facing death and doing it not in a LOL way, but a LQtM way. Even in the more outrageous stories, I find myself chuckling, thinking, "Yeah, buddy, you got that right."

I couldn't get more than 25% through this one. I've been a huge fan of his in the past but this one doesn't deliver. The stories are really boring and his passion in the reading was non-existent and just put me to sleep.