Holidays on Ice: Featuring Six New Stories

The stories are funny but some a bit cruel which makes it a little hard to listen to - but if you like Sedaris, it's VERY Sedaris.

What a tradition-- right up there with "It's a Wonderful Life," "A Christmas Carol," and "Christmas Vacation".
Many Christmas stories are sugar sweet, but, if you like a little spice with your sweet, include David Sedaris in your yearly holiday experience. "The Christmas Elf' is one of the funniest, most irreverent, and most memorable of listens.
Sedaris may not be for everyone, but if you sometimes appreciate the cynical side of holiday cheer, try this.
And do it for his absolutely unique, creakie little voice!

As the title proclaims I love Sedaris. I find his humor engaging and insightful. I will take on anything with his name on it. Lucky for me, his books have been wonderful. He is subtle and droll. I do not know who to compare him to. Try one of his books. I think you will love his stories. He reads his own material. He has an engaging voice and is one of the few who I think are able to read their own material to good effect. Usually my heart sinks when I see that the author is reading the book. Not so with Sedaris. His reading is part of "the act."

If you're not ready for Department Store Christmas Carolers or Mall Santas, plug Holidays On Ice into your ears. Sedaris generally does an excellent job of pointing toward the madness of the holidays, without feeling like a Grinch.

The opening story "The SantaLand Diaries" is about Sedaris working in a Department Store as an elf, and if you've ever experienced a certain frustration (along with Charlie Brown) about the commercialization of Christmas, or Christmas being pushed on you, this story is a can't miss.

The rest of the stories weren't nearly as much fun for me. "Seasons Greetings" and "Christmas Means Giving" in particular ended felt overly mean and cruel.

That said, others, like "Dinah, The Christmas Whore," and "Six to Eight Black Men" were genuinely amusing. I wouldn't call "Monster Mash" fun, but it was incredibly well written.

(There are more stories in this edition than in the previous version. Personally, I think the additional stories are welcome.)

I suspect, like "A Christmas Carol," I'll make listening to "The SantaLand Diaries" and some of the stories an annual tradition.

I had tickets to see David Sedaris and I was brushing up on some of his older books to refresh my memory beforehand. As always, a delightful listen. I've read all of his books, but I much prefer listening to him read them. The very best part of this book is that he sings in the voice of Billie Holiday. It's one thing to read the story and the words say, I sang a commercial jingle in the voice of Billie Holiday. It's a whole other thing to actually hear him sing a jingle like Billie Holiday. Brilliant!!!

I'm a huge fan of David Sedaris and would recommend all of his books. And if you have a chance to see him perform, even better. Not only is he funny, he's also very nice. When he signs your book, he looks directly at you and asks you questions, then writes something personal just for you. When I saw him recently, he stayed and signed books until one in the morning. He looked exhausted, but he was gracious and engaging.

hilarious, scandalous, worrisome

David is a great story-teller and is self-deprecating and proud all in one go.

Being a Christmas elf.

Yes.

These stories are great, but they are not all new. They have been in other publications.

It is hard for me to be unbiased when it comes to reviewing David Sedaris's work as I am a huge fan. As always, entertaining, especially in a Winter holiday context. I also love that David always narrates his books which makes them especially enjoyable.

Interesting enough that I wasn't totally disappointed but there wasn't a lot of laugh out loud dialouge. I thought the most genuine and funny part was about the authors childhood. I wish there was a bit more of it.

It seems a bit mean-spiritred at times.

Sedaris did a fantastic job reading. It gave the text more authenticity.

This isn't the type of book that would lend itself to a movie.

I listened to it while I wrapped Christmas gifts. It was a present to myself and a relatively light "read".

This books is no exception to the level of popularity that the greatness of all other books David Sedaris has allowed him.

While this one would probably be properly appreciated during the holiday season, (Late October through December) I have no repercussions in giving this book all the stars allowed.

I purposely read and cherish Sedaris' books when they are read by the author himself (as this one is).

This is one of the type of books that I could easily see myself listening to again and being equally satisfied by it.

I bought it for "Santaland Diaries" which I had never read, and it alone is worth the price of admission. The rest, to me, is just filler; I liked best the ones I'm already familiar with ("Dinah the Christmas Whore" and "Six to Eight Black Men").