BuzzSugar

Buzz Book Club: The End of Holidays on Ice

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:30:58 -0800

Hello, Buzz Book Club readers! I'm so glad we read Holidays on Ice this month. It really got me through the holiday season madness with laughter. Especially with these final stories, Sedaris says the things people think but don't say aloud, and I just love it.

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes if you're new: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, has been every Friday in December). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Stay tuned for the announcement of my January book club selection, and to discuss the final section of Holidays on Ice, in which we read "Front Row Center With Thaddeus Bristol," "Based Upon a True Story," and "Christmas Means Giving,"read more.

Having read the whole book now, which is your favorite story?
Have you ever encountered a "Thaddeus Bristol" in your own life, a crotchety critic who just can't be pleased?
The essay "Based Upon a True Story," which is told as a speech from a Hollywood exec to a church congregation, is one of my favorites in the book. The format is so original and funny, and Hollywood seems to provide endless opportunities to satirize. I would love to see a whole book of stories and essays by Sedaris solely having to do with Hollywood, in all its ridiculousness. Is there a story in this collection that you think would make an interesting topic for a whole book of similar stories?
Also, Sedaris's version of the Hollywood story is obviously exaggerated in "Based Upon a True Story," but it doesn't strike me as all that much of a stretch considering how quickly tragedies are turned into TV movies these days. Did anything in it seem plausible to you?
The last segment ("Christmas Means Giving") is a scathing story about greed and financial one-upsmanship (er, and one-downsmanship?) that struck me as particular to American culture. A few other stories (like "SantaLand Diaries") also suggest that the holidays aren't all about peace and joy, and that there are unpleasant motivations at the core of all this goodwill. Do you think there's something sad or false about the holiday season, particularly in this country? Or do you think Sedaris's take is a bit cynical?

Buzz Book Club: Holidays on Ice, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:30:55 -0800

Hello, Buzz Book Club readers! Holidays on Ice still has me bursting into laughter, how about you?

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes if you're new: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in December). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read the stories "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol," "Based Upon a True Story," and "Christmas Means Giving." We'll chat about this section a week from today, Dec. 26, when we'll be done with the book and really in the holiday spirit!

To discuss the second section of Holidays on Ice, in which we read the stories titled "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" and "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," read more.

I absolutely love the spoof on yearly Christmas letters. Do you write family Christmas letters every year, or did your family do it growing up? Did/Do you know families that write the sort of letters he's presenting here, in which even the most atrocious things are glossed over with a bright peppiness?
In "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," David has a few moments when he suddenly sees his sister Lisa in a new light. Have you had those moments when you've suddenly seen sides of your relatives that you had no idea existed?
Also in "Dinah," David talks about the moment at a party that becomes the moment that everyone will remember - and says the gathering's always downhill from there. Is that idea something you can relate to? Have you had those capital-M Moments at any of your holiday parties this season?

Buzz Book Club: Holidays on Ice, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:00:06 -0800

Hello, Buzz Book Club readers! David Sedaris is so freaking funny. I'm really glad I chose this book because it requires me to take time out of these increasingly stressful days to pause and laugh. Also, I kind of love bursting into laughter while reading in a public place, like a bus. This is becoming a frequent occurrence.

Anyway, here's a recap of how the Book Club goes if you're new: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in December). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read the next two stories: "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" and "Dinah, the Christmas Whore." We'll chat about this section a week from today, Dec. 19.

To discuss the first section of Holidays on Ice, in which we read the first story, "SantaLand Diaries," read more.

Would you (could you) ever be a SantaLand elf at Macy's?
If you could take that job, what would your elf name be? I might go with "Burpy."
Sedaris explains to his interviewer that he's interested in the elf job because it's the scariest job he could think of. What's on your scariest jobs list? I always look at the window washers scaling the walls of the downtown skyscrapers here and think about how scary that job is.
Did you die of laughter when he described a kid peeing on the display?
Do you like having the curtain lifted on the mall Santas or would you prefer to keep the memory intact?
Have you ever had a job in which "the customer is always right?" Do you have just as many horror stories regarding crazy or awful customers?

Buzz Book Club: Holidays on Ice

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:30:42 -0800

Hello, Buzz Book Club readers! 'Tis the season to read a book together, and my December selection was a pretty easy choice: David Sedaris's Holidays on Ice. I know we just completed a memoir last month, but I couldn't help myself with this one. I know I could use some holiday-themed levity from one of America's foremost humorists as I cram to get my work, shopping, and decorating done in this busy season (less than three weeks, people!). And because we're all so busy this time of year, this book also stood out because it's so tiny.

The New York Times explains that this is the little book that brought Sedaris's "jaundiced, bah-humbug sensibility to prominence a decade ago," and I think viewing holiday mayhem through his eyes will be fun in the weeks to come. There are a couple of editions of the book out now, and while the re-release (pictured here) comes with new essays, I'm going to stick to discussing just the stories in the original - there are cookies to bake and gifts to wrap, after all.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: I announce a new book each month. Every week I suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in December). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To find out what Holidays on Ice is all about and to get the first assignment, read more.

The synopsis for Holidays on Ice reads:
"David Sedaris's darkly playful humor is another common thread through the book, worming its way through "Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" a chipper suburban Christmas letter that spirals dizzily out of control, and "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol," a vicious theatrical review of children's Christmas pageants. As always, Sedaris's best work is his sharply observed nonfiction, notably in "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," the tale of a memorable Christmas during which the young Sedaris learns to see his family in a new light. Worth the price of the book alone is the hilarious "SantaLand Diaries," Sedaris's chronicle of his time working as an elf at Macy's, covering everything from the preliminary group lectures ("You are not a dancer. If you were a real dancer you wouldn't be here. You're an elf and you're going to wear panties like an elf.") to the perils of inter-elf flirtation. Along the way, he paints a funny and sad portrait of the way the countless parents who pass through SantaLand are too busy creating an Experience to really pay attention to their children. In a sly way, it carries a holiday message all its own. Read it aloud to the adults after the kids have gone to bed."

The first assignment: Read the first story, "SantaLand Diaries." We'll discuss this essay next Friday, Dec. 12.