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Theft by Finding
- Diaries (1977-2002)
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
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Very nice
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Once again, David Sedaris brings together a collection of essays so uproariously funny and profoundly moving that his legions of fans will fall for him all over again. He tests the limits of love when Hugh lances a boil from his backside, and pushes the boundaries of laziness when, finding the water shut off in his house in Normandy, he looks to the water in a vase of fresh cut flowers to fill the coffee machine.
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Witty and Poignant
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If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And it's as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself. With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation - and dark humor - toward middle age and mortality.
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Great Narration
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Naked
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Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked, Sedaris turns the current mania for the memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, his family, and his unique worldview, a sensibility at once take-no-prisoners sharp and deeply charitable.
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Heartfelt and hilarious
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A Carnival of Snackery
- Diaries (2003-2020)
- Written by: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Tracey Ullman
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
If it’s navel-gazing you’re after, you’ve come to the wrong place; ditto treacly self-examination. Rather, his observations turn outward: a fight between two men on a bus, a fight between two men on the street, pedestrians being whacked over the head or gathering to watch as a man considers leaping to his death. There’s a dirty joke shared at a book signing, then a dirtier one told at a dinner party - lots of jokes here. Plenty of laughs.
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Very nice
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Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
- Written by: David Sedaris
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- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new collection of essays taking his listeners on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences.
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another great David sedaris book
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-01-19
Written by: David Sedaris
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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
- Written by: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives, a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today.
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David Sadaris is a national treasure
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Written by: David Sedaris
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When You Are Engulfed in Flames
- Written by: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Once again, David Sedaris brings together a collection of essays so uproariously funny and profoundly moving that his legions of fans will fall for him all over again. He tests the limits of love when Hugh lances a boil from his backside, and pushes the boundaries of laziness when, finding the water shut off in his house in Normandy, he looks to the water in a vase of fresh cut flowers to fill the coffee machine.
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Written by: David Sedaris
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- Written by: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And it's as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself. With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation - and dark humor - toward middle age and mortality.
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Overall
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Worth the listen
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Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most.
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disappointed
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In David Sedaris' world, no one is safe and no cow is sacred. A manic cross between Mark Leyner, Fran Lebowitz, and the National Enquirer, Sedaris' collection of essays is a rollicking tour through the national Zeitgeist: a do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing home surgery; a man who is loved too much flees the heavyweight champion of the world; a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral; a bitter Santa abuses the elves.
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David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall
- Written by: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 1 hr and 13 mins
- Original Recording
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If you are driving, pull over. If you are at work, close your door, unless you don't mind your colleagues seeing you doubled over, in tears, on your office floor. With this recording, taped before a delirious sold out audience at Carnegie Hall, you are there as David Sedaris performs new stories from his upcoming book. A parrot who mimics an ice maker, lovers quarreling over a rubber hand, and a Santa Claus who moonlights from his job as bishop of Turkey, the cast of characters is like no other.
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Love! Love! Love! 👌
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Written by: David Sedaris
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- Unabridged
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David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); and what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow").
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A Christmas Tradition
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Publisher's Summary
One of the most anticipated books of 2017: New York Times Book Review, New York's Vulture, Bustle, and BookRiot.
From best-selling author David Sedaris, for the first time in print: selections from the diaries that are the source of his remarkable autobiographical essays.
For nearly four decades, David Sedaris has faithfully kept a diary in which he records his thoughts and observations on the odd and funny events he witnesses. Anyone who has attended a live Sedaris event knows that his diary readings are often among the most joyful parts of the evening. But never before have they been available in print. Now, in Theft by Finding, Sedaris brings us his favorite entries. From deeply poignant to laugh-out-loud funny, these selections reveal with new intimacy a man longtime fans only think they know. Tender, hilarious, illuminating, and endlessly captivating, Theft by Finding offers a rare look into the mind of one of our generation's greatest comic geniuses.
What the critics say
What listeners say about Theft by Finding
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- David R
- 2020-01-12
I really wanted to like it.
I am a major David Sedaris fan. I own pretty much all of his books, have seen him live, and started buying his audiobooks to hear Sedaris read his stories as only he can. I didn’t have this book, so thought I’d just buy the audiobook. I was really hoping for something great. Unfortunately, it was a mundane list of a line or two read from his diaries. There was no story, no connection, and it just did not hold my interest. I got as far as I could force myself before giving up and ultimately returning the audiobook.
If you’re looking for the brilliant stories like you’ve read in Naked, Holidays On Ice, Me Talk Pretty One Day, or Barrel Fever, you will likely be disappointed.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Rebecca
- 2021-01-02
If you like Sedaris you will LOVE this book
I do and I did! A joy, as usual. Many smiles and laugh out loud moments. More, please!
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- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-13
David Sedaris
I love David Sedaris' books! His. family stories range from the sad to the hilarious and make for enjoyable reading. #audible1
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- Misty
- 2017-06-13
Don't hate me but...
I love David Sedaris so much that criticizing him is tantamount to sacrilege for me but I was not that entertained by this book. I did have a chuckle or two in the latter part of the book but for me it didn't get remotely interesting until about chapter 25. Hearing so many mundane diary entries about things like the price of chicken per pound on sale that day were mind-numbing. I'm still a die-hard Sedaris fan and will undoubtedly by every book he writes for the rest of his life but this one was just a bit off the mark in my opinion.
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133 people found this helpful
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- Pamela J
- 2017-05-31
A softer, sweeter Sedaris
Having grown up with super snarky David Sedaris, this is a much gentler version of the guy we love so much. I guess because it's David as a person rather than David as a writer, everything seems to have a smoother edge. Yes, the funny is still there, but the tender and sadder part of him is just more so knowing that he lived through all of this and came out on the other side as a sophisticated artist born from a picked-upon kid. It's fascinating to see how he records the racism (they ASSUME he's a racist) homophobia (they KNOW he's one) and anti-semitism (they aren't sure IF he's one) that is overt and part of his day to day life.
Now, don't get me wrong, he still often doesn't take prisoners, but knowing that comes from some real poverty, drug fueled concerns, and a desperate need to finally grow up makes following this time of his life often uncomfortable but ultimately deeply satisfying. And, as always, listening to him deliver this is just perfect. Can hardly wait for 2003 to whenever.
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90 people found this helpful
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- AGreviewer
- 2017-06-21
Boring and repetitive
I am a big fan of all of his previous work, especially in audiobook form. I've gone to see him live twice in different cities. I highly recommend his performances.
However, great artists often lose their touch once they get their lives in order. I think this might be the case with Mr. Sedaris. My opinion is that he owed his publisher a book and he had nothing to say so he mined his old diaries for material. The entries are dull and mostly not interesting. Those that are interesting are repeating events discussed in his previous works.
If this book had been by an unknown author, it would not sell or even been published. I feel that this book is an example of a once great artist resting on his laurels. Mr. Sedaris has a good life now. I am most happy to hear that. But, if all he can produce now is drivel like this, I think he should just sit back and have a long and enjoyable retirement.
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68 people found this helpful
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- Beck
- 2017-09-22
Long time fan...huge disappointment
I've been reading and listening to Sedaris for about a decade. Loved every minute of everything he has written and read....until now. He gives you fair warning that this book is a collection incoherent ramblings. I thought he was being modest and there'd be some redeeming qualities. I was wrong. I spent hours at a time wondering why in the hell I was still listening to this dribble. Loyalty is the only answer I could come up with. It's what got me through this collection of garbage diary entries and what will undoubtedly get me to buy the next book. Here's for hopes for the better..... and grab a drink for the worst.
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31 people found this helpful
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- A. Johnson
- 2017-08-06
It gets better
Roughly the second half of the diaries is when this goes from good to great: we meet more of the characters and experiences we have become familiar with, in new settings, or with expanded stories. His description of feeding his spiders is particularly funny, as are the stories around his book tours and signings. His experience of 9/11 is also very moving.
Sedaris references his drug-taking years in his prologue and even with his edits, the period before his move to Chicago and particularly New York does move at a slow pace. It has many interesting moments, but you find yourself wanting him to stop wasting his life and get on with it. While he is to be commended for his candour I found many of these parts to be unusually unengaging and he is not always a terribly sympathetic figure. Thankfully for his many fans, he did.
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29 people found this helpful
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- Julia
- 2017-06-03
Disarming. Delicious. Delightful!
Not at all your regular Sedaris fare. When I first started to listen I really did not like this new book at all. I only stuck with it because I am a true and loyal fan. However I am so glad that I stuck with it.
I had to remind myself that David Sedaris writes with so much honesty. Truth is not always funny or pretty is it? However through life's trials and tribulations comes experience which gives us a better perspective and if we are wise that should make us more well rounded human beings capable of greater things.
You can experience this in Sedaris's Diaries. I really feel that through the pain and joy we see him grow through the years.For extra fun for us, the listener some days have identifiers. For example David will mention an event that happened that day such as "Lady Diana died tonight". Really takes you back.
The more you listen, the greater the joy. Subsequently that is why I gave him Five Stars all the way.
Superb work Mr. Sedaris. Thanks you for sharing this journey with us. Cant wait for the next diaries to be released.
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24 people found this helpful
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- Bonny L. Sexton
- 2017-06-15
So Disappointing
Any additional comments?
I am a huge David Sedaris fan and looked forward to a new book coming out. As usual, his performance is delightful. It's relaxing just sitting and listening to his voice. But an entire book filled with daily diary entries about the price of chicken or a waitress kicking out a bum from IHOP ... it's terribly dry and not very entertaining. I'm struggling to finish this because I keep hoping it gets better. But for now, I've learned my lesson. All those times I've joked that I'd love listening to David Sedaris read the telephone book? No ... I wouldn't. (PS - He actually reads names from a telephone book at one point. Is he screwing with us?)
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22 people found this helpful
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- victoria cavener
- 2017-06-01
Brilliant!
This book! These stories are so honest and the perfectly timed narration by David Sedaris. This collection is like watching the young voice develop and struggle into the person none of us can get enough of. This book is him at his very best and it just keeps getting better and better!
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22 people found this helpful
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- Courtney Johnson
- 2017-08-24
Couldn't even finish it
This book is HORRIBLE. I couldn't even make it into the 1990s and I had to stop listening. I have only quit one other boom in my life. This makes number two. I could care less how much chicken cost in NYC in the 90s!
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21 people found this helpful
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- Xrain
- 2018-02-05
This is Sedaris' worst book yet
Would you try another book from David Sedaris and/or David Sedaris?
I love David Sedaris and grew up reading all of his books savoring them and laughing out loud as I read them. This book, however, was literally him reading diary entries that were often mundane and not at all funny or interesting or following some type of storyline. I guess I should have expected that considering the title but I loved his other books so much I expected more. I found myself so bored I could only get through the first three chapters.
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17 people found this helpful