Holidays on Ice

In case you hadn’t noticed, one thing Liz and Laura are not is timely.  We don’t usually get around to reading, viewing or eating something until it’s somewhat old news.  But we like to argue that our readers are just as lazy as, if not lazier than, Liz and Laura themselves, and probably haven’t gotten around to reading that bestseller either.  So for those slackers among you, I present my long-overdue review of Holidays on Ice.

David Sedaris is one of those writers whose work I always intended to get around to reading, but somehow it never came to be.  That is, until I found a box of books discarded in my neighborhood one day.  I brought it home, much to Liz’s concern (for some reason she doesn’t like it when I drag in garbage off the street, even though that’s where the free stuff is!).  Most of the books sucked ass.  Among the ones I threw back in the sea (the sea of trash, that is) were The Notebook, some other books by the guy who wrote The Notebook, and some books about Jesus. 

But lo and behold!  Holidays on Ice was tucked between volumes of the diaries of Virginia Woolf, just waiting to be rescued.  I read the book, which is a collection of short stories, in a couple of afternoons, and found it to be wonderful.  That David Sedaris is just a delight!  The story about the Christmas Whore I found particularly compelling.  The gap-toothed whore reminded me of Liz, which made me laugh!  Silly, cracked out old Liz. 

I also liked David’s hilarious anecdotes about the various jobs he’s worked.  I relate, as I too have worked quite a lot of jobs, most of them menial at best.  Plus, having been a fan of Amy Sedaris from her work on Strangers with Candy, it’s always funny when he mentions her, which he does often.  All in all I wish nothing but the best for David, who seems like a pretty cool guy, and who will probably end up being known as one of the century’s great writers.  Now I must continue to read his work, although I don’t know about The Book of Liz.  Anything but that.