The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

This morning I am flying to Munich to meet up with my sister, Kathleen. After two days in Munich we will fly together to Malta to join a women's hiking trip. The island of Malta has fascinated me for a while, particularly because of its food, temples and Mediterranean coastline. But when I searched for a book about Malta this book the "Maltese Falcon" kept coming up. Originally published in 1930, the book was made into a film in 1941 starring Humphrey Bogart at the notorious detective Sam Spade. The story takes place not in Malta but in San Francisco. I listened to the audio version starring Michael Madsen, Sandra Oh and Ed Herrmann, which was excellent. The story opens with Miss Wonderley hiring Spade to track down her missing sister who has eloped with a shady character named Floyd Thursby. However, when Spade's partner Miles Archer tries to track down Thursby, Archer ends up being murdered. Spade then finds himself in between a missing woman, a murdered partner, and a very valuable jewel-encrusted bird which is also missing. The bird is based on the live falcon that the Knights of Malta used to pay tribute to the King of Spain each year. In this book, the falcon is not alive, but covered in jewels and at the center of the cases that Spade is investigating. "The Maltese Falcon" proved to be a pivotal book as well as a ground breaking movie. The hard hitting detective novel not only boosted Hammett's career but also the reputations of Humphrey Bogart as well as the film noir's director John Huston. Maybe I'll see a falcon on my trip. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen

Cleo and Paloma are best friends, and like some best friends do, they get pregnant at the same time. They look forward to the births of their children, and raising them together along with their loving husbands. That is the plan, until the day Paloma brings her baby home, and Cleo's baby unexpectedly dies during childbirth. Cleo is faced with the unimaginable task of grieving a child she hardly got the chance to meet. Unable to manage her pain, Cleo cuts herself off from Paloma as well as her husband and parents. On a whim, she decides to leave her job as an actuary and take a job at a local funeral home, because the firm respects and takes care of the dead. They handled her late daughter, and she wants to remain connected to the staff. It is within the walls of this funeral home that she takes in nourishment and gains strength. "Loving someone is like a speeding train to heartbreak," she discovers, but also finds that heartbreak does not mean that everything else stops. Nguyen's writing is poignant but at the same time no-nonsense, and even humorous. There is no rule book for loss, but within the safety of the funeral home, she gathers enough strength from the other employees to open the door on her life once again.  It is only then that she is able to return to her husband, friends and family. "Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead" is an introspective story of loss, love, life and rebirth. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Young Man in a Hurry by Gavin Newsom

To be clear, regardless of your politics, this is not a memoir about the political career of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Instead this is the story of a little boy who grew up with divorced parents, and somehow wound up spending the majority of his young adulthood with billionaire philanthropists Gordon and Ann Getty. "Young Man in a Hurry" is a fascinating read. Newsom stems from a long line of family members dedicated to lives of service. His great-great grandfather was a cop, and walked a beat in San Francisco. His grandfather built neighborhoods in San Francisco, and his dad, William, became an appellate court judge and best friend to Gordon Getty. The dichotomy of Newsom's childhood is that after his parents divorced when he was just 5, his mother, Tessa, struggled financially, often paying the rent with three jobs. She raised Gavin and his sister Hilary on a shoe-string budget, often taking in roommates and foster children to pay the rent. But when Newsom was with his dad's friends the Gettys and their sons, he was being fitted for suites at Wilkes Bashford, eating fancy dinners, and flying to Europe. When he was younger his mother learned from school that he was dyslexic, but she didn't tell him because she thought it might hold him back. Struggling with a learning difference, however, made him work harder to do well in school. From his early days opening the Plump Jack wine shop in Pacific Heights with the Gettys, to his successful run as Mayor of San Francisco, and now Governor of California, his life has kept him in the spotlight.  He remains a politician with a bright future, as well as a married family man with two daughters and two sons. A riveting read about one of San Francisco's most well known locals. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Meet Me in Paris

Kristin Harmel is an author who typically writes historical fiction, and her favorite time period to write about is World War II. Her most famous book is "The Book of Lost Names," which is about a young Jewish woman in occupied France, who forges identity documents to help Jewish children escape the Nazis. But in "Meet Me in Paris," she tackles a series of present day love stories set in the City of Light. Harmel admits her favorite movie is "Love, Actually," and the film and its story web are the inspiration for "Meet Me In Paris." The narrative follows nine Americans who make their way to Paris for various reasons. One is a rock star on tour, another a mother-daughter duo on a mission, and a third an elderly man trying to find his long lost love from the war. At first glance, all of these stories seem to be independent. However the longer the Americans stay in Paris the more their stories seem to be interconnected like a giant spider web. Each person must decide if Paris has its one true love, or if the love they think they are experiencing is not true at all. Harmel has lived in Paris, and knows it well. So "Meet Me in Paris" is a love letter to the city itself, and to all that makes it shine so brightly, including its museums, restaurants and bars. You can follows the author on Instagram @kristinharmel To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Ok by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy

It has been 10 years since my dad died, and then just two months later Jeff's mom died. We are not strangers to grief, but in those 10 years we have learned a lot about ourselves, our children and our families. That is one of the reasons we got married in the summer of 2016. We discussed that when people die, it is better to have a partner to manage the grief. During the years since my dad died, I have followed a number of different people online who experienced similar losses of a parent or a spouse. One is a young photographer and newlywed who lost his young wife to cancer. Sharing his grief on Instagram seemed to give him the strength to carry on, get out of bed, and even go to work every day. One day he posted about this book, "Big Feelings" by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy. This is an illustrated guide to handling life's more difficult emotions. Each chapter examines one uncomfortable feeling - such as envy, burnout, and anxiety - and lays out strategies on how to manage these emotions. From juggling intrusive thoughts, to learning to communicate about what makes you sad or angry, help is on the way. The book offers the theory that we cannot stop ourselves from feeling emotions, but there are ways to teach yourself how to be more at peace when these uncomfortable emotions arise. The authors have a popular instagram page and you can follow them at @LizandMollie. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

The quirkiness of an Elizabeth Strout book never fails to amaze me. She creates characters through whose eyes we can to see the peaks and valleys of the human condition. Best known for her Pulitzer Prize winning book "Olive Kitteridge," the author now turns her attention to a brand new character named Artie Dam. The protagonist is a married 11th grade history teacher with an adult son living in coastal Massachusetts. We meet Artie through his interaction with his family and students, but also are taken upon a private tour through the inner workings of his mind. He seems to have everything he needs for a rich, wonderful life, but there is only one catch: inside he feels isolated and lonely. His fears remain hidden until one day a family secret comes to the surface, and that turns his private insecurities into public ones. He begins to question not only his relationships, but also whether he wants to be alive at all. Strout's writing always seems so simple at first, but the more you spend time with her characters, the more complex and intriguing they become. And then, among the main characters, there are always little gems like this: In Artie's town there is a tailor who goes to the homes of overweight residents. He measures them inside the privacy of their homes to protect them from the shame of needing to go into his shop. Then later, the tailor mails the finished garments to each client. Strout has thus come up with another character who deserves his own book, too. Signs of humanity and goodness abound in Strout's books, and "The Things We Never Say" is a shining example of that as well. Artie Dam's journey is his own, but at the same time we are all headed on the same journey as Artie. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

The Life of M by Rachel Cusk

If I told you "The Life of M" by Rachel Cusk was about a writer and a movie star, that would be one thing. But if I told you "The Life of M" is about a writer and the actress Natalie Portman, that puts a whole new perspective on the book, and in many ways, makes it even more fascinating. The internet is buzzing with the details around the fact that Cusk and Portman were friends, and perhaps are no longer. Like the movie star in the book, Portman was a child actress, lives in France, has children and a luxury brand endorsement, and was in movie about a ballerina, "Black Swan." In a recent interview Cusk refused to concede that the character M is based on Portman, and maintains it is a work of fiction. But once you have the image in your head, it is hard to shake the feeling that M is Portman. The novel is very cerebral and does not read like your typical celebrity-centered book. Instead, the writer follows M around, almost through shadows and clouds, and observes how her fame is uncovered and received by others. Whether M is doing normal things like going to at party, traveling, reading a book, or picking her children up from school, the writer maintains that her life is far from normal. Despite striving for an ordinary life, the halo of celebrity forces M to be perceived as different, and admired above others in the room. In real life, Natalie Portman just welcomed her third child, and still lives in Paris. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

I don't know how it happened, but suddenly we are all reading the same book. First it was "Stranger" by Belle Burden and "Famesick" by Lena Dunham in the spring. Then it was "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke at the beginning of the summer, and now the end-of-the-summer read is hands-down "The Calamity Club." I have encountered women from 27 to 87 years old reading this book in August. Written by the author of the best-selling book and movie "The Help," Stockett's latest offering is daunting coming in at 29 hours on audiobook. This is far less then Barbra Streisand's memoir but about 13 hours more than Cher's autobiography. But the more I belly-ached about the length of the audio, the more people said they read it and loved it. I'm game for a challenge so I dove in. You would not think that a book set in 1933's Oxford, Mississippi, in the middle of the Great Depression and Prohibition would be a soapy beach read, but it is. And, once I figured out who all the characters were, I began to agree with the crowd. The story follows Meg, an 11-year-old orphan, Birdie, on a mission to save her social-climbing sister, and Charlie, a woman on the run from her past. Their stories converge in Oxford, and force the woman to show what they are made of. They must take risks in order survive, during a time when poor women as well as rich women were marginalized and patronized. There is a moment in the book when the poorest of women are able to raise a substantial amount of money to help save a once rich woman from certain poverty. And at that moment, we see the magic of Stockett's story telling. Despite race barriers and economic stigmas, women helping women is the strongest bond we have. "The Calamity Club" is a testament to the bravery and determination that a woman has when she is on a mission. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

As a card-carrying anxious person, I can say as a general rule, anxious people do not read books about outer space. To ruminate on the thought that we are sitting on a spinning sphere covered in water, a few planets away from the sun, is beyond daunting. However, when a friend recently mentioned this book, I was intrigued enough to lower my blood pressure and read it. Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize, "Orbital" by Samantha Harvey is a meditation on what is means to circle the Earth. The story follows six women and men who embark on one of the last space station missions of its kind before the program is dismantled. The astronauts and cosmonauts come from America, Russia, Italy, Britain and Japan. They travel 17,000 miles an hour and witness life on the Earth below. We learn tidbits about their families, what they eat in space, and how they sleep and exercise. We hear about the people they have left on Earth, and hope they make it back to them. With climate change, and the destruction of the Earth below, these participants are able to revel in the poetic beauty of the planet, without worrying about its deterioration during the mission. For me, this slight book was well worth the journey and the brief meditation on life on Earth and beyond it. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Driven by Susie Wolff

If you have watched the Netflix series "Formula 1: Drive To Survive," you know that Susie Wolff is married to Austrian billionaire Toto Wolff. He is the CEO, team principal and co-owner of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Toto is also a former racing driver who has led teams to eight consecutive World Constructors' Championship titles. He met Susie Stoddart at a race event, when he was dating Miss Austria. However, it was soon clear that the petite race car driver from Oban, Scotland, would win his heart easily over a pageant queen. "Driven" is the story of how Susie became one of only a handful of women to ever get behind the wheel of a F1 race car. Susie was, in fact, the last woman to drive an F1 car during a formal practice weekend for Williams racing in 2015. Like her one time racing colleague Lewis Hamilton, Susie got behind a go-kart when she was just a little girl in Scotland. Her parents not only allowed she and her brother to do risky activities, they encouraged them. Susie and her brother started to compete at the highest level their age group would allow. In the history of the sport, only five woman have entered a Grand Prix weekend. Susie was trying to reach that goal herself, but opted to retire in 2015 because the obstacles were so great. Despite stepping away from the car, she did not leave the race track. She went on to lead and revive a struggling Formula E team, marry Toto, travel the world and have a son, Jack. In a sport that is notoriously dominated by men, Susie built a career based on strength, determination and skill. She is now the managing director of F1 Academy, leading the all-female driver category that encourages young woman to compete. "The F1 Academy" documentary is now available on Netflix as well ad "Drive to Survive." To buy this book on Amazno click here

Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser

I am planning a trip to Paris in September to celebrate my husband's 60th birthday. I have been to Paris before, and he has been to Paris before. However, we have never been to Paris together. At first, planning a trip to the City of Light seems overwhelming. How can we possibly do, see, and eat everything the city has to offer in only five nights? And then, I read this book and gained a new perspective on the trip. The point of going to Paris is not to do everything, because that is impossible. The point is to immerse yourself in the richness of the city one bistro, one cobbled stone street, and one museum at a time. "Mona's Eyes" by Thomas Schlesser is a tribute to the history of the art that Paris has to offer. Ten-year-old Mona is taken to the doctor by her mother because she is losing her eyesight. Her doctor does not see a medical reason for this to be happening. While he continues to do tests, he recommends Mona see a local psychiatrist for emotional support. Her grandfather offers to take her to the psychiatrist, but then he commandeers the plan. Instead of the psychiatrist, he takes her to see 52 works of art in Paris museums over the course of one year. Every Wednesday he picks her up from school and takes her to see a new work of art. The more art they see and discuss, the closer the two become. Under the guidance of her grandfather, Mona learns about art but also about life, love, loss, disappointment, and enchantment. "Mona's Eyes" is a tribute to the bond between a grandfather and his granddaughter as well as a colorful map of the many beautiful paintings housed within the walls of Paris. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Ghost Stories by Siri Hustvedt

I have to be honest, before I read this book I had not heard of American novelist Hustvedt nor her late husband, writer and filmmaker Paul Auster. But now I'm kind of low-key obsessed with them, the way I am with Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. Siri and Paul were married for 43 years before he died of lung cancer in 2024. While this is a memoir about her grief in losing Paul, it is also a love letter to the many years they spent in love, raising their family. One of the lightest parts of the book is the birth of their grandchild, Miles, before Paul died. At the time of his death, he was working on a manuscript of letters to Miles, which was full of the history of his parents and grandparents. Siri deftly navigates the narrative from her own diary entries, through Auster's writing, and then to letters she wrote to friends of Paul during his illness. There are highs in the book, including the birth of their daughter Sophie, and lows such as the imprisonment and death of Auster's son, Daniel. But as Hustvedt combs over her 43 years with Auster, I came away with such admiration and thought, "This is a marriage well done!" They found each other. They fell in love. They built a family and a life, and two wonderful careers. I think Hustvedt comes to a similar conclusion while walking through the maze of her grief. She misses him in every room, but she still lives within the walls of the house they built together. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

"Finding Grace" by Loretta Rothschild

n 1994, my then husband and I bought a family package at a local clinic fertility clinic in San Francisco. The package would allow us to try three times to conceive a child through IVF. It seemed like some super expensive carnival game. You give us money, and we might be able to make you a baby, but then again, we might not. You might come away empty handed. I was trying to conceive in the early days of fertility treatments, and thank goodness now, the process is far advanced. Trying to conceive a child through fertility treatments or surrogacy, can for some, be an excruciating process. "Finding Grace" begins with the story of Honor and her husband Tom. They seem to have everything, including an adorable daughter, Chloe. And yet Honor is desperate to conceive a second child. Unable to conceive herself, she has decided to venture into the world of surrogacy. However, the stress of the process puts a strain on her relationship with her husband. And then life takes a tragic turn, and the story changes completely. Many years later Tom comes across some new information about the surrogate that Honor chose and again, life takes another unexpected turn. "Finding Grace" grapples with grief, death, birth and the hope of welcoming a new life into the world. It is a modern book, filled with contemporary problems, as well as the questions surrounding who we choose to love now and forever. It is very different from my own story, but I found a novel centered on surrogacy quite interesting. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Without You, There is No Us by Suki Kim

Recently, I was seated at a lovely outdoor dinner in Stinson Beach next to a delightful new friend named Lucy. I was telling her about our recent trip to South Korea, and how we had been to the DMZ, which separates South and North Korea. Lucy looked right at me, without hesitation, and said, "Then now you must now read the book 'Without You, There is No Us.'" She was not recommending three books or four books, she was telling me to read one single book to give me insight into the divided country. This Lucy is one very wise woman. "Without You, There is No Us" is a fascinating read by Suki Kim. Published in 2014, the memoir details Kim's undercover experience teaching English to the sons of North Korea's ruling elite. Born in  South Korea but later a 13-year-old-transplant to America, Kim posed as a Christian missionary in order to get a job teaching English at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, otherwise known as PUST, in 2011. At the school in North Korea, she taught two groups of young men (one advanced and one more remedial) who were sheltered from the the world by their prominent parents and their totalitarian regime. A trained journalist, I think Kim began her journey hoping to come away with a hard-hitting expose about life in North Korea. However, her experience turned into a transformational memoir in which she connected with the boys, and they changed her life and perspective. She got to see how they were loyal to their government, but at the same time how they longed to do things like boys in democratic countries., such as reading about Harry Potter. "Without You, There is No Us" is a glimpse inside how life in North Korea is so different, and yet at the same time how teenage boys are teenage boys, no matter where they live. They are so full of hope, intrigue and curiosity despite their circumstances. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

On Sunday nights, when I was growing up there was always one sound I remember so clearly: The ticking of the beginning of "60 Minutes." My parents would sit in their den, and watch it every Sunday evening without fail, or tape it to watch it later. Sometimes I would join them because I knew the show had fascinating stories, with often surprising endings. In the spirt of hard-hitting journalism, I would like to recommend "London Falling." This non-fiction book is an investigation into the 2019 death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler. In a luxury apartment building over looking the Thames River in London, Brettler plunged to his death on November 29, 2019. Investigators initially suspected his death was a suicide, but soon the story of Brettler's secret life would reveal itself, and shed doubt on that premise. While the police were investigating his death, the Pandemic hit, and some suspect this stalled their progress. However, years later Keefe did a meticulous investigation of his own and discovered that Brettler, the son of an upper middle class couple, was actually pretending to be Zac Ismailov, the make-believe son of a Russian Oligarch. The story of his deception then leads the reader on a deep dive into London's criminal underbelly, featuring mobsters and cryptocurrency traders. Thanks to Keefe's skill as a journalist, and patience as a person, this book is at page turned from beginning to end. If everything solved at the end of the book? No. The point of the book is not to solve all the mysteries but to expose the fact that many people had a hand in that fatal fall from the luxury apartment on the Thames. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

For over six years, I have kept to my original pledge of only looking at Tik Tok from 6:20 am until around 6:35 am, in order to waste the minimal amount of time on the app. The bulk of my early morning is dedicated to learning Spanish and French on Duolingo, of which I am a steady Diamond League member for 741 days. Despite limiting myself on Tik Tok, it does not mean the content is not riveting. There are thousands of fascinating influencers, chief among them is a category called the "tradwife." Otherwise known as a "traditional wife," she is a woman who embraces our grandparents traditional view of marriage and gender roles, such as, the wife is a homemaker, and the husband is the breadwinner. "Yesteryear" is a novel about a tradwife named Natalie, who has amassed more than 8 million followers. Her content centers around her six children and handsome, cowboy husband, Caleb. She has nannies for the children, and team of producers who help her create daily content. Things seem to be going swimmingly for Natalie until one day she wakes up and the year appears not to be present day, but rather 1855. Her state-of-the-art refrigerators are gone and she is left with a small wood burning fire place and no electricity. The nannies and producers have vanished, too. Things get even more confusing when her husband and children have been replaced by another set of husband and children, not her own. Has Natalie been transported to another time as some sort of punishment for her wealth and fame? Or is she rather a prisoner trapped in some kind of reality television show from which she cannot escape? A psychological thriller from beginning to end, "Yesteryear" follows the life of a tradwife that has gone terribly wrong. The question remains how can she get out of the life she has so carefully planned and crafter for herself? And, by the way, Anne Hathaway is rumored to play Natalie in the film version. To buy this book on Amazon click on this link.

Whistler by Ann Patchett

I read at least 52 books a year because I write a review of one book per week, and have been doing so since 2016. All of my past reviews are on my website http://www.lorislibraryparty.com. However, in any given year there are another 52 or more books I don't read. These are the ones I pick up from the library, read 5 pages and do not like. Or, these are the ones I get on audio from the library, I listen for 15 minutes and then return. I don't waste my time. Some books, and some narrators, just do not captivate. me "Whistler" by Ann Patchett had me from the first scene of the book. I was all in for the entire ride. A woman and her husband are in a museum and another man is following them. Her husband approaches the man, and reports back to his wife Daphne, "The man following us says he is your step-father." And Daphne clips back, without hesitation, "Which one?" And so begins the wonderful story of Daphne and her one of many stepfathers, Eddie Triplett. The book is so delightfully poignant and nostalgic that I hated that it ever had to end. But like so many people we meet, sometimes they must leave as well. They bring joy into our lives, make them so much better, and on their way they go. Daphne and Eddie's story is small but, at the same time, a big and impactful one. So rare in life to find someone who adores you and understands you completely. Themes of childhood, loss, love, and disappointment are woven into a meaninful exploration of parenthood and friendship. "Whistler" is one of my favorites books of this year. Ann Patchett never disappoints, but this time she really circled my heart to the moon and back. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer

Italy hits differently during the summer. It almost has a magical effect on people who visit. It flexes its beauty and all the gifts it has to offer. Women eat gelato when they would never dare eat ice cream at home. People gravitate to meats like Prosciutto Di Parma and Prosciutto Di Daniele, when at home they feign being pescatarian or  vegan. And when in Italy during the summer, people drink red wine like it is the juice of the gods, and indeed, cheaper than bottled water. So when Andrew Sean Greer released this delicious summer read "Villa Coco," I was transported. This is the story of 21-year-old gay, American young man fresh out of college who takes the job as an archivist in Italy, after swearing off men. He is broke and burned out, and is hired to archive and catalogue the contents of a villa owned by a 92-year-old Baronessa named Coco. Did I mention the villa has a Picasso? Of course, like any trip to the hills of Tuscany, the visit is far from ordinary. The young man gets caught up in the web of the Baronessa, which includes a colorful cast of characters who not only entertain the student, but also bring him alive, and perhaps open his heart again, too. "Villa Coco" proves that a coming of age story in Tuscany can happen to anyone. You just have to make the pilgrimage to Italy to experience the magic yourself. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Saving Grace by Aimee Eberle

The word honest is used a lot when it comes to memoir writing. But I think, so often, it is mis-used. Honest is not perfect. Honest is not pretty. Honest is not tied up with a pretty satin bow. Honest is messy. Honest is raw and uncomfortable. In my opinion "Saving Grace" is one of the most honest books I have ever read about an eating disorder. In this book, Aimee Eberle weaves together her own diary entries along with those of her daughter, Grace. Together these accounts and other memories form the picture of a family struggling. It is not only Grace and Aimee's struggle, but also the path that their entire family must navigate including a father, two brothers, and an older sister. Anorexia can be sneaky and secretive. There is a scene when the family goes out for a frozen dessert after dinner, and one of the brothers says, "Grace threw hers under a car," in order to stop herself from eating it. Heartbreaking, the family must navigate Grace's struggles together, while trying desperately to support her, heal her, and keep her alive. Through doctors, hospitals, and inpatient treatment programs, together they build an army of care. "Saving Grace" is a beautiful, and yes honest book, that explores, from the inside, how a family wages a battle, and ultimately, victoriously wins. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

The Land and Its People by David Sedaris

David Sedaris has perfect timing. Whenever I am struggling to find a new book, or in the middle of one that is failing to entertain me, he releases a new book. And then, like magic, all is right with the world again. I just need to listen to him on audio to smile, widely. His humor and his wit are exactly the kind that make me laugh out loud. Whether he is talking about his husband Hugh's hip surgery, his passion for learning German on Duolingo, or a visit with a group of comedians to meet the Pope, his essays are spot on. His quirky penchant for wearing a priest's robe is new, and his love of getting steps and picking up road-side trash remains a long-standing passion. This is not to say that his essays are not sometimes dark. When he talks about his sister Gretchen's lung cancer, or his sister Tiffany's death from mental illness, the pain he feels about both of their struggles is heartbreaking. But he carries on, making sense of the world through his own writing. There is always a part in nearly every book I have read of his, in which he turns his pen back on his parents. While they are both now deceased, his ability to find humor in them, is nothing short of impressive. It was as if he began writing as a baby, the moment he first saw who his parents were. They inspired him with their absurdity. They can be kind but they can also be mean, and yet time and time again he makes them funny. Sedaris is a literary treasure, and I just hope he keeps writing about our land and its people again and again. To buy this book on Amazon click here.