David Sedaris's newest essay collection is rife with familiar Sedaris themes: oddities in his travels (a visit to a London taxidermy shop), the ridiculousness of his adult life (an exploration of getting scoped), and his family. Sedaris is, as always, the ideal reader of his own work. He is the master of the deadpan delivery, something that is particularly fitting for his brand of black humor. Of course, Sedaris isn't all irony. When he wants to get serious, he uses subtle tonal inflections-e.g., when he describes a particularly low, directionless moment in his youth. As good an essayist as Sedaris is, his words are elevated in audiobook form. Even some of the less effective pieces, or the ones that rehash familiar themes, take on new life through Sedaris's amusing narration. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Following his foray into animal fables, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk (2010), Sedaris returns to his signature form, the eviscerating comic essay. He draws on a seemingly bottomless well of appalling childhood memories revolving around his mounting fears about being unlike other boys. There's a stinging account of swimming competitions during which his irascible father vociferously championed his son's rival, a courageously candid tale of his courtship of a shy African American girl, and an unnerving confession of his inept handling of captured baby sea turtles. Moving on to more worldly episodes, Sedaris recalls encounters with strangers on trains and offers hilarious perspectives on French health care and shopping at Costco. An acute observer and master of the quick, excoriating takedown, Sedaris claims new territory in this exceptionally gutsy and unnerving collection, creating dark and mischievous monologues in other voices, such as the brilliantly vicious Just a Quick E-Mail and an alarming rant by a Christian fascist. Sedaris casts penetrating light on a world of cruelty, inanity, and absurdity that is barely but surely redeemed by humor and love. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Sedaris-mania knows no bounds, and with a 20-city author tour and all-out media campaign, this will be a red-hot title.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2010 Booklist