tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392998838779655286.post1857742285593089070..comments2023-07-20T07:21:34.314-07:00Comments on <center>The Reader's Book Blog</center>: When You Are Engulfed In Flames: David SedarisBaley Petersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15217798839187799797noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392998838779655286.post-77802116844580547652009-10-22T11:42:42.836-07:002009-10-22T11:42:42.836-07:00Well, I don't think his previous books are as ...Well, I don't think his previous books are as pointedly cruel as this one. Which is not to say that it's not funny! There are moments in When You Are Engulfed In Flames that had me laughing out loud. I just don't recall anything in Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim or in Naked that made me feel uncomfortable that way parts of this particular volume did.Baley Petersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15217798839187799797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392998838779655286.post-29795604352235265622009-10-22T09:23:14.609-07:002009-10-22T09:23:14.609-07:00It's been a while since I read it -- since I d...It's been a while since I read it -- since I didn't pick up on any of this (or at least don't remember it) perhaps I should revisit it once I've scaled my rapidly growing "to read" list.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15097908023032528200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392998838779655286.post-59107748595631582592009-10-21T19:19:58.350-07:002009-10-21T19:19:58.350-07:00Pom Pom--Thank you for the kind compliment! So swe...Pom Pom--Thank you for the kind compliment! So sweet of you. I imagine that the writing of your students is very honest. I remember all too well, as a young teen, wishing for some sort of revelation that would make everything meaningful for me. I used to think that EVERYTHING had to have meaning.Baley Petersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15217798839187799797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392998838779655286.post-4050613008319127992009-10-21T19:17:34.233-07:002009-10-21T19:17:34.233-07:00SC--I have read it, and I usually enjoy his writin...SC--I have read it, and I usually enjoy his writing. It may just be my current mood, or something, but this novel really does strike me as a bit more cruel than his previous writing. Somehow, when it's just about his family, it's funny. When it's about other cultures, or well-intentioned strangers, I get uncomfortable.Baley Petersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15217798839187799797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392998838779655286.post-78707745406650417892009-10-21T15:22:20.208-07:002009-10-21T15:22:20.208-07:00Have you read "Dress Your Family Corduroy and...Have you read "Dress Your Family Corduroy and Denim"? It seems that he's honestly delighted by the dysfunctional elements of every society. He likes to visit other countries and ask them about gun laws and rooster sounds.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15097908023032528200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392998838779655286.post-58694775381294013072009-10-20T19:41:38.838-07:002009-10-20T19:41:38.838-07:00You have such a true heart. I wish you could read...You have such a true heart. I wish you could read my students' Soundtrack of My Life projects. They are good and true, too. So many of them value friendship so much and they seem to be trying so hard to find meaning.Pom Pomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01524994024698986829noreply@blogger.com