I don’t think we’ll ever get a great David Sedaris book again - like Me Talk Pretty, Dress Your Family or Santaland Diaries - because he’s become too rich, famous and comfortable, and those books contained a relatability and desperation that comes from not having those things. And I think he told his best stories in those books and hasn’t got any more.
If you ever see a book marketing itself with the phrase “a meditation on…” then drop that book immediately because it will almost certainly be a total waste of your time. Unfortunately for me I didn’t notice that the copy on the inside jacket called this book “a brilliant meditation on…” until after I’d read the book but my theory checks out as Transcription by Ben Lerner is not good.
How I Make Comics is basically about anything but how Kim Deitch makes comics!
The book is made up of random, some loosely-connected, stories, with of course Waldo making his usual appearance, none of which were that interesting to read or gelled together into a memorable narrative, let alone explore Deitch’s creative process in any meaningful way.
Xavier, Doug and Tim are three single men living together and working in the same local restaurant - Xavier and Doug are short order cooks while Tim is a dishwasher, aspiring to become a cook. The book follows their attempts at dating in modern-day Canadia.
