A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020
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- Create Date：2021-10-06 10:51:05
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：David Sedaris
- ISBN：0316558796
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Summary
There’s no right way to keep a diary， but if there’s an entertaining way， David Sedaris seems to have mastered it。
If it’s navel-gazing you’re after， you’ve come to the wrong place; ditto treacly self-examination。 Rather， his observations turn outward: a fight between two men on a bus， a fight between two men on the street， pedestrians being whacked over the head or gathering to watch as a man considers leaping to his death。 There’s a dirty joke shared at a book signing， then a dirtier one told at a dinner party—lots of jokes here。 Plenty of laughs。
These diaries remind you that you once really hated George W。 Bush， and that not too long ago， Donald Trump was just a harmless laughingstock， at least on French TV。 Time marches on， and Sedaris， at his desk or on planes， in hotel dining rooms and odd Japanese inns， records it。 The entries here reflect an ever-changing background—new administrations， new restrictions on speech and conduct。 What you can say at the start of the book， you can’t by the end。 At its best， A Carnival of Snackery is a sort of sampler: the bitter and the sweet。 Some entries are just what you wanted。 Others you might want to spit discreetly into a napkin。
If it’s navel-gazing you’re after， you’ve come to the wrong place; ditto treacly self-examination。 Rather， his observations turn outward: a fight between two men on a bus， a fight between two men on the street， pedestrians being whacked over the head or gathering to watch as a man considers leaping to his death。 There’s a dirty joke shared at a book signing， then a dirtier one told at a dinner party—lots of jokes here。 Plenty of laughs。
These diaries remind you that you once really hated George W。 Bush， and that not too long ago， Donald Trump was just a harmless laughingstock， at least on French TV。 Time marches on， and Sedaris， at his desk or on planes， in hotel dining rooms and odd Japanese inns， records it。 The entries here reflect an ever-changing background—new administrations， new restrictions on speech and conduct。 What you can say at the start of the book， you can’t by the end。 At its best， A Carnival of Snackery is a sort of sampler: the bitter and the sweet。 Some entries are just what you wanted。 Others you might want to spit discreetly into a napkin。
Reviews
Paul Tremblay
，
Not showing gratitude especially to one who brought back hope when all hope seems to be lost isn’t just morally wrong but a sin。 Words alone can’t express how 760PLUS lifted back my soul and brought me back on my feet。 How do I pay them back other than telling the world what 760PLUS CREDIT SCORE did for my entire family。 I lost my first house due to fraudulent eviction。 Though I had some collections and liens that brought my score to low 400s， I read about and decided to give them a try。 Long st Not showing gratitude especially to one who brought back hope when all hope seems to be lost isn’t just morally wrong but a sin。 Words alone can’t express how 760PLUS lifted back my soul and brought me back on my feet。 How do I pay them back other than telling the world what 760PLUS CREDIT SCORE did for my entire family。 I lost my first house due to fraudulent eviction。 Though I had some collections and liens that brought my score to low 400s， I read about and decided to give them a try。 Long story short， my FICO score was boosted 802 and all those items removed including the eviction。 I am now able to purchase a better home with very low interest rate。 Here’s how you can get across to them （760pluscreditscore at gmail dot com /304 774 5902）。 Thank me later。 Cheers！ 。。。more
Jennifer Caloyeras
，
Fans of Sedaris will delight in this collection of diary entries that both tickle， and， at times， are tender。 People used to Sedaris’s longer essays will find these entries more like soundbites or social media posts， but they are nonetheless timely， funny， reflective， and true to life。
Mary Lins
，
As I did with David Sedaris' last diary collection， I'll be reading this over the course of the next few weeks and months， sitting down to read a few entries now and then between other novels and tomes。 Sedaris is reliably entertaining and I love dipping in and out of his diary entries for a quick "pick-me-up"！ As I did with David Sedaris' last diary collection， I'll be reading this over the course of the next few weeks and months， sitting down to read a few entries now and then between other novels and tomes。 Sedaris is reliably entertaining and I love dipping in and out of his diary entries for a quick "pick-me-up"！ 。。。more
Shannon Hunt
，
Of all of Sedaris's writing， his diaries are by far my favorite， not solely because I have a general interest in reading the diaries （and letters） of others， but mostly because it reminds me to pay closer attention to my own life。 There is an interesting story in our lives every single day， whether it's a conversation or observation， a joke that was told， a headline in the paper， a text between friends; and these are worth documenting especially when they're documented well。 I used to keep Theft Of all of Sedaris's writing， his diaries are by far my favorite， not solely because I have a general interest in reading the diaries （and letters） of others， but mostly because it reminds me to pay closer attention to my own life。 There is an interesting story in our lives every single day， whether it's a conversation or observation， a joke that was told， a headline in the paper， a text between friends; and these are worth documenting especially when they're documented well。 I used to keep Theft by Finding on my nightstand to pick up and flip through when I bored of my own diary-keeping， and not only do his entries make me laugh out loud but they instantly improve my own diaries as well。While reading this volume， I also had the epiphany that Sedaris feels almost familial to me， and it was through these entries that I realized how much he reminds me of one or two of my most beloved relatives， the ones I am flattered to be related to， the ones whose quick-wit and unpredictable conversational segues make me laugh with the same abandon as his irreverent humor。 。。。more
Guillermo Perez
，
David Sedaris delivers in the only way he knows how: by giving the reader， raw， hilarious and a poignant look into everyday life。 Much like his previous collection of diary entries expect his classic humor and wit filled stories that I could not get enough of。 Absolutely loved it！
Nathan
，
My first full read of a Sedaris book， and I wondered at first if it was an odd place to start， but I'm thinking I actually dipped in at a good point。 His thoughts on historical events， recollections of odd occurrences around the world， and unique interactions with fans populate the pages， and， while there's little in the way of a throughline （not that you'd expect or need one）， there are quality callbacks and， yep， laughs aplenty。 Seeing moments like the Orlando club shootout and Trump's ascensi My first full read of a Sedaris book， and I wondered at first if it was an odd place to start， but I'm thinking I actually dipped in at a good point。 His thoughts on historical events， recollections of odd occurrences around the world， and unique interactions with fans populate the pages， and， while there's little in the way of a throughline （not that you'd expect or need one）， there are quality callbacks and， yep， laughs aplenty。 Seeing moments like the Orlando club shootout and Trump's ascension into the White House through Sedaris' eyes are especially valuable and interesting; he brings clarity to the forefront， but not also without abandoning his identifiable prose。 The salty language is welcomed， his adventures with his sister Amy are a key highlight anywhere they pop up， and I certainly felt the wanderlust as he was globe-trotting。 From the POV of a Sedaris-newbie （in terms of reading his actual books）， I don't feel left behind or out of any inside jokes--I feel like I can just dive on in to his other works seamlessly。 There's lots of content to give you bang for your buck， lots to chew on， and it's ripe for subsequent visits。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Little， Brown and Company for the advance read。 。。。more
Albert
，
I think you were very wrong with you sister。 You are no longer interesting。
M Moore
，
This is just what it sounds like。。。a book filled with diary entries that have no cohesion or common thread。 Some of it is rambling nonsense and some of it is quite profound reflection。 I found myself pulled to the parts that discussed current events and politics the most。。。probably because it was somewhat comforting to remember that the world was also on fire， so to speak， 17 years ago in many ways similar to the fires burning today even though it feels more overwhelming now。 Overall， I don't th This is just what it sounds like。。。a book filled with diary entries that have no cohesion or common thread。 Some of it is rambling nonsense and some of it is quite profound reflection。 I found myself pulled to the parts that discussed current events and politics the most。。。probably because it was somewhat comforting to remember that the world was also on fire， so to speak， 17 years ago in many ways similar to the fires burning today even though it feels more overwhelming now。 Overall， I don't think this is a must read for everyone but if you've enjoyed Sedaris' work in the past I think you'll find this a comforting， fairly uncomplicated read。Thanks to Libro。fm and Hachette Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review。My reviews can also be seen at www。instagram。com/justonemoorebook。 。。。more
Alisa
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DNF
Laura Sackton
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I guess I'm over David Sedaris。 I loved Theft By Finding， his first volume of diaries， and now I have no idea if that book was a lot less ableist and offensive than this one， or if I've just lost my patience for white men's bullshit。 In any case， while there are some truly hilarious and delightfully weird anecdotes and observations in this， there are also lots of ableist jokes， outdated and offensive language， and this whole exhausting attitude along the lines of "why are young people so sensiti I guess I'm over David Sedaris。 I loved Theft By Finding， his first volume of diaries， and now I have no idea if that book was a lot less ableist and offensive than this one， or if I've just lost my patience for white men's bullshit。 In any case， while there are some truly hilarious and delightfully weird anecdotes and observations in this， there are also lots of ableist jokes， outdated and offensive language， and this whole exhausting attitude along the lines of "why are young people so sensitive， it's so sad I can't make offensive jokes in peace anymore！"I was turned off by Sedaris when I saw him live a few years ago and he opened the night by talking about how annoying microaggressions are。 That's also how he ends this book—by complaining about microagressions and how things have changed so much （he's annoyed by the term Latinx）。 And I get that being mean and judgmental is kind of his thing。 But it's just not funny。 It's exhausting and frustrating and gross。 I did a lot of cringing while listening to this。 And those cringey parts made it much harder to enjoy the truly funny bits， because in the back of my mind I was just thinking， wow， just another white man taking up space and refusing to accept and celebrate。。。actual progress。 Being mean and grouchy and judgmental and fascinatied by the grotesque is one thing。 Being blatantly ableist and calling it funny is something else， and it's not something I want any part of。 。。。more
wellreadtraveler
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Okay let me begin by saying I'm pretty sure if your reading this book it's because you are already a fan of David Sedaris。 I have read all of his books but this time I did the audio。 Let me start by saying I've never heard him speak but I was enchanted by his voice。 The book covers 17 years of amazing stories of David's life， funny stories about book signings or people he's encountered along the way， and so many lol stories。。。 some cringe worthy。 Lets put it this way， if you are easily offended Okay let me begin by saying I'm pretty sure if your reading this book it's because you are already a fan of David Sedaris。 I have read all of his books but this time I did the audio。 Let me start by saying I've never heard him speak but I was enchanted by his voice。 The book covers 17 years of amazing stories of David's life， funny stories about book signings or people he's encountered along the way， and so many lol stories。。。 some cringe worthy。 Lets put it this way， if you are easily offended this book is not for you。 I really enjoyed every bit of it but I gave it 4 stars because of the heavy discussion on politics。 Hey it's his book， he can talk about whatever he wants， but。。。。。 I'm just tired about hearing about Trump， or Democrats vs Republicans， Biden。。。etc etc。 I am ready for books to stop putting there political stance in books。 That's just me being honest about 1% I didn't enjoy out of 99% that i did。 。。。more
Davina
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David Sedaris's writing and worldview bring me so much joy。 Of course I loved this collection as much as I knew I would。 David Sedaris's writing and worldview bring me so much joy。 Of course I loved this collection as much as I knew I would。 。。。more
Katrina
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"Oh Offensive Jokes， when if ever， will your time come 'round again？"These diary entries are so wrong， yet so right。 "Oh Offensive Jokes， when if ever， will your time come 'round again？"These diary entries are so wrong， yet so right。 。。。more
Liz
，
Strange， strange， strange… This book is a collection of Sedaris’ diary entries from 2003-2020。 While it was an interesting reminder to see what was happening in some of the earlier years， and there were some wild stories， there were also chunks that just didn’t work for me。 At over 500 pages， there's a lot of material here and it’s very uneven。 A tighter editing job was needed。 I did learn a new phrase。 Who knew vaginal tenacity was the female equivalent of “balls”？I do recommend the book for th Strange， strange， strange… This book is a collection of Sedaris’ diary entries from 2003-2020。 While it was an interesting reminder to see what was happening in some of the earlier years， and there were some wild stories， there were also chunks that just didn’t work for me。 At over 500 pages， there's a lot of material here and it’s very uneven。 A tighter editing job was needed。 I did learn a new phrase。 Who knew vaginal tenacity was the female equivalent of “balls”？I do recommend the book for those that love to see the weirdness in humans。 If you like looking at pictures of Walmartians， you’ll probably enjoy this book。 If you cringe at poor grammar， you’ll recognize yourself in Sedaris。 If you love horrible jokes， you’ll have fun。 I didn’t so much laugh at the stories as shake my head。 If political incorrectness offends you， stay far， far away from this book。 In summary， as you would expect from Sedaris， it’s a weird book。 If you’ve not read Sedaris before， I would recommend starting with one of his books of essays instead of this。 My thanks to Netgalley and Little， Brown for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Dana
，
Oh， David Sedaris， how I would love to spend 5 minutes in your mind！ A Carnival of Snackery gives us yet another glimpse of the world through his eyes and as always it's equally hilarious， poignant and curious。 In the style of journal entries we follow David's life 2003 to 2020， we get anecdotes about his family， his relationship， life in the country， travel and his thoughts about the political twists and turns of the last decade。 Interspersed throughout are jokes and snarky comments from people Oh， David Sedaris， how I would love to spend 5 minutes in your mind！ A Carnival of Snackery gives us yet another glimpse of the world through his eyes and as always it's equally hilarious， poignant and curious。 In the style of journal entries we follow David's life 2003 to 2020， we get anecdotes about his family， his relationship， life in the country， travel and his thoughts about the political twists and turns of the last decade。 Interspersed throughout are jokes and snarky comments from people aiming to shock him。If you know and love David Sedaris you will enjoy this book as much as any others。 If you don't know David Sedaris， I wouldn't recommend starting here but rather a snappier essay collection and working your way to this。I got approved for this one on Netgalley but in the end I ended up listening to it as an ALC on Libro。fm。 With a book like this， I find it more entertaining hearing it in the author's voice。 The inflection， tone and pacing always add so much depth。 This audiobook had Tracy Ullman cameos throughout where she would read some entries。 I love her but I didn't need this because I enjoy David's narrative so much。Thanks to both Netgalley and Libro。fm for access。 All opinions above are my own。 。。。more
Candy
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Sedaris and Tracy Ullman team up to read these diaries。 They're pretty raunchy but also very funny。 I especially loved his take on the Trump election。 Sedaris and Tracy Ullman team up to read these diaries。 They're pretty raunchy but also very funny。 I especially loved his take on the Trump election。 。。。more
Cookie
，
I am a big David Sedaris fan so I was excited to see that he had a new book coming out。 I haven't read one of his books in a while and I really need to get back to his backlist！This book is a collection of his diary entries from 2003 - 2020。 It covers a gamut of topics， including his family。 I find Sedaris' family relationships and dynamics fascinating and heartbreaking。 He includes thoughts and feelings on his late sister Tiffany， his mother， and his conservative father。 Interestingly， Sedaris I am a big David Sedaris fan so I was excited to see that he had a new book coming out。 I haven't read one of his books in a while and I really need to get back to his backlist！This book is a collection of his diary entries from 2003 - 2020。 It covers a gamut of topics， including his family。 I find Sedaris' family relationships and dynamics fascinating and heartbreaking。 He includes thoughts and feelings on his late sister Tiffany， his mother， and his conservative father。 Interestingly， Sedaris also includes his personal perspective and experiences on COVID and how it affected him and his family。As always， Sedaris provides some laugh out loud moments with his crazy thoughts and jokes。 There is also a poignant side of this book that I appreciated。The audiobook is narrated by Sedaris himself and Tracy Ullman。 Ullman narrates the entries that Sedaris wrote in the UK， to add fun accents to the mix。 I don't think this format is for me because it is a little scattered， but overall and enjoyable audiobook。⚠️: homophobia， racism， death of a loved oneThank you to Hachette Audio and libro。fm for a free ALC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Richard Propes
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I'm almost embarrassed to admit that "A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020" is my introduction to the world of David Sedaris whom， I'm not embarrassed to admit， I honestly first heard of thanks to my love for his sibling Amy Sedaris。 Sedaris is a beloved humorist， comedian， author， and radio contributor with three Grammy nominations to his name and a legion of fans who've embraced his often self-deprecating and nearly always autobiographical humor that often explores his North Carolina upbr I'm almost embarrassed to admit that "A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020" is my introduction to the world of David Sedaris whom， I'm not embarrassed to admit， I honestly first heard of thanks to my love for his sibling Amy Sedaris。 Sedaris is a beloved humorist， comedian， author， and radio contributor with three Grammy nominations to his name and a legion of fans who've embraced his often self-deprecating and nearly always autobiographical humor that often explores his North Carolina upbringing and his current European life along with such subjects as his homosexuality （and partner Hugh Hamrick）， education， drug use， travels， and everyday life。 For the most part， "A Carnival of Snackery" falls not so neatly within the "everyday life" expression of Sedaris's writing。 However， since a good majority of diary entries are written from different locales， it could also be said that "A Carnival of Snackery" follows Sedaris as he snarks his way across the globe。 While this is the first book of Sedaris's that I've read， I have become at least somewhat familiar with Sedaris through his radio appearances and published essays including his breakthrough work "SantaLand Diaries" from 1992。 For a reason I can't begin to explain， I've simply never committed myself to Sedaris's literary efforts。 It's not for a lack of love for snark。 That's for sure。 It took me only a few minutes into "A Carnival of Snackery" to realize that this is one chap I'd enjoy hanging out with for a bit。 Truthfully， I think much of it has to do with the fact that despite seemingly being everywhere and doing everything Sedaris is， in fact， surprisingly low-key in marketing of himself and his humor。 Beloved by the NPR crowd， Sedaris isn't really a household name despite having sold over 10 million books， received three Grammy nominations， having written a half-dozen plays with sister Amy， and having had his writings translated into 25 languages。 I'd dare say Sedaris is more one of those "I've heard of him！" types of celebs， beloved by those who know his work and remembered by those who have trouble remembering such things。 "A Carnival of Snackery" is Sedaris's second collection of diary entries after 2017's "David Sedaris Diaries: A Visual Compendium，" a collection I've committed myself to reading next after I've taken a valium and gotten some sleep after finishing up this 560-page collection。 "A Carnival of Snackery" is a snapshot of a very funny life， diary entries pointing toward the fact that the Sedaris we hear on the radio and see on-stage is， in fact， pretty darn close to the real David Sedaris。 And we love him for that。 "A Carnival of Snackery" is nearly always funny， yet there's a surprising amount of emotional resonance in the book。 This is especially evident nearly every single time Sedaris's father enters the picture。 There's so much evidence of a conflicted relationship there yet， as well， there's something in the way that Sedaris writes about it all that makes you feel Sedaris's longing for something different and a resignation that it was never realized。 As is true of nearly any diary， some entries are a few lines while others a few pages。 Some entries are pointed and precise。 Others may have you wondering why they even made the cut。 These diary entries are reminders of the world in 2003 and the world now。 Sedaris is relentless when it comes to his politics and unsparing when it comes to his social observations。 He's quietly compassionate， almost despite himself， and he's as self-deprecating toward himself as he is critical of the world around him。 No one is spared the wrath of David Sedaris。 Yet， there's also a surprising amount of affection in "A Carnival of Snackery" and， I'd dare say， a relatability that constantly comes across despite the fact that I have nary a Grammy nomination to my name and I've never done a book-signing in Moldova。 Okay， true confession。 I have no idea where Moldova is。 There was one thing that bothered me about "A Carnival of Snackery" and it occurred more than once in the book's 560 pages。 While Sedaris certainly writes with a lot of snark toward nearly everyone， it seemed like nearly every reference to a person with a disability in the book was judgmental or negative。 By the third or fourth time， it began to bother me。 And， yes， I'm a paraplegic/double amputee worthy of ample amounts of snark。 However， this had a tone that just didn't click for me at all。 I'm fairly sure this wasn't intentional as there are moments in the book when it's apparent that Sedaris has a compassion and willingness to serve that would be at direct conflict， though I can't deny that when I hit these moments they adversely impacted my ability to enjoy the book。 However， it must be noted that for the most part "A Carnival of Snackery" left me wondering why it took me so long to surrender myself to the world of David Sedaris。 Sedaris writes with a wondrous weaving together of heart and humor， snark and sincerity and he creates such a marvelous world that you can't help but want to become part of it。 If "A Carnival of Snackery" is typical of Sedaris， I truly can't wait to begin journeying back to read his other writings。 。。。more
Denise Grant
，
I was lucky enough to snag a pre-release of this book; I believe it's coming out in October 2021。 Absolutely LOVED it。 Hilarious， naughty， shocking， fascinating and impossible to put down。 I found it slow going at first until I got into the rhythm of reading short daily entries---he's included several crude-but-so-funny Romanian and Turkish curses and lots of lovely rude jokes。 The perfect gift for anyone except your 90 year old grandmother。 I will re-read it one day。 I was lucky enough to snag a pre-release of this book; I believe it's coming out in October 2021。 Absolutely LOVED it。 Hilarious， naughty， shocking， fascinating and impossible to put down。 I found it slow going at first until I got into the rhythm of reading short daily entries---he's included several crude-but-so-funny Romanian and Turkish curses and lots of lovely rude jokes。 The perfect gift for anyone except your 90 year old grandmother。 I will re-read it one day。 。。。more
Lisa Konet
，
This is the follow up to Sedaris' first essays "Theft by Finding，" which got me hooked on reading anything by him。 The book is everything you would hope for when reading his personal accounts; honest， hilarious， embarrassing and humble。 If Sedaris wrote a phone book， I would read it that is how good of a writer he is。Highly recommended and a must read for anyone who loves this author。Thanks to Netgalley， David Sedaris and Little Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Avail This is the follow up to Sedaris' first essays "Theft by Finding，" which got me hooked on reading anything by him。 The book is everything you would hope for when reading his personal accounts; honest， hilarious， embarrassing and humble。 If Sedaris wrote a phone book， I would read it that is how good of a writer he is。Highly recommended and a must read for anyone who loves this author。Thanks to Netgalley， David Sedaris and Little Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 10/5/21 。。。more
Margaret Heller
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Reviewed for Library Journal。
Toni
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Note: Part 2 of David’s Diaries- 2003 - 2020Audio: Tracey Ullman reads about half of David’s book， while he does the other half。 She’s hilarious， plus she can do so many accents well！ Smart choice！ Audio 5 stars！ Bottom line， part two is a bit milder than part one， which is no surprise since David， as well as many of his fans （who’re you looking at？！） having gotten older。 🙄😎
Jinjer
，