Book Review: A Carnival of Snackery

A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003–2020 by David Sedaris is a rotating Lazy Susan of Sedaris snacks. It is a series of delicious tidbits and takes by observational humorist David Sedaris.

I am a Sedaris fan. His commentary is always amusing if not for its situational mundanity, then for its insights into absurdity of what it means to be a 21st century human.

The audio version is the best way to experience David Sedaris. Like his previous audio books, Snackery is read by Sedaris, but only when the diary entry occurs outside of England. When in Paris, Raleigh, or any city where the well-traveled artist is performing or touring one of his books outside of England, it is Sedaris reading. When the diary entry occurs somewhere in England, comedian Tracey Ullman narrates. This arrangement gives the voice a British accent in England, but Ullman’s narration subtracts more than it adds to the experience. I found myself anticipating Sedaris’s narration when Ullman was reading. Sedaris’s voice adds just the right inflection to a funny line to deliver it in a way that is much funnier than if anyone else had read it.

Snackery is a tasty offering.