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Check out David Sedaris' recommended reading list

posted by Chad Jones on Tue, Jun 15, 2010
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz

We're beyond thrilled to have David Sedaris with us this week as part of our Fireworks festival. The first performance of An Evening with David Sedaris took place last night, and it was, as expected, full of laughs and great writing. (David also mentioned his new mission: get people to buy tickets for In the Wake next door at the Roda — he may even have said something about "hot lesbian action with a message.")

David read five stories from his forthcoming book Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, and if you were at all concerned about David diverging from his series of bestselling memoirs, relax. The fables are an ideal vehicle for his humor, insight, and wonderfully macabre leanings. As if the evening wasn't enjoyable enough, David then read from his diary.

During the question-and-answer session, David was asked about books he's reading or recommending these days, and his answer was Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, a short-story collection by emerging author Wells Tower. He raved about the title story, which is about Vikings. Speaking of Vikings, David also gave a shout-out to the Viking movie Valhalla Rising.

David is often asked about his favorite books, so he has kindly created a virtually permanent recommendation list. Below you will find a few of his recommendations, and you can find the complete

Among the Thugs by Bill Buford

An Obedient Father By Akhil Sharma

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore

Blue Angel: A Novel by Francine Prose

Easter Parade by Richard Yates

Fraud by David Rakoff

Irish Girl by Tim Johnston

Jenny & the Jaws of Life by Jincy Willett

Truth Serum by Bernard Cooper

Did you know that June is National Audiobooks Month? David is a big fan of audio books and says as much in these promo pieces. You'll also notice he recommends yet another book,The Ask by Sam Lipsyte

Above: David Sedaris illustration by Laurie Rosenwald