To professional book reviewers: YOU PISS ME OFF

[MorningGlow]

Fer chrissakes. I am so irritated. x( (Can you tell?) I have read about a million book reviews for the two "humorous essay" compilations by Sloane Crossley (I Was Told There'd Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number). I just read review No. 1,000,012 in our Sunday paper about five minutes ago.

Every single review has favorably compared Crossley to David Sedaris. Every. Single. One.

Okay, you might be saying, what's your point? ALL 1,000,012 reviewers have hit upon the "fact" that Crossley is just like David Sedaris. So what? He seems to be the pinnacle of modern American humor, so it's the ultimate compliment they can pay Crossley. Right?

Well, there's only one problem with that. David Sedaris is, you know--funny. Crossley? Well...um...I'm sure she's very nice...?

I actually BOUGHT and read, cover to cover, I Was Told There'd Be Cake. While bits of it were mildly amusing, there is NO WAY this chick is even remotely in Sedaris' league. Sedaris makes me nearly pee my pants laughing. Crossley makes me yawn, when I'm not wincing at her overexertions ("I'm being cutesy funny? See? No? Here, lemme try again...")

But never mind the fact that I want my money back from Crossley. I worry more about the quality of journalism (once again), this time in the realm of the reviewer. I smell big payoffs or lazy research (press kit that said Crossley is just like Sedaris? Hmmmm?) I mean, if you can't trust reviewers to be honest... :shrug:

Okay. I'm done. Still aggravated, though. :rant:

[Chan790]

1. Well...

I'm not a professional but I reviewed I Was Told There Would Be Cake for Visual Bookshelf.

I can see the comparison, though it's not a great one. I think Crossley is somewhat funny, in an even-keeled endearing sort of way. Miranda July would probably be a better comparison minus July's quirk and creepy eroticism.

David Sedaris is very hit or miss, some things are riotously-funny, others just stink. I finished reading "The Santaland Diaries" and thought I guess the joke's on me. He wrote a Holiday letter in one of his books from the standpoint of a Christian fundamentalist woman being arrested which makes me cry laughing. He's not as funny as Amy Sedaris.

[MorningGlow]

2. I think it's the inherent laziness that gets to me

I have reviewed my fair share of books, so I tend to be highly critical of my fellow reviewers (and I can smell when a reviewer hasn't even read the book).

For the Crossley stuff, I can just picture the reviewers' thought process (if they're not lifting the Sedaris reference from a press kit, as I suspect they are): "Let's see...humorous essays...who's a good comparison...well, I only know David Sedaris, so...great! (typing) 'Crossley...is...just...like...David Sedaris....' That's gold! What's for lunch?" :eyes:

I haven't read everything Sedaris has ever written, but what I have read I've enjoyed immensely. I don't doubt some of his stuff IS crap. I write humor, and it's tough to be consistent. Sometimes you're "on" and sometimes...you just have to produce. I have read Amy Sedaris and I'm kind of "meh" on her (taste is a subjective thing for sure).