Book Reviews

Since a lot of us like to read, here are brief reviews for a couple of books I recently read:

"Naked" by David Sedaris

I was very disappointed with this book. I've enjoyed Sedaris' essays on "This American Life" and loved his "Holidays on Ice" book, so I was really looking forward to this. It simply wasn't funny. I found it sarcastic, angry and even depressing. It wasn't just self-deprecating, it was mean-spirited.

I definitely do not recommend it.

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"The Last Cato" by Matilde Asensi

I enjoyed the book even though I found it too long. However, the plot was interesting enough to keep me going through the too-detailed explanations of Dante's "Divine Comedy" which served as the guide for the quest the characters are completing. Although somewhat complex and predictably contrived it was a good story.

Character development was good for the novel's narrator Ottavia, but less so for supporting characters Farag and the Captain.

I would recommend it to people who enjoy this type of story.