When You Are Engulfed in Flames -- David Sedaris

David Sedaris's ability to transform the mortification of everyday life into wildly entertaining art, (<i>The Christian Science Monitor</i>) is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this remarkable new book. <br>Trying to make coffee when the water is shut off, David considers using the water in a vase of flowers and his chain of associations takes him from the French countryside to a hilariously uncomfortable memory of buying drugs in a mobile home in rural North Carolina. In essay after essay, Sedaris proceeds from bizarre conundrums of daily life-having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a fellow passenger on a plane or armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds-to the most deeply resonant human truths. Culminating in a brilliant account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris's sixth essay collection is a new masterpiece of comic writing from a writer worth treasuring (<i>Seattle Times</i>). <p/><b>Praise for <i>When You Are Engulfed in Flames</i>: </b> <p/>Older, wiser, smarter and meaner, Sedaris...defies the odds once again by delivering an intelligent take on the banalities of an absurd life. --<i>Kirkus Reviews</i> <p/>This latest collection proves that not only does Sedaris still have it, but he's also getting better....Sedaris's best stuff will still--after all this time--move, surprise, and entertain. --<i>Booklist</i> <p/><b>Table of Contents: <br></b><br>It's Catch