Talk Pretty

Audio books are usually a compromise -- something for literary junkies to listen to while on the treadmill or during the morning commute when they're too busy or exhausted for full immersion book-readin'. But given the choice to read When You Are Engulfed in Flames or to listen to David Sedaris read it to you in his pleasant, articulate manner (complete with that ever-endearing lisp), it's hard to imagine anyone refusing the audio experience. Sedaris' writing is already personal, delicate, poignant and somehow infinitely relatable, and his often self-deprecating words are more animated and enchanting when he breathes them into a microphone, whether they're describing his awkward childhood or telling morality tales through talking squirrels and chipmunks. The Peabody Opera House (1400 Market Street; 314-499-7600 or www.peabodyoperahouse.com) welcomes Sedaris and all his pretty words at 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday, April 25. Tickets are $35 to $55, and Left Bank Books will be on hand selling Sedaris' works for a signing that immediately follows.
Wed., April 25, 2012