Sedaris often defies description. So does her book, SIMPLE TIMES, a hyperkinetic hodgepodge of "Crafts for Poor People" celebrating traditional American handicrafts, as well as diversions like keeping pet rabbits and making mint juleps. ...the book's sheer visual exuberance and wide scope make it obvious that Sedaris is a dedicated follower of the pipe-cleaner arts. While SIMPLE TIMES may not be for the dour D.I.Y.-er to whom crafting is a competitive sport, it has strong potential as a gift for anyone who's ever collected hats crocheted together, or Barbie dolls in knitted antebellum dresses designed to cover an extra roll of toilet paper - or simply for fans of Amy Sedaris and her idiosyncratic sense of humor.—The New York Times Book Review The Associated Press InStyle The Wall Street Journal The Miami Herald are into crafting, the book is a gold mine of ideas."—Cosmopolitan.com The Boston Herald Instinct Magazine The Tucson Citizen Bookpage The Buffalo News The Wichita Eagle The News & Observer (NC) Madison.com The Orlando Sentinel
"A subversive, hilarious take on the made-by-hand movement."
"Amy Sedaris proves she has her finger on the pulse of the domestic-arts world - especially for those on a budget- with her latest book . . . it's vintage Sedaris, combining sweet intentions with gross-out humor."
"Just like her previous book, "Times" is colorful and instantly funny. It's perhaps the only book you'll ever read with tips on how to make both good love and good sausage. Separately, of course."
"Recommended . . .The humorist, satiric hostess and hilarious disguise artist offers left-field crafting tips for weird costumes, irreverent samplers, and more for these, our lean economic times."
"Hip and hilarious."
"Sedaris crams 21 chapters with wickedly funny projects, sage counsel and painstakingly detailed photographic spreads."
"In this laugh-out-loud book, Amy Sedaris, one of the funniest humans on the planet, confronts the hard-hitting craft questions that other books refuse to even acknowledge . . . With the hectic holiday season almost upon us, this nifty book could be your lifeboat to sanity, or maybe not. Regardless, it is fun and every bit as amusing as Amy's previous bestseller."
"In step with her hilarious how-to debut . . . provides a jolt of laughter that anyone can use in simple times like these."
"Will leave readers in stitches . . . Her hilarious and hilariously illustrated guide has sections on crafting while angry, crafting for the criminally insane and crafting while amped up on amphetamines."
"The funny new book we're loving . . . Had us cracking up from the first page . . .The entire guide is written in that laugh-out-loud style, making it a fun read even for those who have no interest in crafting. But for people who are into crafting, the book is a gold mine of ideas."
"Hilarious."
"Imagine a Girl Scout jamboree suddenly overtaken by a band of circus freaks. That's roughly the effect of "Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People," the colorful new craft book by comedian Amy Sedaris."
"A wildly cheeky guide."
"If there was any doubt that Amy Sedaris is a kookier, kitschier version of Martha Stewart in the four years since the release of her best-selling, "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence," get out your Popsicle sticks, toupee tape and clamshells. Sedaris proves her place as a domestic maven for today's irony-loving do-it-yourselfers with her latest book. "Simple Times" is steeped in '70s campiness, with a youthful, can-do attitude walking through an extensive list of projects, neatly indexed in the back, from Acorn Crafts to Macaroni Alien Mask and Yesterday's Newspaper Scuffs. "Simple Times" is an ideal gift for the crafter who has crafted everything."
Sedaris often defies description. So does her book, SIMPLE TIMES, a hyperkinetic hodgepodge of "Crafts for Poor People" celebrating traditional American handicrafts, as well as diversions like keeping pet rabbits and making mint juleps. ...the book's sheer visual exuberance and wide scope make it obvious that Sedaris is a dedicated follower of the pipe-cleaner arts. While SIMPLE TIMES may not be for the dour D.I.Y.-er to whom crafting is a competitive sport, it has strong potential as a gift for anyone who's ever collected hats crocheted together, or Barbie dolls in knitted antebellum dresses designed to cover an extra roll of toilet paper - or simply for fans of Amy Sedaris and her idiosyncratic sense of humor.
The New York Times Book Review
Kookiness is great because you know everything's going to be okay when things get kooky. Kooky chicks are even greater, because they tend to take off their clothes. Think Phyllis Diller/Ruth Buzzy, even Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Sedaris, author of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, manages to bring "kooky chick" to an entirely new level, somewhere near "Holy crap." I think the Pulitzer Committee will concur with my declaration of this as the most important work since Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies and is as kitschy, satirical, and imaginative as Nancy Eha's Off The Beadin' Path: Discovering Your Own Creative Trail of Bead Embellishment is sad. Sedaris poses in a series of crafty tableau with the falsest sincerity imaginable. If you need to make an unreturnable gift, see handcrafted statistics on handcrafting, or see a lot of painted rocks and Popsicle stick cities, this is the perfect book. It shows readers the special warm-up and cool-down stretches you need to craft successfully, and the chapter on sausages is certainly the finest in print. Warning: neither eat nor drink while reading, as a spit take is assured. Pointedly tasteless, gaudy, garish, this book now counts among my favorite things. (See LJ's original review, 9/15/10.) — Douglas Lord, "Books for Dudes," Booksmack! 1/6/11
Library Journal - BookSmack!
Comedian, actress, and author of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, Sedaris here addresses topics like "Crafting for Jesus," gifts for shut-ins, pre- and postcrafting stretches, and even the "Craft of Lovemaking." Through the "Healing Power of Crafting," readers learn that a Rusty Nail Wind Chime is the perfect gift for those suffering from bipolar disorder. Some projects include instructions; some don't. Making a Tea Cozy Kitten, for example, is "self-explanatory." Included with the handicrafts are recipes for treats like sausages, Damn Its (macaroons), and other baked goods. This book is a visual delight—kitschy projects are displayed with wonderfully garish sets, costuming, and illustrations. Sedaris isn't afraid to go from lovely to whimsical to wildly unflattering in her wardrobe, hair, and makeup. VERDICT Sedaris is actually quite crafty and known for her baking. In her latest irreverent take on home economics, she provides a fun, complementary balance to recent "serious" books in this genre. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/10; eight-city tour.]—Meagan Storey, Virginia Beach
Amy Sedaris’s new book will have you in stitches—and not just of the cross-stitch variety. In her genuinely hilarious look at crafts and crafty folk, Sedaris presents a rib-tickling assortment of nutty, sometimes- naughty suggestions to brighten our lives in tough economic times. In a hyper-enthusiastic performance, Sedaris tackles the materials you’ll need for crafting, offering some truly unique ideas for crafts—such as “bottle-cap castanets” and “decorative fly strips”—and some hazards faced by novice crafters—such as feather asphyxia and sawdust fires. The audiobook offers a bonus PDF file featuring recipes, how-to’s, and photos of some finished products, including “shut-in shuffle slippers” and a “milk carton skid row.” Sedaris’s wildly wacky crafts and gift of side-splitting laughter are a perfect combination for lifting those economic doldrums. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
