First Lines Friday – Calypso by David Sedaris

For my birthday last month, I received a copy of David Sedaris’s Calypso along with a 1000 piece puzzle made up of cartoon dogs. What can I say, some folks know me real darn well.

I’m cracking open the book today, the puzzle will have to wait until I’ve finished with the Totoro one that was begun, ahem, last year. So here it is, the very first lines:

Though there’s an industry built on telling you otherwise, there are few real joys to middle age. The only perk I can see is that, with luck, you’ll acquire a guest room. Some people get one by default when their kids leave home, and others, like me, eventually trade up and land a bigger house. “Follow me,: I now say. The room I lead our visitors to has not been hastily rearranged to accommodate them. It does not double as an office or weaving nook but exists for only one purpose. I have furnished it with a bed rather than a fold-out sofa, and against one wall, just like in a hotel, I’ve placed a luggage rack. The best feature, though, is its private bathroom.

That’s all, happy Friday and many good reads!