From Booklist Consider the irresistible narrative arc of Sedaris' personal essays,  his indelible voice, and his crisp timing, and it will come as no surprise  that he is an avid, insightful reader of short stories. He is so inspired  by the form that he has put together an A-list anthology of his favorites,  thus creating a collection that will seduce readers heretofore resistant  to the form, and induce fellow short story lovers to nod in pleased  recognition. One can't go wrong with an anthology that includes Katherine  Mansfield's "The Garden Party," Flannery O'Connor's "Revelation," and  stories by Alice Munro, Lorrie Moore, Tobias Wolff, and Jhumpa Lahiri,  let alone appearances by Dorothy Parker and Patricia Highsmith. An epilogue  by Sarah Vowell explains that the proceeds from this collection will  go to 826NYC, a nonprofit tutoring program designed to help students  learn to write, one of a string of programs being established across  the country by the creative and enterprising group at McSweeney's. Donna  Seaman Copyright  American Library Association. All rights reserved --This  text refers to the Paperback edition.