by Gary Janetti
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER · A RUPAUL'S BOOK CLUB PICK
A Town & Country Must-Read Book of Summer 2024!
One of Vulture's Best New Audiobooks of 2024.
""A delightful and sharp-witted tour through a lifetime's worth of travel exploits and misadventures. . . . Readers are bound to catch the travel bug.""—Publishers Weekly
In this hilarious and often touching collection, the author, television writer, and producer takes us with him on travels across the globe.
Gary Janetti has gained a devoted following, with a huge audience on social media, and two bestselling collections of essays under his belt. His new collection will prompt laughter but also delighted recognition as Janetti tackles the absurdity and glory of travel.
In We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay, he shares stories of his varied trips around the world. Tag along as he enjoys an unexpectedly transformative stay at a rigorous Italian spa where he and his husband go from deep grumpiness to exaltation. Take a ride on the Orient Express to Venice and discover a surprising side of London, including a hilarious dinner with actress Maggie Smith. And pull up a deck chair to watch the entertainment as Gary embarks on a family cruise on the Queen Mary 2.
Interspersed with recollections of his trips are personal meditations on dining alone as well as journeys to such diverse destinations as Mykonos, Australia, a Noma pop-up, and other glamorous spots. Gary is unabashedly frank about his very exacting travel needs, and delivers practical advice on all aspects of the traveler's life, from very precise packing instructions, suggestions on how to get upgrades, and restaurant and hotel recommendations in his favorite cities.
Aspirational, charmingly acerbic, and as diverting as the best vacation can be, delivering both laughs and moments of sharp recognition, Gary's funny collection is the perfect getaway companion, for both seasoned nomads and curious armchair travelers.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER · A RUPAUL'S BOOK CLUB PICK
A Town & Country Must-Read Book of Summer 2024!
One of Vulture's Best New Audiobooks of 2024.
""A delightful and sharp-witted tour through a lifetime's worth of travel exploits and misadventures. . . . Readers are bound to catch the travel bug.""—Publishers Weekly
In this hilarious and often touching collection, the author, television writer, and producer takes us with him on travels across the globe.
Gary Janetti has gained a devoted following, with a huge audience on social media, and two bestselling collections of essays under his belt. His new collection will prompt laughter but also delighted recognition as Janetti tackles the absurdity and glory of travel.
In We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay, he shares stories of his varied trips around the world. Tag along as he enjoys an unexpectedly transformative stay at a rigorous Italian spa where he and his husband go from deep grumpiness to exaltation. Take a ride on the Orient Express to Venice and discover a surprising side of London, including a hilarious dinner with actress Maggie Smith. And pull up a deck chair to watch the entertainment as Gary embarks on a family cruise on the Queen Mary 2.
Interspersed with recollections of his trips are personal meditations on dining alone as well as journeys to such diverse destinations as Mykonos, Australia, a Noma pop-up, and other glamorous spots. Gary is unabashedly frank about his very exacting travel needs, and delivers practical advice on all aspects of the traveler's life, from very precise packing instructions, suggestions on how to get upgrades, and restaurant and hotel recommendations in his favorite cities.
Aspirational, charmingly acerbic, and as diverting as the best vacation can be, delivering both laughs and moments of sharp recognition, Gary's funny collection is the perfect getaway companion, for both seasoned nomads and curious armchair travelers.
Reviews-
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May 27, 2024
TV producer Janetti (Start Without Me) takes a delightful and sharp-witted tour through a lifetime’s worth of travel exploits and misadventures. In essays that range from the family cruises he took as a kid (his father worked in sales for a ship line) to the present day, Janetti good-naturedly bemoans the discomforts of staying in friends’ spare rooms (“The cost of being a perfect guest is your sanity”), juxtaposes the petty annoyances (including a foghorn’s nonstop blaring) of a cruise taken with extended family with the moments of connection it afforded, and wistfully recalls meeting and falling in love with his husband Brad during a trip to Mykonos. Janetti’s irresistible blend of deadpan humor (“Whether you were scammed by a ticket broker or your husband was knifed in Hell’s Kitchen, a shrug and a ‘This is New York’ would fit the bill,” he writes of how he’d deal with dissatisfied guests while working at a Manhattan hotel in his 20s) and earnest reflections on how travel has shaped his life mostly makes up for the book’s more flatly diaristic descriptions of meals and disappointing cruise ship performances. Readers are bound to catch the travel bug. -
TV writer/producer Gary Janetti is a fine traveling companion. His vocal style may remind listeners of David Sedaris, but his opinions and wit are his own. He takes the listener on a grand tour of his favorite places and packs this audiobook with observations on such topics as the decline of fashion on airplanes, along with tips on how to shut off unwanted conversation and how to pack for only three days. Want informed and glitzy recommendations for Rome (the Hotel de Russi), or for NYC (eat at Balthazar)? An entertaining storyteller, Janetti pitches an idea to Maggie Smith (a no), falls in love on Mykonos (an everlasting yes), and lovingly recounts a family cruise that includes his then-93-year-old dad, who stays in a cabin beneath the foghorn. Worth your time. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
