Tom Lynch

The endlessly enigmatic Amy Sedaris offered up "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence" last month, the comic's guide to hosting parties the Amy Sedaris way. (Interestingly enough, she does offer practical tips on cooking and the like, which sounds a bit strange coming from her--you begin to think the joke's on you.) After the inventive, decrepit wonder of "Wigfield," which she penned with Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert, and the delirious disaster of the "Strangers with Candy" movie, it's tough to know what to expect from Sedaris, but with "I Like You," a nice tone is set with her absurdist, dark humor matched with bizarre societal realism. Illustrations and photographs abound, as do tips on not only food, but also crafts, dress and host behavior (don't let `em get too drunk, they'll just piss in your bed). Breezy and quick, "I Like You" shows a real side to Sedaris that she so adamantly keeps hidden--but maybe that's a trick. Maybe the joke is really on us.

Amy Sedaris reads from "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence" November 29 at Borders, 830 North Michigan, (312)573-0564, at 7pm. Free. (2006-11-20)

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