94th out of 270 books
—
119 voters
I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence
by
Amy Sedaris
The bestselling entertaining guide from America's most delightfully unconventional hostess is now available in paperback!
Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for lumberjacks? A dinner party for white-collar workers? A festive gathering for the grieving? Don't despair. Take a cue from entertaining expert Amy Sedaris and host an unforgettable fete th...more
Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for lumberjacks? A dinner party for white-collar workers? A festive gathering for the grieving? Don't despair. Take a cue from entertaining expert Amy Sedaris and host an unforgettable fete th...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
October 22nd 2008
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published October 16th 2006)
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Nov 16, 2007
Jessica
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
entertainers, and those seeking to improve their entertaining skills
I initially misunderstand the intention of this book, which was probably why I was little disappointed by it. This book is not funny. I mean, there are funny things in it, but it's not joke book or a send-up of Martha Stewart or anything like that. Instead it's pretty straightforward guide to entertaining (the having-your-friends-over kind of entertaining, mostly, with a just little making-a-spectacle-of-yourself-to-amuse-others kind of entertaining thrown in here and there). As a guide to throw...more
Jun 21, 2007
m
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
urbanists, people who'd like to cook but can't, people on mind-altering drugs
Shelves:
publique
I stuck this book on my Christmas list. Nobody bit.
I looked on Amazon. They used to say "popular in Cincinnati, OH and Montgomery, AL" -- no such information for this book. But something tells me I scared off my family with this one, with the cover being so garish and wacky. This is similar to the reaction I got when I asked for the Buffy musical episode for Christmas some years ago -- everyone just wanted to know, what the heck?
Weeks passed before I remembered to start putting in library reques...more
I looked on Amazon. They used to say "popular in Cincinnati, OH and Montgomery, AL" -- no such information for this book. But something tells me I scared off my family with this one, with the cover being so garish and wacky. This is similar to the reaction I got when I asked for the Buffy musical episode for Christmas some years ago -- everyone just wanted to know, what the heck?
Weeks passed before I remembered to start putting in library reques...more
Sep 17, 2007
Nathan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Strangers With Candy fans, igloo dwellers.
Genius. Amy Sedaris is one of the most beautiful people on the planet. Get this book, then go make your Fuck It Bucket. It's filled with crafts and recipes for depressed stoners. The book, not the Fuck It Bucket. Different story. Regardless, read this book. Good times.
NC
NC
Aug 20, 2007
Hayley
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
domestic goddesses, Sedaris lovers
Quite simply, I want to be Amy Sedaris when I grow up. I think it just might be possible too, considering that I also enjoy baking cupcakes, I have a wacky family, and on occasion I have been known to be arrestingly adorable (and yet bizarre at the same time).
Maybe the Sedaris family can just adopt me. I feel like they need to balance out Rooster and the crazy sister with no furniture. Hmmm...
In any case, I haven't tested out the recipes in here or attacked any of the craft projects, but I can'...more
Maybe the Sedaris family can just adopt me. I feel like they need to balance out Rooster and the crazy sister with no furniture. Hmmm...
In any case, I haven't tested out the recipes in here or attacked any of the craft projects, but I can'...more
For the record, this review is for the audio book version; I may have rated it differently had I read the book. Also for the record, I was a good way into it when I realized that this book is NOT really geared towards heterosexual men such as myself (it was her giving advice on "vaginal cleansing" aka douching before I made this realization! Yeah, I know I'm slow.)
I'm very familiar with (books by) Amy's brother, David Sedaris, and am a big fan. So I think I was hoping to find something just as...more
I'm very familiar with (books by) Amy's brother, David Sedaris, and am a big fan. So I think I was hoping to find something just as...more
This is more of a coffee table book than a real instruction book. Open it anywhere and start laughing! Some of her suggestions are practical, some are hilarious, all are interesting. I doubt if I do any of the pantyhose crafts, but I might pick up a few ideas to really use. I bought this book when she was a guest speaker at a seminar series at the university. Enjoyed the evening and I recommend you do that too if you have the opportunity.
Her brother David got the writer gene, she got the performer's. Half of this is domestic, home-maker, party-planner, cookbook material. In fact it surprised me how much of I Like You is straight up serious. Some of it's funny as hell, but then you suddenly get a recipe thrown into the mix. It's as scatterbrained as its author's onscreen performances. Hit and miss.
It may just be that I'm not cool enough for this book, but after I was bored and annoyed by the audibook, I checked out the hardcover copy to scan for recipes. I hated the book much more. I felt that most of her tips were obvious, useless, not as funny as she was trying to be, and overall just dumb. The pictures, although I'm sure there was some creative and artistic brilliance involved in making it just so, were offensively UGLY, making even the recipes I had thought I might like to try look di...more
Interesting format: a cookbook with farcical scenarios and hospitality suggestions. For instance, what menu should you plan if you are having a group of lumberjacks over for a meal?
If you, like Amy, have a rich uncle unexpectedly drop in needing a place to stay for the weekend, remove your earrings and insert a broom straw in the ear hole. When your Rich Uncle asks why you have broom straws in your ear, tell him that you are saving up for a pair of earrings. After he goes to bed, make sure to h...more
If you, like Amy, have a rich uncle unexpectedly drop in needing a place to stay for the weekend, remove your earrings and insert a broom straw in the ear hole. When your Rich Uncle asks why you have broom straws in your ear, tell him that you are saving up for a pair of earrings. After he goes to bed, make sure to h...more
I love this book. I no longer feel like a failure in entertaining my friends and acquaintances. I also acknowledge the universal truth that alcohol is a wonderful tool to feel better about yourself and make others feel better about themselves.
Amy Sedaris clearly likes to party. And is creative. And has more friends (or is it acquaintances?) who will come to her parties. I cracked up at some the themes she comes up with and wondered, "If I use the tips in this book, will I become more popular? O...more
Amy Sedaris clearly likes to party. And is creative. And has more friends (or is it acquaintances?) who will come to her parties. I cracked up at some the themes she comes up with and wondered, "If I use the tips in this book, will I become more popular? O...more
Aug 14, 2007
Merritt
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys making themselves and other people feel nice
Shelves:
cookbooks
I read this (and this isn't just a cookbook, there is a lot to read) in an afternoon. It's still sitting on my radiator, and I've had a few bad days where I picked it up and immediately felt better. I paid full price for this the week after my birthday, because no one gave it to me. The only thing I've made is the pesto- twice. I plan on making "Chicken of the Taverns," because that's a fun thing to say, and the cupcakes becasue I'm sure they are very good. The photos/drawings throughout the boo...more
Looking for something to enjoy and pass on - maybe to a fun hostess or someone heading to their first apartment? It's a cookbook with lots of text, large pictures (demonstrating the goofiness of Sedaris and various dishes), and the juxtaposition of both recipes & life wit. There's plenty from the Southern front and the Greek side, showcasing Amy's childhood spent in NC and her family's Greek heritage, as well as contributions from other friends (i.e. Stephen Colbert) and family (Rooster and...more
Jan 10, 2009
bookczuk
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bookcrossing,
give-me-my-time-back
Given to me by a girlfriend who said "This was a Christmas book we all thought would be funny, but..."
I opened it and the first page I came to told how to get blood stains out of panties and how to clean my what's-it.
I'll give it another thumb through, though. My friend may be right.
From the Publisher
Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for lumberjacks? A dinner party for white-collar workers? A festive gathering for the grieving? Don't despair. Take a cue from entertaini...more
I opened it and the first page I came to told how to get blood stains out of panties and how to clean my what's-it.
I'll give it another thumb through, though. My friend may be right.
From the Publisher
Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for lumberjacks? A dinner party for white-collar workers? A festive gathering for the grieving? Don't despair. Take a cue from entertaini...more
Read the STOP SMILING interview with Amy Sedaris:
In white heels and a blue dress embroidered with the words “I like rum,” the petite, livewire comedian and actress Amy Sedaris stands on a white platform in front of a large square wired to spin as she shifts her position. “I feel like I’m gaining weight,” she mutters. During a visit to the 86collective gallery of digital arts in Chicago, Amy returned to the town where she cut her teeth as a member of the Second City improv troupe. Sedaris has sin...more
In white heels and a blue dress embroidered with the words “I like rum,” the petite, livewire comedian and actress Amy Sedaris stands on a white platform in front of a large square wired to spin as she shifts her position. “I feel like I’m gaining weight,” she mutters. During a visit to the 86collective gallery of digital arts in Chicago, Amy returned to the town where she cut her teeth as a member of the Second City improv troupe. Sedaris has sin...more
There is just so much going on in this book and considering that this essentially is a cookbook, I read it cover to cover. Amy Sedaris is a total crack-up. With this book you will learn all the must-knows and need-to-do’s to throw a successful get-together. There are sections on how to get weird stains out post-party, tips on how to make money off your friends when you invite them over to dinner, entertaining the elderly (thread needles as take home gifts0, ways to beat hangovers, or how to vomi...more
The cover shows a slightly pixilated-looking hostess in a long white strappy dress with a flared skirt and a brilliant fire engine red gauzy ruffled petticoat peeking from underneath the hem. She is sporting silver lame stiletto-heeled shoes and a transparent gauzy pink apron to go with her ensemble. She’s holding a (fake) cooked turkey but it might as well be a martini, judging by the slightly glazed grin she has on her face. This looks exactly like an advertisement of a 50s housewife showing t...more
Amy Sedaris wrote a book just for me!!
Well, ok.. she didn’t write it JUST for me, but this book is my new guide to life!
I Like You: hospitality under the influence by Amy Sedaris is almost impossible to classify. Technically is supposed to be a guide to entertaining. But it’s also a cookbook (with over 100 recipes), a guide to parties and social occasions (from entertaining in-laws to blind dates), and so much more.
In case you’re wondering just who Amy Sedaris is, or why that name sounds familia...more
Well, ok.. she didn’t write it JUST for me, but this book is my new guide to life!
I Like You: hospitality under the influence by Amy Sedaris is almost impossible to classify. Technically is supposed to be a guide to entertaining. But it’s also a cookbook (with over 100 recipes), a guide to parties and social occasions (from entertaining in-laws to blind dates), and so much more.
In case you’re wondering just who Amy Sedaris is, or why that name sounds familia...more
Aug 13, 2009
Karin
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-edition,
entertaining,
funny,
hospitality,
parties,
nonfiction,
rabbits,
quirky,
cooking,
borrowed-from-the-library
This is Amy Sedaris’ amusing guide to entertaining. She offers all sorts of helpful hints on how to prepare for and entertain various types of guests, throw a variety of parties, and behavior and etiquette guidelines for dinner/party attendees. She also throws in a chapter on proper rabbit care and maintenance – because she has a pet rabbit and it is the center of her world. You’ll also find recipes and suggestions for getting out various kinds of stains. If you get the audio edition of this boo...more
This is actually a useful book about entertaining if you have a sense of humor. If you don't have a sense of humor, it might be hard to figure out which "To Do" tips are things you should never do. Unless you are Amy Sedaris and everyone knows that you are perverse. Learn how to entertain for friends, businessmen, alcoholics, stoners, various other drug addicts, barnacles, physically and mentally sick people, and rabbits. Lots of recipes. Learn the magic of the cheese ball.
I generally enjoy Amy Sedaris’s sense of humor. The off-the-wall “guest favors” brought to mind the many art projects of my youth. I too, was once obsessed with plastic wiggly eyes and popsicle sticks. Thankfully for us, Sedaris hasn’t outgrown her devotion to making bizarre and useless knickknacks. She also has a knack for icing highly unusual greetings atop cakes.
I can’t imagine ever hosting a dinner party, so I guess you won’t have to worry about me trying any of the tips or recipes offered...more
I can’t imagine ever hosting a dinner party, so I guess you won’t have to worry about me trying any of the tips or recipes offered...more
Amy reads her book in character, well a few characters. Pretty funny characters, but I like her brother, David Sedaris more than Amy. Still, there were three laugh out loud moments:
She tells readers/listeners what to tell people who want to bring something to your party, when it is some recipe they have been wanting to try: Your party is not the place for your friends' culinary experiments. Save that for the bedroom.
Amy also includes dating adivice:
Don't tell a first date everything about yourse...more
She tells readers/listeners what to tell people who want to bring something to your party, when it is some recipe they have been wanting to try: Your party is not the place for your friends' culinary experiments. Save that for the bedroom.
Amy also includes dating adivice:
Don't tell a first date everything about yourse...more
I’m not really sure what compelled me to buy this book, other than I’ve found Ms Sedaris to be funny when I’ve seen her on TV.
I’m not sure that I can count this book towards my 60 books read in 2011 since there really wasn’t a lot of reading to do. I don’t read recipes and if I do, it’s not really reading in my book.
I will say the book was a bit of a disappointment to me. I was really expecting something funny (perhaps I’m expecting her to be too much like her brother, David.) Or perhaps the pro...more
I’m not sure that I can count this book towards my 60 books read in 2011 since there really wasn’t a lot of reading to do. I don’t read recipes and if I do, it’s not really reading in my book.
I will say the book was a bit of a disappointment to me. I was really expecting something funny (perhaps I’m expecting her to be too much like her brother, David.) Or perhaps the pro...more
Perfect for : Personal Use, Hostess Gift, General Gift
In a nutshell: When I first opened this book, I laughed because of all the humor (it really IS a fun book), but then I started to read it and found that I was amazed at all the helpful information it contained! Learn to cook with new recipes, learn how to host a kids party (this can be harder than it sounds!), write a letter to a celebrity asking for an autograph, what to wear to the doctor's office, how to bury (or memorialize) a pet. . . yo...more
In a nutshell: When I first opened this book, I laughed because of all the humor (it really IS a fun book), but then I started to read it and found that I was amazed at all the helpful information it contained! Learn to cook with new recipes, learn how to host a kids party (this can be harder than it sounds!), write a letter to a celebrity asking for an autograph, what to wear to the doctor's office, how to bury (or memorialize) a pet. . . yo...more
This is what happens when you join a GR reading group to widen your genres- you end up reading stuff like this. This book is a complete piss-take (as my father would have said) and although it purports to be a guide to entertaining guests,or being the perfect guest. It has moments of complete madness. I mean, a couple of pages on how to put on panty-hose, the process requiring a pair of cotton gloves, changing to rubber gloves for the final bit. Hmmm? It does contain numerous recipes, with photo...more
May 16, 2008
Agrimorfee
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who hate--or love--Martha Stewart
Goofy spoof of Martha Stewart's foodie/craftie world, stuck in a white-bread, small-town simple world with a dash of paranoia and almost psychopathic obsessions with rabbits and pantyhose. Kind of like a girly, colorful version of John Hodgman's The Areas of My Expertise. You will just go ga-ga over the inner flap! :)
I'm baffled by this book and can't give it any rating. This is a sort-of humorous, sort-of serious book about entertaining, and the problem that it's way too hard to tell where the line is drawn and when I'm supposed to take the contents as a joke or seriously! For example, the book is full of real recipes... BUT they're not very good ones. And the pictures of them look absolutely awful. BUT if the awful photography happened to be intentional in line with the classiness level of the book, I can'...more
This cracked me up. Hilarious pictures, and the crafts and recipes are all retro trash - in a good and reminiscent way! A combination of actual advice and comedic "advice."
The recipes all seem real (I thought they were going to be more joke-y, like an "Elephant Stew" type of thing) - although they ARE the type of recipes hastily scrawled on four lines of an index card that you find glued by unidentifiable food-stuffs to the bottom of a drawer in your gramma's house.
Also, this book helped me to m...more
The recipes all seem real (I thought they were going to be more joke-y, like an "Elephant Stew" type of thing) - although they ARE the type of recipes hastily scrawled on four lines of an index card that you find glued by unidentifiable food-stuffs to the bottom of a drawer in your gramma's house.
Also, this book helped me to m...more
AH! HYSTERICAL! WONDERFUL! The photos are goofy & weird, the layout is dizzying but fascinating, and my only complaint is that the recipes are scattered throughout instead of lumped together in a more traditional cookbook style--you have to work a little to find what you want, but really...this book is fabulous.
Huh, this book was definitely not what I expected it to be. Maybe less than 1/3 of it met my expectations of it being a humorous and parody-like novel - there was some truly hilarious stuff and there was some that was waaaay overboard. It starts with Amy's mocking and sarcastic description of hospitality, unfortunately later on it turns a bit boring.
The other part, the one that took me by surprise was for the large part of it recipes and the rest was some creative ideas. I'm not saying it was ba...more
The other part, the one that took me by surprise was for the large part of it recipes and the rest was some creative ideas. I'm not saying it was ba...more
I would suggest listening to this book rather than reading it. It's only three cds, which is relatively short for audiobooks. Amy Sedaris delivers advice about entertaining guests and hosting dinner parties, and she's absolutely hilarious. A few of my favorite snippets: "[when making conversation on a blind date:] Don't ask hard questions or questions that involve a lot of thinking, such as: Does the sun make noise? Do you tip a cobbler? How do you teach hope? When can we see each other again?"...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| not good? | 3 | 85 | Jul 11, 2011 10:19am |
Comedianne Amy Sedaris confronts vulgarity with a daring innocence to create her wickedly absurd characters. You may best remember her as America's most lovable skank, Jerri Blank, from the hyper-irreverent series Strangers With Candy. Raised in North Carolina,, Sedaris got her start at Second City in Chicago before moving to N.Y.C. to write plays with her brother, author David Sedaris, who has hi...more
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