I have never hosted a party. But if I did, I know one thing for certain: it wouldn't be half as fun as any party Amy Sedaris has ever thrown.
I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, ever since I saw Sedaris on The Daily Show when it first came out. But I didn't want to actually pay for it. Fortunately I spotted it at the library and brought it home with me, and let me tell you, I am really glad I didn't pay for it.
Although Sedaris offers very useful information, such as how to exploit your party guests for money and how to make a pantyhose plant hanger, I am now so completely intimidated by Sedaris' party-making awesomeness and creativity that I have resolved to never invite anyone over ever again. Thus I feel like reading this book was counter-productive.
You might start I Like You thinking it's a cookbook. This would be understandable since there's a picture of a woman in an apron holding a turkey on the cover. But it's not. For one, the pictures (shot by Todd Freaking Oldham, by the way--don't you kind of hate Sedaris now?) make the food look like throw up. For another, it contains such recipes as, "PUMPKIN PIE: Directions are on back of can of pumpkin. Follow that." and, "BUTTER SPA-GETTI: Cook spaghetti. Toss with butter. And salt and pepper and serve."
Sometimes I wonder how books get made, and then I think, "Well, the author knows somebody." Sedaris obviously knows a lot of somebodies. I have to admit this book was funny, but it would have been funnier if we lived in a time where people put that much effort into parties anymore. Like if this book had been published in the 1950's--or 70's, even--it would have been totally subversive and hi-larious. As it was, it seemed like a lot of effort to put into a joke book that recycles a decades-old punch line and contains no real information... but props to the team who worked on it, because the design is pretty fabulous. I guess that's reason enough for its existence.
In conclusion, this book would have made a GREAT blog. It feels very blog-y. I'm still not convinced it makes a great book, though.
Powered by ScribeFire.
