I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence.(Brief article)(Book review)

I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence AMY SEDARIS. Warner, $27.95 (304p) ISBN 0-4465-7884-3

Sedaris's sidesplitting guide to throwing parties hopes to return readers to the times when the word "entertainment" was "charmingly old-fashioned, like courtship or back alley abortions." While her tongue is firmly in cheek, novice party-planners will actually find some helpful hints along the way as Sedaris offers instructions and real recipes. Her tips run the gamut from how to properly freeze meatballs (freeze them on a cookie sheet before putting them into a freezer bag so they won't stick together) and deal with the inebriated ("Better to cut them off rather than …