The charismatic and multi-talented Amy Sedaris is many things: actress, author, and yes, David Sedariss sister. Now, she takes on the world of entertaining in this blisteringly funny collection of bizarre tips, recipes and craft ideas (like mini pantyhose plant-hangers!) perfect for hosting an unforgettable fete. Your guests will rave.

There came the splash of water and the rub of heels as Mrs Barber stepped into the tub. After that there was a silence, broken only by the occasional echoey plink of drips from the tap... 'Frances had been picturing her lodgers in purely mercenary terms -- as something like two great waddling shillings. But this, she thought, was what it really meant to have paying guests: this odd, unintimate proximity, this rather peeled-back moment, where the only...

"The Louis XVI Hotel on the rue Boissy d'Anglas just off the Faubourg St. Honore in Paris had been closed for renovations for four years. The street it was on was particularly appropriate, open only to foot traffic. It was guarded by a policeman, who would open the barrier for a car to pass carrying an important person, or guests of the exclusive hotel. Smaller than the grand 'palaces', the five-star hotels of Paris, it was a favorite among those...

Owl at home: Relates five adventures of owl. Grasshopper on the road : As Grasshopper sets out to follow a road, he meets some unusual characters. Small pig: Because the farmer's wife insists on cleaning his mud puddle, a little pig runs away to the city where he becomes permanently stuck in what he thought was a mud puddle. Uncle elephant: Uncle Elephant comes to the rescue when his nephew's parents are lost at sea and cares for him until they...