Unitarian Universalist minister York made a splash with her slender inspirational books Remembering Well and Pilgrim Heart; fans won't be disappointed with this third volume, in which she turns her attention to hospitality. What does it mean to en-counter the stranger? In a world that seems increasingly anomic, how can we create intimacy? Stories from York's own life exemplify hospitality--she takes a homeless man to a diner for breakfast and finds meaning and closeness in small talk she makes with a man she often sees on her jogging route. (Don't be fooled, though: York, always a personable narrator, doesn't present herself as perfectly virtuous. She also loses her temper in traffic and dislikes waiting in lines.) One especially moving tale is that of Gary Smith, a minister who found himself stranded in a strange town with a toddler and a hospitalized wife. Another minister, whom Smith had never met before, came to the rescue, taking the toddler into his home until Smith's wife had recuperated: Stories like that, York suggests, are not so unusual; most of us can remember a time when we were helped by a stranger. York also offers practical tips: share a meal with friends; think of the Internet not as an atomizing force, but as a place of intimacy where old friends can reconnect; revive that older ethic of neighborliness. Above all, York stresses, hospitality means presence. Readers will find here what they have come to expect from York--wisdom, humor and a glimpse of God's love. (Aug.) (Publishers Weekly, July 15, 2002)