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Let’ s Party!
Here are five books dedicated to helping you put on a fabulous shindig, no matter how big or small.
BY ELIN WOODS
It’ s the holiday season, and a lot of us are in full party mode. But because parties take place all year, not just at the holidays, I thought it’ d be apropos to write about books that are full of planning tips and know-how to help you celebrate in style and, hopefully, with very little stress. Many are collections of recipes, while others offer advice, DIY crafts, or other info to help you not only feed people well, but also make your space welcoming, cozy, and on-theme. Or just ideas to help ensure that your guests have fun. There are a few different types of gatherings covered, from intimate one-on-one situations to events for the whole team or family, so hopefully there’ s a little something for everyone.
Barefoot Contessa Parties!: Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun
By Ina Garten Something I’ ve noticed in my time spent in foodie circles is that people are often a Martha Stewart fan or they love Ina Garten. While I enjoy both, I’ ve met Ina, and she was absolutely lovely, so she gets my vote.( Martha, if you’ re listening and you’ d like to meet, I’ m known for keeping an open mind.) Both Garten and Stewart have party books, and Martha’ s are especially excellent for Halloween, but I’ ve long loved Ina’ s approach that while parties should be fun, they shouldn’ t make you anxious and overwhelmed, so if it helps to buy the cake from the store instead of making it from scratch, the guests will never care because they’ ll have cake. This particular book holds the recipe to one of my favorites of her bakes, her famous lemon cake, and that alone is worth a library borrow or a purchase for your collection.
Teatime Birthdays: Afternoon Tea Celebrations for All Ages
Edited by Lorna Ables Reeves I’ ve been a TeaTime magazine subscriber for what feels like an eternity. I love an afternoon tea, especially for a birthday party. In fact, it’ s been a tradition of mine to either host a tea party, be taken to a tea, or just take myself out to a fancy cup of tea for my birthday, so this book is right up my alley. It includes
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10 different menus for themed teas and nearly 100 recipes.( I’ ve had good success with their recipes in the past.) What I love about this book is not just the themed fetes, but also the tea knowledge that’ s shared. Want to know, for example, the proper brewing time and temperature for a green tea? Teatime’ s got you. It’ s something many of their books feature, and all are filled to the brim with tea party inspiration.
The Turquoise Table: Finding Community and Connection in Your Own Front Yard
By Kristin Schell Parties don’ t have to be loud or large in order to count. I found this book a fascinating little discovery because it’ s about reconnecting with the people around us and how a gathering, even with just one other person, is as important as a big party. Back in 2013, the author, who was a food blogger, was looking to slow down and connect with her neighbors, and maybe even total strangers, so she painted a picnic table turquoise, put it in her front yard, and began inviting people to join her at the table. The goal was to build community and friendships, old and new, and it eventually grew into a national movement, with turquoise picnic tables popping up in almost every state and even a few other countries.
Tailgreat: How to Crush It at Tailgating
By John Currence Tailgating can be quite the shindig, with tasty eats sizzling on the grill, cold drinks, jammin’ tunes, and lots of team spirit. I’ ve only done it a few times, but I had fun when I did.( Well, mostly; there was one time I’ d rather not revisit, but that’ s a story for another day.) Currence is a James Beard Award winner and former Top Chef Masters contestant who knows his way around a party. He hails from Oxford, Mississippi, the home of Ole Miss, and I know that some of those Southern tailgates are legendary, so why not get some tips and recipes for throwing an even better tailgate than you already do? Even if your team loses, you’ ll have had amazing food and good times with friends and fellow sports fans. But don’ t think because