Hosting a book club party doesn’t have to be stressful when you have so many resources at the Library to help you plan. When I host, I like to use themes from the book we're discussing to help me plan what I'll serve to eat and drink, and with decorating and setting the mood.

I recently hosted a book club party at my house, with the group having read The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. Since the novel takes place mostly on one New York City block, I was inspired by the city and knew I had to serve quintessential New York City noshes.
 

New York is known for bagels and a shmear, so I made an Everything Bagel cheese ball, served up with bagel chips. Since New York is also famous for pizza, I made and served a three-cheese spinach flatbread pizza.

As an ode to New York delis, I made sure that I had an appropriate charcuterie platter, with a variety of cold cut meats, served alongside crackers with olives and pickles.

For drinks, I was inspired by the book's main character, Anna, who was always drinking merlot. I served a couple bottles of good wine, and a fun and delicious cocktail, called a New York Sour.

In one scene from the novel, Anna recalls a fond memory of spending time with her father at a cranberry bog. I used this as inspiration for the dessert I made, a chocolate cranberry bundt cake.

I didn’t go all out with New York-inspired decorations, but I could have. It would have been easy to create a simple New York City centerpiece, such as a stack of books with a red apple on top, or a vase filled with red roses, a simple-yet-classic way to represent our state flower.

Another fun way to set the mood at a book club party is to play music, and you can be really creative with your playlist by selecting songs from your favorite artists and bands inspired by the book. In the case of The Woman in the Window, or other NYC-based books, you could select New York City musicians like Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Kiss, Beastie Boys, The Ramones, The Strokes, Neil Diamond, Tony Bennett, Billy Joel… the list goes on!

Planning Your Next Book Club Party

Here's a list of books and resources to help you plan your book club get-together:

Graze: Inspiration for Small Plates and Meandering Meals by Lenzer, Suzanne

Great ideas for preparing tapas style dishes, appetizers and snacks.

 

 

 

 

The Art of the Cheese Plate: Pairings, Recipes, Style, Attitude by Keenan, Tia

A guide on constructing beautiful cheese and charcuterie platters.

 

 

 

 

Make it Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Garten, Ina

You can’t go wrong with Ina.  Planning ahead is always a good idea and this book will help you prepare dishes in advance. 

 

 

I'm Just Here for the Drinks: A Guide to Spirits, Drinking and More than 100 Extraordinary Cocktails by Teague, Sother

This book of cocktails has it all: Easy drink recipes, tips, and stories about spirits.

 

 

 

Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Federle, Tim

The essential cocktail collection for literature lovers.

 

 

 

 

Cook's Illustrated Baking Book: Baking Demystified with 450 Foolproof Recipes from America's Most Trusted Food Magazine by America's Test Kitchen

Save room for dessert!

 

 

Celebrate Everything!: Fun Ideas to Bring Your Parties to Life by Miller, Darcy

This book is packed with party decorating ideas for all kinds of celebrations. Make your gatherings extra special with helpful hints and inspirations.

 

 

 

 

(Image: giphy.com: https://gph.is/2HUHJQb)