What's a Hostess to Do? (What's A... to Do?)

Love this book!

I picked up this book because I'm not a natural hostess and can use all the help I can get... Truthfully, the idea of throwing a dinner party fills me with dread. It's easy to get caught up in my worry of being judged. (Is our house too small? Are the decorations too plain? Is the food too basic? What if I run out of things to say? What if people don't have a good time? etc., etc...)Of course it's always easier to close yourself off and never take social risks. But I'm actually really proud of myself, because so far I've been meeting my goal to have at least one neighborhood family over to our house every month. We've had three families over so far this year, and each get together has gone really well! I've found that most people get a couple drinks in them and have a jolly ol' time no matter what. It's helped me understand that people aren't hellbent on judging others. In fact, everyone seems eager to look for the positive. I think we all just want to have a good time, you know?Anyway, this book definitely has some good advice when it comes to throwing parties. There are eight sections covering different types of gatherings, from a formal cocktail hour to a backyard picnic. I really like the sections on Setting the Scene (how to prepare your house for a party) and The Cocktail Hour (suggestions for making tasty cocktails, as well as how much alcohol to stock). Each section has lots of recipes, too, and even though I haven't tried any of them (and probably won't), it helps to see sample menus for each occasion. The tone of the book is more formal and uptight than casual, which means it's a little too intense for my liking. But I still appreciate reading about proper etiquette and helpful tips for throwing a successful party. I know I have a long way to go when it comes to truly impressing guests, but it's still comforting to know that a clean house, pretty flowers, a signature dish, and a delicious cocktail are pretty much all it takes for people to get a good vibe from your shindig. And you only get better at it the more parties you host, so I guess we'll just have to keep having people over.

Purchased paper copy recently from Amazon, published by Artisan, New York, latest in Series of "What's a ______________ to Do"?What's a Hostess (Host) to Do by Susan Spungen is fun, interesting and well organized. The main topics printed in color on the contents page and the individual pages for each topic are color coded right margin makeing it easy to locate those portions of the book.I'm one of those people who read cookbooks as if they were novels amd I'm enjoying this one. With a quick browse through I have picked up some helpful household - entertaining hints. I found the receipes to be interesting and will be using several this summer, some on the grill near our poolside cabana. The color photographs are useful because I always want to know before hand what the finished product should look like.I think Ms. Spungen has a winner.KEITH (TOM)

Love this book! I've been entertaining for years and this book still taught me new tricks. Wonderful and easy to follow recipes. Makes me want to entertain every weekend!

I bought this book for my daughter-in-law, a young Army officer's wife. I thought she may have a desire or need for some hostessing tips for formal (or informal) social events. I read the book before I gave it to her and picked up some good tips myself, though I don't do any entertaining except for close family members. Easy to read and a helpful reference book no matter the occasion.

Good deal

This is a wonderful book for either experienced hostesses or hostesses who just want to have fun with entertaining. I have been entertaining for a long time but have found this book to be full of things I never thought about (that were extremely handy) or things I discovered over the years. It has "inside" advice and tips, recipes, and all kind of things you never would have thought to ask about but are so glad they included.

Ok, but not enough about everyday kind of party help. Like what to do about guests that stay too long, smokers in your house. Accommodations for out of town family guests. How do you let them know they're on their own in a polite way? NO solutions to common day problems.

The book was very clean. I am very satisfied with Albertabookstore's professionalism and strongly recommend in buying books from it.

Disappointing: I didn't learn anything new. Might be useful for someone very young who's never hosted any sort of party, but even then, an internet search would turn up all the same ideas and advice.