Party guide hits all occasions

CARRIE PLUCKER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

What do you think of when you hear the word college? OK, besides outrageously high tuition rates.

If you said party, then give yourself a pat on the back.

Partying mixes with college the same way chocolate mixes with peanut butter: deliciously. However, some of the most important elements of throwing outstanding parties, such as decorations, setting the mood, and appropriate food and beverages, are totally ignored by the college population.

Therefore, if you find yourself desperately wanting to host an outstanding get-together but want more to the atmosphere than six-packs of Busch Light and insanely loud rap music, you need to find a copy of “The Recovering Sorority Girls’ Guide to a Year’s Worth of Perfect Parties.”

The book was written by two sorority sisters, Kristina Rose and Deandra Brooks, who wanted to pass on the secrets of superb party planning they acquired while in college. The book is geared toward women, but the advice in the book can be followed by men just as easily.

The book is divided up by months, and every type of party you could possibly throw for every month of the year is included. The book includes tips for throwing a Mardi Gras party, a Japanese Cherry Bloom Festival party, and even a Kentucky Derby party; plenty of party variety with plenty of great potential.

One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the menu lists. Each different party has a different menu, and some of the recipes sounded delicious.

There were some tasty-sounding recipes for chicken satays (translation: chicken on a stick), Asian noodle salad and roasted turkey club wraps, just to name a few.

And of course, there were delicious beverage recipes to go along with each party.

The authors of the book were extremely thorough; they did not neglect a single area of consideration for hosts and hostesses.

Each party idea came equipped with a timeline beginning three weeks before the party and lasting right up until the afternoon of the event. There was also a section dedicated to decorations, some of which could be saved and recycled for other parties.

All in all, the amount of detail was just right; not too sparse, and not too overbearing.

If you’ve always dreamed of throwing that excellent party which your friends will talk about for months, then this book should give you some great ideas. Not only is it fun to read, but the ideas in the book are simple enough for any party-lover to perform.