Featured Event Theme: Literary-inspired Party
Literary parties are one of the party themes on the rise in 2015. We love this theme for tons of reasons, one of which is you can customize just about every element of it with ease and precision, taking guests from one imaginary world to another with a simple change in tables or turn about the room.
Best Ideas for a Literary Party
Literary Party Appetizer and Hors d’Oeuvre Ideas
What do you serve to start off a literary party? These themed starter menus are great:- Tea-party-type foods, à la Alice in Wonderland, such as finger sandwiches, cookies and tea
- Green eggs and ham, an appetizer fit for Dr. Seuss fans
- Fried green tomatoes, after Fannie Flagg’s tale
- Rabbit stew, a Rabbit, Run inspiration
Book Party Menu Ideas
The beauty of this theme is . . . you can serve just about anything and turn it into your theme!- Pizza Napoletana, for Eat, Pray, Love readers
- 1920s menu including potato and leek soup, herb chicken and plum pudding, in honor of The Great Gatsby
- Russian menu staples, for example, beef stroganoff, for Anna Karenina
- Southern barbecue, a fitting menu for the abundance of highly revered Southern novels, such as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil or No Country for Old Men
- Orange chicken, a loose representation of A Clockwork Orange
Cocktails Inspired by Literature
Cocktails named after famous literary characters and book titles? Sounds amazingly fun to us! Here are a few signature book-inspired cocktail recipes that we like:- Catcher in the Rye, after the coming-of-age classic by J.D. Salinger: rye whiskey, sherry, Grand Marnier, Torani Amer and bitters
- Tennessee Fizz, after author and playwright Tennessee Williams: dry gin, heavy cream, egg whites, lemon and lime juice, orange flower water and sugar
- Mint Julep, after the ever-popular drink made famous by American great William Faulkner: whiskey, sugar, mint and ice
- Tequila Mockingbird, when said out loud, sounds just like the classic To Kill a Mockingbird: tequila, lime juice, watermelon puree, agave syrup and a slice of jalapeno pepper
- Good old-fashioned red wine, so often consumed in Middle Earth favorites such as Game of Thrones
Book Party Décor
The most creative places to incorporate the theme are in both the centerpieces and place settings. Here are some of our favorite ways to turn your tables (and more) into literature:- Themed tables. Name each table after a book or author, such as the Alice in Wonderland table or the Lewis Carroll table.
- Classic book piles. Stack up old classics found at secondhand shops to create the main component of the centerpieces.
- Library card table numbers. Write table numbers on old or blank library checkout cards.
- Library card invitations. Make your invites part of the literary theme!
- Page place settings. Fold up actual pages from old literary classics and turn them into place setting name cards.
- Books on a string. String books on heavy, durable rope or twine and hang them facedown along the walls.