Halloween Parties: How to Throw Spook-Tacular Soirees and Frighteningly Festive Entertainments (Paperback)

~ (Author), Bill Milne (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Photo stylist Hellander’s book of Halloween-themed entertainment ideas shares recipes, decorating tips and invitation ideas for six different spooky parties. The Tricks & Treats party is pretty run of the mill, with its jack-o’-lantern goody bags, suggestions for pumpkin carving and recipes for Cupcakes with Candy Surprise Centers and Hot Red Wine with Cloves and Almonds. The rest of the parties—Witches’ Brew; It’s a Mod, Mod World!; Hocus Pocus; Haunted House; and That Old Devil Moon—basically offer variations on the theme, with vaguely original ideas for party favors, place settings and snacks. Many of the suggestions seem flimsy (e.g., covering a room’s walls with wrapping paper to create a festive atmosphere) and don’t specifically apply to Halloween (e.g., party favors like styrofoam balls wrapped in crepe paper with tiny charms and fortunes stored inside; or recipes such as Breadsticks with Prosciutto and Robiola). But first-time hosts who haven’t a clue where to begin might glean something from this enthusiastic book. 96 photos.
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Product Description

A boring Halloween party? The horror! Millions of Americans live to be scared silly, and for them October 31 marks the beginning of the holiday season: a reason to dress and act outrageously. This hip, photograph-filled paperback, packed with recipes and crafts, makes entertaining on Allhallows' Eve terrifyingly easy. From a frightful dinner for four to a full-out, monster-mashing Haunted Mansion, Lori Hellander concocts six parties guaranteed to make guests scream in delight. The Hocus Pocus Potion Party highlights eerie elegance, while Tricks and Treats taps into Halloween nostalgia.

Like a skilled carver attacking a pumpkin, Hellander chops up each themed party into manageable chunks: invitations; shopping and scheduling; decor and costumes; food and drink; games for all ages. But aspiring fete-ishists need not have tons of time or an armory of glue guns to get the parties going: there are plenty of quick and simple-to-execute ideas, plus useful tips for impromptu entertaining. AUTHOR BIO: LORI HELLANDER lives in New York City, but her work as a photo stylist takes her to many places on the map. She is a regular contributor to Country Living, Bon Appétit, and Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, among other national publications, and has made several guest appearances on HGTV's Country Style and the Discovery Channel's Surprise by Design.

BILL MILNE is a photographer and image-maker who has contributed to Gourmet, Wine Spectator, Time, People, and many other publications.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584793392
• ISBN-13: 978-1584793397
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,135,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, ideas, not worth it!, August 29, 2004

By	Timberwolf (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I rarely write reviews, but after I received this Halloween book, if you would even like to put it in that catagory, I felt I needed to save anyone from buying it!
An avid celebrater of Halloween, I thought that I had to have this boook for my collection--the title itself was SO catchy. After looking at it, the book was returned.
Words cannot even describe the dissappointment I felt after glancing through it. Boring, old, uninviting, crafty suggestions. If you are looking for a good Halloween book for the not too crafty or the not too gory, games, treats, decorations, try 101 Halloween Ideas.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated Halloween suppers for grownups, November 1, 2007

By	alexxcz "alexxcz" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Halloween Parties: How to Throw Spook-Tacular Soirees and Frighteningly Festive Entertainments (Paperback)

This book is perhaps not well named. It is NOT about spooky spectacular Halloween parties. You won't find creative decorating and innovative costume ideas. Rather it is a nice recipe book for adult dinners, fun cocktails, and elegant place settings for a seasonal supper party. It isn't a one-shop top for your Halloween party ideas, but I really like some of their magical spell ideas, and their fun dinner and drink recipes.

2.0 out of 5 stars So much potential., February 8, 2009

By	Melissa S. "HalloweenGeek" (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews

This is one of those books that I like the *idea* of, but not so much the execution. It's gotten to the point where if a book has the word "spooky" (or a variation) on the cover, I'm just going to assume it's not. The idea - offering ideas for six themed parties - would make for an excellent book if they were all actually Halloween-themed. Sadly, even the Halloween-specific party suggestions fall a little flat.