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How To Host A Book Club Literary Luncheon

                                         

Imagine an afternoon set aside for good company and good books. Why not host your own literary luncheon around your Amish hardwood dining room table? Or host this fellowshipping event in your living room while gathered on your well built Amish crafted sofas and viewing your Amish bookcases that hold your personal book collection? For centuries literary personalities have gathered at events like this to exchange ideas and opinions. The warmth of your hardwood furniture will create an inviting and cozy atmosphere for a book club’s meeting and reviews of the most contemporary novel or the finest literature.

FOOD- First serve anything from a fine meal to gourmet desserts and tea on your show piece dining room table you had custom made by Amish craftsmen. The food and beverage can be homemade by you, a pot luck dish from each guest or even store bought and served in pretty dishes as long as it is well thought out.

THEME DECORATIONS - Keep with the theme of the event - the book or books. Whether you have a permanent separate library or, like many, have made the dining room a dual purpose dining and book repository, you can create a sumptuous luncheon and library in your home for an afternoon. An elegant touch is miniature reading lamps that are actually tea candle holders at each place. These candles cast a warm glow and create a theme. They can also be found in a single bulb with a small battery form. 

A place holder can be printed in the form of an ex libris bookplate and your guest’s name applied. By using high quality printing paper you can print out a menu resembling an old worn book page for each setting listing the temptations of the day. With a bit of imagination you can name each treat after an author or a book character. Napkins can be penned in a quote from the book or author. The centerpiece can be themed with the book but always the book or books must be placed in a focal point position. If the book is set in a certain era then the table settings should convey the era or idea.

If possible use the best silverware and dishes to keep with the intellectual elegance of the day. You can choose a table cloth matching the topic of the day or go with a dark damask or paisley print to keep in the old English library theme. Draping old shawls over the chairs is also a welcoming and comfy touch. Strewn about the table can be old reading glasses, magnifying glasses, old library cards and book marks. A wonderful take home favor is a personal journal and pen that you have encouraged everyone to jot down the afternoon’s topic and thoughts in.

If you have no bookcases in the room you can bring some in temporarily or stack random displays of books on buffets or occasional tables. Another option is to move the dining table into the room with bookshelves. A very cute idea is to bring in a small shelf with books and then a step ladder in front to emulate a library ladder.

Tags: AMISH, amish dining room tables, amish hardwood bookcases, amish tables, book club, book luncheon, book review, hosting book club

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at 12:34 am and is filed under Amish Furniture, Custom Dining Room Tables, Entertaining, Libraries and Offices, Party & Event Hosting, The Art of Dining at Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.