A Coffee-Table Book You’ll Want to Read

Rarely do I sit down with a coffee-table book and end up reading the entire thing (223 pages!) front to back.

But that’s what happened with India Hicks: An Entertaining Story (Rizzoli, 2020). The photos, anecdotes and irreverent style of this book captured me and made me crave the togetherness of my own family.

Hicks has a unique spin on parties—beach towels laid down on a long table, children’s candy in cute little cups on an appetizer platter, tons of greenery foraged from the garden, and crazy-inventive cocktails (e.g., The Marquess’s Banana Daiquiri).

The first chapter, “Let’s Start with a Drink,” paves the way for dinners, lunches, tea time, picnics and holiday celebrations, crescendoing into The British Breakfast. Tips and recipes are scattered throughout.

According to Hicks, great entertaining takes “laughter and love and a great eye.” This book can help you achieve at least the latter.

$45; amazon.com