Secrets of Entertaining: From America's Best Innkeepers

Some women may find the first half of this book useful, certainly if you own or are managing a bed and breakfast this book is a must, but for myself, I don't need to know how to use place mats or any of the other advice here to make my guests feel pampered in my home. Actually I don't want any guests I have to go out of the way for. Plus, I already keep my bathroom sparkly clean. I do that for myself. Maybe a brand new bride who is eager to please her husband's family when they come visiting might find succor here, but not me. However, the second half of this book is chock-a-block full of delicious recipes from various inns throughout America and I'm a girl who loves to cook, so that alone makes this book a keeper for me. The Poached Eggs with Herbal Stuffing from the Doanleigh Wallagh Inn on page 138 are to die for, just divine. And the Hannah Marie Country Inn's Swiss Apple Flan on page 204 is a nice desert that you'd probably never think of making by yourself. And I just love the Herb Crusted Chicken with Cider Bourbon Sauce from the Inn at Cedar Falls. So in short, this is a good book for anybody who needs to seriously entertain, but if you don't need to do that, you can still reap many benefits from the delicious recipes. I guess you could say this is kind of two books in one. Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

This is a nice book with many lovely ideas for entertaining houseguests. Although many of the ideas submitted apply primarily to owners of bed & breakfast inns, they can easily be used by ordinary hosts and hostesses who wish to demonstrate graciousness and hospitality to their guests.