Gorgeous. Stunning. Inspiring. Picture-perfect. These adjectives, and so many more, accurately describe a beautiful new party-planning cookbook entitled “So Much to Celebrate: Entertaining the Ones You Love the Whole Year Through”. Written by Katie Jacobs of the food and lifestyle blog “Styling My Everyday”, and published by Thomas Nelson, this volume is so much more than a cookbook. . . It is a work of art that will inspire you to “create meaningful, extraordinary celebrations that foster lifelong memories with the ones you love.”

When I first received my copy of “So Much to Celebrate” in the mail, I was delighted at how large, high-quality, and visually appealing it is. Dozens or even hundreds of professional photos of food and decor grace the glossy pages, and a ribbon bookmark allows you to mark your next recipe with pretty style! The recipes and party inspirations are arranged by season, with menus, decorating tips and more for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter – and of course gorgeous pictures to accompany each idea. Just a sampling of the various party inspirations (that I’m most excited to try!) include: Fairy-Tale Fern White Linen Luncheon, Backyard Movie Night, Milkshake Social, Harvest Picnic, and Gingerbread House Decorating Party.

This book is all about how “Living life with joy and gratitude alongside the people you love makes every day special and worthy of celebration”. One beautiful way to celebrate is by the planning for and preparation of healthy and delicious food, and that is a focal point of “So Much to Celebrate”. . . scrumptious recipes! I have found several that I can hardly wait to try (and just need to track down a few ingredients for), including Fish Tacos with Grilled Corn Slaw and Strawberry Mango Salsa, Popovers with Gruyere and Chives, Peach Caprese Salad, and Smoked Brisket Chili. The one downfall of some of these recipes (for me, but for others it may not be an issue) is that in many of them Katie does not hesitate to use large amounts of sugar – an ingredient that I try to limit or avoid in my cooking and baking. Overall, however, “So Much to Celebrate” contains a wonderful variety of new dishes to try, so there will unquestionably be something to suit every palate.

In the end, I am delighted with this lovely new book from Katie Jacobs. Most importantly, it is “a book that is not only beautiful but is also a guide to creating lifelong memories with your family and friends – inspiration to encourage more parties, more togetherness, more celebrations. It is (Katie’s) hope that the family suppers, holiday parties, and informal gatherings found in these pages will inspire you to live a little more life together with the ones you love.”

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.