celebraTORI: Unleashing Your Inner Party Planner to Entertain Friends and Family [Anglais] [Relié]

*UPDATED*
(Note: I collaborated with my wife on this review.)

INTRO
Two parts memoir, one part entertaining manual, celebraTORI is the third book by Tori Spelling that I have been instructed to buy for my lovely wife. There is something about Tori Spelling that we both find appealing - for a woman growing up with stardom and fame lining every wall of her house (and there were many) she seems rather down to earth, and very approachable. My wife and I don't do a whole lot of entertaining (except our regular friends who come over for SNL, wine and cheese), but given our enjoyment of Tori's previous works, we figured it would be worth a read.

CONTENT
As others have mentioned, the content was a TINY bit lacking. There weren't as many relevant pictures or recipes/ideas as one might have expected from this genre, but on the other hand the pictures included were beautiful (I'm a professional photographer and was quite jealous), and the ideas innovative and helpful. There were a lot of anecdotes in the book, so if you are buying this for a list of ideas and not much else, you might be disappointed. According to my wife, the ideas that were in the book were very useful (or "cute" as she put it) and since she enjoys Tori's writing and reading about her life, the book was enjoyed nonetheless. We found the party themes included to be a little too "out there" for our tastes, but no points were taken off due to the subjective nature of party planning. What works for some, may not for others and I am sure that there are those of you who will love "Cowboys and Lace". I appreciated that she has a certain panache in her party-planning, without presenting ideas that would break the bank for the rest of us (she even has a whole section dedicated to budgeting).

All of that said, a whole lot is included this book. From what time to start an event, to what drinks and even what glassware to use, the content was by no means disappointing! Some of it can be a little basic, and some is a little too over the top, but there is something for everyone and you are guaranteed to find a new and exciting idea to try at your next event!

OVERALL
My wife and I both agree that Tori comes across as quite a genuine writer - I didn't feel as though she was writing just for the sake of having a new book out but she clearly enjoys entertaining and doing it in a fun way! Be prepared for a lot of narrative as supposed to instructions and lists, but if your expectations are open enough I really think you will enjoy this book! We only gave it four stars because at certain points we felt as though we were rereading content from her previous titles, and for the fact that there could have been a little more meat in certain chapters. Overall I think 4.5 stars would be more appropriate, but alas we are limited in our choices there.

I read the reviews before buying this book, and I thought to myself I'm 50/50 on this. But, after much debate, I bought it anyway. And....I'm so glad I did. It's a great party planning book. I found tons of tips, and great ideas.

I do agree with one of the reviwers that there is a lot of time spent telling Tori's story. I think we could have packed this with more information and ideas and made the intro briefer. But other than that - I loved it.

Ok I have to admit I love Tori (hence the title of my review). What I love about her latest book is how down to Earth she really is (reading her stories you would think she was the mom next door talking about party planning). She has some fantastic ideas on how to make your own party without spending a gagillion dollars (yes that is a real amount). Everything show is tastefully done and she even provides you with some recipes (amazingly enough yes this girl does cook). If you are someone, like myself, who needs beginner information on party planning and plenty of ideas then this book is for you (it comes complete with stories from Tori's everyday life, which is always humerous).