The table is where we share our ideas, our warmth, and our humor. SIMPLE SOIREES: Seasonal Menus for Sensational Dinner Parties was written to help readers with dinner party strategies, shopping and decorating tips. It shows how to plan ahead and be ready without being in a panic when your friends and guests arrive.

Author Peggy Knickerbocker lives in two of the greatest food cities in the world, Paris and San Francisco, and she loves to give dinner parties wherever she is. In SIMPLE SOIREES, the food journalist, travel writer, former caterer, and restaurateur shares her passion, her welcoming spirit, and her secrets for creating a memorable party, whether it be a romantic dinner for two, a birthday party for a special friend, or a cocktail fundraiser.

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"Simple Soirees; Seasonal Menus for Sensational Dinner Parties," by Peggy Knickerbocker; photography by Christopher Hirsheimer (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 224 pages, $35)

Correction: On page 155, CRISPY, CREAMY CHOCOLATE COOKIES- it should read 1 1/4 cups flour not 1/4 cup flour.