CHRISTOPHER LOWELL, THE HASSLE-FREE HOST: Super-Simple Tablescapes and Recipes for Stunning Parties

Lowell is an excellent host. You can tell by the way he invites readers into his book, engaging directly with them, encouraging them to try new things: "See? Now you really can do this!" as if they're watching one of his Discovery Channel shows. Part decorating manual, part cookbook, with etiquette tips for entertaining sprinkled throughout, Lowell's book promotes his philosophy of entertaining: the goal is to create an environment in which everyone's comfortable, including the host. Lowell advocates easy table decorations and recipes that only look hard to create. He includes tips for thematic decorative tablescapes ("[I]t's not about the table, love, it's about what you do on it") and "Ridiculously Easy Recipes" that require more organizing and assembling than cooking, combining prepared foods with fresh ingredients. Recipes often complement tabletop displays, like the terracotta flower pot centerpieces that mesh with the menu for "Lunch on the Sundeck" (Chilled Avocado Soup, Grilled Beef Salad, Frozen Key Lime Pie). Serious cooks might balk at Lowell's suggested shortcuts, but those pressed for time will lap them up. 150 color photos not seen by PW . (Sept.)

Forecast: With branded products (including linens, tableware and window coverings), three previous books and two TV shows, Lowell is a well-known name whose book will undoubtedly hit big.