Since it was all anyone could talk about, our book club decided to read the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey. For me, the jury’s still out on the book – it was certainly intriguing and I was turning the pages trying to find out more about the mystery man, Christian Grey’s, past. I didn’t think the writing was all that wonderful, and some of the elements of the book were repeated ad nauseam to the point where it got a little annoying. All in all though, I had to give the author props for a very different storyline from anything else I’ve been reading, and the story certainly kept me reading.

At the very least, the book sets a great stage for a themed party!

We decided to combine our monthly book club gathering with my friend, Christine’s, 28th birthday, invite a few extra guests, and really have a par-tay!

It worked out well that Page was out of town, so the ladies came to my house this weekend for a silly and fun get-together that involved good eats, sweets, cocktails, and some PG-13 entertainment thanks to a fabulous consultant.

The color scheme was of course, shades of grey, except for the occasional “red” (room of pain!) goodie…

…and of course some coy nods to details from the book. I was floored by Christine’s idea to skewer “Forbidden Fruit” on zip ties. 😉

To get the party started, we offered some non-alc Ana cocktail (sparkling water and cranberry juice) and two renditions of a summer cocktail that I’ve heard referred to as both “strip and go naked” and “summer brew”. The pink on the left ( we named it “Twitchy Hand Cocktail”) is vodka, lemonade concentrate, and beer. The gold on the left (labeled “Lip Biter Cocktail”) is tequila, limeade concentrate, and beer. You can make much smaller batches of either than what you see here – for every cup of liquor, use one can of concentrate and four 12-0z cans of beer. (I tripled this for each of the cocktails.) It was a cost-effective way to keep the drinks flowing for 17 ladies well into the night!

You know it’s a fun night when you forget to take pics once your guests arrive. Thanks to my friend, Julie, for managing to snap a quick hostess pic…I’ll have to snag some “people photos” from other guests!

Whether it’s your turn to host book club, or you’re just looking for a fun reason to get the girls together, encourage your guests to read the book, stock up on all grey party supplies, pour everyone a cocktail, and let the laughter and girl talk begin!

Cheers! 🙂