How to Host a Charming Silent Library Dinner Party (No Gross Games)

Introduction: A Delicate Balance Between “Library” and “Silent Library”

In addition to excellent conversation and beautiful decor, one undeniable sign of a good dinner party is your ability to raise your guest’s blood pressure. And that’s exactly what we have locked in for this week’s Silent Library Dinner Party theme.

If you aren’t familiar, Silent Library is a TV game show that aired on MTV in the late 2000s. Two teams face off in different bizarre challenges where they must achieve whatever objective they have been assigned as silently as possible. Challenges range from painful, to disgusting to hilarious.

Now, here we leave it up to you whether you want to incorporate gross-out games or not. As a mother to a very sweet, chubby, incredible, but recently ill ten-month-old baby, I have had my fill of gross-out. I know my guests (especially my husband) are going to struggle to stay quiet regardless of what the activity is, so instead, we will lean into the “make you laugh.”

Ever since my first Junie B. Jones book, I have been an avid reader. While at home with my daughter and trying to squeeze out the last few classes I need to finish my masters, I haven’t had much time for reading (unless you count the absolute bangers “An Introduction to Management Science” or “Giraffes Can’t Dance”). I enjoyed the process of putting together this week’s Silent Library Dinner Party.

The Decor: Bookish, Beautiful and Bright

The library piece of Silent Library offers the bulk of the inspiration for the evening – we used our favourite books to develop our menu and incorporate them into the decorations.

There is a risk of some damage from spills when using books as part of the centerpiece, so I wouldn’t recommend using any that you are extremely attached to. That being said, I used some of my grandpa’s books that he had from university. They are the oldest books in my library, and besides a couple of them, I haven’t actually read through them. This did alleviate some guilt since I was able to talk about them. Thrift stores are an oasis of old books if you need to get your hands on a couple.

The only things I purchased for this table were two black candlesticks from the Dollarstore. The candles, tablecloth and even napkins were hand-me-downs from my grandparents. The flowers in the centerpiece was a bridesmaid bouquet from our wedding two years prior, as well as the small flowers I tucked into the napkins.

I made library cards for everyone as place cards and a little bookmark for our menu. This isn’t something I normally do, but I think it tied the theme together nicely. These were also used to pick teams later on.

The Menu: Our Favourite Book-Inspired Dishes

I picked a couple of each of our favourite books for the inspiration for the menu. I had wanted to keep the theme a surprise for my guest, but had I thought ahead enough, I would have slipped in a couple of questions about everyone’s favourite books a couple of weeks in advance and incorporated those into the menu.

Here’s our menu for the evening:

The Fractural Roasted Vegetables (aka ratatouille) and the Wild Berry and Goat Cheese Crostini’s were big hits that I will be making again.

Game Time: Just When They Think They Are Safe

I outlined the games on a little dessert menu bookmark and had them ready to pull out right after dinner.

I wanted to incorporate dessert into the games, and decided on a silent pie eating contest. This was the strangest but funniest part of the night. Although I had originally intended on giving everyone utensils, someone suggested having our hands behind our backs.

My husband lasted about fifteen seconds before he had to leave the room because he was laughing so hard. The rest of us continued, silently laughing and trying to eat blueberry pie off a plate, which was a lot harder than I thought it would be. If you dislike the sound of people eating, I wouldn’t recommend this game.

The next game was the Silent Scholar, where we balanced books on our heads while completing a small obstacle course. It was a short course that had us opening a baby gate, travelling down stairs and picking up a book before coming back. Some people sailed through while others kept having to restart. When I tried to go, my daughter, who is firmly in her clingy stage, cried as I walked away from her. My teammate ended up carrying her behind me while I completed the course. We lost but had lots of laughs.

Last was the Silent Limbo. This game was inspired by my nephew, who said his New Year’s Resolution was to do more limbo. Based on how poorly I did, I may also need to adopt this New Year’s Resolution next year.

Against all odds, my husband’s team won. He was the worst for laughing but was surprisingly good at limbo and balancing a book on his head.

Final Thoughts: Was It Worth It?

Absolutely. It was a good mix of elegant and goofy. A Silent Library Dinner Party is very easy to personalize for your guests.

Gifts for your Host: I See How Much Effort You Put In

If one of your friends has beaten you to the punch and already organized their own Charming Silent Library Dinner Party, we recommend a book-related gift as a thank you for hosting (seems obvious, right). A personal favourite or a book you think they may enjoy are great options.

One recommendation I have is a guided journal. I purchased Grandma’s Story by Korie Herold for my mom and mother-in-law while I was pregnant and later purchased Mom’s Story for myself. It’s a beautiful book, and the questions are thought-provoking and enjoyable to answer.

Have a wonderful week 🙂