Books on summer entertaining

A crowd of new cookbooks are ready to help you take it outside this summer. Among the more interesting:

Karen Adler and Judith Fertig's "BBQ Bash," a primer for throwing what the authors call a "be-all, end-all barbecue party." Tips include lighting suggestions, how to set up a bar, table settings and music, as well as plenty of grilling and other food prep tips. Menus run from "barefoot to black tie," with items such as grilled lamb chops with Thai chili-peanut dipping sauce and corn husk-wrapped shrimp with grilled corn. (Harvard Common Press, $16.95).

Rick Rodgers' "Summer Gatherings" focuses on quick, seasonal dishes suitable for any excuse to eat outdoors. Appealing offerings include dried apricots stuffed with goat cheese and hazelnuts, as well as how to do a clambake in a stockpot. (William Morrow, $17.95).

For a more elegant take on summer fare, check out Dana Slatkin's "The Summertime Anytime Cookbook," which draws its menus from the authors' Santa Monica, Calif., hotel, Shutters on the Beach. Sprinkled among the 130 recipes (which include gorgeous items such as passion fruit crème brûlée and a bean salad with oven-dried tomatoes, black olives and pesto) are a slew of summer and beach party tips. (Clarkson Potter, $32.50).