Music equipment at a party?

We're having a party for my in-law's 80th birthday...CDs won't be a problem -it will be pretty tame music as you can imagine, during dinner for about 4 hours. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to play them to get the best quality sound, like on a boombox or stereo? We have a bookshelf stereo that might work, but it only takes one CD at a time. Thank you!