Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson

Lawson has, through her TV shows and her cookbooks (How to Be a Domestic Goddess, How to Eat), done more than any chef we can think of to make cooking a sensuous, physical pleasure and a delicious prelude to the profound delight of eating. In Nigella Bites, Lawson shares more of her favorite dishes that are easy to make at the end of a busy day or perfect for lingering over during a comfy weekend. The recipes are written in Lawson's casual, cheeky style, and the luscious, full-color photos are almost good enough to eat.

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht

In their wryly amusing but truly authoritative The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, Piven and Borgenicht explain everything you need to know to escape from killer bees, fend off a shark, or jump from a rooftop into a dumpster. In The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays, they address the less dire, but still alarming, disasters that threaten revelers from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. Turkey on fire? Someone stuck in the chimney? No plans for New Year's Eve? Piven and Borgenicht guide you through each of these perilously festive scenarios with sound advice and cheerfully grim humor.

The Perricone Prescription by Nicholas Perricone

Chosen by Vogue as one of the top dermatologists in the United States, Perricone is an innovative researcher and author of The Wrinkle Cure, a national bestseller. In The Perricone Prescription, he sets out his revolutionary four-step program to prevent premature aging. Perricone advises against inflammatory foods like refined starches and suggests eating foods with a glycemic index lower than 50, like salmon and halibut. He explains which dietary supplements are best for maintaining vitality inside and out. He suggests topical anti-inflammatories and antioxidants that help to keep skin young. And he argues that exercise—cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, and increased flexibility—is critical to overall wellness. Based on clearly explained scientific principles and enhanced with practical tips for maintaining youthful energy and a glowing appearance, The Perricone Prescription is a thought-provoking guide to a lifetime of wellness.

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

It's entirely likely that your kitchen already has a copy of Better Homes and Gardens' definitive cookbook, but that doesn't mean you don't need this one. Even if the pages with your favorite dishes aren't stuck together with egg or obscured by flour, the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book is worth having. The 11th edition is updated for today's cook: More than 600 new recipes have been added, and classics have been revised for the health-conscious, time-deprived home chef. This edition also contains new chapters on beans and grains and a guide to grilling. With its wealth of recipes, helpful menus, and time-tested kitchen wisdom, this is a cookbook that never goes out of style.

Living Yoga: Creating a Life Practice by Christy Turlington

You probably know Turlington's face: The supermodel has appeared on countless magazine covers and walked the runway for fashion's top designers. What you may not know is that, for the past 15 years, Turlington has been a dedicated student of yoga. Living Yoga is her gracefully illustrated, quietly inspirational guide to this ancient tradition. Turlington doesn't just present yoga as a series of exercises, although she does offer clear demonstrations and explanations of fundamental postures. Instead, she presents yoga as a way of life. Using surprisingly candid and intimate stories from her own life, Turlington teaches yoga as a philosophy for knowing the self and interacting with the world.