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Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews (HarperCollins) is $2.99

Book Description:

‘Tis the week before Christmas, and antiques dealer Weezie Foley is in a frenzy to do up her shop right for the Savannah historical district decorating contest, which she fully intends to win. Her motif is Graceland Blue Christmas, with lots of tinsel, an aluminum tree, and enough tacky retro doodads to fill the Grand Ole Opry. But no sooner is she certain she’s one-upped the trendy shop around the corner when Weezie notices things going strangely missing from her display.

Despite the petty burglaries of her mysterious midnight visitor, Weezie still has high hopes for the holiday. Perhaps even an engagement ring is in the offing from her chef boyfriend, though Daniel, usually moody around the yuletide, seems even more distant than ever. Throw in some seasonal eccentricities from Weezie’s decidedly odd family, a miraculous 1950s Christmas-tree pin, and a little help from the King (Elvis!) himself, and even Scrooge would have to agree there’s real magic in the Savannah air this Christmas

Camille Glenn’s Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookbook by Camille Glenn (Algonquin Books) is $1.99

Book Description:

A keepsake cookbook inspired by the classic meal of holidays past, from the author of THE HERITAGE OF SOUTHERN COOKING.

It’s divided into nineteen holiday menus, which salute seasonal activities from “Trimming the Tree” to “Ringing in the New Year.”

A BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB’S GOOD COOK BOOK CLUB SELECTION.

Taste of Home Holiday Celebrations by Taste of Home Editors (HarperCollins) is $2.99

Book Description:

Each year, new memories are made when loved ones come together for festive parties and heartwarming meals that usher in the holidays. Now it’s easier than ever to enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve with friends and family with the 100 incredible recipes in “Taste of Home Holiday Celebrations.”

Kick off the holiday season with a beautiful Thanksgiving feast full of impressive yet easy-to-make dishes. Turn here for all-time classic Turkey Day specialties as well as a few new dishes certain to become family favorites.

You’ll be happy to continue that warm holiday feel in December, thanks to the impressive fare in the chapter Christmas Favorites! Entrees, side dishes, desserts and, of course, plenty of cookies make this year’s feast one to remember.

Celebrate one last hurrah for the year at your New Year’s party. Turn to New Year’s Entertaining to make your buffet the life of the party.

No matter what holiday you’re hosting, the must-try recipes in “Taste of Home Holiday Celebrations” are sure to spread good cheer among family and friends!

One Dish at a Time: Delicious Recipes and Stories from My Italian-American Childhood and Beyond by Valerie Bertinelli (Rodale) is $4.99

Book Description:

More than 100 recipes for the Italian dishes of the much-beloved celeb’s childhood, presented with tips and hints for enjoying them without overindulging.

As a member of a large, food-loving Italian family, Valerie Bertinelli has always equated food with good times and togetherness. But at one point her love of food threatened not only her health, but her livelihood as an actress, when personal demons drove her to overeat and make poor food choices that caused her weight to balloon by 50 pounds. Now happily svelte, remarried, and riding a new career high, Valerie has made peace with food, giving it a central—yet considered—place in her home and family celebrations.

One Dish at a Time offers an intimate look into the beloved actress’s kitchen, where she prepares a collection of treasured recipes from her Italian heritage. Along the way, she shares her insights into the portion control and mindful indulgence she has come to practice on her journey to enjoying the pleasures of the table again.

Filled with gorgeous photos including the actress in her kitchen, nutrition information accompanying each recipe, and Valerie’s tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, One Dish at a Time is designed to please baby boomer fans and home cooks alike.

Taste: The Story of Britain through Its Cooking by Kate Colquhoun (Bloomsbury USA) is $2.51

Book Description:

A fascinating history of how Britain learned to cook, from prehistory to the modern age.

Written with a storyteller’s flair and packed with astonishing facts, Taste is a sumptuous social history of Britain told through the development of its cooking. It encompasses royal feasts and street food, the skinning of eels and the making of strawberry jelly, mixing tales of culinary stars with those of the invisible hordes cooking in kitchens across the land.

Beginning before Roman times, the book journeys through the ingredients, equipment, kitchens, feasts, fads, and famines of the British; it covers the piquancy of Norman cuisine, the influx of undreamed-of spices and new foods from the East and the New World, the Tudor pumpkin pie that journeyed with the founding fathers to become America’s national dish, the austerity of rationing during World War II, and the birth of convenience foods and take-away, right up to the age of Nigella Lawson, Heston Blumenthal, and Jamie Oliver.

The first trade book to tell the story of British cooking–which is, of course, the history that led up to American colonial cooking as well–Taste shows that kitchens are not only places of steam, oil, and sweat, but of politics, invention, cultural exchange, commerce, conflict, and play.