Welcome to Polbearne, a Cornish tidal town where the men are hot and the women have plenty of emotional baggage. Colgan's (Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe; The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris) latest chick lit offering drops readers into the world of Polly Waterford. With a bankrupt business and an ex-boyfriend in her rear mirror, Polly moves to a dilapidated flat far away from the yuppie lifestyle she used to revere. Life on the island isn't perfect,...

"Known for its luxurious accommodations and bespoke service, the Hotel Louis XVI has been the most lauded boutique hotel in all of Paris for decades, attracting an international clientele of the rich and famous. Now, after four years of renovations and the death of its legendary and beloved manager, it is set to reopen its doors at last. An esteemed group of loyal returning guests is set to descend upon the hotel, joined by a number of new faces who...

A.J. is planning a big birthday to celebrate turning 9 and his parents even hire a party planner named Mr. Marty. Mr. Marty orders some weird stuff to celebrate though.

"As beautiful as it may be, their friends' country home is not where Lady Vespasia wishes to spend Christmas with her new husband, Victor Narraway. She'd rather pass a relaxing holiday at home with him--especially because Victor, former head of the London Special Branch, seems to be hiding some undercover dealings with the other guests who have gathered in the spacious home. As tensions grow among the couples, the young and beautiful Iris Watson-Watt...

When a pirate festival blows into their small town, bakeshop owners Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree and her best friend Ellie White expect they'll be busy baking up a storm, but instead they find themselves marooned in a new murder investigation after someone kills a well-known food writer and TV personality ... Everything is shipshape at Jake and Ellie's new waterfront bakery, The Chocolate Moose, especially now that the annual Pirate Festival is dropping...

The host of the highly popular PBS show Pati's Mexican Table shares everyday Mexican dishes, from the traditional to creative twists.

Pati Jinich has a mission. She's out to prove that Mexican home cooking is quicker and far easier than most Americans think.

Surprising in their simplicity and freshness, Pati's recipes incorporate produce and grains. Most important, they fit perfectly into an everyday family cooking

...

An introduction to how novice bakers can learn to make artisan-style breads by hand guides readers through the processes of creating 10 "foundation" breads using step-by-step, photographed instructions complemented by additional recipes that build on the basics. --Publisher's description.

A group of 12 extremely diverse women, assigned to a prayer group at a women's conference, become the best of friends as they support each other through the challenges and crises in their lives.

It's mid-December and for the fifth year, at the Sullivans' lonely brownstone in Harlem, stockings go un-stuffed, tinsel un-strewn, gifts un-bought, mistletoe un-hung, chestnuts un-roasted, carols un-played, cookies un-cooked and a tree un-visible. But this year, a mysterious someone is sending gifts to widower Henry Sullivan and his two children, Will and Ella. These gifts are strange. Noisy. And there's no returning them. First, a small beaked and...

Plug it in and Cook with French Flair
"I'd bet that if French cooks could get their hands on Michele Scicolone's French Slow Cooker, which is filled with smart, practical, and convenient recipes, they'd never let it go." — Dorie Greenspan, author of Around My French Table
With a slow cooker, even novices can turn out dishes that taste as though they came straight out of the kitchen of a French grandmère. Provençal

...