book

… the information hidden within your cells? In The Violinist’s Thumb and Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code, Sam Kean takes us through the history of mankind’s understanding of genetics and heredity, from early beliefs through Mendel’s pea plants to the Human Genome Project.

… the vampires who get “stuck” in the time period when they died?  Bring on the Night* by Jeri Smith-Ready continues her adrenaline-filled series about Ciara Griffin and the rest of the staff and DJs at WVMP.

… the coolest toys ever played with? 100 Greatest Baby Boomer Toys by Mark Rich is a delightful look at the toys that you remember from your childhood. Go down memory lane as you remember when you got a Barbie doll, Mr. Robot or a Hula Hoop (mine was pink). Remember Slinkies or Silly Putty? The Daniel Boone coonskin hats were “way cool” back in the day.

… the people blessed (and cursed) by fairies? Kill Me Softly, by Sarah Cross, tells the story of Mirabelle, raised by her godmothers because her parents were killed when she was an infant. As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Mira becomes increasingly obsessed with her parents’ death and the town where she was born.

… a man who was born premature and became blind after they put him in a sealed incubator and pumped in pure oxygen until his lungs matured? That was the procedure used in the 1940s for premature babies.

… the mysterious stranger in Sugarcreek, Ohio? In Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio, by Serena Miller, Joe Matthews has been accused of murdering his wife in L.A. He and his little boy, Bobby, are on the run and show up in Sugarcreek looking for a temporary place to stay. Rachel Troyer, who is half Amish and half Englisch, is the local cop.

… feeling like you weigh 500 pounds after reading a cookbook? The Daily Cookie by Anna Ginsberg has 365 cookie recipes, one cookie recipe for each day of the year. Ok, so you’re not going to make a batch of cookies everyday unless you’re planning to send them to our troops overseas or hosting a super gigantic family reunion.

… the book that made marriage terrifying?  Gillian Flynn’s bestselling thriller, Gone Girl, tells the story of Nick and Amy, a middle-aged husband and wife who are about to celebrate their fifth anniversary.  On the outside, Nick is a handsome Husband-of-the-Year, and Amy is a doting wife with a perfectionist streak.  But then, on the day of their anniversar

… the charming series set in Twilight, Texas? It starts with Lori Wilde’s The First Love Cookie Club*.  Is it really romance, the magic of Christmas or something more?

… cooking with only four ingredients? In the new 4 Ingredients Christmas, by Kim McCosker, there are all kinds of “Simply Yummy Christmas Recipes” that require only four basic ingredients. Most are pretty simple, but a few of them require foods that might be a bit hard to find.