In The Walnut Tree, Charles Todd--the mother-son writing team behind the popular Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford mystery series--turns to romance, with a story that shares the same First World War setting as their earlier books, including a tangential reference to Bess Crawford herself.

The book opens as war begins, and Lady Elspeth Douglas finds herself trapped in Paris. Her almost-fiancé, the gallant Alain, is off with the French army, and Elspeth feels compelled to return to England and be of service. As she attempts to reach Calais, she gets drawn into a battle and is rescued by handsome Captain Peter Gilchrist, a childhood acquaintance.

With Peter's aid, Elspeth eventually makes it back to England; against her guardian's wishes, she begins training as a nurse. Abandoning her title and privileged lifestyle, Elspeth serves as a regular member of the service. Nursing takes her to bloody field hospitals in France, back to England accompanying injured men, then to her ancestral home in Scotland and eventually to Sussex, where stands an old, beloved walnut tree. Along the way, Elspeth learns eye-opening lessons about class, society and coping. And she'll have to choose between the dashing Alain and the dependable Peter.

The Walnut Tree is a sweet, simple little book--a perfect holiday tale to read with a mug of hot cocoa (and a must-read for Downton Abbey fans). It conjures up an earlier time, a genteel era obliterated by the onslaught of war. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm

Alex Capus's Léon & Louise begins as the World War I nears its end in the summer of 1918, when Léon LeGall, a 17-year-old in Cherbourg, sees Louise Janvier ride by on her bicycle. He contrives to meet her and they fall in love. While out walking, they are both injured by a German artillery attack and separated in the chaos that follows. Each believes the other has been killed.

Ten years later: on the Paris Metro, Léon, now married, catches sight of a girl who looks like Louise, whom he has never forgotten. At the insistence of his wife, Yvonne, he seeks out Louise. They are still in love, but Louise refuses to break up Léon's marriage and makes him promise not to search for her again.

During the German occupation of Paris, Léon works at the headquarters of the CID. His black-market income from reselling coffee brought by a high-ranking German official keeps food on the table. Meanwhile, Louise is sent to West Africa by the Banque of France, along with the Banque's gold reserves. She writes wonderful letters to Léon, never knowing if they will be delivered.

In a remarkable story spanning more than 40 years, Capus describes an enduring love affair. When Louise returns to Paris, she first reports to work and then to Yvonne. What happens after that is a tribute to all three people, the triumph of love and a masterfully told story that, at its end, is only beginning. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.

Christmas is on its way to Dickens Junction, Ore., in Christopher Lord's first novel, The Christmas Carol Murders. All the merchants of Dickens Square--a pedestrian area lined with shops such as Cricket's Hearth, Pickwick's Pilates and, of course, the Old Curiosity Shop--are busy with preparations for the tableaux, a traditional display of four Christmas Carol scenes to be staged that evening.

Simon Alistair, owner of the local bookstore, Pip's Pages, is about to go home and dress for his part when a stranger comes in to buy a copy of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, along with a volume of Dickens's Christmas stories. Before leaving, he gives Simon his card: Marley Enterprises, Mervin Roark, Acquisitions.

Later in the day, Simon meets Zach Benjamin, a "model-handsome" journalist on assignment from a gay and lesbian travel magazine. Simon happily points out things he should see and agrees to meet him for a drink later in the evening. Before they have that drink, though, Roark is murdered with a nail gun. Zach encourages Simon to find the murderer himself: "Don't you know this town--these people--better than the police do?" Simon starts questioning everyone--even close friends--but before long, another murder complicates matters.

Lord has created an entire community of interesting characters with histories and plausible motives abounding--think Jessica Fletcher's Cabot Cove, but in the Pacific Northwest. It all adds up to a delightful cozy mystery that leaves the reader eagerly awaiting Lord's next book. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.

In a world of iPhones and Twitter, A Wreath of Snow is an old-fashioned novella that brings welcome relief from the tech tornado. Higgs's Victorian tale, like many of her previous novels, is set in Scotland; this exceptional story transports readers to a simpler time filled with warm shortbread, candles glowing in windows and church bells chiming on Christmas Day.

Nevertheless, complex problems arise after independent schoolteacher Meg meets journalist Gordon when their train derails. They are forced to spend Christmas back in their home town, which both were attempting to flee. Meg is heartbroken because her bitter, invalid brother can't seem to treat her with anything but anger and contempt. Gordon nurses the guilty regret of accidentally paralyzing a young boy during a curling match years ago. These kindred spirits are immediately drawn to one another until they both confront their respective pasts, realizing a horrifying connection that might forever keep them apart.

Higgs's delightful novella is like a time machine. She expertly captures the social mores of the Victorian era and her descriptions of the clothing, cuisine and furnishings are remarkable. The charming language of her quaint tale will make you long for a gentler time. This book is best enjoyed while sitting fireside in a parlor with a cup of tea and a tin of biscuits. --Natalie Papailiou, author of blog MILF: Mother I'd Like to Friend

An Anglican convent in decline brings together a host of characters in Marcia Willett's Christmas in Cornwall, a novel that explores the implications of loss, the complexities of family and friendship and the need to feel loved. Willett (The Summer House) stitches together tender stories about the bonds between ordinary people: Jakey, a five-year-old boy who believes that a real angel is keeping watch over him; Clem, his father, a young widower who comes to work at the convent after the death of his wife in order to regroup and be closer to his own mother; Dossie, Clem's mother, a widow herself and a successful caterer who has concerns for the well-being of her son and grandson and her elderly parents--along with romantic woes; Janna, an eccentric, single woman, cast adrift from a broken past, who feels she's finally found a home by working for the aging, quirky nuns. When a stranger arrives in town claiming to be writing a book about the history of the region, rumors swirl that he actually has secret designs to take over the convent's Elizabethan manor house. Will his quest change the future for everyone?

Willett has written a perfectly balanced ensemble piece, a gentle, moving story about faith and trusting in God's presence via the generosity of strangers, the love of friends and family and the miracle of Christmas. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

With the proliferation of farmer's markets, organic produce and the Slow Food movement, the American public is turning a sharpened gaze to its tables, farms and orchards. Gardener and plant collector David Buchanan takes readers inside the local food crusade, exploring the practicalities of growing and preserving rare and forgotten plants.

Taste, Memory examines the history and the present state of biodiversity in the United States, visiting farms, markets and research centers (both state-sponsored and private) to learn about forgotten varieties of fruits and vegetables. Buchanan stops to taste wild apples, pores over plant catalogues and spends endless hours driving around New England, visiting the patchwork of gardens and orchards he tends. While his careful detailing of government regulations can sometimes pall, his delight in new flavors and foods is infectious. The book is in part a chronicle of Buchanan's own trial-and-error process, as he experiments with which plants to grow and where to grow them--then how to sell the crops, store them for the winter and preserve them for future seasons.

Buchanan makes a strong argument for preserving a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, rather than focusing on uniformity and predictability (two factors prized by supermarkets and commercial farms). He admits there are obstacles to a truly local cuisine, especially for cash-strapped farmers and urban dwellers, but he highlights chefs and cultivators who are finding creative ways to produce and showcase rare foods. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Careful preparation and helpful hints are the key ingredients in Food Network star Ina Garten's aptly named Barefoot Contessa Foolproof. Any doubts the reader may have about his or her ability to make these seemingly complicated recipes are quickly assuaged; it's clear that Garten's standards for what constitutes "foolproof" are high. Logically, foolproof recipes must be easy to make and turn out consistently well, but the resulting food must also be, as she says, "deeply satisfying to eat." Garten shares her tips for preparing a menu and ensuring that everything arrives at the table on time and delicious, including one secret: she develops a plan, complete with estimated times of completion, and writes it down.

Individual recipes are neatly organized into cocktails, starters, lunches, dinners, vegetables and desserts. Each section opens with general yet valuable information that should not be overlooked before attempting the recipes. Although the finished products can seem fancy, the ingredients and tools needed are easily obtained. Clear, precise instructions address every detail of the cooking or baking process so thoroughly that the reader can easily tell Garten has given the recipe several attempts. Some of the recipes even include useful margin notes that can leave the impression that he or she is cooking directly from a cookbook in Garten's personal collection. Complete with more than 100 dazzling color photographs of enticing foods, this well-thought-out, easy-to-follow cookbook is an essential addition to any cook's collection. --Sarah Borders, librarian at Houston Public Library

Since 1995, Epicurious has offered a place online for dedicated cooks to swap recipes, trade tips, connect with one another and find new dishes to try. Now averaging eight million visitors a month, the site boasts thousands of recipes; The Epicurious Cookbook showcases more than 250 that have been given the highest ratings (three or four forks) by visitors.

Arranging their recipes by season and then by course, Epicurious editor-in-chief Tanya Steel and her staff provide a broad range of dishes, from quick weeknight dinners and easy comfort foods to more elaborate preparations. Many recipes include helpful hints and variations from the editors and Epicurious members; more than a few are from members. Mouthwatering photographs accompany some recipes, as do helpful sidebars noting which steps can be completed ahead of time.

Besides the useful tips, the cookbook's greatest strength is its variety: it includes ethnic dishes from paella to rugelach, as well as crowd-pleasers like cheeseburgers, Caprese pizza, summer salads, hearty soups and double-layer chocolate cake (the site's most-reviewed recipe). A quick flip through the seasons provides dozens of ideas for daily meals and special occasions. And if home cooks have questions or run into trouble, they can always check the site itself for more information.

Tempting and practical, The Epicurious Cookbook will earn a place on kitchen shelves the way its mother site has earned a permanent spot in readers' online bookmarks. Four forks. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Robert Hutchison's Young Henry, set during the same period of Henry VIII's life as The Tudors, proves a factual complement to the television drama that has captured modern imaginations. Hutchison (working backward from his previous Last Days of Henry VIII) plumbs myriad historical documents to prove that Henry, rather than the "great libertine with an insatiable debauched appetite" of popular legend, was a fun-loving, spirited young man with a bit of an obsession with creating an heir to the Tudor line.

Henry VIII was a third son, but after his brothers' deaths, the responsibilities of the crown fell to him--including wedding Katherine of Aragon, the queen infamously set aside in favor of Anne Boleyn in later years. Young Henry begins with Henry's childhood, covering everything from his education to his first exposures to the pomp and circumstance of court. He then moves on to Henry's young adult years, a time marked by elaborate--and expensive--celebrations, a series of failed military endeavors and a surprising amount of piety. Ending just after the courting of Anne Boleyn, Young Henry provides a focused approach to understanding the crazed Henry VIII remembered by future generations: a man fixated on the idea of creating a male heir, no matter the cost. Though it can be difficult at times to follow all the names and relationships Hutchison covers, anyone with a passing interest in Tudor history will catch up quickly and delight in a detailed profile of one of England's most famous--and infamous--monarchs. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm

In 2007, Kurt Vonnegut died of head injuries sustained falling down his home staircase. He probably would have had an amusing story to tell about his fate. The acclaimed author left behind a bookshelf of novels, stories, essays and political screeds that entertained and touched a large and varied audience. To this bibliography, we can now add a collection of letters edited by Vonnegut's longtime friend Dan Wakefield. In Kurt Vonnegut: Letters, we discover a man who was not only a celebrity writer with serious political positions, but also a loyal friend, a generous father, a tireless writer, a humanist with an eye for the absurd and an always amused observer of the world around him.

Wakefield does an admirable job organizing the correspondence and establishing their contextual relationship to Vonnegut's personal and publishing activities. The helpful notes on those who are addressed and mentioned in each letter not only clarify the content, they also give us a sense of Vonnegut's broad network of family, friends and business associates.

Vonnegut's life had as many troubles as it had successes. He was a POW during World War II; he was often short of money; his books were frequently misunderstood, banned or ignored; his long first marriage unhappily dissolved... "and so it goes," as he wrote in his most famous novel, Slaughterhouse Five. However, throughout his long life, he maintained a sense of humor that disarmed his critics and warmed his family and friends--and is shared with readers here. Vonnegut now lives on for us not only in his fiction, but also in his letters. --Bruce Jacobs, founding partner, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, Kan.

The 14-year-old hero of this extraordinary debut novel is like no one else we've met in children's literature. As a teen with Asperger's syndrome, Colin Fischer may find social interactions challenging, but he is "high functioning," brilliant and focused.

On his first day at West Valley High, the wrong student is accused of bringing a gun to school. Colin knows that Wayne Connelly, who has bullied Colin for as long as he can remember, eats too neatly to have smeared cake icing on the gun. Colin is determined to find the true culprit. A generous smattering of entries from his notebook, which he uses to record his interactions, shows readers how Colin's mind works, and extensive footnotes let readers inside Colin's favorite films and obsessions. A photo of Basil Rathbone hangs over Colin's bed (as a footnote explains, to Colin, Rathbone was "the definitive inhabitant of the role of World's Greatest Detective," Sherlock Holmes). Clearly Colin gravitates to another mind that's working differently. His pursuit of the truth takes Colin literally outside of his comfort zone, as he and Wayne travel bus routes far beyond his neighborhood.

It quickly becomes clear to readers that, as Colin works on solving the mystery of the gun's owner, he is also figuring out Colin--and learning that his own life is, in many ways, a mystery to be solved. The authors create a magnetic character--though he's a creature of routine, Colin still manages to surprise us. Readers will take this hero to heart. --Jennifer M. Brown

Even children unfamiliar with the Underground Railroad will be intrigued by the events unfolding in Henry Cole's captivating, wordless book.

A girl and her cat take a cow through a pasture, as five soldiers carrying a Confederate flag ride by. A woman hands the girl a basket, and she collects root vegetables from the barn. Her cat stays close. The girl looks over her shoulder. Someone is hiding among the cornstalks; a single eye is visible through an opening in the stalks. After dinner, the girl steals away to the barn in the dark of night and leaves food for the unseen guest; she repeats this over several days. The soldiers return, bearing a poster of an escaped slave, promising a reward. The girl spies on the soldiers from a cabinet beneath the staircase, only her eye visible through a knothole. The image echoes the eye of the visitor among the cornstalks, as Cole visually ties the fates of girl and fugitive. Her aid to the runaway puts her at risk, too.

Cole's story leads smoothly into a discussion of the Underground Railroad. Large horizontal pages evoke the vast expanses of territory that escaping captives needed to cover. The black-and-white charcoal images suggest a time long ago, and a world that perceived humanity divided into black and white. Cole beautifully portrays the bravery of both child and fugitive as they navigate the gray area together. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness

Enjoyable surprises await those who pick up this latest and last addition to the Tales of Elemental Creatures series. Peter Dickinson, working alone (he co-authored the first two collections, Water and Fire with wife Robin McKinley), once again proves his expertise in fantasy and short story writing.

Dickinson translates elements (and sometimes entire legends) of the classical mythologies from around the globe into a half dozen tales set in the modern world in Scotland, Greece and England, as well as an archeological dig in North Africa, and even an alien expedition in outer space. The pleasure of reading a short story by this author stems from his complete control over the essentials of fiction writing. Acute characterization, clear, often complex plotting and just enough setting to broaden a reader's appreciation, all lead to not-always-happy endings that nonetheless satisfy. In "Talaria," the gritty Varro, a talented leather worker, escapes from slavery in legendary Timbuktu to face an unimaginable future. "Ridiki," the bittersweet tale of a modern-day Greek Orpheus and his canine Eurydice, ends with a startling (but splendid) twist. A Christian boy, Yanni, hero of "Scops," uses the landscape of his hilly, rock-strewn island home to carry out the commands of an ancient goddess.

A true delight, this engrossing collection will lead many readers back for second and third readings. --Ellen Loughran, reviewer