Eating One's Fruits and Vegetables

Having tackled the college-student diet with The Starving Students' Cookbook, Dede Hall is back with an assortment of vegetarian dishes one can cook on a low budget with little time. Most of the recipes in The Starving Students' Vegetarian Cookbook involve beans and rice, pasta, stir-fry, tofu and squashes; take less than 15 minutes to prepare; and use only one pan. This appropriately affordably priced book should appeal just as much to recent graduates who find themselves on the wrong side of the boom. (Warner, $11.95 paper 208p ISBN 0-446-67675-6; July)

In The Complete Book of Year-Round Small-Batch Preserving: Over 300 Delicious Recipes, Ellie Topp (Feasts for Families) and Margaret Howard (coauthor, All Fired Up!), both home economists, explain the canning process for jellies, jams, marmalades, conserves, relishes, salsas, chutneys, pickles, dessert sauces, fruit butter, vinegars, mincemeats and curds—and then reel off uses for them. Many of the delicacies this book proposes are surprisingly sophisticated (Jalapeño Mint Jelly, Pink Peppercorn Vinegar) while others are more tongue-in-cheek: Hellfire Chutney and Mixed Japanese Pickle Sticks. (Firefly, $29.95 368p ISBN 1-55209-575-4; $19.95 paper -489-8; May)

The Best Rx

Ask Your Pharmacist: A Leading Pharmacist Answers Your Most Frequently Asked Questions grew out of pharmacist Lisa Chavis's eponymous column, as well as her work as an interactive pharmacist for drugstore.com. Chavis offers alternative, over-the-counter and prescriptive drug treatments for minor complaints—aches, pains, strains. (Her mentions of brand names reflect personal experience and not corporate endorsement, she carefully notes.) This book may be most useful for addressing the sorts of embarrassing matters that, even in this confessional age, we'd rather not discuss face to face: constipation, crab lice, diarrhea, excessive sweating, etc. Agent, Sheryl Fullerton. (St. Martin's, $29.95 400p ISBN 0-312-26554-9; July) There are many books about menopause. But to the woman whose menopause occurs unexpectedly, they may not be of much use. Sudden Menopause: Restoring Health and Emotional Well-Being is written for young women experiencing menopause due to hysterectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, medication, anorexia or other unusual causes. Nurse and women's health educator Debbie DeAngelo experienced menopause herself at 26, after ovarian cancer forced her to have both her ovaries removed. With supportive resolve and compassion, she offers guidance on the emotional and cognitive difficulties (short-term memory loss), as well as the potential physical problems (osteoporosis, heart disease) related to early menopause, and their treatment (nutrition, hormone replacement therapy, exercise). Appendixes include listings of helpful organizations and a bibliography of recommended reading. (Hunter House, $25.95 272p ISBN 0-89793-326-5; $15.95 paper -325-7; July) An estimated 21 million Americans will develop arthritis, and three out of five of those will be diagnosed with the disease while under 65. Yet, in Preventing Arthritis: A Holistic Approach to Life Without Pain, physician Ronald M. Lawrence and health writer Martin Zucker (co-authors of The Miracle of MSM ) argue that arthritis need not be an inevitability. In addition to exploring the ways that people who already suffer from arthritis can find relief, they also explain how readers can prevent arthritis through diet, exercise, yoga, massage and—sex. Agent, Jack Scovil. (Putnam, $22.95 272p ISBN 0-399-14742-X; June 4)

Larry Trivieri Jr., contributing editor of Alternative Medicine magazine and coauthor of The Complete Self-Care Guide to Holistic Medicine, advocates self-care and prevention in The American Holistic Medical Association Guide to Holistic Health: Healing Therapies for Optimal Wellness. Proper eating and exercise, vitamins, herbal remedies, "Conscious Laughter," environmental awareness and a host of other salutary, common-sense practices play a part. The no-frills presentation and imprimatur of the Association (active since 1978) should convince skeptics and the curious alike. (Wiley, $29.95 448p ISBN 0-471-32743-3; May 18) "By 1992, the age-adjusted [cancer] mortality rates were 32 percent higher for Blacks than for all races combined," and cancer rates in general are higher among African Americans, assert physicians George Rawls and Frank Lloyd, who, with Herbert Stern, present Managing Cancer: The African American's Guide to Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment. Attributing the increased rate of cancer among blacks primarily to poverty, the authors entreat readers to take charge of their own health. They offer dietary and other preventative measures, and cover the specifics of diagnosis and of treatments, including holistic "Living with Cancer" information. (Hilton [P.O. Box 737, Roscoe, Ill. 61073], $16.95 paper 352p ISBN 0-9675258-2-9; May 15)

From Diapers to Divorce

Written by the editors of Parents magazine with Debra Wise, Baby Gear: Everything You Need to Clothe, Feed, Transport, Protect, Entertain and Care for Your Baby tells parents-to-be all they need to know about strollers, booster seats, pacifiers, car seats, layettes, sunscreens, nursing bras, diaper bags, safety gates and numerous other essentials. Focusing on baby's first three years, the book offers shopping tips and decodes the prevailing safety tests and seals. Legions of the newly bleary and bewildered are sure to seek this out. (St. Martin's Griffin, $14.95 paper 208p ISBN 0-312-26290-6; July) With haunting lines such as "Divorce can slaughter you" and "A girl without her father is incomplete," nearly 200 children—mostly teens, though a few are as young as 10 years old—whose parents are divorced have allowed editor Tom Worthen to collect their blunt, eloquent (and terribly sad poems) in Broken Hearts... Healing: Young Poets Speak Out on Divorce. Worthen, a communications professor who has tried to be the "best divorced dad I could be," is determined to bring children and parents together to talk openly about complex and painful issues. (He's even written two forewords, one for parents and one for children.) The publisher has announced a 15,000 first printing and a $50,000 budget to promote this poignant, provocative book. (Poet Tree [90 N. 100 East, Logan, Utah 84321; www.poettreepress.com], $26.95 248p ISBN 1-58876-150-9; $14.95 paper -151-7; June 15) In The Happy Family: Restoring the 11 Essential Elements That Make Families Work, prolific parenting authors Linda and Richard Eyre (How to Talk to Your Child About Sex) argue that parenting is harder than it's ever been: "In America today, more teenage boys go to jail than join the Boy Scouts." The Eyres, whose Teaching Your Children Values reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, maintain a moralistic tone and conservative agenda (smaller government, less media saturation) throughout, making impassioned arguments for renewing commitment to the priorities of marriage and family, and the importance of religion-based principles and -values to family life. (St. Martin's, $23.95 224p ISBN 0-312-26673-1; June 9) In the 1950s, psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott wrote about the "good enough mother"—the mother who makes mistakes but still manages to raise passably healthy children. In The Good Enough Child: How to Have an Imperfect Family and Be Perfectly Satisfied, clinical psychologist Brad E. Sachs goes further, arguing that no one can be the perfect mother or father or have the perfect child. What's more, he boldly posits, that's all right. Although some parents may be alarmed by the book's directness, many will find it reassuring. Sachs is scheduled to appear on NBC's Today Show on June 12. Agent, Sarah Jane Freymann.(HarperCollins/Quill, $13 paper 272p ISBN 0-380-81303; June 1) In June, Perseus enthusiastically releases two titles by British parenting educator Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer. In Raising Confident Girls, Hartley-Brewer argues that, although women do have a freedom that was unheard of 50 years ago, girls now face a sometimes unbearable combination of pressures. Her positive focus ("Model respect for women," "Examine your expectations" and "Respect her feelings") emphasizes the ways that parents and teachers specifically can boost girls' self-esteem. (Perseus, $12.50 paper 224p ISBN 1-55561-321-7)

Like girls, boys are enjoying more freedom than ever, having been at least partly liberated from a traditional masculinity. Yet statistics show that they also have more behavior problems than girls have, as well as higher suicide rates. In addition, they are losing their academic edge over girls. Like girls, boys can only take advantage of their new freedoms if they are raised to believe in themselves, and in Raising Confident Boys, Hartley-Brewer explains how parents and teachers can help.(Perseus, $12.50 paper 224p ISBN1-55561-320-9) Bathing, feeding, crying, diaper-changing, teething, marital stress, colic, traveling, postpartum adjustment, baby-proofing the house—stay-at-homemom Mary Jeanne Menna has been through it all. Her The New Mom's Manual: Over 800 Tips and Advice from Hundreds of Moms for Baby's First Year, which will be advertised in Child magazine, should appeal to new mothers in need of advice and community. Menna presents an exhaustive array of information—all vetted by Harvard Medical School pediatrics professor and physician Michael Shannon. Dads may be disappointed, though: the emphasis, as the title suggests, is almost exclusively on moms. B&w illus. Agent, Anne Hawkins.(Three Rivers, $13 paper 288p ISBN 0-8129-9070-6; on-sale date: June 19) But dads needn't despair. In Rookie Dad: Fun and Easy Exercises and Games for Dads and Babies in Their First Year, Susan Fox, a pediatric therapist, coaches newcomers on the joys and trails of fatherhood. Deploying sports jargon throughout (chapters include "The Pregame Show" and "The Handoff: When Mom Leaves You Alone With the Baby"), Fox encourages enthusiastic and reluctant dads alike to participate actively in their baby's fast-paced development. Games like "Stunt Pilot," "Tug-of-War," "Peekaboo-Playoffs" and "Air Races" are just the beginning, and moms will be reassured by Fox's emphasis on safety (always support that head!). Old-fashioned advice on feeding, changing, burping and sleep will also be welcome. (Pocket, $13.95 paper 272p ISBN 0-7434-1034-3; May)

Living Al Fresco

With the elegant presentation that characterizes the magazine, House Beautiful Outdoor Living and Gardens, with text by Elvin McDonald, showcases inspiringly idyllic scenes of leisure from the Florida coast to the French countryside. The book—now in paperback with a new cover—invites the reader into a bucolic meadow in the Adirondacks; a circular garden of peonies, iris and laurel; and numerous other pleasing scenes. Other attractions include courtyard gardens, slate patios, swimming pools, topiary art and porches. The hardcover sold upward of 50,000 copies, and with the clout of the magazine's respected name—and monthly circulation of almost one million readers—sales of the paperback may be even greater. (Hearst, $22 paper 224p ISBN 1-58816-042-4; June) In the same summertime spirit, Deborah Muller Price and the editors of Country Living offer Country Living Garden Decorating: Accents for Outdoors, a book that explains how to use garden gates and doors, rustic watering cans, clay pots, paths and walkways, lanterns, garden seats, sandstone borders and dining areas to increase the aesthetic quality—and comfort—of one's garden. In addition to more than 70 luxuriantly attractive color photographs of tastefully adorned gardens, the Country Living brand should spur sales significantly; the magazine's circulation is 1.7 million, and the editors' last book, Country Gardens, sold 108,000 copies. (Hearst, $23 112p ISBN 1-58816-024-6; June)