Jerusalem a Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi; accessible recipes with influences from the ancient city's Arab, Jewish, Christian and other Mediterranean communities; $35
The Chinese Takeout Cookbook by Diana Kuan; goes on sale Dec. 11 but can be pre-ordered; this is the debut book from Kuan, a New York-based cooking instructor and food blogger; teaches home cooks how to make all the familiar takeout dishes; $30
Southern Living/Big Book of Slow Cooking; 200 recipes for people who are usually too busy to cook but don't want to give up home-cooked meals; 22.95
Best of the Best from Georgia Cookbook ($16.95) and Hall of Fame Southern Recipes (24.95); a pair of cookbooks from Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley that hit close to home
