1. Spices of Life

Spices of Life: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Great Health
By Nina Simonds, Knopf, 2005. Hardcover. $25; 383 pages

This is a fascinating book, more ambitiously and wholly health-focused than any other book on our list, yet harder to pin down: It’s an East-meets-West chef’s salad of conventional and holistic ideas, all rooted in Simonds’ belief in the importance of a good, balanced diet and the “tonic” properties of herbs and spices. The pages include brief asides with appearances from health experts (like Andrew Weil, on the holistic side, and Med-diet guru Walter Willett, on the science side); breathing exercises; a color-driven approach to food choices; and “Dr. Duke’s Anti Fatigue Tea.”