The English Assassin, by Daniel Silva. This is my first book in Silva's series about Gabriel Allon, an art restorer by day/Israeli spy by night. Allon is a very cool character and the story takes him to classy European locales–Lisbon, Zurich, Rome, London and Corsica.

The Windows of Brimnes, by Bill Holm. I fell hard for Holm when I read his Cabins of Minnesota. After poignantly describing venerable cabins around the state, he confessed that the cabin he purchased was in his ancestral country of Iceland and he is "in love with it–madly, ecstatically in love with it." Holm was an excellent writer and I'm now captivated by all things Icelandic. He died last winter but left for us a large number of books, poems and essays.

Projects for Small Gardens, by Richard Bird and George Carter. I picked up this book from the bargain table and was instantly seduced. Included are detailed instructions and mouth-watering color photographs for 56 garden projects. In fact, after a bit of design tweaking, the trellis and trellis/screen are installed now in my garden. Other projects include hurdles, wattles, arches, obelisks, arbors, window boxes, troughs and countless containers.

Julia's Kitchen Wisdom, by Julia Child. I've had this book since 2001 (complete with a Julia Child-autographed card) and have used it on a limited-but-regular basis for her salads, dressings and "Egg Cookery." With all the hoopla surrounding the movie, Julie and Julia, I had to dust it off and re-connect with this amazing chef and colorful character.