We like to think of ourselves as healthy eaters. But in between cocktail parties, brunch dates and late nights at the keyboard, we admit the balance might have shifted in the wrong direction.

So we're looking for guidance from Toronto "nutritionista" Meghan Telpner. Her new book UnDiet ($24.99 in print, $14.99 for the ebook) is a contagiously enthusiastic guide to living well, packed with useful nutrition advice, an easy-to-follow meal plan and eight-week transition program and tips on being a better (and more healthful) cook, plus 40 simple gluten-free recipes.

Telpner's arguments are so convincing, we're almost considering giving up our daily almond milk latte. Not quite, but almost. —Kat Tancock

Available at Amazon.ca and RandomHouse.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
—Pride & Prejudice

The biting social commentary of Jane Austen may be lost on most toddlers, but it’s never too early to start them on the classics.

A new Pride & Prejudice board book tells the darkly romantic tale of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in just 12 words, each accompanied by sweet images of needle-felted figures. If your tot seems more of a Herman Melville fan, the Cozy Classics series also includes Moby Dick. Come spring look out for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

At this rate, we see a Man Booker prize in our babe’s future.
—Marianne Wisenthal

$9.81 at Amazon.ca

A clothing collection inspired by a classic book and not a video game? Ears up, bunnies.

babyGap is launching an adorable, limited-edition collection based on Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It's not too early to stock up on Easter outfits (after all, it is in March this year), and the breezy dresses adorned with rabbits, chunky knit hat with bunny ears and nostalgic onsie with an illustration of Peter (pictured) will make the  backyard egg hunt look like a Town & Country photo shoot.

That's sweeter than a cream-filled egg. —Maria Tallarico

Pieces (0-24 months) from $19.95, in store Monday, January 14 at babyGap and online January 17 at gapcanada.ca

Unlike the mince pies we ate daily through the holidays, one can never consume too many books.

For a little incentive in 2013, My Ideal Bookshelf is a selection of faves from over 100 creative notables. Patty Smith is smitten by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes, Judd Apatow devours comedy memoirs and the Rodarte sisters’ fall 2009 collection was inspired by Frankenstein. Each profile is accompanied by pretty book spine illustrations by California-based artist Jane Mount. Order your own customized gouache and ink book portrait here (from $250).

How very novel. —Marianne Wisenthal

My Ideal Bookshelf, $18.47 at Chapters.Indigo.ca

Who else can you count on to laugh at your crap jokes and tell you when you’ve got spinach stuck to your teeth? In praise of moms, sisters and BFF’s everywhere, our gift guide for the can’t-live-without women in your life.

It doesn’t get chicer than hand-printed hosiery ($36). A fruit bowl for your feet, anyone? At Robber, 863 Queen St. W., Toronto, 647-351-0724, http://robberstore.wordpress.com

Your gift just got even better wrapped in an Avril Loreti tea towel ($25). Various stockists,  http://avrilloreti.com

 
These Thierry Lasry sunnies ($395) are destined for the Iris Apfel in your posse. At Pink Tartan, 77 Yorkville Ave., 416-967-7700, www.pinktartan.com

Fans of Cannelle e Vanille will adore Aran Goyoaga’s exquisite book ($20). A perfect choice for the gluten free belly on your list. At Amazon.ca

 
Dyptique candles make lovely gifts, but so do the jars they once came in. Melt away the left over wax in an old one of yours and fill it with new makeup brushes, colouring pencils or even a small orchid. Various stockists, www.diptyqueparis.com

—Athena Tsavliris

My friend Kerry Clare edits 49th Shelf and writes about books and reading over at Pickle Me This. She’s a voracious reader, and mad about pickles and Prince Harry. Herewith, Clare’s holiday reading suggestions.

Comfort and Joy by India Knight: A delightfully funny novel about the pressures of juggling beaus, children, in-laws, and ex-husbands during the holidays. Plus its sequel Mutton is just out now.$22.40 at Amazon.ca

Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton: An exercise in nostalgia, writer/artist Shapton has created a gorgeous memoir about her former life as a teenage swimming champion.$20.79 at Indigo.ca

Among Others by Jo Walton: A taste of the fantastic, and absolutely a must for anyone who had a thing for English books about boarding school once upon a time.$12.26 at Amazon.ca

Suspicion by Rachel Wyatt: A suspense novel about marriage and the possibility of murder, this one is recommended for anyone who loved the summer lit-blockbuster Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.$14.40 at Amazon.ca

Desperately Seeking Susans by Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang: An anthology of poetry by Canadian poets called Susan, which is a fabulous premise, but it’s also a terrific and accessible collection. $15.16 at Indigo.ca

We love the idea of having our kids make Christmas presents, but not everyone wants gifts covered in glue, glitter, and scribbles.

How about letting them design motifs and patterns on professionally-made notebooks, T-shirts and greeting cards? Vancouver company Kibooco has launched a holiday pop-up shop that allows just that (look for the full book creation site in the new year).

Choose your item, and then use the icons and mouse to decorate. The software is ridiculously easy to use - so easy that this parent couldn’t figure it out because she over thought everything. Of course the 3-year-old easily managed to design a pretty cool notebook covered in ice cream cones and excavators. Lots of excavators.

The best part? There’s no opportunity to spill glitter or eat glue. Just don’t let them wreck your computer. —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

Order your artwork before December 10 and get delivery before Christmas. Notebooks start at $16, t-shirts start at $32, www.kibooco.com

With the last long weekend of summer fast approaching, we're hitting the beach with a bottle of SPF and a good book.

Anya Georgijevic, Beauty Editor
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

I’ve been on a 1920s kick since... forever. This fictionalized story of a tumultuous relationship between the womanizing literary legend Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson is just the right combination of romance and jazz age nostalgia. $19.76 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Kelsey Dundon, Lifestyle Editor
Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Leave it to HBO to get me so hooked on a series: I’ve turned into a full-on fantasy-lover. I couldn’t wait to watch the third season of Game of Thrones so I decided to do things the old-fashioned way: read my way through it. The series is light reading yet each book is thick perfect for stashing in your weekend bag. $21.97 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Kait Kucy, Calgary Editor
Adventures in Solitude by Grant Lawrence

The CBC's Grant Lawrence recalls his long summers growing up in the misty and wet depth of British Columbia's Desolation Sound in this perfect Canadiana piece of literature. Excellent for long weekends at the lake or beach, this book will bring about new gratitude and love for your Canadian surroundings. $17.78 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Athena Tsavliris, Toronto Editor
The Book of Marvels by Lorna Crozier

A friend dropped in for tea today with this book (and homemade jam tarts) in her bag. It looks utterly charming. The perfect escape from that 700-pager on the nightstand. $15.165 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (Sponsored)

An ordinary walk to the corner mailbox sparks an extraordinary journey of self-discovery in this tender, touching and captivating new novel—the newest addition to Indigo Spotlight, a curated selection of outstanding reads. $19.76 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Christine Laroche, Montreal Editor
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The novel is dark, sneaky, and incredibly addictive, and Reese Witherspoon seems to agree: The actress has bought the book’s film rights. $16.47 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Maria Tallarico, Managing Editor
Who Killed Mom? by Steve Burgess

Popular Vancouver writer Steve Burgess brings his trademark wit to this tale of familial bond. His love for his mother Joan shines through every quippy story, and his quest to both understand and honour the woman who shaped him is quite touching. And did I mention how funny he is? Very. $17.44 at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Just because you're not budging from the chaise longue or Muskoka chair this season doesn't mean you can't escape the here and now – and summer reading doesn't (always) have to mean fluff. Take a mind trip with these three historical fiction picks, two-thirds of them CanCon.

All That I Am by Anna Funder

An expert in East German history (her first book, Stasiland, is also excellent, though nonfiction), here Funder takes a creative approach to the lives of both real and fictional characters in 1930s Germany, who opposed Hitler from the earliest years in a little-known (to me, at least) rebellion. $18.80 at Amazon.ca

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak

We love to see a woman making it to the top – and this chronicle of Catherine the Great of Russia's rise to power (told from the perspective of one of her spies) will have you unable to put it down – and impatient for the follow-up the author is currently working on. $15.64 at Amazon.ca

Above All Things by Tanis Rideout

Hot weather getting you down? Cool down with this tale of English mountaineer George Mallory's 1924 expedition to Mount Everest and attempt to reach the summit – and alongside, an agonizing day in the life of the wife he left behind in Cambridge. $17.99 at Amazon.ca

—Kat Tancock

Troy Brooks knows a thing or two about bad girls.

The Toronto artist paints ethereal ruby lipped ladies (imagine a glamorous Joan Crawford with the angst of Sylvia Plath) who are beautiful but dangerous. I was bewitched by a hammer-wielding dame in red velvet, an icy blonde clutching a shark and a Katharine Hepburn-type leaning next to a chair engulfed in flames.

Brooks’ original femmes fatales sell like hot cakes but his new book. The Women of Troy includes illustrations from the entire collection.  Bring all of them home (if you dare).  —Marianne Wisenthal

Troy Brooks at the Pentimento Gallery until July 15, 1164 Queen St. E., Toronto, 416-406-6772, www.pentimento.ca