If this is the year you embark on building your own freelance business—whether writer, photographer or nude painter—it’s not a bad idea to read up before you leap.

Creative, Inc. is your starter guide for going out on your own, with oodles of practical advice from two women who’ve been there/done that, creatives Meg Mateo Ilasco and Joy Deangdeelert Cho. From the basics of setting up shop to the precarious job of managing clients and negotiating fees, it spares the beginner umpteen phone calls to that self-employed friend—yet packed with Q & A’s of those in the field, it’s like having eight on speed dial.

That’s getting fit for profit.

$14.40 at Amazon.ca

Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton
My book club is reading Sarah Thornton’s Seven Days in the Art World over the holidays. I’ve barely cracked the spine, but I can already tell that it’s going to be a riveting read. $14.60 at Amazon.ca
Athena Tsavliris, Toronto editor

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
We adored Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell’s metaphysical romp across time, so we’re itching to read his latest. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet may stick to a single time period, telling the story of a clerk in a Japanese outpost of the Dutch East Indies Company, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a magical read. $21.12 at www.chapters.indigo.ca
Jennier Nachshen, Montreal editor (English edition)

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
Man of many talents, funny guy Steve Martin has just released his third novel, An Object of Beauty. The story follows a young and ambitious woman who takes the New York City art world by storm until finally, she comes face-to-face with circumstances no one, including her, can control. Martin, an avid art collector, also gives us the inside scoop on the art market including photos and details of some of the works discussed in the novel.
$18.80 at Amazon.ca
Malwina Gudowska, Calgary editor

Essays In Love by Alain de Botton
Consider this author Descartes for the everyday. A scribe of practical subjects like work, travel and architecture, he’s smart and spot-on. This book charts his relationship with a girl from unexpected meeting to saying “I love you” with all the abstract insights on universal truths to make you “ah-ha.” $15.87 at Amazon.ca
Joy Pecknold, Vancouver editor

Dear Diary by Lesley Arfin
Not for virgin ears (or eyes), this book chronicles the adolescent life of a suburban girl-turned-Vice Magazine columnist as she retraces her diary entries from age 12-25. Acerbic and funny, Arfin tracks  down old friends and enemies and revisits schoolyard bullying, high school drama, college experimentation and her early twenties as a heroin addict in New York City. $16.89 at Amazon.ca
Maria Tallarico, Managing editor

Audrey Hepburn launched subtle-sexy and LBD chic but it might never have happened were it not for a little film called Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

It heralded the career of Givenchy and the rise of the new '60s dame, one who didn’t live in the kitchen and spoke her mind. Sam Wasson’s Fifth Avenue, 5 a.m. is a page-turning look at the making of Blake Edward’s film filled with juicy details about Truman Capote’s narcissism (he hated the script and wanted Marilyn Monroe for the lead) and how Hepburn nearly refused to eat Danish in the film’s iconic opening scene (she lobbied for an ice cream cone).

It’s the perfect cure for the mean reds.

$16.05 at Amazon.ca

Need a long weekend beach read? Herewith, our editors' favourite summer page turners.

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
If Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret was your pre-teen bible, pick up Blume's more mature novel, Summer Sisters. It follows two best friends from grade school to their 30s and blends adolescent whimsy and angst with some very grown up topics. (PS: Check out Judy Blume on Twitter). $10 at Amazon.ca
Maria Tallarico, Managing editor

Angelina: An Unauthorized Biography by Andrew Morton
Members of Team Jennifer will enjoy sinking their teeth into. But we’d never diss Angie—why mess with a gal with a knife collection? $16 at Amazon.ca
Marianne Wisenthal, Montreal editor

The Recessionista by Alexandra Lebenthal
"Too Big to Fail Goes to the Beach," is how New York Magazine's Jessica Pressler described Alexandra Lebenthal's hot summer debut novel, The Recessionistas. A fabulously juicy read. $19 at Amazon.ca
Athena Tsavliris, Toronto editor

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
From the author of High Fidelity and About a Boy, Nick Hornby’s Juliet, Naked is the author’s latest look at what happens when love, parenting and relationships get in the way of life. The story of a washed-up musician also deals with one of Hornby’s favourite subjects: music. $21 at Amazon.ca
Malwina Gudowska, Calgary editor

One Day by David Nicholls
Expressed in snapshots of the same day spanning twenty years, this tale of two opposites, Dex and Em, who connect just before graduation, go their separate ways, yet stay in touch, sucked us in right from the start (perhaps because it begins with the pair bantering and snogging). $13 at Amazon.ca
Joy Pecknold, Vancouver editor

If your favourite summer reads include steamy romance novels with a barely-clad Fabio on the cover, put down the paperbacks and pick up Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Marriage of the Century.

The story of “Liz and Dick” by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger reveals the often shocking marriage of the twice married (and twice divorced) couple. Their stormy union—filled with plenty of sex, scandal, fame and fortune—began on the set of Cleopatra in 1962 and spanned over 20 years, making them the most glamorous on-again-off-again duo Hollywood has ever seen.

$18.89 at Amazon.ca

With all the one-liners your kid spouts, sometimes you feel like you have a little Letterman on your hands.

Immortalize their best observations with My Quotable Kid, a journal to help you keep track of who said what, and when. So next time little Tommy decides to tell everyone at the dinner table, "Mommy said Daddy came home late last night and has a headache from drinking too much apple juice," you can take note.

Er, maybe leave that one out of the book.

My Quotable Kid: A Parents' Journal of Unforgettable Quotes, $15 at Amazon.ca