MESSAGE FOR MARTHA: BOOKS MAKE THE BEST HOLIDAY GIFTS

Here's the way to start December: with some holiday book recommendations from the Book Babes! Today we joined Terri Trespico on Martha Stewart's Sirius radio show to talk about books, and below is a recap of our picks (with some extras thrown in) for your listening and giving pleasure. Meanwhile, don't forget the ideal gift for any book lover (esp. a woman) on your list: "BETWEEN THE COVERS: The Book Babes' Guide to a Woman's Reading Pleasures."

Margo's latest good read: "The English Major," by Jim Harrison -- the latest (and brightest) road-trip novel  
Ellen's: "A Mercy," by Toni Morrison -- Nobel Prize winner's fable-like novel set in early America

Margo's history pick: "Boone," by Robert Morgan (now available in paperback) -- no coonskin cap, no how
Ellen's: "The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage," by Daniel Mark Epstein --every marriage has its ups and downs

Ellen's sports pick: "The Great Swim," by Gavin Mortimer -- if you want to make history, dive into the English Channel   
Margo's: "The Given Day," by Dennis Lehane -- featuring Babe Ruth's pick-up game with black ballplayers -- fictional, but still...

Ellen's foodie rec: "Amarcord: Marcella Remembers," by Marcella Hazan -- the Julia Child of Italian cooking evokes her life and her kitchen
Margo's: "Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Ken Shopsin" -- Calvin Trillin's secret revealed, a Greenwich Village chef who offers more than 100 recipes from his legendary restaurant

Funny bone as channeled by Margo: "The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport," by Carl Hiassen -- losing at golf. What else is new.
Ellen: "Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth" (softbound! under $20!) -- if you were a "Seinfeld" fan, this belongs on your coffee table

Music to Margo's ears: "John Lennon: The Life," by Philip Norman -- what better way to mark the 40th anniversary of the White Album?
Ellen: "The Rest Is Noise," by Alex Ross -- a readable and fascinating guide to 20th century classical music

Ellen's pop culture pick: "Audition," by Barbara Walters -- the world's most famous interviewer turns the spotlight on herself -- and her foibles
Margo: "'Tis the Season," by Lorna Landvik -- fiction that spoofs celebrity by featuring a Paris Hilton/Britney Spears lookalike who's hounded by the press

Happy reading!