Books you must read or give as house presents this summer: For anyone looking for inspiration for where to go when, THE BEST PLACE TO BE TODAY: 365 Things to do & the Perfect Day to do Them offers a wealth of ideas, inspiring photos, and dates galore. Find the best thing to do every day of the year, from one-day events like India’s Holi festival or the cheese-rolling race at Cooper’s Hill in England, to seasonal events like Alaska’s caribou migration and weather-dependent adventures like completing the Tour de Mont Blanc. This vibrant, practical and addictive book covers the 365 best festivals, sporting events, adventures and natural phenomena. Who else but Lonely Planet could assemble a book like this? Lonely Planet started in 1973 and has become the world’s leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveler community. Lonely Planet’s mission is to enable curious travelers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.

Katherine Wilson’s ONLY IN NAPLES: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from My Italian Mother-in-Law, Random House, is part love story and full of lighthearted humor, sumptuous food, the wisdom of an Italian mother-in-law, and Italian atmosphere, a warm and witty memoir of an American-born lover of food and life on her adventures abroad.

ALAIN DUCASSE’S NEW YORK, 100 Gourmet Addresses from the great publisher, Rizzoli, in which the acclaimed master multi-starred chef reveals his favorites culinary sites of excellence in the Big Apple. You can trust Monsieur Ducasse. His judgment is impeccable. Complete with stores, specialty shops and a handy fold out map. This is chef Alain Ducasse’s personal guide to the best eating, drinking, and hospitality New York City has to offer, a perfect introduction to the New York’s food world for New Yorkers and tourists alike. From Brooklyn’s hippest new restaurants to Manhattan’s best street vendor hot dogs, Ducasse reveals his personal selections of Gotham’s best culinary destinations. He includes bistros, gelaterias, and bakeries as well as old-fashioned “appetizing” delicatessens, greenmarket stands, and five-star restaurants–any culinary location that is special to New York and at the top of its game is included in this treasured Ducasse guide.

TARTS: CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY, SWEET AND SAVORY, Rizzoli, by Michelin-starred chef Frederic Anton and renowned pastry chef Christelle Brua with Japanese culinary journalist Chihiro Masui also contributing is a must-have collection of modern recipes and modern takes on the traditional French comfort food. With mouth-watering photography by Richard Haughton, the book is divided into three sections: savory, sweet and making dough. Recipes yield the quintessential simple to make, elegant to serve and glorious to eat creations. Perfect for the novice or master.

APERITIVO: The Cocktail Culture of Italy by Marisa Huff, Andrea Fazzari and Joe Bastianich, another gem from Rizzoli, recipes for drinks and small dishes from the best bars and restaurants of Venice, Milan, Turin, and beyond.

THE CREATIVE COTTAGE by Steve Gross and Susan Daley, Gibbs Smith, celebrates the unique and imaginative of the beach house, farmhouse, saltbox or cabin, whatever constitutes the cottage in all its charming comfort, lack of pretense and extraordinary personal expression. Filled with colorful photography, this books captures the spirit of thirteen original cottage and their owners in all their quirky, historic, character-filled splendor.