Fully booked for the summer? Here are our top picks for new trending books to add to your shelf or lug along for a summer house present:

AFTERNOON TEA AT HOME: Deliciously indulgent recipes for sandwiches, savories, scones, cakes and other fancies by Will Torrent is an invaluable source of inspiration, a no-nonsense approach to the key techniques involved in patisserie, baking, chocolate work and serving savory dishes in 80 beautifully illustrated recipes. This is the ultimate afternoon tea cookbook and will equip you to host the very best tea parties in town. Published by the lively and innovative Ryland Peters & Small.

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER, morning meals get a decadent makeover in this inspiring collection of rule-breaking recipes by Carol Hilker. Decadent ideas for those who skip breakfast and do not always have time in the morning to stop and cook. Now you can indulge at dinner, break all the rules and jazz up dinner by using these classic and outrageous approaches. Another gem from the clever publishing folks at Ryland Peters & Small.

BACKPACKER The National Parks Coast to Coast: 100 Best Hikes published by Flexibound and written by Ted Alvarez helps readers explore the crystal clear waters on the Summit Lakes Trail at Lassen Volcanic National Park, take in the expansive views at Shenandoah National Park’s Old Rag Mountain, or traverse the sandstone cliffs at Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park. Choose your adventure from any of the forty-four national parks profiled throughout the book. This book delivers jaw-dropping photos, detailed hike descriptions and maps, ranger essays, and more, all of which combine to create an intimate look at the best our national parks have to offer.

Over hundreds of years, various ethnic groups have passed through this city, sharing and influencing each other’s cuisine and leaving their culinary stamp. SAMARKAND: Recipes & Stories from Central Asia & the Caucasus by Caroline Eden and Eleanor Ford, Kyle Books is a love letter to Central Asia and the Caucasus, containing travel essays, beautiful photography and recipes that are little known in the West that have been expertly adapted for the home cook. There is an introduction to the region (explaining the ethnic groups – Uzbeks, Tajiks, Russian, Turkis, Koryo-Saram, Jewish, Caucasus, Afghan) with a useful pantry of essential ingredients, followed by an array of delicious dishes. These include Lamb Kebabs with Cinnamon, Cloves & Hot Hummus, Pumpkin Stuffed with Spiced Chickpeas, Sour Cherries & Rice, Pomegranate & Vodka Sorbet and the all-important breads of the region – naan, flatbreads and pides. With evocative travel features like “On the Road to Samarkand,” “A Banquet on the Caspian Sea,” “Shopping for Spices under Solomon’s Throne,” and a detailed introduction to the Silk Road, you will be charmed and enticed by this little known region and its cuisine, which has remained relatively untouched in centuries.

Jessica Harlan’s THE SIMPLE ART OF SALT BLOCK COOKING, Ulysses Press, a full-color cookbook that shows how to use salt blocks on the stove, in the oven and even on the grill to create delicious, perfectly seasoned meals, a unique and fun way of cooking.

ARTICA: The Vanishing North by Sebastian Copeland, TeNeues, a dramatic book that shows how very few landscapes convey Nature in all of its untamed splendor like the Arctic. Fewer still conjure respect like the seldom traveled and ethereal North Pole. Yet, sadly, this largely pristine and mostly misconceived treasure is now in jeopardy. Sebastian Copeland’s noble goal in these pages is to pay homage to this wonderland, and, in turn, draw awareness to its perilous plight. Copeland’s multi-faceted background–not only as polar explorer and award-winning photographer, established author and journalist, but also as a dedicated environmental activist–offers us a unique vantage point from which to appreciate this lonely spot. Surely, this is the last true wilderness on the planet–and its demise should ring the alarm for lower latitudes. Copeland’s authority on the subject is unparalleled and, in this book, his passion for this place truly shines. Although the vision presented in these pages may be poetic, the book’s aims are pragmatic–to seduce and inspire the world in order to help foster a market transformation towards a sustainable future.

THE GEEKY CHEF COOKBOOK: Real-Life Recipes for Your Favorite Fantasy Foods—Unofficial Recipes from Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and more by Cassandra Reeder.

Gina Cavalier’s HOW I BECAME SANTA CLAUS, a story of hope, dreams, magic and beauty with beautifully hand drawn art and a captivating narrative to form a unique and meaningful holiday story that’s sure to become a favorite. Inspired by three enchanting pieces she discovered in a Park City, Utah thrift store (a bird house general store, whimsical snowman and old Santa), Cavalier put years of film and television writing and illustrating experience to work to form a visual and reading experience that all ages can enjoy.

In ADVANCED STYLE Older & Wiser published by powerHouse Books, author Ari Seth Cohen brilliantly teaches us to view aging differently. It is an empowering book of loving portraits, a lesson in living a full life and any lucky reader will earn the benefit of valuing aging and revering the aging process. There is much shared wisdom in this book that goes beyond style and to the central joys of living.

Idiot’s Guides: FORAGING. If you’re serious about eating off the land, this book is just the ticket. Author Mark Vorderbruggen presents clear pictures of each part of the plant (flowers, seeds, stems, bark, etc.) along with details of harvesting and how to prepare what you harvest. It also has great tips on safe foraging and charts that show when each edible part of the plant is available in different parts of the country and a map on each plant page showing the range of the plant. Well worth the price to know how to best harvest nature’s free food.

Idiot’s Guides SUCCULENTS by Cassidy Tuttle, published by Alpha, will make you fall in love with succulents and their many textures, colors, shapes and varieties. Now you can nurture your own succulents at home, and this helpful guide teaches how to choose, care for and create eye-catching arrangements of these easy-to-grow plants.

LAST-MINUTE TRAVEL SECRETS by Joey Green, Chicago Review Press, gives 121 ingenious tips to endure cramped planes, car trouble, awful hotels and other trips from hell. A unique guide to say the least with tips that may sound goofy but really do work. Also includes interesting and strange travel sidebars plus amusing trivia.