Nina Siegal's The Anatomy Lesson is an ambitious, inventive and sometimes uneven novel that imagines the lives of the figures in Rembrandt's group portrait of the same name--his first major commission. It is historical fiction steeped in impeccable research and intimate knowledge of Amsterdam at the height of its artistic vitality.

The story is told from the alternating points of view of its many characters over the course of a single day. It begins with Aris, a one-handed coat thief whose public hanging leads to the eventual dissection of his corpse in an anatomy lesson conducted by Amsterdam's official City Anatomist, Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. Through it all, a young Rembrandt plans, then paints his portrait of the dissection, struggling to reconcile his artistic and humanist vision with the requirements of his commission. Joining them are Aris's pregnant lover, Flora; René Descartes; and the curio dealer who must procure the body for Dr. Tulp. Pia, a contemporary art conservator, adds her observations about the painting in short chapters that punctuate the historical story.

This structure can make the novel feel disjointed, but it adds layers of rich period detail and perspective. Siegal is especially effective in conveying the murky intersection of science, religion and morality in a rapidly changing city. She is an acute observer of art and of human nature. If The Anatomy Lesson wears its knowledge a little too self-consciously, it is nevertheless a thought-provoking and richly populated novel by a talented new voice. --Jeanette Zwart, freelance writer and reviewer

Robin Asbell learned to navigate many special diets as a private chef; her previous cookbooks (Big Vegan et al.) celebrate limited diets. In Gluten-Free Pasta, inspired by her mother's food allergies, Asbell focuses on full flavor and easy preparation--and readers will not feel deprived.

Gluten-Free Pasta opens with the observation that the first known noodle, from China more than 4,000 years ago, was made with millet flour: gluten-free! Since gluten provides structure, Asbell explains how to use binders like eggs, xanthan and guar gums to work around this, with flours like white and sweet rice, millet and whey protein powder. According to Asbell, anything that can be made into long strips can become spaghetti, but a list of gluten-free brands commonly found in grocery stores is provided for those fearful of making fresh pasta. Since diet sensitivities can include other common ingredients, like eggs, dairy, soy and nuts, Abell also includes multiple alternatives to these triggers.

But the true gift of Gluten-Free Pasta is the recipes; Asbell celebrates pasta in all forms from cold (lime-chili noodles with Thai basil and scallops) to baked (spicy kimchi-spiked mac and cheese), and includes sauces with flavors such as spicy African peanut and creamy roasted garlic and mushroom. Beyond pasta, there are tempting recipes for soups, chowders and appetizers like curry noodle and paneer cakes with mango raita. To help readers navigate the bounty, an alphabetized index guides the way. Gluten-Free Pasta will be a blessing to anyone who fears a gluten-free diet means losing "comfort on a plate." --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics

In 1995, the war against AIDS took a decisive turn when the FDA approved the use of protease inhibitors. By then, however, the disease had claimed thousands of lives, including those of singer Michael Callen and poet Essex Hemphill. In Hold Tight Gently, historian Martin Duberman (Stonewall) explores the lives of both artists to create a detailed portrait of the early years of the fight to understand, contain and control the AIDS epidemic.

Callen and Hemphill, who never met, took radically different routes in their approach to the AIDS fight. Callen, a white Midwesterner who had moved to New York to pursue his singing career and discover himself, soon emerged as one of the leading political voices in the white gay community and within the AIDS movement. Hemphill, a black resident of Washington, D.C., preferred to work behind the scenes, channeling his burdens into his poetic works.

Developing Callen's and Hemphill's biographies side by side allows Duberman to consider elements of race, sexuality, class and identity and go beyond the basic facts of what the two lived through in the years from 1981 to 1995. In so doing, he demonstrates that AIDS has not yet been defeated--and that losing a sense of urgency in fighting it sets up the entire nation to repeat its own tragic history. --Dani Alexis Ryskamp, blogger at The Book Cricket

Primarily set in the lushness of the Londolozi Game Preserve in South Africa, Cathedral of the Wild, Boyd Varty's memoir of his childhood and adolescence is full of tiny details and intimate moments that bring the African bush alive.

Started by Varty's great-grandfather as a hunting safari park, Londolozi was transformed by Varty's father and uncle into an ecotourism nature park, a place where animals could be observed and filmed, not hunted for trophies. Varty and his sister were raised amid the chaos of running a luxury safari business and quickly learned to entertain guests, help in the kitchen, drive Land Rovers and be self-sufficient from a very young age. They connected with nature in many profound and sometimes dangerous moments, working with their uncle as camera assistants and drivers as he created his world-famous documentaries on elephants, leopards and wildebeests. (They also enjoyed a friendship with Nelson Mandela, who stayed at Londolozi after his release from prison.)

For Varty, who survived a severe crocodile attack and a scary bout with malaria, the most dangerous animal was his fellow man: he was involved in an encounter with intruders on Londolozi's turf. But through his spiritual connection with the land, Varty was able to regain his sense of place, purpose and peace. Brimming with sensory details, Varty's reverence for his surroundings is deeply evident as he illuminates "the last fading taste of the old Africa," conserving these moments just like the animals who have flourished thanks to the Londolozi preserve. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer

We know that Zeus has a large sexual appetite, that Athena is warlike, that Hermes is a messenger with a sense of humor. But how did these myths and the personalities they depict survive to the present? Barbara Graziosi, a professor, has written several academic works on the classics. In The Gods of Olympus, she directs her expertise to a more general audience, following the 12 gods and goddesses of the classical Greek pantheon from their first appearances in antiquity through our continuing modern awareness of them.

The history of the immortal Olympians begins in Greece, where Graziosi explores their role in myth, ritual and cultural events. Alexander the Great expanded his empire toward the ends of the earth, and under his rule, much of the "known world" was Hellenized. During the Roman Empire, the gods' strong personalities were merged with the traditional Roman gods', surviving in slightly different forms that best served those in power. Graziosi demonstrates the continuation of this model: Islam and Christianity also preserved the Olympians, albeit transformed them into demons and allegories. Their original worshippers are long gone, but the Olympic gods survive, flexible and changeable but continuing to inspire art and literature.

Graziosi's knowledge is obvious, and easy to trust, accompanied by thorough notes and a helpful appendix. Her writing is accessible and entertaining, her passion for her subject obvious; The Gods of Olympus will equally thrill longtime lovers of the classics, and appeal to readers seeking a friendly, engaging introduction. --Julia Jenkins, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

Michael C.C. Adams (The Best War Ever) throws aside the image of gallant pageantry often associated with the American Civil War to reveal its grimmest realities in Living Hell. He ignores the grand campaign strategies and national politics, focusing instead on individuals and the traumas they endured. Adams follows soldiers through the recruitment process, the vice and grime of camp life, the horrors of the battlefield and its aftermath, on through the years of postwar physical and psychological anguish, often suffered in isolation or ridicule. Finally, he turns to the plight of civilians, including the hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans left in the war's wake.

Living Hell uses firsthand accounts and Adams's own extensive research to create a shockingly unflinching view of the war. It is not for the squeamish, with graphic descriptions of battlefield mutilations, primitive surgeries, mass corpse disposal and an incessant stream of upsetting violations of human dignity. Yet Living Hell is far more than a sadistic chronicle of these horrors; it provides a vital gut-wrenching counterpoint to the Civil War's glamorization in America's collective memory, a perspective as important to understanding the war as any political history or general's biography.

Living Hell will appeal to lovers of military history while being accessible enough for general readers. Those with the fortitude to endure its darkest moments will find it fascinating, though not necessarily enjoyable. --Tobias Mutter, freelance reviewer

If the walls of the Hôtel Ritz could talk, The Hotel on the Place Vendome would be their memoirs. Tilar Mazzeo presents a history of this glitzy Parisian hotel, cataloguing the lives and actions of its rich and famous occupants--from Marcel Proust to Coco Chanel, Hemingway and Fitzgerald to Hermann Göring.

Mazzeo (The Secret of Chanel No. 5) starts with the hotel's opening in 1898, then moves chronologically through the building's history. The bulk of her account, though, is spent on the years during World War II and the activities leading up to the Nazi occupation of Paris, then to the city's liberation in 1944. Mazzeo leaves no stone unturned, giving as much attention to the members of the French Resistance--several of whom worked in the Ritz--as to "horizontal collaborators," French women known to sleep with Nazi soldiers during the Occupation.

This is a history many French citizens, even now, would prefer to leave untold; Mazzeo recalls how one interview subject whose husband fought in the Resistance warned her not to write the book. But write it she did, and readers should be grateful, for the lens of the Hôtel Ritz provides not only a fascinating history of a building that has captured our imaginations for over a century, but a broader history of the building's many occupants. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm

Synonymous with organic farming and gardening since the 1940s, Rodale joins forces with Deborah Martin, a veteran writer at Organic Gardening, to bring novice gardeners a hands-on "green" guide to growing flowers, vegetables and herbs. Like many other endeavors, organic gardening has its own language, adeptly defined throughout the text, and requires many skills, which Martin explores in detail.

From preparing a garden site based on sun and drainage to making raised beds to choosing the best tools, Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening walks newbies through each step of the process. Confused as to which type of seeds to buy, how much water to use or how to tend to new transplants? Martin answers these and other questions with practical solutions, allowing new green gardeners to go forward with ease and confidence. A large section covers specific vegetables, with pertinent information on the best soil to use, the best temperature at which to plant and the best times and methods for harvesting.

For those accustomed to using chemicals to combat insects and weeds, Martin's tips on beneficial insects, mulch, pheromone traps and dormant oils will ensure productive results while switching to a healthier and safer method of gardening. A monthly checklist of gardening chores helps ensure growers are ready to start their new gardens as soon as weather and temperatures permit; suggestions on what to record in gardening notebooks or Excel files round out the useful advice. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer

The young heroine of this enchanting picture book describes her relationship with a special maple tree, and how she shares it with her new baby sister.

First-time author and artist Lori Nichols immediately sets up the book's central relationship: "Maple loved her name," says the text, as a child in braids looks lovingly at a tree. Her parents "planted a tiny tree in her honor," the book continues. A series of images charts the strengthening bond between Maple and her tree. In one glorious two-page spread, the reader views Maple from high above, gazing down at the girl lying beneath the leafy, sundrenched branches. Then one day, close to Maple's tree, a small mound appears; a rabbit stares at the mound. A tiny sprout appears--a harbinger of not only spring, but a new addition to the family. When the baby won't stop crying, Maple takes her outside, where "Maple's tree danced for them both." Once again, Nichols's image makes readers feel as if they are looking down from the treetop, this time viewing Maple and her baby sister through the leaves.

Maple is a satisfying tale of a child's relationship with and awe of nature, and her willingness to open up her world to her younger sibling. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness