Any less-than-intrepid bakers out there? No need to worry: Elinor Klivans comes to the rescue with Fearless Baking. By anticipating everything that can go wrong, Klivans lives up to the title of her cookbook and takes the fear out of baking. Organized by technique, from easiest to most difficult, Klivans guarantees success recipe by recipe. She anticipates questions and problems in a section at the beginning of every recipe called "baking answers," and includes a comprehensive glossary of baking terms, equipment, and techniques. You need nothing more fancy than a hand mixer to make even the most complicated recipe in the book, and yet the great quantity of original, delectable sweet and savory goods included here make it a worthwhile purchase for even the most accomplished baker. Your baking course begins with a section called Just Stir and Bake, and includes some all-time favorites such as Perfectly Easy Chocolate-Chip Butterscotch Blondies (your friends will love you). The chapters move on through "No-Roll Crusts with Simple Fillings" (try the Glazed Fresh Raspberry Pie and everyone will think you"re a pro) to chapters on mixing, frosting (how about a Cranberry Eggnog Cake with Bourbon Butter frosting?), rolling, whipping, "Baking with Chocolate," and even "Melting Sugar for Caramel and Praline" (one taste of Pumpkin Pecan Praline Cheesecake and you"ll be convinced you"re ready to open your own bakery!). Klivans sets you up for success throughout Fearless Baking. Her instructions are detailed, she assumes nothing, and her explanations are clear and useful. This is truly a baking book that no kitchen should be without. --Leora Y. Bloom