The sun is shining, the smell of fresh-cut grass is in the air and everyone at the barbeque is sipping sangria and other yummy drinks while you sit with a big, boring glass of ice water resting on your pregnant belly. No fun. Alyssa Gusenoff has been there and done that. And, to the benefit of all pregnant women out there, she put her frustrations into "Margarita Mama: Mocktails for Moms-to-Be," (Quirk Books, $12.95).

This ingenious book takes some of your favorite drinks - frozen, on the rocks and otherwise - and translates them into alcohol-free recipes that are not only tasty but also healthy for mom and baby. Gusenoff also adds some new concoctions such as the Materi-tini, Rock-a-bye Bellini and Nothing Fits Fizz. Mixed in with the recipes are health tips like what fruits help with water retention and which ones help prevent neural birth defects as well as other general facts about pregnancy. This cute and clever book makes a great gift for any mom-to-be.

Find Margarita Mama wherever books are sold and online at www.quirkbooks.com.

"The Ice Cream Bible"

For the more ambitious chefs out there, "The Ice Cream Bible" ($23.95, Robert Rose, Inc.), has a recipe to suit any craving for something sweet and frozen. With delicious sorbets, gelatos, ices and granitas, this book will make any ice cream fantasy come true. Whether that dream is for more traditional flavors like old-fashioned vanilla, something a little different like rosemary or something an ordinary grocery store wouldn't stock like avocado lime, Marilyn and Tanya Linton have provided readers with the recipe.

Now, producing real ice cream and not a mess of soupy sugar can be a Herculean task but the Lintons have done their best to put readers on the track to frozen perfection. "The Ice Cream Bible," comes equipped with information on the different types of ice cream makers, solutions to potential problems and ice cream fundamentals. The best advice in the book may very well be: "the easier the machine is to use and the faster it produces results, the more you will use it." The big downer soon to follow is that the best ice cream makers can run up to $800. You could save money if you don't mind spending 8-10 hours freezing just enough ice cream to please six people after cranking the mixture until all you want to do is dumb the frozen end product all over your arm to numb the pain. But when it comes to ice cream machines, you might as well go big or go to the grocery store and buy some.

Find "The Ice Cream Bible," at all major book and online retailers.