• Help the mom who never stops prove it to the world with a pocket pedometer from Omrom ($32.99), which will quantify her activity by measuring steps, calories and distance. A seven-day history catalogs an entire week of exercise, while the whole device weighs only a pound and can be dropped in a bag or purse and still work uninterrupted. It's both offbeat -- poking fun at the nonstop bustle -- and functional, with included software that graphs heart rate and blood pressure.

Continue Reading...

• Backpacks are for children, but a guy like Bieber is always moving, so the solution is a stylish bag from Topman like the Dunlop Despatch Bag ($44). It's hipper than a messenger bag, still convenient and appropriately manly for a kid who aspires to toughness (but probably hasn't shaved yet). It's vintage enough to always be in and girls will be impressed so long as the little Bieber pretends Mommy didn't pick it out.

Continue Reading...

• The work of legendary documentarian Ken Burns fits the Franzen type well, both in terms of style and subject matter. "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" is available in a six-disc DVD set ($65.99) and with a companion hardcover volume ($31.50), both packed with nature facts and footage; "Baseball," updated this year with "The Tenth Inning" ($50.99), takes the same historical approach to America's pastime, for the heady sports fan who's either past his prime or never had one.

Continue Reading...

• After the sort of workday that calls for either a bloodcurdling scream or a full-body cleanse, comfort is key. Lest he bite your head off after a hard day of labor, help your breadwinner chill with something soft, like a comfort neck pillow from Flight 001 ($16). Even sitting on the couch can become an exercise in positive visualization if he's extra cozy, and imagining a trip to the glittering Mediterranean is easier with a lightweight sleep mask ($14). Light some lavender, lemongrass or tangerine aromatherapy candles ($19.95) and it's like paradise in your living room.

Continue Reading...

• A Snooki would squeal for these fluffy thong slippers ($6.80) from Forever 21, perfect for shuffling around the house in her pajamas. They come in black or turquoise, but both colors feature beaded button accents for extra panache. Toenail polish from her latest pedicure will not be obscured and the furry comfort is a must after the hurt of last night's high heels.

Continue Reading...

• TOMS Shoes are made for the selfless. Founded by a young entrepreneur, TOMS is committed to providing footwear worldwide, and for every pair of shoes sold, the company donates one to a child in need. Plus, the product is made in factories that promise safe conditions and fair wages in China, Ethiopia and Argentina. For a busy woman, the slip-on design of a classic black pair ($44), based on Argentine alpargatas, are convenient and all-purpose.

• The Sting Ray II chrome shower head ($84.95) is a beacon of opulence without being ostentatious. Someone so concerned with the well-being of others deserves some comfort of her own once she's in private, and here it's provided by 64 spray channels and 98 nozzles, along with adjustable wings. If she closes her eyes, it's like being perched under a waterfall -- and proof that there's nothing wrong with being a little bit fabulous.

Continue Reading...

• "Old Jews Telling Jokes: 5,000 Years of Funny Bits and Not-So-Kosher Laughs," by Sam Hoffman and Eric Spiegelman ($10.41), puts the elderly front and center, even if its laughs aren't based on age. It has the seal of approval from Mel Brooks, and is available on CD or as an MP3 for the consummate comedic delivery. Additionally, if you're sure she can't be offended, Sarah Silverman's "The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee" ($14.81) is pure raunchy fun: The kids will be scandalized at both the bits she's retelling and how hard she's laughing.

Continue Reading...

• To feed his obsession with American history, start with Ron Chernow's excellent new book, "Washington: A Life," which has been hailed as the best biography ever written about our first president. Or Simon Winchester's "Atlantic," the exhaustive and fascinating look at the history of the body of water that helped turn America into a global power. Or if you'd like to go more political, there's former President George W. Bush's new book, "Decision Points" ($19.25), in which he looks back on make-or-break moments in his life and then-presidency, from confronting his alcoholism to waterboarding and Kanye West.

Continue Reading...

• Someone like Stewart can only consume so much about current events before every nightmare is about North Korea. The just-released "Autobiography of Mark Twain," held by the author's will until 100 years after his death, can provide a welcome reprieve from the world's madness. (Don't underestimate the punchy humor of this dead white guy.) At 743 pages -- and this is just the first volume! -- Twain's tales run the gamut and are available in a sturdy hardcover ($19.22) as well as an e-book ($9.99).

Continue Reading...

• Even if she thinks she's the second coming, she should know who came first. The answer is Andy Warhol and his book "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again)" ($12.78) will be like a textbook for any little monster who dreams of a sea of sequins and pantslessness. Topics include money, sex, success and, of course, fame, so your zany individualist might as well learn from the master.

Continue Reading...

Just scroll down to get started.

Continue Reading...

"The Adderall Diaries: A Memoir of Moods, Masochism, and Murder" is about that gruesome crime, but it is also a grim, soul-searching account of addiction and writer's block, all within a memoir about a life of sadomasochism, group homes and general hard knocks, subjects that have anchored Elliott's six previous works, including his acclaimed fourth novel, 2004's "Happy Baby." That fictionalized version of his own turbulent adolescence, sexual proclivities and drug use made Elliott a cult favorite, known for transforming brutal experience into piercingly honest prose.

Continue Reading...

As a recession-cursed class of 2009 college graduate, I hoped to turn to the wisdom of the movies to figure out where my life was headed, the same way I looked to rising freshman Mitch Kramer in "Dazed and Confused" when entering high school or the scandalous "Rules of Attraction" before traveling abroad. Now in my early 20s, I'm resigned to a blank stare when asked about my future plans. So you can imagine my disappointment when a movie custom-made for my age group -- "Post Grad," about the travails of a career-less college graduate -- turned out to be so flimsy.

Continue Reading...

Hendricks is always a scene stealer as the feisty office manager Joan Holloway -- the curvy redhead best described on the show as "a drop of strawberry jam in a glass of milk" -- but in her recent press appearances the actress has voiced her discontent about some unsettling fan reactions to Joan's season two rape. Hendricks mentioned one troubling occurrence on the cast commentary for the second season DVDs, in which a fan decided to compliment Joan's outfit the day after the tragic scene aired ("I thought, 'That's all you have to say?").

Continue Reading...

In detailing their breakup, O'Neal invokes Fawcett's menopause ("Farrah was going through some kind of life change") and explains his romance with a much younger woman as a replacement for his daughter, Tatum O'Neal, who had "flown the coop." Apparently, his memories of Tatum were fuzzy at best judging by the disturbing anecdote O'Neal passed on about not recognizing his own kin:

Continue Reading...

Continue Reading...