Holiday titles (books)

Looking to add some holiday cheer to your bookshelf? Check out these recent offerings:

• Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman’s “The Gingerbread Architect.” This is not for the amateur baker, but you still will be inspired to break out your baking equipment. The book offers detailed instructions and templates for creating a dozen gorgeous gingerbread houses based on classic American home designs.

• Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Dinner.” This is a reprint of a short story written in 1835 by a young Charles Dickens. In it, he recounts a charming family Christmas dinner. This new and nicely illustrated version includes recipes from the period (and modern updates of them).

‘Theater of the Mind’ (music)

The last musical effort by Ludacris (aka Chris Bridges, the name he uses in films such as “Crash” and “RocknRolla”) reflected a sober mood. His 2006 album, “Release Therapy,” saw him focusing on topics such as God and hunger. Luda seemed pensive — as he does on the cover of this new record.

But this time, he was just acting. “Theater of the Mind” finds Luda returning to the raunch, the booze and the boys in the hood.

Luda focuses too much on the boys. All but two tracks feature guest stars, including Jay-Z and T-Pain (the good), Chris Brown and Sean Garrett (the fair), and Spike Lee and Floyd Mayweather Jr. (the odd) in dynamic, trippy surroundings. While his pairing with a sneering Lil Wayne on “Last of a Dying Breed” is a battle royale between rap’s most distinctive tones, Luda’s teaming with comedian Chris Rock on “Everybody Hates Chris” is unnecessary. When Ludacris takes the mic alone — as on “Let’s Stay Together” and “MVP,” the Atlanta wordsmith is at his cocksure best.

‘Fashion Inside Out’ (books)

“Fashion Inside Out,” by Daniel Vosovic (Random House, $29.95), is a collection of interviews with fashion insiders such as Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia and Diane von Furstenberg, interspersed with chapters on design techniques by Vosovic, a finalist from “Project Runway” Season 2. Since sending his collection down the runway at Bryant Park (he lost to Houston’s Chloe Dao), Vosovic has held off creating his own line, instead working for the small, high-end label Raven and designing uniforms and sportswear for NYLO hotels.

What you’ll find: The book is not only a good introduction to the fashion industry, with interviews with many of today’s top movers and shakers, but it’s also a good primer on techniques. Vosovic walks readers through drawing a croquis (a basic design sketch), gives tips on swatching and fabric-shopping, provides a short lecture on designing a silhouette for a particular body shape, and even gives a how-to on creating a rub-off (essentially, taking apart an already-designed garment and using it to create a pattern).