Low-carbohydrate cookbooks are everywhere. Among the favorites is Lauri's Low-Carb Cookbook, a self-published effort that provides almost 200 recipes for a wide range of foods with fewer than 10 grams of carbohydrates per serving. The book's popularity may have to do with its pitch-perfect appeal; it offers everyday recipes for the dishes many Americans love to eat--barbecued ribs, jerk chicken, and chocolate mousse among them. If these recipes adapt food traditions with a very free hand (Lauri's béarnaise sauce calls for sour cream), and require chemical food substitutes (artificial sweeteners, which can appear in recipes that are usually sugar-free), they are also easy to do and fully satisfying. The recipes range from breakfast, snack, and salad items to the usual entrees, sauces, and desserts; winners include the recipes for crab chowder and salmon poached with ginger. Readers should be aware, however, that the recipes have not received editorial scrutiny. As a result, there are errors that range from the embarrassing but not dire (Lauri neglects to tell readers to cook the bacon before using it in her eggs benedict) to the frustrating (Baked Artichoke Savories neglects to mention to bake the savories and for how long). Still, all but novice cooks should be able to fill in the blanks where necessary, and everyone should be pleased with the book's easy low-carbohydrate dishes. --Arthur Boehm