Reading recommendations
If you liked Nigella Lawson’s latest ‘gastro-porn’ offering, Nigella Express, you may like to try these other culinary delights:
Cooking by Numbers: From Eating Alone to the More the Merrier, Matthew Fort
A cookbook with a difference – the recipes are divided by the number of people eating, from romantic meal for two, to banquet for eight.
The New English Table, Rose Prince
Ideas and recipes for good British food that won’t cost the earth - and handy hints on how to make the most from your leftovers.
What’s on Ian Rankin’s bedside table:
Tokyo Year Zero, David Peace
Thriller based around a real-life serial-killer hunt in post World War two Japan.
The Tin Roof Blowdown, James Lee Burke
Dave Robicheaux returns in another detective thriller, this time set in New Orleans and the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Dandy in the Underworld, Sebastian Horsley
An autobiographical account of his life as dandy, drug addict, prostitute and artist - and how he managed to blow £1 million.
If you liked John Banville’s crime thriller, The Silver Swan, written under his literary double, Benjamin Black, try some of his alter ego classics:
The Sea
Described by the Observer as “One of the most rewarding and humane novels of recent years”, The Sea explores memory, loss and childhood.
Birchwood
One of Banville’s earlier gothic-esque novels, describing life on a large, rundown Irish estate and the fall from grace of the Godkins.
Independent bookshop, The Barnes Bookshop, recommends:
The Bastard of Istanbul, Elif Shafak
A controversial look into women’s lives in modern Istanbul, which caused a stir – and legal proceedings – for Shafak in his native Turkey.
If you enjoyed Joanna Trollope’s Friday Nights, why not try:
Things I Want My Daughters To Know, Elizabeth Noble
When Barbara realises she’s coming to the end of her life, she writes four letters to her daughters to help them through the trials and tribulations of life.
Notes From An Exhibition, Patrick Gale
The family of a troubled artist, Rachel Kelly, struggle to unravel and come to terms with the emotional complexities marking her life and work.
Books they wished they’d written:
Nigella Lawson -
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
Justine Picardie -
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
Nicci Gerard (Nicci French) -
Moominland Midwinter, Tove Jansson
Sean French (Nicci French) -
Joe Gould’s Secrets, Joseph Mitchell
Hanif Kureshi -
The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka