This is one of those posts that just does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a list of all the books I’ve managed to read in 2024. There were four that I had to abandon, right at the start of the year – I simply couldn’t get on with them and dreaded having…
It’s time. For the sixth year running I bring you my ultimate, easy, budget-adaptable Christmas gift. The one that feels thoughtful and personal yet takes seconds to buy and is easy to wrap and cheap to post. Yes, dear readers, it’s the most popular post of the season: my Christmas Books ‘n Chocolates! Do you want…
Here are the photographs included in the ebook and physical versions of my book, How Not to be a Supermodel. If you have downloaded the audiobook and for some reason cannot access the PDF then you can view the photos below. If you have arrived at this page and have not yet read How Not…
Here’s an extract from my book, How Not to be a Supermodel. It’s taken from a chapter about model castings and the physical/sporting skills I lied about having in order to try and bag some work. Could I play the drums, for example? Sure: Was I a pro-level ice-skater? Er, yes: They were necessary little white…
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Yes, it’s what you’ve all been waiting for: this year’s edition of Books and Chocolate, also known as The Ultimate Easy Christmas Gift. If you’re on a tight budget, if you’ve left everything until the last minute, if you’re struggling to think of present ideas but want to buy…
Looking for the ultimate easy, not-too-expensive, seemingly-thoughtful Christmas present? I have the answer! I had the answer last year too, so this is an updated 2020 version: it’s the books ‘n chocolate gift. Comes in unlimited combinations, is widely available and won’t break the bank. You may be thinking (if you didn’t read last year’s…
AD: not sponsored or paid-for. Contains gifted press samples (chocolate) and affiliate links are marked *. We’re revisiting a post that I (kind of) did a few years ago, really, but it’s a good one and so it deserves another airing. Because this post may just save your Christmas Bacon, if you’ve left present-buying until…
A great decorating book to feast upon, if you’re something of an interiors aficionado; Farrow & Ball’s Recipes for Decorating* by Joa Studholme. It’s an absolute visual delight. Whether you’re a serial re-painter who loves to experiment with colour or a confused starter with no idea how to pick a more flattering shade for the living…
This post was supposed to be called My Favourite Books of 2018 but that title felt a bit tardy, so I’ve sneakily tweaked it so that everything’s just a bit more relevant and exciting. I mean, why harp on about the past when you can look forward to the future? Isn’t it more enticing to think about…
I’ve just finished reading the Maggie O’Farrell novel After You’d Gone, which completes my epic O’Farrell reading marathon. I’ve read all of her novels, now – five of them in the last couple of months – and I can safely declare her to be one of my favourite writers. I just think she’s absolutely brilliant. I’m only sad…
I’m a terrible one for judging a book by its cover. And I mean that literally, not metaphorically – I’m not at all judgemental or presumptuous when it comes to people: just books. Which is why, shamefully, it has taken me so long to come around to reading Captain Corelli’s Mandolin; I shouldn’t admit this, as…
This is a difficult novel to write about, because I’m not sure whether I love it or absolutely detest it. Either way, it makes for interesting conversation – or would do, if anyone I knew had read it! Have you read Eileen? It grabbed my attention because it was on the shortlist for the Man Booker prize…
I promised at the end of 2015 that I’d do a round-up of my favourite novels of the year and here I am, over twelve months later, with a slightly different post. It seems odd to go back to what I read in 2015, so the best picks from that year will have to be…
If you’re still Christmas shopping and starting to panic (I have three presents left to get, I’m with you!) then prepare to be saved: not only do many of the things in my previous gift guides come from online stores with one day delivery (get it on Friday if you order today, or Saturday if you…
I’ve rediscovered my cooking mojo, after more than a year of being almost completely disinterested in doing anything in the pots and pans department. My fall from culinary grace began when we moved out of our house and into a series of short-term lets (seems a lifetime ago now, when we renovated our home, but we’ve actually…
Something a bit different, this week: the books that are on my reading list. I’ll be ploughing through these over the course of the summer, whenever I get to snatch a sunny moment in the deckchair or a couple of hours before bed. I’ve just finished The Girls, which was excellent – very soft focus and dreamlike but…
Beauty favourites were a bit thin on the ground, last month, but I did do quite a bit of reading so I’ve shared this video between reading recommendations and beautifying tips. The Anne Tyler book (here) is just a beautifully gentle, slow-paced novel, examining the relationships within a family and gradually revealing more and more about their backstory….
I couldn’t leave you for the holidays with absolutely nothing to do, so here are some of the best bumper book series. There should be something for just about everyone here, whether you like thrillers, adventure books or serious, thoughtful novels. If you still have presents to buy then you can order any of these until the…