Currently reading.....

After mentioning in yesterday's post that I like to curl up in fresh bedding with a good book, I had a few requests asking for my current reading list. Truth be told, I don't have one. I have books. Piles and piles of books. They're generally broken into a few categories - namely, murder, music, people, photography and self-help. And cooking. Always the cooking.

The 700 Nimes Road in the picture above is the photographic account of Elizabeth Taylor's house during her last days (taken with her full permission - this is not TMZ). I love nosying in people's houses and this is no exception. There are some peeks inside on this week's vlog.

Haven't read all of the above yet, but I've picked through most of them. I've moved Grace and Amy to my bedside to make sure I get properly into those ones.

Betty Halbreich was the personal shopper at Bergdorf's for years. Her memoirs are a great insight into the high-end lifestyle of shoppers and the industry in general. This article is a great intro to her if you weren't aware of her previously: vanityfair.com/betty-halbreich

The rock biographies I read just for the laughs. The Dirt by Motley Crue and Tommyland take some beating for the depravity and filth content though.  If that's your thing... ;)

People in business are always a good bet for hints and tips if running your own business is what you do/want to do. The Arianna Huffington one is a tad slow for me, the Aliza Licht one a little 'young' - all worth a quick browse though.

Hidden at the top of this pile is the Marie Kondo Tidying book. It thrills me that one of the best selling books in the UK is a book on tidying. Now all we need is a Dettol candle and I'll be all set.

Annnd a little murder to finish things off. After all, if you can't read murder curled up in bed all cosy, when can you??

Choice Books - Food. The New Health Rules by Frank Lipman M.D. & Danielle Claro

Adding to my obsession with lovely books that are not only beautiful to look at but actually full of good info, this one is a really simple, interesting, easy read that pulls you in as soon as you open the cover.

It contains beautiful photography alongside sections including Eating, Moving, Boosting, Healing and Living that are easy to follow and not 'preachy'.

You can imagine how happy I was when I saw this page..... :)

The New Health Rules is priced around £13.00 (the same as Amazon) and is available from Waterstones.com - who also do free delivery and pay their UK taxes. ;)

Choice Books - Food. Jamie Oliver's Comfort Food

Well it IS Sunday. I meant to put this up before Christmas but the book was always in the kitchen (being used) and it went out of my head...so without further ado....

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If you're a foodie, you'll probably already have this, if you don't, you must check it out.

Back before Christmas, Jamie held a tasting at his store in Notting Hill for bloggers and press - tasting all of the dishes on the night was an amazing opportunity and meeting the man himself only reassured me that he is exactly the same in the flesh as he is on screen.

Nic Chapman from Pixiwoo, Moi, Louise Sprinkle of Glitter and Lily Pebbles

Full to the brim of completely achievable, delicious looking food, Comfort Food, as always contains the brilliant photography of David Loftus, who has worked with Jamie for years.

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Jamie Oliver's Comfort Food is £12.99 and available from amazon, all good booksellers - and his website continues to be an awesome source of daily recipes, updates and videos and is well worth checking out. www.jamieoliver.com

Choice Books - Business: The Glitter Plan

I read as many books as possible from people who have started their own businesses - even if one of them is married to John Taylor from Duran Duran. How rude of her.

Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor were the two women behind Juicy Couture, the home of the velour tracksuit (eew) and the fun handbags and accessories (yum). 

This tells the story of how they started, the building of a multi-million dollar business and the eventual sale to Liz Claiborne in 2003 for $250 million dollars. As you do. *gulp*

If you like reading this kind of thing - this has lots of bullet-point individual pages listing for example, retail terms, their top tips for starting businesses and 'surviving the transition to corporate management' - something that Jo Malone could relate to (if you listened to her Desert island Discs last week). 

The Glitter Plan is available on amazon.co.uk for all different kinds of prices depending on the format you want.

It also contains pictures of John Taylor and Anthony Kiedis. #bonus 

Choice Books - Food: Elizabeth David French Provincial Cooking

Not ALL of my book shares will be food - I swear. This one is just too good to hold off on. I read Elizabeth David's cookbooks and connected immediately with the woman behind the recipes - it was only once I read more into her life and how rebellious, outspoken and challenging to conventionality she was that I really thought: YES.

Although Ms. David's first book was all everything Mediterranean (and also brilliant), this one I read cover to cover on holiday in Kent years ago and have re-read it since whenever the mood takes. Similar to Nigella's books in that you can read them as a book, rather than individually picking out recipes, this walks a brilliantly fine line between someone talking to you as if you are a complete moron (in a totally enjoyable way) and your favourite auntie talking you through her treasure trove of recipes collected over the years.

If you are older or into cooking you will no doubt have digested (see what I did there) all of her works, if you haven't, I can't recommend them - all of them - enough.

As The Telegraph says:

'We’re awash now with cookbooks, sated with television cookery programmes. Elizabeth David was the forerunner of them all. A hundred years after her birth, she’s still worth reading and learning from.'

Elizabeth David French Provincial Cooking is available from Amazon. For a few quid more you can buy 'The Classics' which contains Mediterranean Food, Summer Cooking and French Provincial Cooking - here.

Choice Books - Food: Nigella Lawson - How to Eat

I can't believe this book is 17 years old this year. When I was planning regular slots for the blog this year - I really wanted to keep talking about my favourite books - this was the first one that popped into my head. Easily, with no competition, the most dog-eared, filled-with-splashes cookbook that I own. And I own a lot.

Filled with simple, clear, funny instructions and food that you would actually eat, her 'basics' section alone spans 80 pages and is enough to get even the most novice of cooks started.

Nigella's tone is so warm and honest that you really feel she A: cares about your results and B; is in the kitchen with you.

there are over 350 recipes in this but I want to give a particular shout-out to the 'Babies and Small Children' section which lists everything from weaning to the 'mashing everything in sight' stage - to smaller children and even covers birthday parties. It saw me through a lot of trying times with fussy small people.

A woman after my own heart. Brilliant.

Nigella Lawson 'How to Eat' is around £13.00 and available from all the usual booksellers. Her website has further info and is an Aladdin's Cave for foodies: www.nigella.com

Choice Books - Beauty: Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes

OK I'll make this quick. If you are female and have skin you need this book. 

Sali Hughes (to the very few uninitiated) is a brilliant, straight-forward-talking, no-nonsense beauty writer that talks to you like she's that friend. You know the one. The one who says 'You know I love you but you look a right dog and frankly that chin needs a pluck.'

Pretty Honest combines the beauty of a coffee table book with the actual content of a reference book. It is  full of fun, useful information and observations, not fluff.
With sections on skin types, skincare, foundation, public grooming, perfume, teens, acne, red lipstick, beauty and motherhood among many, many others, the one that tells you what you need to know about Sali is 'how to pay and receive compliments'. I always judge a woman (sorry not sorry) by the amount of female friends she has*. And Sali is surrounded by women. All of whom are fiercely loyal and vocally so. Sali is a woman's woman. If you don't have that friend to tell you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear, Pretty Honest will be even more of a revelation to you.

Pretty Honest is out now and available at all good booksellers including ones that pay their taxes in the UK like www.waterstones.com.

Highly, joyously recommended.








* Right. A few people have asked me to 'explain myself' regarding my comment about judging a woman by the amount of female friends she has (see comments) - here's the thing *sigh*.

• I am talking about the woman who only has male friends and is actively negative towards her female sisters.
• I am talking about a woman who will throw her female counterparts under a bus (figuratively speaking) to impress a man.
• I am talking about the woman who finds it impossible to offer up a compliment or say anything nice to a woman because she feels threatened.
• I am not talking about a woman who has no/few female friends through circumstances or her own choice.
• I am actually incredibly non-judgmental. Do what you like. When you like. (OK - within reason) That's the point. My tone is frequently ironic. As am I.

And on a side-note. I think part of the popularity of this blog is that I talk as if I am talking to a friend, not scripting a page on a blog - or cut and pasting a press release. I am talking as if we were having a chat over a cup of tea. I don't want to have to start explaining my every comment or move. Then it becomes scripted and 'too thought out' and frankly, fake. If there is one thing I'm not, it's fake. See beneath the comment for the intention. My regular readers will know me, know that my intention is always, always, to help, chat, enlighten (skin-wise I mean, I'm not the Dalai Lama), entertain and hopefully just offer a good read. The rest is up to you. Thanks for reading. And go buy Sali's book. It really is very good.

Choice Books - Lifestyle/Inspiration: Kate Spade 'Things We Love'

I popped in to Kate Spade in Westfield this week - it draws me in like a homing beacon every time I go past it. I ended up buying some earrings: (digression)

 and found this book by the tills. It's completely filled with colour/brightness/fashion/home/lifestyle - everything.

If you too, have 'big gorgeous book' issues, Kate Spade's 'Things We Love' is divine and available here.




*purchases - non-affiliate

Choice Books - Health: A Short Guide to a Long Life

If I took all of the advice in all of the books on health that I've read I'm pretty sure I'd be much healthier than I am. That doesn't stop me however, from reading as much as I can on the subject - and frequently.

David Agus MD was Steve Jobs' personal doctor - and as such he has both traditional views - and some that challenge modern 'Western' medicine. For example, he disagrees with 'detoxing' - and isn't a fan of juicing. And - music to my ears - advises against wearing high heels! *jazz hands*

This is a great, interesting, easy-to-read book and makes you think twice about a few things.

Available from all good book sellers and Amazon.

DavidAgus.com

*purchase - non-affiliate 

Choice Books - Beauty: A Guide for Health & Beauty Therapists

I am always asked about my beauty therapy training and what advice I can give to people studying/thinking about studying beauty therapy. I will do more posts of this nature and about 'How to get ahead in the Industry' etc but thought I would start with the basics.

The Gaynor Winyard 'A Guide for Health & Beauty Therapists' was my Bible when I was at Steiner. It's quite detailed and although some of the advice/language may be a tad outdated it is a brilliant starting point for therapists. It gives detailed information on anatomy, systems of the body, structure of the cells, tissues of the body, structure and functions of the skin, lymphatics, skin analysis and much, much more.

Its available on Amazon and the IBN codes are as follows for those Overseas:

ISBN-10: 058224790X | ISBN-13: 978-0582247901 

Hope it helps!