We Are Reading
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Looking back through our We Are Reading posts I am shocked to find no Donna Tartt. How the heck did we forget to put up The Secret History? One of our favourite books ever. Do read it immediately if you… Read More
The Last Runaway, by Tracy Chevalier
Attention all quilters, this is a book you might want to check out.
You may all remember the lovely Tracy Chevalier wrote Girl With A Pearl Earring, this is her latest tale, wrapped up in quilts, applique, Quakerism and slavery.… Read More
Toast & Marmalade by Emma Bridgewater
I’m only guessing, but I bet a good deal of our readers have a bit of Emma Bridgewater pottery in the cupboard. Emma’s ceramics started off as the coolest thing in the world to eat your supper off at one… Read More
Mind The Child by Camila Batmanghelidjh and Kids Company
Camila Batmanghelidjh, inspiring head of Kids Company, was asked by Penguin Books to help celebrate the London Underground by writing a book about what it meant to her. She promptly turned the project into a chance to focus on the… Read More
Inspire, The Art Of Living With Nature, by Willow Crossley
I could fill my bookshelves with books like this lovely new one from creative florist and passionate crafty person Willow Crossley. Inspire, The Art Of Living With Nature, is full of i50 nnovative ideas on what to do with garden… Read More
One Summer, America 1927 by Bill Bryson
If Bill Bryson had taught history at my school, or even written the history text books to be as entertaining as this is, I’d have become an historian. I absolutely love the easy accessibility of Bill’s writing, he spices up… Read More
Felt Dogs by Mitsuki Hoshi
For anyone who doesn’t own a dog but would quite like one, a felt one could be a useful mid-way help.
Easy to make and desperately cute, this how-to book will have you making a whole menagerie of pups by… Read More
Quilt Me by Jane Brocket
We have mentioned Jane Brocket many times on TWR, as we love her blog and books on sewing and baking. In her latest book Quilt Me!: Using inspirational fabrics to create over 20 beautiful quilts
Jane lets us take a… Read More
Love Nina, Despatches from Family Life by Nina Stibbe
This book is a fabulous antidote if you are having a miserable January, I’ve absolutely loved it and couldn’t put it down. It’s an easy read too, in a lovely open and fresh style that is both funny and touching.… Read More
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
There is much talk of slavery currently, with Steve McQueen’s extraordinary and hopefully Oscar winning film on the subject, but for those who can’t get to the film, there’s a revealing and moving book just out on the same subject… Read More
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
I was tipped off by my sister about this gentle, easy-paced story set in a small backwater town Colorado, it might be the perfect antidote to the January blues (or ‘greys’ as it should be called here in London, to… Read More
Paintings by Eggert Petursson
I saw this gorgeous art book, Paintings, by Icelandic artist Eggert Petursson in Anthropologie before Christmas and fell in love with its textural, super-detailed and colourful depiction of Icelandic floral and fauna. This is Eggert’s latest book, released September 2013,… Read More
A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London and New York by Angelica Huston
A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London and New York, is the memoir of actress and iconic face of the 70’s: Anjelica Huston. To celebrate the release, the 62-year-old hosted a special reading and frank Q&A at… Read More
The Kinfolk Table, Hole & Corner and the aged issue
After my post (rant) earlier in the week about re-branding feminism and women’s magazines, I thought it might be time to highlight some magazines that are doing things differently.
Kinfolk Magazine calls itself “a blueprint for a balanced, intentional lifestyle”… Read More
Managing Your Mother In Law by Kay Rink
We are coming up to that time of year, when things can get a bit tricky between the women of the family!
Christmas has the potential to bring out the worst in everyone, so if you are a little worried… Read More
One: A Cook & Her Cupboard by Florence Knight
Having seen Florence Knight talk about her first book One: A cook and her cupboard at the Regent St, Anthropologie store last week – I think I have developed a serious girl/food crush.
Naural, honest and very down to earth,… Read More
Cloth by Cassandra Ellis
Another nice sewing projects book by Cassandra Ellis, with more lovely images to help you indulge your inner-domestic seamstress fantasy. There are over 30 good project ideas in here, from dip-dyed wool gauze panel curtains to pet beds, antique silk… Read More
Creative Family Home: Ashlyn Gibson
Ashlyn Gibson is an art director, stylist and writer who also owns a lovely children lifestyle shop, Olive Loves Alfie, in my local high street.
Ashlyn has also written her first book, Creative Family Home, which celebrates the zeitgeist in… Read More
Knit Your Own Zoo (Best In Show) by Sally Muir and Joanna Osbourne
For those of you who loved This and This, now you can move onto giraffes, meerkats and armadillos with Knit Your Own Zoo, by the lovely Sally and Joanna. I mean who wouldn’t want a hand knitted fruit bat with… Read More
Memos, The Vogue Years, Diana Vreeland
We can never have enough Diana Vreeland, so this new book, a collection of 250 of the best of the memos she sent while she was Editor in Chief at Vogue, is an exciting new addition to our Vreeland collection.… Read More
Bonkers, my life in laughs by Jennifer Saunders
I adore Jennifer Saunders, she is forever my hero for writing Absolutely Fabulous and for her Radio 2 Bank Holiday show with Dawn French, which in my opinion should be on every week. She also lived briefly in my road… Read More
Catalogue of Exquisite Recipes by Valeria Napoleone
I have to confess I haven’t even SEEN this recipe book, it might be rubbish, although I doubt it, but I have something of a girl-crush on the exotic sounding Valeria, who not only writes cookery books, but also is… Read More
The Mixellany Guide To Gin by Geraldine Coates
This is a marvellous book for gin lovers, a slim volume that explains not just what gin is made of and what all those botanicals are, but also what goes into the key gin brands and what drinks/cocktails they are… Read More
The Granny Alphabet by Tim Walker
Tim Walkers new book The Granny Alphabet is a tribute to his own Grandma Kathleen and Gamma Louis and features 26 images of older women, with accompanying poems by Kit Hesketh-Harvey and illustrations by Vogue illustrator Lawrence Mynott.
A lovely… Read More
Now You See Me by Lesley Glaister
Recommended by the lovely Sam Baker, this is a lean, beautifully written tale of bleakness that I couldn’t put down. Now, I have to dash as I’ve got the rest of Lesley Glaister’s books to read.
Now You See Me… Read More
C.Z Guest, American Style icon by Susanna Salk
Another tip from Colin’s Column from last week, C.Z Guest, American Style Icon by Susanna Salk. C.Z Guest was American Style Royalty, a sort of old school American aristocrat who was thin enough and rich enough to inspire photographers and… Read More
The Mechanical Smile by Caroline Evans
One for the fashion crew this. I saw this recommended by Colin McDowell in his regular feature (it’s called Colin’s Column….) on the Business of Fashion website. When we first started blogging Colin had his own blog where he would… Read More
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The wonderful India Knight recently tweeted that she loved this, which is enough for us really…but by coincidence I had a copy, so I started to read it and it is indeed fabulous. Pick it up for a great summer… Read More
Giving Up The Ghost by Hilary Mantel
If you are in need of a Hilary fix and have read both Wolf Hall and Bringing Up The Bodies, then try this. Giving Up The Ghost is Hilary’s memoir and it’s a terrific read, the writing just glows with… Read More
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
We’re guessing you’ve all heard the news about how this is really JK Rowlings in disguise. Good for her. More excitingly, reviewers gave this terrific write ups before anyone knew who really wrote it and it’s been likened to an… Read More