The Woman Who Stole My Life
By Marian Keyes (Michael Joseph)
It feels like Marian Keyes has thrown everything she's got at her latest novel. There's a quick whirl with Fifty Shades-style bondage, a paralysing medical condition, a weight-loss battle, a flamboyant gay character, a mean girl, a lively Irish family, a social media experiment and a blackly funny look at the way the publishing industry treats its authors. Fortunately, Keyes, still undoubtedly the queen of commercial women's fiction, keeps things just on the right side of overwrought. The heroine of The Woman Who Stole My Life is ordinary Dublin mother-of-two Stella Sweeney. Stella crashes her car and not long afterwards her life becomes extraordinary. She is struck down by a rare disorder and develops a close bond with her neurologist. If that weren't enough, she is suddenly catapulted to fame on both sides of the Atlantic. Stella's attempts to stay sane, care for her kids and decide to whom her heart belongs provide all the elements Keyes' fans love: irresistible humour, darkness and light, likeable and human characters, and a plot with enough kinks in it to keep you guessing. A hugely entertaining story and a perfect summer read.
Hot Pink Spice Saga: An Indian Culinary Travelogue with Recipes
By Peta Mathias and Julie Le Clerc (Random House)
iwi culinary queens join forces and get spicy in this mouth-watering travel/cook book. Mathias runs food tours to India and Hot Pink Spice Saga is based on some of her experiences. Le Clerc has collaborated on recipes and shot the vivid pictures of food, people and places.
The focus here is on home-cooked Indian meals rather than the dishes we're used to seeing in restaurants. And of course, on telling stories of their time there, the locals they met and the things they loved and ate. Learn to make your own masala spice mixes, curries that are rich in flavour but not necessarily chilli-hot, vegetarian dishes, and desserts as the book takes us from Delhi to Jaipur, Goa and Kolkata. Must-cooks for me include an Indian scrambled egg dish spiced with turmeric, cumin and mustard seeds, a Goan vindaloo flavoured with palm sugar and balsamic, and the mild, creamy fish molee. Beyond food there's a look at spirituality, culture and crafts, insights into the way ordinary people live and into the poor and luxurious aspects of this land of colour and chaos. It's a joyful book and with Christmas fast approaching is well worth bearing in mind as a gift idea for friends and family who love eating and exploring.
