Zenmistress

I love this book. The author is a self-trained chef, who runs an immaculate, relaxed seafood cafe near my house, with a wet fish store attached (which is where I bought my copy, but I see it is for sale on Amazon now, along with his new book, which has also got rave reviews). Tonks is very generous with fishy and non-fishy cooking tips throughout, such as how to truly get the flavour of mint into your new potatoes (strip leaves but add stalks to the cooking water), and why you should never buy any squid that has traces of pink on the flesh (the colour it goes after a few days knocking around). There's loads of original ideas for quick suppers, as well as more impressive fare, such as Herb-smoked lobster (for an extravagant barbie) and Monkfish 'Sunday Roast'. If nothing else, buy it for the recipe for Grilled Squid with Lemon, Garlic and Cumin. Mmmmmmm.

From the Evening Standard: "'Slithering tongues' and 'otorhinolaryngological caverns' were just two of the the terms that have earned writer Tom Wolfe a Bad Sex award. Judges said descriptions of sexual acts in his latest novel I Am Charlotte Simmons were 'ghastly, inept and unrealistic.' The term otorhinolaryngological - which means of the ears, nose and throat - and sentences such as: 'Slither slither slither slither went the tongue, but the hand that was what she tried to concentrate on, the hand, since it has the entire terrain of her torso to explore,' provoked particular scorn. The Bad Sex in Fiction Award given by the Literary Review has previously been won by Melvyn Bragg, Alan Titchmarsh and AA Gill. Wolfe, the acclaimed author of Bonfire of the Vanities and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, was not expected to travel from the US to London to collect his award."

I much prefer the audio version myself. Gripping in parts, especially around the Holland Park Roundabout.

I can honestly say this was one of the most inspiring books I've read all year. The story of how one person can make a difference in the world by the intensity of their passion - in this case, drawing the public eye in grand fashion to the plight of the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet. It's an absolute romp of a read, fantastic fun, and the warmth of the author shines out from every page. Would make an excellent Christmas pressie too.