EDITOR’S CHOICE I love Ngaio Marsh. One of the Four Queens of Mystery, along with Agatha Christie, Margaret Allingham and Dorothy L. Sayers, Marsh was born in New Zealand on 23 April 1895. She grew up in Christchurch and studied art, before joining a theatrical arts company. From 1928 she spent about half her time … Continue readings →

EDITOR’S CHOICE Even if Vera Caspary hadn’t written Laura, one of my favourite books and films, she would be an editor’s choice. Caspary’s novels have independent and spirited female protagonists who look for love but also are inevitably embroiled in mystery/suspense/murder. Laura is often considered the first noir. It’s a superb book and was well … Continue readings →

EDITOR’S CHOICE One of our favourite food writers, Nigel Slater is not only a cook who writes, but a great broadcaster. Slater writes a popular food column for the Observer. He has also appeared in five television series and has written numerous books, including his award-winning memoir Toast (adapted by the BBC for television) and … Continue readings →

  I have, in recent times, realised I enjoy a good crush. I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to the subject. I don’t discriminate on the grounds of sex, age, race, even species – I am an equal-opportunities bestower of my affections – something that has sadly led to ridicule by certain friends and … Continue readings →

Letters of Note, Letterheady and Lists of Note are just a few of the sites that enterprising Shaun Usher runs. The Letters of Note site, which we love, features really interesting, erudite pieces of letters that probably otherwise wouldn’t see the light of day in modern times. Usher has published a critically acclaimed book, Letters … Continue readings →

  Letters have to pass two tests before they can be classed as good: they must express the personality both of the writer and of the recipient.” – EM Forster   I love letters. I love writing them. I love receiving them. I really appreciate a good letter: you can tell so much from it, … Continue readings →

A professional vegetarian chef Natasha Corrett always had a passion for cooking. She experimented from an early age in her father’s French restaurant, Le Boudin Blanc. She runs well-being and lifestyle retreats. She has written the cookery book Honestly Healthy with Vicki Edgson and endorsed by such celebrities as Victoria Beckham.   See also: Vicki … Continue readings →

EDITOR’S CHOICE Booker Prize-winning author Alan Hollinghurst is an English novelist. After attending Magdalen College, Oxford, Hollinghurst was employed as a lecturer. He was deputy editor of The Times Literary Supplement from 1985 to 1999. In 1988, he received critical acclaim for his brilliant novel The Swimming Pool Library. He won the Man Booker Prize … Continue readings →

Award-winning author and historian Alison Weir was born and brought up in Westminster, London. Since the age of 14, when she first came across a book on Katherine of Aragon, Weir has been fascinated with history. During the 1970s, she wrote several historical novels and finished The Six Wives of Henry VIII (her second published … Continue readings →

Historian Philippa Jones studied Egyptology at Cambridge University. She lived and worked in Bristol. Philippa wrote several books (fiction and non-fiction), including The Other Tudors: Henry VIII’s Mistresses and Bastards.   See also: Alison Weir; Philippa Gregory; Anne Gracie (Tudor titles)

Award-winning author Amy Tan is perhaps best-known for The Joy Luck Club, a novel based on her own experiences of growing up as part of the immigrant Chinese community in the United States. Tan read English Linguistics and English at  San Jose State University, before studying for her Masters at The University of California at … Continue readings →

EDITOR’S CHOICE San Francisco-based author Armistead Maupin was born in Washington, DC, but grew up in North Carolina. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, he served as a naval officer in Vietnam. After moving to California, in the early 1970s, Maupin began working as a journalist. In 1976, he launched the daily fictional … Continue readings →

“I was sure I saw that knife go into you. The villain had to tug to retrieve it. But it was that.” She looked down and made a small exclamation. “It’s been cut.” She opened the reticule, examing the contents and took out a small, leather-bound book. She held it up so that he could … Continue readings →

  ‘No matter where I lived, I read. I devoured whatever I could get my hands on,’ Anne Gracie says.   An award-winning historical-romance writer, Anne was born into a family of ‘chalkies’ (‘teachers’ in Aussie slang), who moved around a lot when Anne was a children. She spent a lot of time outside playing … Continue readings →

  Master of Hammer Horror Vincent Price was a bon vivant and cook. In addition to writing several cookery books, he made various foodie TV and radio broadcasts and, in 1971, starred in Cooking Price-wise, a Thames Television-commissioned six-programme series, in which Price cooked his way around the world – in a rather sad studio … Continue readings →