Recommended Reads

Mary Berry at Home by Mary Berry and Lucy Young

BBC Books, £20

We just adore Ms Berry here at Spirit Towers and this collection of her favourite everyday dishes has definitely got us smacking our lips. Assisted by her close friend and assistant, Lucy Young, Mary offers more than 150 easy to prepare recipes for lunch, dinner and parties. Of course it just wouldn’t be Berry without a cake or two and, thankfully, there are plenty of tiffin time treats to be found.

The 2 Day Diet by Dr Michelle Harvie and Prof. Tony Howell

Vermilion, £12.99

It’s been much talked about but does it really work? If you’re set on achieving a bikini body this summer then why not read the book and put it to the test yourself? Includes meal planners and tasty recipes to help you.

We ARE amused!

Why Was Queen Victoria Such A Prude? and other historical myths and follies

Thistle Publishing (London) www.thistlepublishing.co.uk

With some deeply weird, wonderful (and grisly) historical facts, plus extraordinary revelations to make us think and laugh-out-loud, best-selling author David Haviland explores the more murky, mucky and mirth-inducing aspects of history, from the ancient Greeks to the present day.

Who was the worst executioner? Which famous, historic speech did the Chicago Times describe as “silly”? Which leader held a state funeral for his own leg? Who kept her dead husband’s head in her handbag? Stand by for plenty of mind-bending revelations!

Ziggyology by Simon Goddard

Ebury Press, £20

As a radio station we love books about rock and pop, especially when they’re as fascinating as this one. A scintillating delve into the life of the rock god who came from the stars, Bowie fans are in for a treat with Simon Goddard’s slightly crazy but nevertheless superbly written back story about David Bowie’s alter-ego. Subtitled ‘A Brief History of Ziggy Stardust,’ don’t expect to read much (comparatively) about the Zigster’s creator. Almost as famous as Bowie himself, this is definitely Ziggy’s book.

Click here to be in with the chance of winning a copy of this book.

We love Lana!

Tears and laughter merge in Lana Penrose’s true stories of a 30-something falling to pieces in Greece and London. Winning herself a large and devoted fan-base, not least because her words reach out to any woman who has ever tried to mend a broken heart, in To Hellas and Back Lana gives up her fantastic job as an MTV producer in Sydney to move to Athens with Dion, her handsome, ambitious husband-to-be.  While Dion’s career in radio goes from strength-to-strength, Lana struggles to make friends, learn the language and adjust to a slower pace of life.  Worst of all, she realises that Dion is drifting away from her just when she needs him most. Meanwhile in Kickstart my heart Lana, who has relocated to London, is working for a globally-renowned vocalist who she simply refers to as ‘the Pop Star’.  Being in the music industry gives Lana ample opportunity to meet glamorous new people and fall in love again…

For more info about Lana Penrose: www.lanapenrose.com.au  

À LA MOD - My So-Called Tranquil Family Life in Rural France

By Ian Moore

Published by Summersdale £8.99

A stand-up comic and chutney-churning mod takes on the Loire Valley and a menagerie of manic animals with his young family in tow.

Comedian, mod and professional grump Ian Moore has had enough. Tired of being unable to park anywhere near his cramped house in a noisy town he doesn’t like, he hatches a plan to move his wife and young son to a remote corner of the Loire Valley in search of serenity and space. Several years later, Ian finds himself up to his neck in bilingual offspring, feral cats, promiscuous horses, dysfunctional spaniels and needy hens; he’s wrestling with electric fences, a foreign language, a mountain of animal waste and a wife who collects livestock like there’s a biblical flood on the horizon, all while trying not to dirty his loafers. But despite the ups, downs and increasing demands of Ian’s showbiz career, the Moore family persevere in true Brit style to create a unique, colourful and ultimately rewarding life in their new home – à la campagne and à la mod! One upon a time the warm-up act for The Jonathan Ross Show, and with endorsements by some of Britain’s funniest comedians (‘I hate mods, I hate France and I hate reading but I still loved this book.’ - Lee Mack), À LA MOD is definitely on Team Spirit’s summer reading list. For more info on Ian visit www.ianmoore.info

Wedding Night

By Sophie Kinsella (Transworld)

Perfect holiday reading, Sophie Kinsella has come up with another corker. Lottie is tired of long-term boyfriends who don’t want to commit to marriage. When her old boyfriend Ben reappears and reminds her of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. There will be no dates and no engagement—just a straight wedding march to the altar! Next comes the honeymoon on the Greek island where they first met. But not everyone is thrilled with Lottie and Ben’s rushed marriage, and family and friends are determined to intervene. Will Lottie and Ben have a wedding night to remember … or one to forget?

Inferno

By Dan Brown (Transworld)

If you’re a Dan Brown fan you’re in for a page-turning treat. Featuring renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and set in the heart of Europe, Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centred around one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces. As Dan Brown comments: “Although I studied Dante’s Inferno as a student, it wasn’t until recently, while researching in Florence, that I came to appreciate the enduring influence of Dante’s work on the modern world. With this new novel, I am excited to take readers on a journey deep into this mysterious realm…a landscape of codes, symbols, and more than a few secret passageways.”

Listeners Recommended Reads

We asked you on Facebook:

Which book kept you up all night? Leah sent us a message recently and it got us thinking about books we couldn't put down. Here's what Leah said: "Have just read Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen, (finished at 4.30 a.m.) Really could not think of sleeping until I knew what happened. What a fabulous crime novel... Scandi-Crime novels are really compelling now...SO DARK! OVER TO YOU! WHICH BOOK MADE YOU BURN MIDNIGHT OIL?

Here's what you said:

• Danny: 50 Shades of Grey cos the Missus wouldn't turn the bloody light off and when she did she had strange dreams and kept shouting some blokes name....!!!!!
• Teresa: Street Cat Named Bob; fantastic couldn't put it down.
• Kenton: Was a lucky person able to give out copies of the white queen by Philippa Gregory; loving it.
• Louise: The hundred-year old man that climbed out of the window & disappeared.........
• Brigitte: Local author Helen Christmas fantastic this was freebie download to my kindle ta spirit because it was a freebie I thought ok was sure it wasn't going to be much good but omg Martina Cole eat your heart out. Helen right behind you  a fantastic read I couldn't put it down. After I finished I was over the moon to know there is A second book coming soon.