Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson

This novel has the most fantastic high concept – what if you woke up one morning and didn’t recognise the person facing you in the mirror?  And what if this happened every day?  This is the terrifying prospect facing Christine in what is a stunning first novel. 

In Cold Ink: On the Writers Tracks by David Robinson

If you ever wondered what to read next for your book group, look no further.  David Robinson, literary editor of The Scotsman for over eight years, has put together a magical book.

Resistance by Agnes Humbert

First published in the all too fresh and painful aftermath of war in 1946, Resistance, has never been translated into English until now. 

Soups by Grace Mulligan & Dilwen Phillips

A kitchen essential, this is a no nonsense book.  It’s very easy to follow with each recipe laid out clearly with detail on preparation and cooking time, plus freezing options.  From carrot and ginger to pea and ham, each season bursts with ideas for the unusual as well as traditional soups.  There is always a recipe for a glut of veg or the remains of a dinner party.

A Year in my Kitchen by Skye Gyngell

Winner of Guide of Food Writer Award Best Cookery Book 2007
Gyngell has a very personal approach to cooking, her enthusiasm shines through on every page of this stunningly presented book.  From pan fried salmon with wild garlic to chilled almond soup, each of her recipes makes you want to rush straight to the kitchen and get started.

The Outlander by Gil Adamson

Any Human Heart by William Boyd

My book group was inspired to read this by David Robinson's book In Cold Ink.  Although not all of us agreed, I really loved this mock memoir.  It reads like an insider's romp through the literary and art world of the 21st Century, with walk on parts from such luminaries as Picasso, Virginia Woolf and Hemmingway. 

Sashenka by Simon Montefiore

If you are looking for a book to tide you through the last chilll of winter, this is it.  The author is a very well respected historian, so you know that what you are reading is grounded in horribly accurate research.  In fact, as he says in the afterword, although the events described may seem extraordinary, the reality is that Sashenka's story was really quite commonplace in Stalin's Russia.

The Journal of Dora Damage by Belinda Starling

Occasionally, when you read something really special, it makes it harder to start the next book, Dora Damage has that power. She is one of the most beguiling and charming heroines I have discovered in years, her wit and resourcefulness in the very male world of book binding in 1859 London, will have you on her side from the first page.

Miss Webster and Chérif by Patricia Duncker

This is a novel you could happily give to anyone in your life – mother, daughter, brother, sister. A witty and charming tale of redemption – we are never too old to learn a new way of living.