THE BOOK CLUB

. FASHION – FOOD – STYLE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS.

If there’s two things I’ve got into of late, it’s how to posts & buying hardback books. You’ll have noticed for the last few weekends i’ve dedicated my ‘lifestyle’ features to these topics and i’m overwhelmed at how well they’ve been going down (the how to’s especially). Following on from my previous couple of posts on new and recommended books, I’ve actually bought a couple more which I wanted to share with you today too.

If you happen to have missed any of the previous features, you can read my posts on how to run a blog a blog, how to take great photographs & how to juggle a blog and full time career by clicking on the links, and if you want to check out any of my previous book recommendations you can find them here and here.

Anyway, today’s my third book recommendation instalment. My recent purchases were bought on a bit of a whim but one of the books has been something i’ve been thinking of buying for a long time, and I was very glad I finally did when I got home to read it. The other a first time find, but I was so impressed I had to buy it, and the final ‘book’ for todays recommendation isn’t really a book at all, it’s about magazines. More to come on that.

. I LOVE YOUR STYLE – BY AMANDA BROOKS .

My first recommendation is a book i’ve looked at for a couple of years now but for some reason never actually bought myself or been bought when it’s been on my birthday or Christmas lists. But after popping into my favourite boutique home store a couple of weekends ago I saw it and decided it was about time I finally gave in. At £12.99 it was a pretty reasonable price and only marginally more expensive than Amazon – my top tip for hardback books is to check Amazon, they usually have all of them for £10 less than boutique stores.

Anyway, the book is jam packed full of inspiration (if you saw yesterdays post then you’ll see I used a snap for my photography inspiration advice section), and packed with beautiful images from the last few decades. The book covers a number of styles from Classic, to Bohemian, to high end or eclectic, and each section is packed with top tips for working the style yourself but also case studies of those fashionista’s before us who’ve worked it oh so well. Amanda Brooks pulls out garments, trends, brands and even stores to try out if you’re looking to style a certain look over the other.

One of the things I really loved about this book was that it’s not a ‘how to dress chic’, it’s actually more of a reference book, filled with information to inspire you & inform you on the varying styles you could encompass. The thing about style is it’s fluid & open to interpretation, you may one day dress yourself in designer chic, but the next day in vintage bohemian, style is having the ability to work both these looks with confidence & natural style. As my own style is quite a mix of all the varying style genres, this book for me was really great, inspiring but also a really interesting read.

I’d recommend this book for anyone who likes pretty pictures, is genuinely interested in style & trends, or for those who love a pretty coffee table book. For me it ticks all three. Find it here.

. EAT – BY NIGEL SLATER .

The second book was a spontaneous buy which Jase and I came across while shopping in a supermarket. I’m always a sucker for a book, and the fact that Jase picked this one up gave me just the excuse I needed to suggest we buy it (to add to our hundreds of cookery books already lining our shelved alcoves). This book has something over a lot of the other cookery books I have, and that is that Nigels cookbook ‘Eat’ shares actually ‘makable’ dinner recipes, actual food you can eat for dinner, opposed to fancy tapas or beautiful and exquisite michelin star looking dishes which i admire but never attempt to cook.

This recipe book is brilliant for those of you wanting to learn some new dinner recipes, or get some inspiration as to what else to cook for your friends and family. They say most people only have 5 dishes within their repertoire, I for one am always keen to try and expand this because lets face it, how often do we end up eating the same old thing over and over again. I haven’t cooked anything from his recipe book yet, but I will definitely be keeping you posted as and when I do, and I’ll try and share the recipe on my food page (here) so you can all give it a go too.

A staple cookbook for any foodie, a gift for those moving into a new home or even a treat for yourself if you’re looking to try out new dishes. The book is around £25, but you can find it on Amazon or in a Supermarket for around £12 too. You can find it here.

. THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE .

My final recommendation isn’t a book, it’s actually magazines, not just one, but ‘September issues’. As you’ll all know if you’ve watched the Devil Wears Prada or even the movie The September Issue, the september issue for fashion magazines is the biggest and the best. It’s the feature they work for months to master & finesse and the issue that all fashionistas or industry bods can’t wait to get their mitts on. Packed full of the new season catwalk trends, the styles we’ll be seeing in all our favourite designer brands & also a great collection of beautifully shot fashion shoots to keep us inspired and intrigued.

Whilst I acknowledge the magazine industry is in decline, and some of our favourite mags are closing down (Company is a very sad one for us bloggers to lose) by the day, I for one still love to treat myself to a good magazine every now and then. As a teen i bought every issue of all my favourites, and layered on weekly titles to keep me going in between, these days as with most people the internet and blogs provide me with a lot of inspiration and features to read, but I do still like to buy my favourite monthlies every now and then – Elle, In Style, Vogue & Company to name a few. And often if i’m travelling i’ll bag myself Look & Grazia which I do love for their fashion pages.

Anyway, if there’s any month to support the print industry it’s September. And having already read InStyle, Elle & Tatlers september issues, I can confirm that they are worth the couple of pounds. As my friends joke (Sarah, Tref this is for you) it’s only the same as buying a coffee and a croissant, darling.