The cook, food writer and restaurateur picks her favourites. Her latest book, "Mexican Table", is out now, and she will be speaking at the Queen's Park Book Festival on 31 August.
A Visit to Don Otavio
The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy, 1997
A stunning novel about a pair of twins, about love, loss and the impact of colonialism. I am a twin, so this book felt acutely personal (I had also just come back from Kerala, where it is set). I grew up on Latin American magical realism, which chimes beautifully with Indian literature of the same style, so I was completely won over.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ultra-Processed People
Chris van Tulleken, 2023
So many have been trying for so long to shine a light on the dark, unhealthy secrets behind Big Food, but Chris van Tulleken has managed to blast through the attempts to stifle debate in this brilliant, focused book. A must-read.
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Abi Daré, 2020
I adored this tale of a Nigerian girl determined to throw off the chains put on her simply by virtue of being born a girl, and to find her voice through a tireless quest for an education.
Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens, 1841
Love, social unrest, mob uprisings against the system, the lure of populism, and brilliant descriptions of poverty – this novel has it all. I have discovered Dickens late in life and this is one of my favourites.
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan, 2021
A beautiful gem of a novel about one man's bravery in standing up against an unjust system. I read it in a day.
Titles available at The Week Bookshop
-
Pope Leo wants to change the Vatican’s murky financesThe Explainer Leo has been working to change some decisions made by his predecessor
-
October books: an academic analysis of Taylor Swift and the solution to your digital addictionThe Week Recommends This month's new releases include ‘Taylor’s Version’ by Stephanie Burt, ‘Enshittification’ by Cory Doctorow and ‘Minor Black Figures’ by Brandon Taylor
-
Auto loans: Trouble in the subprime economyFeature The downfall of Tricolor Holdings may reflect the growing financial strain low-income Americans are facing
-
6 eye-catching rounded homesFeature Featuring a central spiral staircase in Michigan and a Balinese-style estate with ocean views in Hawaii
-
A House of Dynamite: a ‘nail-biting’ nuclear-strike thrillerThe Week Recommends ‘Virtuoso talent’ Kathryn Bigelow directs a ‘fast-paced’ and ‘tense’ ‘symphony of dread’
-
The Finest Hotel in Kabul: a ‘haunting’ history of modern AfghanistanThe Week Recommends Lyse Doucet’s sensitively written work traces over 50 years of Kabul’s ‘Inter-Con’ hotel
-
The Smashing Machine: Dwayne Johnson is ‘magnetic’ in gritty biopicThe Week Recommends The wrestler-turned-Hollywood-actor takes on the role of troubled UFC champion Mark Kerr
-
Shadow Ticket: Thomas Pynchon’s first novel in over a decadeThe Week Recommends Zany whodunnit about a private eye in 1930s Milwaukee could be the 88-year-old author’s ‘last hurrah’
-
Southern barbecue: This year’s top threeFeature A weekend-only restaurant, a 90-year-old pitmaster, and more
-
Film reviews: Anemone and The Smashing MachineFeature A recluse receives an unwelcome guest and a pioneering UFC fighter battles addiction
-
Music reviews: Geese, Jeff Tweedy, and Mariah CareyFeature “Getting Killed,” “Twilight Override,” and “Here for It All”
