Living in London by Karen Howes, with photographs by Simon Upton is different - better - than those coffee table profiles of our capital.
The reason is twofold: it is published by a French house, so it has a foreign slant, and it takes us inside the houses of the stylish and famous. Thus, there is Olga Polizzi's small garden designed by George Carter, and Lord Snowdon's green space; Diane Berger's Georgian house (true to period) and Hugo Vickers's library to lust over. I have enjoyed visiting a few of these houses - Christophe Gollut's grand apartment, Keith Skeel's eccentric space and Min Hogg's charming one.
Otherwise, the book plunges into London's villages and mens' clubs, artists' studios and small museums. Not just a treat, it is a fine portrait of a wonderful city.
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A Hampshire Manor for sale that dates back to the days of Alfred the Great, with the most beautiful staircase we've seen in yearsThe ten bedroom property features an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, spa complex and stables, and it was restored by the same architect who worked on Downing Street.
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The last miracle of St Boswell? How a Scottish potato field became the world's least-likely producer of sparkling wineThe country has produced its first ‘champagne’ after its producers, Lorna and Trevor Jackson, planted 1,000 vines nine years ago on their farm in St Boswells.
