India Knight

I write columns for the Sunday Times and books for Penguin. The Goodness of Dogs, a guide to happy dog ownership, out now.

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Book Recommendations:

IK

Recommended by India Knight

Do please read this book. It starts off (and continues) as previously described - unputdownable. Then you note it's exceptionally well written. Then it becomes profound and deeply important and sort of existential. It is just brilliant. (from X)

Three Hours book cover

by Rosamund Lupton·You?

The extraordinary new novel everyone is talking about from the Sunday Times best-selling author of Sister 'Gripping, intelligent, timely' Marian Keyes 'An amazing achievement' Emma Healey 'Exceptional' Kate Hamer 'Incredible' Elizabeth Brooks 'A tour de force' Gillian McAllister 'Simply stunning' Dinah Jefferies 'Phenomenal' Fiona Mitchell 'Brilliant' Jenny Quintana 'Mind blowing' Francesca Jakobi 'Staggeringly good' Jane Fallon 'Fantastic' Kate London 'Exceptional' Sarah Edghill Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds. It is a morning's lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy trek through the woods. It is an eternity waiting for news. Or a countdown to something terrible. It is 180 minutes to discover who you will die for and what men will kill for. In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. Told from the point of view of the people at the heart of it, from the wounded headmaster in the library, unable to help his trapped pupils and staff, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the parents gathering desperate for news, to the 16 year old Syrian refugee trying to rescue his little brother, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the students taking refuge in the school theatre, all experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption.

IK

Recommended by India Knight

Juliet’s book The Easternmost House is one of the best things I’ve read this year. And now the end is nigh https://t.co/wGuqW65URu (from X)

The Easternmost House book cover

by Juliet Blaxland·You?

Within the next three years, Juliet Blaxland's home will be demolished, and the land where it now stands will crumble into the North Sea. In her numbered days living in the Easternmost House, Juliet fights to maintain the rural ways she grew up with, re-connecting with the beauty, usefulness and erratic terror of the natural world. The Easternmost House is a stunning memoir, describing a year on the easternmost edge of England, and exploring how we can preserve delicate ecosystems and livelihoods in the face of rapid coastal erosion and environmental change.

IK

Recommended by India Knight

⬇️ utterly brilliant book https://t.co/6ZSz0kHZ43 (from X)

Anthony Blunt: His Lives book cover

by Miranda Carter·You?

The first full biography of the notorious spy—and an X-ray of the British ruling class that produced him. Once an untouchable member of England's establishment—a world-famous art historian and a man knighted by the Queen of England—in a single stroke Anthony Blunt became an object of universal hatred when, in 1979, Margaret Thatcher exposed him as a Soviet spy. In Anthony Blunt: His Lives, Miranda Carter shows how one man lived out opposing trends of his century—first as a rebel against his class, then as its epitome—and yet embodied a deeper paradox. In the 1920s, Blunt was a member of the Bloomsbury circle; in the 1930s he was a left-wing intellectual; in the 50s and 60s he became a camouflaged member of the Establishment. Until his treachery was made public, Blunt was a world-famous art historian, recognized for his ground-breaking work on Poussin, Italian art, and old master drawings; at the Courtauld Institute he trained a whole generation of academics and curators. And yet even as he ascended from rebellion into outward conformity, he was a homosexual when homosexuality was a crime, and a traitor when the penalty was death. How could one man contain so many contradictions? The layers of secrecy upon which Blunt's life depended are here stripped away for the first time, using testimony from those who knew Blunt well but have until now kept silent and documents from sealed Russian archives, including a secret autobiography Blunt wrote for his controllers. Miranda Carter's Anthony Blunt is the first full biography of the mythical Cold War warrior, and is at once an astonishing history of one the century's greatest deceits and a deeply nuanced account of fifty years in the British power elite, as experienced by one deep inside who wished to bring it down.

IK

Recommended by India Knight

@bellamackie @SVaughanAuthor No but I remember the book vividly & I follow the author on here. Ffs. A of a S IS brilliant tho (from X)

SOON TO BE A NETFLIX SERIES Instant International Bestseller “A nuanced story line perfectly in tune with our #metoo times.”—People, Book of the Week “One of the season’s most buzzed-about thrillers.”—Bookish “A strong choice for book clubs. Former political correspondent Vaughan makes an impressive debut with this savvy, propulsive courtroom drama.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Vaughan offers gripping insight into a political scandal’s hidden machinations and the tension between justice and privilege…Absorbing, polished.”—Booklist (starred review) “Skillfully interweaving the story of the unfolding scandal, Vaughan gradually reveals just how shockingly high the stakes are…Sinewy…engrossing, twist-filled.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Some people’s secrets are darker than others. Sophie’s husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart. Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes. Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience? Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy. Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator… Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth?

IK

Recommended by India Knight

@SigneSJohansen PS I love your book. So many good ideas! (from X)

The “Danish coziness” philosophy is fast becoming the new “French living” in terms of aspirational lifestyle books and blogs. There are countless viral articles comparing the happiness levels of Americans versus Danes. Their homes are more homey; their people are more cheerful. It’s an attitude that defies definition, but there is a name for this slow-moving, stress-free mindset: hygge (pronounced “hoo-ga”). Hygge values the idea of cherishing yourself: candlelight, bakeries, and dinner with friends; a celebration of experiences over possessions, as well as being kind to yourself and treasuring a sense of community. How to Hygge by chef and author Signe Johansen is a fresh, informative, lighthearted, fully illustrated how-to guide to hygge. It’s a combination of recipes, helpful tips for cozy living at home, and cabin porn: essential elements of living the Danish way―which, incidentally, encourages a daily dose of “healthy hedonism.” Who can resist that?

IK

Recommended by India Knight

This book is utterly brilliant and so USEFUL. Couldn't recommend it more highly, especially if you have a sharp rather than a sweet tooth. Also, what a nice thing to do. https://t.co/lQ6KTMv9xB (from X)

Sour is the definitive book on this unique taste. From cheese to vinegar, throughout the centuries we have deliberately let – and even encouraged – food to go sour to enhance its flavor. Sour foods have never been more fashionable, with the spotlight falling on foodstuffs as disparate as Belgian sour beer and Korean kimchi. But what is it that makes sourness such an enticing, complex element of the eating experience? And what are the best ways to harness sour flavors in your own kitchen? Mark Diacono sets out to demystify the sour world, and explore why everyone's extolling the virtues of kombucha and fermenting for their digestive health. By grappling with gooseberries and turning his hand to sourdough, experimenting with ultra-cool shrub cocktails, and making his own yogurt, keffir and pickles, Mark tells the story of what makes things sour, and offers recipes that maximize the transformative power of this amazing taste.

IK

Recommended by India Knight

Such a great book https://t.co/rioiqWz9dC (from X)

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig book cover

by Eugene Trivizas, Helen Oxenbury·You?

It was time for the three little wolves to go out into the world, so off they went and built themselves a splendid brick house. But they hadn't reckoned on the big bad pig who soon came along and knocked their house down. The little wolves built a stronger house of concrete, in which they were sure to be safe. But that didn't stop the big bad pig, who made short work of it with a pneumatic drill. Even a house made of armor plates could not protect them. It was only a chance encounter with a flamingo bird that solved their dilemma in an entirely unexpected and satisfactory way. Helen Oxenbury's enchanting watercolor illustrations, full of humorous details and visual excitement, are the perfect accompaniment to this hilarious retelling-in-reverse of the traditional tale.