Martina Munzittu

A delightful contemporary romance by a talented new author. I discovered this book as a quarter finalist excerpt in this year's Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and knew I wanted to read the whole thing. The plot is original and pleasantly unpredictable, yet light enough to make wonderful beach reading. Clara is a highly likeable protagonist but I especially adored the cast of secondary characters. These included the brilliantly named Miss Shake-Your-Bum and Clara's lively family, who at times seemed in danger of stealing the show. Strongly recommended for your summer holiday.… (meer)

I had never made Tiramisu before but this charming book convinced me to give it a try. I made the Baileys Tiramisu recipe and was amazed how straightforward it was: much easier and faster than I'd expected, with very little clean-up. What's more, the results were really tasty and even better the day after, so this is definitely going on my list of things I can make in advance, when friends come over to eat. The book is beautifully laid out and I love that every recipe has an accompanying photo. And I adored the section of Tiramisu Disasters, showing that even accomplished cooks encounter problems sometimes - complete with tips on avoiding the most common pitfalls.
[A quick note for US readers: hopefully mascarpone and ladyfingers will be readily available in your grocery store, but if you don't find them easily, do ask: in my (large) branch of Raleys, the ladyfingers were kept behind the scenes for some strange reason.]
Assuming you like desserts(!), I'd be surprised if you don't find something to entice you in this tempting book. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other options including the Tiramisu Pancakes and maybe even the Tiramisu Brownie. I'm delighted with my copy and have already bought two more as gifts.… (meer)