Perhaps you've been reading from day one. Perhaps you've only just discovered one of my chapters. The Reading Room is where you dip in, dip out or binge read, fall into a story and stay a while. Either way, I am happy to have you here.

It’s that time again. The one that has us all asking, 'Is Spotify Wrapped out yet?'  As December settles in, I find myself tapping Spotify's app far more often than usual, hoping that this will be the day. And then… there it is. Wrapped 2025. Time for everything else to be placed on hold. I don’t know about you, but this thing has me in a grip. but does anyone else feel like their top artist can’t possibly be right? Or notice that Spotify quietly removed that quirky 'percenta

You know, I have always wanted to do a Christmas market. Nuremberg, Salzburg, Bruges. Not once did I think Bath. Yet here we are. Google 'best Christmas markets UK' and there Bath is, proudly celebrating its 25th year. And as one stallholder said, if Bath is my first Christmas market, apparently I’ve peaked. He then suggested Winchester’s next. And he should know. They have a stand there too. Now, it helps that we’ve got boots on the ground. Our starting point already decided

Returning to London Restaurant Reviews It’s been more than a minute since I’ve done a review of a London restaurant. I've questioned whether I still know how to. But one thing was certain: once I made the booking, I knew I was going to. What I didn’t expect was that 34 Mayfair would remind me, in one sitting, why I fell in love with London dining in the first place. Brunch... (Though Not Everyone Agrees) The outing was booked as brunch, if time matters, which some insist it d

When the Hotel Becomes the Destination You know, it’s funny seeing this becoming a trend because I’ve been doing it for years. Long before the stats proved it, the double page spreads of Conde Nast Traveller and Mr and Mrs Smith had me booking holidays based on hotels that caught my ima gination. And no, I don’t mean all-inclusive resorts where you simply check in and stay put. I’m talking about hotels so inspiring that they become  the experience, setting the tone for eve

'Liv, I know this is possibly the last thing on your mind right now but my mother...' Ordinarily, I would move from fully reading a paper to half reading it when my husband started that sentence. But when things to do with his mother got dropped into the mix, he got my undivided attention. Aunt Shelly sat perpendicular to me, siding with Judge Judy on the TV. But the full side-on look I gave David, paused both David, Aunty Shelly and Judge Judy. He started again. 'Possibly th

Jess thought she was just James’ plus-one for the evening. But between Charlotte’s barbs, Fredric’s teasing and a walk back to the hotel that turns into a champagne and wine fuelled frolic, it is beginning to look like something out of a movie scene. Sweet Mustard Night is messy, witty and thoroughly irresistible.

The changes coming for UK passport holders travelling to Europe. What ETIAS, EES and the UK ETA mean for your 2025–2026 trips. Costs, start dates and how to prepare for smooth border crossings.

Coffee dates are the source of stories belonging only to you. HR Higgins, a Duke Street treasure, offers decades of craft in a quiet, below-street retreat.

Jessica only expected fine wine and polite conversation. Instead, she found herself in four-inch heels, being dragged into a tray dance.

They didn’t care about the sex of the child. Only that they’d be healthy, strong, have two hands to hold and maybe agree with their mother that their father doesn’t know good music. When The Rhythm Changes

Seven years, yes, I stayed the course in this my creative outlet. Somewhere in there trying to keep in touch with algorithms, SEO's and outdated links but here we are celebrating a seven year blogiversary.

Discovered on its very second day, Hide & Seek Café Bar with its own exclusive blend of coffees, pastries and weekend cocktails in a not-so-hidden city spot.

The coffee machine clicks off behind me. Outside, a gull cuts across the horizon and the air smells faintly of seaweed and someone else’s toast. My notebook is still open from last night... a half-finished sentence waiting for me to catch up to it. For the travel-hungry scribe, the coffee-clutching diarist or the emotionally-frazzled novelist just one metaphor away from a meltdown; these writing retreats might just save your draft (and too, your sanity). I like recommending

This salad was born out of a simple truth: I was feeling peckish. The ingredients? I dashed them in as I went along, letting my taste...

Anyone that is but Fredric. He was back to watching me. His head tilted. Always that little tilt as if he's lining me up for a portrait....

A good hot coffee is a great start to any morning. Something fruity fresh with an alcoholic kick and icy cold, a nice finish to the day....

Mourners, faces barely visible under dripping umbrellas, lined the drive. Though, I make out Mr King , he and my father go back and so...

Barefoot bohemian hideaways to sleek beach houses, these boutique hotels across the Caribbean bring character, charm and a little something extra to your next island escape.

Aunty Shelley shut down the culprit of those words with a quickness. 'Honey.' David when I hadn't moved. My feet didn’t seem to...