Aggie MacKenzie: My six best books
AGGIE MacKENZIE, 62, is a TV presenter best known for How Clean Is Your House? She appears in ITV reality show Our Shirley Valentine Summer on Thursdays at 9.30pm.
FRESH INDIA by Meera Sodha
Fig Tree, £20
I’m not a vegetarian but these recipes are gorgeous. The flavours are delicious but quite complex which is what makes it so interesting. When I’m cooking for vegetarians, this is one I always go to.
LA CUCINA by Lily Prior
Out of print
When I moved house about 18 months ago, I got rid of a lot of my books, but this is a novel I held on to. It’s beautifully written, touching and funny. It’s about an overweight Italian spinster. All her passion is expressed through food and there is loads of detail about her cooking.
THE CORRECTIONS by Jonathan Franzen
Fourth Estate, £9.99
A very funny book about a dysfunctional American family. I like all the detail and under-the-skin stuff about what’s really going on in people’s minds and the tensions in the family.
TROUBLESOME WORDS by Bill Bryson
Penguin, £9.99
I was a sub-editor for a year so I have a particular interest in pedantry concerning the spelling and meaning of words. This is a clever book, explaining the difference between forgoing and foregoing, for instance. It makes you smile.
NOISY by Shirley Hughes
Out of print
One I loved reading to my children when they were tiny. I read it so often I know if off by heart. It’s a classic about different types of noises that’s beautifully written and illustrated.
YOGA MIND, BODY & SPIRIT by Donna Farhi
Gill, £17.99
I’ve been doing yoga for 12 years and been qualified to teach about a year. This is a book I refer to a lot. I do yoga every day. I feel the fittest, strongest and bendiest I’ve ever been.