'Skinny Bitch' by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Sassy, a bit rude, in your face... this book makes some terrific arguments for converting to a vegan diet. Posing as a diet book to make you thin (well it is this too) it has a chapter on animal cruelty entitled the dead, rotting, decomposing, flesh diet. Other chapters include Pooping, Don't Be a pussy, Let's eat and Have no Faith - Governmental Agencies don't Give a Shit about your Health - you get the picture. Facts about food are presented in a direct and slightly shocking way which we found very humorous. Not too shocking to us as the diet recommended resembles our own quite closely. A very good read and nice to see such a mainstream title being totally vegan :) We also liked the fact that the book is dedicated to Wayne Dyer, one of our favourite inspirational authors. Follow up cookbook should be out in December.

'Vegan with a Vengeance: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-free Recipes' by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I made a terrible mistake with this book. I took it to bed to read - not a good time to feel hungry and want to go cook samosas! The book, newly released in a British cup-free version too, is a treasure trove of fabulous recipes and advice. The author's bubbly personality comes over warmly throughout - this is a person who fully appreciates cake, having gone on to write the title Vegan Cupcakes take over the World. There's no shortage of cakely goodness here - raspberry blackout cake with ganach-y icing, coconut heaven cupcakes, amazing sounding faustess cupcakes and a no-bake black bottom-peanut butter silk pie to name a few. The savoury sections of the book are excellent - the soups had me drooling (mmm... potato and asparagus), mains aplenty (curries, lots of tofu and seitan ideas, pastas...), 'pizza dough - a novel' was good reading, baked cajun french fries sound tasty and quick but the samosas are first on my hit list :) Highly recommended for those new to veganism and expert vegan cooks alike.

Buy UK or Buy US

'The Gnats of Knotty Pine' - brave gnats terrify the hunters away from the woods! This book is suitable from about two years and up.