Tip-top gardens: Great Britain's Top 100 Gardens
Something happened to me when I hit 30. Practically overnight, my weekend pursuits changed from hanging out in pubs and clubs to enthusing about a restaurant I'd discovered or a fascinating National Trust property with beautiful gardens and a tearoom serving delicious cakes. So this book by garden designer and writer Veronica Mackinnon that might not even have registered with me a few years ago now receives my full attention.
In making her selection she set strict criteria: each garden had to be open to the public regularly and represent excellence in its field, such as Mottisfont Abbey Garden (for its roses) or Levens Hall (topiary). I agree with many of her choices, such as Trebah Gardens near Falmouth in Cornwall, a wild and magical sub-tropical garden that leads down to a secluded beach on the Helford River, and the National Trust's Mottisfont Abbey with its superb walled rose garden and rolling lawns next to a tributary of the River Test (it also has a great tearoom). My only criticisms of this pocket-sized book are that it doesn't include admission prices, and some of the pictures are small and dark. A foreword by Sarah Beeny, property expert and TV presenter, also seems a strange choice. Surely they could have found someone more horticulturally qualified?
· Tip-top Gardens: Great Britain's Top 100 Gardens is published by Studio Cactus at £5.99. Observer Books Service (0870 836 0885) is offering free UK p&p.
AA Britain's Best Afternoon Tea
This ought to appeal to a person who loves her tea and cake, but somehow the book doesn't quite hit the mark. It lists more than 200 venues to have a cuppa, from country house hotels to cosy tearooms and city hotels. But 200-odd places doesn't seem a very comprehensive listing for the whole of Great Britain.
For instance, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Suffolk merit only one entry each. Surely the counties boast more than one great location to indulge? Perhaps the publishers should have omitted suggested walks from some of the tea rooms; I could also have done without the adverts for Betty's Cafe Tea Rooms and Yorkshire Tea and the gushing advertorials.
When you come to read up on some of the suggested venues, they do sound rather nice: Bird on the Rock Tearoom at Abcott in Shropshire is your quintessential tearoom with wood beams and wisteria round the door, where you can sample rare teas such as Russian Caravan and Nilgiri and eat sandwiches and scones from those wonderful tiered cake stands.
· AA Britain's Best Afternoon Tea, £9.99. The Observer Books Service (0870 836 0885) is offering free UK p&p.
The Naked Guide to Bristol
Streakers and strippers beware: you won't learn a lot about the naturist scene here, but you will find a warts-and-all account of Bristol, underbelly included. The first volume in the new Naked Guide series carries all the background history, listings and sightseeing you would expect, along with some unusual suggestions: 'You can have an interesting afternoon touring the vintage public loos of Bristol,' we learn.
Most illuminating, however, are the essays and sketches on local life - including language tips (in postcode BS3, for example, 'Soider oi up lanlawd' will get you a pint of cider in a pub); affectionate sketches of local 'characters' such as The Singing Lady on the Stoke Bishop Bus, and Leather Jockstrap Caveman ('a beautiful sight'); and biographies of famous Bristolians: 'Two-thirds of Bananarama'; Nipper the HMV dog; and Julie Burchill, who wrote of 'having a bad dream... It's called living in Bristol'.
· The Naked Guide to Bristol by Gil Gillespie (Naked Guides) £6.95. The Observer Books Service (0870 836 0885) is offering free UK p&p.
The AA Keyguide to London
One of five new city guides (the others cover Barcelona, New York, Paris and Rome), this book prides itself on comparing the cost of items tourists typically consume on holiday, such as a takeaway sandwich, bottle of mineral water and beer. Brits charge the most for cigarettes and petrol, while the US was the most expensive overall. But isn't it common knowledge that London is one of the most expensive cities to visit?
What makes this guide different from many others, however, is that it is very easy to navigate, with coloured plastic dividers. It's also beautifully laid out with great pictures and user-friendly maps. As a Londoner, the book makes me feel proud and guilty at the same time. Proud that I live in a city that has so much going for it - museums, galleries and parks - but guilty that there's so much that I haven't done. To me, that's a sign of a good guidebook.
· The AA Key Guide to London retails at £14.99. The Observer Books Service (0870 836 0885) is offering it for £12.99 plus p&p.
