James Runcie

The Discovery Of Chocolate (2002)

I found this a rich and intriguing book covering continents and centuries. Love, passion, and best of all, chocolate!''In 1518 the 20-year-old Diego leaves Seville bound for Mexico where he joins Cortes's conquistadors and falls in love with the beautiful Ignacia. When Diego is ordered back to Sp...

The Colour Of Heaven (2015)

I like to paint & it's hard to imagine a world without ultramarine, which is made from lapis lazuli. So I was intrigued to read what I thought was a novelized version of the story of its introduction to Western art. The novel touches on a painting called Maestra by Simone Martini as among the fir...

Sidney Chambers and The Forgiveness of Sins (2015)