Thursday 1 January 2015

JUSTINE PICARDIE: THE BOOKS THAT BUILT ME

Justine Picardie was my last guest of 2014 for The Books That Built Me at The Club at Cafe Royal. 

Justine is Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar (and launch editor-in-chief of Town & Country), and author of five bestselling books, including 'Chanel, the Legend and the Life', and 'If the Spirit Moves You', a moving memoir of the year following the death of her sister, Ruth Picardie, and it was a great treat for me to play host to someone I so greatly admire.




THE BOOKS THAT BUILT JUSTINE PICARDIE 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis
‘Books at their best can feel like they’re part of your life. This was my first lesson in how to read and how to write.’
 
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
‘There’s a great sense of the meaning of clothes, that there's no beautiful surface without a depth to it.’
 
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
‘A book of hauntings – you can feel the ghost of the Brontës in all of du Maurier’s writing.’

The Pursuit of Love, Nancy Mitford
‘On the surface a light and sparking read, but also about loss and death.’

Oxford Street Tide, Virginia Woolf
‘Woolf wrote essays and short stories for Harper’s Bazaar; she always recognised the importance of tiny details.’


Guests drank Nyetimber and went home with a copy of Justine's 'Chanel, The Legend and The Life', a treat from Prestat chocolate and a copy of Harper's Bazaar.




The next Books That Built Me is on 21st January with Samantha Ellis, author of the marvellous 'How to Be a Heroine'. 

As ever, the event will be held at The Club at Cafe Royal - it's not usually open to non-members, but guests of The Books That Built Me are welcome to stay after the event and dine in the excellent restaurant or have a cocktail at one of the lovely bars. 

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