We love the alluring shelves and tables of books, of course - each a passport into a new world of glorious escapism or fascinating discovery. We’re also rather keen on the etcetera… the audiotapes, magazine, toys and games.

Has Spring fever struck you? Are you brimming with creative energy and curiosity about life? Is your mind ready for a vigorous spring clean? Spruce up your cultural nest with a pile of great new reads. Books Etc Whiteleys have some inspiring suggestions to reinvigorate, inform and entertain. Here are their Top Ten recommended reads...

BOOK OF THE MONTH...A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by KHALID HOSSEINI - Mariam is only 15 when she is sent to Kabul to marry the troubled and bitter Rasheed, who is 30 years her senior. Nearly two decades later, in a climate of growing unrest, tragedy strikes f15-year-old Laila, who must leave her home and join Mariam's unhappy household.

Laila and Mariam are to find consolation in each other, their friendship to grow as deep as the bond between sisters. With the passing of time comes Taliban rule over Afghanistan, the streets of Kabul loud with the sound of gunfire and bombs, life a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, the women's endurance tested beyond their worst imaginings.

We say, "A Thousand Splendid Suns is an unforgettable portrait of a wounded country and a deeply moving story of family and friendship.

And, the best of the rest...

HOW TO CHEAT AT COOKING by DELIA SMITH - Until Food Inc opens this summer on the ground floor here at Whiteleys, there will always be those who don't want to cook, who think they can't cook or who simply don't have the time. Sounds familiar? Then this clever celebration of tricks and short-cuts is just for you.

It's a fair bet that you will not end up giving Rowley Leigh a run for his money, but at least Delia will lead you effortlessly down her well-trodden path to good, wholesome eats.

We say, "The recipes are more delicious than the cheating label suggests. This is Delia's all-time best book."

PUSHED TO THE LIMIT by KATIE PRICE - She's already recorded several volumes of her rollercoaster life. There has been more excitement, glamour, drama and emotional twists and turns as Jordan marries Peter Andre and shows no sign of slowing down.

We say, "Unmistakably frank. Undeniably addictive."

REMEMBER ME by SOPHIE KINSELLA - Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident thinking it's 2004, she's 25, with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. Actually, it is 2007 and she is married to a handsome millionaire. But then a disheveled guy turns up on her doorstep...

We say, "Worth the wait for this latest easy-to-read, hard-to-put-down tale."

MATTER by IAIN M. BANKS - In a world renowned within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder.

And for their sister, it means returning to a place she'd thought abandoned forever. Only the sister is not what she once was...We say, "Another gripping multi-threaded tale from the master of British Sci Fi."

THE APPEAL by JOHN GRISHAM - In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town's water supply, causing the worst "cancer cluster" in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it. Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

We say, "The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave readers unable to think about the electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again."

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by CORMAC McCARTHY - Llewlyn Moss, hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, stumbles upon a transaction gone horribly wrong.

Finding bullet-ridden bodies, several kilos of heroin, and a caseload of cash, he faces a choice - leave the scene as he found it, or cut the money and run. Choosing the latter, he knows, will change everything. And so begins a terrifying chain of events.

We say, "An utterly absorbing, chilling tale."

AFFLUENZA by OLIVER JAMES - There is currently an epidemic of 'affluenza' throughout the world - an obsessive, envious, keeping-up-with-the-Joneses - that has resulted in huge increases in depression and anxiety among millions.

Over a nine-month period, bestselling author Oliver James travelled around the world to try and find out why.

We say, "A fascinating in-depth examination of a worrying social phenomenon."

ON CHESIL BEACH by IAN McEWAN - It is June, 1962. In a hotel on the Dorset coast, overlooking Chesil Beach, Edward and Florence, who got married that morning, are sitting down to dinner in their room. Neither is entirely able to suppress their anxieties about the wedding night to come ...

We say, "On Chesil Beach is another masterwork from McEwan, a story about how the entire course of a life can be changed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken."

THE BOOK THIEF by MARKUS ZUSAK - 1939. Nazi Germany.  The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a 9-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street.

Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. Some important information - this novel is narrated by death. It's a small story about: a girl; an accordionist; some fanatical Germans; a Jewish fist fighter; and quite a lot of thievery. Another thing you should know - death will visit the book thief three times.

We say, "Talented, unique, Markus Zusak is the author to discover in 2008."

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