10 of the best books set in London

Malcolm Burgess, publisher of the City-Lit series, selects his favourite reads for the Smoke? As featured in our London city guideColin MacInnes, Absolute Beginners, 1959It evocatively celebrates a time and a place ? 1958, Notting Hill ? where youthful rebellion and multiculturalism are stirring out of London's post-war slumber. "Cool, this is London, not some hick city in the provinces! This is London, man, a capital, a great big city where every kind of race has lived ever since the Romans." ? Notting HillHelen Simpson, Title story from Constitutional, 2005A teacher makes the most of her lunch-hour on Hampstead Heath, enjoying the views and the snippets of conversation. "From that hill up there to my left it's possible to see for miles, and on a clear day I can pinpoint my road in Dalston. A skipper on the Thames looked up here at the northern heights three centuries ago and exclaimed ? the hills were capped with snow. The Heath's low trees and bushes were festooned with clean shirts and smocks hung out to dry."? Hampstead HeathMonica Ali, Brick Lane, 2003 In Monica Ali's novel, Chanu and his family discover a rich and varied London, including the delights of the East End's Brick Lane."Nazneen walked a step behind her husband down Brick Lane. The bright green and red pendants that fluttered from the lamp-posts advertised the Bangla colours and basmati rice. In the restaurant windows were clippings from newspapers and magazines with the name of the restaurant highlighted in yellow or pink." ? Brick LaneSukhdhev Sandhu, Night Haunts, 2006 London from the air at night has its own special beauty, as Sukdhev Sandhu discovers when he accompanies those who patrol the city's skies between nightfall and dawn."The streets of London are made from gold. But only at night time and only from the sky. They lie there glimmering like a Hatton Garden window display. Jewelled necklaces winking at us. At Piccadilly Circus and along Oxford Street the refracted neon gives them a ruby-red and emerald-green lustre." ? Oxford StreetCharles Dickens, Bleak House, 1852-3The famous murky opening of Bleak House amid the law courts of Lincoln's Inn Field suggests a moral fog as well as a meteorological one that will soon overwhelm its characters."Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets, as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it would not be wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus, forty feet long or so, waddling like an elephantine lizard up Holborn Hill." ? Chancery Lane/High HolbornXiaolu Guo, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, 2007 In the first novel by this Chinese author, her narrator lives in Hackney and experiences culture shock with every step she takes. A traditional greasy spoon caf� has to be part of the authentic city experience ? "The caf� is name greasy spoon, Seven Seas. All windows is foggy from the steam. You order tea as soon as you walk into. Noisy. Babies. Mothers. Couples. Lonely old man. You are opening the newspaper and start drink thick English Breakfast milky tea." ? HackneyKeith Waterhouse, Soho, 2001A wonderful writer on the city's quirks and peccadilloes, here in Soho with a cast of unforgettable characters. His play Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell mines similar Soho territory. "Except for the city itself, which after working hours is left to the caretakers and the cats and the odd penthouse millionaire, there is no London neighbourhood more resembling the restless downstream tide of the Thames than the ragged square mile of Soho." ? SohoIain Sinclair, Downriver, 1991Along the Thames and within its nearby communities, Iain Sinclair's fascinating novel of psychogeography traces how the river has changed - but also what remains from the past. "The true history of Whitechapel is here, unseen, invisible from the public streets. Lost gardens, courtyards whose entrances have been eliminated, shacks buried in vegetation like Mayan temples ? You could hack a path into the thicket and converse - as a contemporary - with the dead centuries." ? WhitechapelGillian Tindall, The House by the Thames, 2006The southern end of the Millenium Bridge is very close to a small, ancient house, 49 Bankside, whose story is the history of London itself."What were originally the 'mean streets' and 'dirty dark alleys' of waterside Thames are now extremely expensive real-estate, a cosmopolitan ribbon worlds away from the drab hinterlands behind them. In this ribbon, 49 Bankside, with its old-fashioned lamp, stands at night like a forgotten cottage in a children's story."? South Bank beside Millenium BridgeVirginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway Mrs Dalloway lives in Westminster and Virginia Woolf brilliantly describes a day in her London life, stepping out on a glorious summer morning, Big Ben striking in the background."For having lived in Westminster ? how many years now? over twenty, ? one feels even in the midst of the traffic, or waking at night, Clarissa was positive, a particular hush, or solemnity; an indescribable pause; a suspense ? before Big Ben strikes. There! Out it boomed." ?Westminster? Malcolm Burgess is the publisher of Oxygen Books' City-Lit series featuring some of the best ever writing on favourite world cities, oxygenbooks.co.uk Top 10sCultural tripsLondonUnited Kingdomguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Giveaway ? ?My Eyes Are Burning? Burning Man Photo Book

We're giving away a copy of Karen Kuehn's new photo book to a MatadorU student.

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David Lynch to open Mulholland Drive-style nightclub in Paris

Club Silencio, inspired by a key setting from Lynch's 2001 film, will incorporate a concert hall, restaurant, library and cinemaIt was conceived as a TV series and released as a standalone feature. Now it transpires that David Lynch's acclaimed Mulholland Drive is set for a further lease of life, in the guise of a Parisian nightclub.Club Silencio, inspired by a key location from Lynch's enigmatic 2001 film, is set to open in the French capital this September, replete with an interior designed by the director himself. "I enjoy how architecture and design create mood," Lynch explained to the New York Times.Hailed by critics as one of Lynch's finest films, Mulholland Drive charts the adventures of a young Hollywood starlet and an amnesiac femme fatale. Their journey leads them behind the red velvet drapes at "Club Silencio", where they are assured that a multitude of mysteries ? the significance of the blue key, the whereabouts of Aunt Ruth ? will be explained.Based on the Rue Montmartre, the true-life Club Silencio will reportedly include a concert hall, restaurant, library and cinema. Visitors will presumably be advised to avoid the dumpster out the back, where it is rumoured that a hobo lies in wait.David LynchParisBars and clubsXan Brooksguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Beer of the WeekMyrcenary Double IPAHop Rod RyeHeadwall AltSanta Fe Pale AleHoney Basil Beer

It's Friday. Here's what we're drinking.

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Where to eat in San Francisco from $2

Frustrated by the red tape of putting a food truck on the road, former chef Matt Cohen set up a market instead. A year on, it's the biggest gathering of street food vendors in San FranciscoMatt Cohen's favourite budget eats in San FranciscoThe hum of generators, spitting barbecue grills and animated voices carry across the car park. Small children bop along to the slow-paced music of a local band playing under a small garden gazebo. Tempting aromas fill the air: roasted spices, the unmistakable scent of barbecued pork and the partnering smell of a spilt beer. As I devour two pork satay skewers, the sun begins to dip behind the Golden Gate Bridge.This is Off the Grid, a roving collection of Asian and Latin street food vendors in San Francisco. Organiser Matt Cohen, inspired by the late night food markets of Japan, set up the market in June last year. "I was having a hard time arranging permits for a ramen truck and had started working with other vendors to get theirs," explains Matt. "The San Francisco Police Department doesn't allow late-night mobile food sellers, so we tried to create a space to operate from."In little under a year, Off the Grid has grown extensively and there are now eight street food markets a week, at lunchtimes and evenings, spanning several locations across the city. Social media has played a vital role in Off the Grid's success. Vendors use Twitter and Facebook to inform followers of daily specials and locations. "It's the primary way we build and maintain a relationship with our customers," explains Cohen. "People don't need to go out and seek information about our markets, it comes to them automatically."The biggest of them is held every Friday night at the Fort Mason Center car park, a five-minute walk from the touristy hub of Fisherman's Wharf, where the most popular dish is the seafood chowder, served in giant, hollowed out bread rolls.At the market, I join the queue for Chairman Bao. The line is long, but I have a cup of Magnolia IPA to take the edge off of the wait. After half an hour, I am tucking into my Chinese Bao buns filled with sticky barbecue pork belly, pickled daikon and shredded carrot.I meander through the crowd, stepping over spilt noodles as I go. The sun is now buried beneath the Pacific and the market lit with small lamps, and the long queues show little sign of receding. I'm full, but decide I can squeeze one more snack in: a spicy Indonesian taco topped with fresh chillies and a creamy coriander sauce from Se�or Sisig.Then it's time to call it a night, and I wander into Russian Hill and wait for a bus home. There were countless food stalls I missed, but fortunately they'll be back again next week. Same time, same place.FIVE OF THE BEST VENDORS AT OFF THE GRIDThe Rib WhipWith a smoker onboard their stylish food truck, The Rib Whip brings midwestern barbecue to the west coast, turning out beautiful pork sandwiches and the most amazing ribs ($8 for a third of a slab) this side of Kansas. And be sure to order a side of baked beans with burnt ends ($3).Twitter: @TheRibWhipCurry Up NowParatha flatbreads, aloo, paneer and tikka masala burritos ... the flavours and spices of India are delivered from this hugely popular mobile food truck. Don't miss the aloo kathi roll ? an egg-washed paratha stuffed with pickled onions, chutney and spicy potato.Twitter: @CurryUpNowChairman BaoNotorious for its long, winding queue that zig-zags across the market, Chairman Bao loads up steamed and baked buns with red sesame chicken, crispy garlic tofu and tender pork belly ($6). Twitter: @chairmantruckCr�me Br�l�e CartFlavours vary from week to week and change with the seasons on this dessert cart. Keep your eye out for the strawberry and Nutella cr�me br�l�e ($4), topped with caramelised sugar. Twitter: @cremebruleecartSenor SisigFilipino inspired tacos loaded with chilli and trademark coriander sauce for $3. Whatever your order, don't forget to silog it, which translates as adding a fried egg on top.Twitter: @senorsisigMATT COHEN'S FAVOURITE FIVE BUDGET EATS IN SAN FRANSwan Oyster DepotAlways a line. Limited hours. Quintessential San Francisco seafood. Keep it simple and go for a bowl of clam chowder and a couple of oysters. And enjoy some of the best San Francisco sourdough you can get ? for free. (Can get pricey if you start downing oysters by the dozen). ? 1517 Polk Street (+1 415 673 1101)Bakesale BettyBoth locations are in Oakland, but the fried chicken sandwich is so good I'd track it down to Nebraska. There will always be a line. Cash only. Eat outside on a table made of decommissioned ironing boards. Extra points for getting the strawberry shortcake to share with your group ? if they have it. ? 5098 Telegraph Avenue and 2228 Broadway, both in Oakland (+1 510 985 1213, bakesalebetty.com)Art's CafeAn absolute hole in the wall in The Sunset, a part of the city that most tourists never make it to. This breakfast place ? owned by a Korean couple with an American-Korean menu ? has an unmissable hash brown sandwich (it's cheap too). ? 747 Irving Street, between 8th and 9th Ave (+1 415 6657440, artscafesf.com)El FarolitoNeon lights. Grimy exterior. The best late-night super burrito (with sour creme and avocado) in the city. The carnitas super quesadilla (burrito sans rice) is as good as it gets this far north of Mexico City. ? Various locations ? see elfarolitoinc.com for detailsSaigon SandwichThe name says it all. Crazy, cheap amazing b�nh m� ? Vietnamese sandwich made with a wheat and rice flour baguette. SS will make anyone from a broke backpacker to a millionaire financier smile on a cold summer's day. Extra points for having the willpower to resist eating it until you make it to Golden Gate park to picnic among the trees.? 560 Larkin Street (+1 415 474 5698)San FranciscoFood and drinkRestaurantsCaliforniaUnited Statesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Budget Maldives: How to find perfect beaches and unbelievable snorkeling on a relative shoestring

Filed under: Scuba Diving, Asia, Maldives, Airlines, Budget Travel


The lowest lying country in the world does not offer much above sea level, just 7 feet 7 inches at its highest point. This fine sliver of sun kissed atolls is so postcard perfect it borders on ridiculous. White sand beaches, Kool-aid blue seawater, and densely populated coral reefs are de rigueur in The Maldives. It is a different kind of world, a water-world with flying taxis and manta rays measuring over 20 feet from tip to tip, soaring over their colorful underwater kingdoms.

With 1,192 islands covering 26 atolls, the Maldives island chain covers a significant portion of the Indian Ocean between India and Africa. The scantly populated nation boasts only 400,000 humans, many of which are Muslim. The one time British protectorate and Islamic sultanate habitats only 200 of its many islands with the rest defending the deserted island ideal - groves of shady palms trees, tide pools filled with skittering creatures, soft white beaches that disappear into cyan water, and nary a human in sight to spoil the dream.


Gallery: The Maldives - a sandy paradise

Continue reading Budget Maldives: How to find perfect beaches and unbelievable snorkeling on a relative shoestringBudget Maldives: How to find perfect beaches and unbelievable snorkeling on a relative shoestring originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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A tour of Extremadura's architecture

Stunning modern monuments sit alongside Renaissance architecture and Roman ruins

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