Week 3 of “Bookshelf” choices and the mornings are darker now, but nothing beats crawling out of bed and enjoying that first cup of coffee and turning the pages of a new book. The house is quiet. The washing can wait for another hour. Curl up on the couch and savour a few cherished moments and the first few chapters. The chores are on hold. This is your time. Read on!

The olives are ripening now on the trees. Some are green and fat, some black and large, others are small and black, some are green and red…so many different types. Looks like it will be a good harvest this year. There is so much more you can do with your olives and our Number one choice this week is EbroVoice´s olive ‘bible’. This is one book that is bursting at it seams with information. You will not regret buying it – if you enjoy the country life and love experimenting and trying new things out – or just curious about Olives.

The selection is varied and there is something for everyone.

1.The Sophisticated Olive – Marie Nadine Antol – the complete guide to olive cuisine, olives health & beauty, the art of olive making, olives in your own backyard, the history of the olive. A valuable companion to anyone who relocates to Catalonia or rural Spain.

2.Easy Spanish Phrase Book: over 770 Basic everyday phrases for easy use “Dover Easy Phrases”by Dover Press. Don´t worry if you are just starting to learn Spanish or if you are already chatting away, this will definitely make your conversation more interesting. Try a few out and see the expressions of wonder

3. “Ripe for the Picking” – Annie Hawes .If you enjoyed the best selling book of “Extra Virgin”. Anyone living in the Mediterranean will relate and enjoy this fuzzy-warm, hilarious and a magical read and people-watching is second to none. If you live further afield you will feel as though you are sat on the Ligurian mountainside sharing all her experiences.

4.”The Barefoot Fishermen: A fishing book for kids” by Paul Amdahl. A charming book to encourage your children to learn about “…bass, crappie, sunfish, carp and catfish live in warm water..”.Oh it does please me when the youngsters pull out these giant carp and magnificent Catfish off the Ebro River banks and they are bigger than their well-seasoned Fisherman-father´s best catch of the day (or night).

5.”Earning Money from Your Spanish Home” by Joanna Styles. Spent all summer”doing it up”? Now lets see show you can refill those coffers that might be feeling the strain of restoration and relocation.

6.”What Fish don´t want you to know: An Insider´s Guide to Freshwater Fishing” by P.Baron.The title itself makes you want to want to grab the book and scour it. A lovely present for “him indoors”.

7.”The Burning Shore” – Wilbur Smith. Once more captures a breathtaking adventure of love, war and the acid bitter revenge and the struggle of a quest just for survival in a country torn apart at the seams. Brilliantly descriptive and such a tale he weaves into the characters. A jolly good read for everyone.

8.Teens book “Guyaholic” by Carolyn Mackler. Another one to save for the Christmas stocking!

9. “False Impression” – Jeffrey Archer. This brilliant plotter and skillful story teller has excelled himself again, with twists and turns as the action and intrigue moves from New York to London, Bucharest and on to Tokyo, turning up in a sleepy English village.

10.”Needlework Tools and Accessories: A Dutch Tradition-made in Holland” by Kay Sullivan. Something to do when the wind blows off Mont Caro and you curl up by your wood burner, when the olive crop is picked.

11. “Pavarotti – Life with Pavarotti” by Adua Pavarotti – 3 daughters & 34 years married to Luciano until photos surfaced of him and his secretary mistress, Mantovani. The famous, late tenors´, wife offers unique insight into her husbands complex personality, his first love was football, his love of music, his early years, the pressure of fame and their family life.

12.”Spain: The Root and The Flower:An interpretation of Spain and the Spanish People” by John A. Crow .

13.**Newsflash** New release…September 2007 “Songs without Words” by Anne Packer. She stamps the pages with keen introspection and astute psychological tones about Liz and Sarabeth (such an unusual name) friendship. Strong characters entwined in close connections. Yet will the flaws within their friendship stand the strain as their lives are soon to be blown apart in a huge crisis. Her second novel and a jolly good read about Californian lives.