The Kindness of Strangers - Kate Adie

One of my favourite books of the year.

I had to ration my reading as this was one of only 2 books I took to last me through 4 weeks travelling in Chile. It got me through the flights from London to Santiago (I'm not at my most relaxed at 36,000 ft), and a cold and rainy afternoon in Puerto Natales.

Kate Adie is a TV News Reporter I remember well from my teenage years - she always seems so cool, calm and collected in the most amazing situations - and her "From our own correspondant" programme on Radio 4 is one that I often find myself trying to organise my Saturday mornings around. In fact, I frequently find myself envying her and her job, which has taken her to so many far flung places and into many of the 20th century's key events. All the more so after reading this autobiography, learning more about her early years in the BBC, and of her encounters with politicians and world leaders - official and unofficial - over the past 4 decades.

Buy it: Amazon link