Of shamans as mentors
The Shaman in Stilettos, By Anna Hunt, Penguin £8.99

Anna Hunt was a wealthy, glamorous journalist: “London's Carrie Bradshaw”. But she felt unfulfilled, so she took off to an expensive retreat in Peru for some me-time. Under the mentorship of the handsome and enigmatic Maximo Morales, she learned the therapeutic craft of the shaman, and resolved to spread the word to stressed-out city-dwellers.

Hunt describes her teacher in this revealing memoir as a “delectable demigod.” One wonders whether her interest lies in shamanism or, well, shagging.

Sure enough, the whole thing culminates in a weird sex sequence in which she and Maximo are described as “copulating cats:" I swear I am not making this up.

— The Independent