Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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Joe Sugg

Having grown up in the rise of the digital age and becoming one of the UK's biggest social media stars, Joe knows better than anyone how it feels to be overwhelmed by the online world, with feelings of anxiety familiar to him. To cope, Joe has come up with creative and practical ways to embed nature into everyday life no matter where you live, from city to seaside. 
 
Part memoir, part practical guide, Grow will share Joe's own journey to reconnecting with nature, alongside tools for a more balanced life. Above all it will allow us to grow healthier, happier and calmer lives.

Grow

How nature can restore balance in a busy world

Geraldine Bedell

"We didn't intend to build a house. We just wanted to move - somewhere a bit bigger, with more of a garden: commonplace enough ambitions, especially for families with young children, especially in Britain, where property is wealth, and so, in some vague and unexamined sense, identity. Not that we were thinking about anything like that." 
 
 
The true and very funny story of how journalist, Geraldine Bedell and her husband Charlie Leadbeater, with no savings and no knowledge of architecture nearly make themselves bankrupt in an attempt to build their dream home. Far more than that, it's about the ultimate fantasy - creating your own made to measure living space. 
 
The Handmade House tells the story, alternately comical and horrifying, of one family's ambitious and inept attempt to build the perfect home.

The Handmade House

A Love Story Set in Concrete

Robert Penn

An exuberant tale of craftsmanship for nature lovers and rugged outdoor types everywhere 
 
Robert Penn cut down an ash tree to see how many things could be made from it. After all, ash is the tree we have made the greatest and most varied use of over the course of human history. Journeying from Wales across Europe and Ireland to the USA, Robert finds that the ancient skills and knowledge of the properties of ash, developed over millennia making wheels and arrows, furniture and baseball bats, are far from dead. The book chronicles how the urge to understand and appreciate trees still runs through us all like grain through wood.

The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees

Carol Ann Lee

Otto Frank was the father of the most famous girl of the 20th Century. It was he who found her diaries after her death and his determination to see them published around the world. This is the first time his story has been told. 
 
Born into a prosperous Jewish family in Berlin, his life was a portrait in miniature of the century: decorated after the Battle of the Somme, forced to flee Germany in the 1930s, betrayed and imprisoned by the Nazis in the Holocaust and finally gaining recognition bybearing witness to the century's horrors though the writings of his young daughter. 
 
Carol Ann Lee has written a powerful biography of an extraordinary man's life caught up in history.

The Hidden Life of Otto Frank

Arthur Parkinson

Most of us want a dog, or a cat, or a pony when we are young &ndash; but for Arthur Parkinson, it was always hens. Growing up in an ex-mining town in Nottinghamshire, the other kids in the playground called him 'Chicken Boy'. The quiet fulfilment of keeping hens became his sanctuary, a tonic for mental and physical health, a connection with his family and the natural world. Illustrated with Arthur's own characterful watercolours and photographs of his &lsquo;girls&rsquo;, Chicken Boy is a one-of-a-kind memoir of a life in nature.

Chicken Boy

My Life With Hens

Callum Robinson

Ingrained is a love letter to trees, timber and craftsmanship – and to finding your own voice. 
The eldest son of a Master Woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood absorbing craft lessons in his father’s rural Scottish workshop. As he grew older his passion for creating exquisite bespoke objects led him to establish his own workshop; to chase ever bigger and more commercial projects, to business meetings, bright lights, and to losing touch with his roots. Until the devastating loss of one major job threatened to bring it all crashing down. Faced with the end of his business, his team and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most. 
Blending memoir and nature writing at its finest, Ingrained is an uplifting meditation on the joys and challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on inheritance, community, and the beauty of the natural world.

Ingrained

The making of a craftsman

Nick Offerman

"Want to have some fun? Little Woodchucks is for every kid and 50-year-old woman who wants to make something cool with their hands." - Amy Poehler 
 
Many know Nick Offerman from his role as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation. But in addition to acting and comedy, woodworking is one of the great passions of Nick’s life. (The others are his wife, family, and friends, his dogs, music, cheese curds, the great outdoors, bacon and eggs, his bride, the Chicago Cubs, puzzles, Beef Wellington, the theatre, his canoe, his wife, Wilco, and single-malt Scotch whisky.) In Little Woodchucks, Nick and his team at the Offerman Woodshop open their doors to woodworkers of all ages, sharing their passion for their craft and showing you how to make a range of their most popular and accessible projects. From carved twig animals and box kites to tool boxes and simple hayloft benches, these twelve family-friendly projects are the perfect way to discover the joys of woodworking, and share the love of crafting with others. 
 
Written with Nick’s signature wry humour an charm, and with clear illustrated step-by-step instructions, Little Woodchucks is a quality piece of bookery from an American original.

Little Woodchucks

Offerman Workshop’s Guide to Tools and Tomfoolery

Rosina Harrison

'I was able to get on well with everyone below stairs and above, or so I thought until I began working for Lady Astor...' 
 
In 1929, Yorkshire lass Rosina Harrison became personal maid to Lady Astor: the first female Member of Parliament to take her seat and wife of one of England's wealthiest lords. 
 
Lady Astor was brilliant yet tempestuous, but outspoken Rose gave as good as she got. For 35 years the battle of wills and wits raged between the two women, until an unlikely friendship began to emerge. 
 
The Lady's Maid is a captivating insight into the great wealth 'upstairs' but also the endless work 'downstairs', but it is Rose's unique relationship with Lady Astor that makes this book a truly enticing read. 
 
Please note, The Lady's Maid is the new title for the book originally published as Rose.

The Lady's Maid

My Life in Service

Trevor Dolby

One day a Londoner and his wife went a little crazy and bought a crumbling house in deepest Languedoc. It was love at first sight. 
 
Slowly the family make this house a home, they get to know the locals and these busy English discover slower joys - the scent of thyme and lavender, the warmth of sun on stone walls, nights hung with stars, silence in the hills, the importance of history and memory, the liberation of laughter and the secrets of fig jam. 
 
One Place de l'Eglise is a love letter - to a house, a village, a country - from an outsider who discovers you can never be a stranger when you're made to feel so at home. Old houses never belong to people. People belong to them.

One Place de l’Eglise

A Year in Provence for the 21st century

Brendan O'Carroll

The first and only official Mrs Brown's Boys book, Mrs Brown's Family Handbook uniquely takes us into the wonderful world of Britain's favourite potty-mouthed mother and housewife. 
 
Packed with tips for running the perfect home - why every mammy's secret weapon is a tea towel; how to clean up Granddad - as well as contributions from members of the extended family - Dermot's Guide to Farting; Winnie's Joy of Seks - Mrs Brown dispenses advice in her own inimical fecking style. 
 
The perfect gift for the house proud and the slovenly, Mrs Brown's Family Handbook should offend all who receive it.

Mrs Brown's Family Handbook

Suzanna Clarke

When Suzanna Clarke and her husband bought a dilapidated house in the Moroccan town of Fez, their friends thought they were mad. Located in a maze of donkey-trod alleyways, the house - a traditional riad - was beautiful but in desperate need of repair. Walls were in danger of collapse, the plumbing non-existent. While neither Suzanna nor her husband spoke Arabic, and had only a smattering of French, they were determined to restore the building to its original splendour, using only traditional craftsmen and handmade materials. But they soon found that trying to do business in Fez was like being transported back several centuries in time and so began the remarkable experience that veered between frustration, hilarity and moments of pure exhilaration. 
 
But restoring the riad was only part of their immersion in the rich and colourful life of this ancient city. A House in Fez is a journey into Moroccan culture, revealing its day-to-day rhythms, its customs and festivals; its history, Islam, and Sufi rituals; the lore of djinns and spirits; the vibrant life-filled market places and the irresistible Moroccan cuisine. And above all, into the lives of the people - warm, friendly, and hospitable. 
 
Beautifully descriptive and infused with an extraordinary sense of place, this is a compelling account of one couple's adventures in ancient Morocco.

A House in Fez

Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco

James Wesley Rawles

This is the definitive guide on how to prepare for any crisis, from global financial collapse to a flu pandemic. 
 
It would only take one unthinkable event to disrupt our way of life. If there is a terrorist attack, a flu pandemic, or sharp currency devaluation, you may be forced to fend for yourself in ways you've never imagined. Where would you get water? How would you communicate with relatives? What would you use for fuel? 
 
Survivalist expert James Wesley, Rawles, editor of SurvivalBlog.com and a former US Army Intelligence officer, shares the essential tools and skills you will need for your family to survive, including how to find and build a retreat, store food, supply power, rear animals, administer medicine, barter, and defend your family. 
 
'Save those wine corks. Burned cork makes quick and cheap face camouflage.' 
'Store only foods with minimal spices. When you are surrounded by starving people, just heating up a can of spicy chili con carne could be a death warrant.' 
 
'If you are on a budget, you might get away with a good-quality bolt-action rifle...'

How to Survive The End Of The World As We Know It

From Financial Crisis to Flu Epidemic

Phil Spencer

Is it really a good idea to install that expensive cappuccino maker when you haven't fitted a good working boiler or decent flooring? And what about the value added by sprucing up the bathroom (and losing that avocado suite with gold taps)? Will it be worth spending a fortune on expensive fittings or will B&amp;Q do the job? 
 
In the complicated world of home improvements, it is every bit as important to know what not to do, as it is what to do, when planning where to focus your energies and spend your budget. Not everything adds value in cash terms, but some ideas could make your house easier to sell. 
 
Phil Spencer's Adding Value to Your Home is about both making your property a better place for you to live, and enhancing the value of your principal asset should you decide to sell. In a competitive property market it is crucial to get this right, and no one can help more than property guru Phil Spencer. Showing you how to attract the most attention from buyers and what will make your house sell quicker and for more cash, this book is packed full of practical advice, clear information and real-life case studies. 
 
From simple DIY projects or insulating the loft, to coming up with a well-planned and well-executed extension, Adding Value to Your Home is here to help you understand what could work best for you, and what will make the overall feel of your house more valuable in the eyes of a potential buyer.

Adding Value to Your Home

Rob Beattie

This funny and charming book opens the door to the many possibilities of the garden shed - just about the last male bastion left in the modern household.  It is packed with 101 tasks, tools, simple projects, science experiments and ideas of all sorts for having hours of uninterrupted fun. Whether you want to rediscover the lost art of 'make do and mend', create some useful knick-knacks, explore model-making opportunities from little yachts made from matchsticks,  wooden toy tractors or exquisite toothbrush stands, dabble with some simple experiments with optical illusions, static electricity, vibrating glasses or just enjoy a spot of peace and quiet with the radio and a glass of beer, this book is a treasure trove of great ideas. Beautifully illustrated with good old fashioned line drawings and brimming with bright ideas to keep men entertained for hours, it is set to become a cult classic. Welcome to the sanctuary of the shed!

101 Things To Do In A Shed

James Whetlor

Whether you want to cook a BBQ on the beach, at a campsite, in your garden or even on your balcony, James Whetlor showcases over ten different BBQs you can actually build yourself. You&rsquo;ll never use a store-bought instant BBQ tray again as James guides you through the DIY BBQ section with handy illustrations, photographs and tips and techniques. BBQs include a Konro &ndash; a small portable Japanese grill, a Washing Machine Drum BBQ, a Tandoor oven made from a flowerpot, an Open-faced Grill made from bricks or breeze blocks, a Simple Dutch Oven, and a Whole Pig Smoker. There&rsquo;s even an Oil Drum BBQ &ndash; a versatile and simple take on the traditional oil drum barbecues used the world over. And once you&rsquo;ve mastered the art of barbecue building, there are 50 stunning recipes that you will turn to time and time again. Including Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry, Mushroom Tacos and Thai Fishcake Skewers as well as the show-stopping recipe for cooking a pig in the pig smoker &ndash; this is a fun and affordable way to take your BBQing to the next level.

The DIY BBQ Cookbook

How to Build You Own BBQ and Cook up a Feast

The Secret Cleaner

While we are all stuck at home, let's make it a fun place you and your family want to be. 
 
Find joy in cleaning your home (yes, really). 
 
April, a.k.a. The Secret Cleaner, offers simple and playful ways to clean your space with minimal time and effort AND how to reframe the way you and your family think about cleaning. 
 
From Redirecting The Rage Clean to Going Minimal, Making Cleanful Choices to 9 Things Your Forgot to Clean, try April's inventive tips and cheerful challenges to make your home a clean and calming zone. 
 
Also including April's Best Cleanful Recipes - quick to make, using natural ingredients, powerful and kind to you and the planet

The Little Book of Cleanfulness

Mindfulness in Marigolds!

Eleni Gage

Eleni Gage, a young journalist living in New York, leaves her Manhattan flat to return to the remote but beautiful Greek village of Lia in northern Greece and rebuild her ruined ancestral home. But this is not just another tale of quaint rustic DIY - the house was the scene of imprisonment and torture, and its ruins are stalked by the ghosts of the Greek Civil War. 
The story is played out in the stunning mountainous landscape of Epiros, one of the least-visited regions of Europe. As Eleni becomes part of the village, her neighbours and the house come vividly to life while her own disasters, triumphs and self-discoveries are alternately poignant and hilarious. The cast of characters includes Eleni's formidable yet miniscule aunts - the thitsas, who fear that she will be eaten by wolves; her immigrant Albanian builders; and the residents of modern-day Lia, whose feelings about the rebuilding of a house where such terrible events took place are ambivalent at best. 
 
Informed by her knowledge of Greece's folklore, literature, language and history, Eleni's story is unfailingly witty and wise. But beneath it all lie the indelible stains of a real-life Greek tragedy.

North Of Ithaka

Phil Spencer, property expert and co-presenter of hit series Location, Location, Location, provides everything you need to know to help you buy (and sell) your first home 
 
Want to own your own home, but not sure where to start? Need some friendly advice from a property professional? 
 
In How to Buy Your First Home, property expert Phil Spencer takes the worry out of the property market. Breaking everything down into simple and achievable steps, he makes this daunting process easy. Learn how to: 
 
- Find your perfect pad 
- Choose which mortgage is right for you 
- Negotiate with estate agents and sellers 
- Organise exchange and completion 
 
Including indispensable advice, money-saving tips and an essential trouble-shooting section, this guide covers everything a first-time buyer needs to know. And when it's time to move on again, this book will show you how to sell your home too. 
 
Phil Spencer is one the best-known faces on British television, co-presenting the hit Channel 4 series Location, Location, Location and Relocation, Relocation. Phil has written regularly columns in The Sunday Times and Country Life, and is contracted to Archant publishing to write columns that are syndicated in the group's numerous local glossy magazines which are distributed nationwide. Recent TV appearances include on The One Show, Children in Need and The Friday Night Project, and Phil also regularly appears on the radio to discuss property issues.

How to Buy Your First Home (And How to Sell it Too)

Victoria Harrison

Rewild&#160;Your Home offers ways to improve both your home space and headspace using elements and inspiration from the natural world.By using simple biophilic design tips and weaving natural elements into your home, you can make your indoor living, sleeping and working areas more healthy, happy and relaxing. From wild swimming to forest bathing and wildlife gardening, being outside in nature can lift our spirits, refresh our minds and soothe our souls. And that essential connection to the wild can also be brought into your home.From maximising natural views, greening up windowsills and balconies and inviting wildlife up close, to the use of wild colours, materials and patterns, interiors expert Victoria Harrison looks at creative ways to link your living spaces to the outdoors. There are quick and fun projects sprinkled throughout, and plenty of practical ideas to inspire, whether you live in a rented urban apartment or a family home.

Rewild Your Home

Bring the Outside In and Live Well Through Nature

Nicole England

Art in Residence is a stunning exploration of how life and soul is brought into beautifully designed spaces through the cherished objects, sculptures and seminal artworks of their owners. 
 
From a New York City loft and a Californian hideaway to an historic central London home and a beach house in Sydney, photographer Nicole England documents the incredible art collections that make a truly evocative home.

Art in Residence

Collected Objects and the Architectural Homes They Live In

Matthew Parris

The downloadable abridged audiobook edition of Matthew Paris' charming tale, A Castle in Spain, read by the author himself. 
 
Walking in the Pyrenees, twenty years ago, Matthew Parris and his sister came upon a magnificent medieval house. It had crests and a date - 1559 - chiselled into the stone: its walls and foundations were intact but the ancient oak ridge timber supporting the roof had split and was ready to collapse into the rotten floors beneath. Renovation would be an epic undertaking - a massive investment of time, money and emotion. And, the locals warned, nobody ever left L'Avenc with any money. A few years ago, Matthew (with his family's help) went back and bought the place. Astonishing and arguably idiotic, his decision resulted in a phenomenal amount of hard work, and this hugely enjoyable audiobook. Inspirational, instructional and utterly irresistible, this is the story of one man's dream to turn a forgotten ruin into his very own Castle in Spain.

A Castle in Spain

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