82ASK

A A Gill

Andrew Swanston read law at Cambridge, but was inspired to write by his lifelong interest in early modern history. His Thomas Hill novels – The King’s Spy, The King’s Exile and The King’s Return – are set against the backdrops of the English Civil War, Cromwell’s Commonwealth and the early Restoration respectively. He is also the author of Waterloo: The Bravest Man and Beautiful Star and Other Stories. His first historical thriller set during the reign of Elizabeth I – Incendium (published in paperback as The Incendium Plot) – introduced readers to the academic, lawyer and intelligencer Dr Christopher Radcliff, whose adventures continue in Chaos. Andrew Swanston lives in Surrey.

A D Swanston

A E Langsford

A G Hopkins

A. J. BAIME is the New York Times best-selling author of The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War and Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans. Both books are in development for major motion pictures. Baime is a longtime regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Popular Science, and Men’s Journal. He lives in Granite Bay, California. Visit him at facebook.com/ajbaime and trumanbook.com.

A J Baime

A J Jacobs

A J P Taylor

Anthony James Pollard is a British medieval historian, specialising in the fifteenth century and in particular the Wars of the Roses. A leading authority in the field, he is profesor emeritus of Teesside University. His books include North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses, Richard III and the Princes in theTower, Imagining Robin Hood: the Late Medieval Stories in Historical Context and Warwick the kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame.

A J Pollard

A J Rochester

A K Benjamin is a clinical neuropsychologist and the author of Let Me Not Be Mad: A Story of Unravelling Minds.

A K Benjamin

A. L. Berridge read English at Oxford, and taught for ten years before moving into television, where her production credits range from period drama and thrillers to long-running soaps. She has written two previous novels, Top Ten besteller Honour and the Sword and In the Name of the King. Into the Valley of Death is her third novel.

A L Berridge

Alison Gaylin's first job was as a reporter for a celebrity tabloid, which sparked a lifelong interest in writing about people committing despicable acts. More than a decade later, she wrote and published her Edgar-nominated first novel, HIDE YOUR EYES. 
 
She's since published nine more books, including the USA Today and international bestselling Brenna Spector suspense series, which has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Thriller awards and won the Shamus award. 
 
She lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, cat and dog.

A L Gaylin

A Maxwell-Hyslop

A McArthur

A P Wavell

A.S. Webb is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Daughter of Chaos, the first instalment of The Dark Pantheon Trilogy. She is inspired by stories rooted in history and mythology, that push the boundaries of imagination and urge us to reflect on what it means to be human.

A S Webb

A. A. Dhand is the author of six previous novels, and has been shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Award. His DI Harry Virdee novels are currently being adapted for TV by the BBC. He was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired all his novels. For more information about A. A. Dhand and his books, follow him on X @aadhand, and on Instagram @aa_dhand.

A. A. Dhand

A. A. Gill

A. A. Milne

A. Anatoli

A. B. Poranek grew up sharing her time between Ontario, Canada and rural Poland, and eventually completed a veterinary degree at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. A lover of mythology and history, she enjoys exploring both in her writing. Her debut novel, Where the Dark Stands Still, an instant New York Times bestseller, is an ode to Poland's folktales, while A Treachery of Swans transports readers to a world inspired by 17th century France.

A. B. Poranek

A. Bradley

Professor A. C. Grayling is Principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy, history, science and current affairs. For several years he wrote columns for the Guardian newspaper and The Times and was the chairman of the 2014 Man Booker Prize.

A. C. Grayling

A.D. Miller is the author of Snowdrops, The Earl of Petticoat Lane and The Faithful Couple. Snowdrops was a bestseller and was shortlisted for many prizes including the Man Booker and the CWA Gold Dagger. It was translated into 25 languages. As Moscow Correspondent of The Economist A.D. Miller has travelled across the former Soviet Union and covered the Orange Revolution in Ukraine; he is now the magazine’s Culture Editor based in London. 
 
admillerbooks.com

A. D. Miller

A. E. Ellis

A. E. W. Mason

A. Humphreys

A. Igoni Barrett was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 1979 and lives in Lagos. He is a winner of the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition, the recipient of a Chinua Achebe Center Fellowship, a Norman Mailer Center Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency. His short story collection, Love is Power, or Something Like That, was published in 2013. In 2014 he was named on the Africa39 list of sub-Saharan African writers under 40. Blackass is his first novel.

A. Igoni Barrett

The short life of A.J.A. Symons (1900-41) was described by his biographer as an intricate and largely harmless confidence trick. His many interests included the collection of musical boxes and rare books as well as the study and practice of forgery; they left him time to edit an anthology of Edwardian verse and compose studies of H.M. Stanley and other notable figures. He is remembered for The Quest for Corvo, one of the most remarkable biographies ever written, and for co-founding the Wine and Food Society.

A. J. A. Symons

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Martin Clunes

Martin Clunes has always been a soft touch when it comes to animals, and has filled his life with them both on screen and off. 
 
But Martin got more than he bargained for when it came to John and Murray - two mischievous, uncontrollable Jack Russell puppies, who quickly took over his life and home with their own rambunctious plans - and nevertheless captured his heart. 
 
Here he tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of training and taming - and ultimately of the unbreakable bonds between a man and his dogs.

Training John and Murray

Nagi Shimeno

After a long and happy life with a loving human family, tabby cat Fuuta has passed into the afterlife. But he is not as far from his owner Michiru as it seems. Sometimes the divide between the lands of the living and the dead can be traversed. 
 
Eager to see Michiru again, Fuuta interviews for a position at Café Pont, which sits in the liminal space between the two worlds. The café is known for its unique service: its living customers can request meetings with the person they'd most like to see again, through the specially selected spirits of messenger cats. 
 
Fuuta must investigate and deliver his messages without unnerving the living, or worse, upsetting the balance of the universe itself. It is a weighty task for a tabby cat, but Fuuta rises to the challenge. After all, the job offers a special reward: he will get to see Michiru again. And he'll do anything to reunite with his family.

Messenger Cat Café

Arthur Parkinson

It is my hope that this book will help you discover, or reconfirm, which chicken breeds are your favourites and encourage you to keep them yourself, or at least to remember them. 
 
Spotlighting more than fifty breeds of chicken, from the classy Ancona to the lavishly laced Wyandotte, Arthur Parkinson shares everything you need to know about each breed’s attributes, behaviour, quirks and qualities alongside gorgeous illustrations of his ‘ladies’. Later in the book he offers detailed advice that will equip you with the practical skills to look after hens in your own garden, whether the most common breeds or the most perilously rare – for as Arthur notes, if we don’t celebrate all hens great and small, the lesser-known varieties may well disappear. 
 
Joyful and inspiring, Hen Party is a riotous, clucking poultry show of a book for anyone dreaming of the good life.

Hen Party

A Celebration

Ted the Dog

Sunday Times Bestseller 
 
 
Join Ted, the beloved canine star of BBC2's Gone Fishing and bestselling author, as he embarks on a life-changing adventure, and discovers what truly matters to him. 
 
What's the real story behind Ted's suitcase? What's in it and why does getting it back mean so much to him? 
 
Maybe the answer lies with the film supremo Quentin Tarantino, who said the value of the briefcase in his classic movie Pulp Fiction lay not in its contents, but in the briefcase itself. 
 
Rather like fishing, it’s not always about the fish you catch, but the joy of the time you spend on the riverbank, as Ted well knows. Accompanying Paul and Bob on their angling expeditions is one of the greatest pleasures of his life, alongside pocket meat. 
 
In Pup Fiction, Ted tells the story of how all these delights collide in one life-changing, breathtaking European adventure.

Pup Fiction

An epic journey with Gone Fishing

Rory Cellan-Jones

‘Fills my heart with so much joy' Niall Harbison, bestselling author of Tina 
'In a dark time, a daily dose of hope’ Jojo Moyes 
 
How do you welcome someone new into your heart and home? A week before Christmas, newly retired BBC journalist Rory Cellan-Jones receives a special delivery that will change his life. 
 
This is the story of rescue dog #SophieFromRomania. 
 
In January 2022, the Cellan-Jones-Coyle family said goodbye to their beloved elderly Collie cross, Cabbage. She and Rory had become inseparable during daily pandemic walks, which alleviated his Parkinson’s symptoms. After a grief-stricken year, Rory and his wife Diane come across a listing for ‘a kind girl who loves everybody and is just looking for her forever home’. 
 
Bright-eyed, big-eared and trembling, Sophie arrives in London on 17 December 2022. Rory holds the Romanian rescue in his arms, excited for their first walk together – but the road ahead will be a long one . . . This book follows the real journey of Sophie’s adoption – from her battles with anxiety, to the joys of play and her first time outside – as Rory and Diane work with expert dog trainer Si to win Sophie’s trust and navigate Rory’s Parkinson’s disease. 
 
This is a moving story of love, kindness and a lot of patience, paying tribute to rescue dogs and their tender community.

Sophie From Romania

What a rescue dog taught me about patience, love and hope

A Year of Love and Hope with a Rescue Dog

Caleb Carr

Caleb Carr lived with cats ever since he was a young boy. He grew up in a turbulent household – where famous Beat poets, artists and addicts came and went – and his steadiest companions were pets. Since then, he had many feline companions, with relationships that have outlasted most of his human ones. But only after building a three-story home in rural, upstate New York did he encounter someone extraordinary: Masha, a Siberian Forest cat who had been abandoned as a kitten and was languishing in a shelter. She had hissed and fought off all previous carers and potential adopters, but somehow, she chose him. 
 
For the seventeen years that followed, Caleb and Masha were inseparable. Masha ruled the house and the dangerous wilderness surrounding it. When she was hurt, only Caleb could help her. When he suffered long-standing physical ailments, Masha knew what to do. Caleb learned to decode much of Masha’s inner life but their bond went far beyond owner and pet. Inspiring, heart-breaking and life-affirming, this is a love story like no other.

My Beloved Monster

Jay Griffiths

Pet-owners and animal-lovers instinctively know that animals heal. This book offers the evidence, drawing widely on scientific discoveries, history, and Indigenous knowledge. 
 
We meet a pot-bellied pig who saved her owner's life, lions who guarded a girl from kidnappers, dolphins and whales rescuing people in danger, and dogs who can smell cancer and phone the Emergency Services. 
 
Animal sounds, from insects to birdsong and the purring of cats, are directly medicinal and their presence can heal the pain of loneliness. Animals, including donkeys, can be natural therapists for the hurt psyche, alleviating trauma, fear and depression. 
 
In this original, revelatory and exuberant book, Jay Griffiths explores how animals can have a role in every level of healing, from the individual to the collective, guiding us in how we might create societies that are healthier, fairer and kinder. Wolves may be teachers of ethics; monkeys and dogs can object to unfairness and bees take collective decisions. Animals are irresistible medicine for a healthy culture, animating the arts with spectacular vitality and verve, as poetry knows. 
 
Open-hearted, playful and wise, How Animals Heal Us puts animals at the heart of a restorative vision of health.

How Animals Heal Us

Claude Béata

Is your cat happy? What can you do to help? And what can cats teach us? 
 
The relationship between humans and cats has never been simple. Cats are mysterious and contradictory, independent and affectionate, predator and prey. Their true nature continues to elude us, and their subtle and complex behavioural problems can often seem unsolvable or incomprehensible. 
 
In this ground-breaking book – a huge bestseller in its native France – veterinary doctor and psychiatrist Claude Béata draws on cutting-edge research and decades of experience with cats, to revolutionize our understanding of pets and transform our appreciation of feline mental wellbeing. Here, we meet Nougatine, a Siamese suffering from bipolar dysthymic disorder, Tabatha, an anxious Ragdoll with attachment issues, and Melly, an Abyssinian struggling with a feline form of schizophrenia – as well as their owners who seek advice and support. 
 
Charming, surprising, and offering illuminating insight into a range of disorders, Béata’s book calls for greater compassion and provides a new way of understanding cat psychiatry so we can care for the mental, and physical wellness of our beloved pets.

The Interpretation of Cats

And Their Owners

Inspired by Martin Clunes' own adoption of a former guide dog, Meetings With Remarkable Animals celebrates the fascinating, moving and sometimes astonishing ways animals have enriched our lives. From search and rescue dogs to mine-sniffing rats, and life-saving dolphins to therapy horses and medal-winning cats and pigeons, the stories brought to life will charm, surprise and astonish in equal measure. 
 
Together with his own life-changing encounters with animals around the world, Martin has celebrated the intelligence, loyalty, and companionship of some truly extraordinary creatures whose lives have been entwined with our own. By turns heart-warming, inspiring and always fascinating, Meetings With Remarkable Animals gives us a chance to meet them too.

Meetings With Remarkable Animals

Courtney Gustafson

People kept asking: Why would you have cats that don’t love you back? 
 
The morning after Courtney Gustafson moved into an old house in the Poets Square neighbourhood of Tucson, Arizona, she noticed tiny pawprints all over her driveway. They were the first evidence of a colony of feral cats who would, in time, become part of her family and help pierce a personal darkness she’d wrestled with for much of her life. 
 
Beebs was the first cat to appear, allowing herself to be petted in the driveway. And then came so many others. There was Monkey, the hissing, dark-blotched calico, and Reverse Monkey, her timid, white-blotched opposite. There were Sad Boy and Lola, the inseparable pair who made their way across the internet and into strangers’ wedding vows. There was the sweet, serene Dr. Big Butt, who brought lessons about grief. And there was Goldie, the tiny king of Poets Square: sick, skinny, but completely unafraid. These cats – and many, many others – would expand her world spectacularly. 
 
Poets Square is a love letter to community in a broken society, told through the cats Courtney meets in dark alleys, neglected homes and her own driveway; cats she cherishes and must sometimes let go. Above all, she explores what her encounters with feral cats can teach us about care, connectedness and the power 
of hope.

Poets Square

A Memoir in Thirty Cats

Cédric Sapin-Defour

Having a dog as company makes nothing feel excessive – not time or space. It's not even about passing time, but being of it. 
 
A tiny ad in a local newspaper catches Cédric Sapin-Defour’s eye: a litter of Bernese Mountain Dog puppies need homes. A lonely, single, sports teacher and mountain climber in the French Alps, Cédric visits the dogs and immediately falls for the puppy with a blue collar. 
 
Named Ubac, French for the north side of the mountain – the rainy, cloudy slope – the puppy quickly upends Cédric’s life. They go on hikes together, taking to the hills and exploring, forging a bond that brings joy and a sense of fulfillment and adventure. They brave the world together, hate to be apart, crave the mountains and the natural world; they protect each other. 
 
Over the course of thirteen years, their pack expands to include Mathilde, Cédric’s wife, and more dogs. Ubac and Me is an intimate meditation on a joyous life lived too fast, the aching pain of separation, and the transformative effect of unconditional love. A dog named for the rainy side of the mountain is an inspiring lesson in how walking the rocky, cloudy hills together can bring the greatest light, the sunniest joys, even if the shared journey is unbearably short. 
 
 
‘Not just a tribute to the love humans feel for their pets but also a means of voicing the deep grief that can be felt after a dog’s death, when all that is left is a collar and hairs, and the house seems too big without them.’ Guardian 
 
Ubac and Me has been a surprise bestseller and word-of-mouth sensation in France, championed by indie booksellers, selling 400,000 copies. 
 
Translated by Adriana Hunter.

Ubac and Me

A Life of Love and Adventure With a French Mountain Dog

Tom Michell

When schoolteacher Tom Michell pulls a penguin from an oil slick off the coast of Uruguay he has no idea what to do. 
 
Back at his apartment, Tom cleans him, but upon returning to the beach the penguin refuses to return to the ocean. Tom has one option: to smuggle the penguin over the Argentinian border to the prestigious boarding school Tom calls home. 
 
There follows a heart-warming story of one remarkable penguin, who adapts to boarding school life. Whether it's as team mascot or swimming coach extraordinaire - Juan Salvador the penguin transforms the lives of all he meets.

The Penguin Lessons

Graeme Hall

Now a Sunday Times bestseller 
 
 
Have you ever wondered what your dog is really thinking? 
 
Our dogs mean the world to us and as owners we do our best to make sure they feel happy and loved, whilst also keeping them in line when needed. But wouldn&rsquo;t it be so much easier if we spoke the same language and could ask what they were thinking or feeling? 
 
In his latest book, top dog trainer, Graeme Hall, reveals the secrets to understanding what your furry companion is trying to say and how they see the world. Drawing on 15 years of experience training over 5,000 dogs, and backed up with scientific evidence, he tackles all the tricky questions you&rsquo;ve ever wanted to ask, such as &lsquo;how do I tell my dog he&rsquo;s been naughty?&rsquo; and &lsquo;how long does a dog remember?&rsquo;. 
 
Sharing his own personal stories and practical tips, Graeme demonstrates how to interpret your dog's body language and use that knowledge to build a stronger, more rewarding relationship, as well as how to avoid common mistakes. Whether you're a seasoned dog owner or a new pup parent, this book will change the way you think about your four-legged best friend.

Does My Dog Love Me?

Understanding how your dog sees the world

Clare Balding

Every dog must have his day. 
 
There's nothing the British love quite as much as their dogs - but did you know that our canine companions have also shaped the history of this sceptred isle? From hunting to our hearths, and from herding to heavy industry, our dogs have accompanied us through centuries of social and economic change, and our relationship is still evolving today. 
 
In this fascinating alternative history of Britain, Clare Balding takes us on a journey across the length and breadth of the home nations, exploring our unique heritage of canine tradition and meeting the people who still live, work and innovate with their dogs. A story of companionship, loyalty and good old-fashioned hard work, Isle of Dogs is an unmissable read for anyone whose life has been transformed by a faithful hound.

Isle of Dogs

My canine adventures through Britain

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

Shaun Prendergast

All sixteen episodes of the BBC radio comedy about two goldfish who contemplate life &ndash; and their human owners &ndash; from their bowl 
 
Anton and Liam are the Eric and Ernie of the fish world. Liam is a slippers-and-cardigan, Friday-night-in-with-a-Dick Francis-and-a-box-of-Terry&rsquo;s-All-Gold kind of goldfish; whereas Anton is erudite, philosophical, sophisticated and fluent in several languages. Thrown together by fate, their only company in their bowl is some gravel and a little plastic castle as they closely observe the tumultuous relationship between their owners, Martin and Susan. 
 
In these two series, Liam and Anton contemplate the meaning of their existence, ponder the concept of time, and learn about sex &ndash; and a hot new fantail called Pandora sparks jealousy in the bowl. Worried about the future when their owners&rsquo; quarrel, the duo try to put their best fin forward; but as Martin and Susan break up, is it the end for our piscine friends? 
 
As their owners move house, Anton and Liam go on a little holiday, and find themselves face-to-face with Horace the master criminal cat. They have 60 seconds to save the world, 007-style... Let loose on the mean streets of the fish tank, our be-scaled heroes find themselves in big trouble. First Liam is threatened by a piranha, then Anton finds himself at the mercy of an estate agent who really is a shark. And as Anton prepares to throw a party, Liam starts his own religion, and becomes the unwitting spiritual leader of all fishkind. 
 
Written by and starring Shaun Prendergast, this entertaining sitcom is full of underwater wit and fishy frivolity. Sean Foley and Hamish McColl star as Liam and Anton, with Sarah Parish and Tracy-Ann Oberman as Susan. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Shaun Prendergast 
Produced and directed by Sally Avens 
 
Cast 
Liam &ndash; Sean Foley 
Martin/Struan &ndash; Shaun Prendergast 
Anton &ndash; Hamish McColl 
Susan &ndash; Sarah Parish (Series 1), Tracy Ann Oberman (Series 2) 
Other parts were played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26 August&ndash;14 October 1998 (Series 1), 2 February&ndash;22 March 2000 (Series 2) 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The Goldfish Bowl: The Complete Series 1 and 2

A BBC Radio 4 Sitcom

Makoto Shinkai

Naruki Nagakawa

The uplifting Japanese bestseller 
 
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR CAT LOVERS 
 
'Compassionate and touching' DAILY MAIL 
 
'Totally beguiling' OBSERVER 
 
Perfect fans of The Travelling Cat Chronicles and Convenience Store Woman 
____________ 
 
On the outskirts of Tokyo, local cats weave their way through the lives and homes of their owners as they navigate difficult times. 
 
- A cat named Chobi sends silent messages of courage to a young woman, willing her to end a faltering relationship 
- A gifted artist fatally misunderstands her boss's enthusiasm for her paintings 
- A manga fan shuts herself away after the death of her friend, while her cat Cookie hatches a plan to persuade her outside 
- A woman who has dedicated her life to a distant husband learns a lesson in independence from her cat 
 
Against the urban backdrop of humming trains and private woes, SHE AND HER CAT explores the gentle magic of the everyday. 
 
Populated by both the friendly and the feral, it reveals - with heartstopping clarity and warmth - how even in our darkest moments, community and connection may lead us to a happier place. 
 
***Includes four fabulous illustrations*** 
 
____________ 
 
'A beautiful, uplifting novel. As mesmerizing as it is strange' SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE 
'Goes to show how cats will save us all' Nick Bradley, author of The Cat and the City 
'A gem, written with deep insight and finely attuned to the ways of cats and their humans. An absolute delight' HAZEL PRIOR author of Call of the Penguins

She and her Cat

for fans of Travelling Cat Chronicles and Convenience  Store Woman

Catherine Munro

'Uplifting and moving' BBC RADIO 2 
 
'Striking' THE TIMES 
 
'A meditation on connection between humans and animals, and the homes we make in wild places. I was completely immersed' KATHERINE MAY, author of Wintering 
 
Catherine Munro transforms her life when she moves to Shetland to study the hardy ponies who call this archipelago home. Over the course of her first year, she is welcomed into the rhythms and routines that characterise life at the edge of the world. 
 
When faced with personal loss, Catherine finds comfort and connection in the shared lives of the people, animals and wild landscapes of Shetland. Ponies at the Edge of the World is a heartfelt love letter to the beauty and resilience of these magical ponies and their native land. This is a stunning book on community, hope and finding home.

Ponies At The Edge Of The World

On nature, belonging and finding home

Malachy Tallack

Shortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Award 2022 
 
Growing up in Shetland with its myriad lochs and burns, Malachy Tallack and his brother would roam the island in search of trout, and in so doing discovered a sense of freedom, of wonder - and an abiding passion. 
 
But why is it that fishing - or the mere contemplation of catching a fish - can be so thrilling and so captivating? 
 
Why is it that time spent beside water can be imprinted so sharply in memory? 
 
Why is it that what seems a simple act - of casting a line, waiting and hoping - can leave so much room for mystery? 
 
Here award-winning author and singer-songwriter Malachy Tallack tells the story of his own infatuation with fishing, a pastime that has brought him joy (and frustration) since early childhood. And in bringing together memoir, nature writing and reflections on culture and history, he explores why angling means so much to so many. 
 
Beautifully written and hugely engaging, it is a book about attention, about nature, and that sense of wonder; it is about a way of engaging with the world, of reaching out - and feeling it reach back.

Illuminated By Water

Nature, Memory and the Delights of a Fishing Life

Tim Birkhead

In Birds and Us, award-winning writer and ornithologist Tim Birkhead takes us on an epic and dazzling journey through this mutual history with birds, from the ibises mummified and deified by Ancient Egyptians to Renaissance experiments on woodpecker anatomy, from Victorian obsessions with egg collecting to the present fight to save endangered species and restore their habitats. 
 
Weaving in stories from his own life as a scientist, including far-flung expeditions to wondrous Neolithic caves in Spain and the bustling guillemot colonies of the Faroe Islands, this rich and fascinating book is the culmination of a lifetime's research and unforgettably shows how birds shaped us, and how we have shaped them.

Birds and Us

A 12,000 Year History, from Cave Art to Conservation

Mala Kacenberg

Growing up in a Polish village on the fringes of a deep forest, Mala has a wonderful childhood. But when the German invasion reduces her loved ones to starvation, Mala takes matters into her own hands and sneaks out to find food. On her way back, she is handed a smuggled letter that reveals her family and friends have been rounded up for deportation. With only her cat, Malach for company, she must flee. 
 
Malach becomes her family, her only respite from loneliness, and a guide through unfathomable darkness. Together, they navigate forests, outwit soldiers, and, against all odds, survive.

Mala's Cat

The moving and unforgettable true story of one girl's survival during the Holocaust

James Patterson

Maggie Atwood and Becky McCabe - mother and daughter, both champion riders - vowed to never, ever, compete against one another. 
 
But a dramatic turn of events ahead of the Paris Olympics changes everything. 
 
Mother and daughter share a dream: to be the best in the world. Only one rider can fulfil that dream and make history.

The Horsewoman

Guy Gordon

The Thurso Veterinary Team

Discover the charms and challenges of working at Scotland's most northerly mainland veterinary practice. 
 
From performing farm animal caesarean sections at all hours to missing special occasions in order to treat much loved family pets in crisis, no two days in the work of vet Guy Gordon and his team are ever the same. 
 
Based in Thurso, northern Scotland, the small group of vets and their supporting staff cover a vast area of more than one thousand square miles. The expansive, wild and rural landscape in which they operate brings a huge variety of work depending on the season, with the delivery of newborn lambs and calves in the spring, and the arrival of seal pups to the northern Scottish coast starting in the autumn months. 
 
The Highland Vet shows what working in one of Britain's most beautiful and remote locations really involves. Inside, Guy and his team share the highs and lows, ups and downs and ins and outs of their daily work throughout the course of a year, making this a truly magical celebration of Scotland's northern Highlands, as well as the animals and people who call the region home.

The Highland Vet

A Year at Thurso

THE NEW BOOK FROM GRAEME HALL, THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING DOGFATHER 
 
I've been training puppies for years and I am yet to come across one who behaved perfectly at all times. With this book I really wanted to be realistic about the expectations we should have when training a puppy and demystify the process with clear, simple advice, based on science and experience. 
 
In this stress-free guide you will learn how to: 
 
· Choose the right puppy for your lifestyle, including the benefits of a rescue dog 
· Introduce them to the family, other pets and children 
· Tackle separation anxiety 
· Train your puppy, while building understanding and trust 
· Socialise them, so they grow into a happy, well-adjusted dog 
· Prevent behavioural problems later in life 
 
I love working with puppies because there is so much potential to make a lasting difference to a dog's life and to their owner's. If you can get it right (or right-ish), you are paving the way for a lifetime of reliably good behaviour. 
 
Happy training! 
Graeme Hall

Perfectly Imperfect Puppy

The ultimate life-changing programme for training a well-behaved, happy dog

Karla Neblett

CHOSEN AS BOOK OF THE MONTH BY AFRORI BOOKS 
FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 4: OPEN BOOK 
 
'It's hard not to fall for the main character . . . you can see the car crash coming, but you can't look away' CLAIRE FULLER 
 
'A brilliantly crafted story about class and race, and the failure of society to catch children who fall through the cracks' INDEPENDENT 
 
Kai lives on a rural council estate in Somerset with his three older sisters, and his mum who is being led into an addiction by his troubled father. Kai adores three things: his dad, his friend Saffie and the school rabbit Flopsy - and is full of ambition to be the fastest runner in Middledown Primary. But Kai's natural optimism and energy collide with an adult world he doesn't understand. And when his life drifts towards an event that will change everything, will his love of nature and the wild rabbits in the woods provide him with the resilience he needs to overcome the odds? 
 
'A heartfelt novel about poverty, race and trauma' GUARDIAN 
 
'A brilliant debut; vivid and compelling' JENNI FAGAN

King of Rabbits

John Gray

'When I play with my cat, how do I know she is not passing time with me rather than I with her?' Montaigne 
 
There is no real evidence that humans ever 'domesticated' cats. Rather it seems that at some point cats saw the potential value to themselves of humans. John Gray's wonderful new book is an attempt to get to grips with the philosophical and moral issues around the uniquely strange relationship between ourselves and these remarkable animals. 
 
Feline Philosophy draws on Gray's own wide reading to give fascinating examples of the complex and intimate links that have defined how we react to and behave with this most unlikely 'pet'. 
 
At the heart of the book is a sense of gratitude towards cats as perhaps the species that more than any other - in the essential loneliness of our position in the the world - gives us a sense of our own animal nature.

Feline Philosophy

Cats and the Meaning of Life

Kate Spicer

The Sunday Times top ten bestseller 
 
'Lost Dog is already one of my books of the year. Spicer writes like a dream...You will love it.' India Knight, Sunday Times 
 
'Sharply observed and deeply funny, it's one of the best, most enjoyable books of 2019 so far' British Vogue 
 
What did Fleabag do next? 
 
One morning, you wake up and wonder what has happened to your life. Then you realise: you happened to yourself. 
 
Kate is a middle aged woman trying to steer some order into a life that is going off the rails. When she adopts a lurcher called Wolfy, the shabby rescue dog saves her from herself. But when the dog disappears, it is up to Kate to hit the streets of London and find him. Will she save him, as he has saved her - or will she lose everything? 
 
As she trudges endlessly calling his name in the hopeless hope she may find him, she runs into other people’s landscapes and lives, finding allies amongst psychics, bloggers and mysterious midnight joggers. Trying to find her dog tests her relationship, and her sanity, to its limits – and gets her thinking about her life, and why things have turned out as they have for her. A brilliant, life-affirming memoir, Lost Dog is a book like no other about the myth of modern womanhood.

Lost Dog

A Love Story

Colin Butcher

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Molly and Me, written and read by Colin Butcher. 
 
Ex-policeman Colin Butcher had just set up his own pet detective agency. It was running smoothly but he realized he needed a partner. And that's when inspiration struck... 
 
Enter Molly, an unloved and unwanted cocker spaniel rescued from a classifieds website. Clever and charismatic, she melts Colin's heart, the two are soon inseparable. 
 
With Colin by her side, Molly cracks cases and solve crimes across the country, using her exceptional sense of smell to locate missing pets and reunite them with their grateful owners. From the search for Pablo the ginger tom who's kidnapped from a sleepy Devonian village, to unearthing a treasure trove of stolen jewels in a north London wood, Colin and Molly's work takes them around the country, with plenty of new friends and eccentric encounters along the way. 
 
By turns charming, moving, and thrilling, Molly and Me is the story of a rescue cocker spaniel with a troubled past who - thanks to the love and devotion of her owner - finds a new life, a new purpose and a forever friend.

Molly and Me

An extraordinary tale of second chances and how a dog and her owner became the ultimate pet-detective duo

Adam Henson

There is nothing quite like the relationship between a farmer and his dog. 
 
‘For me, the bond I have with Peg, my border collie sheepdog is priceless. I know how very lucky I, and thousands of other shepherds and farmers, are to have these extraordinarily bright, enthusiastic dogs at our side.’ 
 
In A Farmer and His Dog, Adam Henson explores the unique relationship between a farmer and his most loyal friend. Sheepdogs come in a variety of shapes and sizes from border collies to Australian kelpies (rumoured to be a distant relative of the dingo). Not only are they essential to the running of a farm, but they are also fiercely intelligent and exceptionally devoted companions, having evolved over millennia to make the make the work of a shepherd possible. 
 
But it is not just the farmer working the land who benefits from the extraordinary relationship between man and dog. Beginning by introducing us to the dogs who have been faithful companions to the Henson family over the years, Adam goes on to explore the impact made by the UK’s hardest working breeds. From traditional herding dogs and gundogs – such as the Labrador’s he grew up with and the Hungarian wire-haired Vizslas like Boo and Olive who live with him now – to the assistance dogs, sniffer dogs and even search and rescue dogs, whose stories have reinforced Adam’s belief that we humans owe an enormous debt to our wet-nosed, four-legged friends.

A Farmer and His Dog

John Lewis-Stempel

The perfect gift for nature lovers - The Book of the Owl is a beautifully illustrated small format hardback exploring the legend and history of the owl. A true celebration of this magnificent creature - its natural powers and its mythical glory. Fans of Stephen Moss and Fiona Stafford will not be disappointed. 
 
'In this short, beautiful little book, the farmer and nature writer introduces us to the wisdom of owls.. every question you might ask ... is answered with economy and insight and the cultural references and quotations are as rich as you would expect from this brilliant writer.' -- Daily Mail 
 
'John Lewis-Stempel is one of the best nature writers of his generation' -- Country Life 
 
'One of our finest nature writers with an essay length portrait of a bird that has fascinated humans for millennia.' -- Mail on Sunday 
 
'An absolute pleasure to read' -- ***** Reader review 
'Hypnotic reading' -- ***** Reader review 
'Absolutely fascinating' -- ***** Reader review 
'Hard to put down once opened, it is finished all too quickly' -- ***** Reader review 
******************************************************************************* 
 'Dusk is filling the valley. It is the time of the gloaming, the owl-light. 
 Out in the wood, the resident tawny has started calling, Hoo-hoo-hoo-h-o-o-o.' 
 
 There is something about owls. They feature in every major culture from the Stone Age onwards. They are creatures of the night, and thus of magic. They are the birds of ill-tidings, the avian messengers from the Other Side. 
But owls - with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions - are also reassuringly familiar. We see them as wise, like Athena's owl, and loyal, like Harry Potter's Hedwig. Human-like, in other words. 
 
 No other species has so captivated us.

The Secret Life of the Owl

a beautifully illustrated and lyrical celebration of this mythical creature from bestselling and prize-winning author John Lewis-Stempel

The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that. But in this world, there are two moons in the sky. Discover the 1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami.

1Q84

365 Days of Art

A BBC Christmas

A Black Book Thriller

A Box Full of Murders

A Cal Leandros Novel

A Christmas Mystery

The intelligent and capable police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice.

A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

A DC Smith / Kings Lake Investigation Series

A Daisy Story

Chronicling the lives of over three hundred characters, unrivalled for its scope and humour, this is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

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