Margaret Forster takes us on a journey through the houses she's lived in: from the council house in Carlisle where she was born in 1938, to her beloved London house of today - via the Lake District, Oxford, Hampstead, and a spell in the Mediterranean. This is not a book about bricks and mortar, but a book about what houses are to us, and the effect they have on the way we live our lives. It takes a backwards glance at the changing nature of our accommodation:...

Intimate, honest and touching, this is the story of Deborah Rodriguez's often hilarious journey of self-discovery. Forced to flee her life in Afghanistan, she leaves behind her friends, her possessions and her two beloved businesses: a hair salon and a coffee shop. But life proves no easier 'back home'. After a year living in California where she teeters on the edge of sanity, Deborah makes a decision: she's going to get the old Deb back. So, at the...

In this deeply personal collection of true stories and essays Tim Winton shows how moments from his childhood and life growing up have shaped his views on class, faith, fundamentalism, the environment, and - most pressingly - how all his experiences have made him a writer. From unexpected links between car crashes and faith, surfing and writing, to the story of his upbringing in the changing Australian landscape, 'The Boy Behind the Curtain' is an...

In 2010, Television presenter Kate Humble learned that a nearby farm in the Wye Valley where she has lived for four years was set to be sold off, broken up into lots to maximise its value. Another small farm lost; another opportunity for a young farmless farmer gone. Kate contacted the council with an alternative plan; to keep the farm a working farm. After six months of plans and endless meetings, Kate and her Husband, Ludo, finally convinced the...

Max and Vicky Hardcastle have a daydream. One day, they'll sell their cramped city-centre antiques shop and the overflowing upstairs flat and relocate to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. When a smallholding in a remote Dales village comes on the market, it seems like the answer to their prayers.

'My Garden World' is a celebration of every living creature that we all share. We have recently had the enforced opportunity to learn more about the fascinating natural world around us. Whether you live in the countryside or the town, Monty's observations and insights are relevant to each and every one of us.

'Halcyon River Diaries' was commissioned following the phenomenally successful and award-winning 'My Halcyon River' an intimate portrait of a secret world along a river in Britain, where otters hunt on the midnight current, mink lie in wait to ambush unwary victims and gleaming kingfishers pierce the water to spear their prey.

In 'A Buzz in the Meadow' Goulson tells the story of how he bought a derelict farm in the heart of rural France, together with 33 acres of surrounding meadow and how, over a decade, he has created a place for his beloved bumblebees to thrive. But other creatures live there too, a myriad insects of every kind, many of them ones that Goulson has studied before in his career as a biologist. You will learn about how a deathwatch beetle finds its mate,...

When Jennifer moves alone into the Honey Factory on a tiny Greek island, bringing a laptop, her hiking boots and plans for a peaceful life, she has no idea what surprises are in store. Dive into this exquisite, honest and deeply moving tale and taste the sweetness of living life to the full on a small island.

This is the chronicle of the life of Gavin Maxwell and the domesticated otters that inhabited a landscape on the west coast of Scotland. 'Ring of Bright Water' and the remaining two parts of the story are included here.