Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, John-Calum Macleod takes the ferry home to the island of Harris to find that not much has changed except for him. In the windswept croft where he grew up, Cal resumes his old life, caught between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, weaver, and pillar of their local Presbyterian church, and his Glaswegian grandmother Ella, who has kept a faltering peace with her son-in-law for decades. While Cal wonders if any lonely men might be found on the barren hillsides of home, John is dismayed by his son's long hair and how he seems unwilling to be Saved. As the seasons pass, everything is poised to change as the threads holding together the fragile community become increasingly entangled. Douglas Stuart was born and raised in Glasgow. After graduating from the Royal College of Art, he moved to New York, where he began a career in fashion design. _Shuggie Bain_, his first novel, won the Booker Prize and both 'Debut of the Year' and 'Book of the Year' at the British Book Awards. It was also shortlisted for the US National Book Award for Fiction, among many other awards. His second novel, _Young Mungo, wa_s a number one _Sunday Times_ Bestseller. His short stories have appeared in _The_ _New Yorker_ and his essay on gender, anxiety and class was published by Lit Hub.

A new history of painting as told through the eyes and hands-on insights of a practising artist. The first question that Lachlan Goudie asks himself when he sees a work of art is not 'why' it was created but 'how'. For this book he poses that question of artworks created by the earliest humans to artists today, focusing on the technical inventions and turning points that at each stage have marked a new chapter in the history of art. Goudie knows from experience that masterpieces don't emerge serenely from an artist's studio. They are the result of a long tussle between dirty hands and crushed pigment, hog's-hair brushes and linseed oil, rabbit-skin glue and pulverized chalk. Great paintings are always the product of a struggle involving artists and their materials, one that pushes the practitioner to the very limits of technical ability. The secrets of painting lie above all in the physical elements from which an image is crafted. The nature of these elements has changed over time and across continents. And as each generation of painters exploits the new material and technical innovations of their era, they transform the character of their work and help propel the course of art history. Goudie traces this story all the way back to the original 'big bang' in the story of art: the very first painting pigments, made from charcoal and minerals, that were used to paint extraordinary art on the walls of the caves at Chauvet 36,000 years ago. He goes on to explore the impact of numerous new inventions and discoveries over the centuries, including ink, fresco, egg tempera, oil paint, canvas, watercolour, gouache, impasto, tubes of manufactured oil paint, collage, household gloss, acrylic, digital media and AI. Each chapter focuses on a technical turning point as embodied in the work of particular artist, including Giotto, Artemisia Gentileschi, Alma Thomas, Anselm Kiefer, David Hockney and many more. LACHLAN GOUDIE is a Scottish painter and arts broadcaster. He has presented many BBC TV programmes including 'Mackintosh: Glasgow's Neglected Genius', 'Painting the Holy Land' and 'The Story of Scottish Art'. He is the author of _The Story of Scottish Art_, published by Thames & Hudson in 2022.

A captivating authorised biography of the legendary writer Jan Morris. _She was the twentieth century. Who wouldn't want to write her biography?_ When Jan Morris joined the 1953 Everest expedition and was first to get news of the ascent back to London, she became the most famous journalist in the world. So began a glittering career covering the Eichmann trial, interviewing Che Guevara and scooping the story of Suez collusion. Morris transitioned in the early seventies and documented the experience in _Conundrum_. She was a pioneer and her books, including _Venice_ and the _Pax Britannica_ trilogy, have inspired readers across the globe. Here, renowned travel writer and biographer Sara Wheeler uncovers the complexity of this twentieth-century icon to reveal a mosaic of contradictions. Morris's work conjured the spirit of place, yet her late masterpiece _Trieste_ celebrates 'the meaning of nowhere'; she was a Welsh nationalist who wasn't Welsh; a preacher of kindness with a cruel side. This is a portrait of an astonishing life, and a scintillating story of longing, travel and never reaching home. SARA WHEELER is an award-winning and internationally bestselling travel writer and biographer, and a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio; like Jan Morris, she has spent half her working life on the road. Her eleven books include _Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica_ and _Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard_. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a contributing editor of the _Literary Review._

From the _Sunday Times_ bestselling author of _Islands of Abandonment_, comes a new book about our relationship to the natural world. This book takes us into the wild - deep into dark forests, to the top of mountains and into the heart of deserts. It addresses our deep yearnings to be awed and inspired by landscapes that remain beyond our reach and examines what nature gets up to in the absence of humans. In 10 chapters, each loosely structured around a visit to some of the world's wildest and most invigorating landscapes, the book asks provocative questions about the nature of wilderness and how wild places might best be appreciated or preserved. These locations have been chosen for their physical beauty, their perceived isolation, and the moral or emotional complexity of the human stories that can be found there. In this search for wilderness, we will meet ascetics in search of theophany in the desert; lonely shepherds seeing off wolves under the stars; missionaries preaching from shacks deep in the jungle; wise lamas meditating under lofty mountain peaks. CAL FLYN is an award-winning writer from the Highlands of Scotland. She writes creative nonfiction, literary criticism, and long-form journalism. Her first book, _Thicker Than Water_, about frontier violence in colonial Australia, was a _Times_ book of the year. Her second book, _Islands of Abandonment_ - about the ecology and psychology of abandoned places - has been shortlisted for numerous literary awards including the Wainwright Prize, the British Academy Book Prize, the Ondaatje Prize, and the Baillie Gifford Prize for nonfiction. Cal's journalistic writing has been published in Granta, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Times, The Economist, and others. Cal was previously writer-in-residence at Gladstone's Library and at the Jan Michalski Foundation in Switzerland. She was made a MacDowell fellow in 2019, and in 2022 was announced the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year.

Ian Bradley has been fascinated by spas since regularly taking the waters at Tunbridge Wells as a boy. He has visited, written and broadcast about spas across Europe and sampled the cures that they offer for over forty years. This book distils his accumulated experiences, research and reflections while also presenting an up-to-date picture of the atmosphere of what, for him, are the most enchanting, and enchanted spas today. The book blends personal reminiscences with a historical overview, amusing anecdotes, factual information and useful tips for visitors. It describes the experience of taking the waters and relishing the atmosphere at thirteen continental spas, seven of which have recently been given UNESCO World Heritage status as 'The Great Spas of Europe'. The result is a fascinating, amusing, and informative survey of these last enchanted places which are being increasingly visited by tourists for their cultural and historic connections as much as their therapeutic benefits. IAN BRADLEY is a writer, broadcaster and academic. He has written for _The Times_ and written and presented several programmes on spas for BBC radio. He is currently emeritus professor of cultural and spiritual history at St Andrews University. He is the author of many books in the areas of cultural, political and religious history and music, which have been translated into several languages.

_This is the intimate story of a Scottish glen and its inhabitants, of whom i am one._ From the powerful rivers that bring life and prosperity; to the Pictish cairns, undisturbed for centuries; to the meadows of bluebells, where deer emerge, God-like, in a flash, Kapka Kassabova reveals a world that has been abused, but remains achingly beautiful and alive. In the Highlands, centuries-old connections between the land, nature and people have been, and continue to be, shaken by the forces of colonialism, industry, depopulation, and private property speculation. _Borrowed Land_ tells the stories of those who are working against this disconnect: the last true Highlanders fighting to preserve their home. An extraordinary portrait of the Scottish Highlands, this is an epic and urgent story of destruction and renewal, told through encounters with some of the last true Highlanders. KAPKA KASSABOVA is a prizewinning writer of narrative non-fiction. Her recent Balkan quartet includes _Anima_ (2024), _Elixir_ (2023), _To the Lake_ (2020) and _Border_ (2017). Her awards include a British Academy prize, Scottish Book of the Year, Stanford-Dolman Travel Book of the Year, the Highland Book Prize, Prix Nicolas-Bouvier, Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger, and Premio Mazzotti. Kassabova grew up in Sofia, Bulgaria, and migrated to New Zealand before settling in Scotland twenty years ago. She lives by a Highland river.

_This event will now be taking place at Saint Andrews Episcopal Church_ DI Clare Mackay is looking for danger in the wrong places. A body is hauled out of St Andrews harbour. This was no accident – DI Clare Mackay and her team have a murder investigation on their hands. Superintendent Penny Meakin is more focused on a break in at the salubrious home of local property developers. Many residents of the town oppose their plans for a new housing estate, and Penny insists that this controversy was a motive for the crime. Clare sees no evidence of this, but what is she overlooking? When another death occurs and links are found to the first victim, the intensity on all sides ramps up. Stretched to the absolute limit, how much strain can Clare’s officers take before something breaks, never to be repaired… A native of Dundee, MARION TODD studied music and worked for many years as a piano teacher and jobbing accompanist. Now a full-time writer, Marion lives in North-east Fife, overlooking the River Tay. She is the author of the bestselling DI Clare Mackay series, which has sold over half a million copies.

'BRIGHT, BEAUTIFUL AND ACHIEVABLE' - Mary Berry Tips, tricks and everything you could possibly wish to know about planning, growing and arranging your own cutting garden from the queen of cut flowers, Sarah Raven. Sarah shares the secrets she has evolved over decades at Perch Hill to keep cut flower production nearly constant, from the start of the growing year to the end. With her unparalleled expertise up your sleeve, you'll have a house full of flowers conditioned to last well in a vase, and an abundant garden always brimming with colour. With plenty of cut-flower inspiration and practical advice such as: - How to choose high, medium and low productive cut-and-come-again plants so you can enjoy bountiful vases of home-grown blooms. - Which plants should form the backbone of any cutting patch or garden, large or small. - Plant rotation, with a selection of plant groups coming in and out of the same patch of soil. - A year-round plan to achieve efficient cut flower production and ensure highest possible production from minimal space. - How to condition and arrange your cut flowers for maximum impact and longevity. '_I am passionate about growing cut flowers - it's been my main gardening obsession for over 30 years. It's an ever-filling cup, gardening for the optimist, the greedy flower lover, who wants to fill their house with colour, scent and abundance without shopping. That's me and I hope many of you and what this book is about, the things we can all pick month by month, what one should think of sowing and growing at that moment, and how I love to arrange what's been picked. I'll take your though the year and show you everything I've learnt about growing cut flowers over three decades, but most of all why having home-grown cut flowers in one's house is an easy life transformer_.' Since the publication of her first book _The Cutting Garden_ SARAH RAVEN has led the way over the last three decades in introducing a new kind of productive gardening which fuses intense colour, elegance and do-ability, bridging all kinds of gardening from dark rich dahlia glories to subtler smoky modern colours of poppies, roses, sweet peas, and all kinds of vegetable deliciousness. She is a teacher, broadcaster, has a popular gardening podcast _Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange_ with colleague Arthur Parkinson and runs a mail order plant nursery and online store. She is the author of many books, most recently _A Year Full of Flowers_ which was a Sunday Times bestseller.

The actors have been cast, the script written, and filming has already started in Hastings. But when Hawthorne and Anthony visit the set, they find a far from happy family. The director’s pretentious, the screenwriter’s an eco-warrior, the two stars hate each other, and the producer has run out of money. And things are about to get much, much worse. In the middle of shooting, the actor playing Hawthorne is stabbed – which leaves the real Hawthorne with no choice. He has to step in and investigate his own murder. Because the killer may not have got the right man. Was it Hawthorne himself who was meant to be the target? _A DEADLY EPISODE_ IS A WILD RIDE THROUGH A WORLD THAT THE AUTHOR KNOWS ONLY TOO WELL, AND THE MOST PERSONAL CASE HAWTHORNE HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH SO FAR.

The 1860 Expedition of the Thousand, in which a group of volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto, near Genoa, landing on the west coast of Sicily and advancing to its capital Palermo in a bid to liberate the island from Bourbon rule, is perhaps the defining moment of the unification of Italy, and a testament to the bravery, resilience and vision of the country's last condottiere. Drawing on a wealth of contemporary diaries and other first-hand accounts by the protagonists of the events, and interspersing them with his own penetrating remarks, best-selling author Tim Parks retraces the journey of the "Mille" through the ragged landscape of Sicily under the blazing summer heat, bringing back to life an entire world in all its intricate complexity. Along the way he revisits old controversies and provides answers to many unresolved questions - as well as offering a vivid commentary on the Italy of today. TIM PARKS is the author of twenty novels, including _Europa_ (shortlisted for the Booker prize), _Destiny_, _Cleaver_,_ In Extremis_ and, most recently, _Mr Geography_, all of which have been translated into many languages. As well as being a novelist and the author of several works of non-fiction, Tim is the acclaimed translator of books by Moravia, Calvino, Machiavelli and other Italian writers. He is a regular contributor to the TLS, the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books.

_Levantine_: A collection of recipes inspired by the vibrant and diverse culture of the Levant, the region of the Middle East that stretches along the shores of the eastern Mediterranean. Small plates to relish (relish being the original meaning of the Persian word maza from which the term mezze derives) include popular dips, salads and small bites - hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh and falafel - as well as less familiar recipes to discover. Freshly grilled fish and seafood, served with yogurt dips flavoured with spicy harissa paste, or a simple coupling of mint and cucumber, are just the start of an ocean odyssey of tastes. For carnivores, chicken dishes are enhanced by all manner of spicy marinades, such as Paprika and Lemon-Infused Taouk; or how about Grilled Skewers of Beef with a Tahini-Based Tarator Sauce; or one of the greats of Levantine feasting, a Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder steeped in spices and served with a Pomegranate, Yogurt and Pistachio Sauce. You'll want to return to these deliciously fresh and exciting dishes time and again. _Seafood Journey: _ Scotland has some of the best seafood in the world, so we why don't we eat more of it? Why don't we highlight the bounty of our seas and the people who fish, produce, sell, preserve and cook it? Ghillie embarks on a journey around Scotland's coastline and over to the islands to capture the essence of our nation's seafood through the stories of fisherman, farmers, artisan smokers and curers, boat builders and net makers, creels and shacks, skin tanners and age-old traditions. In addition, she offers 90 original recipes showcasing the wonderful produce she encounters on her journeys to all parts of the country. _Food Whisky Life:_ The Heart of Highland Hospitality GHILLIE BASAN has worked all over the world as a cookery writer, journalist and broadcaster. She is Cordon Bleu trained and has written over 50 books on different culinary cultures, including the bestselling _Flavours of Morocco, Mezze and Tagines_ & _Couscous_ for Ryland Peters & Small. She lives in the Scottish highlands, where she runs unique food and whisky experiences.

'A tender and nuanced novel exploring love, obsession, alienation, work and language with an immense sense of interiority. Polly Barton is capable of capturing fleeting, seemingly unremarkable feelings with perfect precision that cuts through to the reader's very core - it made me stop and gasp several times as I recalled feeling exactly this way. It speaks to how we yearn to connect but often fail to truly see each other, and to the fundamental, gargantuan power of a crush.' - Anastasiia Fedorova, author of _Second Skin_ POLLY BARTON is a writer and Japanese literary translator. Her translations include _Butter_ by Asako Yuzuki, _Hunchback_ by Saou Ichikawa, _Where the Wild Ladies Are_ by Aoko Matsuda, and _There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job_ by Kikuko Tsumura. She has published two works of non-fiction, _Fifty Sounds_, for which she won the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize, and _Porn: An Oral History_. _What Am I, A Deer?_ is her debut novel.

'An absolute riot . . . totally compulsive.' _observer_ From the bestselling author of _capital_ comes this blackly funny page-turner _What if the year's most talked about TV show was all about your marriage?_ Kate, thirty years into her marriage, has a seemingly idyllic metropolitan, North London life. Phoebe, a young screenwriter, is the creator of the year's hit TV show, _Cheating_. When Kate's world takes a darker turn, she thinks she sees details and intimacies in the show that only she and her husband Jack could possibly have known. But who has betrayed who? Who gets to tell whose story? A black comedy of resentment and entitlement, _Look What You Made Me Do_ is the story of two very different women from two very different generations, heading toward a battle only one of them can win. JOHN LANCHESTER was born in Hamburg, grew up in Hong Kong and lives in London. He has written six works of fiction and four of non-fiction. His books have won the Hawthornden Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award, the E. M. Forster Award and the Premi Llibreter, been longlisted for the Booker Prize and translated into twenty-five languages. The television mini-series of his novel _Capital_ won an Emmy Award. He is a contributing editor to the _London Review of Books_ and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

In _JapanEasy Kitchen,_ Tim Anderson shares delightfully easy recipes, centred on a selection of go-to Japanese ingredients: Using these widely available items, you'll learn to make mains, sides, sweets, and drinks. From Watermelon and Avocado Sunomono and Wafu Rarebit, to Baked Crabby Udon and Treacle Tamari Ribs, as well as Hon-Mirin Mont Blanc and the Maple Mugicha Highball, all of these recipes demonstrate that Japanese staples have the power to utterly transform your food. Whether you are seeking inspiration to use the Japanese ingredients that you already have, or just in need of some new, delicious recipes, _JapanEasy_ Kitchen is the perfect book to turn to. TIM ANDERSON is a chef, writer and MasterChef champion. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Tim has been studying Japanese food culture for more than two decades. He has previously published nine cookbooks, including the JapanEasy series, Hokkaido, and the award-winning Tokyo Stories.

First there was _The Ghost Cat_, then there was _The Library Cat_, now Alex Howard joins us to celebrate the wonderfully heart-warming, _The Ship's Cat_. It is an epic of Homeric proportions that will leave the reader with a smile on their face. _From the bestselling author of The Ghost Cat comes an epic new adventure for feline fans. The Ship's Cat is the Odyssey with cats - a heroic yet feel-good tale of unlikely friendship on the high seas._ _When street-savvy London stray Archie accidentally stows away on a flight to Turkey, he's just looking for shelter. But after stumbling onto a fishing boat in a quiet cove, Archie discovers he's no ordinary feline - for with his polydactyl paws, he brings uncanny good fortune to vessels at sea._ _From the sun-drenched harbours of the Mediterranean to the bustling decks of ocean racers, Archie becomes a legend among sailors. Yet beneath the viral fame and whispered tales of 'the magical ship's cat', Archie yearns for something deeper: a forever-human who will love him not as a talisman, but as a companion._ _It may be luck that drives Archie on this great Odyssey around the world, but love will be what calls him home - not to some place, perhaps, but to someone._ _Heartwarming, adventurous and quietly profound, The Ship's Cat is a tale of resilience, belonging, unexpected friendship and the mysterious ways love finds us._ Alex Howard is an author, editor and theatre professional from Edinburgh. A doctoral graduate of English literature, Alex wrote his first book Library Cat (Black & White Publishing) while completing his PhD. It won the People's Book Prize in 2017, and has been translated into French, Korean and Italian. He also writes poetry, which has been published in New Writing Scotland, Gutter and The London Magazine, among others, and his academic book Larkin's Travelling Spirit was published in 2021 by Palgrave McMillan. Alex works at Capital Theatres as a creative engagement coordinator and editor while renovating his Edinburgh tenement flat at weekends, with his cat Tabitha, son Sasha and wife, Ellie.

Although the Second World War was still a long way from being won, even by early 1941, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was already planning for peace. America's entry of the war may still have been almost a year away, but he could already see the new world order that needed to emerge from the smouldering ashes of Europe. The business of war was very quickly going to have to become the business of peace. Three years later, under the guidance of his successor, President Harry S. Truman, the Marshall Plan would emerge, a forward-thinking combination of global philanthropy and canny self-interest, rooted in a profound sense of Christian and moral duty, and which kickstarted unprecedented European growth and a chance for the world as a whole to rebuild after the ruinous catastrophe of war. From the world on the eve of war in 1914 through to the Versailles Treaty and the global financial catastrophe of the late 1920s and early thirties, and the political earthquakes that followed, The Visionaries takes a broad sweep of history with important lessons for today. It's a reminder that while history does not repeat itself, patterns of human behaviour certainly do. James Holland's knowledge of the Second World War and its aftermath gives him unique insight into the far-reaching consequences of the financial policies of Roosevelt and Truman. The sustained period of economic stability they initiated delivered peace to the western democracies for over eighty years and stand in stark contrast to our transactional approach to the world today. JAMES HOLLAND is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories including most recently _The Savage Storm_ and _Cassino '44,_ he is also the author of ten works of fiction and a dozen Ladybird Experts. He is the co-founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival which is now in its twelfth year, and he has presented - and written - many television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and the History and Discovery channels.

An epic story of love and war as two opposing deities find themselves drawn to each other against all odds. Because when Aphrodite and Ares fall in love, sparks are bound to fly. This is the oldest love story of all time... Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, wields unparalleled power over every divine and mortal heart. Though her world is one of beauty, she is the most dangerous god of all, ruled by passion regardless of the consequences. Ares, God of War, is her perfect contradiction: feared, unwanted and relentless in his devotion to chaos. Where she breathes life into longing, he thrives in destruction. And yet gods are no more immune to love and loss than anyone else, and soon their lives collide. But even divine love can't protect them from the fates of Mount Olympus, and whilst the God of War may be capable of greater love than anyone else, so may the Goddess of Love be capable of the gravest mistakes._._ JENNIFER SAINT grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the untold stories hidden within the myths. After thirteen years as a high school English teacher, she wrote _Ariadne_, which was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year in 2021 and was a Waterstones Book of the Month, as well as being a _Sunday Times_ bestseller. Jennifer Saint is now a full-time author, living in Yorkshire, England, with her family. All of her novels have been _Sunday Times_ bestsellers, with _Elektra_ and _Atalanta_ hitting the coveted number one slot.

Featuring real historical events and places amid its fiction, _The Jewel Keepers_ is an immersive, evocative story tinged with romance and brimming with intrigue. Men would kill for this treasure. The mckenzie women will guard it with their lives. LONDON, 1837. When 25-year-old Araminta McKenzie-Moore is summoned from Richmond to her great aunt's deathbed in Edinburgh, it's the first time she's met her extended family. The McKenzie women, however, have been keeping a close eye on her. For they have a long, secret and dangerous history as Jewel Keepers to the Scottish Crown and they need Araminta to play her part to solve a puzzle which stretches back generations. But the McKenzies are not alone in this high-stakes treasure hunt though history. They're being pursued. The last of her line, if Araminta succeeds, she will uncover something more valuable than mere jewels - a secret that will change the lives of all women living on this, the cusp of the Queen Victoria's rule. SARA SHERIDAN has written more than 20 books including novels, non-fiction, TV tie ins, and ghost writing. Her work has been the First Minister's Summer Pick at the David Hume Institute, shortlisted for the Saltire Prize, the Wilbur Smith Prize and the CWA Dagger in the Library, and she has also won a Scottish Libraries Award. Her novel _The Fair Botanists_ featured in series seven of the Queen's Reading Room. Sara has also written two plays for BBC Radio 4 and has reported from both Tallinn and Sharjah for Radio 4's Our Own Correspondent.

A new title in the british museum's _Object in Focus_ series that tells the remarkable story of an enamelled gold necklace pendant associated with Henry viii and his first wife Katherine of Aragon. This book tells the remarkable story of a spectacular chance find of a pendant associated with Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon, as well as Mary, their only surviving child. Known as the Tudor Heart, the object comprises a heart-shaped pendant with enamelled motifs, suspended from a chain by an enamelled clasp. Over 3 metres of gold wire have been used to make the chain, the oldest known example of its type to survive, and together the pendant, chain and clasp weigh over 0.3 kilograms and are largely 24 carat gold. The pendant and chain have been dated to the last years of the 1510s based on the motifs used and archival evidence. This book argues that the object is an important witness to Henry's ambitions in the early years of his long reign, marking his first and longest marriage to a princess of higher birth, commemorating his daughter's betrothal to the infant son of the king of France, and showing the magnificence of Henry's court before the arrival of Hans Holbein the Younger changed its expression completely. Readers will learn about a masterfully crafted work using the most luxurious of materials, as well as its place as important historical evidence for pivotal years in English history. This publication explores the sensational finding of the artefact, but its central aim is to establish the details of object's making, its broader historical context and to tell its own extraordinary story. RACHEL KING is Curator of Renaissance Europe and the Waddesdon Bequest at the British Museum. Previous publications include _Amber: From Antiquity to Eternity_ _(Reaktion, 2022)._

Reporter Jack Parlabane thrives on chasing stories in unlikely places, and where could be less likely than a fan convention on a cruise liner celebrating a contentious Sixties TV series? But unlike the media family exploiting their show's renewed relevance, he's not there to stoke controversy: he's there to solve a murder. Already in deep water with his employer, Jack desperately needs a win, and solving this decades-old mystery could be it. Problem is, he's in the middle of the Atlantic, and someone onboard has already killed once to keep their secret. And that's not even the tricky part. No, the tricky part is definitely the dead body locked in a stateroom with him, covered in his blood. Now Jack has to solve _two_ murders, otherwise the only way he's getting off this ship is in handcuffs - or in a body bag. Chris Brookmyre was a journalist before becoming a full-time novelist with the publication of his award-winning debut _Quite Ugly One Morning_, which established him as one of Britain's leading crime writers. His 2016 novel _Black Widow_ won both the McIlvanney Prize and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award. Brookmyre's novels have sold more than two million copies in the UK alone.

Lamorna Ash was raised with about as much Christianity as most people in Britain these days: a basic knowledge of hymns and prayers received via a Church of England primary school education; occasional brushes with religious services. But once she started writing about her two friends’ unexpected conversions, she began encountering a recurring phenomenon: in an age of disconnection and apathy, a new generation was discovering religion for itself. In _Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever_, Ash embarks on a journey across Britain to meet those wrestling with Christianity today. Through interviews and her own deeply personal journey with religion, and from Evangelical youth festivals to Quaker meetings, a silent Jesuit retreat along the Welsh coastline to a monastic community in the Inner Hebrides, she investigates what is driving Gen Z today to embrace Christianity. Written with lyrical beauty and sensitivity, this is a reminder of our universal need for nourishment of the soul. LAMORNA ASH is a writer and freelance journalist based in London. Her first book, _Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town_, was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, won a Somerset Maugham Award and was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize.

For our third book of 2026 we will read Leonardo Sciascia's _Sicilian Uncles_, originally published in 1958 from a towering figure in 20th century literature a politics. A perfect book for our age of generalized corruption and the fight for a better society. _You're very welcome to join us in the first Book and a Bite of the New Year. We will meet monthly, and there is no commitment beyond whichever meeting you decide to attend._ The expression ‘Sicilian uncle’ has the same sense in Italian as ‘Dutch uncle’ does in English, but with sinister overtones of betrayal and inconstancy. The four novellas in Sicilian Uncles, originally published in 1958, are political thrillers of a kind - the first fruits of Sciascia’s maturity. In these stories, illusions about ideology and history are lost in mirth, suffering and abandoned innocence. Each novella has its historical moment: the Allied invasion of Sicily, the Spanish Civil War, the death of Stalin, the ‘events’ of 1848. These occasions and their consequences are registered in the lives of Sciascia’s wonderfully drawn characters. Each has voice, wit and a private history which opens out onto the wider circumstances of his time.

The way we produce food today is damaging people and nature alike. Modern, intensive farming systems producing pesticide-laced, ultra-processed foods are bad for us and bad for the planet. But there is cause for hope. From supporting more sustainable farming systems and modifying what we eat to wasting less and growing more ourselves, Dave Goulson shows that change is possible and individual choices do matter - even while governments fail to act. Packed with surprising insights and practical guidance, _Eat the Planet Well_ cuts through the information overload to help us navigate the tricky decisions we face every day, and offers an optimistic vision for a healthier future. DAVE GOULSON is Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex. He has published more than 300 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects. His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers The Garden Jungle and A Sting in the Tale, which was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize and has been translated into fifteen languages. He is an Ambassador for the UK Wildlife Trusts, the National Allotment Society and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Based on the menu Itamar and Sarit serve at their cafe in Store Street, London, it's the kind of relaxed, informal food we all want to eat every day - chapters include effortless recipes with Eggs, fragrant Soups, tasty ideas for In or On Bread, nourishing Salads, simple, wholesome dinner ideas in Daily Nightly, quick and easy Cookies and Cakes and even some 'serve me in a glass' speedy Cocktails and Desserts. From a summery Courgette & Broad Bean Shakshuka and a Crispy Za'atar Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich to Spicy Sausage, Tomato, Pepper & Goat's Cheese Dirty Rice and Ginger & Chocolate Cookies - this is wholesome, seasonal food that will lift your spirits and improve your day. ITAMAR SRULOVICH and SARIT PACKER opened their first Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant, Honey & Co. in 2012. They have since added a deli, Honey & Spice, a grill house, Honey & Smoke, and now Honey & Co. Daily, a deli, bakery and cafe. They have an events space Honey & Co. Studio and host a podcast Honey & Co: The Food Sessions, interviewing influential guests from the food and drink industry. They have a recipe column in the _FT Weekend_ magazine. Their first cookbook _Honey & Co The Cookbook_ (2015) was named Cookbook of the Year by _The Sunday Times_, and was the Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards Cookery Book of the Year, and won the The Guild of Food Writer's Award Winner for Best First Book.

Weimar looms large in German history: a crucible of democracy and dictatorship. This ancient town nestled in the heart of the country was home to some of Europe's greatest thinkers, Goethe and Schiller, Liszt and Nietzsche among them. It gave its name to the ambitious Weimar Republic crafted in the aftermath of the First World War. But it was also where fascism took hold. Where Bauhaus architects first experimented with new ways of living, Buchenwald was dug out of a beech forest. _Weimar_ shows us a town and its people on the edge of catastrophe. Drawing on a wealth of new archival research, acclaimed historian Katja Hoyer takes us from 1919 to 1939 as she tells the stories of the men and women who lived through the new republic and Hitler's regime. We encounter a vividly drawn cast of characters, from bookbinder Carl Weirich and hotel owners Rosa and Arthur Schmidt, to Friedrich Nietzsche's sister Elisabeth. Here are fascists and socialists, artists and workers, politicians and citizens, who, as the events of history swept them up, became witnesses, perpetrators, victims and bystanders. An unforgettable picture of lives and choices in extraordinary circumstances, _Weimar_ takes us deep into the heart of the storm - to the town that dreamt of a better world, and woke up to tyranny. KATJA HOYER is a German-British historian, journalist and the author of the international bestseller _Beyond the Wall_ as well as _Blood and Iron_. A visiting Research Fellow at King's College London and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, she writes for _Bloomberg_ and _Berliner Zeitung_ and is a commentator on German current affairs for many British newspapers. She was born in Germany and is now based in the UK.

_In an idyllic Sussex town, murder is fermenting..._ _Barclay Flint is the charmingly eccentric proprietor of The Bottle Bank wine shop, nestled in a picturesque Sussex town renowned for its gloriously anarchic Bonfire Night celebration._ _Barclay can taste a kaleidoscopic universe in a single glass of wine and delights in matching customers to the grapes of their dreams. But when his close friend, struggling regenerative vineyard owner Victor Crawshaw, is found dead, Barclay finds himself a prime suspect_ _To crack the case and clear his name, Barclay must deploy his wine detection skills and follow his nose through the rolling Sussex hills where a tangle of old resentments and rivalries awaits to ensnare him._ _With a killer on the loose and Bonfire Night fast approaching, the town crackles with anticipation. This year the fireworks might not be the only things to explode..._

_Julius Caesar is dead, and the lives of two teenaged boys are about to be changed forever. One is Caesar's 17-year-old nephew, Octavius, whom he has made his heir._ _The other is Octavius's closest friend, Agrippa._ _To claim Octavius's inheritance, they must fight the giant figures of the Roman Empire - and, against all odds, they win. Octavius becomes the Emperor Augustus. For twenty years, they rule the world together._ _Now Agrippa is fifty. Ailing and alone, betrayed by his wife's infidelity, he takes refuge in his house on the Bay of Naples and begins to write his memoirs. Yet to stir up the past can be dangerous. From his earliest meetings with Julius Caesar, through the epic conflict with Mark Antony and Cleopatra, the great naval battle of Actium and the endless wars to expand the empire, he describes how one man has dominated his life: the cunning, ruthless, unknowable Octavius._ _When it comes to power, does friendship exist at all?_ ROBERT HARRIS is the author of sixteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2, Act of Oblivion and Precipice. His work has been translated into forty languages and nine of his books have been adapted for cinema and television. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.

The first in a mystery series from the much-loved Irish actor, writer and comedian, for readers who enjoy the warmth of Graham Norton and the mystery of _Death in Paradise_, all wrapped up in one small Irish town. When beloved celebrity gardener Finn O'Leary returns to his hometown of Abbeyford in Ireland to care for his aging mother, he is naturally roped into the Tidy Towns committee. The Tidy Towns is a competition fanatically fought over by every town and village in the land. And for his best friend's sister, Aoife, it's a competition she's determined to win. With everyone's favourite gardener on board, she is sure that this year Abbeyford will take home the prize. But Finn's not been back long when an alto-baritone at his mother's choir practice drops dead during a rendition of 'What the World Needs Now'_._ With more at stake than just winning Tidy Towns, Finn soon finds himself trying to solve a murder - or two. For one of his many qualities is that people tend to confide in him... With his mother, her carer and Aoife in tow, Finn sets out to discover just who has brought murder to Abbeyford. AND SO IT BEGINS. ARDAL O'HANLON is one of Ireland's best-loved actors and stand-up comedians, as well as a writer of novels and documentaries. Ardal's acting credits include leading roles in Father Ted (C4), for which he won a British Comedy Award and Bafta nominations, Death in Paradise (BBC), My Hero (BBC), Derry Girls (C4), Big Bad World (ITV), Blessed (BBC) and the RTE sitcom Val Falvey TD. Among the shows he's presented he also did a half-hour special for Comedy Central (USA), the first overseas act to do so. Ardal has written the acclaimed bestselling novel _The Talk of the Town_ (1999), which was included in the book 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, and _Brouhaha_ (2022).

Book Salad meets on the last Tuesday of every month, at 6:30pm, and you're very welcome to join us. To make a salad you put together different things you'd like to eat, and we do the same with reading. We try all kinds of books, by all kinds of people. We limit numbers to fifteen attendees and it's very friendly and informal. For our fourth book of 2026, we will read '_Wavewalker_' by Suzanne Heywood, a memoir of her childhood at sea. The book's been really popular, and tells an unusual story that seems to resonate with just about everyone I've spoken to who's read it. One day when she was six or seven years old, Suzanne Heywood's father announced that the family would sail around the world. For three years, he said. Father, mother, Suzanne and her little brother. The voyage would end up lasting about ten years. When 'Wavewalker' was published in 2023, I read an excerpt from it in a newspaper that had a strong effect on me as I imagined how powerless a child would feel in her situation. Here's the blurb: _"Aged just seven, Suzanne Heywood set sail with her parents and brother on a three-year voyage around the world. What followed turned instead into a decade-long way of life, through storms, shipwrecks, reefs and isolation, with little formal schooling. No one else knew where they were most of the time and no state showed any interest in what was happening to the children._ _Suzanne fought her parents, longing to return to England and to education and stability. This memoir covers her astonishing upbringing, a survival story of a child deprived of safety, friendships, schooling and occasionally drinking water… At seventeen Suzanne earned an interview at Oxford University and returned to the UK._ _From the bestselling author of What Does Jeremy Think?, Wavewalker is the incredible true story of how the adventure of a lifetime became one child’s worst nightmare – and how her determination to educate herself enabled her to escape."_ ‘A CLASSIC MEMOIR OF CHILDHOOD. THIS IS A BOOK THAT EVERY PARENT SHOULD READ TO CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR MIDLIFE CRISES, AND EVERY CHILD SHOULD READ TO LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH IMPOSSIBLE MUMS AND DADS, AS WELL AS BOILS AND BARNACLES’ _MAIL ON SUNDAY_ 5 ‘AN ELECTRIFYING STORY ABOUT AN EXTRAORDINARY CHILDHOOD, AND HEYWOOD TELLS IT WITH REMARKABLE CLARITY AND ASSURANCE . . . AN ENGROSSING BOOK THAT PITCHES THE READER INTO THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF A YOUNG LIFE SPENT IN THE “WAVEWALKER SCHOOL OF THE SEA”’_TLS_ WHAT WE MIGHT READ NEXT I am sometimes asked for a provisional reading list for the rest of our year, so here it is. I'll try to stick to it but there may be changes if something exciting comes along: May: '_The Go-Between'_ by L.P. Hartley June: '_Captains of the Sands'_ by Jorge Amado July: '_The Impostor and Other Stories'_ by Silvina Ocampo August: '_The Man Who Was Thursday'_ by G.K. Chesterton September: '_The Sundial'_ by Shirley Jackson October: '_The Blizzard'_ by Vladimir Sorokin November: '_The Bean Trees'_ by Barbara Kingsolver December: '_A Chess Story_' by Stefan Zweig (We don't meet in December but this is the short book I've decided I'll be reading)

Jennifer Lee Tsai’s first full-length collection explores family history, intergenerational trauma, love, loss and belonging through the perspective of a second-generation British Chinese identity. _Melete_ interweaves dual cultures and heritages through narratives of memory, migration and mysticism across Liverpool, China and Hong Kong. The mythic structure of the book relates to the three original Boeotian Muses – Melete, Mneme and Aoede. Named after the Muse of meditation and contemplation, _Melete_ navigates the boundaries between life and art, personhood and subjectivity, states and places of spiritual transcendence and ecstasies. This expansive collection establishes a powerfully distinctive lyric voice in British poetry. Jennifer Lee Tsai is a poet, writer and artist. Born in Bebington on the Wirral, she grew up in Liverpool. She has published two pamphlets, _Kismet_ (ignitionpress, 2019) and _La Mysterique_ (Guillemot Press, 2022), with her first book-length collection, _Melete_, published by Bloodaxe in 2026. A fellow of The Complete Works and a Ledbury Poetry Critic, she has received a Northern Writers Award for Poetry and is a winner of the Rebecca Swift Foundation's Women Poets' Prize. She has worked as a teacher of English to students in universities and colleges as well as within community settings. She is the recipient of an AHRC doctoral scholarship in Creative Writing at the University of Liverpool and an Artist in Residence at the Bluecoat's studios through the Wittenham Bursary. Her poetry, essays and reviews have been published in publications including _The Guardian, The Poetry Review, Poetry London, The Telegraph, The TLS_ and _The White Review_ as well as on BBC Radio 4.

Join us for a matinee event with national treasure and beloved broadcaster Lorraine Kelly for her stunning new novel! Evie has come home to Orkney and finally found peace. She has rediscovered her passion for painting, mended broken friendships, and for the first time in a long time, truly feels a sense of belonging. But then a surprise visitor arrives. Mysterious Amelia McLean claims to be Evie's long lost-relative. She looks strangely familiar, her stories seem plausible and she quickly slides into island life. Yet Evie soon starts to feel unsettled and suspicious - and with her hard-won happiness slipping through her fingers, she knows she must uncover Amelia's secret, before it's too late... _ESCAPE TO WILD AND BEAUTIFUL ORKNEY ONCE MORE, WHERE SECRETS NEVER STAY HIDDEN FOR LONG!_ LORRAINE KELLY CBE has worked in breakfast TV for forty years, joining TVam as Scottish correspondent in 1984 and now presents Lorraine on ITV. She is married to cameraman Steve and they have one daughter Rosie, a journalist and broadcaster. Lorraine is a Dundee United fan and gets her best ideas when out for a walk with her beloved border terrier Angus. She first visited Orkney in 1985 and goes back every year.

In 1995 Norman MacCaig began working with translators and fellow poets, including Seamus Heaney, to render a selection of his poetry in Italian. Thirty years later Marco Fazzini has completed this task with a brilliant collection of MacCaig's major works, presented in a handsome Italian/English bilingual edition with a preface by Seamus Heaney and a detailed introduction by Fazzini. Marco will be joined by a number of poets reading MacCaig's work in both their original English and new Italian translations.

_Sunday Times_ bestselling author Mel Giedroyc will be joining us for the launch of her new novel - a funny, big-hearted story of second chances. _Sometimes life surprises you with an encore... _Twenty years ago, aspiring performer Gill Piper boarded a bus out of Leatherhead with a spring in her step and stars in her eyes. Things didn't quite pan out... Back home again, Gill finds much has changed. Young Lights, the youth theatre group which coaxed her out of her shell, is no more. The theatre itself, once the heartbeat of the community, now feels like a has-been; Gill can relate. When Gill learns the theatre is approaching its hundredth year, she decides to put on a spectacular anniversary show to give it a comeback and unite the town. She has just eight weeks, but if she can persuade some shy newcomers to step into the spotlight, it might just be possible. But Gill hasn't counted on self-appointed Artistic Director and diva extraordinaire Carla Keswick, who declares war. Can Gill and her unlikely company of amateurs defy Carla's dirty tricks, and prove it's never too late for a curtain call? MEL GIEDROYC has been entertaining the nation for over thirty years. A comedian, writer, actor and presenter, Mel is also known for her work alongside Sue Perkins, such as multi Bafta-winning _Great British Bake Off_ (BBC) and _Light Lunch_ (Channel 4). Mel has written two non-fiction books and has appeared in sitcoms and panel shows, as well as on radio and on stage, in Stephen Sondheim's Olivier Award-winning _Company_ in the West End and in _Starter for Ten_ at Bristol's Old Vic. Mel lives in London with her husband and two daughters. Her debut novel _The Best Things_ was a _Sunday Times_ hardback bestseller.