"Equal parts pragmatic and inspiring, Shira Gill presents a realistic and empathetic plan for crafting a more intentional life in a chaotic world." - Cal Newport, New York Times-bestselling author of Slow Productivity and Digital Minimalism"Shira Gill is the funniest, wisest, most entertaining writer in the organizing game."- Adam Mansbach, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Go the F**k to SleepTransform your entire life by cutting mental clutter, reducing overwhelm, and simplifying your daily routines with this inspiring and comprehensive guide from the bestselling author of Minimalista and Organized Living.As a professional home organizing expert with a diverse roster of clients ranging from students to CEOs, Shira Gill realized that almost everyone she worked with was overextended, overscheduled, and overwhelmed. So, using her signature blend of practical minimalism and organization, Shira designed a simple tool kit to instantly create more spaciousness, ease, and freedom in every part of your life, regardless of lifestyle or budget. Featuring stunning full-colour photographs throughout, LifeStyled is built around three key steps: adjusting volume, creating systems, and implementing habits. Part One shares the tools to transform your home, life, mindset, and schedule. Part Two will kickstart you into action with real-life examples, actionable prompts, and easy wins-little things you can integrate or practice for quick, transformative results. Chapters include:· Health and Wellness· Home and Environment· Relationships and Community· Career and Finance· Personal Development Read more

From the alleyways of Soho to the medieval remains of Moorgate, the new book by Sunday Times bestselling author Jack Chesher takes you on a journey through London and its history, showing you its hidden corners. Explore the fascinating history of the city with the creator of the ever-popular @LivingLondonHistory. Have you ever wondered where a notorious Victorian murderer was captured? Or in which backstreet you can find the pub that hid the masterminds behind the Great Train Robbery? Or perhaps which pocket park contains the remains of a great medieval monastery? Have your questions answered and let London: The Hidden Corners reveal the capital’s unique and shadowy mysteries.Illustrated throughout and complete with a selection of maps to help you discover your new favourite locations, London: The Hidden Corners promises to bring the city to life for intrepid explorers and local Londoners alike.Whether you are new to the city or a seasoned traveller, London: The Hidden Corners is a must-have guide for anyone looking to uncover something beyond the familiar. So, in true @LivingLondonHistory style, turn the page and get ready to transform the city into the museum you never knew you had. Read more

'There are prizes, normally named after PG Wodehouse, given to literary comic novels and non-fiction, and these books will have blurbs saying "hilarious" on them. This is infinitely funnier than any of them' DAVID BADDIEL'The funniest series of books ever written in the English language' RICHARD OSMAN'Hilarious' THE TIMES'Absolute f**king genius' CAITLIN MORAN'With a genuine belly laugh to be found on almost every page, it only cements Partridge's status as the world's greatest comedy character' EMPIRE'Partridge... has become the man our time deserves. Aha!' THE TIMES'This is a deeply silly book. It's also glorious...[with] proper belly laughs on pretty much every page' i NEWS'Every sentence screams pure Partridge...a spoof that comes close to comic genius' DAILY EXPRESS'Expect plenty of laughs' HEAT'Not only has Alan Partridge created an entirely new storytelling structure, it's very funny indeed' JON RONSON In Big Beacon, Norwich's favourite son and best broadcaster, Alan Partridge, triumphs against the odds. TWICE.Using an innovative 'dual narrative' structure you sometimes see in films, Big Beacon tells the story of how Partridge heroically rebuilt his TV career, rising like a phoenix from the desolate wasteland of local radio to climb to the summit of Mount Primetime and regain the nationwide prominence his talent merits. But then something quite unexpected and moving, because Big Beacon also tells the story of a selfless man, driven to restore an old lighthouse to its former glory, motivated by nothing more than respect for a quietly heroic old building that many take for granted, which some people think is a metaphor for Alan himself even though it's not really for them to say.* Leaving his old life behind and relocating to a small coastal village in Kent, Alan battles through adversity, wins the hearts and minds of a suspicious community, and ultimately shows himself to be a quite wonderful man. * The two strands will run in tandem, their narrative arcs mirroring each other to make the parallels between the two stories abundantly clear to the less able reader. Read more

History is a rich, varied and fascinating subject, so it's rare to find the whole lot in one book ... until now. The History of the World in Bite-Sized Chunks pulls it all together, from the world's earliest civilizations in 3500 BC to the founding of the United Nations in 1945, passing by the likes of Charlemagne, the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean War, to name a few.Here's your chance to introduce yourself to the full spectrum of world history, and discover just how the modern world came to be. Read more

“Funny and elegiac and truth-dealing. . . . Ms. Gornick gets into the fat of feeling. She is as good a writer about friendship as we have.” —New York TimesA memoir of self-discovery and the dilemma of connection in our time, The Odd Woman and the City explores the rhythms, chance encounters, and ever-changing friendships of urban life that forge the sensibility of a fiercely independent woman who has lived out her conflicts, not her fantasies, in a city that has done the same. Running steadily through the book is Vivian Gornick’s exchange of more than twenty years with Leonard, a gay man who is sophisticated about his own unhappiness. The exchange between Gornick and Leonard acts as a Greek chorus to the main action of the narrator’s continual engagement on the street with grocers, derelicts, and doormen; people on the bus, cross-dressers on the corner, and acquaintances by the handful. In Leonard she sees herself reflected plain; out on the street she makes sense of what she sees.Written as a narrative collage that includes meditative pieces on the making of a modern feminist, the role of the flaneur in urban literature, and the evolution of friendship over the past two centuries, The Odd Woman and the City beautifully bookends Gornick’s acclaimed Fierce Attachments, in which we first encountered her rich relationship with the ultimate metropolis.“Stirring.” —Los Angeles Times“The best books . . . make us feel understood. . . . The Odd Woman and the City can be read as a guidebook for how to exist.” —Los Angeles Times Review of Books“Sharply observed.” —The New Yorker“One of the most vital and indispensable essayists of our cultural moment.” —Phillip Lopate Read more

Spending his weekends exploring historic churches across the idyllic English countryside – and sharing their beauty and unsung history across social media – Luke Sherlock is bringing English history and the heritage of our rural countryside to a new audience. England is full of incredible churches, from small stone chapels and quiet Romanesque masterpieces, to thousand-year-old Saxon stalwarts, dramatic Gothic monuments and high Victorian treasures. These special places, often under-celebrated and overlooked, dot the English landscape but collectively tell a remarkable story of our nation. Travelling to all corners of England – from the Kent marshlands to the Norfolk fens, Somerset lanes and beyond – Sherlock carefully documents these unique buildings, celebrating their histories and decoding their hidden meanings. Bringing together 70 of the most unusual, intriguing and atmospheric of England’s churches, Sherlock tells stories of craftsmanship and local community, whilst centering these buildings at the heart of our national story and revealing their forgotten secrets and cultural significance. Read more

From the bestselling author of The Village Shop For Lonely HeartsAfter escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly.So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with.But when a snow storm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village.Can Belle realise her dreams to stay in Cranbridge and can Pete ever stop running from his past?As they try to save The Black Swan Inn, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll finally find out how they really feel about each other.A cosy, heartwarming read perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Holly MartinPraise for Alison Sherlock:'Glorious escapism. Uplifting, heartwarming and joyful, Alison Sherlock writes with a warmth and lightness of touch' Kerry Fisher'A lovely story of finding yourself and discovering what home means. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Loved it' Jessica Redland'It almost feels like home, and I found this story to be warm and an easy, comfortable read' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review'Excellent read for all who like a bit of a good feel book. Had me smiling, and I couldn’t put the book down' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review'I loved this book, it was based on everyday life but with a warmth which wrapped itself around you. A lovely read with the expected happy ending' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review Read more

Dive into the realm of cosmic wonder and galactic intrigue with our collection, "Epic Sci-Fi Odyssey". This immersive e-book gathers together a remarkable anthology of classic science fiction works from the greatest authors of the genre. Journey through unknown worlds with legendary scribes like Murray Leinster, Ray Bradbury, Frederik Pohl, and Philip K. Dick, among others. From gripping space exploration stories like "The Sentimentalists" to dystopian narratives such as "Death Wish", the collection spans a rich tapestry of Science Fiction. This compendium encapsulates humanity's eternal fascination with the cosmos and our place within it. It is a must-have for any ardent reader, offering a chance to encounter the gems of the science fiction genre. Whether you are a long-time fan of science fiction or just discovering its magic, "Epic Sci-Fi Odyssey" is your gateway to the grand adventure that awaits beyond the stars. This book now contains several HTML tables of contents that will make reading a real pleasure! The Sentimentalists, by Murray Leinster The Girls from Earth, by Frank Robinson The Death Traps of FX-31, by Sewell Wright Song in a minor key, by C.L. Moore Sentry of the Sky, by Evelyn E. Smith Meeting of the Minds, by Robert Sheckley Junior, by Robert Abernathy Death Wish, by Ned Lang Dead World, by Jack Douglas Cost of Living, by Robert Sheckley Aloys, by R.A. Lafferty With These Hands, by C.M. Kornbluth What is POSAT?, by Phyllis Sterling-Smith A Little Journey, by Ray Bradbury Hunt the Hunter, by Kris Neville Citizen Jell, by Michael Shaara Operation Distress, by Lester Del Rey Syndrome Johnny, by Charles Dye Psychotennis, anyone?, by Lloyd Williams Prime Difference, by Alan Nourse Doorstep, by Keith Laumer The Drug, by C.C. MacApp An Elephant For the Prinkip, by L.J. Stecher License to Steal, by Louis Newman The Last Letter, by Fritz Lieber The Stuff, by Henry Slesar The Celestial Hammerlock, by Donald Colvin Always A Qurono, by Jim Harmon Jamieson, by Bill Doede A Fall of Glass, by Stanley Lee Shatter the Wall, by Sydney Van Scyoc Transfer Point, by Anthony Boucher Thy Name Is Woman, by Kenneth O'Hara Twelve Times Zero, by Howard Browne All Day Wednesday, by Richard Olin Blind Spot, by Bascom Jones Double Take, by Richard Wilson Field Trip, by Gene Hunter Larson's Luck, by Gerald Vance Navy Day, by Harry Harrison One Martian Afternoon, by Tom Leahy Planet of Dreams, by James McKimmey Prelude To Space, by Robert Haseltine Pythias, by Frederik Pohl Show Business, by Boyd Ellanby Slaves of Mercury, by Nat Schachner Sound of Terror, by Don Berry The Big Tomorrow, by Paul Lohrman The Four-Faced Visitors of…Ezekiel, by Arthur Orton The Happy Man, by Gerald Page The Last Supper, by T.D. Hamm The One and the Many, by Milton Lesser The Other Likeness, by James Schmitz The Outbreak of Peace, by H.B. Fyfe The Skull, by Philip K. Dick The Smiler, by Albert Hernhunter The Unthinking Destroyer, by Roger Phillips Two Timer, by Frederic Brown Vital Ingredient, by Charles De Vet Weak on Square Roots, by Russell Burton With a Vengeance, by J.B. Woodley Zero Hour, by Alexander Blade The Great Nebraska Sea, by Allan Danzig The Valor of Cappen Varra, by Poul Anderson A Bad Day for Vermin, by Keith Laumer Hall of Mirrors, by Frederic Brown Common Denominator, by John MacDonald Doctor, by Murray Leinster The Nothing Equation, by Tom Godwin The Last Evolution, by John Campbell A Hitch in Space, by Fritz Leiber On the Fourth Planet, by J.F. Bone Flight From Tomorrow, by H. Beam Piper Card Trick, by Walter Bupp The K-Factor, by Harry Harrison The Lani People, by J. F. Bone Advanced Chemistry, by Jack Huekels Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas, by R. A. Lafferty Keep Out, by Frederic Brown All Cats are Gray, by Andre Norton A Problem in Communication, by Miles J. Breuer The Terrible Tentacles of L-472, by Sewell Peaslee Wright Maroone Read more

Bring order to your home and focus to your busy life.This is the step-by-step method from the social media sensation Tidy Dad.A father of three with a stressful job, Tyler Moore felt his life resembled an overstuffed closet: disorganized and overly busy behind the tidy, closed doors. When it all became too much for their 750-square-foot apartment and his nerves, he set out to unpack the physical and emotional mess around him.He learned that tidying is about so much more than the decluttering of a physical space. When he analyzed what was 'just enough', he was able to devise systems and hacks that brought order to his whole life.How to identify what really matters both emotionally and physically to you and the people who share your space.The goal is not 'always tidy' but 'easily tidied' and other principles for lifting some of the mental and physical burdens we feel when managing our homes.Tips for making a 'one-area-a-weekday' cleaning schedule and other simple routines that complement household rhythms and eliminate intensive weekend cleaning.A vital book for the overwhelmed, overworked and stressed-out. Read more

The miraculous history of Notre Dame de Paris – its construction, near destructions and survival against all odds ‘Vivid and engrossing… the opening chapter repays the cover price.’ Observer Winner of The 2022 French Heritage Society Book Award The profound emotion felt around the world upon seeing images of Notre-Dame in flames opens up a series of questions: Why was everyone so deeply moved? Why does Notre-Dame so clearly crystallise what our civilisation is about? What makes ‘Our Lady of Paris’ the soul of a nation and a symbol of human achievement? What is it that speaks so directly to us today? In answer, Agnès Poirier turns to the defining moments in Notre-Dame’s history. Beginning with the laying of the corner stone in 1163, she recounts the conversion of Henri IV to Catholicism, the coronation of Napoleon, Victor Hugo’s nineteenth-century campaign to preserve the cathedral, Baron Haussmann’s clearing of the streets in front of it, the Liberation in 1944, the 1950s film of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, starring Gina Lollobrigida and Anthony Quinn, and the state funeral of Charles de Gaulle, before returning to the present. The conflict over Notre-Dame’s reconstruction promises to be fierce. Nothing short of a cultural war is already brewing between the wise and the daring, the sincere and the opportunist, historians and militants, the devout and secularists. It is here that Poirier reveals the deep malaise – gilet jaunes and all – at the heart of the France. Read more

The celebrated design expert and creator of EyeSwoon shares an inspiring look at how creatives arrange and decorate their homes. Beautiful design isn’t just pleasant to look at; it improves the quality of our lives. In Live Beautiful, EyeSwoon creator Athena Calderone taps into her international network of interior decorators, fashion designers, and tastemakers to reveal how carefully crafted interiors come together. She also opens the doors to two of her own residences. With each homeowner, Athena explores the spark of inspiration that started their design journey. She then breaks down the details of the rooms—like layered textures and patterns, collected pieces, and customized vignettes—and offers helpful tips on how to bring these elevated elements into your own space. Filled with gorgeous photography by Nicole Franzen, Live Beautiful is both a showpiece of exquisite design and a guide to creating a home that’s thoughtfully put together. Read more

'Funny, occasionally filthy and ultimately fascinating.' - Richard Herring, comedianGo to any ancient building in the land and there will be interesting and exciting stories presented to the visitor. Tales of secret passages and hidden tunnels, strange marks and carvings left by stonemasons – all commonly believed and widely repeated, but are they really true?From ship timbers being repurposed on dry land to spiral staircases giving advantage to right-handed defenders, and from archers sharpening their arrows on church stones to claims of being the oldest pub in the country, Historic Building Mythbusting seeks to uncover the real stories.Buildings archaeologist James Wright explains and unpicks the development of these myths and investigates the underlying truths behind them. Sometimes the realities hiding behind the stories are even more engaging, romantic and compelling than the myths themselves... Read more

The Brand NEW instalment in the bestselling Exham-on-Sea series.An unsolved murder echoes down the corridors of Cleeve Abbey for years.The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society's annual summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in Washford River, beside historic Cleeve Abbey. Thrilled to find evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery, the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of Cleeve Abbey, despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest's reservations. Libby is a woman of many talents, a baker, chocolatier, even a reluctant sleuth, but she's no fan of the supernatural.and her doubts are justified when a friend is attacked under cover of darkness at the ghost-hunt. Distressed and angry, Libby sets out with her new husband Max and their two dogs Bear and Shipley to uncover the connection between the murder of a sixteenth century monk and a present-day attack in picturesque Somerset.With friends and neighbours as suspects, Libby and Max close in on the culprit only to find that others are still in danger. There's no time to lose as the sins of the past threaten lives in the community.Murder at the Abbey is the eighth in a series of Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries from the small English seaside town full of quirky characters, sea air, and gossip. If you love Agatha Christie-style mysteries, cosy crime, clever dogs and cake, then you'll love these intriguing whodunnits.THE EXHAM-ON-SEA MURDER MYSTERIES:1. Murder at the Lighthouse2. Murder on the Levels:3. Murder on the Tor:4. Murder at the Cathedral5. Murder at the Bridge6. Murder at the Castle7. Murder at the Gorge8. Murder at the AbbeyBooks in the Ham Hill Murder Mystery series by Frances EveshamA Village Murder A Racing Murder A Harvest Murder Read more

From the award-winning author of The Gentleman’s Daughter,a witty and academic illumination of daily domestic life in Georgian England. In this brilliant work, Amanda Vickery unlocks the homes of Georgian England to examine the lives of the people who lived there. Writing with her customary wit and verve, she introduces us to men and women from all walks of life: gentlewoman Anne Dormer in her stately Oxfordshire mansion, bachelor clerk and future novelist Anthony Trollope in his dreary London lodgings, genteel spinsters keeping up appearances in two rooms with yellow wallpaper, servants with only a locking box to call their own.Vickery makes ingenious use of upholsterer’s ledgers, burglary trials, and other unusual sources to reveal the roles of house and home in economic survival, social success, and political representation during the long eighteenth century. Through the spread of formal visiting, the proliferation of affordable ornamental furnishings, the commercial celebration of feminine artistry at home, and the currency of the language of taste, even modest homes turned into arenas of social campaign and exhibition.The basis of a 3-part TV series for BBC2.“Vickery is that rare thing, an…historian who writes like a novelist.”—Jane Schilling, Daily Mail“Comparison between Vickery and Jane Austen is irresistible…This book is almost too pleasurable, in that Vickery's style and delicious nosiness conceal some seriously weighty scholarship.”—Lisa Hilton, The Independent“If until now the Georgian home has been like a monochrome engraving, Vickery has made it three dimensional and vibrantly colored. Behind Closed Doors demonstrates that rigorous academic work can also be nosy, gossipy, and utterly engaging.”—Andrea Wulf, New York Times Book Review Read more

Ideal Home UK - March 2025, The Before and After Issue, Real Home Makeovers, Dream Extensions, Plus 70 Ways To Spruce up Your Home For The New Season Read more

‘An extraordinary intervention. If you want to understand the stakes and the limitations of contemporary conflict over culture and colonial history this bold, provocative book is an indispensable resource’ Paul Gilroy, founding Director of the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Race and Racism at UCL‘Hicks’ must-read book describes how it was possible for a human skull to be made into a drinking cup and used in a genteel Oxford college, well into the 21st century, as if empire were an eternal state of nature . . . Read it to learn new ways to be anti-racist, abolitionist and to tell other stories than those commemorated by the monuments that surround us, from statues, to museums and the police’ Nicholas Mirzoeff, author of White Sight‘Brave and clear-sighted. Hicks opens up an extraordinary conversation between the past and the present. This is a book about falling statues, but so much more. It’s about how we’ve been lied to, and how we can approach the past with honesty. Hicks asks whether history and archaeology should be used to justify actions we know impinge on the rights of others - or to understand ourselves better’ Alice Roberts, bestselling author of Crypt ‘Dan Hicks writes with grace and fierce focus about what we choose to remember and why, in our patterns of thought, our institutions and the built environment in which we live’ Eyal Weizman, director of Forensic ArchitectureThe culture war is over. If you want it to be. It wasn’t even a culture war; it was a war on culture. A sustained attack, Dan Hicks argues, in the form of the weaponisation of civic museums, public art, and even universities — and one that has a deeper history than you might think.Tracing the origins of contemporary conflicts over art, heritage, memory, and colonialism, Every Monument Will Fall joins the dots between the building of statues, the founding of academic disciplines like archaeology and anthropology, and the warehousing of stolen art and human skulls in museums — including the one in which he is a curator.Part history, part biography, part excavation, the story runs from the Yorkshire wolds to the Crimean War, from southern Ireland to the frontline of the American Civil War, from the City of London to the University of Oxford — revealing enduring legacies of militarism, slavery, racism and white supremacy hardwired into the heart of our cultural institutions.Every Monument Will Fall offers an urgent reappraisal of how we think about culture, and how to find hope, remembrance and reconciliation in the fragments of an unfinished violent past. Refusing to choose between pulling down every statue, or living in a past that we can never change, the book makes the case for allowing monuments to fall once in a while, even those that are hard to see as monuments, rebuilding a memory culture that is in step with our times. Read more

Style at Home UK Magazine, Give Your Home A Glow Up, Chic New Looks For Bathrooms, Add Wow With Wall Panelling, Easy Do In A Day Decor Updates Read more

***WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2023*** 'Never before, in years of reviewing books about buildings, has one brought me to tears. This one did.' Rowan Moore, Observer Book of the Week On 14 June 2017, a 24-storey block of flats went up in flames. The fire climbed up cladding as flammable as solid petrol. Fire doors failed to self-close. No alarm rang out to warn sleeping residents. As smoke seeped into their homes, all were told to ‘stay put’. Many did – and they died. It was a tragedy decades in the making. Peter Apps meticulously exposes how a steady stream of deregulation, corporate greed and institutional indifference caused a tragedy. 72 people did not need to die, as the Grenfell Tower Inquiry makes clear. Here is the story of a grieving community forsaken by our government, a community still waiting for justice. Read more

'Compelling... fascinating' Spectator'Abounding with excellent little stories' Financial TimesThis is the story of one of the most magnificent achievements of the Italian Renaissance, and the architect behind it.Even in an age of soaring skyscrapers and cavernous sports stadiums, the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence still retains a rare power to astonish. Yet the elegance of the building belies the tremendous labour, technical ingenuity and bitter personal strife involved in its creation. For over a century after work on the cathedral began, the proposed dome was regarded as all but impossible to build. The greatest architectural puzzle of its age, when finally completed it was hailed as one of the great wonders of the world.This book tells the extraordinary story of how the cupola was raised and of the dome's architect, the brilliant and volatile Filippo Brunelleschi. Denounced as a madman at the start of his labours, he was celebrated at their end as a great genius. His life was one of ambition, ingenuity, rivalry and intrigue - a human drama set against the plagues, wars, political feuds and intellectual ferments of Renaissance Florence, the glorious era for which the dome remains the most compelling symbol.VOTED NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE AMERICAN INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS Read more

Published in conjunction with TFL, this is a comprehensive guide to the London Underground, combining a historical overview, illustrations and newly commissioned photography. Read more