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Why Won’t You Apologize?

Ebook: January 12, 2017
Paperback: January 12, 2017

Why Won’t You Apologize?

Harriet Lerner

Category: Psychology & Philosophy,

With her trademark wit, Harriet Lerner offers a joyful and sanity-saving guide to setting things right.

Renowned psychologist and bestselling author of The Dance of Anger sheds new light on the two most important words in the English language, "I’m sorry," and offers a unique perspective on the challenge of healing broken relationships and restoring trust.

Dr. Harriet Lerner has been studying apologies for more than two decades, namely, why some people won’t give them. Now she offers compelling stories and solid theory that demonstrates the transformative power of making amends and what is required for healing when the damage we’ve inflicted (or received) is far from simple. Readers will learn how to craft a meaningful apology and avoid signals of insincerity that only deepen suffering.

In Why Won’t You Apologize? Lerner challenges the popular notion that forgiveness is the only path to peace of mind and helps those who have been injured to resist pressure to forgive too easily. She explains what drives both the non-apologizer and the over-apologizer, and why the people who do the worst things are the least able to own their misdeeds.

Reviews

  • 'This book is a game changer' Brene Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Rising Strong

  • 'Draws you in with deft and engaging prose, and then changes your life with her rigorous intelligence and her deeply human advice' Esther Perel, author of Mating in Captivity

A Wood of One’s Own

Ebook: October 5, 2017
Hardback: September 21, 2017
Paperback: April 18, 2019

A Wood of One’s Own

Ruth Pavey, Ruth Pavey (illustrator)

Category: Memoir & Biography,

Touring the West Country in the late 1990s, Pavey found herself in the Somerset Levels. On seeing this expanse of reclaimed land under its wide, soft skies she was struck by its beauty and set-out to plant a wood, tree by tree. She bought four acres, and over the years transformed them into a haven where woodland plants and creatures could flourish; an emblem of enduring life in a changeable world.

Interwoven with Pavey’s candid descriptions of the practical challenges she faced are forays into the Levels’ local history, as well as thoughtful portraits of its inhabitants past and present. Accompanied throughout by her evocative hand-drawn illustrations, A Wood of One’s Own is a lyrical, beguiling and inspiring story; a potent reminder of nature’s delicate balance, and its comforting and abiding presence.

Reviews

  • 'So beguiling... Pavey's writing is everywhere amiable' Times Literary Supplement

  • '[In planting her wood] the satisfactions are many... her book is a gentle, generous extension of that... one all her readers can share in' The Lady

  • 'Pavey's love for her small patch of land shimmers off the page [in this] narrative of warmth, honesty and great spirit made all the more beautiful by Pavey's own lively and accomplished drawings... this lovely book is itself a gift encouraging country-dweller and townie alike to marvel at the infinite possibilities at the heart of a single tree' Daily Mail, Book of the Week

  • 'Captivating... If this book was not as much a pleasure to write as it is to read, I'll eat my hat and gardening glove... Pavey's unassuming memoir celebrates the imperfections of rural life and the virtues of spontaneity... the non-bravura style attractively illustrated with Pavey's black-and-white sketches makes this book a winner' Kate Kellaway, Observer

  • ‘A delightful account… with intriguing digressions into local history and culture. [Pavey] writes with warmth and spirit, and brings this space to life in all its detail of plants, trees and wildlife’ Penelope Lively

  • ‘A lovely story – a super book’ Steve Yabsley, BBC Radio Bristol and Somerset

  • ‘Draws together childhood memories, local history… and literary penumbra’ Sunday Telegraph

  • ‘A lyrical story of desire and determination, soft and gentle, warm and wise in a wicked world’ Camden New Journal

  • ‘Practical and full of helpful advice which has been artfully baked-in throughout. If someone asks you what you'd like for Christmas or a birthday don't hesitate to reply, A Wood of One's Own' Woodlands.co.uk

World War Z

Ebook: July 19, 2010
Paperback: April 18, 2019

World War Z

Max Brooks

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginning of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse.

Faced with a future of mindless man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and key players in the ten-year fight against the horde, World War Z brings the finest traditions of journalism to bear on what is surely the most incredible story in the history of human civilisation.

Read the original cult novel that propelled the zombie genre into the mainstream – now a blockbuster film and game.

Reviews

  • 'An absolute must have... Brooks infuses his writing with such precise detail and authenticity, one wonders if he knows something we don't' Simon Pegg

  • ‘The best science fiction has traditionally been steeped in social commentary. World War Z continues that legacy... We haven't been this excited about a book without pictures since well, since ever’ Metro

  • 'Brilliant' Time Out

  • 'Max Brooks really is the godfather of all the zombie stories' The Sun

  • 'When the zombie apocalypse arrives, we'll be at Max Brooks' house... As a horror story, it's exciting. As a parable, it's terrifying' Empire, 5-starred review

  • ‘Prepare to be entranced by this addictively readable oral history of the great war between humans and zombies... Will grab you as tightly as a dead man’s fist’ Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘[Brooks’] iron-jaw narrative is studded with practical advice on what to do when the zombies come, as they surely will. A literate, ironic, strangely tasty treat’ Kirkus Reviews

  • ‘A sober, frequently horrifying and even moving account... Brooks has delivered a full-blown horror novel, laced with sharp social and political observations and loads of macabre, gruesome imagery’ Fangoria

The Zombie Survival Guide

Ebook: July 19, 2010
Paperback: April 18, 2019

The Zombie Survival Guide

Max Brooks

Don’t be reckless with you most precious asset – life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it.

It covers everything you need to know, from how to understand zombie behaviour to survival in any territory or terrain.

The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead.

It might just save your life.

Reviews

  • 'A tome you start reading for fun and then at page 50 you go out and buy a machete just to be on the safe side' New York Post

  • 'So straightforward, so sensible and logical that you start to believe the steps needed to outlast a worldwide plague of flesh eating zombies. This practical approach is exactly what makes this book so funny' Fangoria

  • 'A bloody-minded, strait-laced manual for evading the grasp of the undead' Time Out

  • 'So meticulous and well researched that it's more scary than funny' Esquire

The Friendship Cure

Ebook: March 22, 2018
Hardback: March 22, 2018
Paperback: February 7, 2019

The Friendship Cure

Kate Leaver

Category: Psychology & Philosophy,

Our best friends, gal-pals, bromances, Twitter followers, Facebook friends, long- distance buddies and WhatsApp threads define us in ways we rarely acknowledge. There is so much about friendship we either don t know or don t articulate: why do some friendships last a lifetime, while others are only temporary? How do you break up with a toxic friend? And maybe the most important question: how can we live in the most interconnected age and still find ourselves stuck in the greatest loneliness epidemic of our time? It s killing us, making us miserable and causing a public health crisis. What if meaningful friendships are the solution, not a distraction 

In The Friendship Cure, Kate Leaver’s much anticipated manifesto brings to light what modern friendship means, how it can survive, why we need it and what we can do to get the most from it. From behavioural scientists to best mates, Kate finds extraordinary stories and research, drawing on her own experiences to create a fascinating blend of accessible smart thinking, investigative journalism, pop culture and memoir.

Reviews

  • 'Kate Leaver has written a beautiful book about something so specific and unchartered, yet so universal. Friendship can change your life as could this book' Dolly Alderton, author of Everything I Know About Love

  • 'A gorgeous book and a reminder of just how intense and special female friendship is' Emma Gannon, author of CtrlAltDelete podcast

  • 'A really gorgeous, affirming book which makes me want to find the people I love most in the world and hug them very, very tightly' The Pool

  • 'The Friendship Cure is here to make us love our girl friends all over again... you'll want to buy it and give it to all of your friends immediately' Evening Standard

  • 'It's time to talk about love. No, not that kind of love, but that which is shared between female friends' Red

  • 'Witty, relatable, thought-provoking. If Jon Ronson and Marian Keyes morphed into one magic person and wrote a book, this book would be it' Rosie Waterland, author of The Anti-Cool Girl

  • 'Kate Leaver's book is a wide-ranging exploration of what friends mean to us full of rich personal insights and common sense, accompanied by a good dose of science' Robin Dunbar, author of How Many Friends Does One Person Need?

Rainsongs

Ebook: January 11, 2018
Paperback: March 7, 2019

Rainsongs

Sue Hubbard

Award-winning writer Sue Hubbard delivers a poignant story of transformation, conjuring the rugged beauty of County Kerry’s coastline.

Newly widowed, Martha Cassidy has returned to a remote cottage in a virtually abandoned village on the west coast of Ireland for reasons even she is uncertain of. Looking out from her window towards the dramatic rise of the Skelligs across the water, she reflects on the loss of Brendan, her husband and charming curator, his death stirring unresolved heartache from years gone by. Alone on the windswept headland, surrounded by miles of cold sea, the past closes in.

As the days unfold, Martha searches for a way forward beyond grief, but finds herself drawn into a standoff between the entrepreneur Eugene Riordan and local hill farmer Paddy O’Connell. While the tension between them builds to a crisis that leaves Paddy in hospital, Martha encounters Colm, a talented but much younger musician and poet. Caught between its history and its future, the Celtic Tiger reels with change, and Martha faces redemptive choices that will change her life forever.

Reviews

  • 'An elegiac story of loss and valediction... Woolfian echoes pulse through haunting the reader' Guardian

  • 'A wool-soaked odyssey on the Iveragh peninsula I could feel and smell the rain all the way through, and when the sun broke in now and then, I felt that too... tremendous and moving' Irish Times

  • 'A gently absorbing novel... wistful but never morose - tugging the heartstrings without milking the double bereavement at the novel's heart' Daily Mail

  • 'A beautifully-written and evocative novel about grief and greed, art and life, isolation and emotion' Amanda Craig

  • 'A ravishing tale of an emotional journey in the wild beauty of Ireland... Read this book for the delicacy of its central story , the sheer delight of being led into the drama of this edge of the world with its landscape beaten by hectic weather and lit by unfiltered sunlight, and for the pleasure of Hubbard's intensely honed, sharply insightful story-telling' Angela Neustatter

  • 'Ambitious and heartfelt... brings a poet's lyric gift to a compelling story' Shena Mackay

  • 'A lyrical evocation of Ireland's fragile, ancient coastline reveals a poet's sensibility. This multi-layered story of love and loss, of a woman 'erased by grief', who finds solace in the heart of a community that is threatened from within, is exceptionally moving. This book will stay with you' Eleanor Fitzsimons

  • 'Has a unique and beautiful emotive quality that shines through its delicately constructed prose in a love-letter to Ireland, memory and parenthood, taking advantage of its mature narrator to speak with resonance and depth. In a contemporary world of instant connections, Rainsongs returns to an age just prior to the boom of social media 2007 in an exploration of what it means to be truly alone... champions the role of literature in an increasingly disconnected modern world' London Magazine

One Kiss or Two?

Ebook: August 31, 2017
Hardback: August 24, 2017
Paperback: March 21, 2019

One Kiss or Two?

Andy Scott

Category: Popular Science,

Every encounter begins with a greeting. Be it a quick ‘Hello!’ or the somewhat longer and gracious ‘Sula manchwanta galunga omugobe!’ shaking hands or shaking, well, rather more private parts of our anatomy, we have been doing it many times daily for thousands of years. It should be the most straightforward thing in the world, but this apparently simple act is fraught with complications, leading to awkward misunderstandings and occasionally even outright violence.

In the illuminating and entertaining One Kiss or Two? Andy Scott goes down the rabbit hole to take a closer look at what greetings are all about. In looking at how they have developed, he discovers a kaleidoscopic world of etiquette, body-language, evolution, neuroscience, anthropology and history. Through in-depth research and his personal experiences, and with the help of experts, Scott takes us on a captivating journey through a subject far richer than we might have expected.

Reviews

  • 'To kiss or not to kiss? This delightful book explores greeting etiquette across different cultures and provides a great deal of entertainment. I thoroughly recommend it' Jane Goodall

  • ‘With meticulous research, acute insight, infectious curiosity and gentle humour... this book introduces us to ourselves’ Kate Fox, bestselling author of Watching the English

  • ‘After reading this book, I feel liberated’ Literary Review

  • 'Kissing hello is a social minefield... fortunately, Andy Scott may have some answers' The Times

  • 'Scott s winning study combines scholarly rigour with a voice that is funny, warm and humane. I can t imagine a better guide to the intricate art of saying hello' Joe Moran, author of Queuing for Beginners

  • 'From Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi s deathclamp handshake to the penis-offering Walbiri in the Australian outback, learn the perfect greeting globally' New Scientist, Best Book of the Year

  • 'Diplomat Andy Scott speculates on the origins of the cheek-kissing tradition... and how to avoid a social faux pas no matter where you are' Conde Nast Traveler

  • 'Fascinating... by the end of Scott s book, you see that if we stopped greeting, the world would come to an end' The Lady

  • 'From the ubiquitous handshake to the, thankfully, less popular genital grab, Andy Scott's vade mecum of the social science and background to the world's many greetings is infallible reading for any member of civilised society' William Hanson, British etiquette coach and columnist

  • 'Andy Scott has written an utterly charming and fascinating book. I will never be able to look at a handshake or a hug the same way again.' Joshua Foer, internationally bestselling author of Moonwalking with Einstein and co-founder of Atlas Obscura

  • 'Who would have guessed that so much lies behind a greeting? As Scott demonstrates so ably, it's not just etiquette, but also history, evolution and brain function... popular science writing at its best' Chris Frith, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology, UCL

Floating

Ebook: April 18, 2017
Hardback: April 6, 2017
Paperback: April 5, 2018

Floating

Joe Minihane

Category: Psychology & Philosophy,

‘Lovely, lively, passionate… a celebration of nature’s ability to inspire healing and joy’ Robert MacFarlane

In the breaststrokes of Roger Deakin’s Waterlog, this is the story of one man’s search for himself across the breadth of Britain’s wild waters.

Joe Minihane became obsessed with wild swimming and the way it soothed his anxiety, developing a new-found passion by following the example of naturalist Deakin in his own swimming memoir. While fighting the currents – sometimes treading water Minihane swims to explore, to forget, to find the path back to himself through nature, and in the water under an open sky he finally begins to find his peace.

Floating is a remarkable memoir about a love of swimming and a deep appreciation for the British countryside: it captures Minihane’s struggle to understand himself, and the healing properties of wild stretches of water. From Hampstead to Yorkshire, Dorset to Jura, the Isles of Scilly to Wales, Minihane uses Waterlog to trace his own path by diving right in.

Reviews

  • 'Lovely, lively, passionate... a celebration of nature's ability to inspire healing and joy' Robert MacFarlane

  • ‘Minihane writes with refreshing candour... a transformative emotional journey’ Observer 

  • 'Roger Deakin’s Waterlog journey, rebooted for the 21st century, Floating is a delicious slice of nature writing with a truly human heart' Alexandra Heminsley, author of Leap In 

  • ‘Minihane writes cleanly and with honesty, and never misses a factual or stylistic stroke’ TLS

  • 'A gem... so thoughtful. Prose as clean and beautiful as a good swim' Jessica Lee, author of Turning

  • ‘An ode to the joys of wild swimming in Britain’ Lonely Planet

  • ‘I love this book... this has to sit next to Waterlog in every swimmer’s library’ Jenny Landreth, author of Swell: A Waterbiography

  • 'Minihane finds in swimming a rare moment of being free from anxiety and learns that it can be integral in overcoming depression' Wanderlust 

  • ‘A string of immersive green dreams, from still, pollen-dusted ponds of warm days to the cold churning power of the sea...  this is an effortless, absorbing read. Floating highlights the beautiful variety of outdoor swims possible in Britain and the great positive impact they can have’ Caught by the River 

  • ‘Minihane writes with a compulsive honesty and clarity that draws you into its stream as beguiling as any river Deakin ever swam – a wonderful read. Highly recommended!’ Kate Rew founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society

  • ‘Engaging and enjoyable... as much a commentary on the changing nature of Britain as a celebration of wild swimming’ The Idler

  • ‘A wonderful book: a love letter to wild swimming, a hate letter to anxiety and a story of how we can learn to live with ourselves, our overclocked minds, even after we climb out of the water’ Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine

Effie

Ebook: September 25, 2014
Hardback: October 21, 2010
Paperback: April 26, 2012

Effie

Suzanne Fagence Cooper

Category: Memoir & Biography, History,

The scandalous love triangle at the heart of the Victorian art world. Effie Gray, a Scottish beauty, was the heroine of a great Victorian love story. Married at nineteen to John Ruskin, she found herself trapped in a loveless and unconsummated union. When her husband invited his protégé John Everett Millais away on holiday, she and Millais fell in love. Effie would inspire some of Millais’s most haunting images, and embody Victorian society’s fears about female sexuality.

Effie risked everything by leaving Ruskin. She hoped to find fulfilment as Millais’s wife, becoming a society hostess and manager of his studio, but controversy and tragedy continued to stalk her. Suzanne Fagence Cooper has gained exclusive access to Effie’s family letters and diaries to reveal the reality behind the scandalous love-triangle. She shows the rise and fall of the Pre-Raphaelite circle from a new perspective, through the eyes of a woman who was intimately involved in the private and public lives of its two greatest figures. Effie’s charm and ambition helped to shape the careers of both her husbands. Effie is a compelling portrait of the extraordinary woman behind some of the most famous Pre-Raphaelite paintings.

Reviews

  • 'Effie Gray's story is extraordinary and Cooper feasts upon it with appetite... I cannot recommend Fagence Cooper's biography of Effie Gray more highly to anyone with a heart, a liking for a good read and an interest in things Victorian' Henrietta Garnett, Literary Review

  • 'This is an exceptional book about an exceptional trio and the exceptional families that formed them' The Scotsman

  • 'A joy to read - a wonderful, rich book' Emma Thompson

  • 'At last Effie Millais has been given her voice and it is marvelous one. Effie emerges as a courageous, intelligent, resourceful, woman who refused to go quietly. In unsettling Victorian society, she left the door ajar for generations of women. Suzanne Fagence Cooper elegantly brings to life the glittering world of Victorian art and the socially complicated one of a woman who wed the two cultural giants of the age and not only survived, but thrived! Effie's story is a haunting one. I couldn't put it down' Linda Lear, author of Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature

The Bright Continent

Ebook: September 25, 2014
Paperback: September 25, 2014

The Bright Continent

Dayo Olopade

Dayo Olopade knew from personal experience that Western news reports on conflict, disease, and poverty obscure the true story of modern Africa. So she crossed sub-Saharan Africa to document how ordinary people deal with their daily challenges. She found what the media ignores: a continent of ambitious reformers and young social entrepreneurs, driven by kanju – creativity born of African difficulty. It’s a trait found in pioneers like Kenneth Nnebue, who turned cheap VHS tapes into the multimillion-dollar film industry Nollywood. Or Ushahidi, a technology collective that crowdsources citizen activism and disaster relief.

A shining counterpoint to the conventional wisdom, The Bright Continent rewrites Africa’s challenges as opportunities to innovate and celebrates a history of doing more with less as a powerful model for the rest of the world.

Reviews

  • 'For anyone who wants to understand how the African economy really works, The Bright Continent is a good place to start' Reuters

  • 'The Bright Continent will change your view of Africa. It's that simple. A lively and enjoyable read' Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO of the New America Foundation

  • 'A book that bracingly lives up to its title. An Africa we are all too unaccustomed to seeing comes vividly to life thanks to Olopade's restless eye and keen curiosity' Howard French, author of A Continent for the Taking

  • 'A long overdue and much needed corrective to the dominant perception of Africa' Dinaw Mengestu, author of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and All Our Names

  • '[An] upbeat study of development in Africa... The book is written more in wonder at African ingenuity than in anger at foreign incomprehension' New Yorker

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