Top list: Lifestyle and hobby

A feel-good tale of unlikely friendship, community and learning to live life in the slow lane, perfect for fans of Clare Pooley and Hazel Prior

Daniel isn’t used to living life in the slow lane. So when he finds himself unexpectedly jobless and back in his old Cornish hometown, he can’t sit still.

Hazel used to be adventurous too. But now widowed and in her eighties, she barely leaves the house. When she sees an advert for Daniel’s new walking club, she grabs at the chance of some excitement.

Daniel’s heart sinks when he sees that the only person who’s turned up for his walking club is the crazy old lady from two doors down. But what he doesn’t expect is to discover that Hazel is one of the most fascinating people he’s ever met . . .

A gorgeous, warm and uplifting story about friendship, community, adventure and the joy of walking.

Emmeline Duncan presents Book 1 in the Ground Rules Mystery series.

How much do you know about Japan? Whether you're planning a visit or are just fascinated by Japanese culture, you'll enjoy learning all about the country famous for kitten cafes, Samurai and the Sky Tree. In this fascinating audiobook, narrator Charles King talks us through over one hundred amazing facts, from interesting information about the country's climate and geography to famous figures from history. For anyone wanting to find out more about Japan, a modern country yet one steeped in history and tradition, this is the perfect book.

A unique collaboration from two of America’s leading artists that explores the fascinating and hidden history of the plant world.

In this witty, deeply original book, the renowned novelist Jamaica Kincaid offers an ABC of the plants that define our world and reveals the often brutal history behind them.

Kara Walker, one of America’s greatest visual artists, illustrates each entry with provocative, brilliant, enthralling, many-layered watercolors.

There has never been a book like An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Colored Children—so inventive and surprising about what our gardens reveal.

This audiobook contains a supplemental PDF.

Mystery Unraveled: A Paranormal Puzzle

Lucy Swift, witch and knitting shop owner, thought her biggest challenge at a marketing course in Oxford would be untangling the enigma of consumer behavior, not a murder mystery. But amid the hallowed halls, someone is weaving a deceptive web that leaves Lucy second-guessing her senses. It's all fun and games until a corpse appears in her dormitory, silent and still—definitely not an illusion.

Now, with her best friend Jennifer and her black cat familiar Nyx at her side, Lucy must stitch together clues with the help of her nocturnal companions, the vampire knitting club, who are more adept at needles than neck-biting. Can Lucy and friends solve this crime, or will the killer strike again, leaving only silence and secrets in their wake?

Embark on a bewitching tale of twists, turns, and turmoil where the line between charming spells and chilling crimes is as fine as a strand of yarn. Cables and Conjurers is a self-contained paranormal cozy mystery, laced with humor and a knotty plot that promises to keep you guessing—and giggling—until the very end. No sex or gore, just good clean murderous fun.

The life and career of the legendary developer celebrated as the "godfather of computer gaming," and creator of Civilization.

Over his four-decade career, Sid Meier has produced some of the world's most popular video games, including Sid Meier's Civilization, which has sold more than 51 million units worldwide and accumulated more than one billion hours of play. Sid Meier's Memoir! is the story of an obsessive young computer enthusiast who helped launch a multibillion-dollar industry. Writing with warmth and ironic humor, Meier describes the genesis of his influential studio, MicroProse, founded in 1982 after a trip to a Las Vegas arcade, and recounts the development of landmark games, from vintage classics like Pirates! and Railroad Tycoon, to Civilization and beyond.

Articulating his philosophy that a video game should be "a series of interesting decisions," Meier also shares his perspective on the history of the industry, the psychology of gamers, and fascinating insights into the creative process, including his rules of good game design.

Auri Kananen, or Aurikatariina, is an expert in house cleaning and an international social media influencer with over 15 million combined followers. This guide teaches pros and those with junk pile homes to transform their living space from disaster to sanctuary.

Nancy Warren presents Book 8 in the Vampire Knitting Club series.

IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR: There's very little time left before her wedding, but nonetheless Tara Meehan is helping out at her Uncle Johnny's salvage mill for the day. The event promises to deliver a real pot of gold until Rose's biggest rival shows up. It's up to Tara to identify the deadly baker before another victim ends up chasing the rainbow straight into a grave . . .

AN IRISH RECIPE FOR MURDER by PEGGY EHRHART: To celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year, the Arborville, New Jersey, Advocate is sponsoring a soda bread–baking competition. But when a town councilman acting as a judge keels over after sampling an entry, the party atmosphere dies just as quickly. Now it's up to Bettina and her Knit and Nibble knitting club bestie, Pamela Paterson, to find the killer responsible for the murderous morsel.

MRS. CLAUS AND THE SINISTER SODA BREAD MAN by LIZ IRELAND: When April Claus arrives in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon, to check on her flooded inn, her biggest worry is to keep everyone from realizing her three companions—Jingles, Juniper, and Butterbean—are elves. But soon enough she has more serious worries—it looks like her hapless caretaker Ernie has been storing stolen goods at the inn! It's up to April to uncover the killer before she spends St. Patrick's Day in the county jail!

Everything® cookbooks are a popular choice for home cooks looking for fresh, original recipes that only taste you’ve spent all day in the kitchen. But now we’ve collected fifty of our most delicious, freezer-ready recipes. Here’s all you need to get started making tasty, satisfying recipes from Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken to Hot Fudge Sundae Pie.

A knitting shop in Oxford ought to be quiet . . .

But Cardinal Woolsey's is anything but. Continue the adventures of witch Lucy Swift and her undead knitting club in this collection of cozy mysteries, including Lace and Lies, Bobbles and Broomsticks, and Popcorn and Poltergeists.

In Lace and Lies, the knitting shop's been chosen to appear on TV with celebrity knitting designer Teddy Lamont, but things go wrong on and off the camera, and somebody doesn’t make it to the final credits.

Bobbles and Broomsticks takes Lucy and friends to a wedding in a beautiful, ancient church, where a beam falls and destroys more than the marriage ceremony. It's easy to blame the death watch beetle, but is someone more sinister trying to frame the wood-boring insects for murder?

Popcorn and Poltergeists takes Lucy and Rafe to a college library where strange things are happening. A poltergeist is throwing fits, but is the obstreperous spirit a killer? Or are the ghostly temper-tantrums a warning?

Nancy Warren presents Book 5 in the Vampire Knitting Club series.

Dovetailing on the success of Training for the New Alpinism and Patagonia's own emphasis on all mountain use, Training for the Uphill Athlete translates theory into methodology to allow you to write your own training plans and coach yourself to endurance goals.

**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**

A Scotsman’s guide to the extraordinary tapestry of the land, history, folklore and stories of his homeland.

From the majestic beauty of the wild Scottish landscape to the hidden traces of its history waiting to be uncovered in every town and village, Andrew McAlindon is enthralled by the country he is lucky enough to call home. As one of Scotland’s busiest tour guides in real life and online, Andy travels around the country to ancient sites such as castles, cemeteries, burial chambers and prisons, celebrating the history, folklore, superstitions and the fascinating people that make Scotland so unique.

Lochs and Legends is Andy’s love letter to Scotland, a love that began when he landed a part on the worldwide phenomenon Outlander, and led to him dedicating his life to learning more about the true star of the show – Scotland. A social media sensation as Andy the Highlander, his first book opens up Scotland’s secrets to anyone, even if they can only explore it from the comfort of their armchair. It invites you to time travel with Andy, walking in the footsteps of kings and queens, lairds and ladies, murderers, farmers, poets, invading armies, and everyday folks like himself. It is Scotland as you’ve never seen it before.

Amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting stuffed yarn pieces, is incredibly popular. Many of the designs, by nature, are adorable, but imagine if your time spent crocheting and the art you produce could also be considered functional, even loveable. Amigurumi Loveys and Blankets author, Ariana Wimsett, takes the adorableness of amigurumi animals and adds it to loveys and blankets to create a sweet security blanket. The book opens with an insightful introduction on crochet basics, and then includes 16 adorable crochet patterns like a giraffe, bear, dragon, and so much more. The author has even created one pattern specifically for this book. Give a gift of homemade love this year and for years to come. Little ones will latch onto these huggable companions and never let them go.

'All the staples of the prison memoir are here: sadistic guards and attempted break-out, the terrors of solitary confinement, the joys of freedom . . . The result is a truly gripping piece of testimony'

Sunday Telegraph

A darkly comic, sometimes shocking account of life in San Pedro, the world's most bizarre prison, through the eyes of one bemused Englishman.

When Thomas McFadden was arrested trying to smuggle five kilos of cocaine out of Bolivia, he was flung into San Pedro prison - the strangest penitentiary system in the world. Thomas was astonished to discover that corrupt politicians and major-league drug smugglers lived in luxury apartments in one wing, while the poorer sections of the prison were too dangerous to enter after dark. Prisoners had to pay for everything: their cells, their food and their clothing, not to mention the many bribes required by the police. To survive in San Pedro you needed an income - and so prisoners turned to the trade they knew best: manufacturing cocaine. Even the prison cat was addicted to crack.

Initially mistaken for a hated American, Thomas survived numerous attempts on his life as he tried to adjust. In Marching Powder he describes his journey from despised gringo to San Pedro's most famous inmate. After trying drug dealing, shopkeeping and becoming a Mormon pastor, he hit upon the idea of giving guided tours of the prison. Thomas became legendary on the South American backpacking circuit - which is how he met young lawyer Rusty Young. Rusty was so impressed by him that he moved into the prison for three months to write his story - discovering that behind the show Thomas put on was a much darker reality, where brutality and death were common currency, and sometimes even the strongest didn't survive.

The Art of the Straight Line captures the energy of Lou Reed’s worlds of Tai Chi, music, and meditation. It was edited by his wife, the artist Laurie Anderson, with Stephan Berwick, Bob Currie, and Scott Richman.

Lou Reed was a musician, singer, songwriter, poet, and founding member of the legendary rock band the Velvet Underground. He collaborated with many artists, from Andy Warhol and John Cale to Robert Wilson and Metallica. Reed had a groundbreaking solo career that spanned five decades until his death in 2013.

Reed was also an accomplished martial artist whose practice began in the 1980s. He studied with Chen Tai Chi pioneer Master Ren GuangYi. This book is a comprehensive collection of Reed’s writings on Tai Chi. It includes conversations with Reed’s fellow musicians, artists, friends, and Tai Chi practitioners, including Julian Schnabel, A. M. Homes, Hal Willner, Mingyur Rinpoche, Eddie Stern, Tony Visconti, and Iggy Pop.

The Art of the Straight Line features Reed’s unpublished writings on the technique, practice, and purpose of martial arts, as well as essays, observations, and riffs on meditation and life.

Anyone who reads this will be delighted by the great common sense of Hudson’s observations and insights. A splendid book...chock-full of goodness and I can’t think of anyone I know who wouldn’t benefit from reading it.

Marcus Berkmann, Daily Mail

'A brilliant, brilliant book.'

Chris Evans

What is the connection between crawling through a jungle and your ‘to do’ list? What can ejecting out of a stealth bomber teach you about the importance of thinking the worst? What can surviving in extreme situations teach us about surviving everyday life?

John Hudson, Chief Survival Instructor to the British Military, knows what it takes to survive. Combining first-hand experience with 20 years of studying the choices people have made under the most extreme pressure, How to Survive is a lifetime’s worth of wisdom about how to apply the principles of survival to everyday life.

The cornerstone of military survival (surviving anything) is understanding the relationship between effort, hope and goals – a mindset that can be transposed anytime, anywhere. In How to Survive you will learn how this template for survival can be applied to any situation in your everyday life.

Through gripping first-hand accounts of near disaster and survival stories from across the extreme world you will learn that by following these principles you can develop the mindset that will allow you to make better decisions under pressure, which are as equally applicable to first dates and presentations as to climbing Everest and getting lost at sea.

'When it comes to survival and getting out of trouble, listen to this man. John is the real deal.' - Levison Wood

Inspired by The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, this book will light a fire under your untidy ass with humor and helpful organizing tips that you’ll actually want to use. Like a delightfully foul-mouthed best friend, this book dishes out the funny, unpretentious advice you need to hear most. You’ll discover how to deal with your sh*t like there’s no tomorrow, live in the moment without the f*cking mess, and make your life and your eventual death a hell of a lot easier. With this witty guide, you’ll learn how to -ditch the d*mn indecision -get your sh*t together and feel fantastic -give your busy family a f*cking break -and more! Whether you’re getting ready to move in, move on, or just move your ass, Nobody Wants Your Sh*t will help you take control of your f*cking life.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Glucose Revolution, a four-week, four-step program for living a healthier, happier life with balanced blood sugar including over 100 recipes, an interactive workbook, and the guidance to make the “new science of nutrition…practical for everyone” (Robert H. Lustig, MD, MSL, New York Times bestselling author of Fat Chance).

Do you suffer from cravings, chronic fatigue, or sugar addiction? Do you sometimes wake up in the morning feeling unable to face the day? Most of the population is stuck on a glucose roller coaster.

In her first book, the instant #1 internationally bestselling Glucose Revolution, Jessie Inchauspé offered a revolutionary framework for healing through science-backed nutrition hacks. Now, in The Glucose Goddess Method, she shares the “best practical guide for managing glucose to maximize health and longevity” (David Sinclair, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Lifespan) with this four-week program to incorporating the principles of how to avoid glucose spikes into your everyday life.

Complete with 100 recipes and an interactive workbook, you are guided through four simple, science-proven ways to steady your blood sugar, gaining boundless energy, curbing your cravings, clearing your skin, slowing your ageing process, and sleeping better than you ever have before. You will create positive new habits for life. The best part? You won’t be counting calories and can still eat all the foods you love.