Guardian Faber Publishing – serie

"When it sings, a garden will have the power to transport and to lead you to a place that is magical. It is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty."In Natural Selection, Dan Pearson draws on ten years of his Observer columns to explore the rhythms and pleasures of a year in the garden. Travelling between his city-bound plot in Peckham and twenty acres of rolling hillside in Somerset, he celebrates the beautiful skeletons of the winter garden, the joyous passage into spring, the heady smell of summer's bud break and the flaring of colour in autumn. Pearson's irresistible enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge overflow in a book teeming with tips to inspire your own space, be it a city window box or country field. Bringing you a newfound appreciation of nature, both wild and tamed, reading Natural Selection is a deeply restorative experience.

The incredible story of how an unassuming playing card company became one of the dominant cultural forces of the twenty-first century: Super Nintendo is a joyous ode to our love of gaming by one of the most trusted voices in video games writing.'A book bursting with love. Bop your head against it and see if a shower of gold coins comes out'SAM LEITH, THE TIMES'MacDonald writes brilliantly . . . a great book'CHARLIE BROOKER'An engaging history of Japan's most famous business.'STEPHEN BUSH, FINANCIAL TIMES (Best Books of the Summer)FEATURING CHAPTERS ONUltrahand, Donkey Kong, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pokémon, Kirby's Adventures, Wii Sports, Animal Crossing, Nintendo Labo, Super Smash Bros, Splatoon'Fascinating' MAIL ON SUNDAY'Affectionate' IRISH INDEPENDENT'Charming' SPECTATOR'Brilliant' MIRROR'MacDonald's conversations with all the gifted (and often eccentric) creative people who actually make the games are full of such wholesome insights, as are her own superb analyses of favourite games, and of the general vibe of Nintendo'GUARDIAN'If you want to learn about Nintendo, this is the book to do it'NINTENDOLIFE

A moving account of life in Palestine in the wake of the events of October 7th.'Who Will Tell My Story? finds beauty and grace amongst the rubble while never shying away from the brutal realities of living through such relentless and cruel oppression.' NIKESH SHUKLAIt was a sleepless night full of tears and fear . . . I am not sure - if I make it out alive - if I will still possess what makes me, me. And I wonder: will I be there in the future, or will I be someone to be remembered in a diary or over a cup of tea by a friend after I am gone?Who Will Tell My Story? presents an ordinary existence interrupted by unfathomably seismic and unjust events. On the ground during the first months of the assault on Gaza following the events of 7 October, the author of this diary - first published in The Guardian - maps out the physical and psychological terrain of a life under siege.Traversing the bombed ruins of his country, we see him as he searches for foodstuffs and power to charge devices, maintaining contact with the outside world, checking in with his friends and family along the way; we see his heart swing between despair and faith, fear and optimism, his mind imagining different futures and confronting the brutal truth of his present.Shining a light on the fate of all those living through war and occupation, Who Will Tell My Story? conveys with astonishing clarity how seeds of hope might linger amid the most trying of times.

In his latest laugh-out-loud collection of misanthropic scribblings, hideous Q-list celebrity failure Charlie Brooker tackles everything from the misery of nightclubs to the death of Michael Jackson, making room for Sir Alan Sugar, potato crisps, global financial meltdown, conspiracy theories and Hole in the Wall along the way. The collapse of civilisation has never felt this funny (unless you're a sociopath, in which case it's been an uninterrupted laugh riot since the days of the Somme).This book is guaranteed to brighten your life, put a spring in your step, and lie to you on its back cover.

THEY STEAL IDENTITIES.THEY BREAK THE LAW.THEY SLEEP WITH THE ENEMY.THEY ARE THE UNDERCOVER POLICE.This is the breathtaking story of forty years of state espionage revealed by award-winning journalists Rob Evans and Paul Lewis.

For Who the Bell Tolls is a book that explains the grammar that people really need to know, such as the fact that an apostrophe is the difference between a company that knows its s*** and a company that knows it's s***, or the importance of capital letters to avoid ambiguity in such sentences as 'I helped my Uncle Jack off his horse.'David Marsh's lifelong mission has been to create order out of chaos. For four decades, he has worked for newspapers, from the Sun to the Financial Times, from local weeklies that sold a few thousand copies to the Guardian, with its global readership of nine million, turning the sow's ear of rough-and-ready reportage into a passable imitation of a silk purse.The chaos might be sloppy syntax, a disregard for grammar or a fundamental misunderstanding of what grammar is. It could be an adherence to 'rules' that have no real basis and get in the way of fluent, unambiguous communication at the expense of ones that are actually useful. Clear, honest use of English has many enemies: politicians, business and marketing people, local authority and civil service jargonauts, rail companies, estate agents, academics . . . and some journalists. This is the book to help defeat them. 'A splendid and, more importantly, sane book on English grammar.' Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon

THE SUNDAY TIMES-BESTSELLING BOOK BY ONE OF BRITAIN'S BEST-LOVED COMIC WRITERS**Pre-order now: David Mitchell's new book Dishonesty is the Second-best Policy**There are many aspects of modern life that trouble award-winning comedian David Mitchell, such as: Why is every film or TV programme a sequel or a remake? Why are people so f***ing hung up about swearing? Why do the asterisks in that sentence make it ok? Why do so many people want to stop other people doing things, and how can they be stopped from stopping them?Join Mitchell on a tour of the absurdities of our times - from Ryanair to Richard III, Downton Abbey to phone etiquette, UKIP to hotdogs made of cats. Funny, provocative and shot through with refreshing amounts of common sense, Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse celebrates and commiserates on the state of things in our not entirely glorious modern world.'Mitchell is an exceptionally clever, eloquent and spot-on commentator. We should be grateful for him.' Daily Mail, Books of the Year

'It's not the people who are bad, it's the culture.''Friends turned on me, on my wife.' 'This job involves in some part selling your soul for a good salary.' 'You're sitting there, and you may have just made the decision that destroyed the world.'Winner of the NS Public Prize for Book of the Year 2015Joris Luyendijk, an investigative journalist, knew almost nothing about banking until he was assigned to investigate the financial sector. Over two years he spoke to more than 200 people - from the competitive investment bankers and elite hedge fund managers to downtrodden back office staff and those made redundant in regular 'culls'. They opened up about what they actually do, about the toxic hiring and firing culture and about the overwhelming technological and mathematical opacity of their work. They admitted that in the crash of 2008, they hoarded food, put their money in gold and prepared to evacuate their children to the countryside. And they agreed that nothing had changed since then.

Swallow and starling, puffin and peregrine, blue tit and blackcap. We use these names so often that few of us ever pause to wonder about their origins. What do they mean? Where did they come from? And who created them?The words we use to name birds are some of the most lyrical and evocative in the English language. They also tell incredible stories: of epic expeditions, fierce battles between rival ornithologists, momentous historical events and touching romantic gestures.Through fascinating encounters with birds, and the rich cast of characters who came up with their names, in Mrs Moreau's Warbler Stephen Moss takes us on a remarkable journey through time. From when humans and birds first shared the earth to our fraught present-day coexistence, Moss shows how these names reveal as much about ourselves and our relationship with the natural world as about the creatures they describe.

1st November 2006: Alexander Litvinenko is brazenly poisoned in central London. Twenty-two days later he dies, killed from the inside by Polonium - a rare, lethal and highly radioactive substance. His crime? He had made some powerful enemies in Russia. This is the inside story of the life and death of Litvinenko and of Russia's new cold war with the west. Harding traces the journey of the nuclear poison across London, from hotel room to nightclub, assassin to victim. It's a deadly trail that leads back to Vladimir Putin, and to a regime exposed by the Panama Papers. Luke Harding's investigation into the death of Alexander Litvinenko, A Very Expensive Poison, may also help us shed light on the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury. From the author of the No.1 New York Times bestseller Collusion.

'Really wonderful . . . it's amazing, she's amazing, buy this book.' STANLEY TUCCI'Valeria lets you in on the region's secrets and there is a beauty and sincerity to her writing.' RACHEL RODDYIntroducing Italy's best kept secret . . . the cuisine of the Veneto.Food-writer, cook and photographer Valeria Necchio shares the food and flavours at the heart of the Veneto region in North Eastern Italy. Veneto includes lovingly written recipes that capture the spirit of this beautiful and often unexplored region, and Valeria's memories of the people and places that make the Veneto so special.Packed with fresh ingredients and lively flavours, the recipes range from the dramatic black cuttlefish stew, through soups, pastas and risottos, a mouthwatering selection of Italian sweet treats, and sweet and savoury preserves for your pantry to ensure year-round deliciousness.

Are you smarter than a Singaporean ten-year-old?Can you beat Sherlock Holmes?If you think the answer is yes - I challenge you to solve my problems. Here are 125 of the world's best brainteasers from the last two millennia, taking us from ancient China to medieval Europe, Victorian England to modern-day Japan, with stories of espionage, mathematical breakthroughs and puzzling rivalries along the way.Pit your wits against logic puzzles and kinship riddles, pangrams and river-crossing conundrums. Some solutions rely on a touch of cunning, others call for creativity, others need mercilessly logical thought. Some can only be solved be 2 per cent of the population. All are guaranteed to sharpen your mind. Let's get puzzling!

LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2019A devastating portrait of America's opioid painkiller epidemic - the deadliest drug crisis in US history. One hundred and fifty Americans are killed each day by the opioid epidemic. But, as Chris McGreal reveals it was an avoidable tragedy driven by bad science, corporate greed and a corrupted medical system. He tells the stories of the families devastated by painkillers they thought would heal, and the physicians and scientists who took on the drug companies behind the epidemic. American Overdose is a powerful account of the terrible human cost of the crisis, and a stark warning of the consequences of running a health care system as a business, not a service.

A NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITINGLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZEA searing portrait of Britain's hostile environment by the journalist behind the Windrush exposé. 'A timely reminder of what truly great journalists can achieve.' DAVID OLUSOGA'[Gentleman's] reporting proves why an independent press is so vital.' RENI EDDO-LODGE'A book that keeps you informed and makes you angry.'GARY YOUNGE'It is impossible to overstate the importance of this heartbreaking book.' JAMES O'BRIENHow do you pack for a one-way journey back to a country you left when you were eleven and have not visited for fifty years?Amelia Gentleman's exposé of the Windrush scandal - where thousands of British citizens were wrongly classified as illegal immigrants with life-shattering consequences - shocked the nation and led to the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary. Here, Gentleman tells the full story for the first time.'Essential . . . a damning indictment.' SIR LENNY HENRY'Gentleman boldly chronicles the devastating reality of a scandal that illegalised, imbruted and abandoned British citizens.'DAVID LAMMY MP'I'm thankful for the truth and hope [. . .] in Amelia Gentleman's The Windrush Betrayal.'ALI SMITH'A devastating account.'CLAIRE TOMALIN

'Optimism, mojo, complete bollocks. That's what the country is crying out for.'There is now only one certainty in life. When things can't possibly get worse, they absolutely will. And so, after three years of Maybot malfunctioning and Brexit bungling, welcome to BoJo the clown's national circus - where fun for none of the family is guaranteed. Fear not, however: Decline and Fail is your personal survival guide to the ongoing political apocalypse. This unremittingly entertaining collection of John Crace's lifegiving political sketches will get you through the darkest of days - or failing that, will at least help you see the funny side. Miss it at your peril...

'This is Rayner at his rambunctious best: upfront, full-fat, and always deliciously written.' Nigella Lawson'A sophisticated palate and a fiery, comic tongue. Jay Rayner's food writing is brilliant.' Stanley TucciWhy are gravy stains on your shirt at the dinner table to be admired? Does bacon improve everything? And is gin really the devil's work?In this rollicking collection of his hilarious columns, the award-winning writer and Observer restaurant critic Jay Rayner answers these vital questions and many, many more. They are glorious dispatches, seasoned in equal measure with both enthusiasm and bile, from decades at the very frontline of eating.'Deliciousness served up in book form.' Philippa Perry'Wonderfully funny, foodie and perfectly short.' Tom Kerridge

For the whole of human history, we have lived alongside birds. We have hunted and domesticated them for food; venerated them in our mythologies, religion and rituals; exploited them for their natural resources; and been inspired by them for our music, art and poetry.In Ten Birds that Changed the World, naturalist and author Stephen Moss tells the gripping story of this long and eventful relationship through ten key species from all seven of the world's continents. From Odin's faithful raven companions to Darwin's finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening and endlessly engaging work of natural history.

**JOHN CRACE'S NEW BOOK DEPRAVED NEW WORLD IS AVAILABLE NOW**Infectiously entertaining political satire, from the author of Decline and Fail and I, Maybot.Throughout another year of bluster and bedlam in Westminster, John Crace's brilliantly acerbic political sketches have once more provided the nation with a much-needed injection of humour.In A Farewell to Calm, Crace introduces an infectiously funny selection of his finest pieces from 2020-21, taking in everything from a summer of unfathomable U-turns to Christmas Covid confusion, and from lockdown-lifting to Brexit blithering.Led by Boris's poundshop Churchill tribute act, and featuring a cast of everyone's least favourite pantomime villains, from Classic Dom Cummings to Door Matt Hancock, the end result is a brilliantly entertaining chronicle of another tumultuous year on these benighted islands.

In this stunning and inspiring guide, Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society, takes you on a wild journey across Britain, braving the elements to experience first-hand some of the country's most awe-inspiring swim spots, from tidal pools in the Outer Hebrides to the white-sand beaches of the Isles of Scilly.Waterfalls, natural jacuzzis, sea caves, meandering rivers - every swim is described in loving detail, taking in not only the gleeful humour of each mini-adventure and the breathtaking beauty of the surroundings, but also practical information about how to find these remote spots.Featuring evocative photography from Dominick Tyler, this is a must-have book for serious swimmers and seaside paddlers alike, and is perfect for the outdoors enthusiast in your life.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**Marina Hyde's new book, What a Time to be Alive! is available for pre-order now**Relive the delusional fever-dream of the modern era.'Thank f*ck for Marina Hyde: the most lethal, vital, screamingly funny truth-teller of our time.'PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE'The most brilliantly funny columnist of our time.'GARY LINEKER'It's a scientific FACT: Marina Hyde is Britain's funniest writer.'CAITLIN MORANNo other writer is more suited to chronicling the absurd times in which we live.In What Just Happened?! Marina Hyde slashes her way through the hellscape of post-referendum politics, where the chaos never stops. Clamber aboard as we relive every inspirational moment of magic, from David Cameron to Theresa May to Boris Johnson. Marvel at the sights, from Trumpian WTF-ery to celebrity twattery. And boggle at the cast of characters: Hollywood sex offenders, populists, sporting heroes (and villains), dastardly dukes, media barons, movie stars, reality TV monsters, billionaires, police officers, various princes and princesses, wicked advisers, philanthropists, fauxlanthropists, telly chefs, and (naturally) Gwyneth Paltrow. It's the full state banquet of crazy - and you're most cordially invited.Drawn from her spectacularly funny Guardian columns, What Just Happened?! is a welcome blast of humour and sanity in a world where reality has become stranger than fiction.'A joyous rallying voice in British journalism.'GRAYSON PERRY'An infinite number of gag-writers, working all day in a gag factory, couldn't come up with any of the perfectly-formed one-liners that populate Marina Hyde's hilarious writing . . . But behind the wit lurks real anger, argument, exasperation and intelligence. Her writing is more than a gentle poke in the ribs: it's a well-wrought and deftly aimed smash in the teeth.'ARMANDO IANNUCCIMarina Hyde's book What Just Happened!? was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/c 08-10-2022

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**Marina Hyde's new book, What a Time to be Alive! is available for pre-order now***** From the co-host of the hilarious new podcast with Richard Osman, The Rest is Entertainment *** Now includes ELEVEN new columns and a whole THREE new prime ministers.Relive the delusional fever-dream of the modern era.'Thank f*ck for Marina Hyde: the most lethal, vital, screamingly funny truth-teller of our time.'PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE'The most brilliantly funny columnist of our time.'GARY LINEKER'It's a scientific FACT: Marina Hyde is Britain's funniest writer.'CAITLIN MORANDrawn from her spectacularly funny Guardian columns, What Just Happened?! is a welcome blast of humour and sanity in a world where reality has become stranger than fiction. Join Hyde as she revisits every moment of magic, from David Cameron to Theresa May to Boris Johnson to Rishi Sunak. Did we miss anyone? Boggle at the cast of characters: Hollywood sex offenders, populists, sporting heroes (and villains), media barons, reality TV monsters, police officers, wicked advisers, philanthropists, fauxlanthropists, frostbitten princes and (naturally) Gwyneth Paltrow. It's the full state banquet of crazy - and you're most cordially invited.'A joyous rallying voice in British journalism.'GRAYSON PERRY'An infinite number of gag-writers, working all day in a gag factory, couldn't come up with any of the perfectly-formed one-liners that populate Marina Hyde's hilarious writing . . . But behind the wit lurks real anger, argument, exasperation and intelligence. Her writing is more than a gentle poke in the ribs: it's a well-wrought and deftly aimed smash in the teeth.'ARMANDO IANNUCCIMarina Hyde's book What Just Happened!? was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/c 08-10-2022

**JOHN'S NEW BOOK THE BONFIRE OF THE INSANITIES IS AVAILABLE NOW**From bestselling author and beloved Guardian columnist John Crace comes a blisteringly hilarious tour through the whirlwind of post-Brexit Britain, from the ousting of Boris to the dawn of a new era . . . sort of. O brave new world, that has such people in't. Or not. William Shakespeare clearly had never imagined a clusterf*ck on this scale. Given the state of the country right now, he would be in need of a long lie down.Another month, another prime minister - how many have we been through now? But fear not: despite all the nonsense that has spewed forth from Westminster over the past two years, John Crace's brilliantly lacerating political sketches have provided the nation with some desperately needed relief.Taking in everything from Partygate, BoJo's drawn-out farewell and the disastrous reign of Liz Truss, to the psychodrama of the Tory leadership contest(s), the return of Rishi Sunak and the shenanigans of his impressively inept colleagues, Depraved New World is a worryingly funny collection which captures British politics at its most absurd.

The hilarious new collection from 'the king of the football comic strip.' (Sunday Telegraph)SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPORTS BOOK AWARDS' SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR'There's simply no one better at what he does.' FourFourTwoFootball moves so quickly these days that it can be hard to keep track of everything. But fret not, weary traveller: David Squires is here to guide you through the pandemonium.Taking us from 2018 to the 2024 Euro, Squires tackles some of the sport's most pressing questions: Is Emo José Mourinho doing okay after his latest ride on the managerial carousel? How many more teams will be lucky enough to be bought by 'benevolent' billionaires? Will Manchester City ever let anyone else win the Premier League again? And how on earth does FIFA continue to be laughably inept in almost every way imaginable . . . ?Drawn from the immensely popular Guardian cartoons, Chaos in the Box captures modern football's most memorable - and ludicrous - moments.

A new serving of satire from bestselling author and beloved Guardian columnist John Crace.'I lap up everything John Crace writes gratefully: I love his cleverness, his wit, and his heart.' NIGELLA LAWSONIt ended as it began. With Downing Street under grey leaden skies. Someone's idea of a cosmic joke. Only this time the rain had eased to a light drizzle rather than a torrential downpour. If you're a Tory, you take your blessings where you find them on days like these.After fourteen years of Tory rule, John Crace has seen it all: a bucket-load of sleaze and scandals, myriad questionable policy decisions, and an ever-revolving door of impressive* candidates trying to get themselves to the top of a sinking ship.With a bumpy start, Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and the Labour Party have taken the reins while Kemi Badenoch and the Tories slink off to regroup in opposition. Many proclaim that the United Kingdom's political landscape has changed - but are those fabled sunlit uplands finally in view? Selected from Crace's much-loved Guardian column, The Bonfire of the Insanities lights up a new chapter of governmental absurdity with mordant wit and caustic humour.(*terms and conditions apply)

A perceptive, generous survey of Britain's towns, in all their grit and glory.Take your pick. Dubrovnik or Doncaster? Corfu or Crewe? A safari in Kenya or an abandoned zoo on the Isle of Man? Most people in the United Kingdom live and work in towns. Only a handful of these ordinarily qualify as conventional tourist destinations, with most deemed too plain, rundown or unfun to be worthy of a leisure visit, but they have much to offer for the inquisitive traveler.Travelling from Warrington, Birkenhead and Slough to East Kilbride, Armagh, Newport and beyond, Chris Moss seeks out Britain's bypassed towns. As he encounters the rich stories and spirits of these places, peeling back layers of history and culture, he considers why most have ignored the hidden pleasures they have to offer, be they Stockport's viaduct, one of the largest brick structures in the world; the scene-defining punk venues of Paisley; or Ipswich's ancient origins (the town being twice the age of Machu Picchu). Where Tourists Seldom Tread is an invitation to move away from the preference for major cities and rural idylls and offers a new field guide to the country.