Books We Love

Our top recommendations for fans of non-fiction.

Making It

By Jay Blades

After experiencing racism in secondary education, Jay from TV’s “The Repair Shop” left school at fifteen and was living in a homeless hostel by twenty-one.

When he began to work with the clients in another shelter, he found his love for helping other people, eventually setting up a furniture restoration business to train young people from troubled backgrounds. Read his story in this uplifting memoir. Bluebird, RRP £16.99.

Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen

The McCartney Family

It’s been more than 30 years since Linda began helping meat-free cooking become mainstream in the UK.

This beautiful book is the result of her family – Paul, Mary and Stella – updating her classic recipes for a modern audience. Even if you’re just dipping in for the occasional meat-free meal, you’ll find something inspiring, alongside charming family stories and photos from the McCartneys. Seven Dials, RRP £26.

Woodston: The Biography Of An English Farm

By John Lewis-Stempel

This biography stretches back beyond the mere building of a farm to the volcanos and natural events that formed the very land underneath it. The author talks about Woodston Farm literally from the ground up – from the formation of the soil that makes it good for growing through to the challenges facing nature in modern farming. On the way, he looks at the crops and folk that would have graced the soil in between times, creating a history not just of the land, but also of the people and animals whose lives have been tied to it. Doubleday, RRP £20. Phosphorescence

By Julia Baird

The phenomenon of bioluminescence, creatures and plants that have the natural ability to create light, is the subject of this thoughtful book.

Inside, Julia takes a look at the beauty of this natural phenomenon and how spending time with nature can help sustain us in our day-to-day lives. Julia finds inspiration for her own life – and ours – within her encounters with phosphorescence. William Collins, RRP £16.99.

Sinatra And Me: In The Wee Small Hours

By Tony Oppedisano

Many authors have written about the great singer, Frank Sinatra, but few can claim to have known him as well as Tony, one of his closest friends. They spent hours talking about anything and everything over the last decade of Sinatra’s life.

Tony was part of Frank’s management team and often lived in the house alongside the family, making this a uniquely intimate biography. Scribner, RRP £21.58.

The King’s Painter: The Life And Times Of Hans Holbein

by Franny Moyle

This gorgeous illustrated biography looks at the painter behind some of Tudor England’s best-known works of art.

Holbein’s works were a who’s who of some of the sixteenth century’s most influential figures – and he had unprecedented access behind the scenes to the corridors of power. The author of this illuminating book is an Art History graduate from Cambridge and now works in television.

Apollo, RRP £35.