Showing results by publisher "Penguin Audio" in Home & Garden

In this long-awaited memoir Carol tells the story of the people, places and plants that have shaped her life. Exploring why our relationship with the natural world is so important, and how it brings joy, creativity and good health to our lives, Carol also offers irresistible insights on her favourite flowers and plants, and how to help them flourish. A story of a life lived happily amongst the greenery, this book is the perfect companion for anyone who has sought solace in the natural world.

Have you ever looked at a pile of dishes in the sink and wanted to crawl back into bed? Or found yourself staring at the overflowing recycling bin thinking, why is my life such a mess? But what if we stopped seeing a clean house as a reflection of our worth and instead as a kindness to our future self? How to Keep House While Drowning will introduce you to six life-changing principles to revolutionise the way you approach domestic work, all without a single to-do list.

There is no real evidence that humans ever 'domesticated' cats. Rather, it seems that at some point cats saw the potential value to themselves of humans. John Gray's wonderful new book is an attempt to get to grips with the philosophical and moral issues around the uniquely strange relationship between ourselves and these remarkable animals. Feline Philosophy draws on centuries of philosophy, from Montaigne to Schopenhauer, to explore the complex and intimate links that have defined how we react to and behave with this most unlikely 'pet'.

When Helen Molesworth joined the gem and jewellery industry, she began her own love affair with one of humanity's oldest and richest fascinations. For as long as people have known about gemstones, they have treasured them. Born of violent geological events and the chance meetings of minerals, their stories are an extraordinary journey through time, and are significant to the human narrative in as many ways as they boast sparkling facets.

Before Stanley Tucci became a household name with The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, and the perfect Negroni, he grew up in an Italian American family that spent every night around the table. He shared the magic of those meals with us in The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table, and now he takes us beyond the recipes and into the stories behind them.

Chinese was the first truly global cuisine. When the first Chinese labourers began to sojourn and settle abroad, restaurants appeared in their wake. Yet Chinese has the curious distinction of being both one of the world's best-loved food cultures and one of the least understood. For more than a century, the overwhelming dominance of a simplified form of Cantonese cooking has ensured that few foreigners experienced anything of the richness or sophistication of China's local food traditions - but today that is beginning to change.

I became obsessed with mum hacks when a friend showed me a game-changing tip during my baby days - that baby vests can be pulled down (not up) in the event of an explosive poo. I couldn't believe I had been a mum for so long and not known! Things I Wish I'd Known will bring you hundreds of quick and clever solutions, just like this, all to make the parenting juggle easier.

The Garden Jungle is about the wildlife that lives right under our noses, in our gardens and parks, between the gaps in the pavement and in the soil beneath our feet. Wherever you are right now, the chances are that there are worms, woodlice, centipedes, flies, silverfish, wasps, beetles, mice, shrews and much, much more, quietly living within just a few paces of you.

Transform your home into a permanently clear and clutter-free space with the incredible KonMari Method. Japan's expert declutterer and professional cleaner Marie Kondo will help you tidy your rooms once and for all with her inspirational step-by-step method. The key to successful tidying is to tackle your home in the correct order, to keep only the things you really love and to do it all at once - and quickly. After that for the rest of your life, you need only to choose what to keep and what to discard.

In Project 333, minimalist expert and author of Soulful Simplicity Courtney Carver takes a new approach to living simply - starting with your wardrobe. Project 333 promises that not only can you survive with just 33 items in your closet for three months, but you'll thrive just like the thousands of woman who have taken on the challenge and never looked back. Let the decluttering begin!

Kate is a middle-aged woman trying to steer some order into a life that is going off the rails. When she adopts a lurcher called Wolfy, the shabby rescue dog saves her from herself. But when the dog disappears, it is up to Kate to hit the streets of London and find him. Will she save him, as he has saved her - or will she lose everything? A brilliant, life-affirming memoir, Lost Dog is an audiobook like no other about both about the myth of modern womanhood and the enduring mystery of the relationship between human and canine.

How are chefs and companies planning to transform our dining experiences, and what can we learn from their cutting-edge insights to make memorable meals at home? These are just some of the ingredients of Gastrophysics, in which pioneering Oxford professor Charles Spence shows how our senses link up in the most extraordinary ways and reveals the importance of all the off-the-plate elements of a meal: the weight of cutlery, the placing on the plate, the background music and much more.

In his extraordinary new book, Alain de Botton explores the importance of buildings in our lives, pondering our attachment to our homes and considering such questions as: Why do people disagree about taste? Can beautiful surroundings make us good?

In this major new history of English food, Clarissa Dickson Wright takes the reader on a journey from the time of the Second Crusade and the feasts of medieval kings to the cuisine - both good and bad - of the present day. She looks at the shifting influences on the national diet as new ideas and ingredients have arrived, and as immigrant communities have made their contribution to the life of the country. She evokes lost worlds of open fires and ice houses, of constant pickling and preserving, and of manchet loaves and curly-coated pigs.

When Gareth Harney was first handed a Roman coin by his father as a child, he became entranced: by its beauty, its hardiness and its power to tell stories and connect us with the ancient past. He realised that coins, more than being simply markers of exchange, are metal canvases upon which societies could immortalise their ideas, cultures, personalities, tragedies and triumphs. His small tarnished coin, then, actually told the epic story of Rome.

Minimal makes simple and sustainable living attainable for everyone, using practical tips for all areas of everyday life to reduce your impact on the Earth. Leading environmentalist Madeleine Olivia shares her insights on how to care for yourself in a more eco-friendly way as well as how to introduce a mindful approach to your habits. This includes how to declutter your life, reduce your waste and consumption, recipes for eating seasonally and making your own natural beauty and cleaning products.

Spark Joy is an in-depth, room-by-room guide to decluttering and organising your home. It covers every room in the house, from bedrooms and kitchens to bathrooms and living rooms, as well as a wide range of items in different categories, including clothes, photographs, paperwork, books, cutlery, cosmetics, shoes, bags, wallets and valuables. The secret to Marie Kondo's unique and simple KonMari tidying method is to focus on what you want to keep, not what you want to get rid of.

When raising a puppy, we all want to make sure we're doing it right, but sometimes the unrealistic expectations of perfection can be overwhelming. The truth is no one is perfect, so cut yourself a little slack; bringing up a puppy who's imperfectly perfect for you makes much more sense. Having worked with more than 5,000 dogs, Graeme Hall has a unique understanding of the early developmental period. Now he is here to help with his stress-free guide to training and caring for your puppy so that they grow into a happy, well-adjusted dog. 

'All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why’. Rick Stein's childhood in 1950s rural Oxfordshire and North Cornwall was idyllic. His parents were charming and gregarious, their five children much-loved and given freedom typical of the time. As he grew older, the holidays were filled with loud and lively parties in his parents' Cornish barn. But ever-present was the unpredicatible mood of his bipolar father, with Rick frequently the focus of his anger and sadness. When Rick was 18 his father killed himself.

Well guys, here we are! What an absolute whirlwind of a journey this has been so far. So much has happened in the last couple of life-changing years, and I'm so excited to share it with you all: my Hinchers. You have been right by my side for every step of the way, and I honestly couldn't have done it without the amazing love and support from this incredible family we've built together. It's often felt like a fairy tale but it hasn't always been easy, and I'm going to let you in on the highs and the lows as well as my biggest fears and my darkest challenges.