One guilty secret will tear her life apart...After a series of heart-breaking miscarriages, Kate's marriage is hanging by a thread. When her husband Michael tells her he has shocking news, at first, she thinks the worst - he's been having an affair. It would explain why he's been so distant. Instead, he reveals that the daughter he abandoned twenty years ago is coming to stay. Kate is blindsided by the sudden arrival of Imogen mere hours later. Her new stepdaughter is beautiful but troubled and seems wary of her own father. All the same, Kate is pleased to find herself connecting with Imogen, until one day, Imogen reveals a disturbing secret to her stepmother, making her swear never to tell a soul. With Kate already keeping secrets of her own, she worries her marriage will crumble under the weight of another. But perhaps it's not Imogen's intrusion Kate should be worried about. Perhaps it's Michael's past she should have been looking at all along... A completely addictive domestic suspense novel that will keep you guessing into the early hours of the morning. Perfect for fans of The Stepdaughter, Amanda Robson and Adele Parks. What readers are saying about The Stepmother:'This elegantly written suspense novel quickly drew me in and transported me into the lives of Kate and Michael and their dysfunctional marriage... Compels the reader to keep turning the pages... A very satisfying and well-written novel.' M. M. DeLuca 'Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.' NetGalley Reviewer 'I really enjoyed this book, I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn't put it down, loads of twists & turns to keep one guessing' NetGalley Reviewer 'A marriage in tatters and a shocking surprise. This thriller is just that, thrilling until the end. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.' NetGalley Reviewer 'I really enjoyed this story... It was well written and truly heartfelt... A great read that I would recommend.' NetGalley Reviewer 'An original domestic thriller telling the story of a stepmother caught between the rock and a hard place... Highly recommended!' NetGalley Reviewer 'I really enjoyed this book... A unique perspective on the step-parent spectrum. Carne really makes you think and question the secrets of her characters. The Stepmother is a great read.' NetGalley Reviewer 'This is a story of a marriage failing, death and life's drama. Well written and gripping. This is my first book by Ros Carne and look forward to her next book.' NetGalley Reviewer 'I really enjoyed it. There were enjoyable twists to keep me guessing and I'd definitely read more by this author in the future.' NetGalley Reviewer

'One woman's gloriously lyrical account of life and love as a shepherdess' Mail on Sunday 'Janet White's unfailingly enjoyable book . . . taps into a widespread feeling that we have become cut off from the natural world' TLS 'A book to share or even fight over if necessary' Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows 'An immensely enjoyable and heartfelt book: it makes you want to run for the hills' The Lady With an introduction by Colin Thubron As a child in wartime England, Janet White decided that she wanted to live somewhere wild and supremely beautiful, to inhabit and work the landscape. She imagined searching the whole world for a place, high and remote as a sheep stell, quiet as a monastery, challenging and virginal, untouched and unknown. Turning her back on convention, Janet's desire to carve out her own pastoral Eden has taken her from the Cheviot Hills to Sussex and Somerset, via the savage beauty of rural New Zealand. The Sheep Stell tells the tale of a woman before her time; a woman with incredible courage and determination, truly devoted to the land and its creatures. Evocative, unaffected and profound, it is a lost classic. 'An extraordinary memoir . . . The Sheep Stell is pure joy, one of the most moving books I've read in a long time' Philip Marsden, author of Rising Ground 'This is a strange and lovely book, and quiet as it is, it makes you gasp at the profoundly lived quality of the life it so modestly describes' Jenny Diski 'A hymn to country solitude, lyrical, unpretentious and deeply felt' Colin Thubron

Take a trip down memory lane with the memoir from national TV treasure John Craven, as he recounts both the highs and lows of one of the longest entertaining careers in history, and the people and animals that have helped to shape it. 'Magical memoirs. A BBC legend. A broadcasting icon. The best bits from cub reporter to Countryfile' Daily Mail He began by reading the front page of the evening newspaper in the kitchen to his mother and aunt. Since then, he's spoken to the nation on the BBC almost every week for more than half a century and is one of the most-beloved broadcasters of our time. Presenter of treasured programmes Newsround, Countryfile and Swap Shop, John brought us the headlines and breaking news of our childhood and later helped us discover the magic and wonder of the British countryside. Now, in his first ever autobiography, he recounts a life in news, his childhood, the great impact that the absence of his father - held prisoner for three and a half years while fighting for his country - had on him. He writes too about the people, the major events - and, of course, the animals - that have shaped his life. This is John Craven. And this is the story behind the man so many of us grew up watching on our television screens. 'A cracking read' Chris Evans

Behind every good farmer is a great farmer's wife though the farmer in question may not always appreciate this! Having been married to John for over 30 years, Bobbi Mothersdale knows this more than anyone. Through her diary, Bobbi gives a wry, comical and yet realistic account of life on their East Yorkshire farm. Over the course of the year, we meet her friends and family as well as the three dogs, numerous hens and crafty guinea fowl that play such a big part in their daily routine. Like any farming family they have good days mixed with bad and have to deal with adverse weather, bureaucratic challenges and uncooperative livestock. Bobbi's accounts of her irate farming husband thwarted once again by the gods of rain or a petulant sheep will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever worked on a farm and on many an occasion you will find yourself laughing out loud at her description of the situations she finds herself in.Illustrated with 24 beautiful sketches by Jacquie Sinclair, Bobbi's dry and witty way with words can not fail to amuse and endear you. If you are a farmer's wife, you will find this an unputdownable must-read that you will want to share with all your friends.Though be warned - you might need to prise it away from your husband and his friends first. ..

From Dorset's iconic Jurassic Coast to the picturesque Cotswolds and the rugged Peaks, join Julia Bradbury as she travels across Britain in search of the perfect walk, the perfect view - and the perfect pub. Britain is a nation of walkers. Walking is ingrained in our identity - and our passion for the countryside is stronger than ever. Unforgettable Walks takes us on eight of our beloved paths, showcasing Britain's diverse and beautiful landscape at its very best. Follow in Julia's footsteps as she explores the flora and fauna and shares the stories past and present of the people she meets along the way, and her own experiences. With beautiful hand-drawn maps, illustrations - and tips for local pubs and sights - this book will fit as well on a bookshelf as in a rucksack. The Walks Dorset: The Golden Cap Walk Cotswolds: The Cleeve Hill Walk Anglesey: The Snowdon View Walk Yorkshire Dales: The Malham Cove Walk Lake District: The Borrowdale Valley Walk Cumbria: The High Cup Nick Walk South Downs: The Birling Gap Walk Peak District: The Kinder Scout Walk

With rolling green hills and extensive woodlands, it's easy to see why the Chiltern Hills are one of the most beautiful and well visited of all England's natural wonders. Crossing five counties and covering 833 square kilometres, the Hills are home to a huge variety of habitats including chalk grasslands, scrub, river valleys, commons and farmland. This book will take the reader on a journey of the Chilterns, from its earliest settlers to today's enthusiastic trekkers, exploring how the Hills have been shaped by their occupants and, in turn, how the Hills have shaped them. Exquisitely illustrated and expertly researched, A Journey Through The Chiltern Hills is a must-read for anyone interested in this beautiful and breathtaking area.

Author Jamie Blackett arrives home from the Army to take over a small family estate on the Solway Firth in Dumfries and Galloway and finds a rapidly changing countryside. In a humorous and occasionally-moving tale, he describes how he grapples with the intricacies of farming, conservation and estate management and tells the story of founding a pack of foxhounds and a herd of pedigree beef cattle. Part childhood memoir, part biopic of rural life, readers are transported to a remote and beautiful part of Scotland and acquainted with its wildlife, its people and its customs. One minute he is unblocking his septic tank, and the next he is watching Glenn Close film a sex scene in his bedroom. Set over the first two decades of the 21st century, through the Scottish independence referendum, Brexit and the hunting ban, the result is an enlightened review of the challenges threatening a vulnerable way of life and an emerging rural philosophy about the directions Scotland, farming and the countryside might take in the brave new world of Brexit.

In this warm, lively account of living on and by the sea, Sarah Drummond writes of life as an apprentice fisherwoman. Through her firsthand experience with small-scale commercial fishing in the Great Southern, Drummond documents a way of life--fishing--that is slowly dying as waters become politicized and fished out. She writes of fishing, of feuds, and of all the fish that got away. "Salt Story" is a tribute to sea-dogs, fisherwomen, oystermen, and storytellers everywhere.

Martha M. Ezzard and her physician husband John are among the pioneers in the movement of professionals trading busy city careers for a return to the land. While this story about saving a family farm is distinctly Southern, it typifies the national locally grown movement which has begun to sweep the US. Locally grown foods call for wines that are a taste of the local earth-what wine aficionados call the terroir, the soils and climate that give them unique flavours not found in California or Burgundy or anywhere other than, in this case, Tiger Mountain. What follows initially are long sweaty days of post hole digging, trellis wire stringing, and weed pulling mixed with a few chiggers and ticks-but also the thrill of sighting a giant blue heron in the dawn mist of the farm pond-of hearing the honking of geese at sunset. There are times when the city high rise still beckons, but what Martha and John learn after burning smudge pots all night in a late April freeze only to see their pink buds turn brown despite it all, is that wine grapes have a second bud -and so too, because of their shared venture, does their relationship. The Second Bud is a story that reflects today's agricultural evolution in the southeast, from tobacco, logging, and truck farming to agri-tourism, outdoor recreation, vineyards, and farm wineries. Filled with small town characters, unlikely obstacles and dirt based success, this memoir is a down home version of "Under a Tuscan Sun," a couple's risk taking to revive a fifth-generation family farm in the tiny North Georgia town of Tiger by cultivating fine wine grapes. It will appeal to romantics, wannabe winemakers, and all who covet the rural life.

Cat Urbigkit journeys alone to spend a season on Wyoming's open range tending to a herd of domestic sheep as they give birth amid the challenges of nature - from severe weather to a wealth of predators. Her only companions are the livestock guardian animals (BIG dogs and a pair of burros named Bill and Hillary!) that repeatedly prove their worth in devotion to protecting the herd. Urbigkit offers interesting reflections on the role of pastoralists around the globe and on the controversial issue in the Western US of private livestock herds being run on public lands. The intimate ways in which abstract public policy plays out on the open range is eye-opening. More than a tale of herding sheep, Shepherds of Coyote Rocks is an action-packed true story that reveals the broad spectrum of the human relationship with nature, from harmony to rugged adventure.

'I was much entertained last summer with a tame bat, which would take flies out of a person's hand.' Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne (1789) reveals a world of wonders in nature. Over a period of twenty years White describes in minute detail the behaviour of animals through the changing seasons in the rural Hampshire parish of Selborne. He notes everything from the habits of an eccentric tortoise to the mysteries of bird migration and animal reproduction, with the purpose of inspiring others to observe their own surroundings with the same pleasure and attention. Written as a series of letters, White's book has all the immediacy of an exchange with friends, yet it is crafted with compelling literary skill. His gossipy correspondence has delighted readers from Charles Darwin to Virginia Woolf, and it has been read as a nostalgic evocation of a pastoral vision, a model for local studies of plants and animals, and a precursor to modern ecology. This new edition includes contemporary illustrations, a contextualizing introduction, and an appendix of literary responses to the book. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

With her inimitable wit and outspoken views, Clarissa Dickson Wright opens her diary and takes us on a journey around Britain with this unrivalled collection of stories and anecdotes from her ever-eventful life. As celebrated cook and champion of the countryside, Clarissa's year includes being propositioned by a burly greyhound courser, meeting the Chairman of the Sandringham branch of the WI, a fishing terrier called Kipper and taking on the Health & Safety officials at a rain-drenched County Show. Criss-crossing the country she introduces us to long-forgotten traditions and colourful local festivals as she meets up with extraordinary characters and friends old and new. Entertaining, poignant, but never politically correct, RIFLING THROUGH MY DRAWERS is a breath of fresh air and proves once again why Clarissa is one of the nation's true treasures.

Colin Elford's A Year in the Woods is an enthralling journey into the heart of the English countryside - with a preamble from Craig Taylor. Colin Elford spends his days alone - alone but for the deer, the squirrels, the rabbits, the birds, and the many other creatures inhabiting the woods. From the crisp cold of January, through the promise of spring and the heat of summer, and then into damp autumn and the chill winds of winter, we accompany the forest-ranger as he goes about his work - stalking in the early morning darkness, putting an injured fallow buck out of its misery, watching stoats kill a hare, observing owls, and simply being a part of the outdoors. Colin Elford immerses himself in the richly diverse and unique landscapes of Britain, existing in rhythm with natural environments. For fans of Robert Macfarlane's Landmarks, Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk orJames Rebanks' A Shepherd's Life, Colin's rare and uplifiting journey will unveil the true nature and beauty of Britain's countryside. 'This is nature for real . . . Elford describes woodland wonders in short paragraphs of luminous intensity' Daily Mail 'A poetic insight in the world of hidden Nature' Countryman 'Stalking sharpens the senses and there is an almost hallucinatory clarity to Elford's writing' Observer 'Refreshingly unsentimental. Contains some wonderful descriptions and sentences which are so profound they demand a second reading' Sunday Express Colin Elford is a forest ranger on the Dorset/Wiltshire border. Craig Taylor is the author of Return to Akenfield and One Million Tiny Plays About Britain and the editor of the magazine Five Dials.

This beloved American memoir is about a farm and its people, recollections of a boyhood in Wisconsin's Driftless region. Ben Logan grew up on Seldom Seen Farm with his three brothers, father, mother, and hired hand Lyle. The boys discussed and argued and joked over the events around their farm, marked the seasons by the demands of the land, and tested each other and themselves.

'Two of the UK's most exciting nature writers. A thoughtful adventure in learning simple skills that help connect people to nature.' Guardian Skimming Stones and Other Ways of Being in the Wild is a book of simple skills that can help us to interact with nature, achieve a deeper connection with it and even step inside another dimension. Rob Cowen and Leo Critchley teach us, for example, making and flying a kite, making an elder whistle, damming a stream and building a den - and at the same time teach us about life. Their techniques are intended to be not only of practical value but also techniques for meditation. They help us to live in the moment, recover ancient insights and rhythms and encourage nature to reveal to us her secrets and treasures. They write that '...there are forces deep in everyone's subconscious that find a pure expression in the simplest of activities. This book explains why we should be taking the time to do them. It is born out of a wish to share our passion for our landscape and the contemplative, reflective pleasures and joys that were well-known to our grandparents, but which are in danger of being lost and forgotten. They will help us get back to a place where we all belong'. Skimming Stones was awarded the Robert Deakin Grant from the Authors' Foundation, by the Society of Authors. 'Essential reading.' Daily Express 'At its simplest their book gives advice on connecting with nature through twelve activities... but Skimming Stones delves deeper. Each section draws the reader lyrically into deeper philosophical waters... I was simply carried along by the authors' sense of awe, and their quiet belief that our lives can be enriched through a deeper connection with nature.' 4* BBC Wildlife Skimming stones teaches you how to get back to nature and: *Skim a stone *Find a fossil *Forage for food *Make a kite *Carve an elder whistle *Track an animal *Build a den *Light a fire *Build an igloo *Catch a fish *Dam a stream *Walk in the wild

Inspiration and advice about finding a dream home in the countryside from Jules Hudson, presenter of the BBC's Escape to the Country.

Escape to the Country has run on daytime BBC1 since 2002 and is now in its eighteenth season. Each week it helps urban buyers find their dream home in rural Britain by showing them specially selected properties. Along the way the program tells us about the landscape and history of the area they are in. The program is on every weekday and has been sold to thirty countries including Australia, Canada, and the USA. This is an inspirational and practical book to appeal to armchair dreamers and lovers of property porn as well as those really thinking of making the move.

Regional sections look at the typical kinds of homes found in each place, along with local landscapes and landmarks. Features sprinkled throughout the book cover everything from dealing with listed building consent and public footpaths to how grow your own food. Jules is well placed to talk about conservation and renovation issues too, having trained as an archaeologist and renovated his own historic house.

From about a generation after the end of the Industrial Revolution up until the Great Depression, Texas agriculture went through many changes. Unlike the massive, storied ranches spun into romantic westerns or Hollywood films, small family ranches had to adapt constantly to the economic present. Cattle, Cotton, Corn draws from the minutiae of family records and oral accounts to piece together the history of several middle-class ranches in Central Texas that were operational from 1880 to 1930. The Caufields, Cavitts, Youngs, and Footes were ordinary Texans surviving changing economic forecasts and the boom-and-bust cycles of living from the land. Compiled from decades of research by a scion of one of the families, this book adds to the corpus of Texas ranching epics by focusing on the lived experiences of regular ranch families, most of whom were not particularly wealthy or politically prominent. Cattle, Cotton, Corn tells a history important to the fabric of turn-of-the-century Texas, and it will resonate with many who will see their own family's history reflected in its very pages.

EMMA GRAY'S NEW BOOK 'MY FARMING LIFE' ('A HEARTWARMING TALE OF LIFE ON THE LAND' Alan Titchmarsh) IS OUT NOW What happens when you swap 'I do' for pastures new? When twenty-three-year-old shepherdess Emma Gray breaks off her engagement, the chance to take over an isolated Northumberland farm seems just the fresh start she needs. But while the beautiful scenery certainly offers plenty of scope for contemplation, a night out with an eligible bachelor soon seems more remote than the farm itself. And once you add fugitive sheep and freak blizzards into the mix, Emma's dreams of a happy future at Fallowlees Farm quickly begin to fade. Throughout the long nights of lambing, the highs and lows of the local sheepdog trials and the day-to-day chores of maintaining a large, ramshackle farm, Emma's collies are her most loyal companions. With Bill, Fly, Roy and Alfie by her side, she'll never really be alone. Emma's remarkable first year at Fallowlees - the triumphs, the disasters, the heartbreak and the glimmer of romance on the horizon - is an inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamt of changing their life and starting all over again. ____________________________________________________________ Readers love ONE GIRL AND HER DOGS: 'This is an amazing book, difficult to put down. A must for all thinking of living of the land, or looking to be inspired by a hard working courageous young woman' 'What a little gem of a book, I loved it. Emma has given us a little taste of her life in the remote Fallowlees Farm in Northumberland, her knowledge of lambing is just astonishing to me and her beautiful dogs are amazing, I must admit to shedding a tear now and then, but there was plenty to chuckle at too' 'An admirable book' 'Very entertaining and readable. A brave girl who made the decision to become a sheep farmer and farm in a lovely and lonely spot' 'This story is written in such a way that you feel you are actually on the farm and going through the trials too. Wonderful empathy with her dogs and an excellent storyteller'

When Horace Greeley published his famous imperative, "Go West, young man, and grow up with the country," the frontier was already synonymous with a distinctive type of idealized American masculinity. But Greeley's exhortation also captured popular sentiment surrounding changing ideas of American boyhood; for many educators, politicians, and parents, raising boys right seemed a pivotal step in securing the growing nation's future. This book revisits these narratives of American boyhood and frontier mythology to show how they worked against and through one another-and how this interaction shaped ideas about national character, identity, and progress. The intersection of ideas about boyhood and the frontier, while complex and multifaceted, was dominated by one arresting notion: in the space of the West, boys would grow into men and the fledgling nation would expand to fulfill its promise. Frontiers of Boyhood explores this myth and its implications and ramifications through western history, childhood studies, and a rich cultural archive. Detailing surprising intersections between American frontier mythology and historical notions of child development, the book offers a new perspective on William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's influence on children and childhood; on the phenomenon of "American Boy Books"; the agency of child performers, differentiated by race and gender, in Wild West exhibitions; and the cultural work of boys' play, as witnessed in scouting organizations and the deployment of mass-produced toys. These mutually reinforcing and complicating strands, traced through a wide range of cultural modes, from social and scientific theorizing to mass entertainment, lead to a new understanding of how changing American ideas about boyhood and the western frontier have worked together to produce compelling stories about the nation's past and its imagined future.

After riding a stagecoach in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show at Madison Square Garden in 1910, Princeton student Irving H. "Larry" Larom was determined to live a life in the West. Later that year, Larom made the first of four summer trips to Wyoming, where he was a guest at Jim McLaughlin's Valley Ranch, nestled in a scenic valley in the upper South Fork of the Shoshone River. Larom became so enamored of the magnificent wilderness environment and the prospects of becoming a dude rancher that he abandoned his life as a New York socialite. Partnering with Brooks Brothers heir and Yale student Winthrop Brooks, he purchased Valley Ranch in 1915.A welcome study of early dude ranch development, Dude Ranching in Yellowstone Country preserves the history of an important Wyoming ranch and the man who built it. W. Hudson Kensel recounts the life of Larom, whose East Coast connections to financial resources and wealthy guests enabled him to transform McLaughlin's small homestead into a major tourist destination and prep school on the edge of Yellowstone National Park. The purchase of Valley Ranch coincided with the opening of Yellowstone to automobile traffic and the onset of World War I. Valley Ranch benefited as western parks and dude ranches became destinations for weary city dwellers and travelers looking for a vacation alternative to war-torn Europe. Besides making the ranch a success, Larom became a civic leader in Cody, Wyoming, a nationally recognized conservationist, and a founder and longtime president of the Dude Ranchers Association. Kensel draws on Larom's papers, local and national newspaper coverage, records of the ranch's prep school, and memories of the citizens and pioneers of northwestern Wyoming to flesh out the story of Valley Ranch as a local and national institution with important influences on conservation, youth education, and the development of western tourism.

A life-affirming story of family and personal self-discovery When George, the eldest son of Matthew Silverman, announces he won't follow his father's footsteps as editor of the family-owned local newspaper, the family finds itself on a course for change. The newspaper has been going for nearly 100 years. With younger brother Alexander and sisters Loraine and Alison growing up fast too, and gradual progress in the world around them, can Matthew do what's best for them all? This beautifully observed story of a loving family navigating generational change retains a timeless appeal today. Praise for Victor Canning: 'His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing.' Punch 'Quite delightful ... with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm.' Daily Telegraph 'A swift-moving novel, joyous, happy and incurably optimistic.' Evening Standard 'There is such a gentle humour in the book.' Daily Sketch 'What counts for most in the story ... is his mounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English scene.' The Times 'A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character.' New York Times

Emma Mitchell has suffered with depression - or as she calls it, 'the grey slug' - for twenty-five years. In 2003, she moved from the city to the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens and began to take walks in the countryside around her new home, photographing, collecting and drawing as she went. Each walk lifted her mood, proving to be as medicinal as any talking therapy or pharmaceutical.

In Emma's hand-illustrated diary, she takes us with her as she follows the paths and trails around her cottage and further afield, sharing her nature finds and tracking the lives of local flora and fauna over the course of a year. Reflecting on how these encounters impact her mood, Emma's moving and candid account of her own struggles is a powerful testament to how reconnecting with nature may offer some answers to today's mental health epidemic. While charting her own seasonal highs and lows, she also explains the science behind such changes, calling on new research into such areas as forest bathing and the ways in which our bodies and minds respond to plants and wildlife when we venture outdoors.

Written with Emma's characteristic wit and frankness, and filled with her beautiful drawings, paintings and photography, this is a truly unique book for anyone who has ever felt drawn to nature and wondered about its influence over us.