Short Books

"Remember the words of Ivan Rogers the next time you hear some plausible posh boy in a suit telling you `no deal' wouldn't hurt at all and might even be a jolly good thing." J.K. Rowling

Denmark is the country of the moment. Recently named the happiest nation in the world, it's the motherland of The Bridge, Borgen, and The Killing, and home to Noma, the world's best restaurant. But though we wear their jumpers and watch their thrillers, how much do we really know about the Danes themselves? Part reportage, part travelogue, How to be Danish is an attempt to fill in some of the gaps - an in...

Douglas Rogers spent his youth and early adult life watching his parents struggle to make ends meet under the vicious dictator, Sir Robert Mugabe. He thought he would never see the day when his iron grip on the country would come unstuck.

Russia and Britain were never natural bedfellows. But the marriage, in 1894, of Queen Victoria's favourite granddaughter, Alicky, to the Tsarevich Nicholas marked the beginning of an uneasy Anglo-Russian entente that would last until the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Imperial Tea Party draws back the curtain on the three extraordinary meetings that took place between the British and Russian royal families...

Nelson was a young South African with a reputation for trouble-making. Who would have thought he would one day lead his people to freedom? Nelson grew up at a time when black South Africans suffered terrible injustice. He was determined to change this - even if it meant grave personal danger. Twenty-seven years of his life were spent in prison, and everyone seemed to be against him - even his own family...

WARTIME BERLIN: The Niemann family - Karl, Minna and their four children - live in a quiet, suburban enclave. Every day Karl commutes to work, a business manager travelling around inspecting his "factories". In the evenings he returns home to life as a normal family man.

Jessica Fox is living in Hollywood, a 26-year-old filmmaker with a high-stress job at NASA. Working late one night, craving another life, she is seized by a moment of inspiration and types "secondhand bookshop Scotland" into Google...

How many snowflakes are needed to make a snowman? Where is the snowiest place on Earth? When will the last snowflake fall? Snow has a lot in common with religion. It comes from heaven. It changes everything. It creates an alternative reality and brings on irrational behaviour in humans. But unlike most religions, snow has never had a bible, until now. Giles Whittell, a passionate snow enthusiast, takes the ...

The invasion has begun. In this gripping book, Jonathan Mayo gives a blow by blow account of the events of D-Day, revealing what happened to the people swept up in this crucial moment in history. From soldiers, French villagers and journalists, to schoolchildren and nurses, thousands were placed in extraordinary situations when the Allies landed in Normandy. This is their story.

Our phones have become a constant distraction; it's time we put them down and rediscovered the simple art of taking a few minutes out. This book offers an imaginative list of games and tips aimed at curing us of our portable tech addiction. More than mere time-killers, these activities include ways to unleash your creative side and train your brain, but above all methods to set you on the road to calm.

"In the summer of 1940, lying in the sun, I saw a family of redstarts, unconcerned in the affairs of our skeletal multitude, going about their ways in cherry and chestnut trees..." Soon after his arrival at Warburg PoW camp, British army officer John Buxton found an unexpected means of escape from the horrors of internment. Passing his days covertly watching birds, he was unaware that he, too, was being wat...

On 30th April 1945 Germany is in chaos - Russian troops have reached Berlin. All over the country, people are on the move - concentration camp survivors, Allied PoWs, escaping Nazis - and the civilian population is fast running out of food. The man who orchestrated this nightmare is in his bunker beneath the capital, saying his farewells. Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute is pure chronological narrat...

Live well and feel great - go vegan in 15...The vegan revolution is here. More and more people are looking to eat and shop in a way that treads as lightly as possible on our fragile planet and that doesn't cause suffering to animals. In Vegan in 15, renowned green food blogger and cook Kate Ford presents the easy way to 'go vegan' - showing you how to conjure up incredibly tasty meals in just 15 minutes, wi...

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a man with a brilliant brain for design, and never tired of building new and exciting things - the deepest tunnel, the longest bridge, the fastest train. For Brunel, the average and the ordinary were just not good enough. He was a perfectionist and a control freak. And he would stop at nothing to complete a project, even when if it meant taking hair-raising risks...

#12. Alphabestise your book collection...#23. Play kitchen table tennis...#47. Arrange an office bake off...Political upheaval, nuclear weapons, Trump, bankers' bonuses, climate change, sugar, Trump... Sometimes you'd be forgiven for not wanting to get up off the sofa. Let's face it; we could all do with a break from worrying about what's going on out there.

We are a nation that loves its ancient woods and trees. We prize our sturdy oaks, craggy pines, bluebells and primroses, badgers and dormice. We value the history and heritage of places that have been woodland since before the Norman Conquest. But only a generation ago we were all set to wipe them out. It was said that in the space of just 30 years, nearly half of our ancient woods were destroyed. How and w...

For many years, Lyn and Ros Rogers were the owners of Drifters, a famous game farm and backpacker lodge in the eastern mountains. But when President Robert Mugabe launched his violent land reclamation programme, everything changed. The Rogers found their home under siege, their friends and neighbours expelled, and their lives in danger. But instead of leaving, as their son pleaded with them to do, they haul...

At 2.20am on 15th April 1912, the Titanic was plunging 12,000 feet to the ocean floor. Machinery, coal, crystal goblets, pianos and jewellery all tumble through the dark water. Hundreds of passengers and crew remain trapped below decks - hundreds more will perish on the surface. This is the definitive chronology of the Titanic's final hours, told in fascinating detail and offering a real-time experience of ...

This book offers an imaginative mix of games and tips to remind you of the simple joys of waking up with a clear head.Whether you are about to embark upon a short detox, quit the sauce for good, or just looking for a night off, these alcohol-free activities will light your way.

Are you really aware of what you spend? Do you know how to value things beyond their price? For the answer to these questions and more, look no further than Kakebo - the budgeting journal used by millions every day in Japan to manage their household spending. The Japanese believe that tidiness in one's finances is as important as tidiness in one's house - indeed for them, the act of thinking mindfully about...