With spring on the way, here’s what to read in March from serene studios to sprouts and suburban secrets
How to Grow: A guide for gardeners who can’t garden yet
From her bite-sized balcony in Shepherd’s Bush, self-taught gardener Hollie Newton has battled wonky courgettes and wilting flowers to learn the art of gardening. Whether it’s to escape the day-to-day, to cook from patio-to-plate or to simply inject some hands-on horticulture into your life, How to Grow equips you with all you need to know about growing your own, no matter how small your urban space.
Hollie Newton, £20, Orion Spring
Studio: Creative Spaces for Creative People
Working from home has never been so stylish in this new book from London-based designer, Sally Coulthard. She reveals the secrets behind crafting a space which is both creative and practical, a place to inspire and enable innovation in the comfort of your own home. Featured studios include Helena Gavshon near Portobello Road, and Emma Lacey in North London.
Sally Coulthard, £25, Jacqui Small
For the Love of London: What makes London great by the people who make it great
When he’s not performing for Secret Cinema or curating Ear Smoke, a monthly poetry night in Hackney, Conrad Gamble, or ‘LexiConrad’, is collecting the voices of the people who make London great for this eclectic book. Contributors range from local legends to leading lights like Stephen Fry and Zaha Hadid. The result is a uniquely charming tale of the Big Smoke, which captures the weird and wonderful, and reminds us why we have come to call it home.
Conrad Gamble, £14.99, Cassell
30 Second London: The 50 key visions, events and architects that shaped the city, each explained in half a minute
Architectural specialist, Edward Dennison knows that if you’re tired of London, you are tired of life. In this new book he leads us down the history of London, from its Neanderthal beginnings to its urban existence today. Each page of this book is an insightful stop-off on a tour of London’s past, underground, city centre and suburbs, and there are plenty of secrets to be revealed.
Edward Denison, £14.99, Ivy Press
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