In corners of the globe where fault-lines seethe into bloodshed and civil war, foreign correspondents have, for hundreds of years, been engaged in uncovering the latest news and - despite obstacles bureaucratic, political, violent - reporting it by whatever means available. It's a working life that is difficult, exciting and undeniably glamorous.

We Chose to Speak of War and Strife brings us pivotal moments in our history - from the Crimean War to Vietnam; the siege of Sarajevo to the fall of Baghdad - through the eyes of those who risked life and limb to witness them first hand, and the astonishing tales of what it took to report them. These stories celebrate an endangered tradition. Where once despatches were trusted to the hands of a willing sea-captain, telegraph operator or stranger in an airport queue prepared to spirit a can of undeveloped film back to London, today the digital realm has transformed the relaying of the news - even if the work of gathering it in the field has changed little.

Weaving the tales of the greats of yesterday and today, such as Martha Gellhorn, Ernest Hemingway, Don McCullin and Marie Colvin, with extraordinary accounts from his own lifetime on the frontlines, this is a deeply personal book from a master of the profession, the most distinguished foreign correspondent of our time.

A Dead Cat On Your Table

Peter York 

Britain’s culture wars, says Peter York, are waged by a shameless minority with no shortage of money or media access. Their battle against society’s most vulnerable, whether it’s asylum-seeking refugees or transgender youth, is fought not for principle, but for money and political power. ‘A Dead Cat on Your Table’ illuminates the dark corners where these culture warriors operate. Amplified by the viscerally profound artwork of cartoonist Martin Rowson, this book not only cuts through the divisive and dangerous narratives pervading our politics but exposes the cynicism and rancour of those who promote and promulgate them – all in graphic detail. 

The Splash of Words: Believing in Poetry

Mark Oakley

Whether you love poetry or haven't read it since school, The Splash of Words will help you rediscover poetry’s power to startle, challenge and reframe your vision. Like throwing a pebble into water, a poem causes a ‘splash of words’ whose ripples can transform the way we see the world, ourselves and God. Through thirty selected poems, from the fourteenth century to the present day, Mark Oakley explores poetry’s power to stir our settled ways of viewing the world and faith, shift our perceptions and even transform who we are. 

During the First World War, the British army's most consistent German opponent was Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria. Commanding more than a million men as a General, and then Field Marshal, in the Imperial German Army, he held off the attacks of the British Expeditionary Force under Sir John French and then Sir Douglas Haig for four long years. But Rupprecht was to lose not only the war, but his son and his throne.

In Haig's Enemy, Jonathan Boff explores the tragic tale of Rupprecht's war - the story of a man caught under the wheels of modern industrial warfare. Providing a fresh viewpoint on the history of the Western Front, Boff draws on extensive research in the German archives to offer a history of the First World War from the other side of the barbed wire. He revises conventional explanations of why the Germans lost with an in-depth analysis of the nature of command, and of the institutional development of the British, French, and German armies as modern warfare was born. Using Rupprecht's own diaries and letters, many of them never before published, Haig's Enemy views the Great War through the eyes of one of Germany's leading generals, shedding new light on many of the controversies of the Western Front.

Becoming Brave 

Jennie Cashman-Wilson 

If you want to try new things, you have to be brave. But you can’t be brave without also being scared.

While Jennie grew up wanting to please other people, Abram followed his heart from an early age. The two couldn't have been more different, and yet when they met Jennie fell in love with Abram's fearlessness.

But when life takes a turn for the worse and Abram is no longer by Jennie's side, will she find her own courage?

This poignant and heartfelt picture book explores themes of love, grief and believing in yourself in a gentle and uplifting way. With a contemporary setting and characters that many readers will relate to, this book is great for inspiring children and starting important conversations.