Some of the questions you've asked, and some of our answers...

1. Do you have any good books on allotments? Ideally with some good pictures of carrots and turnips?

2. Please could you recommend me a book that tackles the theme of love from a philosophical perspective? Which famous philosophers have had something to say about this vital emotion?

3. I like Lesley Glaister - what would you recommend?

4. Hullo I'm looking for a good new science fiction or fantasy author; my tastes are quite diverse, but I appreciate a well-written book. I like Terry Pratchett, hate Robin Hobb, think Anne McCaffrey is mediocre. Any recommendations?

5. Books on tropical fishkeeping?

6. I would be interested to know about forthcoming boooks on baseball.

7. Young adult fiction excluding fantasy, sci-fi and romance?

8. I like all of Jim Dodge's books and would like to find similar style novels. Thanks in advance.

9. I've recently enjoyed reading both Daniel Mason's The Piano Tuner and Thad Carhart's The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. Can you recommend any other piano-themed novels or journal-type books in a similar vein?

10. Favourite books read so far are: historical fiction, eg: Twist of Gold by Michael Morpurgo, Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot and mysteries, eg: Nancy Drew.

11. My Son said he was "full of tears" after school today, any recommended titles to help him settle in?

Answers

~ 1 ~

The Allotment Book by AM Clevely

Practical Allotment Gardening: A Guide to Growing Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs on Your Plot by Caroline Foley by Clive Nichols

Close to the Veg: A Book of Allotment Tales by Michael Rand

The Food Garden: Grow Vegetables, Create Compost, Successful Allotments, Grow Fruit - Green Essentials Organic Guides Series

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~ 2 ~

Listed below are some titles that we think may be of interest to you regarding the philosophy of love;

Love's Grateful Striving: A Commentary on Kierkegaard's Works of Love by M.Jamie Ferreira

Conditions of Love: The Philosophy of Intimacy by John Armstrong

Love, Life, Goethe: How to Be Happy in an Imperfect World by John Armstrong

The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex and the Meaning of Life by Armand Nicholi

The Symposium by Plato

For a more populist view on the nature of love, told as fiction, there is: The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession by Paulo Coelho or perhaps Essays in Love by Alain de Botton.

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~ 3 ~

As a fan of Lesley Glaister you may know that her next book is not due out until 2007. Some of our booksellers have recommended the following titles and authors, that you may enjoy reading in the meantime:

The Story of Lucy Gault and other titles by William Trevor

Ian McEwan - especially Amsterdam

Sleepwalking and other titles by Julie Myerson

The Turning and Dirt Music by Tim Winton

Also, if you enjoyed the way Glaister captured the Australian outback in As Far As You Can Go, you may be keen to try titles by Peter Temple. Temple is Australia's leading crime writer and his books are being re-published in the UK by Quercus - The Broken Shore received some very strong reviews when released in June 2006 and has been a favourite with some of our booksellers - I know this is a slightly different genre, but it is a cut above a lot of crime titles.

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~ 4 ~

Thanks for your question about Science Fiction and Fantasy authors. My colleague Adam has come up with the following suggestions for you:

The Star Fraction by Ken MacLeod: "In a newer world order where the peace process is deadlier than the wars...Moh Kohn is a security mercenary with a smart gun, reflexes to die for and memories he doesn't want to reach. Jamis Taine is a scientist with a new line in memory drugs, anti-tech terrorists on her case and the STASIS cops on her trail. Jordan Brown is a teenage atheist with a guilty conscience, a wad of illicit cash and an urgent need to get a life. Between them they've started the countdown to the final confrontation, as the cryptic Star Fraction assembles its codes, the Army of the New Republic prepares its offensive and Space Defence lines up its laser weapons for the hour of the Watchmaker..."

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds: "Dr Dan Sylveste, an archaeologist who has for years been fascinated with the long-dead alien race the Amarantin, is about to discover something that could change the course of mankind. But before he can act on anything his wife is killed and he is captured when a coup sweeps across the planet Resurgam. Meanwhile, an astonishing ship bearing a crew of militaristic cyborgs and a kidnapped Gunnery Officer is bearing down on Resurgam, crossing light years of space to enlist Sylveste's help to save their metamorphosing Captain. Only Sylveste, or, more accurately, the software programme containing his father's knowledge that he carries in his mind, can save the Captain. None of them can anticipate the cataclysm that will result when they meet, a cataclysm that will sweep through space and could determine the ultimate fate of humanity"

Peter F Hamilton has a wide appeal, start with either the Nights Dawn Trilogy or Pandora's Star.

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~ 5 ~

Thanks for your enquiry about tropical fishkeeping books. We have found five titles that may be of interest to you, the first three are good if you are new to fishkeeping and the second two may be of interest to someone who already has some experience.

Quick-N-Easy Guide to Keeping Tropical Fish by Ann McDowall

Setting Up A Tropical Aquarium by Stuart Thraves

Pet Owner's Guide to Tropical Fishkeeping by Mary Bailey

All About Tropical Fishkeeping by Stephen Windsor

500 Ways To Be A Better Tropical Fishkeeper

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~ 6 ~

Thanks for your enquiry about forthcoming baseball books, here are a few suggestions that you may be interested in:

The Team-By-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball by Tony La Russa

Now I Can Die in Peace: How ESPN's Sports Guy Found Salvation, with a Little Help from Nomar, Pedro, Shawshank, and the 2004 Red Sox by Bill Simmons Sep 2006 (you may have to contact our customer services team to arrange a special order of this title).

Inside Pitch: Life in Professional Baseball by George Gmelch

The Conscience of the Game: Baseball's Commissioners from Landis to Selig by Larry Moffi, out 15 December 2006.

Playing Hard Ball: County Cricket and Big League Baseball by ET Smith - this has been out for a few years, but a sports-mad friend insists that it's a must for baseball fans based in the UK.

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~ 7 ~

Thanks for your enquiry regarding books for young adults. We have some suggestions below that I hope will be useful, but please let us know if we can be of any further help.

Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books - great, pacey adventure stories (not the Power of Five series which are fantasy)

Robert Muchamore's Cherub series

Charlie Higson's Young Bond books (Blood Fever and Silverfin)

...Startled by His Furry Shorts! and the other six titles in the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson Series by Louise Rennison - great fun for teenage girls

Holes and Small Steps by Louis Sachar are both great novels for young adults.

Clay by David Almond

Just in Case by Meg Rosoff was our recommended title for the 12+ age group in August - I read it a little while ago and thought it was a really strong and interesting story and would wholeheartedly recommend it. Also, Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now has had strong reviews since it was published last year.

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~ 8 ~

Our booksellers have recommended the following titles that, as a fan of Jim Dodge, you may enjoy reading:

In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan

The Astrological Diary of God by Bo Fowler

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

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~ 9 ~

I have listed some of the recommendations from our booksellers below - I hope these are useful to you.

The Concert Pianist by Conrad Williams

A Life's Music by Andre Makine

The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45 by Anthea Bell, Wladyslaw Szpilman

The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek, Joachim Neugroschel

The Piano by Jane Campion, Kate Pullinger

The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue (has a slight piano theme)

A Pound of Paper by John Baxter (a journal-type book, which is a kind of travel/anecdotal about his life and obsessions as a rare book collector)

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~ 10 ~

Our booksellers have come up with a list of titles that they think you may enjoy, based upon your favourite books. I hope this is helpful to you.

Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding (set in 1700s London)

Victory by Susan Cooper (Split narrative, present day and voice of a young boy in the navy on Nelson's ship during the battle of Trafalgar)

Once by Morris Gleitzman (about the holocaust)

Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig (stories of childhood during the German occupation of Denmark)

Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer (time travelling story, present day children end up in 18th century London)

Girl, 15 Charming but Insane by Sue Limb (funny girly fiction)

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (two children on the case of a missing famous painting)

The Lady Grace Mysteries by Grace Cavendish (also historical)

Remembrance by Theresa Breslin (about the First World War and described as 'fantastic' by two of our booksellers)

Postcards From No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers (much of it set in Holland during WW2)

Tamar by Mal Peet (set in Holland during WW2 - book that won the 2006 Carnegie Medal)

The Baker Street Boys series by Anthony Reed (basically Sherlock Holmes for eight to 12 year olds)

Jack Trelawny's Kernowland series (first book is called The Crystal Pool and is about two children who go to Cornwall on holiday and end up having scary adventures involving pirates, monsters etc)

And last but not least the new Michael Morpurgo book Alone On A Wide Wide Sea which combines an historical tale of an orphan boy sent to Australia in 1946 with the story of a girl (the now grown-up boy's daughter) who sails halfway around the world to solve a family mystery - this again comes highly recommended by our booksellers.

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~ 11 ~

Sorry to hear that your son has been finding his first days at school a little tricky. Our booksellers have come up with a selection of titles that they think will help him to get over the unsteady early weeks and help him enjoy the new experiences - Harry and the Dinosaurs was recommended by all the bookseller volunteers who helped with this response.

Harry and the Dinosaurs Go to School by Ian Whybrow, Adrian Reynolds

Topsy and Tim Start School by Jean Adamson, Gareth Adamson

I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child

The First Day of School by Toby Forward, Carol Thompson

I Hate School by Jeanne Willis, Tony Ross

Do I Have to Go to School? by Pat Thomas, Lesley Harker

Lucy and Tom Go to School by Shirley Hughes

Prepare Your Child for School: How to Make Sure Your Child Gets Off to a Flying Start by Helen Likierman, Valerie Muter

(Bookseller comments - a customer has suggested this book as being useful; she was looking for something that told her what kind of reading/number skills her daughter would be expected to have when she started school and found some helpful information in this book. It also has chapters on emotional help, stress, etc.)

Little Rabbit Goes to School by Harry Horse

(Things don't go quite to plan on his first day, but by the end of the book Little Rabbit is looking forward to his next day at school.)

Wanda's First Day by Mark Sperring

(Wanda feels different to the other children, she is a witch and they are all fairies, but at the end she realises she has made friends and it was fun.)

Going to School: Usborne First Experiences Series by Anna Civardi, Stephen Cartwright

(Goes through the day, explaining what children and parents should expect, eg breaks, storytime, etc)

A Very Busy School by Richard Scarry

(Lots of positive pictures of children doing enjoyable things in school.)

Dora Goes to School: Dora the Explorer Series Nickelodeon

Once Upon an Ordinary School Day by Colin McNaughton, Satoshi Kitamura

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