A man shoots a stranger in the chest on Christmas Eve. An expedition to Mars goes terribly wrong. A seaside pier collapses. A thirty-stone man is confined to his living room. One woman is abandoned on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. Another woman is saved from drowning. Two boys discover a gun in a shoebox.

Can you imagine finding gold? That's just what the Swallows and Amazons and Dick and Dorothea decide to hunt for in the hills high above the lake. But it's a hot and dry summer and water is in scarce supply. Worse still for the troubled campers, they have competition: Squashy Hat. Anybody can see he is a prospector. And talk about squashy hats.

Michel is a civil-servant, an account manager at the Ministry of Culture. When his father is murdered and he comes into some money, Michel takes leave of absence to go on a package tour to Thailand. Relieved to get away, he is nonetheless infuriated by the shallow hypocrisy and mediocrity of his fellow travellers.

In 2010, the author was the editor of the Guardian, set himself an almost impossible task: to learn, in the space of a year, Chopin's Ballade No 1 - a piece that inspires dread in many professional pianists. His timing could have been better. This title deals with his works.

A gift that will bring cries of delighted recognition from anyone who has ever owned a dog and, dare one say it, charm the pants off even those who strongly prefer cats. Hello. My name is Plum and I'm a whoosell - that's whippet mixed with Jack Russell and poodle. I especially like swimming, leaping, catching, and croissants.

Pobby and Dingan live in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, the opal capital of Australia. They are friends with Kellyanne Williamson, the daughter of a miner: indeed only she can see them. Ashmol Williamson, Kellyanne's brother thinks his sister should grow up and stop being such a fruit loop - until the day when Pobby and Dingan disappear.

With simple images that summon the rural landscape of New England, the author unfailingly moves the reader with his profound grasp of the human condition.