The Lush Library

Through the story of one woman's extraordinary mission to live with authenticity, Transitional shows us how to heal, how to build a stronger community, and how to evolve as a society out of shame and into pride.

Now a Major Motion Picture, Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. 

Nevada is a hilarious, groundbreaking cult classic from Imogen Binnie that inspired a whole literary movement, and now published in the UK, for the very first time.

Co-written by two award-winning writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

In the 1970s, queer people were openly despised, and drag queens scared the public. Yet this was the era when Doris Fish (born Philip Mills in 1952) painted and padded his way to stardom. He was a leader of the generation that prepared the world not just for drag queens on TV, but for a society that is more tolerant and accepting of LGBTQ+ people. 

Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance.

Breaking up is hard. Follow the story of Bron and Ray, a queer couple as they come to terms with their relationship and turn to repair their broken families. A whimsically illustrated graphic novel by the wonderful Lee Lai.

At sixteen, Jeanette faces a world of uncertainty as she breaks from the church and her community for the young woman she loves. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a warm, witty and daring novel that gives voice to irrepressible desire.

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021, and shortlisted for the 2022 National Book Critics' Circle John Leonard Prize for Best First Book. 

Madeleine Miller Reese nearly had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York, a job she didn't hate. She'd scraped together a life previous generations of trans women could only dream of; the only thing missing was a child...

Growing up gay in a traditional South Asian family in South Yorkshire, Tan France could never have imagined he'd become part of a worldwide phenomenon. One of the few people of colour at his school, he experienced racist bullies, found solace at his grandad's denim factory and eventually discovered his true calling at fashion college. Told with his trademark humour, for the first time Tan reveals the experiences that have made him the witty, compassionate man he is today.

Beloved by generations of readers, The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. 

Recommended by Claire Constantine.

Award-winning science journalist Catherine Price argues that fun is the key to living a more meaningful, fulfilling and happier life. If you prioritize fun, you will:

• Be healthier, less stressed and have more energy

• Find community and a sense of purpose

• Stop languishing and start flourishing.

And best of all? You'll enjoy yourself!

It begins like any other day for Molly Gray, silently dusting her way through the luxury rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel. But when she enters suite 401 and discovers an infamous guest dead in his bed, a very messy mystery begins to unfold. And Molly's at the heart of it - because if anyone can uncover the secrets beneath the surface, the fingerprints amongst the filth - it's the maid...

Recommended by Mark Constantine.

In Lessons from a Warzone, Al Roumani shares his very personal account of coping with the day-to-day realities of leading an organization in dangerous and hostile conditions. His story shows how inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of places, and how a business can not only survive in chaos, but can learn to thrive - the bank became the undisputed sector leader as people's trust in its capability to protect their life-long savings strengthened.

A lyrical and gripping story of friend of Lush George Monbiot's efforts to re-engage with nature and discover a new way of living. He shows how, by restoring and rewilding our damaged ecosystems on land and at sea, we can bring wonder back into our lives. Making use of some remarkable scientific discoveries, 

Feral lays out a new, positive environmentalism, in which nature is allowed to find its own way.

As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two ways of knowledge together.

This book offers a visionary new approach to climate change; one that weaves justice, climate, biodiversity, equity, and human dignity into a seamless tapestry of action, policy, and transformation that can end the climate crisis in one generation.

Some of our most cherished sustainable farming practices have roots in African wisdom. Yet, discrimination and violence against African-American farmers has led to their decline from 14% of all growers in 1920 to less than 2% today, with a corresponding loss of over 14 million acres of land. 

Leah Penniman co-created the Black and Latinx Farmers Immersion (BLFI) program for new farmers to share growing skills in a culturally relevant and supportive environment led by people of colour. This book organises and expands upon the curriculum of the BLFI to provide readers with a concise guide to all aspects of small-scale farming, from business planning to preserving the harvest.

The enormity of climate change and biodiversity loss can leave us feeling overwhelmed. How can an individual ever make a difference?

The Book of Wilding is a handbook for how we can all help restore nature. It is ambitious, visionary and pragmatic. The book has grown out of Isabella and Charlie's mission to help rewild Britain, Europe and the rest of the world by sharing knowledge from their pioneering project at Knepp in Sussex. It is inspired by the requests they receive from people wanting to learn how to rewild everything from unprofitable farms, landed estates and rivers, to ponds, allotments, churchyards, urban parks, gardens, window boxes and public spaces.. The Book of Wilding has the answers.

There is adequate evidence that exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major aetiological factor in human skin cancer, but managing the risk of skin cancer does not necessarily mean avoiding exposure to the Sun's UV rays. 

Sun Protection differentiates itself from other texts by adopting a risk management approach to determine whether, how, and in what circumstances harm might be caused, and to explore the feasibility of various strategies in controlling exposure to solar UV radiation. This multidisciplinary book covers topics from climatology through human exposure to sunlight, as well as biological and clinical effects of UV radiation to physical and chemical strategies for photoprotection.