Our Farm by Rosie Boycott (Bloomsbury £15.99)

First up in this month’s feature on lifestyle titles is journalist Rosie Boycott’s account of her new life running a farm in Somerset. The book tells the familiar story of hapless city types getting to grips with the challenges of rearing pigs, trying to sell their home-grown produce to suspicious local traders and basically learning to farm from scratch, but what sets "Our Farm" apart from other "good life" memoirs is Boycott’s interweaving of political themes and personal issues with the seasonal story of her smallholding. She is an engaging, witty writer and communicates very well the difficulties facing British farmers whilst never shying away from her own naivety in thinking she wouldn’t share their struggle to make a living off the land. A great book to read when you’re thinking of chucking in city life and buying a goat farm in Cornwall, this manages to be hilarious, moving and cautionary at the same time.

The Way We Live in the City by Stafford Cliff and Gilles De Chabaneix (Thames and Hudson £19.95)

If, on the other hand, you’re not yet ready to move to the country, and Wandsworth Common is as green as you get, here is a book to rekindle your love affair with city living. A glossy compendium of photos showing the interiors of apartments, town houses and grand mansions in cities across the world, this is sure to provide inspiration for how to live the glamorous city life. From understated modernism to showy opulence, photographer Gilles de Chabaneix has captured it all, and built up a library of telling details, many of which can offer practical solutions to city dwelling problems such as lack of space, traffic noise and hemmed-in gardens. The book works best as a source of inspiration, though: we may not all have a flat with panoramic views over Manhattan, but we can all reacquaint ourselves with the buzz that comes from living in one of the world’s great cities.

Cool Camping series by Jonathan Knight (Punk Publishing £14.95)

Heading back out into the countryside now, the first in this series of chic camping guides, focusing on England, was one of our hits of last summer. Now reissued in handy glovebox-sized format, and accompanied by new titles on sites in Wales and Scotland, these are books which tap into the vogue for eco-holidays on our doorstep. The books feature a hand-picked selection of very special camping experiences, each with a unique selling point. It might be an unbeatable view of a pristine coastline, a tranquil lakeside location, or the chance to spend the night in an American trailer or Mongolian yurt – for cool campers, the location is everything. As well as practical information from the nearest pub to the number of toilets, the books have ideas for where to go if (when!) it rains and plenty of fantastic photos that should persuade even the most canvas-phobic to give a carbon neutral camping holiday a try.

Hip Hotels UK by Herbert Ypma (Thames and Hudson £18.95)

If a weekend in a tent is definitely not your scene but you’d still like to do a bit of travelling without flying, here’s a more luxurious option: the latest in Herbert Ypma’s bestselling Hip Hotels series shows you where you can have a truly stylish break in the UK. Whether you want to immerse yourself in the famously lush and beautiful British countryside, take advantage of the fusion menus and homely cosiness of groovy gastropubs tucked into picturesque locations, or hide away in one of the magnificent historic estates built by the British aristocracy, this book invites you to make the most of home grown style. You might be surprised at the hipness of the UK countryside, more modern and up-to-date than in almost any other country, yet in true British style, this hipness is distinctly understated. This beautifully-produced book is our essential guidebook of the season.

Daniel Webb works at Village Books, 6 Bellevue Road SW17 (020 8672 4413; wandsworth@villagebooks.uk.com)