Lifelines: new book announcement!

I’m extremely delighted to announce that I have a new book on the way, which will be published in the UK on May 15th and in a North American edition in Spring 2026. Regular readers of my blog posts here will know that I live above the Prespa lakes, and it’s this place that sits at the heart of Lifelines: Searching for Home in the Mountains of Greece.

Lifelines has been nearly a quarter of a century in the making, ever since my wife, Julia, and I read a book about the Prespa region in northern Greece. The same evening that we read it over wine in our apartment in north London, lingering over an evocative photo of the village that we now live in, we decided to leave London behind to try to make a home for ourselves in this place of mountains and lakes shared by three countries: Greece, Albania and North Macedonia. Not in our wildest dreams did we ever imagine we might still be here all this time later, but it seems that books can, and do, fundamentally change our lifelines.

This is a book of homecoming. It’s a story about the people of these mountains, the rare pelicans nesting on the lakes, the borders that divide the waters and the brown bears that forage in the valley behind our house. It’s a story of incredible generosity and welcome, having arrived here with no idea of what would come next on our journey. A story, ultimately, of a shared world. And because it’s a shared world, this book isn’t just about the move we made to a mountain village above these ancient lakes, nor the cultures and communities of both humans and wild species found here, but it moves outwards to other home places and lives across the planet. At a time when the climate and biodiversity crises are undermining the stability of the single shelter we share, it’s about the ways in which the lifelines of the world hold together the greater home of us all.

I’m deeply honoured by the wonderful reception the book has been receiving from early readers and the endorsements they’ve given in its support:

“Lifelines is a remarkable book. It elegantly and sensitively describes the pathways that all living creatures travel to get to where they belong – the ‘lifelines’ taking them ‘home’. The backdrop is the spectacular mosaic of mountains and lakes in Prespa in northern Greece, where Julian and Julia first tentatively, then permanently, find home. They meet others on similar quests, metaphorical or literal, be they bears, pelicans or humans. In rich and moving prose Julian describes these odysseys, infilling with past and present events and circumstances, from the Greek Civil War to the spectre of climate change, and how they impact the journeys. He shows where the pathways cross and entwine, posing challenges and opportunities for humans to co-exist with the wild world. Pulling the whole story together by offering the best explanation of biodiversity I have ever come across, Julian has produced a work that is utterly relevant to our times. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is even mildly interested in our place in the wider community of life on earth.” ~ Lee Durrell, MBE

‘I’ve been wondering for several years whether it was now possible for anyone writing in English to write a great book about living in Greece. Well, here it is. Exquisitely written, revelatory, passionate about the ecosystem of the Prespa lakes, Lifelines tells of how Hoffman and his wife found home in this northwest corner of Greece. The voice is unique, the message important, the book moving. I loved every page of it.’ – John Kittmer, former British Ambassador to Greece

‘A marvellous work of love and reflection on the wild places we share with nature and the magic of our living world. Vivid with humanity, empathy and clarity.’ ~ Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century

‘Absolutely fantastic. Hoffman’s writing has never been better, more powerful, more beautiful than here. It is the book we need for these troubling times of closing borders, suspicion of others and biodiversity loss.’ ~ Stephen Rutt, author of Eternal Summer

‘Awakens every sense – Lifelines will tilt you towards the wonder of nature. Written with wisdom, love and a protective quality that soars, this is a beautiful and important gem.’ ~ Hannah Bourne-Taylor, author of Fledgling

‘Few writers can guide us through the many urgent environmental catastrophes that we are facing and still give us hope. Lifelines is a beautifully written and tender book of what it can mean to fall in love with a place, its wildlife and its people.’ ~ Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean

I’m deeply grateful to the brilliant team at my publishers, Elliott & Thompson, for designing such a wonderful cover as well. And inside the pages of the book are some beautiful illustrations and a gorgerous map by the Greek artist Matina Galati, whom I’ll be interviewing for an upcoming blog post here on my site soon. I’ll share more details about the North American edition, which is being published by Godine in Boston in 2026, as soon as they’re available.

In the meantime, the UK edition of Lifelines is now available to pre-order ahead of its May publication date. Pre-orders have become increasingly important to help put books on the radar of booksellers, so if you have an interest in the book you can ask about it at your favourite independent bookshop (like Sam Read Books in Cumbria which has its own pre-order page for the book ready) or find it online at all the main sites where it’s already listed.

Waterstones

Bookshop.org

Blackwell’s

Foyles

Amazon.co.uk

Booktique (Greece – signed copies in stock, Kolonaki, Athens)

Public (Greece)

The Book Odyssey (Greece)

Captain Book (Greece)

Dussmann (Germany)

Bokus (Sweden)

Bruna (Netherlands)

For more information about the book, please see my publisher’s page. I’ll be promoting Lifelines at events in the UK and Greece later this year and will be updating my events page as soon as I have more details. Many thanks and do let me know if you have any questions about the book!