You share your home with a lot more beating hearts than the family or roommates you see daily beneath your roof. In Indoor Wildlife, Gerard E. Cheshire takes a look at the critters, large and small, that inhabit your home.

Some are obvious. The spiders, flies and other invertebrates that inevitably make their way indoors. Some are more intrusive, such as mice and rats. Others are rarely considered home invaders, as such: the molds and fungi, for instance, that crop up when conditions are right, or the parasitic worms that might inhabit your gut.

Cheshire's book is focused on the British home -- Britain being the home of publisher Pen & Sword, of course -- but much of his work applies equally well to homes in North America. And the book is short -- just 85 pages, and heavily packed with photos -- so don't expect much detail. This is a brief overview, not a detailed analysis, so you won't learn much about the various creatures, their benefits or detriments to your home, and how you should encourage or dissuade them from living there.

But it's interesting, nonetheless, especially if you like insects, which dominate these pages. If you're curious what shares your home, give this a look.