To Read

I'm not quite sure where to start with this review. I made a start on Mark Williams' Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world quite some time ago but got a bit bogged down, so when my doctor diagnosed me as a tiny compacted ball of stress and said I should look into mindfulness, I sagged at the thought of trying again with the Williams, in spite of its good reviews, then found this at a bookshop and thought I'd give it a go. And it's really very good. It's extremely readable, and Wax includes plenty of easily-digestible but apparently thorough information about how the brain works and what mindfulness can do about it.I really liked the sections about her own experiences. These often tread the line between funny and harrowing and I feel are mostly useful in describing a certain mental state that mindfulness can help with. I did get the feeling as I read through the book though, that perhaps my problems weren't entirely relevant. Following up though, I've gone back to the Williams (which I'm finding much easier this time, now I've got some context for it) and the situations he describes are much more in line with my own experience. Possibly this is because I don't have depression, and neither did I go through a more-than-averagely-traumatic childhood.The book includes what I felt to be excellent sections on mindfulness for children and teenagers. I've seen that other readers who don't have children have skipped these parts, but actually I found them very interesting because while the exercises there don't have any practical application to my life, they describe how the brain develops through the various phases of childhood. So they're interesting, and I suspect relevant to anyone who has any sort of contact with babies, children or teenagers, even if they're not your own.Wax has developed her own 6-week mindfulness course, which is shorter than most approaches (8 weeks seems to be the standard). I've read through it and am aiming to have a go at it, but can't really report on whether it's a good'un. It's been given the tick of approval by Mark Williams, however, who apart from being one of the originators of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was Wax's tutor for her Masters degree in MBCT at Oxford. The course seems to be a little less formal and more in keeping with normal lives than others I've looked at. It gives a strong impression that you can do it without needing to significantly change your current activities, which is appealing and certainly should make it an option worthy of consideration for those who are concerned that they might not commit to a more formal course. That said, the nature of mindfulness does require commitment, so you still need to do the practice to get the results!I enjoyed Ruby Wax's writing style, although I take issue with the Arianna Huffington quote on the back cover describing it as 'hilarious' because it isn't. Definitely amusing. At times outright funny. But most of the book I'd describe as serious with a large splash of humour. Occasionally I felt the humour felt a little forced and distracted from the serious message a little but for the most part I felt it was well balanced and that the information was front and centre. I don't actually think I've seen any of Ruby Wax's work as a comedian, although I knew her name and face, so I don't know how her writing style compares to her comedy work.In short, I think this is a good, readable introduction to mindfulness, if you bear in mind that Wax's own issues are on the extreme side and the practice is supposed to also be useful for less dramatic situations. It's probably also a good choice if you want to understand something of what it's like to experience depression or if you're struggling to deal with a child or teenager's difficult behaviour.

What do you do when you’re labeled abnormal in a world obsessed with normality? In a world where wrinkles are practically illegal, going bald is cause for mental breakdown, and women over size ten are encouraged to shoot themselves, what the **** do you do if you’re, gasp. . .  disabled? Francesca was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was two years old, and her parents were gravely told that she would never lead a "normal" life. After a happy childhood filled with tree climbing, mischief, and little regard for her bit of palsy, Francesca arrived at high school with a confidence verging on indestructible, only to be turned into a miserable and insecure wreck. Luckily for her, salvation came from Grange Hill, a stand-up comedy workshop, and a passionate love affair replete with scintillating conversation. After one particularly mind-blowing chat, Francesca realized she had the power to stop judging herself by society’s unhealthy standards and create her own. So she did. This powerful new perspective changed her entire life forever. Whatever body you’re born into, the pressure to be "normal" is everywhere. But have you ever met a normal person? What do they look like? Where do they live? What do they eat for breakfast? And what the **** does normal mean anyway? What the **** is Normal?! is a very funny, very moving celebration and exploration of learning to be happy with who you are. Neither an autobiography nor a self-help book, it’s a powerful and political call-to-arms that rails against the relentless media bombardment of what is culturally perceived as "normal." Francesca equipped herself with the tools to stick two shaky fingers up to society’s unrealistic and damaging expectations, and with this book, she hopes to help more people to do the same. The wobbly revolution starts here.

A control freak looks for love. (Women who leave wet teaspoons in sugar bowls need not apply)."I haven't woken up with a cup of tea by the bed for seven years. It seems such a small thing but it's one of a thousand things I miss about having someone around to take care of me. I have spent my entire adult life getting things the way I want them and all I want now is someone to give it all up for." Jon RichardsonIs your filing faultless? Your CDs, apostrophes, cutlery all in the right places? Can you eat a biscuit in the correct way? Then Jon Richardson (single for seven years and counting) could be your ideal man.Living alone in a one bedroom flat in Swindon, 27 year old Jon has had far too much time on his hands to think. In fact to obsess. About almost everything. Jon's obsessive compulsive personality disorder has seen him arrange the coins in his pockets in ascending size and colour code his bookshelves. It takes him less than 90 seconds to locate a receipt for a pair of shoes he bought in 1997. Over to the filing cabinet and R for receipts, S for shoes.But Jon doesn't want to be like this, in fact he would quite like to share his life with someone. But who could that someone be? Someone like himself, a quarrelsome perfectionist only with breasts and less body hair? Absolutely not. But who exactly is Jon looking for and where will he find her? Faced with a loveless future filled with his own peculiar quirks and perfectionism, Jon sets about his search for The One. The question is, will he mind her keeping the knives to the left of the forks in the cutlery drawer or organising the CDs by genre and not alphabetically?

Everything you need to know about Britain's divorce from EuropeOur departure from the European Union is filled with propaganda, myth and and half truth - but the risks are very real. Mishandling Brexit could lower our global status, diminish our quality of life, and throw our legal system into turmoil. With the help of leading experts in trade and law, Ian Dunt, editor of Politics.co.uk, explains:- why leaving the EU is set to make us permanently poorer- how cutting immigration will affect wages and taxes- why leading industries like farming, pharmaceuticals and finance will struggle to operate- whether the biggest constitutional change in post-war history will break up the UKThis is the first full public exploration of Brexit, shorn of the wishful thinking of its supporters in Parliament and the media.It is portrait of a country about to undergo a self-inflicted isolation.

Johnny Vegas became a household name as the unkempt sidekick of Monkey in the PG Tips adverts. But as his revelatory autobiography shows, Johnny's true genesis took place years before then. This is the story of how Michael Pennington achieved success and stardom as his alter-ego, Johnny Vegas.

Why is it that even the most disorganised person never seems to lose their toothbrush?How can this simple fact solve all our clutter problems?The Toothbrush Principle is a simple yet inspired approach to de-cluttering your home. Whether you live in a mansion or a bedsit, this book will show you how to: organise according to the unconscious blueprint that naturally tidy people have, so that getting and staying organised is easy; know what to throw away with confidence; set up your wardrobe so you get much more use out of the clothes you have; work from home productively in a clear, designated space; tame your inbox!Step-by-step, room-by-room, you'll soon find that you hardly ever lose things, massive clear outs become a thing of the past and you never spend more than 10 minutes a day tidying up.So stop drowning in piles of clutter, learn how to be organised and start creating space to live out the life of your dreams!

Zero, zip, nada, zilch. It's all too easy to ignore the fascinating possibilities of emptiness and non-existence, and we may well wonder what there is to say about nothing. But scientists have known for centuries that nothing is the key to understanding absolutely everything, from why particles have mass to the expansion of the universe - so without nothing we'd be precisely nowhere.Absolute zero (the coldest cold that can exist) and the astonishing power of placebos, light bulbs, superconductors, vacuums, dark energy, 'bed rest' and the birth of time - all are different aspects of the concept of nothing. The closer we look, the bigger the subject gets. Why do some animals spend all day doing nothing? What happens in our brains when we try to think about nothing? With chapters by 20 science writers, including top names such as Ian Stewart, Marcus Chown, Nigel Henbest, Michael Brooks, Paul Davies and David Fisher, this fascinating and intriguing book revels in a subject that has tantalised the finest minds for centuries, and shows there's more to nothing than meets the eye.

Dementia is a little understood and currently incurable illness, but much can be done to maximise the quality of life for people with the condition. Contented Dementia - by clinical psychologist and bestselling author Oliver James - outlines a groundbreaking and practical method for managing dementia that will allow both sufferer and carer to maintain the highest possible quality of life, throughout every stage of the illness.\ \ A person with dementia will experience random and increasingly frequent memory blanks relating to recent events. Feelings, however, remain intact, as do memories of past events and both can be used in a special way to substitute for more recent information that has been lost. The SPECAL method (Specialized Early Care for Alzheimer's) outlined in this book works by creating links between past memories and the routine activities of daily life in the present. \ \ Drawing on real-life examples and user-friendly tried-and-tested methods, Contented Dementia provides essential information and guidance for carers, relatives and professionals.

How do you get rid of unwanted guests? What do you do if there's a racket in the quiet carriage? How should you eat peas, and behave in queues? How to behave, like how to punctuate, is an aspect of life that many are no longer taught - and getting it wrong is the stuff of comedy at best and humiliation at worst. Thankfully, Sandi Toksvig has come to the rescue with her entertaining guide to modern manners, with tips on what to do whether you're talking to a bore, or forgot their name in the first place. (Just call them 'darling'.)The award-winning Radio 4 broadcaster and writer offers guidance on the social pitfalls of every phase of life, from christenings to condolence letters. With characteristic wit and perceptiveness, and revealing the trickiest of her encounters along the way, she highlights decency rather than convention and provides an essential guide to twenty-first century behaviour.

A strategy-filled handbook to understand, manage, and conquer your own stress. Anxiety disorders-grouped into three main categories: panic, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety-are among the most common and pervasive mental health complaints. From the subtlest effect of sweaty palms during a work presentation to the more severe symptom of reclusion, anxiety casts a wide net. Medication, once considered the treatment of choice, is losing favor as more and more sufferers complain of unpleasant side effects and its temporary, quick-fix nature. Now, thanks to a flood of fresh neurobiology research and insights into the anatomy of the anxious brain, effective, practical strategies have emerged allowing us to manage day-to-day anxiety on our own. Addressing physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms, Margaret Wehrenberg, a leading mental health clinician, draws on basic brain science to highlight the top ten anxiety-defeating tips. Everything from breathing techniques and mindful awareness to cognitive control and self-talk are included-all guaranteed to evict your anxious thoughts. 20

The very best journalism from one of Britain's most admired and outspoken science writers, author of the bestselling Bad Science and Bad Pharma. In 'Bad Science', Ben Goldacre hilariously exposed the tricks that quacks and journalists use to distort science. In 'Bad Pharma', he put the $600 billion global pharmaceutical industry under the microscope. Now the pick of the journalism by one of our wittiest, most indignant and most fearless commentators on the worlds of medicine and science is collected in one volume.

I remember listening to an interview with Steven Pinker on NPR right after The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature was published. There were these angry moms who kept calling in and telling him, What do you mean I can’t micro-manage my child’s personality? They should read this book instead. They’d love it. Despite the title, the book doesn’t say that parents are necessarily fucking up their children. What it does say is that children really are blank slates, and just about everything about us is determined by how our parents treat us in our childhood. If there is such a thing as genetic determinism, this book represents the opposite pole: parental determinism.James is hardcore. When it comes to the nature-vs.-nurture debate, he won’t let you give the safe and cliché “it’s a bit of this and a bit of that” answer. It’s almost always and almost entirely nurture. Only in extreme cases like schizophrenia and autism does he allow some genetic influence. Boys vs. girls? He grudgingly says that maybe they’re born different. (I wonder what happened to “anatomy is destiny.”) Homosexuality? Determined by the parents. Violence, relationship issues, depression, neurosis, religiosity, creativity, intelligence, personality disorders, etc. are all decided by our parents. Child prodigies and geniuses? No biological differences here either. He doesn’t say it explicitly, but he actually makes the laughable implication that you can take any average, snot-nosed brat and turn him into Shakespeare or Einstein or Beethoven or Michael Jordan. It’s all about how we treat and educate and train them. And don’t try to bring friends and peers into the picture. Only our primary caregivers in our childhood are allowed to shape our, um, nature.That’s really the main point of this book. Everything else is just a cover for this idea. The title of the book is completely misleading. James is really pissed off that some people have been claiming that our personalities are influenced by our genes/brain chemistry/biology. He’s a child development psychologist by training, and he doesn’t have much respect or patience for psychiatrists, let alone biologists and cognitive scientists. I’m glad he didn’t name any names and didn’t take on anyone in particular, as he’s no match in intellect and knowledge for the likes of Pinker and Dawkins and Dennett.James doesn’t shy away from letting us know that he’s a leftist/liberal and that this debate has significant implications in social policy making. He thinks that the “nature argument” is being used by the Right to advance its agenda (even though the scientists and philosophers on the “nature’s side” are decidedly liberal). The truth, however, is independent of our political preferences. PS: I don’t get why people act indignant about our genes/biology partly (or even largely) shaping our personality. They think it’s against our human dignity and freedom to be slaves to our genes. Why is it better to be slaves to our parents and be permanently scarred by that stupid thing that they said or did when we were little? More importantly, most psychologists (including James himself) still believe in the Freudian notion of subconscious (an idea for which there’s no real scientific evidence whatsoever), a shadowy agent that holds our real but hidden desires and motives and controls us without our being aware of it. How is being chained to a dark and mysterious subconscious any less oppressive?

Say you want to start going to the gym or practicing a musical instrument. How long should it take before you stop having to force it and start doing it automatically?The surprising answers are found in Making Habits, Breaking Habits, a psychologist's popular examination of one of the most powerful and under-appreciated processes in the mind. Although people like to think that they are in control, much of human behavior occurs without any decision-making or conscious thought.Drawing on hundreds of fascinating studies, psychologist Jeremy Dean busts the myths to finally explain why seemingly easy habits, like eating an apple a day, can be surprisingly difficult to form, and how to take charge of your brain's natural “autopilot” to make any change stick.Witty and intriguing, Making Habits, Breaking Habits shows how behavior is more than just a product of what you think. It is possible to bend your habits to your will—and be happier, more creative, and more productive.

Rip up this book and unleash your hidden potential Most self-help books encourage you to think differently: to think yourself thin, imagine a richer self or to visualize the perfect you. This is difficult, time consuming and often doesn't work. Ripping up the rule book, psychologist Richard Wiseman presents a radical new insight into your body and brain: actions are the quickest, easiest and most powerful way to instantly change how you think and feel. Drawing on a dazzling array of scientific evidence, Professor Wiseman shows how this simple idea can be used to increase motivation, overcome depression, lose weight, stop smoking and even slow ageing. So don’t just think about changing your life. Do it. * Smile and become happier * Clench your fist and increase your willpower * Put a spring in your step and feel instantly younger

Are you still the person who lived fifteen, ten or five years ago? Fifteen, ten or five minutes ago? Can you plan for your retirement if the you of thirty years hence is in some sense a different person? What and who is the real you? Does it remain constant over time and place, or is it something much more fragmented and fluid? Is it known to you, or are you as much a mystery to yourself as others are to you?With his usual wit, infectious curiosity and bracing scepticism, Julian Baggini sets out to answer these fundamental and unsettling questions. His fascinating quest draws on the history of philosophy, but also anthropology, sociology, psychology and neurology; he talks to theologians, priests, allegedly reincarnated Lamas, and delves into real-life cases of lost memory, personality disorders and personal transformation; and, candidly and engagingly, he describes his own experiences. After reading "The Ego Trick," you will never see yourself in the same way again.

Dr Michael Mosley and Peta Bee investigate the fascinating science behind a radical new approach to exercise, one that is incredibly time efficient. Research done by leading sports scientists has shown the extraordinary impact that ultra short bursts of high intensity intermittent training can have, whether you are an athlete or a sedentary couch potato.In Fast Exercise, Michael Mosley, a sloth, teams up with super-fit health journalist Peta Bee to dispel myths and show you how to get the most out of exercise, whatever your age or level of fitness. They offer practical, science based advice and a range of novel work outs designed for the time-starved generation. Workouts that can be done anywhere, anytime and which fit unobtrusively into even the busiest day.This is a book for those, like Michael, who don't enjoy exercising but want to lose fat and stay healthy. It is for those, like Peta, who love exercise and want to get the most from it. It is also for those who are simply curious about how their bodies work.

This was the first Marina Lewycka novel that I read.The book is made up of four points of view: Doro and Marco (although his voice is heard mostly in the epilogue), hippies of sorts who lived in a commune; their son, Serge, who's pretending to finish a Math PhD, but is working as an analyst in London, making lots of money playing on the stock market; his sister Clara, three years his senior and who works as a primary school teacher in Doncaster. I enjoyed some of the musings on the life in the commune, the youth's idealism and strong convictions. I also liked the juxtaposition of the poorer, working class, Doncaster, with the rich, fancy London. Sometimes, Lewycka was bogged down in too many pedagogic details about trading shares and the financial markets - I was bored.There were all sort of side plots and little mysteries. At times, I lost track, of who was who and how they were connected to the story.For an easy read, this seemed much longer than it actually was.I liked it enough, but I didn't love it, ergo the 3 stars.

In the age of information overload, traditional time management techniques simply don’t cut it when it comes to overflowing inboxes, ever-expanding to-do lists and endless, pointless meetings. Thankfully there is a better way: The Way of the Productivity Ninja.Using techniques including Ruthlessness, Mindfulness, Zen-like Calm and Stealth & Camouflage you will get your inbox down to zero, make the most of your attention, beat procrastination and learn to work smarter, not harder.Written by one of the UK’s foremost productivity experts, How to be a Productivity Ninja is a fun, accessible and practical guide to staying cool, calm and collected, getting more done, and learning to love your work again.