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The Woman's Guide to Second Adulthood: Inventing the Rest of Our Lives
by Suzanne Braun LevineSecond Adulthood is a new stage of life for women over fifty. The first generation of socially emancipated women have reached an important frontier; they have fulfilled all their roles - daughter, wife, mother, career woman. Yet with longer life expectancy and better health they have no intention of retiring from the world. At the same time these women are experiencing an often bewildering array of physical readjustments: their brains experience a growth very similar to that in adolescence, they enter menopause, their sexual and emotional rhythms change. Such momentous challenges raise three crucial questions that each woman must answer for herself: What matters? What works? What's next? Drawing on interviews, science, trend analysis and her own struggles, Levine explores all the issues and offers countless stories of how others have answered those three questions. This is the inspiring handbook and companion for every woman entering these uncharted waters.
A Head Full of Blue
by Nick Johnstone'When I was fourteen, I got drunk for the first time. Champagne drunk. My mouth was stretched in a smile so wide, that my jaw hurt. The sky had the colours of a bruise' When Nick Johnstone got drunk for the first time at the age of fourteen he discovered a cure for the depression and anxiety that had been humming in his head since childhood. Over the next ten years he drank to overcome shyness, to make the world bearable, to get through the days and to get through the nights. He also began to cut himself and he began to lie. Intelligent, sensitive, from a loving family, neither he nor his countless doctors, psychiatrists, counsellors and therapists could understand where his disorders came from. Then, when he was twenty-four he was admitted into hospital. Stripped of his 'cure', Nick Johnstone painfully began the process of recovery. Although love proves to be the strongest 'cure' of all, this is a story with no tidy or happy endings . Honest and gripping, by turns stark and lyrical, A HEAD FULL OF BLUE powerfully evokes the often unfathomable psychology and behaviour that drives addiction, examining self-harm as a coping mechanism rather than a taboo. It is an unusual, moving and thought-provoking memoir.
Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has The Time
by Brigid SchulteIn her attempts to juggle work and family life, Brigid Schulte has baked cakes until 2 a.m., frantically (but surreptitiously) sent important emails during school trips and then worked long into the night after her children were in bed. Realising she had become someone who constantly burst in late, trailing shoes and schoolbooks and biscuit crumbs, she began to question, like so many of us, whether it is possible to be anything you want to be, have a family and still have time to breathe. So when Schulte met an eminent sociologist who studies time and he told her she enjoyed thirty hours of leisure each week, she thought her head was going to pop off. What followed was a trip down the rabbit hole of busy-ness, a journey to discover why so many of us ?nd it near-impossible to press the 'pause' button on life and what got us here in the ?rst place. Overwhelmed maps the individual, historical, biological and societal stresses that have ripped working mothers' and fathers' leisure to shreds, and asks how it might be possible for us to put the pieces back together. Seeking insights, answers and inspiration, Schulte explores everything from the wiring of the brain and why workplaces are becoming increasingly demanding, to worldwide differences in family policy, how cultural norms shape our experiences at work, our unequal division of labour at home and why it's so hard for everyone – but women especially – to feel they deserve an elusive moment of peace.
Shoot the Damn Dog: A Memoir of Depression
by Sally BramptonShoot the Damn Dog blasts the stigma of depression as a character flaw and confronts the illness Winston Churchill called 'the black dog', a condition that humiliates, punishes and isolates its sufferers. It is a personal account of a journey through (and out of) severe depression as well as being a practical book, offering ideas about what might help. With its raw, understated eloquence, it will speak volumes to anyone whose life has been haunted by depression, as well as offering help and understanding to those whose loved ones suffer from this terrifying condition.
Make Love Like a Prairie Vole: Six Steps to Passionate, Plentiful and Monogamous Sex
by Andrew G MarshallTheprairie vole, a small rodent from the mid-western plains of the USA, has itmade. Not only do prairie voles pair off for life but they spend hours groomingand cuddling in their burrows. At their peak, they will make love for two-daymarathons! They are great parents too, with the male vole completely involvedin caring for his pups. In contrast, their cousins the meadowvoles mate indiscriminately and live solitary lives, with the female meadowvole left to bring up her offspring alone.Becauseneuroscientists are so interested in the radical difference between these twolifestyles, we know more about the brain make-up of prairie voles than any othercreature. Thanks to them, we are now beginning to understand the biochemicalpathways of love shared by all species of animals, including ourselves, and thekey to a more fulfilling sex life.MaritalTherapist Andrew G Marshall combines this latest scientific research withtwenty-five years' professional experience of helping couples turn around theirlove lives. In Make Love Like a Prairie Vole, he has created a programme that will not onlytransform routine into passionate sex but also leads to the kind of lovemakingthat will bind you and your partner together as a couple.
The Journey Home: Ten New Commandments for Discovering Your True Self
by Simon ParkeThis book offers ten new commandments for coping with the stresses, strains and pressures of modern life. These ten new commandments are ten skilful attitudes for the attainment of your true self. 1. Be present2. Observe yourself3. Be nothing4. Flee attachment5. Transcend suffering6. Drop your illusions7. Prepare for truth8. Cease separation9. Know your soul10. Fear nothingThis handbook will set you on the path leading you back to who you really are. As Parke says, 'When we become disconnected from who we are, however it happened, it is a long journey home. What follows is a consideration of that journey - the journey home to a beautiful life'.
Ethical Ambition: Living A Life Of Meaning And Worth
by Derrick BellWho will YOU have to become to succeed? Most of us believe that we must compromise our integrity to get ahead in life. With material success now our overarching social goal, the pressure to succeed is stronger than it's ever been. But what does this mean for our convictions, our morals, our ideals? In his book, Derrick Bell demonstrates that it is possible to attain success and not compromise our values by practising what he describes as Ethical Ambition. Setting out seven rules with which to conduct our lives, he places ethics as central to our ambition, so we can simultaneously honour our values and our needs. ETHICAL AMBITION will force you to re-examine your beliefs and motivate you to change your life. It is an important book for our times.
Luck: What It Means and Why It Matters
by Ed SmithFor aspiring cricketer Ed Smith, luck was for other people. Like his childhood hero, Geoff Boycott, the tough, flinty Yorkshireman, the young Ed knew that the successful cricketer made his own luck by an application of will power, elimination of error, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. But when a freak accident at the crease at Lords prematurely ended Ed Smith's international cricketing career, it changed everything - and prompted him to look anew at his own life through the prism of luck. Tracing the history of the concepts of luck and fortune, destiny and fate, from the ancient Greeks to the present day - in religion, in banking, in politics - Ed Smith argues that the question of luck versus skill is as pertinent today as it ever has been. He challenges us to think again about privilege and opportunity, to re-examine the question of innate ability and of gifts and talents accidentally conferred at birth. Weaving in his personal stories - notably the chance meeting of a beautiful stranger who would become his wife on a train he seemed fated to miss - he puts to us the idea that in life, luck cannot be underestimated: without any means of explaining our differing lots in life, the world without luck is one in which you deserve every ill that befalls you, where envy dominates and averageness is the stifling ideal. Embracing luck leads us to a fresh reappraisal of the nature of success, opportunity and fairness.Bankers have promised 'risk-free' investments, the self-help industry peddles the idea that everyone can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, and life's winners are encouraged to claim that they did it all themselves in a 'meritocracy'. The case for luck needs to be made now, more than ever.
The Good Book: A Secular Bible (Playaway Adult Nonfiction Ser.)
by A. C. GraylingDrawing on the wisdom of 2,500 years of contemplative non-religious writing on all that it means to be human - from the origins of the universe to small matters of courtesy and kindness in everyday life - A. C. Grayling, Britain's most popular and widely read philosopher, has created a secular bible.Designed to be read as narrative and also to be dipped into for inspiration, encouragement and consolation, The Good Book offers a thoughtful, non-religious alternative to the many people who do not follow one of the world's great religions. Instead, going back to traditions older than Christianity, and far richer and more various, including the non-theistic philosophical and literary schools of the great civilisations of both West and East, from the Greek philosophy of classical antiquity and its contemporaneous Confucian, Mencian and Mohist schools in China, down through classical Rome, the flourishing of Indian and Arab worlds, the European Renaissance and Enlightenment, the worldwide scientific discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries to the present, Grayling collects, edits, rearranges and organises the collective secular wisdom of the world in one highly readable volume.Contents: GenesisProverbs Histories Songs Wisdom Acts The Lawgiver Lamentations Concord ConsolationsSages The Good Parables
Learn to Love Yourself Enough: Seven Steps to Improving Your Self-Esteem and Your Relationships
by Andrew G MarshallAre you your own greatest critic? Do you have low self-esteem? Have you ever thought that if people knew the real you, that they would think less of you? Does life feel an uphill struggle because nobody - not even you - is truly on your side? If any of this sounds familiar, it is time to take a fresh look at the most important relationship of all:your relationship with yourself.In this thought-provoking book, marital therapist Andrew G Marshall looks at how to love yourself enough to make better relationships and how to stop zig-zagging between boosting yourself up (often to unsustainable heights) and becoming overly critical. He explains:- Why modern life is making it harder to have a balanced opinion of ourselves.- The types of thinking that sabotage and make life harder.- Why old pains can still cast a shadow today and how to make peace with your past.- How to develop a positive mind-set.- Increasing your self-confidence.(Some of the exercises in this book have appeared in The Single Trap by Andrew G. Marshall, published by Bloomsbury)
Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything (Russian Audio Library)
by Elizabeth GilbertA beautiful new limited edition paperback of Eat Pray Love, published as part of the Bloomsbury Modern Classics listTo travel is worth any cost or sacrifice. I am loyal and constant in my love for travel, as I have not always been loyal and constant in my other loves. Newly divorced journalist Elizabeth Gilbert is struggling to carve out an authentic identity in New York. Desperate to reinvigorate her life and connect with the world around her, she embarks on a modern-day pilgrimage. With warmth and humour, Gilbert chronicles a journey from Italy to India and, finally, to Bali. Each country serves as a vivid backdrop for self-exploration as she comes to terms with the choices that have hitherto defined her life, and begins to rediscover herself.
The Big Questions: How Philosophy Can Change Your Life
by Lou MarinoffProfessor Lou Marinoff's first book drew on the wisdom of the great philosophers to solve our everyday problems, launching a movement that restored philosophy to what it once was: useful in all walks of life. Now, in The Big Questions, he takes the concept to the next level, applying centuries of philosophy and great literature to answer central questions of modern existence. Urging us not to accept victimhood as the by-product of modern life, Professor Marinoff uses specific case studies from his counseling practice to show how wisdom from the great thinkers can help us define our own philosophy, and thereby reclaim our sense of well-being. He asks and answers questions that go to the heart of the human condition: How do we know what is right? How can we cope with change? Why can't we all get along? And, most centrally, how can we use the centuries of wisdom that have come before us to help us answer these questions and feel at ease in the world? Accessible, entertaining, and profoundly useful, The Big Questions mixes wisdom from the great thinkers with specific case studies to illuminate how a shift in perspective can truly be life changing. Lou Marinoff is the author of the international hit Plato, Not Prozac!, which has been published in twenty languages. A professor of philosophy at the City College of New York, Marinoff is also the founding president of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. Praise for Plato, Not Prozac: 'What exactly is philosophical practice? Marinoff calls it 'therapy for the sane.' In a nutshell, it's using the 2,500-year-old tradition of philosophy to solve everyday problems, like work, relationship and family issues. It's a return to what philosophy was meant to be - a guideline for a way of life.'-Salon.Com 'Plato, Not Prozac! looks to become the bible of the "philosophical counseling" movement.' -Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine 'The ancient think
Spotted Pigs and Green Tomatoes: A Year in the Life of Our Farm
by Rosie BoycottAfter leaving the editorship of the Daily Express, Rosie Boycott wasn't sure what to do next. A terrible car accident forced her to rethink her life, turning her in a direction she would never have previously imagined. Working a small farm in Somerset proves a daunting task, but Rosie and her new husband Charlie are determined, and their immersion in rural living, hilarious and profoundly moving, reaps rewards they never expected. Pigs, ducks and geese are fattened for the butcher; vegetables and cut flowers are grown for a reluctant marketplace; and Rosie and Charlie discover much about the hard graft of running a smallholding. They learn too about weightier issues that affect the local community of Ilminster - particularly the new supermarket that threatens the soul of the local town centre. And Rosie finds recovery in the rhythms of the seasons.
The Fat Girl's Guide to Life
by Wendy ShankerVibrant, vivacious and gorgeous, Wendy Shanker is a fat girl who has simply had enough - enough of family, friends, co-workers, women's magazines, even strangers on the street all trying (and failing) to make her thin. With her mandate to change the world - and the humour and energy to do it - Wendy shows how media madness, corporate greed and even the most well-intentioned loved ones can chip away at a woman's confidence. She invites people of all sizes, shapes and dissatisfactions to trade self-loathing for self-tolerance, celebrity worship for reality reverence, and a carb-free life for a guilt-free Krispy Kreme. Wendy explores dieting debacles, full-figured fashions and feminist philosophy while guiding you through exercise clubs, doctors' offices, shopping malls and the bedroom. In the process, she will convince you that you can be fit and fat, even as the weight loss industry conspires to make you think otherwise. The Fat Girl's Guide to Life invites you to step off the scales and weigh the issues for yourself.
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
by Daniel GolemanThe groundbreaking bestseller that redefines intelligence and successDoes IQ define our destiny? Daniel Goleman argues that our view of human intelligence is far too narrow, and that our emotions play major role in thought, decision making and individual success. Self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, motivation, empathy and social deftness are all qualities that mark people who excel: whose relationships flourish, who are stars in the workplace. With new insights into the brain architecture underlying emotion and rationality, Goleman shows precisely how emotional intelligence can be nurtured and strengthened in all of us.
Working with Emotional Intelligence
by Daniel GolemanDo you want to be more successful at work?Do you want to improve your chances of promotion?Do you want to get on better with your colleagues?Daniel Goleman draws on unparalleled access to business leaders around the world and the thorough research that is his trademark. He demonstrates that emotional intelligence at work matters twice as much as cognitive abilities such as IQ or technical expertise in this inspiring sequel.
The Wisdom of Morrie
by Morrie SchwartzWho am I really? What have I done? What is important and meaningful to me? What difference does it make that I have lived? What does it mean to be truly human, and where am I on that scale?Morrie Schwartz, the beloved subject of the classic, multimillion-copy number one bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, explores these questions and many more in this profound, poetic and poignant masterpiece of living and aging joyfully and creatively. Later life can be filled with many challenges, but it can also be one of the most beautiful and rewarding passages in anyone's lifetime. Morrie draws on his experiences as a social psychologist, teacher, father, friend and sage to offer us a road map to navigate our futures.A great companion to Tuesdays with Morrie or the perfect introduction to Morrie's thoughtful philosophies, The Wisdom of Morrie is filled with empathic insights, stories, anecdotes and advice, told in Morrie's reassuring, calm and timeless voice. Let The Wisdom of Morrie be your guide in exploring deep questions of how to live and how to love.
This Book Will Make You Feel Something: Masturbation meditations to use on your own or with a partner
by Florence BarkThis book contains mouth-opening ways to mix up your masturbation routine, inserted between 25 steamy stories for you to masturbate to. You deserve to feel pleasure. Come on in. The power of female masturbation is immense - it's proven to release happy hormones in our brains, increase self-esteem and improve our external sex lives. So why then do we give ourselves such little time to do it? Maybe it's because we were never taught about how pleasure works when we were teenagers. Or because we don't have material we want to masturbate to. Or because society makes us think that it's acceptable to set time aside to explore and pleasure our partners, but less so if it's for ourselves.ENTER THIS BOOK!In the simplest and most exciting way possible, sex and relationships educator Florence Bark has explained how your anatomy works and the many ways to engage it. There are 25 ideas on how to change up the way you masturbate and, because 85% of women don't want to watch porn, to go with each tip is a 'masturbation meditation' - a steamy story specifically designed to be masturbated to, where you can imagine what the people within it look like and you know it's been ethically created. This ground-breaking book - the first of its kind - gives you the tools and permission you need to not just feel something, but everything. Please note: We believe the tips in the book will best apply to people with vulvas (though please note the data it is based on comes from surveys of cis-women). The stories on the other hand could apply to anyone depending on your personal preferences. So no matter how you identify, you're very welcome at this party.
Two for Joy: The untold ways to enjoy the countryside
by Adam Henson"I share Adam's love of farming and wildlife and I found this to be a fascinating and indispensable guide to our wonderful countryside. Makes you excited to get outside and explore" - Kate Humble Ever wondered why the dawn chorus is so loud in spring? What makes a summer sunset so special? Where to spot a murmuration of starlings in autumn? Or how to identify trees from just their bark in winter? In Two for Joy, Adam Henson - much-loved and long-standing presenter of Countryfile - goes on a journey throughout each season to help you to find new and varied ways to reconnect to the British and Irish countryside. Discover what's happening on farms, growing in hedgerows, the stories behind countryside superstitions, how to revive lost traditions, what you might spot when you look up at the sky and stars - and plenty more in this uplifting guide to the nature that surrounds us. Whether you read this book in the depths of winter in an armchair by the fire, or on a picnic rug in a field on a sunny day, it promises to open your eyes to the awe-inspiring powers of our uniquely British countryside in ways you've never noticed before.
A Colourful View From the Top: Twenty-One Extraordinary Voices of Black and Brown Excellence in Business
by Jonathan Mildenhall'Much needed inspiration for those working hard to reach a position that matches their potential and their allies' Ally Owen, Founder of Brixton Finishing SchoolYou might not think, right now, that you have what it takes to succeed. But incredible things do happen when you believe. We hope this book will stoke your sense of belief in what it is you can achieve and the gifts you have the potential to give to the world.Relentless in its inspiration, candour and warmth, A Colourful View From the Top is a vital anthology of twenty-one voices who are at the top of their game in business and beyond. Whether their specialism be advertising, tech, law or art, each luminary offers a unique and deeply meaningful collection of lessons and affirmations to draw upon time and time again.Discover how they became influential figures in culture and corporate life; how their achievements haven't been defined or limited by their race, gender or age; how sometimes the most fulfilling careers involve twists, turns and side hustles; how corporate success need not preclude social awareness.For too long, we have needed a more diverse set of commercial and cultural leaders to champion. Now it's time to hear their voices. Essential and engaging, A Colourful View From the Top is a deeply necessary compendium of varied experiences and career paths, candidly told by those who lived them.
If Not For You: A Memoir (Georgina Lucas)
by Georgina Lucas'If I were to look closely at the jagged edges of my fragmented heart, I'm sure I'd see that some spaces now shine with gold. And that is what he left for me.'_______________________'An extraordinarily brave, honest and tender book' RACHEL CLARKE'Full of strength and hope' KATE MOSSE'The most beautiful thing I have ever read' TOM BRADBY'Extraordinary' ANITA RANI, WOMAN'S HOUROn the 17th November 2019, Grey Atticus Fox was born, nine weeks early, to Georgie and Mike in a Kent hospital.Heart wrenching, cathartic, life-affirming, this is her account of the 21 days they had together, and its aftermath - the search to make sense of unimaginable loss. It bears witness to both the confusion and the clarity that accompany great pain, and stands as a testament to empathy, care and humanity when life is at its hardest.'He was looked after by strangers who became family, and he saw more kindness, more love, in twenty-one days than some might see in a lifetime. For his brief moments in this world, he experienced all of the very best things it can offer.'Georgie's spare, intimate and at times surprisingly comic writing offers an extraordinary message of hope. If Not For You is about the redeeming power of love, even in our darkest hour.'I cannot stop thinking about it' LUCY FOLEY'An unflinching and beautiful book' SOPHIE KINSELLA'Georgie Lucas writes superbly' MIRIAM STOPPARD
Sensemaking: What Makes Human Intelligence Essential in the Age of the Algorithm
by Christian MadsbjergA FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE MONTH (APRIL 2017)Humans have become subservient to algorithms. Every day brings a new Moneyball fix - a maths whiz who will crack open an industry with clean fact-based analysis rather than human intuition and experience. As a result, we have stopped thinking. Machines do it for us. Christian Madsbjerg argues that our fixation with data often masks stunning deficiencies, and the risks for humankind are enormous. Blind devotion to number crunching imperils our businesses, our educations, our governments, and our life savings. Too many companies have lost touch with the humanity of their customers, while marginalising workers with arts-based skills. Contrary to popular thinking, Madsbjerg shows how many of today's biggest success stories stem not from 'quant' thinking but from deep, nuanced engagement with culture, language, and history. He calls his method sensemaking. In this landmark book, Madsbjerg lays out five principles for how business leaders, entrepreneurs, and individuals can use it to solve their thorniest problems. He profiles companies using sensemaking to connect with new customers, and takes readers inside the work process of sensemaking 'connoisseurs' like investor George Soros, architect Bjarke Ingels, and others. Both practical and philosophical, Sensemaking is a powerful rejoinder to corporate groupthink and an indispensable resource for leaders and innovators who want to stand out from the pack.
Messy: How to Be Creative and Resilient in a Tidy-Minded World
by Tim Harford'Ranging expertly across business, politics and the arts, Tim Harford makes a compelling case for the creative benefits of disorganization, improvisation and confusion. His liberating message: you'll be more successful if you stop struggling so hard to plan or control your success. Messy is a deeply researched, endlessly eye-opening adventure in the life-changing magic of not tidying up' Oliver BurkemanThe urge to tidiness seems to be rooted deep in the human psyche. Many of us feel threatened by anything that is vague, unplanned, scattered around or hard to describe. We find comfort in having a script to rely on, a system to follow, in being able to categorise and file away. We all benefit from tidy organisation - up to a point. A large library needs a reference system. Global trade needs the shipping container. Scientific collaboration needs measurement units. But the forces of tidiness have marched too far. Corporate middle managers and government bureaucrats have long tended to insist that everything must have a label, a number and a logical place in a logical system. Now that they are armed with computers and serial numbers, there is little to hold this tidy-mindedness in check. It's even spilling into our personal lives, as we corral our children into sanitised play areas or entrust our quest for love to the soulless algorithms of dating websites. Order is imposed when chaos would be more productive. Or if not chaos, then . . . messiness.The trouble with tidiness is that, in excess, it becomes rigid, fragile and sterile. In Messy, Tim Harford reveals how qualities we value more than ever - responsiveness, resilience and creativity - simply cannot be disentangled from the messy soil that produces them. This, then, is a book about the benefits of being messy: messy in our private lives; messy in the office, with piles of paper on the desk and unread spreadsheets; messy in the recording studio, the laboratory or in preparing for an important presentation; and messy in our approach to business, politics and economics, leaving things vague, diverse and uncomfortably made-up-on-the-spot. It's time to rediscover the benefits of a little mess.
The Complete Guide to Exercising Away Stress (Complete Guides)
by Debbie LawrenceThe Complete Guide to Exercising Away Stress contains all the information necessary for personal trainers and sports coaches to be able to advise clients correctly and responsibly on how to combat stress through exercise. It covers the causes of and responses to stress; how to recognise the signs and symptoms of stress; practical physical and mental strategies and techniques for managing stress; and how to develop the skills and qualities needed to deal effectively with clients. Stress is a growing concern in today's world and has been linked to a wide range of health problems, from irritable bowel syndrome to depression. Exercise, activity and nutrition are key tools for dealing with pressure, so personal trainers and sports coaches are ideally placed to help their clients manage stress.
The Complete Guide to Exercising Away Stress
by Debbie LawrenceThe Complete Guide to Exercising Away Stress contains all the information necessary for personal trainers and sports coaches to be able to advise clients correctly and responsibly on how to combat stress through exercise. It covers the causes of and responses to stress; how to recognise the signs and symptoms of stress; practical physical and mental strategies and techniques for managing stress; and how to develop the skills and qualities needed to deal effectively with clients. Stress is a growing concern in today's world and has been linked to a wide range of health problems, from irritable bowel syndrome to depression. Exercise, activity and nutrition are key tools for dealing with pressure, so personal trainers and sports coaches are ideally placed to help their clients manage stress.