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Find out moreLooking to change your life? Whether it’s physical, emotional or spiritual change you seek, these books may have some answers. If you’re seeking to enlighten, enlarge or explore your mind, check out our Mind & Body section for a more comprehensive range of books.
Stress Less, Accomplish More is more than just a book (or audiobook) about meditation and mindfulness. It contains practical, common-sense advice on dealing with stress, sleeping well, boosting your brainpower and changing your lifestyle for the better. Emily Fletcher discusses how to ‘up-level’ yourself by raising your priorities and goals in life; making small, but purposeful adaptations to your daily schedule can change how you think and also how you perceive the world. The book concentrates on a particular technique called Ziva meditation, which involves just 15 minutes of meditation twice a day. The science behind the technique is explained well, along with real-life case studies to highlight its benefits. The narration is very clear, in a relaxing, chatty style, and it felt as though I was listening to a knowledgeable friend or professional counsellor. A big advantage of listening to an audiobook about meditation and mindfulness, rather than simply reading a print version, is that I could practise the exercises at the same time. I found myself listening with my eyes shut, which enabled me to concentrate more easily. Stress Less, Accomplish More provides an interesting way to think more positively and reduce your stress levels, particularly if (or when) you’re feeling overwhelmed by your hectic lifestyle. I’ll definitely be listening to audiobook again, several times, to practise the techniques.
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Uninhabitable Earth written and read by David Wallace-Wells. It is worse, much worse, than you think. The slowness of climate change is a fairy tale, perhaps as pernicious as the one that says it isn't happening at all, and if your anxiety about it is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible, even within the lifetime of a teenager today. Over the past decades, the term "Anthropocene" has climbed into the popular imagination - a name given to the geologic era we live in now, one defined by human intervention in the life of the planet. But however sanguine you might be about the proposition that we have ravaged the natural world, which we surely have, it is another thing entirely to consider the possibility that we have only provoked it, engineering first in ignorance and then in denial a climate system that will now go to war with us for many centuries, perhaps until it destroys us. In the meantime, it will remake us, transforming every aspect of the way we live-the planet no longer nurturing a dream of abundance, but a living nightmare.
No one is perfect. But that doesn't stop us from imagining ourselves smarter, funnier, richer, or thinner, and how much happier we would then be. Love for Imperfect Things, by the bestselling Korean monk, Haemin Sunim, shows how the path to happiness and peace of mind includes not only strong relationships with others, but also letting go of worries about ourselves. Packed with his typical spiritual wisdom, Sunim teaches us to embrace our flaws rather than trying to overcome them, and demonstrates that love has very little to do with perfection. With chapters on self-compassion, relationships, empathy, courage, family, healing, our true nature, and acceptance, as well as beautiful full-colour illustrations, Love for Imperfect Things is a much-needed guide for learning to love ourselves - imperfections and all.
Ask yourself...are you truly who you want to be? Is this the life you really want? Are you living each day as your best self? What can you change today? How would you answer those questions? Think about your daily life. Are you thriving or going through the motions? Are your days full of work, relationships, and activities that are true to your authentic self, or do you feel trapped on a treadmill of responsibility? If you dream of a better life, now is the time to turn your dream into reality. The tools you need are within your grasp to design a life that is fulfilling on the deepest levels. Best Self will show you how. Mike Bayer, known to the thousands of clients whose lives he has changed as Coach Mike, has helped everyone from pop stars to business executives to people just like you discover the freedom to be their best selves. By asking them and leading them to ask themselves a series of important but tough questions - such as "What are your core values?", "Do you go to bed each day more knowledgeable than when you woke up?", and "Am I neglecting some aspect of my physical health out of fear or denial?" - he helps them see what their best selves and anti-selves really look like. As a mental health specialist, a personal development coach, and an all-around change agent, Mike has seen the amazing ways in which lives can improve with honesty and clarity. He understands our struggles intimately, because he's faced - and overcome - his own. He knows that change is possible. By working through each of the seven SPHERES of life - social, personal, health, education, relationships, employment, and spiritual development - Best Self is an accessible and interactive audiobook that distills all of Coach Mike's wisdom into a compact, focused guide that will ignite anyone's desire for change. Best Self will empower you to embrace your authenticity, acknowledge what is holding you back, and break through to live a passionate life to the fullest, forever. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
Unleash positive thinking and productive imagination, and flip negative thoughts and behaviors into a lifetime to improve every aspect of your life - each morning, one day at a time. Bad habits. Bad feelings. Bad mornings that turn into regrettable days. Banish them all with simple brain hacks that flip negative thoughts and behaviors into positive, productive ones. Instead of dragging through your day, learn to wake up refreshed, recharge regularly, and live better than ever. The Morning Mind makes it easy. Based on findings from neuroscience and medicine, the book helps you tamp down on the fear-driven reptile brain and tap into the part linked to thinking and imagination. With topics ranging from diet and hydration to exercise and meditation, you'll find ideas for activating your brain - and improving every aspect of your life: Restore healthy cycles of waking and sleeping Block harmful cortisol hormones Boost mental performance Create calmer mornings Develop self-discipline Stimulate creativity Improve your leadership skills And more. From the moment the alarm clock rings, The Morning Mind helps you greet each day with gusto. Accompanying charts and tables available in the audiobook companion PDF download. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Many of us are already doing what we can to adopt a greener lifestyle. We recycle, try to reduce our waste and plastics, choose organic food when shopping, eat less meat and opt for environmentally friendly cleaning products. Yet we often wish we were doing more and it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Live Green is a practical guide of 52 changes - one for each week of the year - you can make to your home and lifestyle to reduce your impact on the environment. Tackling all areas of your life from your cleaning routine, home furnishings, food shopping, fashion choices, natural beauty and Christmas, this book has all the ingredients to help you achieve a more sustainable year. From making your own eco-friendly cleaning products, buying vintage furniture, making your own moth repellent and improving your natural beauty regime to creating a capsule wardrobe and creating your own ethical Christmas decorations - discover how to get the most out of life by living with intention. Live simply. Live Green.
The first veggie cookbook from the nation's favourite healthy cook and fitness sensation, Joe Wicks aka The Body Coach. Get ready for Joe's vegetarian take on Lean in 15: The Shift Plan, which is the bestselling diet book of all time. Inside are a hundred flavour-packed vegetarian recipes, many of which are also vegan, plus three exclusive Body Coach HIIT workouts and a bonus abs workout. From Smoky Sweet Potato Chilli to 'Creamy' Butternut Pasta, Veggie Lean in 15 features a fantastic range of meat-free dishes, all prepared in fifteen minutes flat. The recipes are ideal for full- and part-time veggies, as well as those wishing to cut down on eating meat in a healthy and delicious way. There are also plenty of make-ahead ideas to get you prepping like a boss in no time at all. Joe has more than four million followers on social media where fans share their personal journeys towards a leaner, fitter lifestyle. The Lean in 15 titles won platinum and gold awards at the Specsavers Nielsen book awards and all of his books have been non-fiction number one bestsellers.
We plan, as the old proverb says, and God laughs. But most of us don't find it all that funny when things go wrong. Most of us want love, a nice home, good work and happy children. Many of us grew up with parents who made these things look relatively easy and assumed we would get them, too. So what do you do if you don't? What do you do when you feel you've messed it all up and your friends seem to be doing just fine? For Christina Patterson, it was her job as a journalist that kept her going through the ups and downs of life. And then she lost that, too. Dreaming of revenge and irritated by self-help books, she decided to do the kind of interviews she had never done before. The resulting conversations are surprising, touching and often funny. There's Ken, the first person to be publicly fired from a FTSE-100 board. There's Winston, who fell through a ceiling onto a purple coffin. There's Louise, whose baby was seriously ill, but who still worried about being fat. And through it all, there's Christina, eating far too many crisps as she tries to pick up the pieces of her life. The Art of Not Falling Apart is a joyous, moving and sometimes shockingly honest celebration of life as an adventure, one where you ditch your expectations, raise a glass and prepare for a rocky ride.
It's time for a different conversation about working and parenting. As our working days get ever longer and our phones keep so many of us glued to work, the needs of our children and the world of school and childcare has not changed at all. School summer holidays are still longer than our annual leave. Working mothers everywhere are tearing themselves apart, trying to meet the needs of their children, their relationships and their careers and too often feeling like they are failing. So is there a solution? When Christine Armstrong became a mother, it never occurred to her that she would want to give up her job. But the truth is, combining work and small kids is hard, and when Christine tried it, she found herself desolate with misery. Determined to find a way forward, she looked for answers by interviewing other working mums and found that she wasn't alone. The Mother of All Jobs brings together the wisdom of the women who opened up about everything (and we mean everything) into a manifesto for happy professional families. Ignoring the glossy lives presented on social media, this book shows that, while it's not always pretty, working parents can thrive if they have the knowledge others learnt the hard way.
Escape to Italy with Jamie's new cookbook . . . Jamie returns to cooking the food he loves the most, getting right to heart of the Italian kitchen in his ultimate go-to Italian cookbook. He shows you that truly authentic Italian cooking is simple, beautiful and achievable. Jamie's Channel 4 series Jamie Cooks Italy begins in the Aeolian Islands, Monday 13th August, 8:30pm . . . find all of the recipes and more inside. _____________ This wonderful, best-ever collection of recipes, deliver on big flavours and comfort; a celebration of truly great Italian food you'll want to cook for yourself, your friends and your family. From this week's episode . . . * STUFFED BRAISED SQUID. The island of Salina is known for its capers and this wonderfully tasty dish makes the most of them. * GRILLED SQUID SALAD. A taste of the islands on your plate. Plunged into a mind-blowing salsa for a beautiful, super-easy brunch, delicious snack or sophisticated summer supper. * SWEET AND SOUR RABBIT. Chicken works a treat too. This dish uses bold ingredients with simple cooking for big, beautiful flavours. * SALINA CHICKEN. A true celebration of the bountiful flavours of Salina. Sumptuous, melt-in-your-mouth chicken and delicious, buttery aubergines. With a cold glass of white wine, it's pure joy. _____________ Featuring 140 recipes in Jamie's fuss-free and easy-to-follow style, the book has chapters on Antipasti, Salads, Soups, Pasta, Rice & Dumplings, Meat, Fish, Sides, Bread & Pastry, Dessert and all of the Italian basics you'll ever need to know. Jamie fell in love with Italian food 25 years ago. Now he's sharing his ultimate recipes, a mixture of fast and slow cooking, famous classics with a Jamie twist, simple everyday dishes and more indulgent labour-of-love choices for weekends and parties. VIVA L'ITALIA! Don't wait, order Jamie Cooks Italy now, and be the first to try food that will transport you straight to the landscapes of Italy.
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Beautiful and inspiring one-dish meals in a bowl! Buddha bowls, occasionally called bliss bowls, nourish bowls, or power bowls, are the ultimate in one-dish meals. You start with a base of whole grains, rice, noodles, or legumes. Then you layer on a generous assortment of cooked or raw vegetables. Finally, you top the veggies with a boost of protein and then a dressing, sauce, or broth. Buddha bowls are an easy, healthy meal that can be ready in minutes and that you can have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner-or, if you like, all three! The Buddha bowl concept is loosely based on guidance from Chinese medicine: a meal should have vegetables, protein, and grain. Typically, in a Buddha bowl there is a high ratio of ingredients to broth or sauce and the ingredients are left whole or in large pieces, and not blended, minced, or pureed. Although it is Asian in inspiration, a Buddha bowl can be made with a variety of ingredients from just about anywhere on the planet. Kelli Foster, who writes about food for the popular website The Kitchn, serves up in these pages an amazing variety of Buddha bowl ideas, each one vibrant with color, alive with flavor, and oh-so-comforting to eat. Can you think of a heartier way to start the day than with a Blackberry Millet Breakfast Bowl, a Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Bowl, or a Chai-Spiced Multigrain Porridge Bowl, just three among many breakfast bowl ideas? Later in the day, for cozy meals with loved ones, how about Warm Autumn Chicken and Wild Rice Bowls, Sesame Tuna Bowls, or Lamb Kebab Bowls? For company, Lentil and Smoked Salmon Nicoise Bowls or Miso Noodle Bowls with Stir-Fried Beef will delight your guests. There are many vegan recipes, too, from Cauliflower Falafel Power Bowls to Spicy Sesame Tofu and Rice Bowls and beyond. A special chapter on fruit bowls has ideas for power-snacking, as well as for meals. Buddha bowls are elegant in appearance and flavor, but surprisingly easy to make-a perfect marriage of convenience and good taste. If you haven't tried them yet, now you have a great reason!
In Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the 'Knepp experiment', a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope. Forced to accept that intensive farming on the heavy clay of their land at Knepp was economically unsustainable, Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell made a spectacular leap of faith: they decided to step back and let nature take over. Thanks to the introduction of free-roaming cattle, ponies, pigs and deer - proxies of the large animals that once roamed Britain - the 3,500 acre project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife numbers and diversity in little over a decade. Extremely rare species, including turtle doves, nightingales, peregrine falcons, lesser spotted woodpeckers and purple emperor butterflies, are now breeding at Knepp, and populations of other species are rocketing. The Burrells' degraded agricultural land has become a functioning ecosystem again, heaving with life - all by itself. Personal and inspirational, Wilding is an astonishing account of the beauty and strength of nature, when it is given as much freedom as possible.
We all need a little direction sometimes and this section is crammed full of great ideas for ways of improving your outlook, in all aspects of your wellbeing. Help from the shelf. From tips for good nutrition and taking care of your body (Optimism: Reflections on a Life of Action by Bob Brown) to coping with all the emotional situations in life, relationships, bereavements, stress, depression (Mind Whispering: A New Map to Freedom from Self-defeating Emotional Habits by Tara Bennett-Goleman). Discover the potential you have for being the ‘you’ you’ve always wanted to be or the ‘you’ you had no idea was in there.
Take a look at our monthly recommendations to find exactly what you’re looking for. Bear in mind though (and even ‘body and spirit’ too …), that just ‘reading’ them may not be enough. There’ll be homework!