Updated edition with bonus chapter on how to restart good habits and make them stick.\nBanish bad habits for good and transform your life with this ground-breaking new book from neuroscientist and behavioural coach Dr Gabija Toleikyte.\nMost of us want to change something about ourselves - our stress levels, weight, relationships, or our performance at work. Change is hard and emotional but it’s not as tough as you think.\nIn this life-changing book, Gabija takes us on an eye-opening journey through the extraordinary human brain, explaining the science behind what makes us tick. With practical tools and simple tips, Gabija shows how you can make change happen, including:\n- What the brain needs to create new habits 
- The eight types of emotion and how to take control of them 
- The magical power of motivation and how to boost it 
- Simple ways to improve productivity 
- The secret to strengthening relationships\nInspiring and enlightening, Why the F*ck Can’t I Change uses neuroscience and behavioural analysis to show you how you can train your brain to make change last.\nWhat readers are saying\n‘Amazing! I adore this book…I cannot express how much everyone should read this…insightful and empowering’ NetGalley reviewer\n‘It opened my mind in every aspect possible…A game-changer … I'm a new person after reading this book… I want to thank Gabija for writing this book the way she did, you helped me overcome everything I was afraid of’ Milo’s Library\n‘I highlighted entire pages…I will absolutely be returning to this book again and again for advice’ Mama’s Book Ramblins’\n‘A fascinating book. When a neuroscientist starts explaining to you in layman terms how your brain works…you sit up and take note.’A Good Book 'n a Brew\n‘A fabulous book that everyone should read! Our minds are often our own worst enemy and it can be difficult to understand just why we think the way we do… A must have book to support mental health.’ Goodreads reviewer\n‘it really highlighted to me just how much my brain really puts a barrier between myself and my goals…an eye-opening experience’ Goodreads reviewer\n‘I would recommend this to anyone who is struggling, feels stuck, or who wants to create better habits and results!’ Goodreads reviewer

Why the F*ck Can't I Change?: Insights from a neuroscientist to show that you can

Self-Help

Toleikyte, Dr. Gabija

Happiness

Thread

'Why am I not white like everybody else?' Nan came and sat on the edge of my bed. 'What do you mean?' A tender finger brushed against my cheek. 'Well, everyone in this house is white. Why am I Black?' A generation of Nigerian children were born in Britain in the fifties and sixties, privately fostered by white families, then taken to Nigeria by their parents. Coconut is the story of one of those children. 1963, North London. Nan fosters one-year-old Florence ?lájídé and calls her 'Ann.' Florence adores her foster mother more than anything but Nan, and the children around her, all have white skin and she can't help but feel different. Then, four years later, after a weekend visit to her birth parents, Florence never returns to Nan. Two months after, sandwiched between her mother and father plus her three siblings, six-year-old Florence steps off a ship in Lagos to the fierce heat of the African sun. Swapping the lovely, comfortable bed in her room at Nan's for a mat on the floor of the living room in her new home, Florence finds herself struggling to adjust. She wants to embrace her cultural heritage but doesn't speak Yoruba and knows nothing of the customs. Clashes with her grandmother, Mama, the matriarch of the family, result in frequent beatings. Torn between her early childhood experiences and the expectations of her African culture, she begins to question who she is. Nigerian, British, both? Florence's story is an unputdownable tale of loss and loneliness, surviving poverty, maltreatment and fighting to get an education. Most of all, it's a moving, uplifting and inspiring account of one woman's self-determination to discover who she is and find her way to a place she can call home. Perfect for fans of Lemn Sissay's My Name is Why and Tara Westover's Educated.

Coconut: A Black girl fostered by a white family in the 1960s and her search for belonging and identity

Biographies & Memoirs

Ọlájídé, Florence

Community & Culture

Do you find yourself fighting the urge to go to bed at 8pm? Do you look at your laughter lines and wonder what was ever so funny? Do you listen to the charts and not have a clue who's singing? Do images of celebrities over forty in swimsuits just make you want to drink more wine? If you answered yes to any of the above, then this is the book for you. Funny, honest, and packed with advice, this is a must-read for any woman experiencing - and not particularly relishing - the effects of ageing. Anniki Sommerville shares her own experiences with those of other women as well as advice from experts - Sali Hughes, Cariad Lloyd, Meg Mathews, Emma Gannon and Dr Karen Gurney among others - to help you navigate this journey including: Demystifying the menopause and how to deal with fluctuating moods and hormones. Breaking the taboo of cosmetic surgery and why we need to start having honest conversations about ageing and beauty. Exploring the reality of fertility treatment and motherhood including what happens when you're peri-menopausal and parenting small kids. How feeling bad about our bodies can often be a barrier to feeling good about sex and tips on how you can change that. Why ambition is not a dirty word in middle age and how to stop feeling invisible in the workplace. How to deal with grief and losing loved ones as we age. How to be a Boss at Ageing will show you how not to give up when ageing creeps up. It's time to rip up the rule book on what it means to grow older as a woman and embrace midlife. There's no need to retire into cardigans and comfy slacks just yet.

How to Be a Boss at Ageing: Real advice on how to navigate and embrace midlife

Sommerville, Anniki

'Witty and acerbic...A delight!' Jen Mann 'Hilarious...Thought-provoking' California Bookwatch Buy a pair of Levi's, lose the Russian accent, and turn yourself into an American. Really, how difficult could it be? Fake an exit visa, fool the Soviet authorities, pack enough sausage to last through immigration, buy a one-way Aeroflot ticket, and the rest will sort itself out. That was the gist of every Soviet-Jewish immigrant's plan in the 1980s, Margarita's included. Despite her father's protestations that they'd get caught and thrown into a gulag, she convinced her family to follow that plan. When they arrived in the US, Margarita had a clearly defined objective - become fully American as soon as possible, and leave her Soviet past behind. But she soon learned that finding her new voice was harder than escaping the Soviet secret police. She finds herself changing her name to fit in, disappointing her parents who expect her to become a doctor, a lawyer, an investment banker and a classical pianist - all at the same time, learning to date without hang-ups (there is no sex in the Soviet Union), parenting her own daughter 'while too Russian', and not being able to let go of old habits (never, ever throw anything away because you might use it again). Most importantly, she finds that no matter how hard you try not to become your parents, you end up just like them anyway. Witty, sharp and unflinching, I Named My Dog Pushkin will have fans of Samantha Irby and Jenny Lawson howling with laughter at Margarita's catastrophes, her victories and her near misses as she learns to grow as both a woman and an immigrant in a world that often doesn't appreciate either. What readers are saying about I Named My Dog Pushkin 'I thoroughly enjoyed Margarita's witty and acerbic voice. This book was a delight!' Jen Mann, New York Times bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat 'Hilarious and thought-provoking...A fine way of understanding the special challenges of the immigrant experience' California Bookwatch 'A memoir like this is so very rare, one in which you learn a great deal, while laughing throughout. Highly, highly recommended.' Wandering Educators 'I loved this book so much...I just could not stop reading. I loved everything in this book.' NetGalley reviewer 'A sharp, witty memoir...Margarita captured Jewish joy and grief together perfectly' Goodreads reviewer 'What a delightful book...Margarita gives us good look behind the Iron Curtain that alternates between serious, funny and sweet' Goodreads reviewer 'I loved this book...thoughtful, humorous, and at times even a bit heartbreaking' Goodreads reviewer 'Darkly funny...reminiscent of other acerbic comedian authors like Sara Barron...fascinating' NetGalley reviewer 'Gokun Silver treats her journey with humor and an eye for cultural details...an engaging read...an eye-opener...Many of the stories Gokun Silver shares about her parents acclimating to American life will ring true to any first or second-generation immigrant family.' NetGalley reviewer

I Named My Dog Pushkin (And Other Immigrant Tales): Notes From a Soviet Girl on Becoming an American Woman

Gokun Silver, Margarita

'Refugees are like seeds that scatter in the wind, and land in different soils that become their reluctant homes' my mother once told me. As a small child, I looked up at my mother and clutched her hand. The puffiness of her palm reminded me of a loaf of warm pita bread, and when she laced her fingers into mine like a pretzel, I felt safe. I would have walked with her to the ends of the earth. When Mona moved from California to Ramallah to teach conflict resolution in a school for a year, she kept a journal. Within its pages, she wrote her impressions of her homeland, a place she had only experienced through her mother's memories. As she settled into her teaching role, getting to know her students and the challenges they faced living in a militarized, occupied town, Mona also embarked on a personal pilgrimage to find her mother's home in Jerusalem. Mona had dreamed of being guided by her mother down the old souqs, and the leafy streets of her neighborhood, listening to the muezzin's call for prayer and the medley of church bells. But after fifty-nine years of exile, it was Mona's mother who held her daughter's hand as they visited Jerusalem together, walking the narrow cobblestone alleys of the Old City. Their roles were reversed. Mona had become her Mama's legs and her memory - and the one to tell her story going forward. In My Mother's Footsteps is a moving and heart-rending journey of a daughter discovering her roots and recovering her mother's beloved past. It's also an intimate and tender account of daily life for Palestinians as never seen before. For fans of The Bookseller of Kabul and The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Read what everyone is saying about In My Mother's Footsteps 'This is a beautifully written story told with honesty and passion...It will jerk those tears right out of your head...Surely one of the best books of 2021.' Goodreads reviewer, &#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088; 'Beautiful. Poignant. Phenomenal...I cried and I smiled...Truly a gem.' Goodreads reviewer, &#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088; 'Moving, evocative and poignant...a really insightful and touching book as well as an intimate narration of family history and deep-rooted love of Palestine and I learnt a lot from it.' Resnas_readagram, &#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088; 'Informative, powerful, moving...Her descriptions of the places she visits in Palestine are exceptionally evocative...I felt transported to the streets of Jerusalem and Ramallah, almost as if I was walking alongside her...an extremely necessary book, narrated in a beautiful prose and which I found very insightful and poignant...If you loved works of fiction such as The Beekeeper of Aleppo or A Thousand Splendid Suns, this memoir will not disappoint.' Goodreads reviewer, &#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088; 'A beautifully written and intimate portrait of a relationship between a mother and daughter.' the_suitable_girl, &#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;&#11088;

In My Mother's Footsteps: A Palestinian Refugee Returns Home

Hajjar Halaby, Mona

Gail Muller was told she’d be in a wheelchair by the age of forty. At forty-one she set out to hike one of the world’s toughest treks, The Appalachian Trail – a 2,200-mile journey that would help her reclaim her life and heal her mind and body. An inspiring, moving and uplifting memoir for fans of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love.As Gail took her first steps through the wilderness of the USA, she had no idea what lay ahead of her, but she knew she felt burnout from city life, lost and broken – ready to heal a mind and body that she had battled with for so long.From the resilience-building mountain climbs, painful injuries and harsh reality of braving the raw elements, to the unexpected friendships forged with other hikers and the kindness of strangers offering food and shelter – with every step, Gail started to let go of a past dominated by chronic pain and reconnected with herself in a way she’d never been able to before.A love letter to the healing power of the wild outdoors and an incredible testament to the strength of the human spirit, Gail’s story is for anyone who has ever felt stuck in a rut, lost or scared. She shows us that even in our darkest times, it’s possible to find our inner grit, face our fears and feel hopeful.Read what everyone is saying about Unlost: ‘Amazing!… OMG! I really loved your book!... I’m not a crier, but your last chapter had me almost in tears. So (wonderfully) emotional.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Had me hooked from the beginning…This book is for so many people…it's fun and interesting and the various trail families and characters are terrific… a gem of a book.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘I found myself holding my breath… I felt like I was right there with her.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Inspirational… made me snort or chuckle - or suck in my breath. I read the book in more or less a day - I just had to consume it… a joy to read.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Gail writes with humour, heart and passion.’ Giovanna Fletcher, Sunday Times #1 bestselling author‘I loved this book so much. I was so invested from the very start… Was sad for this one to end! Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Loved this open and honest book! It was so raw and real you feel like you get to know the author like a friend. I loved hearing about her adventures and life.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Inspiring… illustrates the power of the great outdoors and the positive effects it can have on body and mind.’ Jordan Wylie, Adventurer and Bestselling Author

Unlost: A journey of self-discovery and the healing power of the wild outdoors

Muller, Gail

Religion & Spirituality

‘I was utterly mesmerized… powerful, moving, and heartwarming… I devoured this book, and it is no doubt a five-star read.’ Goodreads reviewer\nPerhaps it’s true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps it’s true that you only know what you truly love when you no longer have it. But I wouldn’t have known any of this if I hadn’t left it all behind to discover where my home truly was…\nGrowing up in British Guiana in the 1950s, Sharon Maas has everything a shy child with a vivid imagination could wish for. She spends her days studying bugs in the backyard, eating fresh mangos straight from the tree and tucked up on her granny’s lap losing herself in books.\nBut with her father campaigning for the country’s independence and her mother away for work, there’s a void in Sharon’s heart, and she craves rules and structure. The books she devours give her a glimpse of life in a faraway country: England. And although none of the characters in these books look like her, her insatiable curiosity leads Sharon to beg to be sent to boarding school.\nLife at a conservative, Christian school is quite different from Sharon’s liberal, atheist upbringing. Girls march silently and single file along corridors and earn badges for deportment. There are twice-daily hymns, grace before and after meals and mandatory bedside prayers. And, all the girls are posh and white, while Sharon is the only one with dark skin. Will she ever fulfil her dream of horseback riding over green hills and going on adventures like her literary heroes? And has she truly found what she was looking for in this chilly corner of the world, thousands of miles away from home?\nYou will be swept off your feet by the unputdownable story of Sharon Maas’s extraordinary childhood in British Guiana and England, a beautiful and inspiring coming-of-age tale of self-discovery, determination and chasing your dreams.\nPraise for The Girl from Lamaha Street:\n‘To say this story was inspirational would be an understatement. I was utterly mesmerized… As a woman of color, I recognized myself and my experiences in the pages of this memoir… powerful, moving, and heartwarming… I devoured this book, and it is no doubt a five-star read.’ Goodreads reviewer\n‘Beautiful. Poignant. Phenomenal. This was a beautiful read and I learnt so much. I cried and I smiled andthere was nothing more that I wanted from this book. Truly a gem.’ Goodreads reviewer\n‘Enlightening… powerful…Beautifully written… I found myself turning and turning, immersed in the story. A wonderful, evocative read.’ Nicki’s Book Blog\n‘Engaging and intriguing… so good that I was completely enthralled from beginning to end.’ NetGalley reviewer\n‘An incredibly moving, truly inspiring story of the power of determination. An absolutely stunning read.’ Katharine Birbalsingh\n‘Fascinating and poignant… an astoundingly honest and intimate memoir.’ Angela Petch

The Girl from Lamaha Street: A Guyanese girl at a 1960s English boarding school and her search for belonging

Maas, Sharon

Arts & Literature

‘If Dolly Alderton, Glennon Doyle and Elizabeth Day had a love child, this is the writer they’d produce.’ Laura Jane Williams, author and journalist 
Stylist’s Must Read Book for 2022 
Evening Standard’s Faces to Watch in 2022\nDo you have a story that you are scared to tell? A story that you’ve spent your life trying to escape. I’m going to tell you mine.\nOne day, in the summer of 2008, I was travelling back to London when I received a phone call that suddenly changed everything. I was told my boyfriend Richard was in hospital. He died seven days later. I spent most of my twenties pretending this never happened.\nI was trapped within my own silence, left alone to absorb the discomfort, blame and judgement of others that I felt after Richard’s suicide. I was suffering, but telling everyone that I was totally fine. The shame consumed me and I desperately wanted to find love again, but the rejection and heartbreak that followed proved to me, yet again, that I wasn’t worthy of love and belonging.\nIn our twenties, we are thrown into the adult world without a guidebook. I experienced a turbulent decade with what felt like catastrophic failures. Then one day, I started to speak about my shame, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. And I’ve come to realise that shame is like a monster – one that can grow so large that it can hold us back from a life worth living. And that it is only by sharing our stories that we can give a voice to what is unspoken. A voice to the stories that we don’t want to tell.\nSo whatever pain you’re holding on to, whatever story you’re scared to tell, I’m writing this for you.\n‘I wish I'd had this book to guide me into adulthood.’ Sathnam Sanghera, bestselling author of Empireland and The Boy with the Topknot\n‘Will go a long way to helping those struggling with the stigma and shame that, sadly, persistently surrounds mental health.’ Vicky Spratt, Refinery29

Totally Fine (And Other Lies I've Told Myself): What my decade in grief taught me about life

Philippou, Tiffany

As seen on This MorningThere was a time when I loved my mother. It’s shocking to imply that I stopped loving her because mothers always love their children and always do their best for them. Mothers are supposed to be good. But my mother wasn’t good.Ten years ago, Helen Naylor discovered her mother, Elinor, had been faking debilitating illnesses for thirty years. After Elinor’s self-induced death, Helen found her diaries, which Elinor wrote daily for over fifty years. The diaries reveal not only the inner workings of Elinor’s twisted mind and self-delusion, but also shocking revelations about Helen’s childhood.Everything Helen knew about herself and her upbringing was founded on a lie. The unexplained accidents and days spent entirely on her own as a little girl, imagining herself climbing into the loft and disappearing into a different world, tell a story of neglect. As a teenager, her mother’s advice to Helen on her body and mental health speaks of dangerous manipulation.With Elinor’s behaviour becoming increasingly destructive, and Helen now herself a mother, she was left with a stark choice: to collude with Elinor’s lies or be accused of abandoning her.My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me is a heart-breaking, honest and brave account of a daughter unravelling the truth about her mother and herself. It’s a story of a stolen childhood, mental illness, and the redemptive power of breaking a complex and toxic bond.What readers are saying about My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me:‘An absolute roller coaster ride of emotions!!!!... heartbreaking… clear your schedules as you won't be able to put it down. It will leave you absolutely shocked … If you read one biography this year make sure this is the one!!!... I LOVED it.’ Bookworm86‘I cannot even. Absolutely blew my mind… cried buckets of tears.’ NetGalley reviewer‘Wow just wow… fascinating… heart wrenching… absolutely unreal… My heart absolutely broke for Helen… incredibly moving.’ Booksandcoffeewithlexi‘Absolutely amazing. I was hooked from the first page!… gave so many insights and relatable experiences… such a good book!’ Goodreads reviewer‘A fascinating account.’ The Times‘I devoured this book in a couple sittings as I was captivated right from the beginning... gripping.’Goodreads reviewer‘I seriously don't know where to start... I'm absolutely staggered… astounding and heartbreaking.’ Book.lover67‘My heart broke... I was hooked throughout this entire read…emotional and eye opening.’ Goodreads reviewer‘Genuinely left me flabbergasted…. It was a complete page turner… really opens your eyes.’ Goodreads reviewer‘Wow. I did not want to put this down…consumed much of my thoughts in the past few days…what a powerful story.’ Bitesbooksbrews‘Eye opening…difficult to put down…wonderful.’ Little Miss Book Lover 87

My Mother, Munchausen's and Me: A true story of betrayal and a shocking family secret

Parenting & Relationships

Naylor, Helen

Family Relationships

6 September 1949, East Camden, New Jersey. The shocking true story of the first recorded mass shooting in America. In less than twelve minutes, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people dead on his block on River Road. Why did he do it? Could someone have stopped him?\nThe sky was cloudless the morning twelve-year-old Raymond Havens was sent out to get a haircut. He walked across River Road to the barbershop and was just settling into his seat when his neighbor, a quiet, gentle man, Howard Unruh took out a Luger and opened fire on the customers.\nThe shooting struck panic across small-town America. In the local community of East Camden, schools and stores closed. Little Raymond couldn’t sleep. What led his friendly neighbor to become a killer? While he set about trying to figure it out, Howard’s mother, vilified by the victims’ families, struggled to make sense of the horrific acts her son had committed.\nThe lives of those that had survived Howard’s killing spree were blown apart and they continue to have repercussions today. Several decades after Howard Unruh shot his deadly bullets, a gunman opened fire in a high school and a young girl hid in a closet – just like her grandfather did that fateful day on River Road.\nA compulsive page-turner about a shocking crime that has become a heartbreaking part of everyday life in America, Murder in the Neighborhood will have you asking—how well do we ever really know those around us? Are we ever really safe?\nRead what everyone is saying about Murder in the Neighborhood:\n“An engrossing and utterly fascinating insight into a chilling and untold part of American history… impossible to put down.” Gregg Olsen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell\n“A phenomenal read… incredible insight to human behavior and the brain. Green did a remarkable job bringing this tragedy to life through a haunting and encapsulating narration. I will recommend this piece of work over and over.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\n“God! I can’t get enough of it! I wish I could read the book for the first time again!... fantastic.”Chubby girl with a page-a-vu, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\n“An absolute cracker of an account… Brilliant.” Nigel Adams Bookworm, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\n“I really enjoyed… very cleverly written… a fascinating and detailed account… I would recommend it to true crime aficionados.” NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\n“An arresting, exciting, compelling tale of true crime. Meticulously researched and pieced together into a narrative that is difficult to tear away from.” Goodreads reviewer\n“Remarkable… A must for true crime fans.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\n“If you like true crime then I 100% recommend you read this book.” Goodreads reviewer\n“An excellent read.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\n“Well-crafted true crime that’s been wonderfully researched.” Book Zone

Murder in the Neighborhood: The true story of America’s first recorded mass shooting

History

Green, Ellen J.

Americas

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