08 Oct October BookFest
Join our October BookFest to gain invaluable conversation skills, discover the five pillars to wake up, and know “It’s OK” as over fifty public figures share their experiences on dealing with their mental health.
How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay
In our current political climate, it seems impossible to have a civil conversation with someone who has a different opinion. Dialogue is shut down when perspectives clash. Heated debates on Facebook and Twitter often lead to shaming, hindering any possibility of productive discourse. How to Have Impossible Conversations guides readers through the process of having effective, civil discussions about any divisive issues.
Coauthors Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay distinguish between two types of conversations: those that are oriented toward arriving at truth, and those that may require changing the beliefs of people who do not want their beliefs changed (interventions). They then guide readers through the straightforward, practical, conversational techniques necessary for every successful conversation, up to expert- and master-level techniques to deal with hardliners and extremists. With key principles like the “Seven Fundamentals Necessary for Good Conversations,” this book is the manual everyone needs to foster connection and empathy with anyone.
Wake Up Before Your Wake-Up Call: The Five Pillars for Deeper Love, Joy, and Connection in Midlife by Toni Parker
By the time we reach our middle years, many of us have established well-worn patterns and habits that no longer serve us – from what we eat to how we relate to others, to how we take care of our bodies or the environment, to how we express compassion for the whole web of living beings. Yet many times our bodies are sending us feelings and sensations meant to wake us up as if from sleepwalking, so that we can be more attuned and alive to our experiences, aligned with our values, and alert to the impulse to change before calamity happens.
Through real-life examples and practical exercises for meditation and self-reflection, Toni Parker unpacks the five pillars for waking up: Body Sensation Awareness, Mind Kindness, Emotional Equanimity, Self-Compassion, and Waking Up to the World. She shows readers how to identify the signs and offers proven strategies for tuning in to the telltale whispers and sensations that alert us to when a wake-up call is building. This self-awareness and strength to stay in the present moment, see and accept a situation for what it is allows us to move forward differently – awake, centered, and prepared for the smallest experiences and the biggest changes in life.
It’s Not OK to Feel Blue (and other lies): Inspirational people open up about their mental health edited by Scarlett Curtis
Everyone has a mental health. So we asked:
What does yours mean to you?
THE RESULT IS EXTRAORDINARY.
Scarlett Curtis brings together more than fifty high profile figures to talk about their experiences of mental health and the stigma surrounding the issue. Outspoken, provocative and impassioned, It’s Not Ok to Feel Blue is a blistering collection that seeks to shed light on a hugely important topic. Powerful, funny, moving, this book is here to tell you:
It’s OK.
With writing from individuals such as:
Adam Kay – Alastair Campbell – Bryony Gordon – Davina McCall – Dawn O’Porter – Elizabeth Day – Emma Thompson – Eve Delaney – Fearne Cotton – Hussain Manawer – Jack Rooke – James Blake – Khalil Aldabbas – KUCHENGA – Martha Lane Fox – Mathew Kollamkulam – Matt Haig – Megan Crabbe – Michael Kitching – Michelle Elman – Miranda Hart – Montana Brown – Poorna Bell – Poppy Jamie – Reggie Yates – Ripley Parker – Robert Kazandjian – Rosa Mercuriadis – Saba Asif – Sam Smith – Scarlett Curtis Simon Amstell – Steve Ali – Tanya Byron – Travon Free – Yomi Adegoke – Yusuf Al Majarhi