Here are some of the non-fiction releases that we can look forward to this month. From cookbooks and explorations of modern life, to journeys into unusual minds and James Patterson’s foray into political scandal, this month has releases to feed every area of interest.
Why We Can’t Sleep – Ada Calhoun
Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis talks to many women and analyses much data in order to determine why Gen X women – wedged between the Boomers and the Millennials – are facing new and difficult emotional challenges as they enter middle-life… challenges nobody told them would be coming. The result is empowering and really quite feel-good (in that somebody-gets-it kind of way), without lacking in substance.
Ada Calhoun belongs to the generation of women who were raised to believe that they could have it all, but while they were being told to go for it they were also not being listened too, tacitly told to simply solve their own problems. When she, like so many, found herself struggling in mid-life, Calhoun decided to find out why it happens. Analysing divorce rates, employment statistics, housing costs, credit card data and interviewing many women along the way, her research provides an interesting read that aims to help women out of their slumps and prevent the women of the future from falling into similar situations.
Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley
The ultimate collection of Palestinian recipes, lavishly photographed, gorgeously presented and accompanied by memorable stories, Falastin is the newest culinary journey from the chefs and authors behind the Ottolenghi cookbooks.
Travelling through Bethlehem, East Jerusalem, Nablus, Haifa, Akka, Nazareth, Galilee and the West Bank, Sami and Tara invite you to experience and enjoy unparalleled access to Sami’s homeland. As each region has its own distinct identity and tale to tell, there are endless new flavour combinations to discover.
The food is the perfect mix of traditional and contemporary, with recipes that have been handed down through the generations and reworked for a modern home kitchen, alongside dishes that have been inspired by Sami and Tara’s collaborations with producers and farmers throughout Palestine.
Spark by Manoush Zomorodi
Having spent a fair amount of time in lockdown by now, most of us will be familiar with the incredible grip that technology has on us. Even when it was not our sole source of entertainment and information, we were utterly devoted to it, working screen-time into every other activity.
This book explores the connection between boredom and original thinking, pointing out, through practical suggestions and spot-on insights, how you can more readily solve problems and access all of your best ideas simply by disconnecting from everything and allowing yourself to zone out.
Spark combines humour and sense with cutting-edge research not to nag us, as many have before it, for being beholden to our devices, but to liberate us by and boost our creativity by embracing an essential human trait.
Madness: Stories of Uncertainty and Hope by Sean Baumann
An irresistible plunge into the challenges surrounding our understanding of mental illness augmented by the extensive experience of specialist and consultant Sean Baumann.
Sean Baumann has spent decades at Valkenberg Hospital, Cape Town, and was a senior lecturer of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UCT. In this book, he recounts his experiences with those suffering from Schizophrenia, Depression, Bipolar Disorder and some conditions less well known. His stories are compelling and mysterious, and always told with real sensitivity, while he argues that we should resist the often thoughtless depictions of mental illness that permeate our culture.
All in all, the book, which also features dark and extraordinary artwork, makes a passionate case for the alleviation of stigma and a more inclusive understanding of the field, all the while providing authentically fascinating studies and portraits of distressed minds.
Living the Life Unexpected by Jody Day
This is a book that argues that society is only now beginning to recognise the grief of those who involuntarily spend their lives without children.
Jody day was in her forties when she realised that her journey toward motherhood had come to an end, and from that truth came despair and grief with which she struggled to cope.
This friendly, practical, humorous and honest guide from one of the world’s most respected names in childless support offers compassion and understanding and shows how it’s possible to move towards a creative, happy, meaningful and fulfilling future – even if it’s not the one you had planned.
Millions of people are now living a life without children, almost double that of a generation ago and the numbers are rising still. Although some are childfree by choice, many others are childless due to infertility or circumstance and are struggling to come to terms with their uncertain future. Although most people think that those without children either ‘couldn’t’ or ‘didn’t want’ to be parents, the truth is much more complex.
Vegan Cakes by Sarah Hardy
You might think it one of the more challenging areas of a vegan diet. It’s easy enough to assume that veganism makes just about no room for dessert and that real indulgence and luxury are things that can’t happen without eggs and dairy.
Fortunately, that’s not true. This book is here to show that you can still bake up some real winners without the use of animal products.
From a Pink Vanilla Dream Cake and Sherry Berry Trifle, to Rose and Ginger Cheesecake and Black Sesame Banana Bread, this book is for the new vegan on the block. The vegan who wants to eat cake, indulge, feast and feel GOOD about it.
With delectable step-by-step recipes and enticing photos, along with guidance on vegan icing and decorations, this is the foolproof baking guide to creating decadent treats for every occasion.
The Kennedy Curse by James Patterson and Cynthia Fagan
How could you not be intrigued by James Patterson’s foray into the world of true crime and politics? Add to that the fact that it concerns one of the most tragedy-and-scandal-riddled families in American history and you’ve got a pretty irresistible prospect.
The Kennedy family will always be remembered as one of the most charismatic, complicated and seedy dynasties ever to have captivated the US’s attention. With an extensive history of assassinations, sex scandals, battles with substance abuse and tragic accidents, the extent of their charm is matched only by the inevitability of the curse that pursues them.
Here Patterson does an excellent job of chronicling the misadventures of this storied family and, of course, brings his thriller-genre skills to a subject already laden with intrigue.