Y.S. Stephen - Reader | Casual Observer

How To Be Sad by Helen Russell examines our cultural tendency of pursuing happiness to our own detriment. This is a book that explains the benefits of sadness and how avoiding it causes us pain in the long term. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK Helen Russell 's penchant for stories from her life experiences makes this book believable and her theory on sadness solid. The way she tells her stories makes the book interesting and her explanations easy to follow. DISLIKES Some of the stories go on for too long, making the reader lose interest after a while. How To Be Sad is a tome that can afford to lose a couple of pages. WHO IS IT FOR? This work may benefit those who sometimes feel they have to put on a smile at all times, regardless of what they are going through. Many thanks to 4th Estate for review copy.

If you have ever said something unexpectedly awkward or struggle with the right thing to say to people on various occasions, then you might appreciate In , written by a leading New Yorker cartoonist, Will McPhail. In by Will McPhail is a semi-autobiographical work that looks at the subject of human interaction in relation to emotions. This is a book that examines the social rituals of communication, how some people take to it like ducks take to water, and how some of us struggle to connect with people emotionally. THINGS I LOVE The honesty on the pages is refreshing and makes it easy for the reader to identify with the characters in the book. The art is unique - the pencil work is sublime and compliments the subject of the book. DISLIKES The eyes on the characters look a bit creepy at times. That particular aesthetic limits the range of expression portrayed by the characters. Many thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for review copy.

The Quick Fix by Jesse Singal examines the impact pseudo-science masquerading as self-help has on society. It describes why fad-psychology gains popularity and how it sometimes destroys rather than help people. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE BOOK The Quick Fix uses historical examples to illuminate what happens when false ideas take hold in a society. From the ascendance "superpredator" meme in the 1980s (which falsely criminalises Black American youth) to the popularisation of the notion that our poses influence our behaviour, the author highlights the harm that half-baked behavioural science causes. WHO IS IT FOR Lovers of the self-help genre might find this helpful as it illustrates some of the dark sides of this category. Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for review copy.

  The first came across Anthony de Mello's name over two decades ago when I picked up The Song of the Bird at a friend's house. The stories in that book fascinated me to no end that I ended up reading them over and over (more than four times, I think). I still remember a few of those stories and do tell them to my loved ones occasionally. Hence it was my pleasure to come across Stop Fixing Yourself and, with my busy schedule, I couldn't wait to steal some time away to enjoy the book. THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THE BOOK Stop Fixing Yourself has the clarity and simplicity of Anthony de Mello's other books. It is easy to read and littered with simple stories that illustrate various points, one of which is that there are no spiritual exercises or self-help path to finding happiness. The author says that the more we do these things, the further happiness moves away. On the other hand, doing nothing, he explains, is more likely to get us to our goal than our endless fixa

Connection by Kristine Klussman is the kind of book you pick up when you are looking for answers to deep-rooted questions. Having read it twice, I can say that it is not for everyone, but it does have a few pointers that might be of immense benefit to some. Connection is an argument for fulfilment and joy through being in touch with ourselves and others. The author believes doing this will not only pull us towards self-knowledge but also enrich those we meet along the way. THINGS I LOVE The author's background as a psychologist lends this work much credibility. The examples offered in the book do a good job of buttressing the author's points on the importance of solitude, the value of starting small, and how to take joy in the smallest of things. The life problems the author brings up in this book are tangible, and the solutions she proffers aren't of a quick-fix variety. DISLIKES This is not an easy book to read, requiring focus and freshness of mind. Also