Best for sensitive souls
Hannah Jane Walker’s debut book, Sensitive: The Hidden Strength of Sensitivity & Empathy, blends expert interviews with personal insights into what it’s like to be a highly sensitive person in a world that’s stacked against sensitivity and softness.
Walker examines where sensitivity sits in society and rewrites the narrative that says it’s weak and has no real-life value. Instead, she discovers that it is a much misunderstood strength. In bringing her own sensitivity to the table, she has produced a book that’s as tender as it is insightful. Published by Aster (£9.99).
> Read our full review of Sensitive
Best for slow living enthusiasts
Slow Seasons: A Creative Guide to Reconnecting with Nature the Celtic Way by Rosie Steer is a comforting read that draws on the twin forces of nostalgia and nature.
It’s full of seasonal craft ideas, recipes and celebrations inspired by the author’s childhood memories and ancient Celtic traditions that mark the solstices, equinoxes and their rough midpoints. Published by Bloomsbury (£16.99).
> Find out how to make a seasonal memory jar in this exclusive extract from Slow Seasons
Best for the perpetually busy
In Rest to Reset, Suzy Reading challenges the glorification of busyness and argues that we need a cultural shift when it comes to rest.
“Don’t wait to hit empty before you act,” she advises, “rest when your early-warning signs give you a nudge or, better still, factor in times to rest in your day.”
In this gentle book, she shares a range of restorative practices that will help bring mind and body back into balance. Rest to Reset: The Busy Person’s Guide to Pausing with Purpose is published by Aster (£12.99).
> Read our review of Rest to Reset
Best for tree lovers
“Humans have told stories about trees for as long as they have told stories.”
Witch’s Forest by Sandra Lawrence delves into the folklore, mythology and magical history that surrounds the world’s trees and forests.
In this fascinating book, the stories of these “cathedrals of the natural world” sit alongside beautiful illustrations from the archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published by Welbeck in association with Kew Publishing (£14.99).
> Read all about forest magic and the seasons in this exclusive extract from Witch’s Forest
Best for foodies
“While I adore a clever shortcut and pass on many chefs’ tricks so you may prep ahead and better enjoy the process of creating dishes, you simply won’t find processed meat pretenders on these pages”, writes Alice Hart in Repertoire.
This beautiful book is brimming with vegetarian recipes for every season and occasion. Simply styled photos are an invitation to try out veggie-packed dishes such as smoky roast cauliflower with capers and lemon.
There are also sumptuous desserts (including a patisserie-worthy peach and hazelnut frangipane tart) and a chapter devoted to homemade sauces, pickles and condiments that are designed to elevate veggie dishes to lofty new heights. Published by OH Editions (£27).
> Featured recipe: Piri Piri Everything – a Portuguese-inspired chilli sauce that goes with everything
Best for joy seekers
Though Tanith Carey wasn’t depressed and on paper her life looked great, she felt a sense of disconnect. Experiences that should have left her feeling elated and joyful, gave her barely a flicker of satisfaction and left her feeling flat.
She set out to discover if there was more to these feelings of ‘blah’, and discovered that this state of being had a name: anhedonia (from the Greek term for ‘without pleasure’).
In Feeling ‘Blah’?, she delves into the science behind anhedonia and shares a wealth of practical and evidence-backed ways to get feelings of joy flowing again. Published by Welbeck Balance (£16.99).
> Read our review of Feeling ‘Blah’?
> Discover simple ways to boost your mood with this extract from Feeling ‘Blah’?
