Graham Dalby’s book opens inside Windsor Castle at the ‘Ball of The Century’ in 2000, when he drops so many names it’s hard to keep up. He then takes us through his precariously dangerous childhood from Nigeria, Singapore, and Hong Kong, where he served for a short time as a Police Inspector. The remainder of the book is Dalby’s fast-paced life of Classical Music and Jazz and Swing and is a case-book study on how to manage to quaff Champagne belonging to the rich and famous. The style is old school Wodehouse/Waugh but the historical interpolations keep the reader in the realms of reality and fact. An incredible story of great anecdotes, laughter, and some tears – but mostly Music, Champagne and Laughter.
A New York Times bestseller: "A passionate and convincing case for the sophistication of nonhuman minds." —Alison Gopnik, The Atlantic Hailed as a classic, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? explores the oddities and complexities of animal cognition—in crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, chimpanzees, and bonobos—to reveal how smart animals really are, and how we’ve underestimated their abilities for too long. Did you know that octopuses use coconut shells as tools, that elephants classify humans by gender and language, and that there is a young male chimpanzee at Kyoto University whose flash memory puts that of humans to shame? Fascinating, entertaining, and deeply informed, de Waal’s landmark work will convince you to rethink everything you thought you knew about animal—and human—intelligence.
We all hear voices. Ordinary thinking is often a kind of conversation, filling our heads with speech: the voices of reason, of memory, of self-encouragement and rebuke, the inner dialogue that helps us with tough decisions or complicated problems. For others - voice-hearers, trauma-sufferers and prophets - the voices seem to come from outside: friendly voices, malicious ones, the voice of God or the Devil, the muses of art and literature. In The Voices Within, Royal Society Prize shortlisted psychologist Charles Fernyhough draws on extensive original research and a wealth of cultural touchpoints to reveal the workings of our inner voices, and how those voices link to creativity and development. From Virginia Woolf to the modern Hearing Voices Movement, Fernyhough also transforms our understanding of voice-hearers past and present. Building on the latest theories, including the new 'dialogic thinking' model, and employing state-of-the-art neuroimaging and other ground-breaking research techniques, Fernyhough has written an authoritative and engaging guide to the voices in our heads. WELLCOME COLLECTION Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library that aims to challenge how we think and feel about health. Inspired by the medical objects and curiosities collected by Henry Wellcome, it connects science, medicine, life and art. Wellcome Collection exhibitions, events and books explore a diverse range of subjects, including consciousness, forensic medicine, emotions, sexology, identity and death. Wellcome Collection is part of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation that exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive, funding over 14,000 researchers and projects in more than 70 countries. wellcomecollection.org
Think you have no time for mindfulness? Think again. "Thoughtful and provocative.... The relevance of this work is unquestionable, as it leaves us inspired and optimistic that true healing really is possible" (Sharon Salzberg). For four decades, Jon Kabat-Zinn has been teaching the tangible benefits of meditation in the mainstream. Today millions of people have taken up a formal mindfulness meditation practice as part of their everyday lives. But how do you actually go about meditating? What does a formal meditation practice look like? And how can we overcome some of the common obstacles to incorporating meditation into daily life in an age of perpetual self-distraction? Falling Awake directly answers these urgent and timely questions. Originally published in 2005 as part of a larger book titled Coming to Our Senses, it has been updated with a new foreword by the author and is even more relevant today. Science shows that the tangible benefits of a mindfulness meditation practice are impossible to ignore. Kabat-Zinn explains how to incorporate them into our hectic, modern lives. Read on for a master class from one of the pioneers of the worldwide mindfulness movement.
In the #1 New York Times bestselling tradition of Communion, Whitely Strieber returns with a terrifying novel of alien occupation We are not alone. Millions of people are confronting aliens that authorities say do not exist. Meet the Three Thieves, a group of Grays assigned to duty in a small Kentucky town. They have been preparing a child for generations. Innocent Conner Callaghan will face the ultimate terror as he struggles to understand who he has been bred to be, and what he must do to save humanity. Colonel Michael Morax strives to keep the secret of the Grays from the public for reasons so sinister, yet believable, that they read like truth. And Lauren Glass, government "empath" to the last surviving captive Gray, known only as B for Bob, has a unique ability to communicate with this captive Gray. But when B for Bob suddenly escapes the highly secure underground Air Force facility that he's been captive in for years, a frantic race begins, as the government must outmaneuver the Grays to keep the secret of their presence intact. The Grays is a mind-bending journey behind the curtain of secrecy that surrounds the subject of aliens, written by the field's great master, Whitley Strieber. If you've never so much as thought about the subject before, this book will make you think deeply, not only about the mystery of who the Grays are, but who exactly we are. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Most of us believe that we are unique and coherent individuals, but are we? The idea of a "self" has existed ever since humans began to live in groups and become sociable. Those who embrace the self as an individual in the West, or a member of the group in the East, feel fulfilled and purposeful. This experience seems incredibly real but a wealth of recent scientific evidence reveals that this notion of the independent, coherent self is an illusion - it is not what it seems. Reality as we perceive it is not something that objectively exists, but something that our brains construct from moment to moment, interpreting, summarizing, and substituting information along the way. Like a science fiction movie, we are living in a matrix that is our mind. In The Self Illusion, Dr. Bruce Hood reveals how the self emerges during childhood and how the architecture of the developing brain enables us to become social animals dependent on each other. He explains that self is the product of our relationships and interactions with others, and it exists only in our brains. The author argues, however, that though the self is an illusion, it is one that humans cannot live without. But things are changing as our technology develops and shapes society. The social bonds and relationships that used to take time and effort to form are now undergoing a revolution as we start to put our self online. Social networking activities such as blogging, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter threaten to change the way we behave. Social networking is fast becoming socialization on steroids. The speed and ease at which we can form alliances and relationships is outstripping the same selection processes that shaped our self prior to the internet era. This book ventures into unchartered territory to explain how the idea of the self will never be the same again in the online social world.
New York Times Bestseller “Rawat’s deep wisdom is a breath of fresh air; Hear Yourself gives the gift of peace and gratitude in a time we sorely need it.”—Ian Morgan Cron, author of The Story of You and co-author of The Road Back to You “Hear Yourself invites us to take a journey from the outside world we live in everyday to the world of peace within us. I highly recommend this inspiring book to anyone ready to take that journey.”—Bill McCarthy, Founder and President of The Unity Foundation The renowned teacher and author of the internationally bestselling Peace Is Possible shows us how to quiet the noise of our busy lives to hear our own unique authentic voice—the source of peace. The cacophony of modern life can be deafening, leaving us feeling frazzled and uneasy. In this warm, wise book, Prem Rawat teaches us how to turn down the noise to “hear ourselves”—to listen to the subtle song of peace that sings inside each of us. Once we learn to truly “hear ourselves” and the voice of peace within, then we can hold on to that as we face all the noise of the world. The culmination of a lifetime of study, Hear Yourself lays out the crucial steps we can use to focus on the voice within. Take a walk in nature and listen for the sounds of harmony, Prem Rawat suggests, or set aside a few minutes each day to feel gratitude, which comes from the core of our being. He challenges us to embrace our thirst for peace and let go of expectations for how it should feel. With one straightforward yet deeply profound question, he helps us to focus—to be present: Am I conscious of where I am today and what I want to experience in this world?” If we allow ourselves to listen, what we hear is the extraordinary miracle of existence—an experience that transforms our relationship to life and everything in it. Packed with powerful insights and compelling stories, Hear Yourself introduces readers to an ancient line of practical wisdom that enlightens us to a simple way to listen. By doing so, Prem Rawat reveals, we can “profoundly change our understanding of ourselves, those around us, and our lives.”
Do you carry pain from a previous or existing relationship? Perhaps a friend, family member or partner has hurt you and you just can’t seem to get over it. You try to move forward, but you have suffered injuries of connection and your heart isn’t healing. Injuries of connection can be the deepest and most disruptive of all psychological conditions, leading to deep feelings of betrayal, worthlessness, shame and alienation. But there is hope. While it is true that relationships can hurt us, they can also heal us. Your heart can mend by connecting with yourself, connecting with safe and understanding people, and connecting with the God who created you and longs to love you in the midst of your pain. Using his 20 years of experience as a practising clinical psychologist, together with biblical foundations, insights from literature and scientific evidence, Dr Jonathan Andrews will lead you through the steps of healing. He will guide you through the chaos of psychological injuries caused by disconnection and towards a reconnected heart—and set you up for a life of trust, self-esteem, honour and belonging.
#1 Speed Reading Book for 4 Straight Years This has become the go to book for students, teachers, educators, professionals, and home-school parents & children, to rapidly improve their reading. It offers simple tips to not only accelerate reading speed, but also understanding and memory. Unlike other books that merely teach you to skim & scan, this book taps into your brain and eyes' amazing power to naturally read more words, in a shorter time. In fact, this isn't your average speed reading book. It offers a mix of new and time-tested techniques, supported by research, and with detailed instructions and explanations. The tips will double to triple you reading speed with a few simple shifts. No skimming, no scanning, but reading every word with higher speed! You’ll Learn to: - Double to triple your reading in a matter of minutes. - Understand and process more information, in a shorter time. - Remember more of what you read for tests, exams, speeches, and more. - Enhance vocabulary to blaze through difficult and complicated material. - Stop your mind from wandering, and stay focused on every word. - Strengthen your eyes to continue reading for years to come. How will the ability to learn more skills, ace more exams, and be more informed, while having more time for your friends, spouse, and kids, enhance your life? Don’t wait any longer, kick start your reading today.
"A 19-year-old man has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. It looks like an open-and-shut case until one of the jurors begins opening the others' eyes to the facts."--Page 4 of cover
