From American adventures to the English etymology; here are five of our favourite non fiction books to get stuck into this spring
Words Helen Brown
Surviving Death, Leslie Kean
Leslie Kean’s impeccably researched, page-turning investigation reveals stunning evidence suggesting that consciousness survives death. She explores the most compelling case studies of young children reporting details from past lives and contemporary mediums who seem to defy the boundaries of the brain. She looks at the physical world, apparitions providing information about their lives on earth, and people who die and then come back. Kean enriches the narrative as she probes the question concerning all of us: Do we survive death?From £12.99 on Amazon
Happy, Fearne Cotton
Fearne’s second book is a way to release what’s going on inside your head and keep on track with the simple stuff. For many of us, life can feel like it’s moving too fast with pressure bearing down on us from all sides – whether that’s from school or work, family or social media. As a result, we find ourselves frazzled, lost and – too often – feeling blue. Drawing on her own experiences and including expert advice, Happy offers practical ways of finding joy each and every day. Happiness isn’t a mountain to climb, it’s just one foot in front of the other on the path of life, and here you’ll find little steps that will help make the differences that count. £11.89 in WHSmith
Walking the Americas, Levison Wood
Levison Wood breathes life into adventure literature with the latest in his trilogy of escapades. Walking the Americas chronicles Wood’s 1,800 mile trek along the spine of the Americas. Through eight countries, from Mexico to Colombia he has experienced some of the world’s most diverse, beautiful and unpredictable places. This trek required every ounce of Levison Wood’s guile, tact, strength and resilience in one of the most raw, real and exciting journeys of his life. If you like the show, you’ll love the book. |From £9.99 on Amazon
The Etymologicon, Mark Forsyth
What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth’s Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words. This Sunday Times Number One Bestseller takes us on a witty tour of the secret labyrinth of the English language. It takes in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explains precisely what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.£8.99 from Waterstones
The Path, Michael Puett
The smallest actions have the most profound ramifications. This is a revolutionary mantra for Puett and one expressed in this breakthrough literature. The Path explores ancient Chinese thought within the framework of modern culture. Puett draws on the teachings of Confucius, Zhuangzi and Mencius as a backbone to his findings. It’s a self-help book for a better way to approach our choices and tasks, without being remotely ‘self-help’.£8.99 from Waterstones
