Gangsters, psychopaths, terrorists, assaults, riots, cell fires, medical emergencies, understaffed wings, suicides, hooch, weapons - it's all in a week's work at Her Majesty's Prison Parkhurst. After 28 years working as a prison officer with 22 years at HMP Parkhurst, one of Britain's most high-security prisons, David Berridge has had to deal with it all. Thrown in at the deep end, David quickly had to work out how to deal with the most cunning and volatile of prisoners, and learn how to avoid their many scams. His book is a raw and uncompromising look at what really goes on behind the massive walls and menacing gates and his diaries will shock and entertain in equal measure, both horrifying and at times hilarious. Beware there is some fruity language as he works his way around bullying, the day they stopped a suicide attempt, crap diet, the scream he can still hear, a scrap on the exercise yard, getting truly screwed, drugs, and playing by the rules. Gives an explanation of prison slang, official terms and uniformed staff by rank. 286pp, paperback.

Blending biography and natural history and a meditation on what it means to keep your first bee colony, Jukes relates with wonder, awe and dogged determination a year of living dangerously, watching and capturing the wondrous, complex universe of honeybees, and learning an altogether different way of being in the world. As the author enters her 30s, she is feeling disconnected in her life, uneasy about her future and struggling to settle into her new home in Oxford with its own small back garden. She is brought back to a time of accompanying a friend in London, a beekeeper, on his hive visits, and as a gesture of good fortune for her new life, she is given a colony of honeybees. According to folklore, a colony freely given brings good luck, and Helen Jukes embarks on a rewarding, perilous journey of beekeeping as she delves into the history of beekeeping and writes about discovering the ancient, haunting and sometimes disturbing relationship between the keeper and the bee, and an observation of the irrepressible wildness of these fascinating creatures, individual and collective. Is honey an animal product or is it plant based? As the author's colony grows, the questions that have at first compelled her interest fade away into her meditation on solitude and friendship, on feelings of restlessness and on home, and how we might better know ourselves and our place on planet Earth. US import with 233 roughcut pages, small remainder mark, illus.

A CBT self-help guide for depression and hypomania, this is an excellent clear and user friendly self help book which is encouraging and non-condescending. For some people emotional extremes can seriously disrupt their lives, either because they happen too frequently or because the mood swings are intense and accompanied by other symptoms of depression or mania, such as changes in energy and activity levels. As well as individuals with bipolar disorder (sometimes referred to as manic depression), the book may prove useful to those who experience less severe but nevertheless disruptive ups and downs in how they feel. Since the first edition of the book, the diagnostic criteria has modified and cognitive theories of mood dysregulation pay more attention to the role of sleep-activity rhythms, and there have also been further advances in the treatment of bipolar disorders. In this way readers are provided with up-to-date information and research, sleep and circadian rhythm research, CBT-I and light therapies and several sections of the book include additional information about self-help techniques, light and dark therapies. Includes a structured self-help programme to help you control your mood and energy levels. 395pp, paperback with diagrams.

Winner of the Woodland Books of the Year Award, from getting to know the local wildlife to foraging and creating naturally sourced masterpieces, the book is brimming with practical information, intriguing quotes and inspirational ideas. Discover how to carve your own spoon, tell if the Moon is waxing or waning, try forest bathing (surrounding yourself with trees), learn how to make yourself at home amongst the animals and plants on your doorstep in harmony with your surroundings. Wild Rosehip Soup, Hedgerow Jam, Mushroom Mayhem, worm wizardry, litter bug, hunting with a camera, rock art, earth works, wild grass, the wonder of weeds, a colour quest - and that is just the Earth section. We go on to Sky to look at pinecones and seaweed and a halo of ice, shooting stars and a Moon walk; Water going fishing without a rod, skimming stones or dousing; to the Wood for forest bathing and acorn coffee; Feather to make your own bird feeder and understand bird language, pellet power and great bird spectacles; and lastly to Fur, creating an animal highway, understanding tracks, the art of camouflage and pop! goes the weasel. With space for your own notes, clear layout, 192 page decorated paperback.

Sub-titled 'Talks with Your Therapist', this 65 minute audio series of talks with clinical psychologist and panic disorder expert Dr Vijaya Manicavasagar can be listened to over and again from the comfort of your own home. She explains how panic and agoraphobia develop, what prolongs them, and some strategies for dealing with and preventing panic attacks in the future. The talks include lifestyle factors and other triggers, dealing with panicky feelings, overcoming avoidance, starting to face your fears and keeping motivated and maintaining progress and dealing with any setbacks. It really is a sympathetic in-depth health course to understand the experiences, limitations, inhibitions, fears and terrors and the successful treatment of this frightening condition for either yourself or assistance for helping others. Audio CD.

'How A Family Coped With Drug Addiction' is the sub-title of our dear friend the famous cartoonist Tony Husband's second book, a companion to Take Care, Son code 92287. This time Tony turns his attention to his own son Paul, struggling with drug addiction, and how it can be handled with incredible gentleness, grace and honesty. The father and son team simply tell it how it is and Tony's fine drawings are of himself and Paul who thankfully is clean today and has two beautiful daughters, the youngest of whom Daisy is a fine illustrator already under her grandfather's tutelage. The bright, happy, carefree little boy excelled in sport, loved music, but his spirit and confidence were broken when the bullying at school began. Then he started drinking and messing with drugs, needing somewhere to hide. Depression, self-harming, drink, drugs - by 21 Paul was using heroin. Stealing and borrowing money from his family, his room was a tip and Paul sunk to smoking heroin in a public toilet and never got his stuff back out of the pawn shop. After a police caution, prescriptions, he was then injecting crack, flirting with death and he knew it. He finally asked his Dad for help and in rehabilitation knew he was ravaged, destroyed with fear and guilt; detox was hard and every joint screamed in pain. Nine months later and out, he slipped back into his old ways and OD'd: 'The LUF group were amazing. I felt I was part of a movement. No one judged me because they were all in the same boat. Their love and energy was infectious.' Today Paul is a successful photographer. Another uplifting and helpful book from dear Tony with his poignant cartoon colour illustrations throughout. 60 pages, softback, ALL COPIES SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR AND HIS SON, PAUL.

Sub-titled 'A Practical Guide to Mental Health', the Sunday Times bestselling author provides a lively accessible guide which is comforting, reassuring and insightful with her wise and warm words. Bryony Gordon is one of Britain's most high-profile and trusted mental health campaigners. In her book she shares advice and guidance based on her own experience of mental illness which far from damaging her has left her stronger, wiser and more resilient. Here are the basics from sleep, food and drink to work and even breathing, understanding your relationship to these key parts of life being vital to addressing your mental health. There are thoughts about different types of therapy, medication and support options which can be overwhelming. Knowing who to ask for help and how can make all the difference. Exploring day to day anxiety, stress and intrusive thoughts, Bryony tackles worry head-on and provides tools and tips for how to manage it. From the isolation of lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, to the pain of recognising and ending toxic relationships, and also the comfort and sense of wellbeing that comes from supporting others, understand which connections are worth nurturing and which you can let go. A book to make you feel a little less alone. With resources for addiction, OCD and other emotional support charities and organisations and a revised section on loneliness during lockdown. 242pp, paperback.

Meditation is a discipline that clears your mind and controls your thoughts and emotions so that you can function as your true self. You are not in a hypnotic state because you are fully aware of what is happening here and now. Techniques range from chants and gentle breathing exercises, emptying the mind, focussing on one topic (single-point meditation), one movement or one of the five senses, to deep contemplation. In the East it has been practiced for over 5,000 years to promote tranquillity, awareness and wisdom. Some of the methods are incorporated in the practices advocated in this very popular book with excellent meditations and explanations, even for complete beginners. Covers preparing yourself, clearing negativity, past hurts, changing your world, healing your emotions, colour healing, nature meditations and the healing room. The last part deals with spiritual meditation, psychic development, meditation for spiritual connection or for religion. Over 50 meditations and visualisations in an accessible and practical guide. 154 page paperback, illus.

The hardback original edition had the sub-title 'Achieve the Impossible with the Apollo Mindset', and our new paperback edition 'How the Moon Landings Taught Us The 8 Secrets of Success.' The edition includes new stories and interviews from the team behind the Apollo 11 mission. Professor Wiseman presents a pioneering study of the mindset that took humanity to the Moon, and shows how you can harness and use it to achieve extraordinary things in your everyday life. Combining personal interviews, mission archives and cutting-edge psychology, he identifies eight key principals that make up the Apollo Mindset, including how pessimism is crucial to success, and how fear and tragedy can be transformed into hope and optimism. Lift off and find out how you can create ideas that are out of this world and shoot for the Moon, reap the rewards of self-belief, find out how you can learn from failure, develop an attitude that gives you altitude, find the courage to stop talking and start doing, how you can prepare for almost every eventuality and how you can thrive in the face of the unexpected. With useful timeline beginning in October 1957 when the Soviets launched Sputnik and November 1957 when Sputnik 2 carries Laika the dog into space and April 1961 when Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth. 272pp, paperback with summaries and tips and Memos to Self.

Take a step out of the system and be encouraged and inspired by the artistic avant-garde with wise words on stealing, holding yourself back, probing pain, discovering you are not a creative genius, right things wrong space, wrong things right space, inventions, going to excess and intervention. Find ideas worth taking from Pablo Picasso, Bridget Riley, Marina Abramovic who encourages us to embrace unpleasant emotions and investigate taboo subjects. William Blake resists and reassess the norm. Andy Warhol joins a collective to spark ideas and share experiences. Marcel Duchamp and Rachel Whiteread take things out of context to find new value. Cindy Sherman creates an alter ego and Jeff Koons challenges the boundaries of good taste. And there are others who question whether it's good to disrupt a routine, turn an idea on its head, or challenge the norm in a book that will give you the confidence to take creative risks and experiment, free from self-doubt. 112pp, softback with big typography and nice design, and eight pages of colour plates from the artists at the back.