The Reading List

Our spring reading list is all about finding love in shared experiences, embracing our differences and celebrating the natural world

What Women Want: Conversations on Desire, Power, Love and Growth

MAXINE MEI-FUNG CHUNG (HUTCHINSON HEINEMANN)

‘What does a woman want?’ was Sigmund Freud’s greatest unanswered question. Psychotherapist Maxine Chung offers answers. Through the profound and moving stories of seven very different women, she sheds light on our fundamental needs and desires. From a young bride-to-be struggling to accept her sexuality, to a mother grappling with questions of identity and belonging, this book is a deeply intimate examination of our inner lives.

Empower Your Inner Psychic

THERESA CHEUNG

(THORSONS)

Ever experienced déjà vu? A dream that predicted a real moment or the sense that you’ve been somewhere before? This book helps us tap into our innate power to pick up signals and develop psychic abilities, using ancient systems, modern methods, exercises and meditations. Offering a simple path to nurture our psychic abilities for increased happiness and wellbeing, Cheung believes we can all learn how to trust our senses and empower our decision-making.

The Garden: Elements and Styles

TOBY MUSGRAVE

(PHAIDON PRESS)

Green spaces are associated with physical, social and mental health. This new edition of a book by horticulture expert and historian Toby Musgrave is a wonderful exploration of the creative art of garden-making. From Japanese Zen landscapes to the rambling roses of an English cottage, readers are taken on a journey through historic and contemporary gardens around the world, offering the ultimate green-fingered inspiration.

BOOK

Me vs Brain: An Overthinker’s Guide to Life

HAYLEY MORRIS (CENTURY)

TikTok comedian and self-proclaimed ‘overthinker’ Morris offers a lighthearted insight into her overactive brain, reminding us of the everyday humiliations that we all suffer. From running through imaginary arguments while showering to not knowing how to be a normal human when you have the plumber in, she finds humour in moments that wake us up in a cold sweat at 3am – and reveals that we’re not alone in our strange behaviour.

The New Antiquarians: At Home with Young Collectors

MICHAEL DIAZ-GRIFFITH

(THE MONACELLI PRESS)

The world of antiques isn’t just about old-fashioned collectors and dusty, aged pieces. This book delves into a new generation of enthusiasts and their unorthodox approaches to gathering and living with objects from history. Flouting conventions of good taste and revealing irreverent modes of decorating with antiques, it proves that fresh and mould-breaking ideas are always worthy of celebration.

Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict

ELIZABETH DAY

(FOURTH ESTATE)

Journalist and How to Fail author Elizabeth Day offers a fascinating insight into the significance and evolution of friendship. She explores her own friendships, the realisation that quantity doesn’t equal quality, friendships in different communities around the globe, and cases of ghosting and frenemies. Why, Day asks, isn’t there a language that expresses friendship's crucial influence on our world?

Wild Magic: A Seasonal Guide to Foraging with Healing Recipes & Self-care Rituals

FERN FREUD (EBURY PRESS)

Teaching us the art of slow living, foraging Instagram influencer Freud offers a wealth of recipes and rituals that embrace the wildness that surrounds us, whether we’re in a city or in the country. From fizzy elderflower cordial to warming mushroom noodles, and from melted wild garlic muffins to indulgent currant doughnuts, this is all about reconnecting with nature, seasonal eating and harnessing the healing self-care power of plants.