Stocking fillers - book recommendations

We asked the team what books they'll be gifting this Christmas. Here's a few of our favourites, for adults and children.

If you want to add to our list of recommendations, please post in the comments below.

Blueprint: How our childhood makes us who we are

By Lucy Maddox

One of the team has just started this and is loving it. "It's perfect for non-psychologists who want to understand themselves and their little people better. She writes really nicely, and you can dip in and out of the chapters - which is good if you've got the attention span of a gnat, like me!"

What Mental Illness Really Is… (and what it isn’t)

By Lucy Foulkes

"I really enjoyed reading this in the summer - very accessible and really puts things into context/perspective... It addresses some of the unhelpful narratives that sometimes get a lot of attention in the media."

Four Thousand Weeks: Embrace Your Limits. Change Your Life.

By Oliver Burkeman

"It's all about accepting that the time we have is finite and being realistic about what is achievable in the time available."

Bounce – The myth of talent and the power of practice

By Matthew Syed

"This book will make you reflect deeply about the importance of practice, hard work and being in the right place at the right time"

Kind

By Alison Green

"This is a lovely book about being kind, with a lovely bit that made me cry given some of the current narratives around refugees and asylum seekers."

David Attenborough: Little People, BIG DREAMS

By Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

"For little ones, I’m a fan of the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ series. We’ve got David Attenborough, Stephen Hawking and John Lennon. Simple, child-friendly biographies of all sorts of inspirational people."

Link to the whole series: https://amzn.to/3H9qVFU

Usborne 'Peep Inside' and 'See Inside' series for children

By Anna Milbourne

"This is a great non-fiction series for little ones. Described as 'A charming introduction to the world around us for very young children.'

Link to more of the series: https://bit.ly/3HesHW9

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

By Charlie Mackesy

"This is a great book that is getting an animated film set to be released this Christmas on the BBC and iPlayer"

And if you're looking for books for children, the Book Trust have a book finder which offers suggestions based on the age and stage of the child and topics they're interested in. https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/bookfinder/