Female sexuality is such a taboo topic that, if one searches for (ob/gyn professor, women’s health research director, and psychologist) Dr. Brotto’s book on Google or Amazon, it suggests only “lori brotto mindfulness book”. So, for those brave enough to read a book that would have shocked Victorians, what does this one contain?

The focus is on, as the title suggests, better sex, by and for women. That said, it’s mostly because typically women are more likely to experience the problems described in the book; it’s nothing actually intrinsic to womanhood. A man with the same problems could read this book and benefit just the same.

While the book covers many possible problems between the sheets, the overarching theme is problems of the mind, such as:

• Not getting into the mood in the first place
• Losing the mood quickly and easily, such as by becoming distracted
• Difficulty achieving orgasm even when mechanically everything’s delightful
• Physical discomfort creating a barrier to enjoyment

…and yes, that last one is in part mind-stuff too! Though Dr. Brotto isn’t arguing that mindfulness is a panacea, just an incredibly useful tool. And, it’s one she not only explains very well, but also explains from the position of a wealth of scientific evidence… Enough so, that we see a one-star Amazon reviewer from Canada complained that it was too well-referenced! For us, though, it’s what we like to see.

Good science, presented clearly and usefully, giving practical tips that improve people’s lives.

Bottom line: if you’ve ever lost the mood because you got distracted into thinking about taxes or that meeting on Tuesday, this is the book for you.

Click here to check out Better Sex Through Mindfulness—you can thank us later!

There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there about how we should maintain our energy levels, for example:

• Eat fewer carbs!
• Eat more carbs!
• Eat slow-release carbs!
• Eat quick-release carbs!
• Practise intermittent fasting!
• Graze constantly throughout the day!
• Forget carbs and focus on fats!
• Actually it’s all about B-vitamins!

…and so on.

What Collins does differently is something much less-often seen:

Here, we’re advised on how to tailor our meals to our actual lifestyle, taking into account the day we actually have each day. For example:

• What will our energy needs be for the day?
• Will our needs be intense, or long, or both, or neither?
• What kind of recovery have we had, or do we need, from previous activities?
• Do we need to replace lost muscle glycogen, or are we looking to trim the fat?
• Are we doing a power-up or just maintenance today?

Rather than bidding us have a five-way spreadsheet and do advanced mathematics for every meal, though, Collins has done the hard work for us. The book explains the various principles in a casual format with a light conversational tone, and gives us general rules to follow.

These rules cover what to do for different times of day… and also, at different points in our life (the metabolic needs of a 13-year-old, 33-year-old, and 83-year-old, are very different!). That latter’s particularly handy, as a lot of books assume an age bracket for the reader, and this one doesn’t.

In short: a great book for anyone who wants to keep their energy levels up (throughout life’s ups and downs in activity) without piling on the pounds or starving oneself.

Click here to check out The Energy Plan on Amazon and fuel your days better!

You may be wondering: “do I really need a book to tell me to put some vegetables in a roasting tin and roast them?” and maybe not, but the book offers a lot more than that.

Indeed, the author notes “this book was slightly in danger of becoming the gratin and tart book, because I love both”, but don’t worry, most of the recipes are—as you might expect—very healthy.

As for formatting: the 75 recipes are divided first into vegan or vegetarian, and then into quick/medium/slow, in terms of how long they take.

However, even the “slow” recipes don’t actually take more effort, just, more time in the oven.

One of the greatest strengths of this book is that not only does it offer a wide selection of wholesome mains, but also, if you’re putting on a big spread, these can easily double up as high-class low-effort sides.

Bottom line: if you’d like to eat more vegetables in 2024 but want to make it delicious and with little effort, put this book on your Christmas list!

Click here to check out The Green Roasting Tin, and level-up yours!