Our bookshelves are straining under the number of compelling and evocative non-fiction reads we've just released.
From the latest edition of Ripley's Believe It or Not, bursting with the weird and unexplained, and a fairy tale from the master of trivia himself, Stephen Fry, to inspirational books from Seth Godin and Naomi Klein. Take a look below and choose your favourite!
Stephen Fry
The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against the city of Troy, to which they will lay siege for ten whole years. It is a terrible war with casualties on all sides as well as strained relations between allies, whose consequences become tragedies.
In Troy you will find heroism and hatred, love and loss, revenge and regret, desire and despair. It is these human passions, written bloodily in the sands of a distant shore that still speak to us today.
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Barack Obama
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency - a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.
Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation's highest office.
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Seth Godin
For any artist, entrepreneur, or visionary who feels stuck, Seth Godin has a simple answer: commit to the practice.
In this revolutionary little book, Seth Godin will turn your assumptions about the creative process upside down and help you to look at the world from a different angle. You will recognize your work for what it is: an act of generosity and a way to make change, as well as what it can never be, something that will make everyone happy.
The Practice will help you dance with your fear, take the risks worth taking and embrace the empathy required to make work that connects with others. This breakthrough book will show you a path forward, encourage intent in every facet of your work and help you seek out constraints.
You'll walk away with practical strategies for overpowering the naysayers, radically trusting your own voice and finally doing the work you were put on this earth to do.
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Alicia Garza
In a powerful exploration of recent racial history, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter examines the moment we're in, how we got here, and how together we can build movements to create a just and equal world.
Black Lives Matter began as a hashtag when Alicia Garza wrote what she calls 'a love letter to Black people' on Facebook. But hashtags don't build movements, she tells us. People do. Interwoven with Garza's experience of life as a Black woman, The Purpose of Power is the story of how she responded to the persistent message that Black lives are of less value than white lives by galvanizing people to create change. It's an insight into grass roots organizing to deliver basic needs - affordable housing, workplace protections, access to good education - to those locked out of the economy by racism. It is an attempt not only to make sense of where Black Lives Matter came from but also to understand the possibilities that Black Lives Matter and movements like it hold for our collective futures.
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Nancy Kline
How often do you interrupt? How often do people interrupt you? Can you remember the last time someone listened to you all the way through your thinking?
In a time when communication is more challenging than ever and relationships need to be nurtured, listening to one another could not be more important. In her new book, Nancy Kline suggests that for us to radically improve our communication we should make the promise 'I won't interrupt you'.
When we interrupt each other, we interrupt our thinking, and that interrupts the quality of everything we do. By making this promise to our colleagues and loved ones we can deepen our relationships, increase our productivity, and enjoy deeper, richer conversations. It may, in fact, be the most important promise we ever make.
In this book Nancy tells us the truth about the damage that interruption can cause, she shares case studies and stories from her work with clients, as well as simple ways we can improve our communication, and change our lives.
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Ripley's Believe It or Not! Mind Blown! is sure to amaze and astound children and adults alike with thousands of strange stories, unusual feats and hair-raising oddities from around the world.
Discover how one woman can crush apples with her biceps. Read about the spider that lives underwater. Meet the pizza delivery person who travelled 225 miles to deliver two pizzas. Visit the island made entirely out of conch shells. Marvel at the Australian railway track that's steeper than a ski jump!
Ripley's is now a well and truly established part of Christmas. This year's all-new edition is the best yet, bursting with superb, eye-popping photographs, strange and fascinating stories and extraordinary facts. Prepare to be entertained, amazed and informed. It's a must-have for every curious mind.
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