Never Split The Difference, by Chris Voss ( paperback )

£10.99

A former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating - effective in any situation. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator brought him face-to-face with bank robbers, gang leaders and terrorists. Never Split the Difference takes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most - when people's lives were at stake.

'Filled with insights that apply to everyday negotiations.' Business Insider

'A stupendous book.' The Week' 

Revised cover art November 2023

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Just The Job, Maura Campbell ( paperback June 2024)

£13.99

Smart casual? Close of play? Endless water-cooler discussions about the weather? Non-autistic adults can behave in baffling ways - and never more so in the maze of unwritten social rules, jargon and ritual that is your average day at the office. Luckily, Maura and Debby (office code cracker extraordinaires) have gone undercover in 'typical' offices for decades to pull together the ultimate survival guide for the autistic employee. Wickedly illustrated by Tim Stringer, this one-stop-shop gives guidance on everything from navigating sensory issues and asking for reasonable workplace adjustments to the appropriate etiquette of in-person and hybrid spaces and how to deal with instances of bullying and harassment.

With translations of the bizarre idioms and acronyms of office-speak, as well advice on the baffling unspoken rules of an office social life - this is both a hilarious and highly practical guide to being happier and more successful at work.

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The Book You Want Everyone You Love to Read, ( hardback ), and The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read ( paperback)

£10.99

Life success is all about relationships and the quality of those connections, whether that's with family, partners, friends, colleagues or most importantly yourself. If you can get those relationships on a functional and even keel, then the other tricky stuff that life throws your way becomes easier to manage. In this warm, practical and witty book, No.1 Sunday Times bestselling psychotherapist Philippa Perry shows you how to approach life's big problems.

How do you find and keep love? What can you do to manage conflict better? How can you get unstuck and cope with change and loss? What does it mean to you to be content? Are other people just annoying or are you the problem?With a healthy dose of sanity, Philippa Perry's compassionate advice could help you become a happier, wiser person.

Following on from the hugely successful, The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read - for parents of children of ALL ages. .. please select below which title you would like. 

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The Tools, Phil Stutz ( paperback March 2023)

£12.99

Change can begin right now. Learn to bring about dynamic personal growth using five uniquely effective tools- from psychotherapist Barry Michels and psychiatrist Phil Stutz, subject of the Netflix documentary Stutz, directed by Jonah Hill. Can you imagine what your life would be like if you could tap into a new source of power - one that has been inside you all along - to solve your own problems and become the master of your life?The Tools is an extraordinary psychological model based on the proven methods of Hollywood's greatest psychotherapists.

Phil Stutz and Barry Michels have over 60 years of psychotherapeutic experience between them. Together they have helped their A-list clients work through whatever has held them back - be it insecurity, trauma, anger, lack of willpower, negativity or avoidance - to achieve their greatest work and find a deep level of fulfilment. Now, at last, the acclaimed clinicians are sharing their methods in this eye-opening and empowering book.

Introducing their five simple techniques, namely The Reversal of Desire, Active Love, Inner Authority, The Grateful Flow and Jeopardy, the authors clearly explain what they are plus how and when to use them. Astonishingly effective and beautifully simple - once you've learned a tool it takes only three to five seconds to use it - this book will give you everything you need to propel yourself forward to achieve your ambitions and be who you were born to be.
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Really Good, Actually - Monica Heisey ( paperback end Sept 2023)

£9.99

 I feel like when you get a divorce everyone's wondering how you ruined it all, what made you so unbearable to be with.

If your husband dies, at least people feel bad for you. Maggie's marriage has ended just 608 days after it started, but she's fine - she's doing really good, actually. Sure, she's alone for the first time in her life, can't afford her rent and her obscure PhD is going nowhere .

. . but at the age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace her new status as a Surprisingly Young Divorcee (TM).

Soon she's taking up 'sadness hobbies' and getting back out there, sex-wise, oversharing in the group chat and drinking with her high-intensity new divorced friend Amy. As Maggie throws herself headlong into the chaos of her first year of divorce, she finds herself questioning everything, including: Why do we still get married? Did I fail before I even got started? How many Night Burgers until I'm happy? Laugh-out-loud funny, razor sharp and painfully relatable, Really Good, Actually is an irresistible debut novel about the uncertainties of modern love, friendship and happiness from a stunning new voice in fiction, Monica Heisey. 'A smart, funny and warm debut with such a strong voice' Cathy Rentzenbrink
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Soldier Sailor, Claire Kilroy ( paperback March 2024)

£9.99

In one of the most acclaimed novels of the year, her first in over a decade, Claire Kilroy takes us deep into the mind of her unforgettable heroine. Exploring the clash of fierce love for a new life with a seismic change in identity, she vividly realises the tumultuous emotions of a new mother. As her marriage strains and she struggles with questions of love, autonomy creativity and the passing of time, an old friend makes a welcome return - but can he really offer a lifeline to the woman she used to be?Readers adore Soldier Sailor:***** 'About as perfect a piece of writing as you'll find.'***** 'Unbearably tense and frequently hilarious.'***** 'An entirely different voltage to anything I've read ...she somehow manages to verbalise *exactly* the feelings and thoughts I, certainly, had at points when I was a young mother'***** 'This story touched me on such a visceral level.
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Friendaholic, Elizabeth Day ( paperback March 2024)

£10.99

As a society, there is a tendency to elevate romantic love. But what about friendships? Aren't they just as – if not more – important? So why is it hard to find the right words to express what these uniquely complex bonds mean to us? In this fascinating, insightful and uniquely moving book, Elizabeth Day embarks on a journey to find out. Friendaholic unpacks the significance and evolution of friendship from the ancient wisdom of Cicero to the modern curse of ghosting.

How and why do we make friends? Is friendship an antidote to loneliness? How should we deal with a frenemy? And is it ok to end a friendship that has gone awry? Friendaholic examines what makes a ‘good’ friend and asks us what kind of friend we want to be – to each other but also to ourselves.
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The Happiness of Dogs, Mark Rowlands ( hardback August 2024)

£16.99

If a dog could write a book of philosophy, what would it contain?If you have spent part of your life with a dog, you may find certain questions popping, unbidden, into your mind. Is my dog living a fulfilled life? Is my dog a good dog? Does my dog love me? This, however only scratches the surface of a canine philosophy.

Drawing on his life lived with dogs (two German shepherds, the amiable Hugo and his dark twin Shadow; Brenin, a wolf hybrid, and Tess his wolf dog daughter; and Nina, a German shepherd/malamute mix), on the ideas of philosophers from Socrates to Hume and Sartre, and on the cutting edge psychology of canine cognition, philosopher Mark Rowlands explores the way dogs experience the world to bring us closer to an understanding of ourselves.

While dogs feel unparalleled joy and focus in the moment, humans are burdened by the disquietude of anxiety, doubt and even anguish. Happiness for dogs can be achieved in the daily chase of a squirrel, for humans it is much more elusive. Digging deep into their morality, freedoms, consciousness, intelligence and love of life, Rowlands discovers that dogs have a unique way of existing which amounts to a different philosophical outlook altogether - if they could write such a thing - and that they may have better answers to the meaning of life than we do.

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Talking Heads, Shane O'Mara ( paperback August 2024)

£10.99

How Conversation Shapes Us ... 

From neurons to nations, Talking Heads is a stunning survey of the science of human connection and communication. 'Delightfully well-written' IRISH TIMES'Intriguing ... Makes for an enjoyable read' NEW SCIENTIST'Full of good stories' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

Talking to each other is a primal behaviour. It’s a key part of what makes us human. Yet the science of human connection has largely remained a mystery. Only recently have scientific advances allowed us to peer into the purpose of conversations and uncover their extraordinary impact.

In this groundbreaking book, the first of its kind written by a leading neuroscientist, Professor Shane O’Mara expertly reveals how talking affects all our lives. What does it mean that we mostly think, and speak, in five-minute bubbles around the present moment? Is the fact that we instinctively trust what others say empowering or a hindrance? And how do our very nations begin as conversations?Moving from the personal to the social and ultimately towards an urgent and radical new perspective on the defining phenomenon of our times, populist nationalism, Talking Heads is the story of how conversation shapes us and constructs our worlds – and how, together, we can talk our way into a better tomorrow.

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BPS Bundles I Early Motherhood

£29.97 £27.00

It's tough, it's sometimes overwhelming and it's something that so many of us go through, yet there is almost an insatiable curiosity about others' experiences of motherhood when we are going through it ourselves.

My BPS recommendations are 3 writers whose brilliant, often funny, prose brings a relatable and sometimes heartbreaking empathy to the job of being a new mother. 

You save 10% if all ordered together. 

Nobody Told Me £10.99

Soldier Sailor £9.99 

Mother Ship £8.99 

 

 

 

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The Farmer’s Wife, Helen Rebanks ( paperback Feb 24)

£10.99

This honest and heartwarming memoir offers a portrait of the labour and glory of keeping a home and raising a family. Weaving past and present, Helen Rebanks shares her highs and lows, from the emotional journey to the birth of her first child, and the endless improvisation of each night's dinner, to the dog gobbling up her daughter's freshly-made birthday cake. These are days that have shaped her, and the ways she finds the quiet strength to keep going.

'In its own quiet way, [The Farmer's Wife] is a manifesto: every woman has the right to choose the life they want.' Mail on Sunday'

Lovely, warm and real, it made me cry and cook and think. ' ELLA RISBRIDGER

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Poetry Unbound, Padraig O'Tuama ( paperback Feb 2024)

£12.99

This inspiring collection, curated by the host of the Poetry Unbound podcast, presents fifty poems about what it means to be alive in the world today. Each poem is paired with Pádraig's illuminating commentary that offers personal anecdotes and generous insights into the content of the poem. Engaging, accessible and inviting, Poetry Unbound is the perfect companion for everyone who loves poetry and for anyone who wants to go deeper into poetry but doesn't necessarily know how to do so.

Contributors include Hanif Abdurraqib, Patience Agbabi, Raymond Antrobus, Margaret Atwood, Ada Limón, Kei Miller, Roger Robinson, Lemn Sissay, Layli Long Soldier and more.
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The Art of Winning, Dan Carter (paperback from July 2024)

£22.00

The Art of Winning : Ten Lessons in Leadership, Purpose and Potential

Ten timeless truths on leadership, purpose and potential - from the unique culture of the All Blacks, and the mind of a living legend. You might think success at the highest level insulates you from self-doubt. But nothing could be further from the truth.

In this book, I take you inside a journey that has forced me to look inwardly in a way I've never had to before. It's been challenging, frustrating, rewarding and left me full of gratitude. Whether you're a leader on a steep learning curve, a person navigating change in their life or just someone of any age trying to get that little bit better every day, I hope that my experience can spur you on to greater heights.

For the first time, sporting legend Dan Carter distils his two decades at the frontiers of high-performance into his 'perfect ten' lessons. You won't find conventional wisdom here, but hard-learned truths, including:- Why great leaders are made, not born, and why they must constantly evolve- How to forge a winning team culture- Why embracing your past can be every bit as important as looking towards your future- Why empowering others leads to the best decisions- Why confidence and self-belief are nothing without humility and a beginner's mindsetHonest, surprising and inspiring, The Art of Winning converts a legendary career into timeless lessons for readers in any walk of life. Step inside the unique culture of the All Blacks - and inside the mind of a legend.

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The Career Workbook, School of Life

£22.00

A thought-provoking and practical workbook with exercises to help you discover a career that is truly fulfilling. There are few questions harder or lonelier than, ‘What should I do with the rest of my working life?’ We are often simply meant to know the answer. But in private, some of us are acutely aware that we aren’t happy where we are and would love to find a way towards a job that is truly fulfilling.

Tantalisingly, many of the answers we need to better direct our futures are inside us, but we need help getting them out, making sense of them and assembling them into a plan. This workbook contains a series of prompts, questions and essays designed to help us systematically understand more about our working identities and to guide us (with something like the skill of a great career therapist) towards an approach to work that will honour our talents and allow us to thrive.
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Principles: Your Guided Journal : Create Your Own Principles to Get the Work and Life You Want Ray Dalio

£18.99

From Ray Dalio, the legendary investor and international bestselling author of Principles - whose books have sold more than five million copies worldwide - comes a guided reflection journal that empowers readers everywhere to develop their own principles for success in work and life.

In his international bestseller Principles, legendary investor Ray Dalio introduced millions of readers around the world to the unconventional approach he developed as the founder and builder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest and most successful hedge fund in the world. Dalio attributes his unique success to his process of recording, refining and acting on a set of well-defined principles, which are effectively decision-rules for getting what you want out of life and work.

His goal in publishing the book was to show readers the value of principle-based thinking so that they could develop their own principles, aligned with their own values, for getting whatever they wanted out of life. With this new journal, Dalio takes his goal one step further to help readers reflect on and record their own principles. He does that by providing a series of guided exercises and questions for reflecting on what you're like, what you value, and what principles will best help you achieve your goals.

These exercises draw from key concepts in the original Principles book, including:1. How to identify your strengths, weaknesses, motivations and preferences2. How to use the 'five-step process' to achieve your goals3. How to become both 'assertive and open-minded at the same time'4. How to maximise your learning from your mistakes (which are inevitable)

The experience concludes with a structured reflection on where you and your loved ones are along life's journey, leaving you with a highly personalised, practical playbook for achieving success in the years ahead.

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Novelist as a Vocation : The master storyteller on writing and creativity, Murakami

£18.99

A unique look into the mind and craft of a master storyteller. Haruki Murakami's myriad fans will be delighted by this unique look into the mind of a master storyteller. In this engaging book, the internationally best-selling author and famously reclusive writer shares with readers what he thinks about being a novelist; his thoughts on the role of the novel in our society; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists, and musicians.

Readers who have long wondered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas and what inspires his strangely surreal worlds will be fascinated by this highly personal look at the craft of writing. 'The world's most popular cult novelist' Guardian'A master storyteller' Sunday Times'Murakami is like a magician who explains what he's doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers' New York Times Book Review

 

Paperback October 2023 at £10.99 

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Life Is Hard : How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way, Kieran Setiya (Paperback, 2023)

£10.99

 Reading this book is like speaking with a thoughtful friend who never tells you to cheer up, but, by offering gentle companionship and a change of perspective, makes you feel better anyway" The New York Times Book Review'

From personal trauma to the injustice and absurdity of the world, sometimes simply going on can feel too much. But could there be solace - and even hope - in acknowledging the hardships of the human condition? Might doing so free us from the tyranny of striving for our "best lives" and help us find warmth, humanity, and humour in the lives we actually have? Could it inspire in us the desire for a better world? In this profound and personal book, Kieran Setiya shows how philosophy can help us find our way. He shares his own experience with chronic pain and the consolation that comes from making sense of it.

He asks what we can learn from loneliness and loss about the value of human life. And he explores how we can fail with grace, confront injustice, and search for meaning in the face of despair. Drawing on ancient and modern philosophy, as well as fiction, comedy, social science and personal essay, Life is Hard is a book for this moment - a work of solace and compassion.
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How Do You Like Me Now? Holly Bourne

£8.99

Holly Bourne is a legend in writing on difficult topics for children and teenagers, this is her first ' grown up' novel for the 30 somethings - and it really hits the mark.

 

Everyone wants to be Tori Bailey. A straight-talking, bestselling author, she's inspired millions of women around the world with her self-help memoir and uplifting posts online.

What's more, her perfect relationship with her long-term boyfriend is the envy of all their friends. But Tori isn't being honest. While everyone around her is getting engaged and having babies, Tori's boyfriend will barely look at her, let alone talk about marriage.

And when her best friend Dee unexpectedly falls in love, suddenly Tori's in danger of being left behind. Tori's built a career out of telling women how to live their best life, but is she brave enough to admit it's not what she wants?*****The debut adult novel by bestselling author Holly Bourne is a blisteringly funny, honest and moving exploration of love, friendship and navigating the emotional rollercoaster of your thirties. Everyone is raving about this book! Brutally honest, appallingly funny and very moving - so accurate on the female interior, and the loneliness life in the public gaze.

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Childhood Unlimited, Virginia Mendez ( Paperback, April 2022)

£12.99

 In 2013, Disney released its most egalitarian film to date - but 59% of all the lines in Frozen are spoken by male characters. - 57% of children's books published annually have central male characters; just 31% have central female characters. Raising your child beyond the limitations placed on them by gender is, let's face it, an uphill battle.

If you don't know where to start, or how to start, you will find inspiration, insight and plenty of practical strategies in Childhood Unlimited. From navigating the gendered constructs that dominate children's films, television and media generally, to choosing appropriate and stimulating toys beyond the binary divide, this accessible and relatable book will make the whole process much less daunting. Based on interviews with, and research by, some of the best thought-leaders from the fields of psychology, neuroscience and education, the insights in this book will not only open the eyes of any parent or caregiver, they will inspire you to help your child to look at the world in a critical, creative and empowered way.

Free from the restraints of the stereotypes that surround gender, your child has the opportunity to reach their true potential - and this is the book that you need to launch them on that journey.

 

** recently launched right here in Books Paper Scissors, Virginia is an adopted Northern Irish author and a Spanish native ** 

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When The Dust Settles, Lucy Easthope ( paperback March 23)

£9.99

A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK*'It does for disaster what Rachel Clarke's Dear Life has done for palliative medicine and Adam Kay's This Is Going To Hurt for obstetrics.' - Telegraph'A remarkable account...that it is ultimately hopeful and uplifting, is down to the utter human decency that the author represents' - Mail on Sunday 'Enthralling...though laced with bleak humour, this vivid and humane book forces readers to look into some exceptionally dark places' - ObserverLucy Easthope lives with disaster every day. When a plane crashes, a bomb explodes, a city floods or a pandemic begins, she's the one they call. Lucy is a world-leading authority on recovering from disaster.

She has been at the centre of the most seismic events of the last few decades, advising on everything from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami to the 7/7 bombings, the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand, the Grenfell fire and the Covid-19 pandemic. In every catastrophe, Lucy is there to pick up the pieces and prepare for the next one. She holds governments to account, helps communities rally together, returns personal possessions to families, and holds the hands of the survivors.
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