[[Category:New Reviews|Lifestyle]]
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{{newreview
|author=Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschappeler
|title=The Question Book
|rating=4.5
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=
Most of us have probably made at least one of those end-of-the-year lists of the best books, albums and parties we have been to in the previous twelve months. But can you, with some effort, locate the one you made in 1987? Have you ever constructed a graph of your ups and downs in a given period, and then decided to expand it by separating emotional, intellectual, sexual and financial aspects and colour coding them? Have you made a list of all your lovers, bosses or friends and then rated them from 1 to 10 on several dimensions each? Do you have one of the books that list ''100 things to do before you die'' or ''500 books to read in your life'' (and ticked off the ones you have done)? Did you ever spend a whole evening and half of a night filling in dubious 'personality' questionnaires on the Internet? Have you ever doodled something, decided that it beautifully expresses the deepest essence of your personality and then proceeded to draw such icons for all your friends?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846685389</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
|summary='''BANG'''. That's the sound of copious urban myths being shot down. '''BANG'''. That's the sound of the old wives slamming the door, as their tales get revealed as baseless. '''CLICK'''. That's the noise lots of ill-informed websites make as they get closed down. All noises come due to this brilliant book.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141043369</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
|title=Perfumes: The A - Z Guide
|rating=5
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. The only thing that could be conceivably better than reading ''Perfumes'' would be to read it while sampling the scents it reviews, but even without the olfactory component, ''Perfumes'' is a delight: Turin (a lyrical scientist) and Sanchez (an analytically enthusiastic collector) not only treat perfume creation as high art, but turn perfume criticism into an art form (or at least a sophisticated genre of writing) too.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846681278</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Jeremy Clarkson
|title=Driven to Distraction
|rating=4.5
|genre=Entertainment
|summary=Jeremy Clarkson's middle name ought to be ''Marmite''. You really do either love him or hate him. I am in the first camp. I think he is brilliantly funny. He is. He makes me laugh. Out loud. And like many women who watch Top Gear, (well, those that don't watch it because they are strangely – ''bizarrely'' - attracted to James May – I am '''not''' - or because they want to mother The Hamster – I do '''not''') I find Jeremy Clarkson hilarious. And I don't think you have to like cars to see the appeal either! I mean, the columns within ''Driven To Distraction'' occasionally start ''off'' talking about cars, but not always and they quickly move on to the things that get his dander up before tailing neatly back to the cars again. Or not. And what is in between is pure gold dust.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0718155548</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Brian Johnson
|title=Rockers and Rollers: An Automotive Autobiography
|rating=3.5
|genre=Autobiography
|summary=Brian Johnson will probably go down as one of the luckiest men in showbiz. He had a brief moment of glory in the early 70s as vocalist with Geordie, a Tyneside version of Slade, who had three Top 40 hits and then fell on hard times. After going back to the day job, a chance call invited him to go and audition for AC/DC, whose vocalist Bon Scott had suddenly died. Three decades later, not only have the group held on to their loyal fanbase, but one of their albums, according to an online source, is second only to Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'' in terms of global sales.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0718155424</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=James May
|title=Car Fever: Dispatches From Behind The Wheel
|rating=4
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=Now, way back when I was younger, and watched TV a lot, I am sure I remember Top Gear as being a consumer programme. How times change. These days I am sure they destroy more cars than they review, and the three main people from the show are approaching superstar status, with their amenable personalities, awkward wardrobe choices and trenchant laddish charms. They've sprung their media entities from out of the studio, into other TV programmes, and the world of journalism, with chatty columns in the broadsheets allowing them free rein to witter to their heart's desire. And here, in one grandiloquent volume, and in time for Christmas, are many of James May's desires.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340994533</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Richard Mabey
|title=Wild Cooking
|rating=4
|genre=Cookery
|summary=It's become fashionable now to make do, to cut back - even for those who have no need to do so. Conspicuous consumption is frowned upon and thriftiness is the new black, so ''Wild Cooking'', previously published in hardback as ''The New English Cassoulet'' is going to appeal to the mood of the moment with its approach of 'busking in the kitchen' and making do. Some of it might seem a little extreme – I really can't imagine that I will ever slow cook a Peking Duck in front of a fan heater simply because it might as well cook the food whilst it's heating the room – but I love the idea of using a glut to make broad bean hummus, or even of gathering up vegetables which have been left when the field has been harvested.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099522969</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Deirdre Bounds
|title=Fulfilled: A Personal Revolution in Seven Steps
|rating=4
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=Dierdre Bounds' life was at rock bottom when she was introduced to the Twelve Step Plan used by Alcoholics Anonymous and within a matter of years she had built an internet business into an award-winning organisation and sold it to a FTSE 100 company. She's adapted the twelve steps to produce her personal revolution in seven steps.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0273725521</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Elizabeth Ford and Daniela Drake
|title=Smart Girls Marry Money
|rating=3.5
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=If your friend told you that she'd fallen for a gorgeous man – they were deeply in love and getting married as soon as possible – the probability is that you'd be delighted for her. On the other hand if she said that she'd met a man whom she thought was the best she was likely to meet and on the basis that he was wealthy she was planning to marry him, what would you think? Does the word ''gold-digger'' spring to mind? Are you horrified? Well, think again as it just might be that the second solution could be the one that leaves your friend in the best position.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0762435178</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Tracey Whitmore
|title=How to Write an Impressive CV and Cover Letter: A Comprehensive Guide for the UK Job Seeker
|rating=1.5
|genre=Business and Finance
|summary=Back home in the UK after a stint abroad, and job hunting for the first time in years, this book is a rather timely addition to my shelves. Having spent the last year and a bit teaching English, I also like to think I know a little about grammar and general language use. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the author of this book, and while it's all very well advising readers that ''first impressions really do count'', this carries less weight than it should when you notice the dubious grammar in the first line of the introduction, and in virtually every chapter which follows.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845283651</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Jane Haynes
|title=Who Is It That Can Tell Me Who I Am?
|rating=4.5
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=This is a remarkable book. It gives an insight into the process of psychotherapy, both from the theoretical point of view and, more significantly, from actual conversations and sessions in the consulting room. Jane Haynes takes us through her own development as a client (although she doesn't like that word) in her own self-discovery and therapy sessions, and then into some of her consulting sessions after she qualifies as a therapist. I've always thought of this kind of thing as very American, but this book is entirely British.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845299728</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Denise Cullington
|title=Breaking Up Blues
|rating=4
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=Whether you're married or single, the dumpeé or the dumper, at one time or another, we've all had to deal with the trials and tribulations of the dreaded break up. Whether you're thinking of leaving, have just ended a relationship, or are still trying to recover from the one that got away, Denise Cullington's ''Breaking Up Blues'' is a self-help guide to coping with the bitterness and rage, emotional emptiness and endless depression that can come along with it.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0415455472</amazonuk>
}}
