Sally Brampton obituary
Women’s magazine editor and author whose memoir Shoot the Damn Dog recounted her experience of depression
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig review – one man’s battle with depression
A timely memoir of mental illness reads as a highly personal and creative response to crisis
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo – digested read
‘A stray sock on the floor can end in coats piled on a chair … sometimes even in death’
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert review – lessons in life from the Eat, Pray, Love author
With sufficient Courage and Enchantment, everyone can unleash their inner ice skater
A Place of Refuge by Tobias Jones review – an experiment in communal living
A refreshingly honest account of one couple’s remarkable project: to open their family home to some of society’s most vulnerable people
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty review – startling stories from the crematorium
‘Death-positive’ mortician Doughty explores attitudes to mortality in her enthralling memoir. Also reviewed: Brandy Schillace’s Death’s Summer Coat and GP Margaret McCartney’s Living With Dying
The woman who is allergic to light: ‘Walls were what I had to wear’
Ten years ago, Anna Lyndsey developed an extreme photosensitivity. At first, her skin would burn whenever she sat in front of a computer screen; soon, she was unable to leave a specially blacked-out room
The best psychology books of 2014
From moving accounts of how we deal with dying and suffering to two brilliant takes on Freud. By Lisa Appignanesi
Guardian first book award 2014 shortlist covers neurosurgery, China, rural Ireland and more
Judge Mary Beard acclaims ‘accomplished, clever, assured – and, of course, enjoyable’ cross-genre selection contending for £10,000 award
In Your Prime: Older, Wiser, Happier by India Knight review – sharp, slanted and bracingly unbothered
All about me – yes, but these tips on ageing are also full of wit and style, writes Kathryn Hughes