‘A shop can be your castle’: the surprising rewards of retail work

Working in retail can be dispiriting, but when the author Madeleine Gray took a job in a bookshop in her native Australia, she learned more about human kindness than she ever thought possible

‘There is joy, and there is rage’: the new generation of novelists writing about motherhood

From the shock and awe of labour to domestic isolation, a wave of recent novels captures the transformative nature of being a mother

Blood by Jen Gunter review – busting myths about menstruation

The gynaecologist known for criticising Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop is back with an empowering guide to periods

The big idea: is couples therapy a waste of time?

Should we all be taking a leaf out of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book?

How We Break: Navigating the Wear and Tear of Living by Vincent Deary review – the ways in which we’re undone

The psychologist and researcher’s persuasive inquiry into how life’s struggles take their toll is full of hard-won wisdom

Blood: The Science, Medicine and Mythology of Menstruation by Dr Jen Gunter – why periods are ‘a muddled burden’

The outspoken Canadian gynaecologist’s compelling scientific study cuts through misinformation, myth and worse with clarity and wit in this study of the menstrual cycle

Many of us have been raised with unrelenting standards. We need radical acceptance

Assuming we are all doing the best we can might free us up to feel gentler, kinder and more compassionate to ourselves – and others

The big idea: is being ‘good enough’ better than perfection?

Before making another new year resolution it’s worth asking if change is what you need

By sleeping when everyone else is awake I cured my insomnia

Turning normal sleeping cycles upside down helped this bestselling writer recover her energy

The big idea: should we go to more parties?

Talking to strangers can be intimidating, but the social whirl has science on its side