Messy? Unproductive? Need to dismantle your privilege? There’s a guided journal for that
From tough love titles to budgeting manuals, guided journals are no longer the domain of niche and self help publishers. Jenny Valentish puts some to the test
Five great reads: animal attacks, the art of recovery, overlooked actors and an easy way to drink less
Guardian Australia’s summertime round-up of juicy writing as selected by lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman
The big idea: should we eat like our ancestors?
Are eating plans like the paleo diet really healthier - or more ethical - than the way we eat now?
We often fail to keep resolutions – but writing in a notebook brings great rewards
Scribbling down our thoughts is a great way to make sense of things, says Cathy Rentzenbrink
New year, same old you! The secret to self-improvement is embracing your messy, imperfect life
It’s only when you learn to accept who you are, flaws and all, that you can make real, worthwhile change
The person who got me through 2021: Ami Faku sang the break-up track I listened to on a loop
I’ve spent 12 months of the pandemic obsessively listening to the song Uwrongo, with its line: “This is not working, go home.” I’m very grateful to its singer
Top 10 books about self-improvement
In time for new year resolutions, a cultural historian chooses some of the best guides to making a better life, dating back to some of our earliest literature
The person who got me through 2021: Sofie Gråbøl as Sarah Lund felt like a brilliant old friend
In The Killing, Lund’s incredible brain inspired me when mine felt like mushroom soup. She was a solace and an inspiration
Nonfiction to look out for in 2022
From studies of grief to memoirs from Melvyn Bragg and Jarvis Cocker, along with Norman Scott’s account of a very English scandal, here are the titles coming your way next year
The person who got me through 2021: Heather Phillipson’s sculpture brightened my trips to hospital
On my way to have painful medical tests, I felt dejected. Then I saw a giant dollop of whipped cream with a cherry on top in Trafalgar Square