Autism: A healing, not a cure
Rupert Isaacson believes riding has transformed his autistic son. Now he wants others to benefit from his experience. But is it too good to be true?
Reading your way out of depression
Wayne Gooderham: I suspect you need a very individual prescription, but I know that Saul Bellow helped lead me out of a very dark time
Couples: The Truth by Kate Figes
In Couples, Kate Figes's prejudices get in the way of an otherwise fascinating study, says Geraldine Bedell
The Rough Guide to Sex by James McConnachie
It might not be suitable for public transport, but this sexual socio-history is well worth reading, says Zoe Strimpel
Smile or Die: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Lucy Ellmann stoutly supports a passionate refutation of the power of positive thinking
Homeward bound for the new year
Robert McCrum: I wouldn't normally be drawn to books about finding yourself but Jennifer Kavanagh's The O of Home is touching and inspiring in a way that brings to mind Thoreau's Walden
Manhood: the Rise and Fall of the Penis by Mels van Driel
A paean to the penis offers much unintentional hilarity, says Leo Benedictus
Blood Matters by Masha Gessen
A frank and powerful memoir about a mastectomy impresses Imogen Carter
Prescribed reading: medicine in literature
Chris Power: A new book prize turns a welcome spotlight on a rich and varied tradition of writing about health and medicine
Welcome to the bright new world of positive living
At one time, 'self-help' books were considered a little odd. Now they have moved into the mainstream and the new 'science of happiness' has become a cultural orthodoxy. Carole Cadwalladr asks if this vogue for positive psychology really helping anyone?