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?
Retro guide books show modern women the lost wisdom of being a lady
Being cheap doesn't mean being unladylike, according to a new market in nostalgic self-help manuals
Pamela Stephenson writes ‘epic’ sex book
Pamela Stephenson, pyschologist and wife of Billy Connolly, has written what her publishers call the 'most comprehensive book on sex - ever'
Home truths
Writer Sathnam Sanghera tells Mary O'Hara why mental illness should not be a closed book