Mindful Books to Read In the Sun

These books are capturing our attention.

Woman hands holding book with the sea side in background.

WIRED TO CONNECT

The Surprising Link Between
Brain Science and Strong, Healthy Relationships
Amy Banks, with Leigh Ann Hirschman • Tarcher Perigee
Relationships happen between individu- als, but also between neural pathways in your brain. Left unchecked, old habits and thinking patterns affect the way you inter- act with your closest friends and partners. Using a system called “C.A.R.E.” that identifies various brain regions, Banks offers a way to investigate those patterns and lay down new tracks that support healthier, happier relationships.

GRATITUDE

Oliver Sacks • Knopf
Few people can claim to have changed the way large numbers of people think about themselves and their fellow humans. Neurologist Oliver Sacks did so repeatedly. By bringing a child’s curiosity to brains that veered from the “norm,” he asked us to think of them not as defective but as unique worlds of per- ception. This tiny book of four essays, written as he faced death, overflows with joy. It is we who must be grateful.

SELF-COMPASSION IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

Mindfulness-Based Practices for Healing and Transformation
Tim Desmond • W.W. Norton

Self-criticism is pervasive, and harmful. “Researchers have that found self-criti- cism is one of the biggest predictors of serious mental health problems,” writes Tim Desmond. “Relating…