February Book Club: Kindness

For our February book club, we'll be looking at 'kindness'. Kindness for ourselves and for those around us.

1. You Are Incredible Just As You Are by Emily Coxhead.

This inspiring journal is designed to help you find your way in a world where comparison and judgement can make it hard to stay true to yourself. Using a mixture of prompts, tick boxes and space to write down thoughts, as well as uplifting quotes and thought-provoking words, this beautifully designed book by the creator of The Happy News will help you feel more confident in yourself and less anxious about what other people think.

2. The Insecure Girl's Handbook by Liv Purvis.

At some point or another, we all feel insecure. Whether it's about our body image, friendships, workplace politics or comparison more generally, it's something we all have in common. But we don't have to let it rule our lives. A reassuring hug when you're having a bad day, The Insecure Girl's Handbook is for anyone who wants to manage their anxiety better, stop imposter syndrome in its tracks or halt those unwelcome waves of self-doubt.

Offering tips, coping mechanisms and small pearls of wisdom, Olivia Purvis is here to guide you through those feelings that hold you back and empower you to put yourself first and make a change.

3. The Kindness Method by Shahroo Izadi.

Shahroo Izadi has a revolutionary message: treating yourself kindly is the only way to make changes that last. She is living proof that her method works - after years of yo-yo dieting she shed over 8 stone (and has kept it off ever since). Professional training coupled with personal experience led her to develop The Kindness Method ™, where traditional strict regimes are turned upside down to leave you feeling empowered, positive and ready to embrace change.

4. Love Is For Losers by Wibke Brueggemann.

Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann is a hilarious, life-affirming novel about all the big stuff: love, sex, death, family, heartbreak, kittens . . . and kisses that turn the whole world upside down. Written with a deliciously dry wit and endearing honesty, Brueggemann’s debut centres on the cynical Phoebe who is positive that she won’t do anything as stupid as fall in love.

5. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams.

Tackling issues as diverse as mental health, race, class and consent with a light yet sure touch, Queenie is refreshingly candid, delightfully compassionate and bracingly real. The perfect fable for a frenetic and confusing time, Carty-Williams’ stellar novel is undoubtedly one of the year’s most exciting debuts and announces its author as a fresh and vibrant new voice in British literature.

6. Where's My Happy Ending? by Anna Whitehouse and Matt Farquharson.

Maybe you've just had a first date with 'the one', maybe you've been married for ten years. Either way, it's hard to know if they're really meant to be by your side until you both wear dentures. In Where's My Happy Ending?Anna Whitehouse and Matt Farquharson, authors of the Sunday Timesbestseller Parenting the Sh*t Out of Life, set out to discover what it takes to make it to forever, by asking our greatest questions about love.

7. How To Be Me by Cath Howe.

Lucas is all alone. Since his mum died, Lucas and his dad don't seem to understand each other at all. And Lucas is dreading the summer drama club that his dad has signed him up for. But the people Lucas meets at the club force him to open up and start talking. Can his new-found friends teach Lucas how to be himself? A beautiful, moving story of family, friendship and self-discovery.

8. Kindness: The Little Thing That Matters Most by Jaime Thurston.

Kindness aims to motivate and inspire by showing readers what a difference even a small act of kindness can make. It uses the voices of those who have been helped by the author's charity - 52 Lives - to ground the ideas in real life action. The book is themed around 52 simple actions you can do to spread kindness. Interspersed throughout are nuggets of science explaining the positive effect kindness has on the brain and on the heart. This book is a call to action for people to live a more connected, fulfilling life.

9. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.

The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse are four friends who share a deep, unshakable bond. Through a series of brief but profound conversations, Mackesy teases universal truths and rich wisdom from the mouths of his characters, celebrating warmth and empathy in all its myriad forms. Exploring kindness through exquisite, sensitive artwork and delicate calligraphy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is a moving study in friendship and the perfect gift for those people that you hold closest to your heart.

“This book is for everyone, whether you're eight or 80.”