Education, teaching studies and self-help

Games with a Purpose: 200 Icebreakers, Energizers, and Games That Make a Point
Martin Saunders and Jimmy Young
(UK: Monarch, 2016; USA: Monarch, 2016)

This book mixes energizing, entertaining games with learning points to create an invaluable resource that will provide a fun introduction to hundreds of staple topics. There is something to suit every situation – from games needing little or no preparation or equipment, to big, memorable games that will stay with the group for a long time. The collection consists of mainly original game ideas, meeting the regular requirement for stimulating new games and icebreakers.

Unlike other resources that simply seek to provide entertainment, Games with a Purpose is categorised around popular topics providing youth workers with inspiration and ideas to help them to include games as a core component of their sessions, rather than just an add-on to dissipate surplus energy.

Recommended by:
Ruth Jackson, Deputy Editor, Premier Youthwork and Premier Childrenswork

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (Games with a Purpose: 200 Icebreakers, Energizers, and Games That Make a Point)
Available in the USA via Amazon (Games with a Purpose: 200 Icebreakers, Energizers, and Games That Make a Point)

Networking: The Art of Making More Friends
Carole Stone
(UK: Vermillion, 2001)

With more than 14,000 entries in her address book database, Carole Stone is a self-confessed people addict who has turned networking and making friends into an art form. Packed with top tips and real-life scenarios, this is your essential guide to getting on with people in all aspects of life.

Recommended by:
Paul Atherton, Managing Director, Simple (TV) Productions Ltd (film/television)
Paul says: ‘The book that literally changed my life!’

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (Networking: The Art of Making More Friends)

Paul is currently involved in a campaign to raise awareness of the Homeless in London by Living in a Car: for a year. You can follow his progress via Twitter @LondonersLondon using the hashtag #LivingInACar.

The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had
Susan Wise Bauer
(UK: W W Norton, 2016; USA: W W Norton, 2015)

Have you lost the art of reading for pleasure? Are there books you know you should read but haven’t because they seem too daunting? In The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer provides a welcome and encouraging antidote to the distractions of our age, electronic and otherwise.

Newly expanded and updated to include standout works from the 21st century as well as essential readings in science (from the earliest works of Hippocrates to the discovery of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs), The Well-Educated Mind offers brief, entertaining histories of six literary genres – fiction, autobiography, history, drama, poetry and science – accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type.

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had)
Available in the USA via Amazon (The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had)