The book also comes with seven MP3s that you can download for free from the related website. It’s split into three parts, with eleven chapters in total, and in the first part of the book each chapter is composed of a preamble/explanation, followed by several exercises to try. The later sections of the book are more focused on exercises.

The tone is very friendly and engaging, and it’s easy to read. However, the preambles did not sit very well with me in places. The main problem I have with the introductory sections is that the author discusses various topics within the field of quantum physics, extrapolates them to subjects that are not related to quantum physics and then presents the secondary subjects as ‘scientific fact’ and on occasion ‘proof’. I’m not sure what the point of this is, although talking about ‘the universe’ might be a round about way of talking about God or maybe getting your mind into a sort of ‘prayer state’ without freaking out atheists.

Anyway, that aside, I’ve had a very good look at the exercises and I genuinely think many of them might work well for most people. I don’t think they would work for the reasons claimed (quantum physics et al), more likely because they harness the human mind, and the human mind is indeed a very powerful and incredible thing. It’s a case of throw it at the wall and see what sticks with you, the individual: you can go for examining your personal values and beliefs, improving your concentration, trying creative visualisation, using relaxation and meditation techniques, consciously steering your mood and thoughts gently into a more positive direction, learning to let go of certain  things, setting goals and priorities, and so on.

My best guess is that this book would cheer most people up and make you count your blessings if you were feeling a bit ‘blah’, and it would help you to feel more focused, in control and motivated in your work and personal life. There is something practical and useful in this book for almost everyone, but only if you are okay with picking and choosing.

However, as it talks about manifesting (as in ‘your past thoughts are what’s caused every event in your life’) I’d suggest trying a different book if you’re suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, the after-effects of childhood abuse, debilitating genetic illness, or moderate to severe anxiety or depression where sensations of guilt are a prominent feature.

The book design has garnered much attention, and I also have to agree that it’s very handsome indeed. Lots of attractive illustrations, fold-out pages, and plenty of room for your own notes and drawings.

To sum up: a good-looking self-help book that those of a cosmic bent are very likely to enjoy. If you have a friend like that it would be a nice gift for them. I can’t recommend it more widely because of the pseudoscience.

Instructions for happiness and success by Susie Pearl is published by Quadrille and has an RRP of £12.99. It’s currently available on Amazon for £7.53.

One thing I should definitely mention from the off is that the book focuses on natural spa destinations. By ‘natural’ I mean mineral water springs, thermal springs, clays and muds, salt caves and the like, rather than spa hotels that could have been built at any random location and had the facilities added afterwards. That’s why, for example, the two British choices are centred around Bath Spa and the Lake District. There are also a few additions that include local ingredients such as seaweed, grapes and chocolate (seriously, check out the Sacher spa, it’s real and everything).

There are plenty of photos of the spas and nearby towns and countryside, and I particularly like the way they’ve included a few sightseeing options for each destination. After all, once you’ve finished with the pampering it would be a shame to miss the landmarks.

The natural spa centres themselves range from the basic to the high tech; some are hippy heaven, others are luxurious and still others are quasi-medical. The reviews quickly give you a very good idea of what you’d be getting yourself into, and outline the treatments and therapies for which each spa is famous. A guideline price is also included for popular treatments, which is helpful if you’re watching the Euros.

If I had one small complaint, it would be that I’d like to have seen a few more pictures of treatment rooms in individual spas and clinics. However, you can get round this by looking at the spa websites which are mentioned along with their other contact details.

To sum up: an interesting, unique guide to natural spas with a wide range of styles and price brackets included. It’s an ideal jumping-off point if you’re about to start researching a European spa break, and it would make an attractive gift for any globetrotting beauty fan.

The Spa Lover’s Guide to Europe by Sarah Woods has an RRP of £14.99. It’s currently available on Amazon for £7.50.

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COMPETITION TIME: We have one copy of this rather attractive tome to give away. If you’d like to win yourself a copy of the Spa Lover’s Guide to Europe, just leave a message saying ‘Spa me!” in the comments below to go into the prize draw.

T&Cs: UK entrants only, winner picked using random.org. No cash alternative. Only one entry per person please – multiple entries will be disqualified. Competition closes at noon on Wednesday 23rd November 2011.

He’s the clever clogs behind the dishes at the Michelin-starred Maze. The premise of the book is that you can have fine dining for a fiver per head, by which he means a light-ish two-course meal (starter and main, or main and dessert) without drinks.

Without a doubt this is dinner party food, or a hearty lunch for foodies, and the recipes are all to serve four people. It’s easy enough to scale the portions up or down too. In order for it to truly be a meal for a fiver you have to have quite a few store cupboard staples already otherwise you’ll be buying in extra ingredients that can cost a fair bit for a whole bottle or packet.

It also helps if you live near a decent fishmonger or butcher, as there are many ingredients that work out great value for money and are very tasty indeed, but you’re unlikely to get them from the average supermarket. Likewise, some of the flavourings would be best purchased from an Indian grocery shop, or a Chinese or Thai supermarket.

The book also relies on seasonal foods, things that are at their best and also hopefully cheaper because they’re plentiful. I’d say that you’d need to be a fairly confident cook to tackle some of the dishes, intermediate to advanced level mainly, but you’d be able to make some real show-stoppers.

It’s the chef-y touches that really make this book, including the ‘plating up’ directions. It’s all designed to look beautiful when you serve it up, and each recipe is accompanied by a full page colour photo. The desserts are stunning.

If I’m going to be niggly, some of the chef-yness is also a slight drawback at times as the home cook cannot haggle for trade discounts on ingredients and loses out on economies of scale. One example is the creation of a pudding that’s entirely made from staple ingredients, which then has ’15g of fresh coconut’ shaved over the top of it – fine of you’re making 20 in a restaurant kitchen, not within budget for the average home cook as it’s impossible to buy this amount on its own. This is where experience and ability to improvise comes in handy, as a little grated chocolate or sprinkle of toasted dessicated coconut could be possible substitutes.

In summary: a very beautiful cookbook with fresh, innovative recipes and seasonal ingredients. Not one for beginners, but definitely a book to consider if you’d like to shake up your romantic dinner repertoire or try something new when you’re feeding your foodie friends. Worth it for the desserts alone.

Gourmet food for a fiver by Jason Atherton is published by Quadrille Ltd and has an RRP of £14.99. It’s currently available from Amazon priced £7.70 and qualifies for free Super Saver delivery.

On the whole this site gives you the benefit of what’s known as ‘the wisdom of crowds’, so if you’re after anything factual then more often or not it’s pretty accurate. However, the greatest strength is as follows:  most of the site users turn out to be impressively sage and savvy when it comes to the areas of life that need more complex answers, and I found that the opinions expressed in the Friendship, Relationships, Parenting, Family, Seniors and Work chapters were easily the best part of the book. These people aren’t afraid to lay it on the line!

The website grants its users anonymity, meaning that many of the questions posed in the book have been asked by people who would otherwise be too afraid or embarrassed to ask. That’s probably why the answers in the sections mentioned above are so useful – these are questions many of us would otherwise keep to ourselves for fear of upsetting our nearest and dearest, or making ourselves vulnerable and looking foolish.

In a couple of the chapters, especially beauty and health, while the majority of the entries were good, I did notice that some ‘conventional wisdom’ had crept in. There were a few places where the reader would have been better advised to see their GP or a dermatologist if they wanted the only proven/effective remedy. Also, some of the home remedies would have wreaked havoc on anyone with sensitive skin – and a lot of us have sensitive skin. Fortunately these only make up a very small part of the book.

The cover art is pretty, retro-styled and deliberately feminine, so girly-girls would probably appreciate this the most as a gift. The paper’s better quality than you’d expect to find in many books of this genre, and the tiny silky bookmark is a nice touch. I was slightly surprised to see a prominent quote from The Daily Mail on the front cover though – this may put some potential buyers off as it is not a universally loved publication. That would be unfortunate as the book is not something I would describe as politically charged.

It’s especially nice to see that every contributor has been namechecked, with page numbers, at the back of the book. I would have really liked the book to contain a subject index as well, as this would save time when going back to the book to look for specific useful quotes – perhaps the publishers could add that to the next edition.

To sum up: A pretty, girly book full of useful tips and ideas. Most of these could save you a fair bit of time, money or heartache.

COMPETITION: Win a copy of Top Tips For Life! This is especially for my lovely friends on Facebook. If you’d like to become one, simply send Penny Golightly a friend request on www.facebook.com today or tomorrow, and the prize draw competition will be announced in the morning on Wednesday 10th of March.

Meanwhile, I know plenty of other people who grew up in households where all or most of the food they ate was processed or bought from takeaways, or where one of the parents took complete control of all the food purchasing and preparation. Many of them would like to learn to cook, but don’t know where to start. This is where a good basic introductory cookbook comes in. The one I’m reviewing today is From Pasta to Pancakes – The Ultimate Student Cookbook’ by Tiffany Goodall, priced £9.99 from Quadrille Publishing Ltd.

The two main criticisms of student cookbooks in general are that most do not contain enough pictures of finished dishes (so that you know the dish has turned out OK), and that the authors tend to assume too much prior knowledge of technical culinary terms. The format of From Pasta to Pancakes is unusual in that it includes several colour photographs to illustrate the making of each recipe, from ingredient preparation through to serving. The publishers describe this as a cartoon-strip design, but it reminded me more of ‘photo love’ stories from old teen magazines: I found this quite endearing as well as colourful and appetising. This does make the book a little larger and heavier than some competing tomes, but offers more pros than cons for the beginner. As for the technical terms, these are kept simple and are mostly fully explained as the recipe goes along, although there are occasionally references such as ‘lardons’ that a novice wouldn’t necessarily understand.

I particularly like the small sections on suggested basic kitchen equipment (no fancy gadgets needed for any of the recipes), store cupboard ingredients and food hygiene. It’s also great to see that underneath each recipe there are ‘optional extras’, which are suggestions to perk up the dish or create variations so that you could cook it a few times over a term and not become bored. Many recipes also include serving suggestions, and ideas for using the dish up the next day if there are any leftovers.

The recipes are split up into quick dishes and snacks, healthier meals, packed lunches, cakes and treats, everyday meals to share and dinner party food. Most of the dishes use cheap and easily available ingredients, but my only niggle is that the cheapest recipes in the book are not highlighted as such. One or two ‘end of term and end of overdraft’ recipes would have been a good idea in light of the current student funding and debt situation.

To sum up, this is an attractive book with a good range of recipes in it, and it will give a novice cook enough confidence and inspiration to start whipping up a variety of basic and intermediate-level dishes. It would certainly get the reader through their first term at university without becoming bored or contracting scurvy, and its author clearly has a sound understanding of both cookery and the ins and outs of student life. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to cook, but who has no prior experience.

***If you’d like a free copy of this book, I have one copy to give away to the author of the best comment in response to this blog entry. The winner must be in the UK, and will be chosen at the end of this week. Get posting!***