Five great reads to get your mind around

The Conquest of Happiness (1930) by Bertrand Russell

Russell puts his philosopher’s mind to curing “the ordinary day-to-day unhappiness from which most people in civilized countries suffer”. Chief among the secrets to a happy life, according to the author, is a “diminishing preoccupation” with the self and a focus on external objects and activities. Succinct and well written, the book is also good on the ways mankind distracts itself from unhappy feelings: “Drunkenness, for example, is temporary suicide: the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness.” Doubles up as a manual for the January detox.

The Trick is to Keep Breathing (1989) by Janice Galloway

"Something about me kills people." The Scottish writer's first novel tells the story of drama teacher Joy Stone, who feels she is losing her mind after her mother and partner die. With echoes of another debut, Margaret Atwood's The Edible Woman, Joy refuses to eat, shutting down her body in a bid to control some aspect of her life. A beautifully written, darkly funny and stylistically brave novel that plays with form as it attempts to show the turmoil of Joy's mind.

Mindfulness for Beginners (2006) by Jon Kabat-Zinn

The medical professor from Indiana who brought the Buddhist practice of mindfulness to the attention of western medicine in the 1970s, Kabat-Zinn’s book offers a breakdown of the techniques and theory of this type of meditation. Divided into short sections that are easy to dip in and out of, the book aims to change the goal-oriented mindset of the modern world and alleviate feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? (2011) by Jeanette Winterson

Fans of Winterson's award-winning debut novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985) will recognise the storyline of her more recent memoir, as the author tells of her unorthodox upbringing by a mother who was a hard-line member of the Pentecostal Church. From lesbianism to depression to the powers of creativity, Winterson lays out her life and its lessons in memorable prose: "Home was problematic for me. It did not represent order and it did not stand for safety."

The Examined Life (2013) by Stephen Grosz

The American psychoanalyst Grosz uses his case notes from decades of sessions as the basis for this compelling book about mankind’s efforts to understand the mind. The subtitle ‘How we lose and find ourselves’ sums up the content, but Grosz’s clear and evocative prose, and his empathy for his patients’ struggles, result in a gem of a book that bridges the self-help, psychoanalysis and short fiction genres.