Today, women everywhere clamor for the latest erotic bestselling novels--their scenes of daring sexual exploits have fired up our collective imagination. But before we turned to fiction for our turn-ons, Nancy Friday unleashed a sexual revolution with her collections of uninhibited writings--the "real "fantasies of "real "women, in books that broke "all "the rules. . . .
FORBIDDEN FLOWERS
After "My Secret Garden," Nancy Friday's first boundary-shattering collection, rocked America and freed women to put their most private longings and secret desires into words for all to read, hundreds more were inspired to do just that: From the seeds sown in "My Secret Garden "grew "Forbidden Flowers," an even more explicit and colorful gathering of daring imaginings, uninhibited dreamings, and real-life experimental encounters experienced by women just like you. More fun than fiction, more supremely sexy than you ever imagined, here are the kinds of fantasies that dare you to cross a line and pluck some forbidden flowers of your very own.

Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love... Fyodor Dostoevsky Self-deception is common and universal, and the cause of most human tragedies. Of course, the science of self-deception can help us to live better and get more out of life. But it can also cast a murky light on human nature and the human condition, for example, on such exclusively human phenomena as anger, depression, fear, pity, pride, dream making, love making, and god making, not to forget age-old philosophical problems such as selfhood, virtue, happiness, and the good life. Nothing, in the end, could possibly be more important.

A New York Times bestseller and international sensation, this “stimulating and important book” (Financial Times) is a fascinating dive into the purpose and power of slumber.

With two appearances on CBS This Morning and Fresh Air's most popular interview of 2017, Matthew Walker has made abundantly clear that sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when it is absent. Compared to the other basic drives in life—eating, drinking, and reproducing—the purpose of sleep remains more elusive.

Within the brain, sleep enriches a diversity of functions, including our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions. It recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. Dreaming creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge, inspiring creativity.

In this “compelling and utterly convincing” (The Sunday Times) book, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night’s sleep every night.

Clear-eyed, fascinating, and accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book. Written with the precision of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Sherwin Nuland, it is “recommended for night-table reading in the most pragmatic sense” (The New York Times Book Review).

The emotional effect of losing a brother or sister can result in severe trauma for a child. Many children find it difficult to mourn a lost sibling, and parents can have a hard time helping their children while they themselves are mourning. Written from personal experience, this book insists that there is no `right' way for parents to behave towards surviving children. It looks at the many and various effects of sibling bereavement as it bears upon the whole family: the repercussions of lack of support; surviving children who act as comforters to their parents; guilt; projections of anger; unresolved conflicts; consequent family relationships; and children who can't or won't mourn. The author uses real-life case studies to illustrate her points, and clarification of the issues involved is provided throughout by the views of an experienced psychologist who has worked with disturbed children. While remaining non-prescriptive, the book is a guide to achieving a `healthy' mourning process, enabling individuals to move forward, even though life can never be the same again. Ann Farrant is a freelance journalist, writer and researcher. She has worked in many branches of the media - newspaper, magazines and BBC Television. In the 1970s she was a founder member of Cruse Bereavement Care in Norwich; she has also worked as a volunteer fund-raiser for the children's charity UNICEF.

Decision-making is an activity in which everyone is engaged on a more or less daily basis. In this book, Karin Brunsson and Nils Brunsson explore the intricacies of decision-making for individuals and organizations. When, how and why do they make decisions? The authors identify four distinct ways of reasoning that decision-makers use. The consequences of decisions vary: some promote action, others impede it, and some produce more responsibility than others. With in-depth discussions of rationality, justifications and hypocrisy, the authors show how organizational and political decision processes become over-complicated and difficult for both decision makers and external observers to understand. Decisions is a concise and easy-to-read introduction to a highly significant and intriguing topic. Based on research from several fields, it provides useful reading and essential knowledge for scholars and students throughout the social sciences and for everyone who wants to understand their own decisions and those of others.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Shanyang Zhao provides a unique examination of this evolving topic with a framework to address the common questions: What is self? How is self formed? and Why does self matter? Drawing a fascinating distinction between self and self-concept, Zhao regards both as part of a larger constellation named the 'self-phenomenon.' He separates social determinants of self from neurocognitive prerequisites of self. Focusing on the social determinants, he reviews how social schemas shape self-concept through three intertwined mechanisms and how social resources affect self-conscious action through social position and social capital. Key Features: A clear distinction between self and self-concept A study of the self as both a social product and a social force A new framework for the sociology of the self, built on the foundation of classic works A close examination of three mechanisms of self-concept formation with specifications of the scope conditions under which each mechanism operates An analysis of the distinctiveness of human normative selves through cross-species comparison This Advanced Introduction will provide essential reading for scholars and researchers in sociology, social psychology, and social policy.

From the bestselling author of This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind, a surprising and inspiring exploration of the healing power of music.

We are only just beginning to appreciate the healing power of music. In recent years, a wave of scientific research has upended everything we once knew about its effects on our brains: not only in reducing stress, but also in enhancing cognitive function, slowing the spread of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, even strengthening our immune systems.

Here, a neuroscientist and celebrated musician introduces a bold new paradigm for medical treatment, rooted in the unexpected influence of music on our minds and bodies. From explaining how ‘rhythmic auditory stimulation’ can fight multiple sclerosis, to examining why Tracy Chapman’s songs might just help cure PTSD, Professor Daniel Levitin offers surprising insights into the new science of music as medicine.

Along the way, he explores how each of us can use music to calm our thoughts, repair our memories and heal our deepest psychological wounds. The result is both a surprising tour through the science of music, and a joyful celebration of humanity’s oldest obsession.

Utilizing extensive research in economics, psychology, political science, neuroscience and evolutionary theory, Ananish Chaudhuri provides a critical perspective on the role of cognitive biases in decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic. The extensive use of, and support for, stringent social distancing measures in particular is explored in depth. Nudged into Lockdown? provides clear explanations of complex scientific information regarding Covid-19, vaccines, and policy responses, to highlight issues at the center of policy-making during the pandemic. With a comprehensive overview of the policy debates around Covid-19, the book offers an alternative thought-provoking perspective on the topic, as well as suggestions for policy-making during future pandemics and other crises. It further highlights applications of a range of concepts from heuristics and biases literature, including priming, framing, anchoring, Prospect Theory, and loss aversion. Providing directions for future research in the area, this book will be an invigorating read for established academics, as well as postgraduate students looking to undertake research in Covid-19 related decision-making. It will also be a critical read for economics, political science, and public policy scholars seeking a deeper understanding of the topic.