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Larry Weiner – Hindu Sex Aliens | Review

Title: Hindu Sex Aliens

Author: Larry Weiner

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 208

Rating: 4*/5

Larry Weiner – Hindu Sex Aliens

This is a very odd book, even compared to Paradise Rot and Once Again, with Blood, the first two books in this trilogy. This one is the finale of Weiner’s Island books, but this one breaks the pattern of the previous two by basically taking the writing rulebook and setting fire to it.

Weiner himself is a character here, and it works surprisingly well. Weiner doesn’t just break the fourth wall – he drops a nuke on it. The reader is treated to transcripts between Weiner and his psychiatrist as they discuss his writer’s block and his inability to finish the third book in his series. And so of course, in the end, he goes along to the very island that he created to find out what happens.

At the same time, aliens are invading and IT engineers from HP in a parallel universe are making their way to the island. Plus there are yoga mums and Hindu deities and a quite frankly impressive amount of amusing sex. This is delightfully farcical and satirical and a worthy end to the trilogy. Now I think I need a holiday.

Larry Weiner

Click here to buy Hindu Sex Aliens.

Pamela Myles and Roz Shafran – The CBT Handbook | Review

Title: The CBT Handbook

Author: Pamela Myles and Roz Shafran

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 530

Rating: 9/10

Pamela Myles and Roz Shafran – The CBT Handbook

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.

I should probably start this by explaining what CBT is, because if you’re new to it then you won’t really understand the concept of the book. We’re talking about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which is typically used to overcome depression, anxiety and anger. I suffer from depression and anxiety, which is more common than you might think, and so when I was offered the chance to review this book, I thought, why not?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is basically a form of self-help, but it’s one of the most successful treatments that’s out there and way better than some of the hippie shit that people suggest, like meditation and yoga. I’m sure that works for a lot of people, but it tends to stress me out even more – CBT, meanwhile, is all about changing the way that you think about things, and it’s surprisingly effective.

In this book, the two authors explain everything that you need to know about depression, anxiety and anger issues, from the root causes of them to the physical sensations that they cause and the behaviour that they can lead to. With many mental health issues, simply being aware of what you’re facing can make a huge difference to your overall prognosis, and I’ve personally found that the information provided makes life a lot easier.

Pam Myles

And then there are the activities that the authors suggest that you take – see, although there are a hell of a lot of pages here, a lot of them are part of the appendix, which is there so that you can follow along with the activities that the authors recommend. I didn’t actually do those, but I’m well aware of their importance – in fact, I’ll probably come back to it at a later date when I’ve got a little more time, and then I can read back through it again, whilst doing the activities.

I actually found this book so useful that I made a recommendation in person for it, because I’m so convinced that people will find it useful. The only downside to it is its price, but then it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind, as they say. Personally, I think that it’s a great thing that the two authors are doing, because their book has the potential to change a lot of lives for the better.

I haven’t seen a more well-researched and comprehensive book about mental health for a long time, and I read quite a lot of books on the subject. You probably won’t get much out of this if you don’t take the time to follow through with the activities, and so you’ll need to already have a desire to beat your condition. In some ways, it’s like trying to kick an addiction – the first step is acknowledging that you have a problem and committing yourself to change. If you’re at that stage, this is going to do more for you than medication.