New non-fiction books for January

Joe Tucker's Uncle Eric was a beloved yet unconventional figure throughout Joe's life. A shambolically dressed man who lived with his mother for almost eighty years, he had an almost compulsive need to charm strangers with working men's club comedy routines, and appeared to exist only for daily trips to the bookie - and yet had also amassed over five hundred of his own remarkable paintings without anyone ever realising his achievements. Towards the end of his life, Eric requested an exhibition of his work. As Joe and his family sorted through hundreds of paintings of street scenes, circus and theatre performers, and busy pubs, they began to ask more questions about Eric's life: why had this fanatically sociable man never left his mother's home? Had Eric ever experienced love when he painted it so beautifully? And what had driven him to create so much, yet share it so rarely?

How can we communicate when things are so painful? How can we connect when generational differences are extreme? How do parents and teenagers - and all of us - have real conversations? When Rowan was 16, she only tolerated communication from her mother in the form of Snapchat. Desperate to be closer to her daughter, Christie sent daily selfies of her face superimposed onto a chicken nugget. It took serious illness for them to finally talk - and truly listen. Rowan's mental health struggles revealed the chasm between their generations. They started being more honest with each other than they had ever been before: discussing identity, race and gender; opening up about disordered eating and self-harm; navigating the perils of social media. In an age of polarisation, this is how a mother and daughter find humour in the things that divide them and become more hopeful about the future of our world.

Hollywood star Naomi Watts opens up about the challenges she faced on reaching early menopause, providing a supportive, holistic guide based on the latest advice from hormone experts, doctors and nutritionists. Irreverent, bold and funny, 'Dare I Say It' is the companion every woman needs to inhabit the best version of themselves.

Brooke Shields has spent a lifetime in the public eye. Growing up as a child actor and model, her every feature was scrutinised, her every decision judged. Today Brooke faces a different kind of scrutiny: that of being a 'woman of a certain age'. And yet, for Brooke, the passage of time has brought freedom. At 59, she feels more comfortable in her skin, more empowered and confident than she did decades ago in those famous Calvin Kleins. Now, in 'Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old', she's changing the narrative about women and ageing.

We all have things we rely on going our way to help us feel calm and happy. Your partner waking up in a good mood. No traffic on the way to work. No queues at the supermarket. And no rain on your day off. But what happens when things don't work out that way? We fall back on soothing habits. A trip to the cupboard for snacks. Scrolling on social media. A few beers or a couple of glasses of wine after a stressful day. 'Make Change that Lasts' will show you the nine hidden ways day to day life causes these responses - and show you how to respond to them consciously.

Expert nutritionist Rob Hobson addresses common challenges faced by families, such as dealing with different diets, and making quick and healthy meals on a busy schedule. He looks at the weak spots in the day where convenience leads the charge, empowering the whole family to make healthier decisions, making mealtimes a joyful and stress-free experience. Full of practical tips, easy swaps, and sections dedicated to cooking with your kids and teenagers, the entire family can now enjoy nutritious, unprocessed food at home, without sacrificing flavour.

My life has shocked me. One of the shocks has been sadness; death and other instances of impossibility. But the greater shock has been joy. I feel the hard flint of joy within my chest, the strength of it. It has stunned me with its refusal to be repressed. A life is made up of many shocks - the shock of birth, of death; the shock of love, of happiness; the shock of car crashes and finding yourself in a teenage body; the shock of surviving each of these shocks, and of what might bloom in their wake. In this incredibly beautiful book, Anna Beecher tells the story of her life through the shocks she has experienced.

A gripping account of hidden identity, military courage, and an against-all-odds reunion. Four days after Germany's surrender in May 1945, a young British officer took a jeep and headed east into Germany. But this was no ordinary soldier. Manfred Gans was searching for his family. As a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, Gans had fled to England. As soon as he could, he signed up to fight, serving in the legendary British 'Three Troop', an elite unit made up of German-speaking refugees, and joining in the D-Day Normandy landings. Working undercover, he obtained vital intelligence, helped liberate occupied France and the Netherlands, and saved countless lives on both sides of the front. All the while, he dreamed of being reunited with his family, still trapped behind enemy lines, and with his childhood sweetheart, Anita.