Office & workplace – The Bell Bookshop

Over Work

Emma — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

‘Fantastic’ – Cal Newport

‘A bold vision … lights the way to fewer hours, less stress, and more meaning’ – Adam Grant

Workers across all demographics, industries, and socioeconomic levels report exhaustion, burnout, and the wish for more meaningful lives.
Drawing on years of research, Brigid Schulte traces the arc of our discontent from a time before the 1980s, when work was more compatible with well-being and many jobs enabled a single earner to support a family, until today, with millions of people working multiple hourly jobs or in white-collar positions where no hours are ever off duty.
She casts a wide net in search of solutions, exploring the movement to institute a four-day workweek, introducing Japan’s Housewives Brigade – which demands legal protection for family time – and embedding with CEOs who are making the business case for humane conditions.
Rich with stories and informed by deep investigation, Over Work lays out a clear vision for ending our punishing grind and reclaiming leisure, joy, and meaning.

From strength to strength

Emma — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The #1 New York Times Bestseller‘In this book, Arthur C. Brooks helps people find greater happiness as they age and change’ – The Dalai Lama ‘This book is amazing’ – Chris Evans‘A valuable guide to finding new purpose and success in later life’ – Daily Mail From the bestselling author and columnist behind The Atlantic‘s popular ‘How to Build a Life’ series, a guide to transforming the life changes we fear into a source of strength. In the first half of life, ambitious strivers embrace a simple formula for success in work and life: focus single-mindedly, work tirelessly, sacrifice personally, and climb the ladder relentlessly. It works. Until it doesn’t. The second half of life is governed by different rules. In middle age, many strivers begin to find success coming harder and harder, rewards less satisfying, and family relationships withering. In response, they do what strivers always do: they double down on work in an attempt to outrun decline and weakness, and deny the changes that are becoming more and more obvious. The result is often anger, fear, and disappointment at a time in life that they imagined would be full of joy, fulfilment and pride. It doesn’t have to be that way. In From Strength to Strength, happiness expert and bestselling author Arthur C. Brooks reveals a path to beating the ‘striver’s curse.’ Drawing on science, classical philosophy, theology and history, he shares strategies for releasing old habits and forming new life practices, showing you how to: – Kick the habits of workaholism, success addiction, and self-objectification – Meditate on death – in order to beat fear and live well – Start a spiritual adventure – Embrace weakness in a way that turns it into strength. Change in your life is inevitable, but suffering is not. From Strength to Strength shows you how to accept the gifts of the second half of life with grace, joy, and ever deepening purpose.

Payday

Emma — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

THE RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK FOR AUTUMN 2022

Can YOU guess who killed Jamie Lawrence?

‘Impossible to put down’

HELEN FIELDING

international bestselling author of Bridget Jones’s Diary

‘I adored it’

GILLIAN MCALLISTER

Sunday Times bestselling author of That Night

‘Totally gripping . . . Nicole Kidman TV miniseries is written all over it’

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘The final twist genuinely blindsided me’ Reader Review

‘Immensely entertaining’

LOUISE CANDLISH

Sunday Times bestselling author of Our House

‘A runaway train ride of a thriller’

SUN

‘Cracking . . . [Payday] rips along, full of tension and drama’

DAILY MAIL

‘A must read’

JANE CORRY

Sunday Times bestselling author of My Husband’s Wife

‘Prepare to be wrong-footed at every turn’

CAZ FREAR

Number One bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies

‘Highly recommended, I cannot fault it‘ Reader Review

______________________

Late one night, three women share secrets.

They barely know each other, but they all know Jamie Lawrence. They know what he’s guilty of. And they agree something must be done.

But as their plan spirals out of control, they begin to doubt themselves . . . and each other. Then Jamie is found dead. And suddenly everything is at stake. As lies are unravelled and truths exposed, two urgent questions emerge:

Who is really guilty?

And who will have to pay?

______________________

‘This year’s most electrifying ride’

CHANDLER BAKER

New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network

‘Sensational’

TONY PARSONS

Number One bestselling author

‘Ratchets up the tension until the final couldn’t-see-it-coming twist’

ELLERY LLOYD

author of People Like Her, a Richard & Judy bookclub pick

‘I absolutely loved it. It’s unputdownable, a great mystery and a fantastic read’

BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

international bestselling author

‘An intelligent, thought-provoking story with some great twists’

ALLIE REYNOLDS

author of Shiver

‘Gripping from the start’ Reader Review

‘I inhaled it’

JESSICA FELLOWES

international bestselling author of The Mitford Murders

‘Crackles with energy and the plot whipped me along’

EMMA CURTIS

bestselling author of One Little Mistake

‘I could not put it down’ Reader Review

‘Really compelling . . . the characterisation is excellent’ Reader Review

‘A page turner that will provoke many a debate’

C.J. COOPER

bestselling author of The Book Club

The Other Black Girl

Emma — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

* THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * ‘One of the biggest reads of the summer, and for good reason‘ INDEPENDENT‘Enormously fun . . . A joyous thrill ride of a book’ VOX ‘Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie crossed with Jordan Peele’s Get Out . . . Slick and addictive’ METRO_________________________Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and the micro-aggressions, she’s thrilled when Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events cause Nella to become Public Enemy Number One and Hazel, the Office Darling.Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realises that there is a lot more at stake than her career.Dark, funny and furiously entertaining, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist._________________________THE BOOK EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT: ‘One of the books of the year . . . Will blow your mind’ STYLIST ‘Super-smart, dryly funny’ RED ‘Page-turning, toe-curling, thrilling. You won’t put this one down’ BLACK GIRLS BOOK CLUB FOR REFINERY29‘Sharp, satirical and fun’ DAILY MAIL‘Bright and funny . . . You will turn page after page in your eagerness to unravel this novel’ OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE, NEW YORK TIMES ‘The funniest, wildest, deepest, most thought-provoking ride of a book’ ATTICA LOCKE ‘The year’s most buzzed-about debut more than lives up to the hype’ i ‘Very, very funny and acutely observed’ ELIZABETH DAY ‘It should be at the top of your summer reading list’ WASHINGTON POST

Work

Emma — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A revolutionary new history of humankind through the prism of work, from the origins of life on Earth to our ever-more automated present

‘A fascinating exploration that challenges our basic assumptions of what work means’
Yuval Noah Harari

‘One of those few books that will turn your customary ways of thinking upside down’
Susan Cain

The work we do brings us meaning, moulds our values, determines our social status and dictates how we spend most of our time. But this wasn’t always the case: for 95% of our species’ history, work held a radically different importance.

How, then, did work become the central organisational principle of our societies? How did it transform our bodies, our environments, our views on equality and our sense of time? And why, in a time of material abundance, are we working more than ever before?

The Husbands

Emma — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE meets THE STEPFORD WIVES in the spectacular new novel from the New York Times bestselling author Chandler Baker.

***SOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM***

Behind every successful woman . . . there’s a secret worth KILLING for

‘A howl of feminist rage, but one that is pure fun’ STYLIST

PRAISE FOR CHANDLER BAKER

‘Honest, timely, and completely thrilling’ REESE WITHERSPOON
‘Furious and relevant’ CLARE MACKINTOSH
‘Slick, smart, fierce’ SARAH VAUGHAN
‘Chandler Baker is the queen of the feminist thriller‘ SALLY HEPWORTH
‘Incredible . . . it made me angry in the best possible way‘ JESSICA MOOR
‘The Husbands may just save your marriage‘ CELIA WALDEN
______________

Recently, Nora has started to feel that ‘having it all’ comes with a price, one her husband doesn’t seem to be paying quite so heavily. She loves Hayden, but why is it that, however hard men work, their wives always seem to work that little bit harder?

When their house-hunting takes them to an affluent suburban neighbourhood, Nora’s eyes are opened to a new world. Here, the wives don’t make all the sacrifices. Here, the husbands can remember the kids’ schedules, and iron and notice when the house needs dusting.

But when she becomes involved in a wrongful death case involving one of the local residents, Nora begins to suspect that there’s a dark secret at the heart of this perfect world.

One that some will kill to protect . . .

_______________

WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT CHANDLER BAKER

‘A book that stays with you’ Woman & Home
‘A thought-provoking read’ Good Housekeeping
‘A brilliant read’ Reader Review
‘Chandler Baker is now one of my must-read authors‘ Reader Review
‘A barnstorming modern novel’ Evening Standard
‘Witty and timely and will make you cheer for sisterhood’ Red Magazine

The Other Black Girl

Emma — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

* THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * ‘One of the biggest reads of the summer, and for good reason‘ INDEPENDENT‘Enormously fun . . . A joyous thrill ride of a book’ VOX ‘Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie crossed with Jordan Peele’s Get Out . . . Slick and addictive’ METRO_________________________Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and the micro-aggressions, she’s thrilled when Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events cause Nella to become Public Enemy Number One and Hazel, the Office Darling.Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realises that there is a lot more at stake than her career.Dark, funny and furiously entertaining, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist._________________________THE BOOK EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS SUMMER: ‘One of the books of the year . . . Will blow your mind’ STYLIST ‘Super-smart, dryly funny’ RED ‘Page-turning, toe-curling, thrilling. You won’t put this one down’ BLACK GIRLS BOOK CLUB FOR REFINERY29‘Sharp, satirical and fun’ DAILY MAIL‘Bright and funny . . . You will turn page after page in your eagerness to unravel this novel’ OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE, NEW YORK TIMES ‘The funniest, wildest, deepest, most thought-provoking ride of a book’ ATTICA LOCKE ‘The year’s most buzzed-about debut more than lives up to the hype’ i ‘Very, very funny and acutely observed’ ELIZABETH DAY ‘It should be at the top of your summer reading list’ WASHINGTON POST

Ladies Can’t Climb Ladders

Emma — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

It is a myth that either of the World Wars liberated women.

The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919 was one of the most significant pieces of legislation in modern Britain. It marked at once political watershed and a social revolution; the point at which women of 21 and over were recognised in law as being as competent as men. But were they? What actually happened when this bill was passed? This is the story of what happened next.

Ladies Can’t Climb Ladders focuses on the lives of six women – six pioneers – forging paths in the fields of medicine, law, academia, architecture, engineering and the church. Robinson’s startling study into the public and private lives of these women sheds light not on the desires and ambitions of her subjects but how family and society responded to the working woman and what their legacy looks like today.

This book is written in their honour. It is a book about live subjects: equal opportunity, the gender pay gap, and whether women can expect, or indeed deserve, to have it at all.
‘An important and crackingly good read.’ – Telegraph

Just Work

Emma — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

‘Powerful and perceptive . . . belongs on the shelves – and in the hearts and minds – of leaders everywhere.’
Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of To Sell is Human

From Kim Scott, author of the revolutionary New York Times bestseller Radical Candor, comes Just Work: Get it Done, Fast and Fair – how we can recognize, attack and eliminate workplace injustice – and transform our careers and organizations in the process.

We – all of us – consistently exclude, underestimate and under-utilize huge numbers of people in the workforce even as we include, overestimate and promote others, often beyond their level of competence. Not only is this immoral and unjust, it’s bad for business. Just Work is the solution.

Just Work is Kim Scott’s new book, revealing a practical framework for both respecting everyone’s individuality and collaborating effectively. This is the essential guide leaders and their employees need to create more just workplaces and establish new norms of collaboration and respect.