Cover Image: And Now For The Good News...

And Now For The Good News...

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Member Reviews

Great positive read about the future. Also, it's funny of course as it’s Ruby! With vibes like this in a book what’s not to like?

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Hmm... Ruby Wax... who doesn't like her humor? I did and that's a reason I started this book.
There's also a fact that people change in all kind of directions... it looks like Wax has become an... advocate for mental health or so... She rambles in this book, ungrounded statements and suspicious ideas. She's not turned religious or did she? I don't know and do not want to know either. I'd slam the door shut if she'd stand there on a Sunday morning.

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Sobering truths mixed with joy, inspiration and hope

Ruby Wax wears her heart on her sleeve, from her ongoing dedicated work around mental health and mindfulness to how we can learn to live together and save the planet.

I found the book sobering, joyous and hopeful. There is a lot of food for thought in there and a lot of useful info about inspiring initiatives and resources. These include Ruby’s own Frazzled Cafe to help people who are finding life hard to cope with, i.e. most of us at some point in our lives - and especially so over the last few years.

I learned some amazing facts and found out about some amazing groups who I didn’t even know existed covering a wide range of concerns from building inclusive and caring communities, using mindfulness to build compassion, manage anger and improve communication, regenerative agriculture and gardening, through to how do we stop climate change and extinction.

There are some hard truths in Ruby’s book, but you would have to have been a hermit in a cave not to have at least some awareness of the biggest issues. The main take away for me was the emphasis on the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life on earth, basically we’re all in this together whatever our species. Individual action and responsibility really is the key to dealing with issues, regardless of whether they’re local or global, and there are myriad ways for us all to do our bit to help.

I finished the book feeling thoughtful but hopeful, lifted and energised with a renewed sense of rolling up my sleeves and wading back into the fray. I may not be able to fix the world single handed but Ruby’s words reminded me that if we all do our bit we can make a huge difference and make the world a better place.

I was given this book from the author via netgalley only for the pleasure of reading and leaving an honest review should I choose to.

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A fantastic, wonderful and insightful read. This book took me a while to get through but only due to the amount of information in here to digest. With solid references throughout and a huge variety of angles of how the world around of us is changing, this is one of the most interesting books I’ve read this year. Wax’s natural wit is prevalent making even the toughest of subjects pleasurable and following this, I’ve a list as long as my arm of futuristic endeavours I want to learn more about.

The time and dedication taken to informant her audience is clear and I’d pick up a volume two in a heartbeat.

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As much as I like Ruby Wax, the long rambling introduction kind of put me off. It was way too long and it didn't motivate me to dig deeper. I get why it was written but it left no lasting impression on me whatsoever. You may have more luck.

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A collection of anecdotes and thoughts rather than a memoir by an acclaimed comedienne. This book was not for me but will appeal to many looking for a light read in this time of darkness.

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Just what we all need after living through the hell of 2020, 2021 and I fear 2022 will be going the same way.

This was a lovely, lighthearted quick and easy read with some suggestions for further reading as well as apps to help with mindfulness to help us when we feel a little overwhelmed.

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Ruby Wax writes with good humour in her own honest and funny style. Writing a book about positivity when we’re all living with unprecedented negativity is brave and she pulls it off well. Made me laugh out loud in places with her wry observations and sarcastic statements. Have a read and have a laugh!

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This was a tough book for me to read. I admit I do not enjoy Ruby Wax's sense of humour and at one point during the read I was going to be very negative about the book but ...
If you can get over the the tone of the humour it is possible to read and be informed by the book. The premise of the narrative being that their is good news and it is possible to find positive attitudes in the world. I did not enjoy her sweeping comments at times, which I felt needed more substantiation and this infuriated me most when I was reading the education section. There were facts in this section that were incorrect regarding Anthony Selden for example and no references to where her opinions had come from.
When the author was giving us a view of her overall opinion of a subject, her humour and irony was used extensively, when she was writing about her "good news" this attitude was not as apparent and made for a much easier read. She was enthusiastic and supportive of what was happening.
I started reading this book just after completing "Humankind: a hopeful history" by Rutger Bregman. Which might have been a mistake. Both have the same message but they are aimed at different audiences. "Humankind" is a thoughtful, more serious book which I related to and "And now for the good news" has a lightness but gives the same message.

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I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending this advanced reader's copy in return for a fair and honest review.

I read this expecting satire which Wax is famous for, but it wasn’t like that. I feel that there have been loads of book written during lockdown about being in lockdown, but she doesn’t just do this. I find it inspiring that she was happy and focused on helping us, the readers, to escape from the harsh reality. It definitely did this for me. I loved the fact that she addresses many issues but mainly mental health. It was good to not feel alone, and it was good to laugh despite our circumstances. I really needed to read this, and I think that everyone should.

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Wow. What a truly positive and joyous read. In her book - And Now for the Good News - Ruby Wax looks at world problems and really manages to show how a) they impact our mental health and b) how we can do something about it - both our mental health and helping fix the problems within the world.

If I am honest, I was expecting sardonic wit and humour. The sort of thing you are used to getting from Ruby Wax in her hunourous guises. However, what I got was a lot of humour but equally a lot of real life advice. It is not surprising that she had been awarded degrees for her work in mental health.

And Now for the Good News is genuinely uplifting. Wax doesn't shy away from the darker more difficult topics but equally she makes you see the positivity that life has to offer. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

And Now for the Good News… by Ruby Wax is available now.

For more information regarding Ruby Wax (@RubyWax) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Penguin (@PenguinUKBooks) please visit www.penguin.co.uk.

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Initially, the thought of reading a book about good news during a pandemic felt a bit odd, but after just Ruby's intro explaining that she'd initially written it pre-pandemic but decided to release now, I could see exactly why it was actually a perfect book for the time! How often have we wallowed in worry, stressed about work, got cabin fever at home and wondered when the world would go back to normal? This book was a refreshing reprieve from all that. Ruby has clearly researched well when putting this book together, and I like that she still injects her personality with personal tidbits and tales so it's more like her talking through things with us as opposed to reading academic essays, which non-fiction books can sometimes stumble towards. There was such a range of topics too, so on the off chance you weren't super invested in a certain area, it's only a few pages until the next one grabs your attention.

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Was all set to enjoy this book, even though the author's voice and 'intrusions' grated a few times. But halfway through, I could not continue to ignore her at times revolting stance and opinions (she sometimes ate lice, and it was delicious? Even in jest, that is terrible TMI) Read this more for the facts, had to force myself to ignore the voice, and finally made it through. Not recommended for a pleasant read or anything that won't make your stomach churn and make you want to retch, though

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I felt like this was a bit disjointed to be honest - it was more Ruby Wax telling us things she'd been up to rather than a series of hopeful or good news items, which is what I thought it would be. Maybe that is partly my fault though. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would unfortunately, but I can see how some people would find this book helpful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an electronic copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Without doubt 2020 was one of the worst years I can remember in how the constant drip feed of back news felt overwhelming, and that was just focusing on the mainstream media. This book provides humour, hope and positivity at a time when the world needed a good dose of it. Beyond the current times this book is a feel-good read for anyone wanting to see some green shoots of hope.

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Just what I needed. This book is so funny. Easy to read and very relatable. Definitely something we should all read to cheer ourselves up. Well done Ruby!

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I enjoyed reading and now for the good times.. as a book with a mainly positive outlook, I found myself reaching for it to unwind and read before bed. I think what stopped me from rating it higher were the jokes got too frequent and it was a tad self-indulgent. I found myself more interested in the topics and research she was discussing and I know ruby wax is a comedian but I felt I didn't need to be reminded of that all the time, I think it could have been toned down.

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I received a free ARC of this via NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

I'd requested it because I'm interested in Ruby Wax and was curious to read what she has to say on this. However for me who I think is relatively unfocussed I felt like she jumps around from point to point way too much and I hope it's not too disrespectful to say that it was too 'adhd' for my liking.

That said I'm always impressed by someone who can write a book though this could have been ghost written by someone on behalf of Ruby and that's tricky to tell these days.

Maybe in the longer term I'll read and finish this book though I would need a lot more patience than I have currently to do so. Plus there are lots of competing books on my list.

If the read through happens I'll definitely update my review accordingly and the two star review is for the idea and the name.

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A fantastic read for tumultuous times!

Funny, honest, heartwarming and refreshing at the same time this book covers so many issues and was such a great read, and really made a difference after the last year.

I have definitely come away inspired, pondering many of the ideas and issues raised in the book and look forward to Ruby's next work.

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Hmm... I'm a little ambivalent towards this book. I must admit that I went into this without knowing who Ruby Wax was, and without having read any of her previous works. I expected this to be a compilation of uplifting, informative, and compelling stories... I didn't expect it to be quite so memoir-like. Funny at times, however, I didn't get as much as I had hoped out of reading it. Might be my own mistake for not doing my research!

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