The Zombie of Suburbia by Will J Jackson

What a great title. Of course, if you're expecting flesh eating zombies storming around Patcham you're going to be disappointed. But this is a wonderful book.

It's all about how to defeat the inner zombie that lurks within us all. There are many self-help books out there, but this is one that is set apart. It deals with the negative thoughts that we are all guilty of, the thoughts that sabotage our best deeds and ideas.

As the books says, it helps us to bring out the '˜A lister' in us, and to make us believe that we want is obtainable. I especially liked the part on using technology to help us, whether it is doing something as simple as uploading a happy positive image to use as our screen saver, or sending ourselves positive reinforcements on our phones.

The idea of recording ourselves messages as well was particularly charming, although maybe do it out of earshot of others to avoid strange looks. How to deal with negativity on others is very helpful, too, and goodness knows I bet we all have that certain '˜friend' who is only too quick and keen to make us feel bad about ourselves with a dismal comment that can wreck our day.

Jackson recommends a Star Trek method of dealing with those killjoys, and employ a '˜shields up' force field around yourself. Jackson illustrates how he has turned around his own life, and how we can too. Well worth a read.