The Book and Knowing and The Book of Overthinking by Gwendoline Smith is a nonfiction/self help book that dispenses practical advice. However, I didn’t learn much after reading it- most of what the author writes about is basic information for anyone who has attended counseling sessions. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinions.

I received an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I almost dnf’d this after the forward. The narrator was entirely too chipper (particularly for the subject), I wasn’t the target audience (teens), and I found it both a bit too condescending and seeming to try too hard.

By chapter five I had started to feel its usefulness. As a therapist, the concepts still felt a bit basic but also helpful to anyone that wasn’t familiar with them and ever felt their feelings getting the best of them (all of us at some time or another).

But then again, by chapter ten, I was tired of the tone and use of slang. The information is really good and useful but the writing, narration, and presentation leaves things to be desired.

———
The second book seems more targeted to an older audience than her first book (which was aimed at teens) and I found it more relevant and interesting.

She mentions some interesting statistics around how overthinking relates to anxiety and depression then provides ways to try to neutralize worry.

I like how chapters were broken into sessions where you could listen to or read a chapter and then take some time to put into practice. She does a good job breaking down concepts and suggesting ways to put them into practice. There are also worksheets to support the work.

———

Overall, there’s a good deal of repeated concepts and examples so you may benefit from just reading one (I’d recommend knowing for teens and over thinking for adults). This edition may be helpful to those that would like to hear concepts multiple times but would also benefit from some variation in presentation.

This review is for two audiobooks rolled into one, provided by Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Audio. Both audiobooks were brilliant, they hep the listener to understand their feelings and brain activity. I'll be revisiting both as I think they're a great resource for some self care and understanding. I also enjoyed the narrator's voice.

I listened to the audiobook version as I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

There were parts of the book that made me nod wholeheartedly in agreement as this book was logical, not preachy, and nipped the issuss in the bud.

However, there were some parts where it sounded like they were repeating the same thing over again but this may be the need to get it understood with more clarity?

All in all, great book for those who suffer from anxiety and overthinking, in fact, good book for everyone during these stressful times in order to gain clarity.

Gwendoline Smith has written two short books to help out mental health: The Book of Knowing and The Book of Overthinking.

The first is written with teens and young adults in mind. As a woman in my thirties, I found some helpful reminders in there but most of the book took a tone/approach that didn't quite gel with me.

I did find The Book of Overthinking much more valuable. This second book is written for adults. I found the ABC approach to worry outlined by Smith quite helpful as a way to shift my perspective when overthinking, and as an exercise to identify/call out harmful thought patterns.

The Book of Knowing and The Book of Overthinking: Dr. Know's Guide to Untangling Your Brain is a bind up of two short self-help guides by clinical psychologist Dr. Gwendoline Smith. Smith is known for her Dr. Know blog and previously published each book separately in 2019 and 2020, respectively. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at around four hours and is narrated by Liza Seneca.

The Book of Knowing section is an educational guide that uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) concepts to help the reader understand and manage their feelings. It is the first 40% of this bind up. The Book of Overthinking is its sequel, and covers ruminating and worrying, which are common symptoms of anxiety. Both books provide clear advice and tangible examples that are easy to understand. Some concepts feel a bit repetitive.

I do want to note that a lot of the examples include fat shaming. It's possible that those are included because they're common anxious thoughts, but I think those concepts could have been described without the shaming. Apparently the print version has illustrations, so maybe something was lost in the translation to audio narration. Either way, I docked an entire star off of my rating

Special thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing, Andrews McMeel Audio, and NetGalley for providing an audiogalley of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own. The Book of Knowing and The Book of Overthinking: Dr. Know's Guide to Untangling Your Brain releases on May 10th.

I listened to the audiobook for both the Book of Knowing and The Book of Overthinking. I found the advice given to be overall helpful and good tools for the average person who may deal with general anxiety or worry. I was left wanting more detail on how CBT could be used to help beyond more than just "don't think that way". My largest complaint was that I found the voice a bit unprofessional or dismissive in sections, which made me question the advice being given. While I also found the topics over simplified in areas, I'm not sure the point of this book was to go super in depth in those areas or if the point is more an introduction and stepping stone for the reader to expand their own reading/research if they desire.

The narrator was really easy to listen, but it seemed like there were a lot of tables and/or illustrations that seemed to be lost in translation in the audiobook. Additionally, a lot of the exercises given may have been better processed in a visual format versus as an audiobook.

This book is easy to understand and accessible to normal people. The ideas are interesting and the exercises are doable. I enjoyed listening to this e-book and look forward to implementing some of the ideas mentione.

I wish I could have read this as a child it would have helped to straighten my thinking and prevented a lot of suffering

'I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think' – Socrates.

”Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Dr Know’s guide to untangling your brain was two books in one. I loved what this author said about the why questions and agree because from my experiences “whying” is a dead end for healthy living. And I struggled with it for years. The authors approach on all accounts of this book was refreshing.
Knowing and overthinking are the themes for therapeutic discovery and understanding why can be done.
I liked the format because it was like an actual therapy session. Great idea and kudos to the author. If felt more doable in my opinion. I stopped the audiobook several times to take notes about things that are always struggles for me. I suffered from a very traumatic childhood and still suffer from PTSD and depression.
Dr Know breaks down the cycle of knowing and overthink (worrying) the untrue beliefs. If you’re serious about these topics I highly recommend this.
It’s not long and it’s not painful. It’s all about problem solving.
This was narrated by Liza Seneca and she was great.
Thanks Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley.
I’ll be leaving my review on GR, FB, B&N and Amazon.

I am so happy that I got to “read” both of these books in Gwendolyn’s series. This audiobook combination is my new go to when my thought viruses start acting up. I appreciated the practical application of the information presented. The narrator of this book was also well chosen and pleasant sounding. These books have definitely made it to my favorites tab and must have list! Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher and author for this ARC to review. You got a new fan in me!

The Book of Knowing and The Book of Overthinking is an extremely information nonfiction on controlling ones feelings. Smith goes into detail about how cognitive behavioral therapy works and what one can do to better themselves.
The book offers exercises and examples to help readers get a better handle or idea of the progression from event to behavior to thoughts and how to improve responses to it all over time.
Smith gives great examples, pulls quotes and writes in a such a way that I felt it was easy to relate to. I've found myself thinking in the last few days "oh, hey, I do that, I need to stop".
It definitely is a little book for big feelings. Will totally recommend and will be looking forward to the written copies for my own personal use.

This book offered up some help tips on thinkings. After two years of a pandemic, everyone overthinks or has something weird going on. So it's nice to have some guidance on how to change the way you think.

Personally, I liked that I already practiced some of the techniques that were explained in the book. So a pat on the back for me. Overall, I think that everyone can learn some helpful tips from this book.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

*** AUDIO BOOK VERSION ***
The Book of Knowing and the Book of Overthinking is a self help duo of books to help with overthinking, calming anxieties, calming the brain and putting things into perspective. This was a good listen with some great information to mull over and some helpful recommendations to try along with ideas and encouragement for practicing mindfulness.
I did find the book to be a little repetitive but I suppose in some ways it needs to be to remind you to focus and re-centre your mindset.
On the whole a good listen - I think re-listening to this audio would be a great way to help and support people with overanxious minds.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a self-help book that seems to actually help, listening to it made me realize that I need to stop and think before I act and how to stop overthinking the little things. Dr. Smith gives recommendations and some exercises to do to help be more mindful. She also gives examples of things that happen when you aren't being mindful. I would recommend this to people who sometimes need help with mindfulness.

I’ve really enjoyed this audio book about how our brain works, and it definitely has a lot of useful information to use on our daily lives. The narrator was very good and spoke in a very clear voice, which is particularly good for non English native listeners.

This book is an easy listen and dives into many aspects of CBT. I think it is a great audiobook to listen to if wanting to learn more about CBT and how it can change lives. I personally have experience and knowledge of CBT already, so this was a great review!

Brief audiobook that shares two separate, but related volumes, providing introductions to cognitive-behavioral therapy and CBT skills. I thought the two books related and complemented each other well, although it was a bit annoying to hear a large section of the first book quoted in the second! I liked how easygoing the narrative was, and the narrator did a great job of being engaging. The CBT skills were presented well, but I would have liked to have seen more discussion of what to do when you backslide or things get hard. On the whole two really useful books!

I received a copy of the Audiobook The Book of Knowing and the Book of Overthinking by Gwendoline Smith from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Overall, I found the book of knowing to be very informative, not only detailing a lot about thinking and overthinking but also included a few important stories that explained how to use the techniques described in the book. On the other hand, I found the book of overthinking to be a tad repetitive at times, still very useful but a bit dry because of the repetitiveness. However, both are good for gaining a better understanding of how thinking and overthinking affects our perspectives of events.

Honestly, I guess I thought The Book of Knowing would be different than The Book of Overthinking. I read and liked The Book of Overthinking so I'm going with the same rating for The Book of Knowing because it is so very similar. The same ideas are presented in both books, aimed at different age groups it seems. (I don't remember many/ any curses in The Book of Knowing but I thought they were well-placed in The Book of Overthinking so I liked the impact of them there)
I found several great tidbits and processes to deal with worrisome overthinking detailed throughout both books.

Loved the narration. The narrator was great and placed valid emphasis where needed.
If possible I'd 100% recommend everyone take a look at the ebooks/ hard copy books because of the amazing, humorous illustrations!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this advance listen copy.