Engagingly written and informative, but longer than I felt it needed to be. Some of the messages were a little repetitive but still an enjoyable read!

What an amazing book. It gives real food for thought of the dreaming world. I had no idea there was so much study of this subject and that the very real possibility exists of being able to manipulate your dreams to those of your choosing. It’s actually a little bit of a scary thought though, that our dreams could possibly be manipulated in this way by external means. Very 1984!
If you’re someone who, like me, has vivid and bizarre dreams - this book’s a good read.

I’m not alone in being fascinated in the reasons for dreams. I don’t particularly want to understand my dreams per se, but the reason for our brains being so active when, physically, our bodies aren’t was my reason for asking for this book. However….

This is so much a scientific study with little else I found it really difficult to get into. Whilst I realise that scientific research has to be at the forefront of this topic I found it all too heavy and confusing. I’m afraid I have given up already, having only managed aout 20% on my kindle. Maybe I’lll go ack to it when my mind is more alert and attuned.

I found this very intriguing! It gives the reader an insight into why we may dream the dreams we have. I knew that our subconscious played a huge part in our dreams but oh my it’s so involved. I find it incredible that the human mind is apparently incapable of making up human faces with no prompts so the faces we see in our dreams are of people that have crossed our paths at some time.
The book is quite a heavy read and there’s a lot of information to take in. I found it easier to read in small chunks when I wasn’t too tired. It’s a fascinating read and I’d recommend it. The author did a great job of explaining things in layman terms. A great bedside book.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have an interest in dreams and have interpreted dreams as a hobby since being a teenager. I am naturally drawn to books about dreams although I was a little worried this might be a bit too scientific for me. The author is a neurosurgeon and as such goes into detail as to what is happening to our brains whilst we sleep. He does this in quite an accessible way. For myself I am more interested in dreams from a psychological perspective but I would think that if you are more interested in the science of dreaming then you will enjoy this book.

Absolutely fascinating book and so absorbing. For me this was a real page turner as I've always wondered about dreams and if they are a reflection of your deeper thoughts about what is going on in your life. This contained a few surprises and has answered many questions. A great read, especially if you are interested in dreams

The subject of dreams has always fascinated me, so I was looking forward to reading this book. I wasn’t disappointed! Written by a brain surgeon, this book examines dreams and their purpose in a much more scientific way than a lot of the dream books out there, yet is very accessible to non-scientists such as myself. Rahul Jandial’s explanations about the roles of the Executive Network and the Imagination network in the brain made a lot of sense and I found the chapters linking dreaming with our sense of identity, problem solving, creativity, health and potentially our primal selves really fascinating. The book draws on a lot of research and, while some of the more practical experiments cited come to (in my mind) very obvious conclusions, Jandial’s knowledge of the neuroscience behind these conclusions was insightful. A satisfying and enjoyable read.

I found the opening chapters of this book fascinating. The idea that the brain could react to electrical prompts when under anaesthetic is extraordinary. I also found the distinction between the Executive Network and the Imagination Network helpful and the associated explanation that we are physically paralysed in our sleep and so can safely dream about situations that are impossible or dangerous in life.
When it came to the interpretation of dreams I felt the author was less convincing. There is a long history of the importance of dreams in Judeo-Christian and other religious texts. The inspiration for some divine scripture is attributed to revelation through dreams and this prophetic aspect of dreams was not touched on at all.
The concept of controlling lucid dreaming is alarming. I can see how it is very useful in a research context, and perhaps justifiable but to explain to the general public how to control their dreams, without any investigation into the long term psychological effects of this is dangerous. People who have nightmares due to trauma need support to uncover the cause, and to be healed. To tamper with nature's natural processes in order to interrupt this healing process could cause even deeper trauma in the long term. People often do not know the cause of their nightmares because their trauma is overwhelming and so is hidden from their conscious minds. This unconscious trauma needs to be uncovered and dealt with so that they can move on. To prevent or change the course of these dreams without counselling support strikes me as potentially very damaging. I suggest that more research is done on this topic before this book goes before the general public.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It had lots of interesting ideas and theories in it. Worth picking up if this is an area of interest to you.

An interesting non-fiction read. I found sometimes the book went a bit too existential for my preference, but it was very informative and well-written.

I found this book to be entirely not for me, I liked his previous book a lot but found this one hard to get a long with and for me it went beyond science and psychology and was just too nebulous

Why we dream has always been a topic that has interested me and I have occasionally read books about it. This book covers a lot of ground. A lot of it is culled from other research and there doesn't seem to be a huge amount that the author has seen himself during his career (unsurprisingly as nearly everyone works in very narrow areas).

The author emphasises the role of the Executive Network and the Imagination Network in our dreams. He believes our dreams partly train us for the future by rehearsing scenarios and that we can learn about ourselves by studying our dreams. I'd always thought dreams were more for information processing and organising our memories, which was my recollection from other books. So it was good to read this side of the debate on why we dream (so much is still unknown).

The book looks at nightmares but the most interesting areas are lucid dreams and the hints of what might be possible in the future such as better dream interpretation and even dream engineering.

I would have liked a few more interesting case studies. It was quite a short book and covers a lot of ground skimming over related research and dipping into history (e.g. Graham Greene) for examples.

This book offers some advice on how to lucid dream, recording your dreams, and what you can learn from your dreams. I think I would have preferred a more practical step-by-step book just about lucid dreaming or dream interpretation. This is a very broad overview of the whole area of our dreams with snippets of advice here and there.

There is a huge bibliography but it's not divided into chapters or subject areas so it's hard to know where to go for more information about the bits I was interested in.

This book was fascinating, I’ve never been a file believer of what you dream means something but this book really made me think differently and I throughly enjoyed

This was a very different approach to dreaming. We spend a third of our life dreaming and these dreams affect our sleeping and our waking lives. What an opening!
This absorbing book has been written by an eminent neurosurgeon who explains all of his experiences so well.
It was amazing to read how much dreams play such a large part in our brain activity and is much more than just a dream by a person. The dreams that we have affect not only our sleep patterns but also our everyday waking hours. I found the references to childrens dreams and nightmares particularly fascinating as well as the timeline depicting the growth of dreams regarding ageism..
The book has been well written with each chapter referencing key topics but in places this is a dry read

How incredible that we can learn so much about dreams from a neuroscientists perspective. So fascinating. Dreams have played a significant role in shaping lives and history, inspiring creativity, and mirroring brain activity during sleep. Neurosurgeon Rahul Jandial delves into the importance of dreams, their impact on daily life, and their correlation to overall health. The book delves into the advantages of dreaming, provides guidance on lucid dreaming, and delves into the interconnection between dreaming and brain functionality. It tackles inquiries regarding the significance and interpretation of dreams, as well as the association between sleep and dreaming.

This was a really interesting book that looked at the topic of sleep. I only
Occasionally remember my dreams but I found the neuroscience behind dreaming illuminating.

What a thought....that we spend a third of our life dreaming! This book is fascinating, not an easy read, but I found that taking it in small helpings worked well. The author's research into childhood dreams and nightmares was particularly interesting. Altogether a highly researched and clever book. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

Absolutely fascinating! This book taught me so much delving into not just dreams and their meaning but how the brain works on different levels. I enjoyed reading about the author's research too. This book has piqued my interest on this topic so completely.

Already an interesting subject, Rahul has broken down every question or thought we have about dreams into key questions and chapters. I found it so well written and engaging, particularly with the references to studies and high profile people. Recommend for anyone who wants to delve a bit deeper into dreams and dreaming!

Coming from a technical background this book interest me. The author a neurosurgeon delves into the reasons why we dream. The book goes into great detail of what happens within our brain when we lay down to rest. At times, this is not an easy read, but it is certainly interesting and gives you food for thought.

Many thanks to the publisher and net Gary for the opportunity to see a DLC