If you are feeling stressed, depressed or just want a bit of a pick-me-up, boost your mood with a recommended read.
Catch Mood-boosting Books in local libraries, colleges, hospitals and workplaces around the country. If you would like to promote Mood-boosting Books where you work, get hold of our lovely goodies.
Reading groups around the country are recommending and reviewing Mood-boosting Books to other readers – from novels to non-fiction, and from poetry to graphic novels – and we will be adding new titles for you to read and comment on.
- Post your Mood Boosting reviews and you could win prizes
- Tweet your #moodboosting recommendations
- Join a reading group and make yourself feel better
- Start a reading group and spread the goodness
Moving up the Hill of Happiness
4 June 2013
/ Case studies
/ Impact
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
Alison Dunne, the Book Doctor at Leicester Libraries, tells us about the Hill of Happiness social read group:
The Hill of Happiness Social Read group first started at New Parks Library as an Everybody's Reading Storycafe. It is based on principles of bibliotherapy - or the 'reading cure' - the proposition that reading can heal and has been funded partly by Whatever ItTakes. Leicester Libraries' Book Doctor, Alison Dunne tells Reading Groups for Everyone more about the group:
The simple aim was to use reading together, aloud to make people feel better. But we needed a way to measure it. The Hill… more
7 November 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
7 November is the 14th National Stress Awareness Day. The day is held annually to celebrate helping people to beat stress.
Reading has been shown to help to reduce stress levels* so why not try a mood-boosting book?
Find yourself a mood-boosting read
Libraries around the country are promoting Mood-boosting Books. There is a main list of recommended reads, as well as… more
31 October 2012
/ Chatterbooks
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ Offers
/ Promotions for reading groups
/ 0 comments
Each month we are going to produce Chatterpacks, activities and ideas to keep your Chatterbooks children's reading group fresh and exciting.
This month our Chatterpack is called Funny Books. It has a bumper list of the latest funny fiction plus lots of ideas for activities and discussion in your Chatterbooks children's reading groups.
We all know laughter is one of the… more
15 October 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ News
/ 0 comments
On World Mental Health Day (10 October) we asked our twitter followers to recommend books which they had found to be mood-boosting. We had a broad range of responses.
@mbirdbrand said: I comfort read Wodehouse, DL Sayers or Aransome
@Fishylegs11 said: The Tent Bucket and Me, by Emma Kennedy. Childhood camping stories, very funny! You will laugh out loud!
@Fishylegs11 also said:… more
8 October 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
World Mental Health Day takes place on 10 October.
The day promotes open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services. It is a perfect opportunity to raise public awareness about mental health issues.
Get involved
Find yourself a mood-boosting read
Libraries around the country are promoting Mood-boosting Books. There is a main list of recommended reads, as well as… more
1 October 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
The 1st of October is International Day of Older Persons and the UK's Older People's Day. The day is celebrated annually to recognise the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives.
You can see what is going on around the country on Twitter by using #olderpeoplesday. Do also let us know what you are doing… more
21 August 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ Running reading group events
/ Tips
/ 0 comments
In July 2012, the Trust Library hosted a pilot Mood-boosting Book event for staff at Torbay Hospital.
Taking time out to relax and listen
During two lunchtimes in mid-July, the Trust Library invited colleagues to take twenty minutes out to relax and listen to readings of pages chosen from some favourite books and ones less well known, including: Cider with Rosie, The… more
8 July 2012
/ Case studies
/ Impact
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
Miriam from Manchester Carers Forum Book Club tells us about the club and the importance of it in people's lives:
Manchester Carers Forum is a charity that exists to improve the lives of carers by identifying carers and their needs and by advocating and developing good practice to meet those needs.
You may be aware that Carers are the unseen and unsung… more
7 July 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ Running reading group events
/ Tips
/ 0 comments
Southend Libraries have been telling us about the mood-boosting events they've been running to promote the many health benefits of books and reading:
Promoting good mental health
To tie in with World Book Night 2012, Southend Library in partnership with The Reading Agency and Rethink Mental Illness, held a free drop-in event.
Visitors had the opportunity to find out more about a… more
5 July 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
We are really pleased that you have been recommending more mood-boosting books for carers.
We are always looking for more titles to add to the list. Are you in a reading group or book club for carers, or do you run one? If so, we would love to involve you in recommending some 'mood-boosting' books. You can add your… more
19 June 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
We are offering a selection of attractive Mood-boosting Books materials. You can read all about Mood-boosting Books, see what's been happening around the country and get more recommendations on our Mood-boosting Books page.
The Mood-boosting Books core packs
10 x A4 posters
5 x A3 headers
100 x A5 (4pp) leaflets (of the original list chosen by eight reading groups)
Cost: £10 per… more
18 June 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ News
/ 0 comments
18 - 24 June is Carers Week, which recognises and celebrates the contribution made by unpaid carers to the people they care for and their communities.
New research shows that 87 per cent of carers felt that caring for a family member or friend had a negative impact on their mental health. As reading, or belonging to a reading group, can… more
6 June 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
Readers and reading groups around the country have been recommending their mood-boosting books for carers - here are the books they chose.
Are you in a reading group or book club for carers, or do you run one? If so, we would love to involve you in recommending some 'mood-boosting' books. You can add your suggestions in the comment box… more
1 June 2012
/ General
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ News
/ 0 comments
Young people in reading groups around the country have read and selected these mood-boosting books. Why not try one?
Libraries, other organisations and groups can buy copies of these booklists in packs of 100 to use and distribute. If you would like to buy printed copies, see the bottom of this article.
• Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari … more
25 May 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ News
/ 0 comments
Readers around the country have read and selected these mood-boosting books. Why not try one? Or, if you have read one of them, login and leave your comments.
Libraries, other organisations and groups can buy copies of these booklists in packs of 100 - so if you would like to buy printed copies see the bottom of this article.
•… more
13 May 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ Reading group reviews
/ Tips
/ 0 comments
To celebrate the launch of Mood Boosting Books, we gave away reading group sets of Mark Haddon's A Spot of Bother which features in our Mood Boosting Books list. If your reading group or book club has read the book, please do use this page to post your reviews and see what other reading group members think of it. … more
1 April 2012
/ Case studies
/ Impact
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
Love Lane Readers Group, HMP Wakefield, tell us about being involved in our Mood Boosting Books Campaign:
Love Lane Readers Group has been going for six years and for the last four has been facilitated by Library Assistant, Dawn Gilkes. Attendance can vary but generally the group has between six and ten members, all men, who read and discuss a broad… more
7 March 2012
/ Making reading groups accessible
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ Tips
/ 0 comments
We were intrigued to know what a Book Doctor actually does, so we asked Alison Dunne from Leicester Libraries to tell us about her job as Book Doctor to Leicester's readers, reading groups and book clubs:
Many people ask me if I mend books. I'd love to mend books but sadly I don't have those skills. My job is to… more
23 February 2012
/ General
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ News
/ 0 comments
Last year Alexander McCall Smith's The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency was selected by reading groups around the UK as a Mood-boosting book and he remained hugely popular when we we're putting together this year's book lists.
In this Radio 4 episode of One to One Bridget Kendall talks to the author about his novels and the positive effects they have… more
17 February 2012
/ Mood Boosting Books
/ 0 comments
Are you in a reading group or book club for carers, or do you run one? If so, we would love to involve you in recommending some 'mood-boosting' books. A mood-boosting books should:
Focus on mood-boosting reading material with the potential to lift spirits and promote well-being.
Provide positive role models and/or thematic content inspiring characters and uplifting storylines with mood-boosting… more
.149x200.jpg)
