Resources
Baumgartner by Paul Auster - Reading Group Questions
The life of Sy Baumgartner – noted author, and soon-to-be retired philosophy professor – has been defined by his deep, abiding love for his wife. Now Anna is gone, and Baumgartner is trying to live with her absence. But Anna’s voice is everywhere still, in every spiral of memory and reminiscence, in each recalled episode of the passionate forty years they shared. Rich with feeling, wit and an eye for beauty in the smallest, most transient episodes of ordinary life, Baumgartner is a luminous...
National Reading Group Day - library toolkit
This toolkit will help librarians to plan for National Reading Group Day on 12 September 2024. Contact [email protected] with any questions.
Download reading group questions for Kala by Colin Walsh
THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2023 ‘Unforgettable’ Observer ‘Masterful’ Irish Times ‘Explosive’ The Telegraph For those of you wanting a captivating and compelling read for your book group this summer, look no further than Kala by Colin Walsh, and use these reading group questions to fuel some invigorating discussions! More about the book: ‘We used to be such a force, back then when she was still with us. What happened to her?’ In the seaside...
Garden of her Heart by Zoe Richards - Discussion Notes
A story of healing and recovery that will warm your soul…and get you into the garden. Garden of Her Heart is the story of one loner, two secrets, and three weeks at the Pinewoods Retreat. When Holly Bush (yes, she still hasn’t forgiven her mother for that combination) is made redundant with gardening leave, after a brutal attack, she decides to visit a retreat not far from home. There she finds friendship and a garden in need of love, she ends up doing literal gardening leave, bringing the...
How To Say Babylon: A Jamaican Memoir by Safiya Sinclair - author video and book club questions
There is an opportunity for book clubs to review the Women’s Prize for Non-fiction shortlisted book, How To Say Babylon. Apply by 23 May LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION You can find out more about the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist. ‘Dazzling. Potent. Vital’ TARA WESTOVER ‘To read it is to believe that words can save’ MARLON JAMES ‘I adored this book … Unforgettable, heartbreaking and heartwarming’ ELIF SHAFAK An extraordinary and inspiring memoir of family,...
The Reading Agency’s April booklist - Nature and Conservation
Earth Day 2024 will take place on 22 April. To support any activity you may want to run, we have collated a booklist with a mix of poetry, fiction and non-fiction books with strong themes of nature and conservation. We would love to hear what books you’d recommend on social media using #booklist and tagging @readingagency. You can see our past booklists here. Our monthly booklists The monthly themed booklists are co-ordinated in-house by the Reading Partners team. The aim of our booklist...
The Secret Hours by Mick Herron - digital resources
Shortlisted for the British Book Awards Crime & Thriller Book of the Year 2024 About the book Two years ago, the Monochrome inquiry was set up to investigate the British secret service. Monochrome’s mission was to ferret out misconduct, allowing the civil servants seconded to the inquiry, Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, unfettered access to confidential information in the service archives. But with progress blocked at every turn, Monochrome is circling the drain . . . Until the OTIS file...
GollanczFest - digital assets
Gollancz is the UK’s #1 Sci-fi, Fantasy & Horror publisher, bringing you epic books by the likes of Brandon Sanderson, Victoria Aveyard, Patrick Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, Natasha Pulley, and many more. Its fan-favourite festival GollanczFest returns on 16 March, and to celebrate, we’re taking over libraries nationwide! Download a digital pack to help you put a fantastical spin on your library. Dig out your favourite sci-fi classics and celebrate the romantasy stars of tomorrow with an...
The Reading Agency’s February booklist - LGBT+ History Month
LGBT+ History Month takes place every February. Our booklist this month is for librarians and teachers to help them celebrate stories with strong LGBTQ+ representation or that are by LGBTQ+ creators. LGBT+ History Month is an opportunity to discover LGBT+ past and celebrate its present and future. Every year, Schools OUT sets a different theme for the month and provides free resources for education settings, businesses, services and organisations to help them celebrate and ‘Usualise’ LGBT+...
The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey - Book Club question cards
Yorkshire, 1979 Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South. Because of the murders. Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn’t an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv’s mum stopped talking. Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all? So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a...
The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson - book club kit
Jersey, 1943. Once a warm and neighbourly community, now German soldiers patrol the cobbled streets, imposing a harsh rule on the people of the island. Grace La Mottée, the island’s only librarian, is ordered to destroy books which threaten the new regime. Instead, she hides the stories away in secret. Along with her headstrong best friend, postwoman Bea Rose, she wants to fight back. So she forms the wartime book club: a lifeline, offering fearful islanders the joy and escapism of...
Reader Reviews January 2024
Did you know that we offer free reading group sets of books for groups every month? All we ask for in return are reviews. If you’d like to find out more you can sign up to our newsletters. Every month we will be sharing reviews from our readers who have received copies of the latest books from our publisher partners. If you are part of an adult reading group, make sure you sign up to our Reading Groups for Everyone where you can find lots more reviews from readers and apply for sets of books...
The Reading Agency’s January booklist - New Year, New Adventures
To kick off 2024 we have picked books that will either help you learn something new or will take you away on new adventures. Whether you’re looking to delve into some self-improvement, explore the wonders of nature, conduct mind-boggling science experiments, or embark on thrilling fictional journeys, our picks should help to start your year of exciting adventures. Tell us on social media by tagging readingagency and using #booklist. You can also find the booklists on our Bookshop.org page...
Reading Friends resource pack: The Imperfect Art of Caring
This free resource pack for The Imperfect Art of Caring by Jessica Ryn has been designed for Reading Friends projects. It contains an extract from the book and discussion questions intended to support conversations and reflections on personal experiences and stories. About the book Violet Strong is strong by name but not by nature, or so she thinks. She listens but never talks about herself. She’s friendly but doesn’t have many real friends. She’s become good at keeping people at a distance...
The Reading Agency’s December booklist for adults - Books of the Year!
At The Reading Agency, we have read a lot of brilliant books over the past year; books that have made us laugh, cry and left us with a lot to discuss. Members of our team have picked the books that have stood out for them in 2024. We hope you find some inspiration for your next read, or perhaps spot a few titles you have enjoyed yourself! Tell us on social media by tagging readingagency and using #BooksOfTheYear. You can also find the booklists on our Bookshop.org page where you can buy...
Fundraising Guide
Interested in raising funds to help us on our mission to get everyone reading? Our fundraising guide is packed with ideas, tips and materials to get you started.
Reading Power Fundraising Materials
If you’re planning to raise money for The Reading Agency, take a look at our fundraising materials to help you plan your event Every penny you raise will help to bring the magic of books to more people around the UK.
The Reading Agency’s November booklist – Debuts
November marks National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo (as it’s more commonly known). We want to celebrate some of our favourite debut authors/illustrators of 2023. From beautifully illustrated picture books, thrilling middle grade, YA titles to escape with and a mixture of non-fiction and fiction adult titles. Dive in today and don’t forget to tell us what you thought of any of the books on the list. You can buy the books from Bookshop.org. Looking to share the magic of reading with young...
A Memoir of My Former Self by Hilary Mantel - digital resources
The magnificent final book from one of our greatest contemporary writers. As well as her celebrated career as a novelist, Hilary Mantel long contributed to newspapers and journals, unspooling stories from her own life and illuminating the world as she found it. This strand of her writing was an integral part of how she thought of herself. ‘Ink is a generative fluid,’ she explains. ‘If you don’t mean your words to breed consequences, don’t write at all.’ A Memoir of My Former Self collects the...
Reader Reviews October 2023 - what readers thought about books this month!
Did you know that we offer free reading group sets of books for groups every month? All we ask for in return are reviews. If you’d like to find out more you can sign up to our newsletters. Every month we will be sharing reviews from our readers who have received copies of the latest books from our publisher partners. Books reviewed in October include: Children’s The Stories Grandma Forgot Questions and Answers about Refugees Adults The Favour A Tidy Ending The Good Servant The Bookbinder of...
You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne Reading Group Questions
Reading group questions for You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne. Change the rules. Reclaim your power. If you can… What would you choose? “Razor-sharp and compelling, it is essential reading for every teenage girl.” The Observer “This book is brilliant, brutal and beautiful. A spectacular must-read that manages to put into words all the things that can be so hard to say about the world today.” Beth Reekles “The Doctrine exists to make us believe we are less than, so we don’t have the...
Reading Power: Communications Toolkit
Support our fundraising campaign focused on improving adult reading confidence across the UK.
The Reading Agency’s October booklist – Poetry
National Poetry Day (5 October) is a day to share, read and even write poetry. To celebrate, we’ve put together some of our favourite poetry picks. You can buy the books from Bookshop.org. Looking to share the magic of reading with young readers? Join us on 29 November at 10am where award-winning poet Joshua Seigal will be sharing the magic of poetry in a free digital workshop. Perfect for KS2 students. Book your place here We would love to hear what books you’d recommend for the theme on...
Libraries Week 2023 - digital pack
Simon and Schuster are providing digital resources to support activity in your library for Libraries Week 2023. This includes videos from Love Your Libraries illustrators, activity sheets and Love Your Library/Libraries Week digital assets. COMPETITION To be in with a chance of winning a money-can’t-buy piece of original artwork from one of their illustrators, created for our 2019 “Love Your Library” campaign, post your photo on social media using the below handles/tags or email...
When You Lose it by Roxy and Gay Longworth Extract and Discussion Guide
A reading guide plus extract for When You Lose it by Gay Longworth. About the book Roxy was 13 years old when she was coerced then blackmailed into sending explicit photos, which were spread around her school. The shame led to self-loathing. The blame led to a psychotic breakdown. Roxy started hearing voices. Then she started seeing things… What happens when your teenager starts to lose it, and then you lose each other? What happens when you can’t tell your mother you desperately need help?...
The Reading Agency’s September booklist – STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
National Coding Week is an annual event that aims to help adults, young people and children with learning digital skills. National Coding Week will be happening from the 18-24 September so we are celebrating our favourite books that have strong themes to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). You can buy the books from Bookshop.org. We would love to hear what books you’d recommend for the theme on social media using #booklist and tagging @readingagency. You can see our past...
I Know It's You by Susan Lewis - digital resources
Don’t miss the next emotionally gripping thriller from Sunday Times bestseller Susan Lewis! THE STORY… The first chapter of a manuscript arrives on Publisher Marina’s desk. She assumes it’s just another novel by another aspiring writer… THE SECRET… As the chapters arrive one by one, Marina is convinced they are about her past. There’s only one person who can know everything about the scandal, the trial, and the trauma that nearly broke her. THE SILENCE… This is one story that should never be...
Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard - digital assets
A DIVIDED REALM MUST RALLY, AN UNSTOPPABLE ENEMY MUST BE DEFEATED, AND THE FATE OF THE WORLD RESTS ON A BLADE’S EDGE. Andry, a former squire, fights for hope amid blood and chaos. Dom, a grieving immortal, strives to fulfill a broken oath. Sorasa, an outcast assassin, faces her past when it returns with sharpened teeth. Valtik, an old sorceress, summons a mighty power. And Corayne, a pirate’s daughter with an ancient magic in her blood, steps closer to becoming the hero she’s destined to...
Publisher Spotlight: Vintage Crime
Vintage Crime would like to introduce you to your next crime fiction obsession! We are giving away packs of six thrilling murder mysteries, from bestselling and award-winning crime authors including Jo Nesbo, Susan Hill, Denise Mina and Abir Mukherjee. Each book is the first in a detective series so there’s also plenty more to discover once you’ve found your favourite. More information about the books The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill (Simon Serrailler series, Book 1) PEOPLE ARE GOING...
Dawnlands by Phillipa Gregory - digital assets
In a divided country, power and loyalty conquer all… Discover the new historical novel from Philippa Gregory, the Number One bestselling author of Tidelands and Dark Tides. A compelling and powerful story of political intrigue and personal ambition, set between the palaces of London, the tidelands of Foulmire and the shores of Barbados. Download the digital pack of assets to help your libraries or reading group enjoy the book. You can read and interview with Phillipa Gregory on our Reading...
