Resources
Lasting Letters
Valentine’s Day got us thinking about love letters, and how many incredible books there are that feature letters. We’ve put together a selection of books about letters, featuring letters, and even written as one long letter.
Girl With a Pearl Earring Book Club Questions
Johannes Vermeer can spot exceptional beauty. When servant girl Griet catches his eye, she soon becomes both student and muse. But then he gives her his wife’s pearl earrings to wear for a portrait, and a scandal erupts that could threaten Griet’s future. Twenty years on Girl With a Pearl Earring remains as vivid and captivating as ever. A timeless modern classic and an international bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold around the world; Harper Collins are publishing a special...
The Language of Kindness Reading Group Guide
Christie Watson was a nurse for twenty years. Taking us from birth to death and from A&E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is an astounding account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness. This is a reading group guide including questions, discussion points and further reading.
Reading is magic poster
Discover a love of reading with these top tips from Cressida Cowell, author and illustrator of the popular How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once books.
Cressida Cowell's top tips for parents
Help your child discover the magic of reading with this handy one-page guide from the award-winning children’s author.
ROGO 2018 Best practice guide
The Read On. Get On. (ROGO) coalition has created this best practice guide to help primary schools address the gender gap in children’s reading enjoyment. The guide has been developed in response to the findings of the ROGO Index 2018.
ROGO Index 2018
The ROGO Index 2018 provides a holistic view of how well 11-year-olds in England are reading. Download this document for a comprehensive breakdown of children’s cognitive reading skills, affective processes and reading behaviours
Debuts of 2018
Are you doing NaNoWriMo? If you need a bit of writing inspiration to get your big debut out, take a look at our favourite debuts of 2018: Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave by Richard Williams Pieces of Me by Natalie Hart The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar Vox by Christina Dalcher Never Greener by Ruth Jones Only Child by Rhiannon Navin Suicide Club by Rachel Heng In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi...
A Society of Readers - executive summary
A new report that we commissioned from leading independent think tank Demos lays out the central role reading must play in helping to address many of the most pressing challenges British society will face over the next decade. Read the executive summary and share your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram using #PowerOfReading
A Society of Readers
A new report lays out the central role reading must play in helping to address many of the most pressing challenges British society will face over the next decade. Read the full report and share your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram using #PowerOfReading
Non-fiction November
It’s Non-fiction November and we’re celebrating with some of our favourite non-fiction books. Do you know why we sleep? Or about how Nike was built up by one man? Find out in some of our top picks, and let us know something interesting that you’ve learnt from a non-fiction book on Twitter and Instagram using #NonFictionNovember
Spooky Reads
The days are getting longer so here are some of our suggestions of books to read throughout October. With ghosts, crime and mystery, you won’t be able to sleep at night…
Roar by Cecelia Ahern - sample chapter
Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided? Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very...
Roar by Cecelia Ahern - a Readers' Guide
Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided? Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very...
Washington Black - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Washington Black. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
The Overstory - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Overstory by Richard Powers is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Overstory. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
The Mars Room - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Mars Room. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
The Long Take - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. The Long Take by Robin Robertson is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as The Long Take. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
Milkman - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Milkman by Anna Burns is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Milkman. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
Everything Under - themed booklist
The Man Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction written in English. Everything Under by Daisy Johnson is one of the six shortlisted titles for 2018. All of the suggested books follow similar themes, styles or settings as Everything Under. You can download the supporting booklist by clicking below.
Night of the Living Ted by Barry Hutchison - Library Competition
Night of the Living Ted Competition Create-a-Ted! Draw your own Teddy at a Teddy Bear’s Picnic. When Lisa Marie and her step-brother Vernon pop into town to get their dad a birthday present, they discover the Create-a-Ted shop is offering free Halloween bears! Making two grisly bears for themselves and choosing an Elvis bear named Bearvis for Dad, they head home. That night the shopkeeper brings the bears to life for nefarious purposes … but Vernon’s bear, Grizz, doesn’t want to be a slave to...
The Long Take - Readers' Guide
On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Long Take by Robin Robertson by clicking below.
The Overstory - Readers' Guide
On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Overstory by Richard Powers by clicking below.
The Mars Room - Readers' Guide
On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner by clicking below.
Everything Under - Readers' Guide
On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Everything Under by Daisy Johson by clicking below.
Washington Black - Readers' Guide
On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Washington Black by Esi Edugyan by clicking below.
Milkman - Readers' Guide
On Thursday 20 September the Man Booker Prize revealed the shortlist of six books for the 2018 prize. The prize is the leading literary award in the English speaking world, and has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over four decades. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Man Booker Prize shortlist. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Milkman by Anna Burns by clicking below.
Back to School Booklist
When September hits it’s time to go back to studying. We have some fantastic books about schools, university and education for when you want to put down a textbook and pick up something to read just for fun.
Women in Translation Booklist
August is Women in Translation Month. Only a tiny fraction of fiction published in English is translated, and only about a quarter of that translated fiction was originally written by women. For some reason, fiction in translation by women remains as rare as black diamonds. And yet there are so many amazing women-authored books out there in the world – books we’re missing out on. Here is a list of books by women in translation, as chosen by a group of literary translators.
National Poetry Day – Reading Group Guide
In the lead-up to National Poetry Day in October, we have a selection of poetry collections that have been specially chosen for reading groups with notes and questions to get you started. To download the guide, click the link below.
