Resources
The World of Wolf Hall: A Reading Guide to Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies
Ahead of the release of The Mirror & the Light, this reading guide takes you through the story so far, introduces you to the main players, explores the key themes and offers reading group questions to discuss.
The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave - Discussion Questions and book trailer
Gothic, feminist and romantic – The Deathless Girls is the untold story of the brides of Dracula, breathtakingly imagined by bestselling author Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars. On the eve of her divining, the day she’ll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community. Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is...
To The Lions - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for To The Lions by Holly Watt, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
The Devil Aspect - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
The Map of Salt and Stars - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
Sleeper: The Red Storm - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for Sleeper: The Red Storm by J.D. Fennell, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
Firefly - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for Firefly by Henry Porter, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
Preservation - Readers' Guide
Download a readers’ guide for Preservation by Jock Serong, one of the shortlisted books for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize 2019. Find out more about the shortlist
SAPIENS, HOMO DEUS and 21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY by Yuval Noah Harari: A reading guide
A reading guide for the books by Yuval Noah Harari including information about the author and discussion points.
Food, Glorious Food
Are you hungry? You might be after looking at our fantastic food themed booklist. Novels, poetry and of course a few cookbooks will keep you busy for hours.
Night Boat to Tangier - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry by clicking below.
The Wall - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Wall by John Lanchester by clicking below.
My Sister, the Serial Killer - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite by clicking below.
Lost Children Archive - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli by clicking below.
Lanny - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Lanny by Max Porter by clicking below.
Frankissstein - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson by clicking below.
Girl, Woman, Other - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo by clicking below.
Ducks, Newburyport - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman by clicking below.
An Orchestra of Minorities - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma by clicking below.
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak by clicking below.
The Man Who Saw Everything - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy by clicking below.
Quichotte - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title Quichotte by Salman Rushdie by clicking below.
The Testaments - Readers' Guide
On 24 July the Booker Prize revealed the longlist of thirteen books for the 2019 prize. Discover the excellent books that have been chosen for the Booker Prize. You can download a Readers’ Guide for shortlisted title The Testaments by Margaret Atwood by clicking below.
Red Joan reading group guide
A reading group guide written by author, Jennie Rooney. About the book Joan’s voice is almost a whisper. ‘Nobody talked about what they did during the war. We all knew we weren’t allowed to.’ Joan Stanley has a secret. She is a loving mother, a doting grandmother, and leads a quiet, unremarkable life in the suburbs. Then one morning there is a knock on the door, and suddenly the past she has been so keen to hide for the last fifty years threatens to overturn her...
Space!
To tie in with this month’s launch of Space Chase, the theme for the 2019 Summer Reading Challenge, we are bringing you some of our favourite books about outer space. From brain-bending books on physics to comic tales from the furthest edges of the universe, there’s something for everyone.
Changemaker Reads
To celebrate National Reading Group Day on 15 June, we asked reading groups which books inspire them to change the world. Tackling themes of identity, discrimination and equality, these are some of the books that make you want to make a difference.
The Lost Man by Jane Harper Extract
Read an extract from the gripping new novel from the author of the Sunday Times top ten bestsellers, The Dry and Force of Nature.
Side-splitting Stories
This month we’re bringing you chapters to make you chortle and sentences that will have you in stitches. Including novels, essays and poetry, these books will have you laughing all day long.
The Handmaid's Tale Reading Guide
A reading guide to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. The Handmaid’s Tale went back into the bestseller charts with the election of Donald Trump, when the Handmaids became a symbol of resistance against him; and the 2017 release of the award-winning Channel 4 TV series. Sales of the English language edition have now topped 8 million copies worldwide. About the book It is the world of the near future, and Offred is a Handmaid in the home of the Commander and his wife. She is...
National Reading Group Day 2019 - poster
This year, National Reading Group Day will take place on Saturday 15 June, the start of Independent Book Week. We have a downloadable poster that you can use in your library. Just click on the link below to download.
