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09 Sep 2024

Reader Reviews: September 2024

Do you know we offer reading groups free sets of books 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. We will be sharing reviews from our readers who have received copies of the latest books from our publisher partners. You can see all of the open offers here. If you are part of an adult reading group, or manage a children’s or young people one, make sure you sign up to our Reading Groups for Everyone where you can find...

06 Sep 2024

Social Media Guide

Reading Groups for Everyone is full of opportunities for reading groups, but publishers are often looking for feedback and reviews in return. They are also increasingly looking for groups who will share their thoughts on social media platforms. If you or your group aren’t familiar with social media, this can seem daunting. We’ve put together a simple social media guide which will enable you to take part and get up to date. Download the guide by clicking the link below. Looking to start a...

06 Sep 2024

How to start a reading group

Interested in joining a reading group or starting one of your own? Download our quick guide to getting started. You can also download icebreaker questions to help get your discussion started, and a social media guide to show how you can share your reading with others online.

03 Sep 2024

September booklist 2024 – Debuts

The debut authors and/or illustrators’ booklist features an exciting array of new voices in publishing, spanning genres from humorous children’s stories to gripping adult thrillers. These fresh perspectives bring unique and compelling narratives to readers, making them a vital addition to the literary landscape. Supporting debut authors is crucial as it encourages diverse storytelling and helps cultivate the next generation of literary talent and we hope you will enjoy reading our picks. Our...

22 Aug 2024

August booklist 2024 – Escape with a Book

Summer is a time for adventures and immersive experiences, so we have created a booklist perfect for readers looking to escape into captivating stories. These sixteen books offer a variety of escapes, from adventurous expeditions and magical journeys to heartwarming romances and engaging puzzles, ensuring every reader finds their perfect summer getaway even if you cannot leave your house. Our librarian readers have shared three words to describe each book to help you decide if the book is for...

09 Aug 2024

And So I Roar by Abi Daré – Library and Book Club Resources

Four years after The Girl with the Louding Voice captured half a million hearts worldwide, Abi Daré returns with a stunning, heart-wrenching new novel. And So I Roar begins in Lagos, Nigeria, when a sudden knock at the gate in the middle of the night threatens to unravel everything plucky fourteen-year-old Adunni has worked for, just as she is set to restart her much-desired education. To celebrate the publication of And So I Roar, we are delighted to offer a range of book club resources,...

16 Jul 2024

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...

09 Jul 2024

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.

09 Jul 2024

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...

11 Jun 2024

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...

16 May 2024

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,...

04 Apr 2024

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...

27 Mar 2024

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...

12 Mar 2024

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...

19 Feb 2024

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+...

15 Feb 2024

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...

15 Feb 2024

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...

18 Jan 2024

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...

09 Jan 2024

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...

01 Jan 2024

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...

12 Dec 2023

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...

04 Dec 2023

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.

09 Nov 2023

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.

02 Nov 2023

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...

20 Oct 2023

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...

19 Oct 2023

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...

18 Oct 2023

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...

10 Oct 2023

Reading Power: Communications Toolkit

Support our fundraising campaign focused on improving adult reading confidence across the UK.

28 Sep 2023

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...

07 Sep 2023

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?...

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