Feel Good Reads
Chosen by our customers and reading group members during Mental Health Awareness Weeks – if you’re in need of a pick-me-up try these suggestions!
BorrowBox Recommendations
New eReads every month! Check out some of our June BorrowBox highlights.
Black and British A Short Essential History by David Olusoga, available in eBook & eAudio
A short, essential introduction to Black British history for readers of 12+ by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga.
When did Africans first come to Britain?
Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings?
Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution?
These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of the Black British history: from the Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian’s Wall right up to the present day.
This children’s version of the bestseller Black and British: A Forgotten History is illustrated with maps, photos and portraits.
Macmillan Children’s Books will donate 50p from every copy sold to The Black Curriculum.
The Island Child by Molly Aitken, available in eBook & eAudio
Twenty years ago, Oona left the island of Inis for the very first time. A wind-blasted rock of fishing boats and turf fires, where the only book was the Bible and girls stayed in their homes until they became mothers themselves, the island was a gift for some, a prison for others. Oona was barely more than a girl, but promised herself she would leave the tall tales behind and never return.
The Island Child tells two stories: of the girl who grew up watching births and betrayals, storms and secrets, and of the adult Oona, desperate to find a second chance, only to discover she can never completely escape. As the strands of Oona’s life come together, in blood and marriage and motherhood, she must accept the price we pay when we love what is never truly ours . . .
Cassie Raven – Book 1, Body Language by A.K. Turner, available in eBook & eAudio
For fans of Tess Gerritsen and Kathy Reichs comes a gripping debut thriller introducing Camden’s most exciting new forensic investigator.
Cassie Raven believes the dead can talk. We just need to listen . . .
People think being a mortuary technician is a seriously weird job. They can’t understand why I choose to cut up dead bodies for a living. But they don’t know what I know:
The dead want to tell us what happened to them.
I’ve eviscerated thousands of bodies, but never someone I know before – someone who meant a lot to me; someone I loved.
The pathologist says that her death was an accident.
Her body is telling me differently.
You had me at Halloumi by Ginger Jones, available in eBook
Freya Butterly has always dreamt of being a Head Chef but despite running every service at the Mediterranean restaurant, she still doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. Craving adventure and a real taste of the Mediterranean, Freya takes matters into her own hands, ditching both her job and unsympathetic boyfriend and packing her bags for sunny Cyprus in pursuit of the prestigious Golden Spoon culinary award.
As one of the seven competitors, Freya is determined to rediscover her passion for food and clinch the prize, but what she doesn’t expect to discover is Xanthos. As gorgeous as he is charming – he’s quite the dish – and Freya is instantly attracted to him, but this trip was about Cypriot cuisine, not romance and she knows she must not let Xanthos distract her from the competition.
But if she walks away, will Freya spend the rest of her life wondering What If? Surely, it’s feta late than never . . .
The Shadow by James Patterson, available in eAudio
Only two people know Lamont Cranston’s secret identity as vigilante crime-fighter the Shadow: his greatest love, Margo Lane, and his fiercest enemy, Shiwan Khan. When Khan ambushes the couple, they must risk everything for the slimmest chance of survival … in the future.
A century and a half later, Lamont wakes in a world both unknown and strangely familiar. The first person he meets is Maddy Gomes, a teenager with her own secrets, and more than passing knowledge of the legend of the Shadow.
Most disturbingly, Khan’s power continues to be felt over New York. No one understands the dangers of stopping him better than Lamont Cranston. He also knows he’s the only one who stands a chance. Lamont must prove that the Shadow is more than just a legend.
This memoir gives a timely account from a woman negotiating the autistic spectrum, from a poignant and personal perspective.
The Best Medicine by Christine Hamill, available in eAudio
Philip is 12 years old and life is pretty good. He gets on with his mum and gets by pretty well at school – in spite of girl problems, teacher problems, bully problems and – er – poetry problems. Philip’s happy-go-lucky life is disrupted when his mother gets breast cancer.
Bad enough that your mother is seriously ill – but could she not have developed a less embarrassing kind of cancer – toe cancer, maybe, or ear cancer? Philip’s attempts to cope with his situation are both hilarious and touching.
Through it all, he’s writing letters to his hero, the comedian Harry Hill, looking for advice.
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Reading Well
Health and wellbeing collections chosen by librarians and health professionals