Reading Groups in Libraries
Reading groups are fun and rewarding and they change the private and personal experience of reading into a shared one.
This event runs every month
Nottingham Recommends: Feel Good Books
Help us choose Nottingham’s favourite read!
Location:
Basford Library,
Bilborough Library,
Bulwell Riverside Library,
Clifton Library,
Dales Centre Library,
Hyson Green Library – Mary Potter Centre,
Nottingham Central Library,
Radford-Lenton Library,
Sherwood Library,
Southglade Park Library,
St Ann’s Valley Library,
Strelley Road Library,
The Meadows Library,
Wollaton Library
When:
Monday 17 August to Sunday 4 October
We need YOUR help!
For Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks, we need your help to choose Nottingham’s favourite feel-good read!
Reading is a proven way to boost your mental health, as it helps people unwind and relax, can build confidence and boosts quality of life and we want to know which book Nottingham recommends as a go-to, feel-good favourite.
We have a shortlist of 6 books from a variety of genres. We are inviting you to read as many as you can and vote on your favourite! Find out more about them below!
How to vote on the shortlist
If you have read one or multiple of the books on the shortlist, make sure you use the methods below to cast your vote so we can find which book Nottingham voted as their favourite Feel Good Book!
You can cast your votes in the following ways:
- Via our social media polls
- In person in our libraries
- Five Leaves Bookshop – if you would like to purchase any of these titles, you can do so at Five Leaves Bookshop and your purchase counts as a vote
Voting runs from Monday 17 August at 8am until Sunday 4 October at 11:59pm.
The winner will be announced on our social media, our website and displays in specific libraries on World Mental Health Day, Saturday 10 October.
SEE THE 6 BOOK SHORTLIST BELOW:
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers | Jesse Sutanto
Self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
The Comfort Book | Matt Haig
‘The Comfort Book’ is a collection of little islands of hope. It gathers consolations and stories that give new ways of seeing ourselves and the world.
Matt Haig’s mix of philosophy, memoir and self-reflection builds on the wisdom of philosophers and survivors through the ages, from Marcus Aurelius to Nellie Bly, Emily Dickinson to James Baldwin. This is the book to pick up when you need the wisdom of a friend, the comfort of a hug or just to celebrate the messy miracle of being alive.
The Lifeline | Libby Page
For Kate, having a newborn baby means she is almost never alone. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t lonely. The move from London to Somerset with her husband Jay was supposed be the start of an exciting new chapter. But sometimes she can’t help but wonder if she turned the pages too soon.
Phoebe Harrison needs a break. As a mental health nurse serving her community, the wellbeing of her patients has always come before her own. But there’s only so long she can pour from an empty cup. Looking for a lifeline, Kate and Phoebe find one in their local river swimming group. But what they didn’t expect was the buoying friendship they would find in each other.
Raising Hare | Chloe Dalton
Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and snoozed in your house for hours on end. This happened to me.
When lockdown led busy professional Chloe to leave the city and return to the countryside of her childhood, she never expected to find herself custodian of a newly born hare. Yet when she finds the creature, endangered, alone and no bigger than her palm, she is compelled to give it a chance at survival. ‘Raising Hare’ chronicles their journey together and the challenges of caring for the leveret and preparing for its return to the wild.
Hope Street | Mike Gayle
Lila Metcalfe is a trainee journalist in Derby and she’s very used to being given the stories that no one else wants. So, when her editor tells her that the city’s Cossington Park development is being held up by a solitary resident on Hope Street who is refusing to leave, she knows she is going to be the one sent to find out more. And that’s how she meets Connor.
Twenty-something Connor is the sole resident of Hope Street and he is not at all what Lila is expecting. And he has a very clear reason not to move: he is waiting for his mum to come home.
Legends & Lattes | Travis Baldree
Orc barbarian Viv is ready to hang up her sword and pursue a more peaceful passion: opening a coffee shop. But her past isn’t ready to leave her behind – or the fabled piece of loot she took with her.
Discover and Get Involved
Write Queer Nottingham
Join us at Nottingham Central Library for our monthly sessions of creativity and community at Write Queer Nottingham!
When:
Third Mondays, 4.30pm to 6pm
This event runs every month