Fantastic children's authors
Websites of some wonderful authors:
- Access the world of David Williams [http://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/elevenses/] with new audio stories each day.
- Fun activities about our favourite boy wizard Harry Potter [http://www.wizardingworld.com/].
- Alex Wheatle [https://www.alexwheatle.com/], author of award-winning Crongton Knights and many other books for young people
- Benjamin Zephaniah [https://benjaminzephaniah.com/] is a poet and author, who writes for children, young people and adults too
- Cathy Cassidy [http://www.cathycassidy.com/] fans can find lots to reassure themselves and make themselves cheerful.
- Malorie Blackman [https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/159198/malorie-blackman] - the former children’s laureate is an award winning writer of over 60 books for children and young adults. Fans of recent TV series Noughts & Crosses will delight in discovering more stories from this bestselling author.
- Roald Dahl [https://roalddahl.com/]- dip into the wonderful world of Roald Dahl. It’s truly whoopsy whiffling!
- Neil Gaiman [http://www.mousecircus.com/videos/] - Comics, novels, non-fiction, films, find them all here, including ‘Read Alouds’ of some of his books
- Chris Haughton [https://www.chrishaughton.com/home] - unique illustrations and captivating stories including downloads, activities and links to readings of favourites such as Shh! and Oh no, George!
- Oliver Jeffers [https://www.oliverjeffers.com/books]- delve into the wonderful imagination of Oliver Jeffers as you meet his loveable characters as they get up to all sorts of mischief and adventures.
- Hilary McKay [https://www.hilarymckay.co.uk/]- dive into a modern classic, enjoy stories of adventure, friendship, family, laughter
- Guy Parker-Rees [http://www.guyparkerrees.com/] - discover the amazing images created by the illustrator of books such as Giraffes Can’t Dance, Dinosaurumpus and many more
- Liz Pichon [http://lizpichon.com/] - a brilliantly interactive website with lots of boredom-busting Tom Gates activities
- Michael Rosen [https://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/]- Follow the Bear trail in your local area with a much loved author
- Nick Sharratt [http://www.nicksharratt.com/] - from Shark in the Park to Ketchup on your Cornflakes, Nick Sharratt has more than 100 books to his name.
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Love reading
Coventry Library Service regularly posts on Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/covlibraries] and X (formerly Twitter) [http://www.twitter.com/covlibraries] updates on new titles available, book reviews and recommendations. We have also set up an online readers' group [http://www.facebook.com/groups/CoventryLibrariesOnlineReadersGroup].
The Library Services offers free ebooks and eaudiobooks [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/ebooks] You will also find here how to access our range of free e-newspapers, e-magazines and e-comics.
To continue to explore your love of reading and see what others are recommending you can check out the following websites:
- The BBC has lots of articles about books [http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts] and links to book-related TV and radio programmes.
- The novels that shaped our world [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07s9cml] contains 100 genre-busting novels written in the English language over the last 300 years
- Fantastic Fiction [http://www.fantasticfiction.com/] contains thousands of bestselling author biographies with latest books, book covers and descriptions
- Good Reads [http://www.goodreads.com/] provides access to the world’s largest community of book lovers – you can both find and read books that you will love and keep track of those books you want to read in the future
- For book recommendations, book reviews and awards and a range of top 10 titles [http://www.lovereading.co.uk/].
- Find out about contemporary poetry in the West Midlands [http://www.poetryonloan.org.uk/]
- For national book awards The Man Booker prize [http://www.themanbookerprize.com/] lists the best original novel written in the English language and published in the UK. Women's prize for fiction [http://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/] takes you to the website for the most prestigious annual book award for fiction written by a women.
- Discover more reads [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/discovermorereads]
One Million Reads
One Million Reads aimed to count 1,000,000 reads across the city in a single year. A ‘read’ was any published story, poem, or article, either read or heard.
One Million Reads also brought a programme of exciting literary and cultural projects to library users and communities across the city. Read more about each of these projects below.
On 25 May 2021, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall launched One Million Reads during a visit to Coventry's Central Library.
Throughout the year, lots of events and activities took place in libraries across Coventry - you can read all about these below.
Then, on 31 May 2022, the grand total of 1,262,798 reads was announced – Coventry had achieved above and beyond the goal!
The One Million Reads project has been supported by a grant from Arts Council England.
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: magical early-years fun
Early-years activity days were brought to Tile Hill, Foleshill, Caludon, Stoke and Central Libraries by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust [https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/]. Through storytelling, dance workshops, interactive performances and craft activities, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest came alive for the youngest of audiences.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust worked with Collar and Cuffs Company [http://www.collarandcuffs.org/], Ascension Dance Company [https://www.ascensiondance.co.uk/], dance and drama practitioner Sohan Kailey [https://www.sohankailey.com/], and storyteller Pyn Stockman [https://pynstockman.com/].
Photographer-in-Residence: libraries through the lens
Coventry Libraries commissioned a professional photographer to capture the joy of reading across the city. Local photographer, Russell Whitehead [https://www.russellwhitehead.com/], visited libraries in Coundon, Bell Green, Willenhall and Stoke Aldermoor, taking portraits of members of the public to reveal the positive impact reading can have.
Cllr Dr Kindy Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “We are certain to see the enjoyment that reading can bring to many of us, young and old, through Russell’s photography and how the power of storytelling can have such a strong impact on our wellbeing.”
You can now see the portraits by visiting any of the four libraries listed above, and asking to see their One Million Reads Photography Album.
Story Bench: tales from Coventry’s past
Coventry Libraries commissioned the creation of a bespoke Story Bench, carved with stories from Coventry’s real and mythic past. Stories were gathered from residents, community groups, and library users, and range from the fantastical to the familiar, arising from both ancient times and more recent history.
The Bench was carved by artist and craftsman Simon O’Rourke [https://www.treecarving.co.uk/], and is now based in the garden at Tile Hill Library. The Bench features a hidden speaker: take a seat and hear the stories read aloud.
QR Code Trails: discover new reads
Five unique QR Code Trails can be found at Allesley Park, Caludon, Canley, Coundon, and Holbrooks Libraries. Each Trail of eight codes will offer you reading recommendations, e-audiobook snippets, and poems by Coventry’s Poet Laureate and Young Poet Laureate [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/city-culture-2021-poet-laureates/1]. By scanning each code you will also find questions to help you think about your own reading journey, and eight letters which when unscrambled, will spell a word and earn you a prize!
Perfect for families. Visit any of the five libraries listed above, and ask for your activity sheet to get started.
Small Bells Ring: the floating library
Small Bells Ring [https://smallbellsring.co.uk/] brought a floating library to Coventry Canal. During its time in the city, the narrowboat RV Furor Scribendi created a unique venue for people to browse, read, and chat. Readers were invited to step aboard to explore the huge collection of short stories, and Coventry Library staff held Storytimes on the boat and in canal-side spaces.
Small Bells Ring was a project delivered by several partners: Studio Morison [https://peakmorison.org/], Super Slow Way [https://superslowway.org.uk/], the Canal and River Trust [https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/], and Lancashire Libraries [https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/libraries/].
Reading Rooms: open up with a book
One Million Reads also brought Verbal’s Reading Rooms scheme to Coventry Libraries. Through twelve guided sessions held at Tile Hill, Bell Green, and Aldermoor Libraries, children were introduced to bibliotherapy: a way to encourage wellbeing through reading stories. Reading Rooms created safe, inclusive, and open spaces in libraries, where thoughts and feelings could be shared and discussed.
Reading, play reading, poetry and writing groups
For a list of Poetry Groups, Readers Groups or Writers Groups, please visit the What's on in Libraries [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/whatsonlibraries] page.
Readers' groups (16+)
Do you love reading and long to discuss the books you have read? Whether you loved or loathed a book, why not join one of Coventry Libraries Readers' Groups to share your opinions.
- Free to attend
- Suitable for adults (16+)
- Open to everyone
Readers' groups are great places to meet other people who love to read, talk about books and discover new authors and genres that you may not have thought of trying. Our groups across libraries in Coventry are friendly and informal. New members are always welcome. You do not need any literary knowledge to join a readers' group, you just need to enjoy reading! There is no need to worry if you haven't finished the book or didn't like it, you can still come along and join in. Please contact your local library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary] for more details of their Readers' Group.
Some Groups read the same title as each other to discuss at their meeting each month; others read something different each time. You don't have to be an expert, just willing to chat about what you've read. We are sometimes able to arrange for authors to visit readers' groups to talk about their books. We also keep group members up to date about book news and author events with our regular email.
We have a readers' pack [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/1117/readers_pack] for you to take a look at if you would like to set up your own readers' group. Library based readers' groups are not always run by staff but you can use the library as your meeting place. We will promote your group in the list below and on our monthly events [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/whatsonlibraries] leaflets.
If you would like to share your thoughts about a particular book from one of your meetings, you can submit a review by emailing libraries247@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:libraries247@coventry.gov.uk]
| Library | Frequency | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Allesley Park Library [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/allesleyparklibrary] | Second Saturday of the month | 2pm - 3pm |
| Bell Green Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/bellgreenlibrary] | Second Monday of the month | 5.15pm - 6.15pm |
| Canley Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/canleylibrary] | Fourth Monday of the month | 2pm - 3pm |
| Central Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/centrallibrary] | Third Wednesday of the month | 12.30pm - 1.30pm |
| Coundon Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/coundonlibrary] | Second Tuesday of the month | 2pm - 3pm |
| Coundon Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/coundonlibrary] | Second Thursday of the month | 5.30pm - 6.30pm |
| Earlsdon Carnegie Community Library [https://earlsdonlibrary.org.uk/] | Second Thursday of the month | 7.30pm |
| Foleshill Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/foleshilllibrary] | First Thursday of the month | 5pm - 6pm |
| Holbrooks Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/holbrookslibrary] | Third Thursday of the month | 11am - 12 noon |
| Jubilee Crescent Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/jubileecrescentlibrary] | Last Friday of the month | 2pm - 3pm |
| Stoke Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/stokelibrary] | Second Wednesday of the month | 1pm - 2pm |
| Tile Hill Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/tilehilllibrary] | Second Thursday of the month | 11am - 12.30pm |
| Tile Hill Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/tilehilllibrary] |
Third Monday of the month Readers' group for people wanting to improve reading in English. Download and print the poster [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/7441/tile-hill-library-esol-readers-group]. Discuss books in English with others wanting to improve in reading. Find the right fiction book for you. Lots of titles are available to support people improving in reading in English. A great way to get extra informal practice outside formal ESOL classes. |
11am - 12noon |
| Willenhall Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/willenhalllibrary] | First Thursday of the month | 2pm - 3pm |
| Group Name | Frequency | Time | Location | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Barbara's Book Club | Monthly on a Monday | 7.45pm | In Person | Alison: 07960042537 or e-mail [mailto:alisonsatuma@gmail.com] |
| Gallery Readers Group | Third Wednesday of the month (except December) | 7.30pm | Virtually on Zoom | Jane: e-mail [mailto:jane.beck99@yahoo.co.uk] |
Register your readers' group
If you would like to receive titles from our readers' group collection, you will need to register your readers' group with us. Titles you request will be delivered to the library of your choice for collection.
- Complete the online form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/librariesformreadersgroups]
- Contact your local library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary]
Titles available for loan to readers' groups
There are over 150 titles available for the exclusive use of readers' groups registered with the library service. Books are usually supplied as mixed sets of hardback and paperback copies. Other formats are available on request but please note that these formats will be loaned from normal circulating stock and may already be out on loan.
View the book list [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/events-in-Coventry-libraries/4]
Request a title for your next readers' group
If you are registered with us you can request any title from the readers' group collection. You should ensure you have submitted your request at least two weeks before your next meeting to ensure we can supply your title on time. You should also provide us with at least two titles so we can ensure we can supply one of them and will be in contact if we cannot supply either title.
If your group reads a mixture of titles at each meeting you can borrow titles from the general library stock, check the catalogue and reserve your title [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/onlinelibrarycatalogue]. Struggling to find an author? Check out "Who Else Writes Like" [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/126/libraries/3215/e-resources/18] or browse through our booklists at Discover More Reads [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/discover-reads]
You will need to provide the author, title and number of copies for two books along with the date of your next meeting.
- Complete the online form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/librariesformreadersgroups]
- Contact your local library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary]
Earlsdon Literary Magazine
Earlsdon Literary Magazine is the monthly newsletter of the Avid Readers at Earlsdon Library.
-
Download editions of Earlsdon Literary Magazine [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/2291/earlsdon_literary_magazine]
Readers' groups online
Can't make it to any of these readers' groups? You can chat about your favourite books and review them online by joining the following free book group forum Goodreads groups [https://www.goodreads.com/group]. You can also suggest new titles to other readers groups and apply for offers for your group through Readers Groups for Everyone [http://readinggroups.org/groups], you will need a special code to do so, once you have signed up for a free account.
If you are a Facebook user, join the Coventry Libraries Online Readers Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoventryLibrariesOnlineReadersGroup]
For specialist reader development advice, contact our Reading and Literacy Coordinator, Lesley Martin: lesley.martin@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:lesley.martin@coventry.gov.uk] or call 024 7697 2677
For general Readers Group enquiries please email libraries247@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:libraries247@coventry.gov.uk]
Play readers' groups (16+)
The play readers’ groups based in libraries are open to everyone, free to attend, with new members always welcome.
Register your play readers’ group
If you would like to register your play readers’ group, you can do so online or in person. You will have access to the playset collection held at Central Library for the exclusive use of play readers’ groups. The library service can also help promote community-based groups, who do not meet at their local library.
- Complete the play readers' online form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/librariesformreadersgroups]
- Contact your local library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary]
Request a title for your next play readers’ group
If you would like to request titles from us for your next play readers’ group, you can do so online, over the phone or in person. You will need to provide the playwright, title, number of copies required and the date of your next meeting
- Complete the play readers' online form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/librariesformreadersgroups]
- Contact your local library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary]
Titles available for play readers’ groups to loan
View the play readers' list [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/events-in-Coventry-libraries/5]
Poetry groups
Poetry Workshops at Central Library on the last Sunday of the month 1pm - 3.10pm. Coventry's own Poet Laureate, Emilie Lauren Jones, leads this poetry session consisting of fun writing activities inspired by example poems, with time for sharing your written poems. Whether you have been writing for a long time or are new to writing, why not join this friendly and inclusive group? For more details contact Emilie by telephone on 07805 104743 or e-mail [mailto:emilielaurenwriter@gmail.com]. These sessions are supported by the Positive Images Festival.
Creative writing groups
If you enjoy writing, join one of our creative writing groups where you can share your passion for telling stories, in a supportive environment, with like-minded people.
| Library | Frequency | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Central Writers Hub | Fortnightly on a Saturday | 10am - 12noon |
| Stoke Writers Group | Second Wednesday of the month | 2pm - 3pm |
Readers' Group book collection
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Archer, Jeffrey | Nothing Ventured | 12 copies |
| Barclay, Linwood | No Time for Goodbye | 11 copies |
| Bolton, S. J. | Now You See Me | 13 copies |
| Brittney, Lynn | A Death in Chelsea | 3 copies |
| Camilleri, Andrea | The Terracotta Dog | 9 copies |
| Clark, Mary Higgins | The Lost Years | 6 copies |
| Cleeves, Ann | The Long Call | 8 copies |
| Cleeves, Ann | Too Good to be True (Quick Read) | 12 copies |
| Connelly, Michael | The Burning Room | 10 copies |
| Cornwell, Patricia | The Bone Bed | 11 copies |
| Durrant, Sabine | Under Your Skin | 32 copies |
| Ferraris, Zoe | City of Veils | 14 copies |
| French, Tana | Broken Harbour | 22 copies |
| Hannah, Sophie | Kind of Cruel | 23 copies |
| James, Peter | Dead Man's Time | 13 copies |
| James, Peter | Not Dead Yet | 15 copies |
| Kelly, Erin | The Burning Air | 18 copies |
| Knight, Ali | Until Death | 17 copies |
| La Plante, Lynda | Backlash | 6 copies |
| La Plante, Lynda | Blood Line | 5 copies |
| La Plante, Lynda | Wrongful Death | 7 copies |
| MacBride, Stuart | Close to the Bone | 7 copies |
| Nesbo, Jo | Phantom | 9 copies |
| Rankin, Ian | The Falls | 9 copies |
| Reichs, Kathy | Bones are Forever | 10 copies |
| Reichs, Kathy | Death du Jour | 15 copies |
| Rhodes, Kate | Crossbones Yard | 17 copies |
| Robb, J. D. | Thankless in Death | 8 copies |
| Robinson, Peter | Children of the Revolution | 12 copies |
| Sansom, C. J. | Dissolution | 12 copies |
| Smith, Alexander McCall | The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | 12 copies |
| Walters, Minette | A Dreadful Murder (Quick Read) | 10 copies |
| Watson, S. J. | Before I go to Sleep | 13 copies |
| Welsh, Louise | The Girl on the Stairs | 25 copies |
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Gaiman, Neil | The Ocean at the End of the Lane | 15 copies |
| Haynes, Natalie | Stone Blind | 12 copies |
| Hobb, Robin | Assassin's Apprentice | 18 copies |
| Pratchett, Terry | Good Omens | 14 copies |
| Wilson, G. Willow | Alif the Unseen | 15 copies |
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Sara Nisha | The Reading List | 11 copies |
| Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi | Americanah | 16 copies |
| Adiga, Aravind | Last Man in Tower | 9 copies |
| Adiga, Aravind | White Tiger | 7 copies |
| Ahern, Cecelia | How to Fall in Love | 10 copies |
| Ahern, Cecelia | One Hundred Names | 10 copies |
| Albom, Mitch | The Five People You Meet in Heaven | 9 copies |
| Alison, Rosie | The Very Thought of You | 6 copies |
| Allende, Isabel | The House of Spirits | 13 copies |
| Archer, Jeffrey | Only Time Will Tell | 10 copies |
| Archer, Jeffrey | The Sins of the Father | 10 copies |
| Arnold, Gaynor | Girl in a Blue Dress | 13 copies |
| Atkinson, Kate | Life After Life | 17 copies |
| Backman, Fredrik | A Man Called Ove | 13 copies |
| Backman, Fredrik | Anxious People | 12 copies |
| Banks, Iain | The Quarry | 21 copies |
| Banks, Lynne Reid | The L-Shaped Room | 14 copies |
| Barry, Sebastian | A Long Long Way | 14 copies |
| Barry, Sebastian | The Secret Scripture | 13 copies |
| Bennett, Ronan | The Catastrophist | 15 copies |
| Binchy, Maeve | Full House (Quick Read) | 14 copies |
| Binchy, Maeve | A Week in Winter | 10 copies |
| Blake, Sarah | The Postmistress | 12 copies |
| Boyd, William | Restless | 14 copies |
| Boyne, John | The Heart’s Invisible Furies | 11 copies |
| Bradford, Barbara Taylor | Cavendon Hall | 6 copies |
| Brays, Carys | The Museum of You | 10 copies |
| Bronte, Anne | Agnes Grey | 15 copies |
| Brooks, Geraldine | March | 15 copies |
| Brooks, Geraldine | Year of Wonders | 15 copies |
| Broome, Iain | A is for Angelica | 16 copies |
| Bulawayo, NoViolet | We Need New Names | 15 copies |
| Burnett, Frances Hodgson | The Secret Garden | 14 copies |
| Byatt, A. S. | The Children’s Book | 16 copies |
| Carey, Peter | The Chemistry of Tears | 13 copies |
| Cary, Dennis | An Untilled Field | 10 copies |
| Catozzella, Giuseppe | Don’t Tell me You’re Afraid | 16 copies |
| Chambers, Clare | Small Pleasures | 12 copies |
| Clarke, Susanna | Piranesi | 12 copies |
| Cochrane, Kira | Escape Route for Beginners | 18 copies |
| Coe, Jonathan | The Rotters’ Club | 14 copies |
| Coetzee, J. M. | Disgrace | 13 copies |
| Cohen, Julie | Together | 7 copies |
| Collins, Jackie | The Power Trip | 7 copies |
| Cox, Josephine | The Broken Man | 10 copies |
| Desai, Anita | Fasting, Feasting | 15 copies |
| De Waal, Kit | My Name is Leon | 11 copies |
| Dickens, Charles | The Old Curiosity Shop | 15 copies |
| Dickens, Charles | A Tale of Two Cities | 11 copies |
| Donoghue, Emma | The Wonder | 15 copies |
| Doyle, Roddy | Smile | 15 copies |
| Du Maurier, Daphne | The House on the Strand | 13 copies |
| Du Maurier, Daphne | My Cousin Rachel | 13 copies |
| Dunant, Sarah | Sacred Hearts | 14 copies |
| Eliot, George | Felix Holt, the Radical | 10 copies |
| Eliot, George | Middlemarch | 9 copies |
| Eliot, George | Silas Marner | 8 copies |
| Erskine, Barbara | River of Destiny | 14 copies |
| Evans, Harriett | A Place for Us | 11 copies |
| Farrell, J. G. | The Siege of Krishnapur | 13 copies |
| Fforde, Katie | A French Affair | 7 copies |
| Fforde, Katie | Recipe for love | 10 copies |
| Fielding, Helen | Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy | 6 copies |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Great Gatsby | 14 copies |
| Flynn, Katie | A Christmas to Remember | 8 copies |
| Flynn, Katie | A Sixpenny Christmas | 7 copies |
| Forna, Aminatta | The Memory of Love | 14 copies |
| Forster, Margaret | Diary of an Ordinary Woman | 14 copies |
| Franzen, Jonathan | The Corrections | 15 copies |
| French, Dawn | Oh Dear Silvia | 21 copies |
| Fugard, Athol | Tsotsi | 14 copies |
| Gaskell, Elizabeth | Wives and Daughters | 14 copies |
| Gee, Sue | The Mysteries of Glass | 10 copies |
| Ghosh, Amitav | Sea of Poppies | 14 copies |
| Glencross, Tim | Barbarians | 12 copies |
| Graham, Laurie | The Future Homemakers of America | 14 copies |
| Green, Jane | The Patchwork Marriage | 11 copies |
| Greene, Graham | Brighton Rock | 14 copies |
| Gruen, Sara | Water For Elephants | 12 copies |
| Haddad, Saleem | Guapa | 12 copies |
| Halls, Stacey | Mrs England | 11 copies |
| Hamilton, Patrick | Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky | 13 copies |
| Harris, Joanne | Peaches for Monsieur le Cure | 13 copies |
| Heller, Zoe | Notes on a Scandal | 14 copies |
| Hemingway, Ernest | Fiesta | 15 copies |
| Hemingway, Ernest | The Old Man and the Sea | 14 copies |
| Highsmith, Patricia | The Talented Mr. Ripley | 12 copies |
| Hislop, Victoria | The Island | 12 copies |
| Honeyman, Gail | Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine | 14 copies |
| Hosseini, Khaled | And the Mountains Echoed | 10 copies |
| Ilich, Patricia | Maybe I’ll Write More Later… Maybe | 12 copies |
| Irving, John | The Cider House Rules | 15 copies |
| Irving, John | A Prayer for Owen Meany | 14 copies |
| Ishiguro, Kazuo | Never Let Me Go | 12 copies |
| Jewell, Lisa | Before I Met You | 10 copies |
| Jonasson, Jonas | The 100-year-old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared | 11 copies |
| Jonasson, Jonas | The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden | 10 copies |
| Jones, Ruth | Never Greener | 8 copies |
| Jones, Terry | Trouble on the Heath | 15 copies |
| Joyce, Graham | Some Kind of Fairy Tale | 13 copies |
| Joyce, Rachel | The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy | 15 copies |
| Joyce, Rachel | Perfect | 11 copies |
| Joyce, Rachel | The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry | 25 copies |
| Kelly, Cathy | The Honey Queen | 11 copies |
| Kennedy, Louise | Trespasses | 12 copies |
| Keyes, Marian | The Mystery of Mercy Close | 7 copies |
| Kidd, Sue Monk | The Secret Life of Bees | 14 copies |
| Koomson, Dorothy | The Rose Petal Beach | 9 copies |
| Laclos, Choderlos de | Dangerous Liaisons | 12 copies |
| Lee, Maureen | After the War is Over | 8 copies |
| Lessing, Doris | The Grass is Singing | 14 copies |
| Lette, Kathy | Love is Blind (Quick Read) | 11 copies |
| Lewis, Susan | Don’t Let Me Go | 12 copies |
| Lewis, Susan | No Child of Mine | 10 copies |
| London, Jack | The Call of the Wild | 13 copies |
| Lupton, Rosamund | Sister | 15 copies |
| McEwan, Ian | On Chesil Beach | 11 copies |
| McEwan, Ian | Sweet Tooth | 13 copies |
| McGregor, Jon | If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things | 12 copies |
| McQuiston, Casey | One Last Stop | 9 copies |
| Mansell, Jill | Don’t Want to Miss a Thing | 10 copies |
| Mansell, Jill | The Unpredictable Consequences of Love | 8 copies |
| Marshall, Heather | Looking For Jane | 10 copies |
| Mason, Meg | Sorrow and Bliss | 12 copies |
| Maupin, Armistead | The Days of Anna Madrigal | 8 copies |
| Miller, Andrew | Snowdrops | 14 copies |
| Mitchell, Margaret | Gone with the Wind | 4 copies |
| Moggach, Deborah | Heartbreak Hotel | 7 copies |
| Montefiore, Santa | The House by the Sea | 8 copies |
| Montefiore, Santa | Secrets of the Lighthouse | 15 copies |
| Morton, Kate | The Secret Keeper | 9 copies |
| Moyes, Jojo | Me Before You | 14 copies |
| Mukherjee, Alison | An Untimely Frost | 15 copies |
| Mukherjee, Alison | What’s Going on at the Whitler? | 9 copies |
| Murugan, Perumal | Pyre | 12 copies |
| Nemirovsky, Irene | Suite Francaise | 11 copies |
| Newman, Sandra | The Country of Ice Cream Star | 10 copies |
| North, Anna | Outlawed | 9 copies |
| North, Freya | The Way Back Home | 8 copies |
| Norton, Graham | Holding | 12 copies |
| O’Connor, Joseph | Shadowplay | 12 copies |
| O’Farrell, Maggie | After You’d Gone | 11 copies |
| O’Farrell, Maggie | Instructions for a Heatwave | 7 copies |
| Orwell, George | Nineteen Eighty-Four | 14 copies |
| Oyeyemi, Helen | Peaces | 9 copies |
| Ozeki, Ruth | The Book of Form and Emptiness | 12 copies |
| Palacio, R. J. | Wonder | 14 copies |
| Parks, Adele | Whatever It Takes | 8 copies |
| Parsons, Tony | Man and Boy | 13 copies |
| Pearse, Lesley | Forgive Me | 10 copies |
| Petterson, Per | It’s Fine by Me | 14 copies |
| Picoult, Jodi | Lone Wolf | 11 copies |
| Picoult, Jodi | Nineteen Minutes | 15 copies |
| Powers, Richard | Bewilderment | 12 copies |
| Pym, Barbara | Excellent Women | 11 copies |
| Rankin, Robert | The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse | 11 copies |
| Reid, Taylor Jenkins | Daisy Jones & the Six | 9 copies |
| Rice, James | Alice and the Fly | 11 copies |
| Robinson, Marilynne | Gilead | 8 copies |
| Rooney, Sally | Normal People | 12 copies |
| Roy, Arundhati | The God of Small Things | 20 copies |
| Sahota, Sunjeev | China Room | 12 copies |
| Savage, Thomas | The Power of the Dog | 12 copies |
| Schlink, Bernhard | The Reader | 15 copies |
| Seth, Vikram | An Equal Music | 13 copies |
| Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft | Frankenstein | 15 copies |
| Simsion, Graeme | The Rosie Project | 12 copies |
| Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr | One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich | 14 copies |
| St. Aubyn, Edward | Mother’s Milk | 16 copies |
| Steel, Danielle | Until the End of Time | 6 copies |
| Steinbeck, John | Of Mice and Men | 14 copies |
| Stockett, Kathryn | The Help | 12 copies |
| Swarup, Vikas | Slumdog Millionaire | 13 copies |
| Swift, Graham | The Light of Day | 9 copies |
| Tartt, Donna | The Little Friend | 15 copies |
| Towles, Amor | A Gentleman in Moscow | 11 copies |
| Townsend, Sue | The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year | 20 copies |
| Trollope, Joanna | The Soldier’s Wife | 9 copies |
| Troth, Catriona | Ghost Town | 13 copies |
| Tutton, Chris | Failing of Angels | 8 copies |
| Vickers, Salley | Cousins | 14 copies |
| Ward, Rhiannon | The Quickening | 12 copies |
| Waters, Sarah | Fingersmith | 16 copies |
| Waters, Sarah | The Little Stranger | 9 copies |
| Winman, Sarah | When God was a Rabbit | 16 copies |
| Wood, Charlotte | The Weekend | 12 copies |
| Wood, Monica | The One in a Million Boy | 12 copies |
| Woolf, Virginia | To the Lighthouse | 15 copies |
| Ybarra, Gabriela | The Dinner Guest | 15 copies |
| Zusak, Markus | The Book Thief | 12 copies |
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Catton, Eleanor | The Luminaries | 10 copies |
| Chevalier, Tracy | The Last Runaway | 15 copies |
| Clarke, Lindsay | The War at Troy | 14 copies |
| Cornwell, Bernard | 1356 | 15 copies |
| Davies, Peter Ho | The Welsh Girl | 14 copies |
| Elton, Ben | Two brothers | 9 copies |
| Gregory, Philippa | The White Princess | 11 copies |
| Grenville, Kate | The Secret River | 15 copies |
| Hargrave, Kiran Millwood | The Mercies | 12 copies |
| Mantel, Hilary | Bring Up the Bodies | 20 copies |
| Mantel, Hilary | Wolf Hall | 14 copies |
| Miller, Andrew | Pure | 15 copies |
| Parsons, Tony | Beyond the Bounty (Quick Read) | 14 copies |
| Sepetys, Ruta | Between Shades of Gray | 14 copies |
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Dunmore, Helen | The Greatcoat | 11 copies |
| Levin, Ira | The Stepford Wives | 15 copies |
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Astley, Neil (ed.) | Staying Alive: real poems for unreal times | 15 copies |
| Bainbridge, David | Middle Age: a natural history | 15 copies |
| Bathurst, Bella | The Lighthouse Stevensons | 13 copies |
| Bell, Jo | Kith | 11 copies |
| Braun, Adam | The Promise of a Pencil | 8 copies |
| Chang, Jung | Wild Swans | 12 copies |
| Dalyrymple, William | From the Holy Mountain | 15 copies |
| Gilbert, Elizabeth | Eat, Pray, Love | 11 copies |
| Kay, Jackie | Red Dust Road | 10 copies |
| MacIntyre, Ben | Agent Sonya | 11 copies |
| MacOnie, Stuart | Long Road from Jarrow | 15 copies |
| McNab, Andy | Today Everything Changes (Quick Read) | 16 copies |
| Moore, Wendy | Wedlock: how Georgian Britain’s worst husband met his match | 14 copies |
| Sanghera, Sathnam | Empireland: how imperialism has shaped modern Britain | 12 copies |
| Seierstad, Asne | The Bookseller of Kabul | 13 copies |
| Sissay, Lemn | My Name is Why | 12 copies |
| Summerscale, Kate | The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, or the Murder at Road Hill House | 9 copies |
| Walmsley, Ann | The Prison Book Club | 11 copies |
| Winn, Raynor | The Salt Path | 11 copies |
| Wood, Adam | The Watchmaker's Revenge | 11 copies |
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Tchaikovsky, Adrian | Children of Time | 12 copies |
| Tucker, Mike | Doctor Who: The Silurian Gift (Quick Read) | 12 copies |
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Baldacci, David | The Innocent | 8 copies |
| Baldacci, David | Last Man Standing | 15 copies |
| Beukes, Lauren | The Shining Girls | 10 copies |
| Billingham, Mark | Rush of Blood | 9 copies |
| Clark, Mary Higgins | Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting | 8 copies |
| Coben, Harlan | Six Years | 13 copies |
| Cumming, Charles | Box 88 | 6 copies |
| Deaver, Jeffery | The Kill Room | 7 copies |
| Dicker, Joel | The Enigma of Room 622 | 12 copies |
| Feeney, Alice | I Know Who You Are | 7 copies |
| Goddard, Robert | Fault Line | 8 copies |
| Grisham, John | The Racketeer | 7 copies |
| Hallett, Janice | The Appeal | 12 copies |
| Hayes, Terry | I Am Pilgrim | 7 copies |
| Kernick, Simon | Ultimatum | 11 copies |
| Kernick, Simon | Wrong Time, Wrong Place (Quick Read) | 12 copies |
| Kirino, Natsuo | Out | 12 copies |
| Le Carre, John | A Most Wanted Man | 14 copies |
| Mackintosh, Clare | I Let You Go | 12 copies |
| Miller, Derek B. | Norwegian by Night | 15 copies |
| Parris, S. J. | Sacrilege | 14 copies |
| Patterson, James | Gone | 8 copies |
| Patterson, James | Guilty Wives | 7 copies |
| Patterson, James | I, Michael Bennett | 8 copies |
| Patterson, James | Merry Christmas, Alex Cross | 6 copies |
| Patterson, James | Private Berlin | 8 copies |
| Patterson, James | Private L.A. | 9 copies |
| Patterson, James | Zoo | 14 copies |
| Pinborough, Sarah | Behind Her Eyes | 10 copies |
| Rose, Karen | Watch Your Back | 7 copies |
| Sansom, C. J. | Dominion | 11 copies |
| Slaughter, Karin | Unseen | 9 copies |
| Torday, Paul | Light Shining in the Forest | 17 copies |
| Toyne, Simon | The Tower | 11 copies |
| Author | Book title | Number of copies |
|---|---|---|
| Blackman, Malorie | Noughts and Crosses | 20 copies |
| Bowler, Tim | Sea of Whispers | 8 copies |
| Boyne, John | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | 14 copies |
| Crossan, Sarah | The Weight of Water | 9 copies |
| James, Lauren | The Quiet at the End of the World | 8 copies |
| Reichs, Kathy | Code | 16 copies |
| Saenz, Benjamin Alire | Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe | 8 copies |
| Wooding, Chris | Silver | 10 copies |
Play Readers' Group collection
| Author | Play |
|---|---|
| Aeschylus | The Oresteian Trilogy |
| Albee, Edward | The Zoo Story |
| Anouilh, Jean | Becket or The Honour of God |
| Anouilh, Jean | The Lark |
| Anouilh, Jean | Ring Round the Moon |
| Anouilh, Jean | The Waltz of the Toreadors |
| Arden, John | Serjeant Musgrave's Dance |
| Aristophanes | Lysistrata |
| Ayckbourn, Alan | How the Other Half Loves |
| Ayckbourn, Alan | Three Plays |
| Ayckbourn, Alan | Mixed Doubles |
| Ayckbourn, Alan | The Norman Conquests |
| Ayckbourn, Alan | Ten Times Table |
| Ayckbourn, Alan | Time and Time Again |
| Bagnold, Enid | The Chalk Garden |
| Barrie, James Matthew | The Admirable Crichton |
| Batson, George | The House on the Cliff |
| Benfield, Derek | Wild Goose Chase |
| Besier, Rudolf | The Barretts of Wimpole Street |
| Bloomfield, Robert | Portrait of Murder |
| Bolt, Robert | A Man for All Seasons |
| Bolt, Robert | Vivat Vivat Regina |
| Bond, Edward | Narrow Road to the Deep North |
| Bond, Edward | Saved |
| Box, Muriel | A Marriage Has Been Disarranged |
| Brecht, Bertold | The Caucasian Chalk Circle |
| Brighouse, Harold | Hobson's Choice |
| Browne, Wynard | The Holly and the Ivy |
| Camoletti, Marc | Boeing Boeing |
| Carroll, Paul Vincent | Beauty is Fled |
| Carroll, Paul Vincent | The King Who Could Not Laugh |
| Cary, Falkland Litton | An Air for Murder |
| Cary, Falkland Litton | Crystal Clear |
| Cary, Falkland Litton | The Proof of the Poison |
| Cary, Falkland Litton | The Recco |
| Chappell, Eric | The Banana Box |
| Charles, Moie | Murder at the Vicarage |
| Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich | The Seagull |
| Christie, Agatha | An Afternoon at the Seaside |
| Christie, Agatha | The Mousetrap |
| Christie, Agatha | The Patient |
| Christie, Agatha | The Rats |
| Christie, Agatha | Spider's Web |
| Christie, Agatha | The Unexpected Guest |
| Christie, Agatha | Witness for the Prosecution |
| Coke, Peter | Breath of Spring |
| Coke, Peter | Fool's Paradise |
| Coke, Peter | Midsummer Milk |
| Collins, Freda | Folk Tale Plays |
| Congreve, William | The Way of the World |
| Cooney, Ray | My Giddy Aunt |
| Cooney, Ray | Not Now Darling |
| Coward, Noel | Blithe Spirit |
| Coward, Noel | Nude With Violin |
| Coward, Noel | Present Laughter |
| Coward, Noel | Relative Values |
| Coward, Noel | Still Life |
| Cox, Constance | Everyman |
| Cox, Constance | Lord Arthur Savile's Crime |
| Cox, Constance | Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn |
| Coxe, Louis. O. | Billy Budd |
| Cruden, Thomas | Life of Hercules: Page One |
| Delaney, Shelagh | The Lion in Love |
| Delderfield, Ronald Frederick | Home is the Hunted |
| Delderfield, Ronald Frederick | Worm's Eye View |
| Dickens, Charles | A Christmas Carol (ad. Sutton, Shaun) |
| Dickens, Charles | A Christmas Carol (dramatised Foss, Kenelm) |
| Dighton, John | The Happiest Days of Your Life |
| Dinner, William | The Late Edwina Black |
| Douglas, Felicity | According to the Evidence |
| Du Maurier, Daphne | Rebecca |
| Durbridge, Francis | Suddenly at Home |
| Durrenmatt, Friedrich | The Physicists |
| Dyer, Charles. R. | Rattle of a Simple Man |
| East, Donald | The Lucky One |
| Eliot, Thomas Stearns | The Cocktail Party |
| England, Barry | Conduct Unbecoming |
| Feely, Terence | Who Killed Santa Claus? |
| Feydeau, Georges | A Flea in Her Ear |
| Frayn, Michael | Alarms and Excursions |
| Frayn, Michael | Benefactors |
| Friel, Brian | The Freedom of the City |
| Friel, Brian | Lovers |
| Frisby, Terence | There's a Girl in my Soup |
| Fry, Christopher | Plays |
| Galsworthy, John | Famous Plays |
| Gogol, Nikolai Vasilevich | The Government Inspector |
| Goldman, James | The Lion in Winter |
| Goldsby, Angela and Robert | Let's Get a Divorce |
| Goldsmith, Oliver | She Stoops to Conquer or The Mistakes of a Night |
| Goodman, Jules Eckert | Treasure Island |
| Gow, Ronald | Scuttleboom's Treasure |
| Halliwell, David | Little Malcolm and His Struggle against the Eunuchs |
| Hamilton, Patrick | Gaslight |
| Harris, Elmer | Johnny Belinda |
| Harris, Richard | Who Goes Bare? |
| Harvey, Wilfred | All the Tea in China |
| Hastings, Charlotte | Bonaventure |
| Holland, Norman | The Militants |
| Home, William Douglas | The Bishop and the Actress |
| Home, William Douglas | The Chiltern Hundreds |
| Home, William Douglas | The Secretary Bird |
| Horne, Kenneth | And This Was Odd |
| Horne, Kenneth | Fools Rush In |
| Horne, Kenneth | Jane Steps Out |
| Horne, Kenneth | Wolf's Clothing |
| Houghton, Stanley | Dear Departed |
| Houghton, Stanley | Hindle Wakes: A Play in Three Acts |
| Hsiung, Shih I. | Lady Precious Stream |
| Ibsen, Henrik | A Doll's House |
| Ibsen, Henrik | An Enemy of the People |
| Ionesco, Eugene | Rhinoceros |
| Jacobs, W. W. | The Monkey's Paw |
| Johnson, Philip | April Dawn |
| Johnson, Philip | Charade |
| Johnson, Philip | The Late Miss Cordell |
| Johnson, Philip | Master Dudley |
| Johnson, Philip | Where Every Prospect Pleases |
| Jonson, Ben | The Alchemist |
| Kelly, John Donald | Queer Street |
| Kesselring, Joseph | Arsenic and Old Lace |
| King, Philip | Big.. Bad.. Mouse! |
| King, Philip | Dark Lucy |
| King, Philip | Elementary, My Dear |
| King, Philip | Go Bang Your Tambourine |
| King, Philip | Here We Come Gathering |
| King, Philip | I'll Get My Man |
| King, Philip | Milk and Honey |
| King, Philip | Murder in Company |
| King, Philip | Rock-a-Bye, Sailor |
| King, Philip | So Far - No Further |
| Knott, Frederick | Dial M for Murder |
| Knott, Frederick | Wait Until Dark |
| Laurie, Rona | Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and Friends |
| Lawler, Ray | Summer of the Seventeenth Doll |
| Levy, Benn | The Rape of the Belt |
| Lodge, David | The Writing Game |
| Lovegrove, Arthur | Just Another Day |
| Luke, Peter | Hadrian the Seventh |
| McCracken, Esther | Quiet Wedding |
| McLoughlin, Maurice | Brush With a Body |
| Mackie, Philip | The Whole Truth |
| Marriott, Anthony | No Sex, Please - We're British |
| Maugham, William Somerset | The Constant Wife |
| Melville, Alan | Dear Charles |
| Mercer, David | Ducksong |
| Mercer, David | Flint |
| Millar, Ronald | Abelard and Heloise |
| Millar, Ronald | The Bride and the Bachelor |
| Millar, Ronald | Waiting for Gillian |
| Miller, Arthur | Death of a Salesman |
| Miller, Arthur | A View from the Bridge |
| Mills, Hugh | The House by the Lake |
| Milne, Alan Alexander | The Man in the Bowler Hat |
| Milne, Alan Alexander | The Ugly Duckling |
| Moliere, Jean Baptiste Poquelin | The Miser |
| Moliere, Jean Baptiste Poquelin | The School for Wives (ad. Malleson, Miles) |
| Moliere, Jean Baptiste Poquelin | Tartuffe or The Imposter |
| Morris, Thomas Baden | Cloud over the Morning |
| Morris, Thomas Baden | Little Nut-Tree |
| Morris, Thomas Baden | The Sleeping Fires |
| Mortimer, John | The Collaborators |
| Mortimer, John | Collect Your Hand Baggage |
| Mortimer, John | Knightsbridge |
| Mortimer, John | Lunch Hour |
| Mortimer, John | Two Stars for Comfort |
| Mortimer, John | A Voyage Round my Father |
| Murdoch, Iris | A Severed Head |
| Naughton, Bill | Alfie |
| Naughton, Bill | All in Good Time |
| Naughton, Bill | Spring and Port Wine |
| Nichols, Peter | The National Nurse or Nurse Norton's Affair |
| Obey, Andre | Noah |
| O'Casey, Sean | Juno and the Paycock |
| Orton, Joe | Entertaining Mr Sloane |
| Orton, Joe | Loot |
| Osborne, John | The Entertainer |
| Parker, David | The Collector |
| Peach, Lawrence du Garde | The White Sheep of the Family |
| Pearn, V. A. | Through the Looking Glass |
| Pinero, Arthur Wing | The Second Mrs Tanqueray |
| Pinero, Arthur Wing | Trelawny of the Wells |
| Pinter, Harold | The Birthday Cake |
| Pinter, Harold | The Caretaker |
| Pinter, Harold | The Dumb Waiter |
| Popplewell, Jack | Busybody |
| Popplewell, Jack | Dead on Nine |
| Priestley, John Boynton | Dangerous Corner |
| Priestley, John Boynton | An Inspector Calls and Other Plays |
| Priestley, John Boynton | Time and the Conways |
| Priestley, John Boynton | When We are Married |
| Rattigan, Terence | The Deep Blue Sea |
| Rattigan, Terence | French Without Tears |
| Rattigan, Terence | Harlequinade |
| Rattigan, Terence | Ross |
| Rattigan, Terence | Separate Tables |
| Rayburn, Joyce | Cat in the Bag |
| Rayburn, Joyce | Don't Start Without Me |
| Rayburn, Joyce | The Man Most Likely To |
| Ridley, Arnold | The Ghost Train |
| Roffrey, Jack | Hostile Witness |
| Rosser, Austin | Sweeney Todd |
| Ruskin, Sheila | The Owl and the Pussycat Went to See |
| Saunders, James | Scent of Flowers |
| Sayers, Dorothy Leigh | The Man Born to be King |
| Schnitzler, Arthur | Laronde |
| Shaffer, Peter | Amadeus |
| Shaffer, Peter | Black Comedy |
| Shaffer, Peter | Five Finger Exercise |
| Shaffer, Peter | The Private Ear |
| Shaffer, Peter | The Public Eye |
| Shaffer, Peter | The Royal Hunt of the Sun |
| Shakespeare, William | King Henry V |
| Shakespeare, William | The Merchant of Venice |
| Shakespeare, William | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
| Shakespeare, William | Much Ado About Nothing |
| Shakespeare, William | Romeo and Juliet |
| Shakespeare, William | The Tempest |
| Shakespeare, William | The Tragedy of Macbeth |
| Shakespeare, William | Twelfth Night |
| Shaw, George Bernard | Pygmalion |
| Shaw, George Bernard | Saint Joan |
| Sheridan, Richard Brinsley | The Rivals |
| Sherriff, Robert Cedric | Journey's End |
| Simpson, Norman Frederick | One Way Pendulum |
| Simpson, Norman Frederick | A Resounding Tinkle |
| Smith, Dodie | Dear Octopus |
| Spewack, Samuel | My Three Angels |
| Stoppard, Tom | Albert's Bridge |
| Stoppard, Tom | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead |
| Storey, David | The Changing Room |
| Storm, Lesley | Roar Like a Dove |
| Taylor, Samuel | Sabrina Fair |
| Terson, Peter | Zigger Zagger / Mooney and his Caravans |
| Thomas, Basil | Book of the Month |
| Travers, Ben | Rookery Nook |
| Turner, Margaret | Come Home, My Children |
| Voight, Cherry | Let's Be Friends |
| Weathers, Philip | Tell-Tale Murder |
| Wesker, Arnold | Chicken Soup with Barley |
| Wesker, Arnold | Roots |
| Westall, Robert | The Machine-Gunners |
| Whiting, John | The Devils |
| Wilde, Oscar | The Importance of Being Earnest |
| Wilde, Oscar | Lady Windermere's Fan |
| Williams, Emlyn | A Murder Has Been Arranged |
| Willis, Ted | Doctor at Sea |
| Willis, Ted | Woman in a Dressing Gown |
Black History Month
Black History Month is marked every October in the UK, find out more on the Black History Month Website [https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/]
Search the online catalogue [https://librarycatalogue.coventry.gov.uk/welcome] to find or request the following books in a library near you, or search BorrowBox [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/ebooks] to read for free online
Black History Month (Books for Adults)
Fiction
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Roots by Alex Haley
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
- Swing Time by Zadie Smith
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin
- The Lonely Londoners by Samuel Selvon
- Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
- Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
- Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
- Their Eyes are Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
- Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
- Ayiti by Roxane Gay
- Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
- Tell Me Your Secret by Dorothy Koomson
- Ruby by Cynthia Bond
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley
- A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
- Bluebird, Bluebird: A Novel by Attica Locke
- Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
- The Sellout by Paul Beatty
- Here Comes The Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- The Freedom Artist by Ben Okri
Non-fiction
- Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang
- Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala
- The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire by David Olusoga
- Bob Marley: The Untold Story by Chris Salewicz
- Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War by Stephen Bourne
- I Can't Breathe: The Killing that Started a Movement by Matt Taibbi
- Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Windrush: The Irresistable Rise of Multi-Racial Britain by Mike Phillips
- Abolitionism: A Very Short Introduction by Richard S. Newman
- Africa's Long Road to Independence: The Many Histories of a Continent by Keith Somerville
- Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War by Linda Hervieux
- I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin
- Grime Kids: The Inside Story of the Global Grime Takeover by DJ Target
- Black and Britain: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
- Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century by Kehunde Andrews
- The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of an Idea by Christophe Lebron
- The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla
- They Can't Kill Us All: The Story of Black Lives Matter byWesley Lowery
- Born a Crime and Other Stories by Trevor Noah
- This is Grime by Hattie Collins
- Chuck D presents This Day in Rap and Hip-Hop History by Chuck D
- Rise Up: The Merky Story So Far by Stormzy
- The Penguin Atlas of African History by Colin McEvedy
- Eskiboy by Wiley
- The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah: The Autobiography by Benjamin Zephaniah
- A Short History of Slavery by James Walvin
- Inner City Pressure: The Story of Grime by Dan Hancox
- Island People: The Caribbean and the World by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro
- Black British History: New Perspectives by Hakim Adi
- Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital by Lloyd Bradley
- Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson by Geoffrey C. Ward
- Notes from Africa: A Musical Journey with Youssou N'Dour by Jenny Cathcart
- Black, Listed: Black Culture Explored by Jeffrey Boakye
- Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain by Robert Winder
- Arthur Ashe: A Life by Raymond Arsenault
- Voices of the Windrush Generation: The Real Story Told By The People Themselves by David Matthews
- Kumukanda by Kayombo Chingonyi
- Afropean: Notes from Black Europe by Johny Pitts
- Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution by Simon Schama
- The Oxford Companion to Black British History by David Dabydeen
- Ali: The Fight America Didn't Want by Russell Routledge
- Memphis 68: The Tragedy of Southern Soul by Stuart Cosgrove
- Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
- Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation by Colin Grant
- They Don't Teach This by Eniola Aluka
- Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday
- Negro with a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey by Colin Grant
- Black Artists in British Art: A History from 1950 to the Present by Eddie Chambers
- The Making of Black Working Class Britain by Ron Ramedin
- The Heart of the Race: Black Women's Lives in Britain by Beverley Bryan
- Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles by Richard Dowden
- I & I: Marley, Tosh and Wailer by Colin Grant
- Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama by David J. Garrow
- Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years by Nelson Mandela
- Harlem 69: The Future of Soul by Stuart Cosgrove
- The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr by Martin Luther King Jr
- There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack: The Cultural Politics of Race and Nation by Paul Gilroy
- The Three Degrees by Paul Rees
- Black Britain: A Photographic History by Paul Gilroy
- Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King by Lloyd Bradley
- Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of Lifetime by Ron Stallworth
- The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race by Jesmyn Ward
- Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
- Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry by Maya Angelou
- England's Other Countrymen: Black Tudor Society by Onyeka Nubia
- Hip Hop Raised Me by DJ Semtex
- Motown: The Sound of Young America by Adam White
- Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain by Peter Fryer
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
Black History Month (Books for Young People)
Fiction
- Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America by Ibi Aanu Zoboi
- Noughts + Crosses by Malorie Blackman
- Crossfire by Malorie Blackman
- Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
- The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon
- The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- On The Come Up by Angie Thomas
- Nothing But the Truth by Dick Lehr
- Oh My Gods by Alexandra Sheppard
- Indigo Donut by Patrice Lawrence
- The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
- The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
- Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Becoming Dinah by Kit De Waal
- Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Black History Month (Books for Children)
Fiction
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Look Up! by Nathan Bryon
- How High The Moon by Karyn Parsons
- Hair Love by Matthew Cherry
- Billy and the Dragon by Nadia Shireen
- No Longer Alone by Joseph Coelho
- Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke
- Julian the Mermaid by Jessica Love
- The Tunnels Below by Nadine Wild-Palmer
- Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max
- Mira's Curly Hair by Maryam Al Serkal
- Patina by Jason Reynolds
Further reading
- Books - Black History Month official website [https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/section/books/]
- Black History Month | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/black-history-month/]
- Black History books for younger children (4-8) | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/books-to-introduce-black-history-month-to-younger-children/]
- Black History books for older children (9-12) | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/books-to-introduce-black-history-month-to-older-children/]
- Black History books for teenagers | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/our-favourite-books-about-black-history-for-teenagers/]
- Books about Black joy for 0-5s - BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/black-joy-0-5/]
- Books about Black joy for 5-8s - BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/black-joy-5-8/]
- Books about Black joy for 8+ - BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/black-joy-8/]
Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day is marked every 27 January in the UK. Find out more on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website [https://www.hmd.org.uk/].
To borrow a book please search the library catalogue [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/onlinelibrarycatalogue], reserve [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/search-library-catalogue/5] or request [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/search-library-catalogue/4] a copy online, or contact your local library [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/join-find-use/3] to reserve or request books by phone, email or in person.
The Holocaust and Nazi persecution
Fiction
- Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressman Taylor. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald
- The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
- The Children of Freedom by Mark Levy. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
- The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- My Enemy's Cradle by Sara Young
- Refusal by Soazig Aaron
- The Secret Purposes by David Baddiel
- Settela by Aad Wagenaar, translated by Janna Eliot. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Settela's Last Road by Janna Eliot. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Seventh Grade by Richard Zimler. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Sophie's Choice by William Styron
- Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
- War Story by Gwen Edelman. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Zoli by Colum McCann
Non-fiction
- A House Next Door to Trauma: Learning from Holocaust Survivors How to Respond to Atrocity by Judith Hassan
- A Social History of the Third Reich by Richard Grunberger
- After Daybreak: The Liberation of Belsen 1945 by Ben Shephard
- After Such Knowledge: A Meditation on the Aftermath of the Holocaust by Eva Hoffman. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- After the Holocaust: Jewish Survivors in Germany after 1945 by Eva Kolinsky
- Aimee & Jaguar: A Love Story, Berlin 1943 by Erica Fischer
- Auschwitz: A History by Sybille Steinbacher
- British Jewry and the Holocaust by Richard Bolchover. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- By Trust Betrayed: Patients, Physicians and the Licence to Kill in the Third Reich by Hug Gallagher. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Children with a Star: Jewish Youth in Nazi Europe by Deborah Dwork. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Confronting the 'Good Death': Nazi Euthanasia on Trial, 1945-1953 by Michael S. Bryan. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Deaf People in Hitler's Europe by Donna F. Ryan. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Disturbance of the Inner Ear by Joyce Hackett. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Forgotten Crimes: The Holocaust and People with Disabilities by Suzanne Evans. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- From Prejudice to Genocide: Learning about the Holocaust by Carrie Supple. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Hitler's Black Victims: The Historical Experience of Afro-Germans, European Blacks, Africans and African Americans in the Nazi Era by Clarence Lusane. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Holocaust Poetry edited by Hilda Schiff. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- In the Shadow of the Holocaust: The Second Generation by Aaron Hass. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Jehovah's Witnesses: Stand Firm against Nazi Assault
- Maus by Art Spiegelman
- Neighbours: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland by Jan T. Gross. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Nicholas Winton and the Rescued Generation by Muriel Emmanuel and Vera Gissing
- Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher R. Browning. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Perpetrators, Victims, Bystanders: The Jewish Catastrophe 1933-1945 by Raul Hilberg. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust: Genocide and Moral Obligation by David P. Gushee. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally
- Shared Sorrow: A Gypsy Family Remembers the Holocaust by Toby Sonnemann. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Boys: Triumph over Adversity by Martin Gilbert
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- The Gypsies during the Second World War: From 'Race Science' to the Camps, Vol. 1 by Henriette Asseo, Karola Fings, Frank Sparing and Herbet Heuss. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Hitler Emigres: The Cultural Impact on Britain of Refugees from Nazism by Daniel Snowman. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Holocaust: The Jewish Tragedy by Martin Gilbert
- The Internment of Aliens by Francois Lafitte. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Nazis: Persecution, Deportation and Murder, 1933-1945 by Michel Reynaud. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Nazi Persecution of Gypsies by Guenter Lewy
- The Nazis: A Warning from History by Laurence Rees
- The Origins of Nazi Genocide: From Euthanasia to the Final Solution by Henry Friedlander. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Other Schindlers: Why Some People Chose to Save Jews in the Holocaust by Agnes Grunwald-Spier
- The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45 by Wladyslaw Szpilman
- The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust by Martin Gilbert
- The Unwritten Order: Hitler's Role in the Final Solution by Peter Longerich
- Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust by Louise London. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Winter Time: Memoirs of a German Sinto Who Survived Auschwitz by Walter Winter
Survivors and personal testimony
Armenia
- Black Dog of Fate: An American Son Uncovers His Armenian Past by Peter Balakian
The Holocaust & Nazi Persecution
- A Square of Sky: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Poland by Janina David
- A Time to Speak by Helen Lewis
- An Englishman at Auschwitz by Leon Greenman
- An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin by Gad Beck. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Chasing Shadows by Hugo Gryn and Naomi Gryn. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Child of Our Time: A Young Girl's Flight from the Holocaust by Ruth David. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Children in the Holocaust and World War II: Their Secret Diaries by Laurel Holliday. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Diaries of Victor Klemperer by Victor Klemperer
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- Did your ever meet Hitler, Miss?: A Holocaust's Survivor Talks to Young People by Trude Levi. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Facing the Lion: Memoirs of a Young Girl in Nazi Europe by Simone Arnold Liebster. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Fateless by Imre Kertesz
- From Belsen to Buckingham Palace by Paul Oppenheimer. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- From the Ashes of Sobibor: A Story of Survival (Jewish Lives) by Thomas Toivo Blatt. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Ghetto Diary by Janusz Korczak. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Have you seen my little Sister? by Janina Fischler-Martinho. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Holocaust by Bullets by Father Patrick Debois
- I Light a Candle by Gena Turgel. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- I, Pierre Seel, Deported Homosexual by Pierre Seel. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- If This is a Man: The Truce by Primo Levi
- Imagination: Blessed Be, Cursed Be by Batsheva Dagan. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Inherit the Truth 1939-1945: The Documented Experiences of a Survivor of Auschwitz and Belsen by Anita Lasker-Wallfisch
- Losing the Dead by Lisa Appignanesi
- Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language by Eva Hoffman. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Memorial Candles: Children of the Holocaust by Diana Wardi. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- My German Question: Growing up in Nazi Berlin by Peter Gay. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust by Edith Hahn Beer
- Night by Elie Wiesel
- Pearls of Childhood: A Unique Childhood Memoir of Life in Wartime Berlin in the Shadow of the Holocaust by Vera Gissing. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Return to Auschwitz by Kitty Hart-Moxon. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Salvaged Pages by Alexanda Zapruder. You will need to r [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem]equest (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Surrender on Demand by Varian Fry. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Survival: Holocaust Survivors Tell Their Story by Wendy Whitworth. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Surviving in Silence: A Deaf Boy in the Holocaust by Eleanor C. Dunai. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Survivor Stories: Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust by Lyn Smith. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Tiger in the Attic: Memories of the Kindertransport and Growing Up English by Edith Milton. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Winter in the Morning: Young Girl's Life in the Warsaw Ghetto and Beyond by Janina Bauman
- The Woman Without a Number by Iby Knill
- Words to Outlive Us: Eyewitness Accounts from the Warsaw Ghetto edited by Michael Grynberg. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
Genocide
- Genocide: Its Political Use in the Twentieth Century by Leo Kuper. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies by Donald Bloxham and A. Dirk Moses. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
Armenia
- A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility by Taner Ackam
Bosnia
- Bluebird: A Memoir by Vesna Maric
- The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
- My Name is Bosnia by Madeleine Gagnon. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Postcards from the Grave by Emir Suljagic. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Raw Memory: Prijedor, Laboratory of Ethnic Cleansing by Isabelle Weeselingh and Arnaud Vaulerin. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
Cambodia
- The Disappeared by Kim Echlin. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power and Genocide in Cambodia Under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79 by Ben Kiernan. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Survival in the Killing Fields by Haing Ngor and Roger Warner
- To The End of Hell: One Woman's Struggle to Survive Cambodia's Khmer Rouge by Denise Affonco
Darfur
- Darfur: A New History of a Long War by Julie Flint
- Darfur: The Ambigious Genocide by Gerard Prunier. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Something is Going to Fall Like Rain by Ros Wynne-Jones
- Tears of the Desert: One Woman's True Story of Surviving the Horrors of Darfur by Halima Bashir
Rwanda
- A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide by Linda Melvern
- A Time for Machetes: The Rwandan Genocide The Killer's Speak by Jean Hatzfield and Linda Coverdale. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Conspiracy to Murder: The Rwandan Genocide and the International Community by Linda Melvern. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Into the Quick of Life: The Rwanda Genocide by Jean Hatzfeld. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Media and the Rwanda Genocide by Kofi Annan and Allan Thompson. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journey by Fergal Keane
- Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Romeo Dallaire
- Survival Against the Odds: A Book of Testimonies from Survivors of the Rwandan Genocide produced by Survivors Fund
- We Survived: Genocide in Rwanda by Wendy Whitworth. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch
Books for young people
- The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman and Karin Littlewood
- Put Out the Light by Terry Deary. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
Bosnia
- The Suitcase: Refugee Voices from Bosnia and Croatia by Julie Mertus, Jasmina Tesanovic, Habiba Metikos and Rada Boric. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
Cambodia
- A Song for Cambodia by Michelle Lord and Shino Arihara. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
The Holocaust and Nazi Persecution
- And the Violins Stopped Playing: A Story of the Gypsy Holocaust by Alexander Ramati. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
- The English German Girl by Jake Wallis Simons. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Escaping into the Night by D. Dina Friedman. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig
- Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Lily Cupboard by Shulamith Levey Oppenheim. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Rachel Hausfater. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Malka by Mirjam Pressler. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
- One Last Summer by Catrin Collier. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- Once by Morris Gleitzman
- Rose Blanche by Robert Innocenti. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Search by Eric Heuvel, Ruud Van Der Rol and Lies Schippers. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- The Silver Sword by Ian Serrallier
- Then by Morris Gleitzman. You will need to request (or inter-library loan) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/requestlibraryitem] this title.
- When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
Further reading
- Holocaust Memorial Day Trust booklist [https://www.hmd.org.uk/resource/bibliography-for-hmd/]
- Holocaust Memorial Day (8-12) | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/h/holocaust-childrens-books/]
- Holocaust Memorial Day (teens) | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/h/holocaust-memorial-day/]
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
LGBTQ+
All the books are available to read for free online [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/ebooks] and in libraries [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/librarycatalogue]. Here is a selection of titles, you can find more in your local library.
LGBTQ+ (books for adults)
Fiction
- Pages For You by Sylvia Brownrigg
- Mur-mur by Will Eaves
- The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
- On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (also available in e-audiobook)
- We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra
- Birthday by Meredith Russo
- A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
- She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
- Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman
- Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
- One Last Stop by Casey McQuinston
- Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (also available in e-audiobook)
Non-fiction
- Queer Intentions: a (personal) journey through LGBTQ+ culture by Amelia Abraham
- The Gender Games: the problem with men and women... from someone who has been both by Juno Dawson
- Diary of a Drag Queen by Crystal Rasmussen
- We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib
- Eat, Gay, Love by Calum McSwiggan
- This Much is True by Miriam Margoyles
- Coming Out stories edited by Emma Goswell and Sam Walker (also available in e-book)
- The Pink Line by Mark Gevisser
- We Can Do Better Than This by Amelia Abraham
- Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi (also available in e-book)
- Outrageous by Paul Baker
Magazines (available from Libby [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/emagazines])
- Outre Magazine
- Gay Times
- Gay Pages
- The Advocate
LGBTQ+ (books for young people)
Please note the following books are on our shelves in Older Teenage and Younger Teenage sections and, as such, some titles may contain more adult themes.
- Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
- Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
- Gay Club by Simon James Green
- Gender Explorers by Juno Roche
- Have Pride: an inspirational history of the LGBTQ+ movement by Stella Caldwell
- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman Volumes 1-4 (Graphic Novels)
- If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales
- I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (also available in e-book and e-audiobook)
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
- Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson
- Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
- Queer Up by Alexis Caught
- The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
- The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
- Welcome to St Hell by Lewis Hancox
- What’s the T by Juno Dawson
- Wranglestone by Darren Charlton (also available on e-audiobook)
LGBTQ+ (books for children)
- The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams
- My Brother's Name is Jessica by John Boyne
- The Girl with Two Dads by Mel Elliott
- Fabulous Frankie by Simon James Green
- The Pirate Mums by Jodie Lancet-Grant
- Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah Brannen
- The Hips on the Drag Queen go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess
- Marmalade the Orange Panda by David Walliams
- Me, my Dad and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean
- Nen and the Lonely Fisherman by Ian Eagleton
- Nothing Ever Happens Here by Sarah Hagger-Holt
- Grandad's Camper by Harry Woodgate
- Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
- Remixed by Arree Chung
- ABC Pride by Louie Stowell
- She’s my Dad by Sarah Savage
- Fearless Fairy Tales by Konnie Huq
- Rick by Alex Gino (also available in e-audiobook)
Non-fiction
- Break the Mould by Sinead Burke
- The Pronoun Book by Chris Ayala-Kronos
- The Every Body Book: the LGBTQ+ inclusive guide for kids about sex, gender, bodies, and families by Rachel E. Simon
- All About Diversity by Felicity Brooks and Mar Ferrero
- Stories for Boys who Dare to be Different (Volumes 1 and 2) by Ben Brooks
Tell us what you think of the books on this list and suggest great books you would like to share: contact us libraries247@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:libraries247@coventry.gov.uk]
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Reading Well
Reading Well Books on Prescription for Children
Healthy minds
- What's Going on Inside my Head? by Molly Potter (2019)
- Healthy for Life: Self-esteem and Mental Health by Anna Claybourne (2017)
- How Not to Lose It: Mental Health Sorted by Anna Williamson (2019)
Feelings
- How Are You Feeling Today? by Molly Potter (2014)
- Mindful Me: Exploring Emotions by Paul Christelis (2018)
- Feeling Angry by Katie Douglass (2019)
- Sometimes I Feel Sad by Tom Alexander (2018)
Worries
- Ruby's Worry by Tom Percival (2018)
- Questions and Feelings About: Worries by Paul Christelis (2018)
- Grobblechops by Elizabeth Laird (2019)
- Me and My Fear by Franchesca Sanna (2018)
- All Birds Have Anxiety by Kathy Hoopmann (2017)
- Worry Angels by Sita Brachmachari (2017)
- Outsmarting Worry by Dawn Huebner (2018)
The world around you
At school
- Dealing with Bullying by Jane Lacey (2019)
- Planet Omar: Accidental Truth Magnet by Zanib Mian (2019)
- The Illustrated Guide to Dyslexia and It's Amazing People by Kate Power (2017)
- Ella on the Outside by Cath Howe (2018)
Being online
- #Goldilocks by Jeanne Willis (2019)
In the news
- Something Bad Happened: A Kid's Guide to Coping with Events in the News by Dawn Huebner (2019)
Dealing with tough times
When someone dies
- Mum's Jumper by Jayde Perkin (2019)
- Michael Rosen's Sad Book by Michael Rosen (2011)
- If All the World Were by Joseph Coelho (2019)
- Clownfish by Alan Durant (2018)
Getting through a tough time
- The Boy Who Built a Wall Around Himself by Ali Redford (2015)
Tough times at home
- Up and Down Mum by Sue Barker (2019)
- The Colour Thief: A Families' Story of Depression by Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Peters (2015)
Living well with a diagnosed condition
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Can I Tell You About ADHD? by Susan Yarney (2013)
- Check Mates by Stewart Foster (2019)
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
- Questions and Feelings About: Autism by Louise Spilsbury (2018)
- M is for Autism by The Students of Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin (2015)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Double Felix by Sally Harris (2018)
Having a disability
- Questions and Feelings About: Having a Disability by Louise Spilsbury (2017)
Reading Well Books on Prescription for Dementia
Information and advice
Normal ageing and memory problems
- Introduction to the Psychology of Ageing for Non-Specialists by Ian Stuart-Hamilton (2014)
- Coping with Memory Problems by Sallue Baxendale (2014)
About dementia
- Alzheimer's and Other Dementias: Answers at Your Fingertips by Alex Bailey (2014)
- Understanding Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias by Nori Graham and James Warner (2009)
- ABC of Dementia by Bernard Coope and Felicity Richards (2014)
- About Dementia: For People with Learning Disabilities by Karen Dodd, Vicky Turk and Michelle Christmas (2005)
For children
- Grandma by Jessica Shepherd (2014)
Living well with dementia
- First Steps to Living with Dementia by Simon Atkins (2013)
- Dementia Positive by John Killick (2014)
- Hearing the Person with Dementia: Person-Centred Approaches to Communication for Families and Caregivers by Bernie McCarthy (2011)
Activities to share
- Chocolate Rain: 100 Ideas for a Creative Approach to Activities in Dementia Care by Sarah Zoutewelle-Morris (2011)
- Beside the Seaside in Pictures
- Childhood Days in Pictures
- The Countryside in Pictures
- Family Life in Pictures
- A Funny Old World in Pictures
- In the Garden in Pictures
- Pets in Pictures
- Proverbs & Sayings
- Shopping in Pictures
- A Sporting Life in Pictures
- Travelling in Pictures
- A World of Work in Pictures
Support for relatives and carers
- When Someone You Love Has Dementia by Susan Elliot-Wright (2010)
- And Still the Music Plays: Stories of People with Dementia by Graham Stokes (2010)
- Can I Tell You About Dementia? A Guide for Family, Friends and Carers by Jude Welton (2013)
- Dementia: Support for Family and Friends by Dave Pulsford and Rachel Thompson (2012)
- 10 Helpful Hints for Carers: Practical Solutions for Carers Living with People with Dementia by June Andrews (2009)
- Seeing Beyond Dementia: A Handbook for Carers with English as a Second Language by Rita Salomon (2013)
Personal stories
- Dancing with Dementia: My Story of Living Positively with Dementia by Christine Bryden (2005)
- Dear Dementia: The Laughter and the Tears by Ian Donaghy (2014)
- Still Alice by Lisa Genova (2014)
- Losing Clive to Younger Onset Dementia: One Family's Story by Helen Beaumont (2008)
- Telling Tales About Dementia: Experiences of Caring by Lucy Whitman (2009)
- The Little Girl in the Radiator: Mum, Alzheimer's and Me by Martin Slevin (2012)
- But Then Something Happened: A Story of Everyday Dementia by Chris Carling (2012)
Reading Well Books on Prescription for long term conditions
General
- How to Feel Better: Practical Ways to Recover Well from Illness and Injury by Frances Goodhart and Lucy Atkins (2015)
- Self-Management of Long-Term Health Conditions edited by Kate Lorig (2014)
Common symptoms
Fatigue
- Fighting Fatigue: A Practical Guide to Managing the Symptoms of CFS/ME by Sue Pemberton and Catherine Berry (2013)
- Overcoming Chronic Fatigue by Mary Burgess and Trudie Chalder (2009)
Pain
- Manage Your Pain by Michael Nicholas, Allan Molloy, Lois Tonkin and Lee Beeston (2011)
- Overcoming Chronic Pain by Catherine Caros, Frances Cole, Hazel Howden-Leach and Helen Macdonald (2010)
- Pain is Really Strange by Steve Haines and Sophie Standing (2017)
Sleep problems
- An Introduction to Coping with Insomnia & Sleep Problems (2nd ed.) by Colin Espie (2017)
Mental health and wellbeing
- Coping with the Psychological Effects of Illness: Strategies to Manage Anxiety and Depression by Fran Smith, Robert Bor and Karina Eriksen (2015)
- Mindfulness for Health: A Practical Guide to Relieving Pain, Reducing Stress and Restoring Wellbeing by Vidyamala Burch and Danny Pennman (2013)
Selected long term conditions
Arthritis
- Arthritis: A Practical Guide to Getting On With Your Life by Chris Jenner (2011)
- Arthritis: Exercise Your Way to Health by Paula Coates (2010)
Bowel conditions
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Answers at Your Fingertips by Udi Shmueli (2017)
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Navigating Your Way to Recovery by Megan Arroll and Christine Dancey (2016)
- Go Your Crohn Way by Kathleen Nicholls (2016)
Breathing difficulties
- Asthma: Answers at Your Fingertips by Mark Levy, Monica Fletcher and Soren Pederson (2013)
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): The Facts by Graeme P. Currie (2009)
Diabetes
- Diabetes for Dummies by Alan L. Rubin (2011)
- Diabetes: The Facts by David Matthews, Niki Meston, Pam Dyson, Jenny Shaw, Laurie King and Aparna Pal (2008)
- Type 2 Diabetes in Adults of All Ages (2nd ed.) by Charles Fox and Anne Kilvert (2013)
Heart disease
- Heart Attack Survival Guide by Mark Greener (2012)
- Living with Angina by Tom Smith (2017)
- Understanding and Dealing with Heart Disease by Keith Souter (2014)
Stroke
- Stroke: The Facts by Richard I. Lindley (2017)
- Rebuilding Your Life After Stroke by Reg Morris, Malin Falck, Tamsin Miles, Julie Wilcox and Sam Fisher-Hicks (2017)
- How I Rescued My Brain: A Psychologist's Remarkable Recovery from Stroke and Trauma by David Roland (2015)
Support for relatives and carers
- The Carer's Handbook (3rd ed.) by Jane Matthews (2019)
- The Selfish Pig's Guide to Caring: How to Cope with the Emotional and Practical Aspects of Caring for Someone by Hugh Marriott (2009)
Reading Well Books on Prescription for Mental Health
Introductions to Therapies and Approaches
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Your Toolkit to Modify Mood, Overcome Obstructions and Improve Your Life by Elain Iljon Foreman and Clair Pollard (2016)
Mindfulness
- Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman (2011)
Common feelings and experiences
Anger
- Overcoming Anger and Irritability: A Self-Help Guide using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (2nd ed.) by William Davies (2016)
Bereavement and Loss
- An Introduction to Coping with Grief (2nd ed.) by Sue Morris (2017)
- Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death and Surviving by Julia Samuel (2018)
- The Essential Guide to Life After Bereavement: Beyond Tomorrow by Judy Carole Kauffmann and Mary Jordan (2013)
Low Self-Esteem
- Overcoming Low Self-Esteem: A Self-Help Guide using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (2nd ed.) by Melanie Fennell (2016)
Social Anxiety and Shyness
- Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness: A Self-Help Guide using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (2nd ed.) by Gillian Butler (2016)
Sleep Problems
- The Sleep Book: How to Sleep Well Every Night by Guy Meadows (2014)
Stress
- Stress Control: A Mind, Body, Life Approach to Boosting Your Well-being by Jim White (2017)
Self-Help Books to Support Mental Health
Wellbeing
- Living Life to the Full: Key Skills to Change Your Life by Chris Williams (2018)
- The CBT Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Using CBT to Overcome Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Low Self-Esteem and Anger by Pamela Myles and Roz Shafran (2015)
- Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think (2nd ed.) by Dennis Greenberger and Christine A. Padesky (2015)
Depression
- An Introduction to Coping with Depression (2nd ed.) by Lee Brosan and Brenda Hogan (2018)
- Manage Your Mood: How to Use Behavioural Activation Techniques to Overcome Depression by David Veale and Rob Willson (2007)
- Overcoming Depression: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (3rd ed.) by Paul Gilbert (2009)
Anxiety and Panic
- An Introduction to Coping with Anxiety (2nd ed.) by Brenda Hogan and Lee Brosan (2018)
- Overcoming Anxiety: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (2nd ed.) by Helen Kennerley (2014)
- Overcoming Health Anxiety: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques by Rob Willson and David Veale (2009)
- Overcoming Worry and Generalised Anxiety Disorder: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (2nd ed.) by Kevin Meares and Mark Freeston (2015)
- Overcoming Panic: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (2nd ed.) by Vijaya Manicavasagar and Derrick Silove (2017)
- The Sheldon Short Guide to Phobias and Panic by Kevin Gournay (2015)
Obsessions and Compulsions
- Break Free from OCD: Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with CBT by Fiona Challacombe, Victoria Bream Oldfield and Paul M. Salkovskis (2011)
Other common conditions
Binge Eating and Bulimia Nervosa
- Getting Better Bite by Bite: A Survival Kit for Sufferers of Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorders (2nd ed.) by Ulrike Schmidt, Janet Treasure and June Alexander (2015)
- Overcoming Binge Eating: The Proven Program to Learn Why You Binge and How You Can Stop (2nd ed.) by Christopher G. Fairburn (2013)
Body Image and Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Body Image Problems and Body Dysmorphic Disorder: The Definitive Treatment and Recovery Approach by Chloe Catchpole, Lauren Callaghan and Annemarie O'Connor (2017)
Mood Swings
- Overcoming Mood Swings: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (2nd ed.) by Jan Scott (2010)
Depression and Relationships
- Defeating Depression: How to Use the People in Your Life to Open the Door to Recovery by Roslyn Law (2013)
Postnatal Depression
- The Compassionate Mind Approach to Postnatal Depression: Using Compassion Focused Therapy to Enhance Mood, Confidence and Bonding by Michelle Cree (2015)
Personal stories
Wellbeing
- A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled by Ruby Wax (2016)
- Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig (2015)
Bereavement and Loss
- A Manual for Heartache by Cathy Rentzenbrink (2017)
Depression
- I Had a Black Dog by Matthew Johnstone (2009)
- The Recovery Letters edited by James Withey and Olivia Sagan (2017)
Social Anxiety
- We're All Mad Here: The No-Nonsense Guide to Living with Social Anxiety by Claire Eastham (2016)
Support for Carers
- Living with a Black Dog by Matthew Johnstone and Ainsley Johnstone (2007)
- The Boy with a Topknot: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton by Sathnam Sanghera (2009)
Reading Well Books on Prescription for Young People
General
- Blame My Brain by Nicola Morgan (2013)
- The Self-Esteem Team's Guide to Sex, Drugs and WTFs?!! by Grace Barrett, Natasha Devon and Nadia Mendoza (2015)
- I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson (2015)
- Mind Your Head by Juno Dawson (2015)
- Every Day by David Levithan (2013)
- Kite Spirit by Sita Brahmachari (2013)
- Stuff That Sucks: Accepting What You Can't Change and Committing to What You Can by Ben Sedley (2015)
- House of Windows by Alexia Casale (2015)
- Quiet the Mind by Matthew Johnstone (2012)
ADHD
- Putting on the Brakes: Understanding and Taking Control of Your ADD or ADHD by Patricia Quinn and Judith Stern (2012)
Anxiety, worry and panic
- My Anxious Mind: A Teen's Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic by Michael Tompkins and Katherine Martinez (2009)
- The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens by Jennifer Shannon (2015)
- The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens by Jennifer Shannon (2012)
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (2012)
Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome by Luke Jackson (2002)
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (2012)
- The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida (2014)
Body image and eating disorders
- Can I Tell You About Eating Disorders? by Bryan Lask and Lucy Watson (2014)
- Banish Your Body Image Thief by Kate Collins-Donnelly (2014)
- Tyranny by Leslie Fairfield (2011)
Bullying
- Bullies, Cyberbullies and Frenemies by Michele Elliot (2013)
- Vicious: True Stories by Teens About Bullying by Hope Vanderberg (2012)
Confidence and self-esteem
- Banish Your Self-Esteem Thief by Kate Collins-Donnelly (2014)
- Self-Esteem and Being You by Anita Naik (2013)
- Face by Benjamin Zephaniah (1999)
Depression
- Am I Depressed and What Can I Do About It? by Shirley Reynolds and Monika Parkinson (2015)
- Can I Tell You About Depression? by Christopher Dowrick and Susan Martin (2015)
- I Had a Black Dog by Matthew Johnstone (2007)
Mood swings
- Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens by Sheri Van Dijk (2011)
Self-Harm
- The Truth About Self-Harm by Celia Richardson (2012)
OCD
- Breaking Free from OCD by Jo Derisley, Isobel Heyman, Sarah Robinson and Cynthia Turner (2008)
- The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten (2015)
- Touch and Go Joe by Joe Wells (2006)
Stress
- Fighting Invisible Tigers by Earl Hipp (2008)
- The Teenage Guide to Stress by Nicola Morgan (2014)
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Refugee collection
Refugee Week is marked in June in the UK. Find out more on the Refugee Week website [https://refugeeweek.org.uk/].
Refugee collection (Books for Adults)
Fiction
- Spring by Ali Smith
- Travellers: A Novel by Helen Habila
- The End of Time by Gavin Extence
- From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan
- The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Non-fiction
- We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World by Malala Yousafzai
- The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clementine Wamirya
- The Lightness Sky: My Journey to Safety as a Refugee Child by Gulwali Passarlay
- The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri
Refugee collection (Books for Children)
Fiction
- Refugee by Anne Booth
- The Day War Came by Nicola Davies
- Wisp: A Story of Hope by Zana Frallion
- Red Leaves by Sita Brahmachari
- The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf
- Home Ground by Alan Gibbons
- The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
- No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton
- Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna
Further reading
- Refugee Week: book recommendations for 2023 [https://refugeeweek.org.uk/read-your-way-to-refugee-week-our-book-recommendations-for-2023/]
- Books about refugees and asylum seekers (younger children) | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/books-about-refugees-and-asylum-seekers-younger-children/]
- Books about refugees and asylum seekers (older children) | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/books-about-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/]
- Books about refugees and asylum seekers (teens) | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/books-about-refugees-and-asylum-seekers-teens/]
- War and conflict | BookTrust [https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/w/war-and-conflict/]
- Refugee Week book recommendations, Waterstones [https://www.waterstones.com/campaign/refugee-week]
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
To Read Aloud
To Read Aloud is a collection of extracts, short stories and myths brought together for the purpose of reading aloud, sharing and connecting.
To Read Aloud consists of 75 extracts that take between three and fifteen minutes to read, from writers ranging from Cicero to Lewis Carroll to Robert Macfarlane. It is arranged under ten thematic chapters: Love, Loss, Lightness, Pleasure, Work, Taboo, Nature, Change, Chaos and Wonder. A literary toolkit for well-being, To Read Aloud invites you to take just ten minutes off, sit down with somebody you care about and share a passage of writing.
Francesco Dimitri is an Italian author living in London. He has written fiction and non-fiction and worked for top business clients. Francesco is on the faculty of the School of Life.
Hear part of the extracts as read by Library staff:
- From the letters of Lewis Carrol [https://youtu.be/o2mZ_Y3SkRM]
- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen [https://youtu.be/FZsgS_OxZxU]
- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, continued [https://youtu.be/mApKvwi_Mq8]
Further tales from the Library. Also read by Library staff:
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens [https://youtu.be/tbTciY7fM50]
- Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie [https://youtu.be/kr9B2teT87U]
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens [https://youtu.be/rjpoIZmcKBU]
- T'was the night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
Enjoyed what you heard, want to read more? You can search and reserve items via our online catalogue [/onlinelibrarycatalogue].
Library card and pin number required [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/126/libraries/3213/join_find_use/1].
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Abolition of the slave trade
We have a range of information on the Abolition of the Slave Trade.
Anti-Slavery books
Children's fiction and non-fiction
- Tonya Bolden - Maritcha: A Nineteenth Century American Girl
- Stephanie Fitzgerald - Struggling for Civil Rights
- Brindell Fradin - 5,000 Miles to Freedom
- Christine Hatt - The African-American Slave Trade
- Christine Hatt - Slavery from Africa to the Americas
- Ann Kramer - Black Peoples of America
- Julius Lester - To be a Slave
- Mary Lyons - Letters from a Slave Girl
- Fredrick McKissack - Days of Jubilee
- Janet Riehecky - The Abolition of Slavery
- Stewart Ross - Greed, Seeds and Slavery
- Kaye Stearman - Slavery Today
- Joyce Thomas - I Have Heard of a Land
- Harriet Tubman - The Life of Harriet Tubman
- Moses Weatherford - When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
- Jacqueline Woodson - Show Way
Adult non-fiction
- Adele Alexander - Homelands and Waterways
- Gail Cameron - Liverpool - Capital of the Slave Trade
- Basil Davidson - The Black Man's Burden
- Basil Davidson - The African Slave Trade
- Laurent Dubois - Slave Revolution in the Caribbean 1789-1804
- Anne Farrow - Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged and Profited from Slavery
- John Gilmore - Empires and Conquests
- John Gilmore - Freedom and Change
- Heuman and Walvin - The Slavery Reader
- Joseph Inikori - Africans and Industrial Revolution in England
- Paul Lovejoy - Identity in the Shadow of Slavery
- Edmund Morgan - American Slavery, American Freedom
- Richard Newman - Pamphlets of Protest
- Eric Sundquist - Empire and Slavery in American Literature 1820-1865
- Hugh Thomas - The Slave Trade 1440-1870
- Anthony Tibbles - Transatlantic Slavery
- Gomer Williams - History of the Liverpool Privateers and letters of Marque
Useful websites
- http://www.kintehaley.org/ [http://www.kintehaley.org/]
- https://www.antislavery.org/ [https://www.antislavery.org/]
- http://www.brycchancarey.com/slavery/ [http://www.brycchancarey.com/slavery/]
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Children with educational or physical needs
This is a collection of books for use with children aged eight and under, who have educational or physical needs. It includes books with lift-the-flaps, pop-ups, 'touchy feely', large typeface and also books recommended by special schools in Coventry.
The collection is next to the parents' collection at Central Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/centrallibrary] and books are marked with the logo "SP" on the spine.
Please only take two books from this collection if your child does not have a recognised special need, to allow a wider choice of books for those children who do.
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Support for dyslexia
Dyslexia affects the ability to read and spell and sometimes maths is affected too, but it is not related to general intelligence. The more you read, the easier it becomes and all reading is good reading.
We have provided a booklist and a publication from Dyslexia Action called ‘Dive in’ to help children and their families with dyslexia. All libraries will stock these in their Books to help with Life’s Ups and Down’s section in the children’s library.
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Armed forces covenant collection
The list of books below are a part of the armed forces covenant collection, which provides support for young people, whose friends or family members are serving in the armed forces.
Veterans' Gateway
Veterans’ Gateway [https://www.veteransgateway.org.uk/] is made up of a consortium of organisations and Armed Forces charities, including The Royal British Legion, SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, Poppyscotland, Combat Stress and Connect Assist. Funded by The Armed Forces Covenant, this is the first time a group of this kind has come together formally to deliver a service to help the Armed Forces community.
Soldiers: How to Draw by Mark Bergin
From an Imperial Guard to a British World War I soldier, a wide variety of soldiers are covered in this simple step-by-step drawing book. Learn how to master action poses and different uniforms, whilst learning about perspective and fundamental drawing techniques and materials.
Billie Templar's War by Ellie Irving
Billie Templar desperately wants her dad to come home. He's a soldier and has been away for seven weeks, fighting for Queen and country but how can the two of them possibly defend their four-year record of winning the three-legged race at the school carnival if he's thousands of miles away? Billie decides that there's only one person who can help - Her Majesty. She's in charge of the army, so maybe she can send Dad home? With a little help from her friends, Billie hatches a plan to get the Queen to visit her village. Surely a home-made military tattoo should be enough to get her attention? But trying to control two marching bands, an unruly mob of old age pensioners and even an elephant proves to be more difficult than she thought. Will the tattoo be happy and glorious? Or is Billie heading for a right royal disaster?
My Daddy is going away by Christopher MacGregor
When Daddy goes away, everyone feels sad and wishes he were back home with his family. But love is a very powerful thing, and there are all kinds of ways to try to feel better. As they count down the days on a calendar, the special day when Daddy is coming home gets nearer and nearer. Helps families better understand the anxieties associated with temporary paternal separation. The story can be read on many levels young children can read it as a comforting tale of a loving Dad who has to go away to work, while parents or carers can additionally use each verse to explore the emotional cycle of departure, absence and return. Written by Lieutenant Colonel Christopher MacGregor and based on his own experiences of going away from home, this comforting, wise book helps to explain why parents sometimes have to go away and shows ways to help children cope.
A Million Angels by Kate Maryon
Jemima's dad's in the Army and he's off to Afghanistan again for six whole months. Her mum's about to have another baby and has not got the energy to worry about anything else. Gran is staying to help out, but her head is filled with her own wartime memories. So while Mima is sending Dad millions of guardian angels every night to keep him safe, who is looking out for her?
Combat Zone (Rugby Academy) by Tom Palmer
Woody's mad on football. He dreams of playing for his country one day. But Woody's dad is a fighter pilot, and his squadron are going to war. All of a sudden, Woody finds himself in a boarding school for armed forces kids. Where everyone is rugby mad. As Woody's dad does his duty thousands of miles away, Woody finds himself in a new world. Will rugby be his saviour? Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+
Surface to Air (Rugby Academy) by Tom Palmer
Rory will stop at nothing to perfect his kicking. He'll keep on training long after other players have called it a day. But now Rory is in France with the Borderlands team, and his routine is shot. As the European Championship gets underway, Rory struggles to keep his head while everything seems set against him. Can Rory kick to win? Second instalment of Tom Palmer's action-packed rugby trilogy set against the backdrop of war. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+
Wings: Flyboy (Take to the Skies) by Tom Palmer
Jatinder seems to be living his dream - he's training for his team's youth squad, and his host parents Steve and Esther are really great. But the other kids are always on the alert for anything that makes a player different, and Jatinder is definitely that. Steve reckons it's good to be different - look at his own hero, Hardit Singh Malik. That night Jatinder wakes up in a seriously surprising situation - flying Hardit's WWI fighter plane into enemy airspace.
Come Home Soon: a first look at a parent in the armed forces by Pat Thomas
This reassuring picture book explores the issue of a parent working away from home in the armed forces. Young children can learn how to deal feelings of worry, change at home, keeping in touch and looking forward to their return. Children's feelings and questions are looked at in a simple but realistic way.
Please visit the online catalogue [/onlinelibrarycatalogue] to search and reserve for any of the above books. You will also need a Coventry Library card, don't have one? Join Coventry libraries today [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/aboutcovlibraries].
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Books on Autism and Asperger's syndrome
You can search and reserve any of the below books through the online catalogue [/onlinelibrarycatalogue].
The below books are suitable for Adults, Teenagers and Children with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome and their friends and families.
Adult Fiction
- Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer - Life is strange for Patrick Fort - being a medical student with Asperger's Syndrome doesn't come without its challenges. And that's before he is faced with solving a possible murder.
- The Rosie project by Graeme Simsion - Meet Don Tillman. Don is getting married. He just doesn't know who to yet. But he has designed a very detailed questionnaire to help him find the perfect woman. One thing he already knows, though, is that it's not Rosie. Absolutely, completely, definitely not.
- Standard deviation Katherine Heiny - Graham wants an orderly life but is married to the impulsive, gregarious Audra, who speaks a foreign language, full of references to people he couldn't possibly know, and descriptions using colours like persimmon and xanthe. Jane is engaged to Duncan, a promiscuous locksmith. Duncan thinks he'll be a fine husband for five years. Jane likes five-year-plans (she's always felt she'd make a good communist) but is this what she wants in a marriage? Standard Deviation is a novel about relationships, families, betrayal, imperfection and ultimately acceptance. A novel brimming with sharp intelligence, laugh out loud humour, and devastating insight into the human heart. A novel you will want to give to all your friends and read over and over again.
- Speed of dark by Elizabeth Moon - Lou has been told he is different to 'normal' people. He interacts with the world in a way they do not understand. He might not see the things they see, however, but he also sees many things they do not. Lou is autistic. One of his skills is an ability to find patterns in data: extraordinary, complex, beautiful patterns that not even the most powerful computers can comprehend. The company he works for has made considerable sums of money from Lou's work. But now they want Lou to change - to become 'normal' like themselves. And he must face the greatest challenge of his life. To understand the speed of dark.
- The maid by Nita Prose - A charmingly eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed. Solving the mystery will turn her once orderly world upside down in this utterly original debut. Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter-she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
- Tilly in technicolour by Mazey Eddings - Tilly Twomley is desperate for change. White-knuckling her way through high school with flawed executive functioning has left her burnt out and ready to start fresh. A summer internship and the required travel around Europe promises a much-needed change of scenery as she plans for her future. The problem is, Tilly has no idea what she wants. Oliver Clark knows exactly what he wants. His autism has often made it hard for him to form relationships with others, but his love of colour theory and design allows him to feel deeply connected to the world around him, and he's taking summer internship to build his resume before he starts design school. Everything is going as planned until he suffers through the most disastrous international flight of his life, all turmoil stemming from lively and exasperating Tilly.
- All the little birds by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow - Sunday Forrester lives with her sixteen-year-old daughter, Dolly, in the house she grew up in. She does things more carefully than most people. On quiet days, she must eat only white foods. Her etiquette handbook guides her through confusing social situations, and to escape, she turns to her treasury of Sicilian folklore. The one thing very much out of her control is Dolly - her clever, headstrong daughter, now on the cusp of leaving home. Into this carefully ordered world step Vita and Rollo, a couple who move in next door, disarm Sunday with their charm, and proceed to deliciously break just about every rule in Sunday's book. Soon they are in and out of each others' homes, and Sunday feels loved and accepted like never before. But beneath Vita and Rollo's polish lies something else, something darker. For Sunday has precisely what Vita has always wanted for herself: a daughter of her own.
Adult Non-fiction
- Uniquely human by Barry Prizant and Thomas Fields-Meyer (616.85882) Autism spectrum disorder is among the most commonly diagnosed developmental disabilities, affecting 1% of the population. Based on 40 years of practical experience with schools, hospitals, families and academic study, Dr Barry M. Prizant's revolutionary approach is to understand autism not as a disability but as a unique way of being human. Here, with a wealth of inspiring stories and practical advice, he shows how by understanding autistic behaviours as responses based on an individual's experiences, we can enhance that individual's abilities, teach skills and build coping strategies to help them enjoy a better quality of life.
- Dirty laundry why adults with ADHD are so ashamed and what we can do to help by Richard Pink (616.8589) - Offering an unfiltered look into the chaos of real life with ADHD, this book will transform your self-hatred into self-acceptance, with simple tips that actually work for your brain. It will also help to educate partners, parents and friends, to help them move from frustration to patience, understanding - and love.
- ADHD: an A to Z figuring it out step by step by Leanne Maskell (616.8589) - This ADHD guide gives strategic advice on how to deal with issues young adults with ADHD may face, including: budgeting plans for impulsive spending, advice on rejection sensitive dysphoria, and body scans and CBT exercises, this book gives you everything you need to feel confident and supported throughout your ADHD diagnosis and beyond.
- The reason I jump by Naoki Higashida (616.85882) - Written by Naoki Higishida when he was only 13, this remarkable book explains the often baffling behaviour of autistic children and shows the way they think and feel - such as about the people around them, time and beauty, noise, and themselves. Naoki abundantly proves that autistic people do possess imagination, humour and empathy, but also makes clear, with great poignancy, how badly they need our compassion, patience and understanding.
- One autistic woman and a life of unhelpful labels by Sara Gibbs (616.85882) - During the first thirty years of her life, comedy script writer Sara Gibbs had been labelled a lot of things - a cry baby, a scaredy cat, a spoiled brat, a weirdo, a show off - but more than anything else, she'd been called a Drama Queen. No one understood her behaviour, her meltdowns or her intense emotions. She felt like everyone else knew a social secret that she hadn't been let in on; as if life was a party she hadn't been invited to. Why was everything so damn hard? Little did Sara know that, at the age of thirty, she would be given one more label that would change her life's trajectory forever. That one day, sitting next to her husband in a clinical psychologist's office, she would learn that she had never been a drama queen, or a weirdo, or a cry baby, but she had always been autistic.
- Different kinds of minds: a guide to your brain by temple Grandin (153.42) - Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Maya Lin - what do they all have in common? They're visual thinkers. Do you like puzzles, coding and taking things apart? Do you write stories, act in plays, slay at Wordle? The things you are good at are clues to how your brain works. Are you good at maths? Working with your hands? Are you a neat freak or a big mess? Are you a visual thinker? With her knack for making science easy to understand, Temple Grandin explains the different types of thinkers - verbal thinkers who are good with language, and visual thinkers who learn through pictures and patterns. In 'Different Kinds of Minds', discover all kinds of brains and why we need to work together to create solutions for real-world problems.
- Why has nobody told me this before? by Julie Smith (616.89) - Drawing on years of experience as a clinical psychologist, online sensation Dr Julie Smith shares all the skills you need to get through life's ups and downs. Filled with secrets from a therapist's toolkit, this is a must-have handbook for optimising your mental health. Dr Julie's simple but expert advice and powerful coping techniques will help you stay resilient no matter what life throws your way. Written in short, bite-sized entries, you can turn straight to the section you need depending on the challenge you're facing - and immediately find the appropriate tools to help.
- Magnificent minds: the new whole child approach to autism by Dr Susanne Goh (618.928588) - Dr Suzanne Goh is a renowned paediatric neurologist who has spent decades working with autistic children. In this book, Goh combines her extensive experience with original research to give you a clear understanding of what autism is and how to create a holistic treatment roadmap for your child.
- Our autistic lives personal accounts from autistic adults ages 20 to 70+ by Alex Ratcliffe (616.85882) - Spanning six decades of experience, this collection of first-hand accounts from adults with Asperger's and High Functioning Autism is about ageing with an autistic mind and the advantages and challenges that different eras in life can bring. It highlights common themes, such as the difference made by a diagnosis, to unite the experiences.
- Autism in childhood for parents and carers of the newly diagnosed by Luke Beardon (618.928588) - A diagnosis - or a suspected diagnosis - of autism in a child can be overwhelming for a parent, especially if you know nothing, or very little, about either of them. Dr Luke Beardon is a well-known expert in the field, and this book is an accessible, easy-to-read introduction for those encountering autism for the first time. Gently and honestly, it guides you through the issues you might encounter, busting the myths around autism, and explaining what the diagnosis means for your child, for you, and for your wider family. It looks at sensory profiles, helps you handle your child's anxiety, tackles education, and answers a variety of frequently asked questions.
- In a different key by John Donvan and Caren Zucker (618.928588) - From award-winning journalists John Donvan and Caren Zucker, 'In a Different Key' is a comprehensive history of autism as it has been discovered and felt by parents, children and doctors Nearly 75 years ago, Donald Triplett of Forest, Mississippi became the first child diagnosed with autism. This book tells the extraordinary story of the world his diagnosis created - a riveting human drama that takes us across continents and through some of the great social movements of the 20th century.
- No one is too small to make a difference Greta Thunberg - 'Everything needs to change. And it has to start today' In August 2018 a fifteen-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, decided not to go to school one day. Her actions ended up sparking a global movement for action against the climate crisis, inspiring millions of pupils to go on strike for our planet, forcing governments to listen, and earning her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. This book brings you Greta in her own words, for the first time. Collecting her speeches that have made history across Europe, from the UN to mass street protests, No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference is a rallying cry for why we must all wake up and fight to protect the living planet, no matter how powerless we feel. Our future depends upon it.
- Camouflage: the hidden lives of autistic women by Sarah Bargiela and Sophie Standing (616.85882) - This title provides an engaging insight into the often-underexplored condition of autism in women and girls. It is the perfect resource for anyone who wishes to understand how gender affects autism, it shows how to create safer, more accommodating environments for women on the spectrum.
- Strong female character by Fern Brady (792.76028) - This is a book about how being a woman gets in the way of people's expectation of what autism should look like and, equally, how being autistic gets in the way of people's expectations of what a woman should look like. 'Strong Female Character' is a game-changing memoir on sexism and neurodiversity. Fern Brady will use her voice as a neurodivergent, working-class woman from Scotland to bring issues such as sex work, abusive relationships and her time spent in teenage mental health units to the page. It will take a sledgehammer to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope which is mistakenly applied to neurodiverse women. It will also look at how her lack of regard for social expectations ultimately meant she surpassed any limitations of what a Scottish working-class woman can do.
- Un-typical: how the world isn't built for autistic people and what we should all do about it by Pete Wharmby (616.85882) - The modern world is built for neurotypicals: needless noise, bright flashing lights, small talk, phone calls, unspoken assumptions and unwritten rules - it can be a nightmarish dystopia for the autistic population. Pete Wharmby lays bare the experience of being 'different', explaining with wit and warmth just how exhausting it is to fit in to a world not designed for you. But this book is more than an explanation. After a late diagnosis and a lifetime of 'masking', Pete is the perfect interlocutor to explain how our two worlds can meet, and what we can do for the many autistic people in our schools, workplaces and lives.
- The Autism spectrum guide to sexuality and relationships by Emma Goodall (306.70874) - This candid guide to sexuality, relationships and gender identity will help you to understand your own preferences and identity in the pursuit of platonic, romantic or sexual relationships. Emma Goodall provides advice on what to do in situations where you feel under pressure and offers guidance on how to enjoy relationships safely.
- Toilet Training for Autistic & SEND Children and Adults by Faria Arsh (649.62) - This book aims to empower parents, carers, and professionals by giving them the tools and techniques to implement a well-organised toilet training program and get their child to use the toilet independently. By the end of this book, you will feel fully prepared to embark on this journey.
Teenage Fiction
- The boy who steals houses by C G Drews - Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he's ever known. Now Sam's trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he's caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing - each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie. But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon - A murder mystery like no other, this novel features Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old who suffers from Asperger's syndrome. When he finds a neighbour's dog murdered, he sets out on a journey which will turn his whole world upside down.
- Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman - Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove looks just like her twin, Isolde…but as an autistic changeling left in the human world by the fae as an infant, she has always known she is different. Seelie’s unpredictable magic makes it hard for her to fit in—and draws her and Isolde into the hunt for a fabled treasure. In a heist gone wrong, the sisters make some unexpected allies and find themselves unraveling a mystery that has its roots in the history of humans and fae alike.
- This is the way the world ends by Jen Wilde - As an autistic scholarship student at the prestigious Webber Academy in New York City, Waverly is used to masking to fit in. So when her tutoring student and resident 'it girl' asks Waverly to attend the school's annual Masquerade disguised as her, Waverly jumps at the chance - especially once she finds out that Ash, the dean's daughter and her secret ex-girlfriend, will be there. The Masquerade is everything Waverly dreamed of. Most importantly, there's Ash. All Waverly wants to do is shed her mask and be with her, but the evening takes a sinister turn when Waverly stumbles into a secret meeting between the dean and the school's top donors - and witnesses a brutal murder. Waverly's fairy-tale has turned into a nightmare, and she, Ash, and her friends must navigate through a dizzying maze of freight elevators and secret passageways if they're going to survive the night.
- Freya Harte is not a puzzle by Méabh Collins - A heartwarming novel about friendships, relationships and finding your place in the world, 'Freya Harte is Not a Puzzle' follows the experiences of an autistic girl as she learns to embrace who she is.
Teenage Non-fiction
- The awesome autistic guide for trans teens by Yenn Purkis and Sam Rose (305.235) - In this empowering guide, Yenn Purkis and Sam Rose set out honest advice and strategies to help autistic trans and/or gender divergent teens to thrive exactly as they are. Covering a huge range of topics including coming out, masking, building a sense of pride and much more, it is an essential resource for living happily and authentically.
- Autism friendly guide to periods by Robyn Steward (612.662087) - Changes during puberty, such as the onset of periods, are challenging for girls on the autism spectrum. Written from experience by an autistic woman, this straightforward guide to periods helps the reader to prepare in great detail, from hygiene to pain medication and sensory experiences to mood swings.
- Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty - Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of Dara McAnulty's world, from spring to summer, autumn to winter, on his home patch, at school, in the wild and in his head. Evocative, raw and beautifully written, this startling and special book vividly explores the natural world from the perspective of an autistic teenager coping with the uprooting of home, school, and his mental health, while pursuing his life as a conservationist and environmental activist. In a work of power and hope, Dara recalls his sensory encounters in the wild - with blackbirds, whooper swans, red kites, hen harriers, frogs, dandelions, Irish hares and more - while drawing a moving portrait of a young activist dealing with change, and a family making their way in the world.
- Wired differently: 30 neurodiverse people you should know by Joe Wells and Tim Stringer - This collection of illustrated portraits celebrates the lives of influential neurodivergent figures who have achieved amazing things in recent times. Showcasing these 30 incredible people, the extraordinary stories in this book show that the things they've achieved, created and inspired they did not despite being different but because they are different. From politicians, activists and journalists to YouTubers, DJs and poets, this book highlights a wide range of exciting career paths for neurodivergent readers.
Picture Books
- Pablo and the noisy party by Andrew Brenner and Sumita Mujumdar - Pablo is the first animated TV series to star an autistic character. Pablo's mum takes him to his cousin Lorna's birthday party, but Pablo gets scared of the noisy party! Pablo hides in the car, and soon his friends come to join him. Pablo's friends help him realise that it's OK if he doesn't want to go to the party. All 'Pablo' books are written by writers on the autistic spectrum and are grounded in the real-life experiences of autistic children.
- Noah’s super autism by Claire Minihane - A lovely story about a young boy called Noah, who has autism. Noah tells us what it's like to live with autism. He is an inspiration to other boys and girls who have the same condition. It will teach them that they can achieve anything, even despite having autism.
- Through the eyes of us by Jon Roberts and Hannah Rounding - 'Through the Eyes of Us' is a beautiful, colourful picture book for children which gives insight into the world of children with autism following the experiences of Kya, who has severe autism.
- Remarkable Remy by Melanie Heyworth and Nathaneil Eckstrom - 'Remarkable Remy' is a warm and optimistic story that introduces an autistic character to a young audience. The story helps explain the autistic brain - how it works a little differently and how unique it is - and how our neurodivergent friends make the world remarkable!
- The torch by Jon Roberts and Hannah Rounding - Accompanied by Myles, her assistance dog, Lilly sets off from Granny's house to explore. First she walks through the garden, then she visits the seashore. But when she comes to the big cave at the end of the beach her acute hearing means she is scared of the loud noise when she drops her torch. And what's that creature she can hear coming towards her?
Children’s Fiction
- Caterpillar summer by Gillian McDunn - Cat is the glue holding her family together. When her little brother Chicken has a meltdown, she knows just how to calm him, whether it's scratching his back or reading his favourite book. They've always had a special bond. But with their mum working extra hard after their dad's death, Cat is struggling to keep everything afloat. When Cat and Chicken unexpectedly end up spending the summer with the grandparents they've never met, Cat suddenly has the space to be a kid again. Gradually, she discovers that days on Gingerbread Island are full of fishing, fireflies and new friendships - as well as a lifetime of family secrets. Could this summer be Cat's chance to bring her fractured family together again?
- Can you see me? Expected to fit in, proud to stand out by Libby Scott and Rebecca Wescott - People think that because Tally's autistic, she doesn't realise what they're thinking, but Tally sees and hears - and notices - all of it. Endearing, insightful and warmly uplifting, this is a story of autism, empathy and kindness that will touch readers of all ages.
- A kind of spark Elle McNicholl - 'A Kind of Spark' tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there's more to the story of these 'witches', just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard?
- Mystery of the forever weekend by Lisa Thopmson - Cory dreads Sunday evenings. It's school the next day, where a bully is picking on him and he's struggling to keep up in class. The night before a Monday that will include a maths test and another lonely lunch break, Cory wishes that the weekend would never end - and when he wakes up the next day, time has reset itself to Sunday morning. This is amazing! He can lounge about all day watching TV, have pizza for dinner over and over again and play the lottery knowing which numbers will win big! But Cory soon longs for life to move on - can he break the time loop and bring the forever weekend to a close?
- Boy underground by Isabel Marinov - 'Boy Underground' is a powerful adventure story of Hugo, an autistic boy who decides to go all the way into the Paris underground to find a place where he belongs. For Hugo, the world can be too loud and bright. He likes the quiet. He likes the dark. And he loves maps. When Hugo learns that there's a whole other world under Paris, a network of tunnels, quarries and catacombs mapped beneath his feet, he sets off on an adventure. Navigating secret passages, narrowly escaping robbers and returning to old friends, Hugo discovers more than just buried treasure.
- Anything but typical by Nora Baskin - An acclaimed writer delivers an eye-opening depiction of an autistic boy's daily life and lifelong struggles to exist in a neurotypical world, in a groundbreaking novel told from the boy's perspective.
Children's Non-fiction
- My busy brain: a first look at ADHD by Pat Thomas (618.928) - 'A First Look At' series consists of a number of reassuring picturebooks that give advice and promote interaction between children, parents, and teachers on a wide variety of personal, social and emotional issues. This book provides a simple introduction to ADHD. Its aim is to promote understanding and ongoing discussion with children who have ADHD or those who have siblings or classmates with it. It explains, in child-friendly terms, what ADHD is and what it feels like from the child's perspective. It also acknowledges the difficulties that those who do not have ADHD sometimes have in understanding those who do.
- A different type of normal by Abigail Balfe (616.858) - Hi! My name is Abigail, and I'm autistic. But I didn't know I was autistic until I was an adult-sort-of-person. This is my true story of growing up in the confusing 'normal' world, all the while missing some very important information about myself. There'll be scary moments involving toilets and crowded trains, heart-warming tales of cats and pianos, and funny memories including my dad and a mysterious tub of ice cream. Along the way you'll also find some very crucial information about autism. If you've ever felt different, out of place, like you don't fit in - this book is for you.
- Growing up autistic and happy by Camilla Pang (362.196) - As a child, Camilla loved patterns and putting things in order. She was obsessed with Stephen Hawking, and the only language she really understood was science. Diagnosed with autism aged 8, Camilla saw the world very differently. But with science as her sidekick, she was able to translate ideas she could understand, such as photosynthesis and algorithms, onto things she couldn't, such as dealing with emotions and finding your voice. In this book, Camilla shares her scientific survival guide to growing up, helping young readers to navigate the world around them, have the courage to be themselves and embrace their weirdness, while being happy in who they are.
- Something different about dad by Kirsti Evans and John Swogger (362.196858) - Sophie and Daniel's Dad is different. Join them as they learn the reasons behind his difficulty with communication, flexible thinking, sensory and motor skills and anxiety, and find ways to make family life easier for everyone. This warm and honest comic is perfect for any family with a parent on the autism spectrum.
- I am an autistic girl by Danuta Bulhak-Paterson and Teresa Ferguson (616.858) - Lizzie is an autistic girl, which means that her brain works differently to her friends, and even to autistic boys! In this book, Lizzie explains what it's like to be an autistic girl, including how she has a special talent for blending in with her friends, how she can get really tired after being at school all day, how she worries about making mistakes, and how she finds it hard to understand how she is feeling.
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Books to help with life's ups and downs
Are you struggling with a stroppy toddler with constant tantrums? Is your seven year old frightened of going to the dentist? Do you need some advice on breastfeeding and weaning your young baby?
The answer for you is our "books to help with life's ups and downs" parents' collection which is available in all Coventry libraries. We have a variety of picture books on different situations and topics that you can read with your child. We also provide books with guidance on how to look after your child. Many other books on childcare can be found in the non-fiction area of any Coventry library.
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
'Summer is here' collection
Come rain or shine, whatever your plans, why not try our GREAT reads to keep you entertained.
All of the below books are available to reserve through our online catalogue [/onlinelibrarycatalogue]. Haven't got a library card? Find out how to join [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/aboutcovlibraries].
Small Great Things by Jodie Picoult
When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father. What the nurse, her lawyer and the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn't stand her crying. Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You'll have the baby monitor and you'll take it in turns to go back every half hour. Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realised. She's gone. You've never had to call the police before. But now they're in your home, and who knows what they'll find there. What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit? How well do we ever know those around us?
This must be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell
A reclusive former film star living in the wilds of Ireland, Claudette Wells thinks nothing of firing a gun if strangers get too close to her house. Why is she so fiercely protective of her privacy and what made her disappear at the height of her cinematic fame? Her husband Daniel, reeling from a discovery about a woman he last saw 20 years ago, is about to make an exit of his own. It is a journey that will send him off course, far from home. Will his love for Claudette be enough to bring him back?
I See You by Clare Macintosh
When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it's there. There's no explanation, no website: just a grainy image and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it's just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that. Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make?
Conclave by Robert Harris
The Pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, 118 Cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world's most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next 72 hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on Earth.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
You are a young neurosurgeon. You have completed 11 years of training. You are devoted to your work and on the brink of a wonderful career. Then you are diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. 'When Breath Becomes Air' is an unforgettable reflection on the practice of medicine and the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both.
The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain
It is the tutor who tells the young Gustav that he must try to be more like a coconut - that he needs a hard shell to protect the softness inside. This is what his native Switzerland has perfected - a shell to protect its neutrality, to keep its people safe. But his beloved friend, Anton, doesn't want to be safe - a gifted pianist, he longs to make his mark on the world outside. On holiday one summer in Davos, the boys stumble across a remote building. Long ago, it was a TB sanatorium; now it is wrecked and derelict. Here, they play a game of life and death, deciding which of their imaginary patients must burn. It becomes their secret.
Dadland by Keggie Carew
Keggie Carew grew up under the spell of an unorthodox, enigmatic father. An undercover guerrilla agent during the Second World War, in peacetime he lived on his wits and dazzling charm. But these were not always enough to sustain a family. As his memory began to fail, Keggie embarked on a quest to unravel his story once and for all. Dadland is that journey. It takes us into shadowy corners of history, a madcap English childhood, the poignant breakdown of a family, the corridors of dementia and beyond.
Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler
Kate Battista is feeling stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and uppity, pretty younger sister Bunny? Plus, she's always in trouble at work - her pre-school charges adore her, but the adults don't always appreciate her unusual opinions and forthright manner. Dr Battista has other problems. After years out in the academic wilderness, he is on the verge of a breakthrough. His research could help millions. There's only one problem: his brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. When Dr Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he's relying - as usual - on Kate to help him.
Lost for Words by Stephanie Butland
Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never show you. Into her refuge - the York book emporium where she works - come a poet, a lover, a friend, and three mysterious deliveries, each of which stirs unsettling memories. Everything is about to change for Loveday. Someone knows about her past and she can't hide any longer. She must decide who around her she can trust. Can she find the courage to right a heartbreaking wrong? And will she ever find the words to tell her own story? It's time to turn the pages of her past.
Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser
A cat-and-mouse survival story featuring a baby, a young girl and a criminal. The last thing Percy expected to find in the local drug den was a baby girl. Now she needs to get the baby to a hospital, and fast. But there's a blizzard outside and soon two-bit criminal Shelton Potter has woken up and is on the hunt for whoever has taken the baby.
The One by John Marrs
How far would you go to find THE ONE? One simple mouth swab is all it takes. A quick DNA test to find your perfect partner - the one you're genetically made for. A decade after scientists discover everyone has a gene they share with just one other person, millions have taken the test, desperate to find true love. Now, five more people meet their Match. But even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking and deadlier than others.
Strange the Dreamer by Liani Taylor
This is the story of the aftermath of a war between gods and men, a mysterious city stripped of its name, a mythic hero with blood on his hands, a young librarian with a singular dream, a girl every bit as perilous as she is imperilled, alchemy and blood candy, nightmares and gods spawn, moths and monsters, friendship and treachery, love and carnage.
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
High-low books in Coventry Libraries
‘High-low’ books are available in all Coventry libraries. These are books that are suitable for children and young people with a lower reading age in comparison to their actual age or ‘interest’ age. Barrington Stoke is the main publisher for high-low books.
The books are shelved together with other reading books but can easily be identified on the shelves because they are very thin, and they have the Barrington Stoke name at the bottom of the book spine. Barrington Stoke have a fantastic website [http://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/] to support families and practitioners with information about their books. There are samples of text from their books so that a child could work out their ’reading age’ by reading different samples to find out which suits them best.
On the back of each Barrington Stoke book is a guide to explain the reading/interest age level of the book.
For example below RA8IA9+ would be Reading age 8 Interest age 9+. Another example below RA6.5IA 10-14 means Reading age 6.5 Interest age 10-14
Other publishers offering books suited to older children with a lower reading age include:
A&C Black Colour Graffix and Wired Up, Collins Read On, Wayland Funnies
These are all available in Coventry Libraries.
Roadies, Rock and Record Reads
Coventry has a rich history of music from the Ska movement, with The Specials and Selector, through to Hazel O'Connor and the Primitives and more recently The Enemy, with their number one album 'We live and die in these towns'
We have put together some great titles at Central library to celebrate the history of music, including Ruth Cherrington's 'The dirty stop out's guide to 1970's Coventry' and Daniel Rachel's 'Walls come tumbling down - The music and politics of rock against racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge' Alongside fiction titles including Iain Banks, 'Espedair Street and Kevin Sampson, 'Powder'
All of the below books are available to reserve through our online catalogue [/onlinelibrarycatalogue]. Haven't got a library card? Find out how to join [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/aboutcovlibraries].
6 Featured titles with blurbs:
Iain Banks, Espedair Street
Danny used to be a famous - not to say infamous - rock star. Maybe still is. At 31, he realises he only has two problems: the past and the future. He knows how bad the past has been. But the future - well, the future is something else.
Kelvin Sampson, Powder
Keva McCluskey craves success. Other bands are making it big and now his worst enemy is on MTV. Without being recognised among the great songwriters of our time, Keva feels he cannot confront his horrific past. That's why he formed the Grams.
Louise Wener, different for Girls
This is a story of an ordinary girl's transformation from awkward 80s suburban pop geek to 90s jet-set pop goddess. It's about the embarrassments of growing up and experimenting with who you are and how pop music is both the comic and life-affirming soundtrack that runs through it all.
Gareth Murphy, COWBOYS AND INDIES
COWBOYS AND INDIES is the story of the 'record men' - the mavericks and moguls who have shaped the music industry from the first sound machines of the 1850s through to today's digital streams.
Ruth Cherrington,The Dirty Stop Out's Guide to 1970s Coventry
The Dirty Stop Out's Guide to 1970s Coventry celebrates the city's vibrant, varied and full-on nightlife of the era. The decade may have an image problem because of industrial strife, strikes and racial tensions but this new book explains how Coventry's music and entertainment scene provided something for everyone, from start to finish, and helped bring people together.
Northern soul
Northern Soul is the story of a youth culture in the 1970's, which changed a generation.
No longer satisfied with the prospect of a small town life and a factory production line two young boys dream of going to America to discover rare records which will help them become the best DJ's on the scene. This journey forces them to confront rivalry, violence and drug abuse and their friendship is tested to the limit. This is Northern Soul.
Read the official roadies, rock and record reads bookmark. [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/28233/record_reads_bookmark]The bookmark also contains the full list of books within this collection.
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Stephen Lawrence Day
Stephen Lawrence Research Centre Reading List [https://stephenlawrencedayresources.dmu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SLRC-Libraries-Reading-List-SLD-2022.pdf]
The Stephen Lawrence Research Centre aims to drive forward conversations that will shape and influence how we think about race and social justice. It intends to honour the enduring legacy of Stephen Lawrence’s life and his family’s ongoing pursuit of justice by asking new questions, debating critical issues, raising awareness, and advocating to bring about positive change.
To borrow a book please search the library catalogue [/onlinelibrarycatalogue], reserve [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/search-library-catalogue/5] or request [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/search-library-catalogue/4] a copy online, or contact your local library [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/join-find-use/3] to reserve or request books by phone, email or in person.
Key - Fiction (F), Non-fiction (NF), Poetry (P)
Juniors - Early years (0 – 5 years old)
- An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing (F)
- Standing up to Racism by Dr Pragya Agarwal (F)
- All are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold (F)
- First Questions and Answers: What is Racism? by Katie Daynes and Jordan Akpojaro (NF)
- Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi (F)
- The Proudest Blue by S. K. Ali and Ibtihaj Muhammad (F)
- M is for Melanin by Tiffany Rose (F)
- Sulwe by Vashti Harrison (F)
- A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara (NF)
- We All Belong by Nathalie Goss (F)
- Look Up! by Nathan Bryon (F)
Key stage 1 (5 -7 years old)
- First Questions and Answers: What is Racism? by Katie Daynes and Jordan Akpojaro (NF)
- All About Diversity by Felicity Brooks (NF)
- When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke (NF)
- My Skin, Your Skin: Let’s Talk About Race, Racism and Empowerment by Laura Henry-Allain (NF)
- Dealing with Racism by Jane Lacey (NF)
- Where Are You From? by Jaime Kim and Yamile Saied Mendez (NF)
- Hair Love by Matthew Cherry (F)
- My Name is not Refugee by Kate Milner (F)
- My Hair by Hannah Lee (F)
- My Brown Skin by Dr. Thomishia Booker (F)
- Hey You! by Dapo Adeola (F)
- Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon (F)
- Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch (F)
- Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renee Watson (NF)
- Rosa by Nikki Giovanni (NF)
- All Aboard the Empire Windrush by Jillian Powell (NF)
- Hoorah for Mary Seacole by Tish Cooke (NF)
- The Journey by Francesa Sanna (F)
- The Empire Windrush by Clive Gifford (NF)
Key stage 2 (7 – 11 years old)
- The Life of Stephen Lawrence by Verna Allete Wilkins (NF)
- Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah (F)
- Coming to England by Baroness Floella Benjamin (NF)
- Black and British: an Illustrated History by David Olusoga (NF)
- Who are Refugees and Migrants? What Makes People Leave Their Homes? And Other Big Questions by Michael Rosen (NF)
- The Place for Me: Stories about the Windrush Generation by Dame Floella Benjamin, K.N.Chimbiri, E. L. Norry and Judy Hepburn (NF)
- The Island by Armin Greder (F)
- Migrants by Issa Watanabe (F)
- Journey to Jo’Burg by Beverley Naidoo (F)
- Sunflower Sisters by Monika Singh Gangotra and Michael Dias-Hayes (F)
- The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Rauf (F)
- Funky Chickens by Benjamin Zephaniah (P)
- Fly Me Home by Polly Ho Yen (F)
- The Arrival by Shaun Tan (F)
- The Wheel of Surya by Jamila Gavin (F)
- Walter Tull’s Scrapbook by Michaela Morgan (NF)
- Freedom by Catherine Johnson (F)
- Empire’s End - A Roman Story by Lelia Rasheed (F)
Teens - Key stage 3 (11 – 14 years old)
- A Little Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird (F)
- Hope in a Ballet Shoe by Michaele and Elaine DePrince (F)
- The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon (F)
- Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho (NF)
- Maybe I Don’t Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery by David Harewood (NF)
- The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman (P)
- Run Rebel by Manjeet Mann (P)
- The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera (NF)
- Britons Through Negro Spectacles by ABC Merriman-Labor (NF)
- A Black Boy at Eton by Dillibe Onyeama (NF)
- Diver’s Daughter by Patrice Lawrence (F)
- The New Cross Massacre Story by John La Rose (NF)
Key stage 4 (14 – 16 years old)
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (F)
- I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan (F)
- Go Tell it on a Mountain by James Baldwin (F)
- Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri (NF)
- Silence is Not An Option: You Can Impact the World for Change by Stuart Lawrence (NF)
- Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans (P)
- Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (F)
- The Louder I Will Sing by Lee Lawrence (NF)
- The Colour Purple by Alice Walker (F)
- Voice of the Windrush Generation: The Real Story Told by the People Themselves by David Matthews (NF)
- Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi (F)
- Minty Alley by C.L.R. James (F)
- Growing Out by Barbara Blake Hannah (NF)
- My Fathers’ Daughter by Hannah Azieb Pool (NF)
- Sequins for a Ragged Hem by Estate of Amryl Johnson (F)
- Black and British by David Bygott (NF)
- War to Windrush: Black Women in Britain 1939 to 1948 by Stephen Bourne (NF)
- Black Poppies: Britain’s Black Community and the Great War by Stephen Bourne (NF)
Key stage 5 (16 – 18 years old)
- Small Island by Andrea Levy (F)
- The Lonely Londoners by Samuel Selvon (F)
- Dear Justyce by Nic Stone (F)
- In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne (F)
- And Still, I Rise by Baroness Doreen Lawrence (NF)
- The Case of Stephen Lawrence by Brain Cathcart (NF)
- When They Call You a Terrorist: A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele (NF)
- Allies: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, And Trying Again by Shakirah Bourne and Dana Alison Levy (NF)
- The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph (NF)
- Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho (NF)
- “I Will Not be Erased”: Our Stories about Growing up as People of Colour by Gal-dem Magazine (NF)
- What is Race? Who are Racists? Why Does Skin Colour Matter? And Other Big Questions by Nikesh Shukla and Claire Heuchan (NF)
- Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga (NF)
- Black Joy by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Timi Sotire (NF)
- Living While Black by Guilaine Kinouani (NF)
- The Dancing Face by Mike Phillips (F)
- Without Prejudice by Nicola Williams (F)
- Empire Windrush: Fifty Years of Writing about Black Britain by Onyekachi Wambu (NF)
Adults (18 years old+)
- And Still, I Rise by Baroness Doreen Lawrence (NF)
- The Case of Stephen Lawrence by Brain Cathcart (NF)
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad (NF)
- Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga (NF)
- The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla (NF)
- It’s Not About The Burqa by Mariam Khan (NF)
- Black Tudors: The Untold Story by Miranda Kaufmann (NF)
- What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship to Coalition by Emma Dabiri (NF)
- Biracial Britain: What It Means To Be Mixed Race by Remi Adekoya (NF)
- Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala (NF)
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (NF)
- Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain by Sathnam Sanghera (NF)
- Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging by Aufa Hirsch (NF)
- Afropean: Notes from Black Europe by Johny Pitts (NF)
- We’re Here Because You Were There: Immigration and the End of Empire by Ian Sanjay Patel (NF)
- Black London: The Imperial Metropolis and Decolonisation in Twentieth Century by Marc Matera (NF)
- Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain by Peter Fryer (NF)
- Murder in Notting Hill by Mark Oloen (NF)
- Narratives From Beyond the UK Reggae Bassline by Henry and Morley (NF)
- Policing The Crisis by Stuart Hall (NF)
- Political Blackness in Multiracial Britain by Mohan Ambikaipaker (NF)
- The Black Atlantic by Paul Gilroy (NF)
- There Aint’ no Black in the Union Jack by Paul Gilroy (NF)
- Un/Settled Multiculturalisms by Barnor Hesse (NF)
- UK Hip-Hop, Grime and the City: The Aesthetics and Ethics of London’s Rap Scenes by Richard Bramwell (NF)
- Asians In Britain by Rozina Visram (NF)
- Bangladeshi Family Life in Bethnal Green (NF)
- Black British History by Hakim Adi (NF)
- Insurgent Empire: Anticolonialism and the Making of British Dissent by Priyamvada Gopal (NF)
- (B)ordering Britain by Nadine El-Enany (NF)
- A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid (NF)
- Back to Black by Kehinde Andrews (NF)
- Beyond A Boundary by C. L. R. James (NF)
- Black British Cultural Studies: A Reader by Houston A. Baker, Manthia Diawara, and Ruth H. Lindeborg (NF)
- Black Edwardians by Jeffrey Green (NF)
- Black Experience And The British Empire by Philip D. Morgan and Sean Hawkins (NF)
- Black Handsworth: Race in 1980s Britain by Kieran Connell (NF)
- Black Resistance to British Policing by Adam Elliott-Cooper (NF)
- Blackening Europe by Heike Raphael-Hernandez (NF)
- Capitalism And Slavery by Eric Williams (NF)
- Civiling Subjects by Catherine Hall (NF)
- Claudia Jones A Life In Exile by Marika Sherwood (NF)
- Claudia Jones: Beyond Containment by Carole Boyce Davies and Claudia Jones (NF)
- Decolonising The University by Gurminder K. Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial and Kerem NiÅancıoÄlu (NF)
- Deporting Black Britons by Luke de Noronha (NF)
- Dropping Anchor And Setting Sail by Jacqueline Nassy Brown (NF)
- Empire Strikes Back by Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (NF)
- Familiar Stranger: A Life Between Two Islands by Stuart Hall (NF)
- Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power by Lola Olufemi (NF)
- Fruit of the Lemon by Andrea Levy (F)
- Heart of the Race: Black Women’s Lives In Britan by Beverly Bryan, Stella Dadzie And Suzanne Scafe (NF)
- How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Subnormal by Bernard Coard (NF)
- In The Castle Of My Skin by George Lamming (NF)
- In The Shadow Of Enoch Powell by Shirin Hirsch (NF)
- Inside Babylon by Winston James (NF)
- I Refuse to Condemn: Resisting Racism in Times of National Security by Asim Qureshi (Editor) / contributor Fatima Rajina (NF)
- Islam in Victorian Britain by Ron Geaves (NF)
- Keeping Britain White by Maya Goodfellow (NF)
- London Crossings by Mike Phillips (NF)
- London Is The Place For Me by Kennetta Hammond Perry (NF)
- Making Mixed Race: A Study of Time, Place and Identity by Karis Campion (NF)
- African Europeans by Olivette Otele (NF)
- Imperial Intimacies by Hazel Carby (NF)
- Blackness in Britain by Lisa Palmer and Kehinde Andrews (NF)
- Girl, Woman Other by Bernadine Evaristo (F)
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams (F)
- Hostile Environment by Maya Goodfellow (NF)
- Decolonising Feminisms by Denise Noble (NF)
- Terraformed by Joy White (NF)
- White Teeth by Zadie Smith (F)
- West Indian Intellectuals In Britan by Bill Shwarz (NF)
- Thinking Black by Rob Waters (NF)
- The Making Of The Black Working Class In Britan by Ron Ramdin (NF)
- The Long Song by Andrea Levy (F)
- The Digital Lives of Black Women in Britain by Francesca Sobande (NF)
- The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James (NF)
- The Black Atlantic by Paul Gilroy (NF)
- The Birth Of Cool by Carol Tulloch (NF)
- Somali, Muslim, British by Giulia Liberatore (NF)
- Racial Capitalism by Gargi Battachyria (NF)
- Race, Sexuality and Identity and Britain and Jamaica by Gemma Romain (NF)
- Race Women Internationalists by Imaobong Umoren (NF)
- Race and the Undeserving Poor by Robbie Shilliam (NF)
- On Being Included by Sara Ahmed (NF)
- On Beauty by Zadie Smith (F)
- New Geographies of Race and Racism by Caroline Bressey (NF)
Further reading:
- Black Britain: Writing Back [https://www.penguin.co.uk/series/bbwb/black-britain--writing-back.html]
- Lit in Colour - Teaching Resources [https://www.penguin.co.uk/campaigns/lit-in-colour/teaching-resources.html]
- Stephen Lawrence Day Secondary Annotated Reading List [https://stephenlawrenceday.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SLDF-Stephen-Lawrence-Day-Secondary-Annotated-Reading-List-2021.pdf]
- Good housekeeping - Children’s Books About Race and Racial Injustice [https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/editors-choice-book-reviews/g32754174/childrens-books-about-race/]
- Books for Topics - Black British History [https://www.booksfortopics.com/post/black-british-history]
- School Reading List - Teaching Diversity [https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/books-for-topics/teaching-diversity-through-reading-in-primary-schools/]
- Puffin Schools - Black History Month [https://www.puffinschools.co.uk/book-lists/black-history-month/]
- Renaissance - Children’s Books about Black History [https://www.renlearn.co.uk/books-and-quizzes/childrens-books-about-black-british-history/]
- Love Reading 4 Kids - Children’s Book Celebrating Black History and Culture [https://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/blog/collections/40-childrens-books-celebrating-black-history-culture-6211]
- Bustle - Black British History [https://www.bustle.com/life/what-they-dont-teach-at-school-a-black-british-history-resource-list-22961784]
Discover More Reads
Our ‘Discover More Reads’ [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/discovermorereads] book lists offer a gateway to explore literature that encompasses a variety of cultures and global viewpoints, including:
- Cultural Heritage: Books related to the African Continent, Black History Month, and Windrush Day.
- Social Movements: Literature on Black Lives Matter and further readings on the subject.
- Diverse Literature: Celebrations of diverse Indian, Chinese, Welsh, Irish, and English writings.
- Special Observances: Selections for Refugee Week, Men’s Health, LGBTQ+ Pride, Holocaust Memorial Day, and British Science Week.
- Genre Highlights: Fantastic fiction in translation, Great British Crime picks, and sharp-edged fiction.
- Well-being and Resilience: Books promoting safety, calmness, connection, hope, and resilience, especially for children and young adults.
- Environmental Awareness: A green book list for children and young adults to foster environmental consciousness.
South Asian Heritage Month
South Asian Heritage month [http://southasianheritage.org.uk/] is marked every 18 July to 17 August in the UK.
Search the online catalogue [https://librarycatalogue.coventry.gov.uk] to find or request these books in a library near you, or search Borrowbox [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/e-audiobooks-e-books-e-magazines] to read for free online.
Children and Young Adults
- Stolen History by Sathnam Sanghera
- Noor Un Nissa Inayat Khan by Sufiya Ahmed
- Nura and the Immortal Palace by M. T. Khan
- The Novice by Taran Matharu
- Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Ruchi Mhasane
- South Asian Folktales, myths and legends by Sara Shaffi
- Fearless Fairytales by Konnie Huq and James Kay
- Stand up by Nickesh Shukla
- The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
- These Are the Words by Nikita Gill
- When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari
- In Case of Emergency by Poorna Bell
Poetry and fiction
- Hiding to Nothing by Anita Pati
- Chasing Hares by Sonali Bhattacharyya
- The Last White Man by Moshin Hamid
- Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
- The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
- I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel
- Good Intention by Kasim Ali
- The Things That We Lost by Jyoti Patel
- Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree
- Your Heart is the Sea by Nikita Gill
- The Runaways by Fatima Bhutto
- Very Close to Pleasure There's a Sick Cat by Shakti Chattopadhyay
History, Culture, Memoir
- Munnu a Boy From Kashmir by Malik Sajad
- Rumours of Spring by Farah Bashir
- The Roles We Play by Sabba Khan
- Shramatan by B. N. Joshi
- Brown Girl Like Me by Jaspreet Kaur
- The Corner Shop by Babita Shama
- Sex Bomb by Sadia Azmat
- The Right Sort of Girl by Anita Rani
- Partition Voices by Kavita Puri
- EmpireLand by Sathnam Sanghera
- In the Language of Remembering by Aanchal Malhotra
- The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer by Shrabani Basu
LGBTQ+
- The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
- All the Yellow Suns by Malavika Kannan
- Burning My Roti by Sharan Dhaliwal
- If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar
- Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
- The Devourers by Indra Das
- Kari by Amruta Patil
- The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
- [re:desire] by Afshan d'souza-lodhi
- Ritu Weds Chandni by Ameya Narvankar
- Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
- A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi