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Reading Well helps you understand and manage your health and wellbeing through helpful reading.

The books are chosen by health experts, those living with the conditions covered and their relatives and carers.

GPs and other health professionals can recommend a book for a particular condition or you can find a book that suits you.

All books are available to borrow from our libraries and many of the Reading Well titles are available to borrow as ebooks and audiobooks.

Reading Well for Mental Health

Reading Well for Mental Health provides helpful information and support for managing common mental health conditions or dealing with difficult feelings and experiences.

Reading Well for Young People: Shelf Help

Reading Well for Young People recommends expert-endorsed books about mental health, providing 13 to 18 year-olds with advice and information about issues such as anxiety, stress and OCD, and difficult experiences like bullying and exams.

Reading Well for Long-term Conditions

This Reading Well booklist covers general advice and information about living with a long-term condition, common symptoms and titles focused on specific conditions such as arthritis, bowel conditions, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Reading Well for Children

Reading Well for Children supports the mental health and wellbeing of children aged 7-11, providing children and their families and carers with information, advice and support for coping with feelings and worries, daily life and getting through a tough time.

The booklist of 33 titles provides quality-assured information, advice and stories to support children's mental health and wellbeing and includes:

  • general information and advice about maintaining good mental health and wellbeing
  • understanding and managing feelings
  • dealing with worries
  • navigating the world around you, including at school, online and in the news
  • dealing with tough times, including when someone dies, trauma, and when a parent or carer has mental health

Mood boosting books

Mood boosting books from Reading Well are lists of titles for people who feel stressed or depressed, or just want a bit of a pick-me-up.

From novels and non-fiction to poetry and graphic novels, titles have been read, reviewed and recommended by:

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