The King’s Fund continues with online book group discussions in June, this time reading Mr Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt. Set in 1964 the novel explores depression through the experiences of Esther, a widowed librarian, and Winston Churchill, who is at the end of his career, days before his retirement.
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2020 is the international year of the nurse and midwife. To mark this, the book group will be discussing Emma Donoghue’s novel, The Wonder.
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In recent years the orthodoxy that Shakespeare can only truly be appreciated on stage has become widespread. However, as with many of our habits and assumptions, lockdown gives us a chance to think differently. Now could be the time to dust off the old collected works and read some Shakespeare, just as people have been doing for more than 400 years.
Many people have said they find reading Shakespeare a bit daunting, so here are five tips for how to make it simpler and more pleasurable.
Hachette UK has set up a new website to offer NHS workers across the country free e-books to thank them for their dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic. The website, which is powered by ebooks.com, will initially be available until the end of May.
See the website and download books here
In times of crisis, historical fiction is both reassurance (nothing is completely new) and escape. Find out more about the shortlisted books here.
The judges of the 2020 International Booker Prize have revealed the six shortlisted books in contention for the prize, which celebrates the finest translated fiction from around the world
See the shortlist here
First awarded in March 2017, the Jhalak Prize, seeks to celebrate books by British/British resident BAME writers. The prize is unique in that it accepts entries published in the UK by writers of colour. These include (and not limited to) fiction, non-fiction, short stories, graphic novels, poetry, children’s books, YA, teen and all other genres. The prize is also open to self-published writers.
Read more about the prize and see the 2020 longlist here
World Book Day is a registered charity on a mission to give every child and young person a book of their own. It’s also a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.
Read more here
To celebrate World Book Day here in the library we have put together a fine collection of fiction books to take you on a trip around the world. Through these books we can travel from the country lanes of Britain to the silk roads of the east, reading short stories, historical novels, a travel memoir and a Pulitzer Prize winner. We can read of cocktails being sipped in 1930’s Paris, murder in Tuscany and even the travels of a cat…. if you love reading there is a book here waiting for you!
This year’s longlist of sixteen novels honours both new and well-established writers and a range of genres.
See more details and the full list here
Today, 27 February, the judges of the 2020 International Booker Prize reveal the ‘International Booker Dozen’, the 13 novels longlisted for the prestigious award celebrating the finest translated fiction from around the world.
See the list here
