Reading for health and wellbeing
Brent Libraries offer the Reading Friends programme and are proud to have a wide range of Reading Well Books on Prescription and mood-boosting books at all our libraries which help to address isolation and loneliness.
Library reading groups
Reading groups are a great way of meeting new people, discovering different books and authors and improving your wellbeing.
Many of our libraries host reading groups that you can join at any time, for free. Groups meet monthly and together, choose which books to read (this is usually done a couple of months in advance). Refreshments are provided.
When and where
| Library | Time and date | Reading group details |
|---|---|---|
| Ealing Road Library | Last Saturday of the month 1.30pm to 4.30pm | Tamil reading group |
| Kilburn Library | Third Thursday of the month 6.45pm to 7.45pm | General fiction book group |
| Kingsbury Library | Second Friday of the month 11am-12noon | General fiction book group |
How to join
If you would like to join one of our monthly reading groups, please visit your local library and ask for details on how to join.
About the Reading Well scheme
Reading Well is a national scheme, which helps people understand and manage their health and wellbeing through self-help books.
The books have all been chosen and recommended by health experts, as well as people living with the conditions covered and their relatives and carers.
Your health professional can recommend a title to you or you can visit your local library and take out a book yourself. If your doctor has prescribed you some self-help books, take the prescription to your local library, where staff will help find the book.
Books are issued for three weeks and can be renewed if no-one is waiting for them.
Reading Well for children
Books on this list are aimed at children aged 7 to 11.
The list contains a mixture of fiction and non-fiction titles and covers topics such as coping with feelings and worries, daily life and getting through a tough time.
View the booklist for children
Reading Well for young people
Shelf Help recommends books that provide helpful information and step-by-step techniques for managing common mental health issues for 13-18 year olds including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and self-harm. Some of the books follow a self-help approach based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Many of them include practical, step-by-step activities to help with common mental health issues like stress and depression. There are also fiction titles within the collection with themes covering mental health.
View the booklist for young people
Reading well for mental health
Reading Well for mental health provides information and support for people with common mental health needs and for dealing with difficult feelings and experiences.
The books include information on approaches such as CBT and mindfulness, as well as common mental health conditions including depression anxiety, OCD and others. The collection also includes personal stories and advice for carers.
View the booklist for mental health
Reading well for people with long-term conditions
This scheme provides support and advice for living with or caring for someone with long-term conditions and their symptoms. The list includes topics such as arthritis, heart disease, stroke and breathing difficulties.
View the booklist for long-term conditions
Reading well for dementia
Books on Prescription for dementia recommends books you might find helpful if you have dementia, are caring for someone with dementia, or want to find out more about the condition. The books include information and advice, help after diagnosis, practical support for carers and personal stories.
View the booklist for dementia
Reading Friends programme
A Reading Agency initiative which is about tackling issues of loneliness and isolation, through the proven power of reading. Reading Friends connects people by starting conversations through reading, giving opportunities to meet others, share stories, make new friends and have fun. It creates social connections and takes a person-centred approach building on interests and hobbies of the people involved to get people talking.
The programme provides:
- monthly coffee morning events
- reading collections for long term loans to schools and community organisations. Please contact libraries@brent.gov.uk for more information.