Mood-boosting Books
In 2010 we launched a brand-new promotion called 'Mood-boosting Books' in partnership with the BBC.
Research shows that reading improves mental health and well-being. The Reading Agency teamed up with BBC Headroom to work with reading groups around the country to review and identify a selection of Mood-boosting Books. The books chosen by the groups made up a booklist, which formed the centre of the promotion, and the booklist was supplemented with promotional material.
The promotion was aimed at all adults, particularly those who might have experienced mild mental-health conditions linked to stress, anxiety and depression. All the books on the reading list were around creative reading - mainly fiction, with some non-fiction and poetry.
The promotion launched in libraries on World Mental Health Day on 10 October and ran until January.
If you would like to know more about the promotion, please email moodboosting@readingagency.org.uk.
The Reading Agency would like to thank the following reading groups for participating in the project:
- The Tuesday Group, Portsmouth
- East Boldon Tuesday Reading Group, South Tyneside
- Hendon Book Chat Group, Sunderland
- Washington Mind Book Chat Group, Sunderland
- Maida Vale Library Reading Group, London Borough of Westminster
We would also like to thank Charley Baker, University Teacher in Mental Health at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy at the University of Nottingham for endorsing the titles on the booklist.
Please visit the Madness and Literature Network website where you can join the network and gain free access to further information about developments in health humanities at Nottingham University, events and seminars. You can also access tools such as the madness and literature database of peer-reviewed books.