Happy World Book Day!

You might have spotted that the kids on the school run today are in some intriguing costumes...that's because it's World Book Day, a yearly event to celebrate books and reading. Schools will be handing out book tokens and getting dressed up as book characters - perhaps you remember this from your school days? I remember going as Anne of Green Gables one year, and my sister in a brilliant Hamlet costume!

Research has been done which suggests that reading for pleasure has benefits in terms of emotional and social effects (Department for Education, 2012), and a recent report claimed that just a small amount of regular reading can aid relaxation, ease stress and improve your ability to cope with the things that life throws at you (Quick Reads, 2015). So if you've fallen out of the habit of reading, or have never really been into it, why not give it a go? You'll find some fiction in our collections, but for a wider range to choose from, give your local public library a go (it's free!).

I've been a lifelong reader, and writer too. A few years ago I wrote on one of my non-work blogs about "Seven books that changed the way I see the world" -  feel free to have a read to see the impact that books have had on my personal development.

And keep an eye out on the Library's news feeds...we've got some exciting reading for pleasure related news coming up...


Department for Education (2012) Research evidence on reading for pleasure [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284286/reading_for_pleasure.pdf (Accessed: 5 March 2015).

Quick Reads (2015) Reading between the lines: the benefits of reading for pleasure [Online]. Available at: http://www.quickreads.org.uk/assets/downloads/docs/Galaxy-Quick-Reads-Report-FINAL%20.pdf (Accessed: 5 March 2015).