Looking for a book that will be a good read and do you good at the same time? A Reading Well book could be just what the doctor ordered!
Reading Well supports you to understand and manage your health and wellbeing using helpful reading. All Reading Well books are recommended by health experts as well as people with lived experience of the conditions and topics covered. They’re also available to borrow for free from public libraries!
There are currently five Reading Well collections:
📖 Reading Well for mental health – helpful reading for adults on looking after yourself including feelings, experiences and common mental health conditions.
📖 Reading Well for families – helpful reading to support parents and carers to look after their wellbeing in pregnancy and the early years.
📖 Reading Well for teens – helpful reading for teens about looking after yourself, emotions and life experiences.
📖 Reading Well for children – helpful reading for children and families to support wellbeing including emotions, worries and understanding neurodiversity and disability.
📖 Reading Well for dementia – helpful reading about dementia for people living with dementia, carers and wider family members including children.
Check out our Reading Well picks below for book clubs of all ages to get conversations going around health and wellbeing.
Reading Well for dementia
Somebody I Used to Know, Wendy Mitchell
How do you build a life when all that you know is changing? How do you conceive of love when you can no longer recognise those who mean the most to you? A phenomenal memoir, Somebody I Used to Know is both a heart-rending tribute to the woman Wendy Mitchell once was, and a brave affirmation of the woman dementia has seen her become.
What readers say: “I’ve given and lent this to a friend so they have better understanding of how dementia can affect you. It’s very informative to help put your ducks in a row. It’s a page-turner, funny in places and sad in others.”
Other Reading Well for dementia titles that book clubs might also enjoy: Remember Me? By Shobna Gulati and Slow Puncture by Peter Berry and Deb Bunt.
Reading Well for mental health
The Boy with the Topknot, Sathnam Sanghera
For Sathnam Sanghera, growing up in Wolverhampton in the eighties was a confusing business. On the one hand, these were the heady days of George Michael mix-tapes, Dallas on TV and, if he was lucky, the occasional Bounty Bar. On the other, there was his wardrobe of tartan smocks, his 30p-an-hour job at the local sewing factory and the ongoing challenge of how to tie the perfect topknot. And then there was his family, whose strange and often difficult behaviour he took for granted until, at the age of twenty-four, Sathnam made a discovery that changed everything he ever thought he knew about them.
What readers say: “A memoir about growing up in a Sikh household in Wolverhampton in the 70s and 80s from the perspective of the present day. Unknown to Sanghera is the unspoken and undiscussed fact that his father has schizophrenia, as does his eldest sister. There are some very sad moments [but] Sanghera injects the book with asides and humour, so it is an easy read. It is also extremely informative.”
Other Reading Well for mental health titles that book clubs might also enjoy: Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig and A Manual for Heartache by Cathy Rentzenbrink.
Reading Well for families
Nobody Told Me: Poetry and Parenthood, Hollie McNish
There were many things that Hollie McNish didn’t know before she was pregnant. How her family and friends would react; that Mr Whippy would be off the menu; how quickly ice can melt on a stomach. These were on top of the many other things she didn’t know about babies: how to stand while holding one; how to do a poetry gig with your baby as an audience member; how drum’n’bass can make a great lullaby. But Hollie learned. And she’s still learning, slowly. Nobody Told Me is a collection of poems and stories; Hollie’s thoughts on raising a child in modern Britain, of trying to become a parent in modern Britain, of sex, commercialism, feeding, gender and of finding secret places to scream once in a while.
What readers say: “Reading this made me laugh cry and feel seen. It gave me permission to accept that it’s okay to struggle and that being a good mum isn’t about being perfect. If you’re a mum especially a young one this book will stay with you. It’s a reminder that you’re never really alone in how you’re feeling.”
Other Reading Well for families titles that book clubs might also enjoy: Bonkers by Olivia Siegl and No One Talks About This Stuff edited by Kat Brown.
Reading Well for teens
Frankie’s World, Aoife Dooley
How do you fit in and stand out when you feel different to everyone around you? Frankie knows she’s not like anyone else in her class: she’s different, but she can’t quite figure out why. Is it the new freckle on her nose, or the fact she’s small for her age? Or that she has to go to the hospital sometimes? Everyone else seems to think she’s weird too, and they make fun of her at school. Frankie’s dad left when she was a baby – maybe he was different too? It would explain why she always feels like an alien. So she and her best-friend Sam, embark on a mission to track him down. A graphic novel offering a unique perspective on autism, told with humour and heart.
What readers say: “As a person with autism I thought it was very relatable. It is very informative and has information at the end about what autism is and how you can help someone with autism. The character gets over the feelings of being ‘weird’ and accepts and embraces her difference. I love the illustrations. They are really cool!”
Other Reading Well for teens titles that book clubs might also enjoy: Hope by Rhian Ivory and When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari.
Reading Well for children
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet, Zanib Mian
Omar and his family have just moved, and he is NOT excited about starting at a new school. What if the work is too hard or the kids are mean or the teacher is a zombie alien?! But when Omar makes a new best friend, things start looking up. That is, until a Big Mean Bully named Daniel makes every day a nightmare! Daniel even tells Omar that all Muslims are going to be kicked out of the country… Could that possibly be true? Luckily, Omar’s enormous imagination and goofy family help him get through life’s ups and downs.
What readers say: “I liked this book because it is showing you that if you’re getting bullied the bully is having problems of their own. It’s light-hearted and takes your mind off sad things happening.”
Other Reading Well for children titles that book clubs might also enjoy: Check Mates by Stewart Foster and Ella on the Outside by Cath Howe.
Where to get help
You can find recommended digital resources providing support and information on the Reading Well webpages for dementia, families and teens.
For urgent support, the following organisations are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
NHS: free information to help you manage your health
• www.nhs.uk
• Call: 111
Samaritans: free and confidential emotional support if you need someone to talk to
• www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan
• Call: 116 123
Childline: free, private and confidential service for anyone under 19 in the UK
• www.childline.org.uk
• Call: 0800 1111
