As the yearly dump of diet and health titles hit bookshops, here's another reason to love libraries: branches across the country are promoting "mood-boosting" books through January, with titles ranging from Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie to Tove Jansson's wonderful A Winter Book. The promotion, says organiser The Reading Agency, follows research that shows reading improves mental wellbeing and reduces stress by over two-thirds.
Running in 135 library authorities, the 27 titles for the Reading Agency promotion were picked by eight reading groups around the country and endorsed by Charley Baker, lecturer in mental health at the University of Nottingham. Although it's aimed specifically at adults who "might have experienced mild to moderate mental-health conditions linked to stress, anxiety and depression", I say it's a lovely idea, and that we could probably all do with a mood-boost in January.
You can see the full list of titles chosen here, on LibraryThing. Some aren't for me, but I thoroughly agree with Asim from Wakefield who recommended Notes from a Small Island, saying that "Bill Bryson is an antidote to depression", as well as with the suggestions of Jasper Fforde, Nancy Mitford and – time for a reread I think – The Secret Garden. While I can see the appeal of grabbing an easy read chick-lit title to cheer yourself up (Mike Gayle, Jill Mansell and Lucy Diamond all make it onto the library list), when I need a bit of happiness from my reading I personally tend to go towards nature writing – perhaps it helps sate a desire to be out of London – or to favourite classics and children's books.
My own little list of legal mood-enhancers would also feature Roger Deakin – he's picked for Waterlog by the reading groups, but I might go for Wildwood – as well as Ronald Blythe, Emma (is it possible to be sad when faced with such pizzazz?), and, in honour of the late Ronald Searle, The Compleet Molesworth. I've just fished out my copy, so while I await your own cheery suggestions, I will leave you with the inimitable thoughts of nigel molesworth, curse of st custard's. "there is only one peom in the English language eg The Brook which chater chater as it flo my dear it is obviously a girlie just like fotherington-tomas. However there are other peoms which creep in from time to time there is one which go Har fleag har fleag har fleag onward / Into the er rode the 600."
