Reading for You

Reading for pleasure, reading for leisure, reading for you.

Reading for You is a collection of general interest fiction and non-fiction books. You can view the collection in OneSearch by clicking here.

The purpose of Reading for You is to encourage reading just for the pure enjoyment of it. It also supports the idea of "Education for the Whole Person" that is central to our membership of the Cathedrals Group of universities. We believe that a higher education experience is worth so much more than what people earn after graduating. Reading for You is about emphasising wellbeing, wisdom and wider potential alongside academic excellence.

Look out for displays in your campus library and on our Twitter feed and if you have any suggestions for books to add to our Reading for You collection please use the Get More Books form to let us know.

Love Reading?

Share your love of reading with others. Let us know your favourite book from childhood or the best book you have read recently or your absolute favourite book of all time or a quote from your favourite author...

Simply click the button and pop something into the Padlet (book, quote, image, etc.):

Share your love of Reading

Recently added titles

Here is just a small selection of the titles we have purchased for the Reading for You collection:

Ebooks to read for pleasure whilst you are working and studying from home, you can view these by clicking here.

An indispensable resource for white people who want to challenge white supremacy but don't know where to begin.

"Layla is an extremely powerful communicator. From the first page, you will be glued to this book. It should be mandatory reading. The message is urgent and the book is actionable and practical. Buy this book for yourself, do the work, and then push more copies it into the hands of everyone you know." Emma Gannon, Sunday Times bestselling author.

	"Let Us Dream is about crisis, change, and how we, both as individuals and globally, can emerge from the madness of this year as better people. Written in response to the pandemic, it’s a powerful exploration of how the Pope has responded to crises in his own life, and an analysis of today’s society, which was so brutally exposed by the global lockdown: both the stark inequalities, and the generosity of spirit that was displayed by so many. He urges us to ensure that the pain was not in vain; that we can learn from this and come out the other side stronger and fairer."
	Voted the UK’s Favourite Nature Book "Every minute was magical, every single thing it did was fascinating and everything it didn't do was equally wondrous, and to be sat there, with a Kestrel, a real live Kestrel, my own real live Kestrel on my wrist! I felt like I'd climbed through a hole in heaven's fence."
	A BBC Top 100 Novels that Shaped Our World "Effia and Esi: two sisters with two very different destinies. One sold into slavery; one a slave trader's wife. The consequences of their fate reverberate through the generations that follow. Taking us from the Gold Coast of Africa to the cotton-picking plantations of Mississippi; from the missionary schools of Ghana to the dive bars of Harlem, spanning three continents and seven generations, Yaa Gyasi has written a miraculous novel - the intimate, gripping story of a brilliantly vivid cast of characters and through their lives the very story of America itself."
	Shortlisted for the 2018 Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize "The experience of being in nature alone is here set within the context of a series of walks that Neil Ansell takes into the most remote parts of Britain, the rough bounds in the Scottish Highlands. He illustrates the impact of being alone as part of nature, rather than outside it."
	What really goes on in the long grass? "Meadowland gives an unique and intimate account of an English meadow’s life from January to December, together with its biography."
	Stephen Cottrell is the Archbishop of York AND Chancellor of the University of Cumbria 'Stephen Cottrell writes about Christ as if he were here now. As if redemption were possible for all of us, as if the void that threatens to engulf us all could be filled by a personal relationship with Christ in the present. He is a compelling writer.' - Russell Brand
	"I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light." "Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction."
	WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE CHRISTOPHER BLAND PRIZE & SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD & WAINWRIGHT GOLDEN BEER BOOK PRIZE 2018 "The Salt Path is an honest and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways."
	The Wolf Border investigates the fundamental nature of wilderness and wildness, both animal and human. "For almost a decade Rachel Caine has turned her back on home, kept distant by family disputes and her work monitoring wolves on an Idaho reservation. But now, summoned by the eccentric Earl of Annerdale and his controversial scheme to reintroduce the Grey Wolf to the English countryside, she is back in the peat and wet light of the Lake District."

Wellbeing Collection
One in four people experience mental health issues at some point in their lives (NHS, 2022) and it can be the case that the pressures of university of study exacerbate existing conditions for some students whereas others encounter issues such as anxiety or low mood for the first time during their course.

As a university, we wish to nurture our students' wellbeing and so in conjunction with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team, the Library has launched a new stand to Reading for You called the Wellbeing Collection.

Titles in this collection have been specially selected to help you work through some of these issues to improve your wellbeing and to help you thrive in your studies and in your life outside university. Some of the topics in the collection include:
- Managing stress
- Low mood
- Anxiety
- Self-care
- Mindfulness
The padlet below features some highlights from the Wellbeing Collection:

If you would like to recommend a title or suggest a topic to be covered by the Wellbeing Collection, add a post to our padlet.

For further resources, please see the Readings for Health and Wellbeing reading list developed by one of our Psychology lecturers, alongside the University's Psychological ＆ Wellbeing Manager.

Wisdom and Sources of Solace Reading List

"Wisdom is clearly more than mere intelligence, knowledge of facts, or information. Wisdom is more a dance than a march". Richard Rhor, The Wisdom Pattern

Our students and staff have shared the books that have made a positive difference to their life and helped us compile the Words of Wisdom and Sources of Solace Reading List. These titles might help you reconnect with your inner self, enrich your lived experience or simply gain a different philosphical perspective on being human.

We would love to hear about the books that have had a positive impact on our students and staff. Please email your receommendation to library@cumbria.ac.uk and we can add your suggestion to the reading list.
Inclusion and Diversity
The Reading Agency say that reading for pleasure can "increase our understanding of our identity and gives us an insight into the world views of others". We want to develop our collections to include a wider range of voices from different backgrounds and experiences and to reflect the diversity we celebrate in our students.

Here is a list of reading list on topics of inclusion and decolonisation to show the range of resources already available in the library collections.
Please feel free to use the discussion feature to contribute to the conversation or email us at library@cumbria.ac.uk. If you have any suggestions for titles to be purchased for the library, you can place a request using the Get More Books scheme.