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After many, many months of researching, living, and writing about bibliotherapy (which was an incredibly, pleasurable experience!) my new book, Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading is almost ready! In the early proofreading stages, I can't wait to get it out to you all. Just sharing the cover here, but it's also available for pre-order at any of the bookstores you shop at: Waterstones | Bookshop.org |  Amazon It will be published on 15th February 2024 (a day after Valentine's Day) and will be available in both paperback and hardback - you're welcome to put in an order now! I am so...

There are many definitions of bibliotherapy used in the past: “Bibliotherapy is the use of books to help people solve problems” (Prater, Johnstun, Dyches & Johnstun, 2006; Jackson, 2006).  “[The] use of selected reading material as therapeutic adjuvant in medicine and psychiatry; and, guidance in the solution of personal problems through directed reading” (Jackson, 2006).  “therapeutic reading in which children find duplications of their own problems and observe how children similar to themselves face their difficulties” (Jack & Ronan, 2008). "Bibliotherapy is thought of as a sensitive and non-intrusive method of guiding people [and children] towards problem solving and coping in...

    Best Literary Fiction Books of 2023 so far… The Covenant of Water (Literary Fiction) by Abraham Verghese The Covenant of Water is a sweeping novel by talented novelist Abraham Verghese that spans three generations of a family in Kerala, India. The family is cursed with a strange affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning. The matriarch of the family, Big Ammachi, witnesses the effects of this curse firsthand as she watches her loved ones die. She also witnesses the changes that come to Kerala as the country modernizes. The novel is a moving story...

This Black History Month (US), we celebrate the work of 20th century pioneering bibliotherapist, Sadie Peterson Delaney. Her work and dedication to bibliotherapy remain an invaluable contribution in this space. Here are some historical facts about her❤Delaney started her library career at the New York Public Library in the 1920s. Delaney's extensive use of bibliotherapy in her work involved selecting reading material to treat patients and readers. She believed in giving readers individual attention, understanding their interests, pairing them with books that would engage them.To choose appropriate books, she consulted with doctors and medical staff.In addition to her work with...