Read Alike – If you liked these books, why not try these?

Reading for Pleasure: December 2021

Have you enjoyed reading a particular book and looking to read something exactly like it next? A book by the same author, or something in the same genre or subject perhaps? Or even because they are wacky and original. 

For December in our “Reading for Pleasure” series, we will be featuring books that are like some of the popular books that are available here in the library. 

Anita and Me 〰 Brick Lane

If you liked Meera Syal’s poignant tale of growing up in multicultural Britain “Anita and Me”, why not try Monica Ali’s “Brick Lane”, an epic saga about a Bangladeshi family living in the UK and explores the British immigrant experience.  

Monica Ali is a bestselling writer whose work has been translated into 26 languages. She is the author of five books: Brick Lane, Alentejo Blue, In the Kitchen, Untold Story and Love Marriage. Brick Lane was shortlisted for the 2003 Man Booker Prize for Fiction and was made into a film that was released in 2007. 

The Map of Time 〰 The Eyre Affair

If you liked “The Map of Time” by Felix J. Palma, an inventive story that weaves sci-fi and fantasy with history, pick up this original, ingenious and wacky read from the shelf, by featured author Jasper Fforde. His debut novel, “The Eyre Affair”, was finally published after 76 rejection letters in 2001.  

It spins a tale that intertwines mystery, comedy and intrigue in a post-modern world. It follows the literary detective Thursday Next, whose job includes spotting forgeries of Shakespeare’s lost plays, improving narrative plotlines and rescuing characters that have been kidnapped from literary masterpieces.  

If this has piqued your interest and curiosity, head over to our libraries on campus to discover our “Read Alike” recommendations and suggestions on both fiction and non-fiction titles.  

    

Identity: who are you?

Reading for Pleasure: November 2021

Who do you think you are?

If you’ve ever watched the TV show with that title, you’ll know it focuses on folk who are in the public eye and explores their identity through their ancestors, taking us on a timeline journey to see some of their family history and give a glimpse of their cultural, social and economic heritage.

But how do we define ourselves? What does ‘Identity’ mean to you? 

This November our Reading for Pleasure theme is precisely that: 

IDENTITY 

The books and resources we have chosen this month reflect some of the different ways we think of ourselves when considering what makes us the person we are. Sometimes we will identify with a certain group and feel that it gives us a sense of belonging; at other times we feel our identity is what makes us unique, different from those around us. 

Here’s a taste of what you might find in our campus library displays during November and be sure to follow us on social media for updates and more: 

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Marjane Satrapi has lived through a lifetime of social and political upheaval in Iran and is still just a child. But what people present themselves as in public and who they are at home are often very different and what we witness in childhood goes with us as we grow.  

Library Catalogue link

Rio Ferdinand had found fame as a footballer and fortune in meeting and marrying the love of his life and starting a family together, but when she became ill he was forced to consider his role in life and whether he could cope with re-defining it as both Mum and Dad to his children.

Reserve a copy here

Students of the classic tales of Troy, as told in The Iliad and re-told countless times in book and on film, may be aware of the female protagonists Helen and Briseis, but have we ever heard the story from their perspective? 
Celebrated author, Pat Barker, attempts to paint a vivid picture of the last weeks of the Trojan War but considered from a different viewpoint and allowing readers to re-consider the roles these two women play in an intensely testosterone-fuelled story.

Library Catalogue link

These are just a tiny sample from what you can find in the libraries - look out for the displays and feel free to take a look and browse what we have on display and we hope you'll find something that is a change of pace from all the studying.

Luton Campus Library: Level 1

Luton: Reading for Pleasure 'Identity'

Bedford Campus Library: 1st Floor

Bedford Campus

Black History Month October 2021

Black History Month (BHM) signifies a time of celebrations. Celebrations of the efforts of our heroes past and present, of their efforts expended in driving inclusivity and improving our lived experiences and most importantly it signifies how far we have come. It is against this context that I would like to join in these celebrations to acknowledge the efforts of several of our heroes who came before us including Mary Jane Seacole, Lynn Nottage, Maya Angelou, Sidney Poitier, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, Dr Martin Luther King, Angela Davies, Marcus Garvey and many others. I celebrate these heroes because of their efforts, we and generations to come after us will continue to rise. In the words of Maya Angelou in her ‘Still I Rise’ poem –

“Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries? … You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. … I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. 

Click link to view our Black History Month 2021 Reading list online!

Display at Bedford library

Display at Luton library

Display at Aylesbury library

 Road Trips

September's books unlocked is looking at a different way to get away!  Road Trips is our theme for this month and you are invited to explore the roads through the eyes of the authors and their characters!   Seek out fiction that transports you to a different location or fuels your wanderlust!! 

Display at Aylesbury Library:

Display at Luton Library:

Display at Bedford Library:

Genre Fiction

 

Many fiction books can be categorised as coming under genre headings such as horror, crime, science fiction, fantasy and romance. This categorisation has the benefit of drawing in readers who know they like a certain type of book. However, it could also deter readers who think a genre would not interest them. So if you know you like one genre why not try a different one this summer? You may open up a whole new world of fiction for yourself.

Luton display

Bedford display

Romance - why not try:

The Fault in Our Stars  John Green

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen

The Notebook  Nicholas Sparks

Gone with the Wind  Margaret Mitchell

Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë

 

Horror - why not try:

The Amityville Horror  Jay Anson

Dracula  Bram Stoker

The Shining Stephen King

Frankenstein  Mary Shelley

The Woman in Black Susan Hill

 

Science Fiction - why not try

Dune Frank Herbert

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams

This Fragile Earth Susannah Wise

The Stranding Kate Sawyer

The Dispossessed Ursula K. Le Guin

 

Fantasy fiction - why not try

The Hobbit  J. R. R. Tolkien

His Dark Materials Philip Pullman 

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld Patricia A. McKillip

Howl's Moving Castle Diana Wynne Jones 

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Susanna Clarke  

 

Crime - why not try

Shetland Series Ann Cleeves

Find Them Dead Peter James

Tell Me Your Secret Dorothy Koomson

Hidden in Plain Sight Jeffrey Archer

Driftnet Lin Anderson  

 

 Book Award Winners

In our libraries, this month, we celebrate book award winners and shortlisted authors who have made a difference with their work. Some of the main categories are fiction/non-fiction/ illustrations/ format of book/ poetry/ adult literature/ children and young people's literature.

Some of the most important running book awards in the industry are:

·         Booker Prize.

·         The John Newbery Medal.

·         Edgar Awards.

·         National Book Critics Circle Award.

·         National Book Awards.

·         Costa Book Awards.

The Booker prize is awarded every year for the best original full-length novel written in English language. The writer has to be a citizen of either the Commonwealth Nations or the Republic of Ireland. The selection process for the winner of the prize is very strict.

In our resources you can find previous “Book Prize winners”. Make sure you have a read!

Library Catalogue Link: https://library.beds.ac.uk/record=b1963402~S20

Library Catalogue Link: https://library.beds.ac.uk/record=b1928931~S20

Bedford Campus Display

Use the Library Catalogue and make a search "Reading for Pleasure" you will find books that have been shortlisted or even won book awards.

Visit: https://library.beds.ac.uk/search~S20?/dReading+for+Pleasure/dreading+for+pleasure/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&FF=dreading+for+pleasure&1%2C275%2C