The Reader launches The Reader Bookshelf, a collection of literature to share and inspire 

The Reader has launched an annual programme of reading called The Reader Bookshelf, highlighting the power of Shared Reading and bringing together readers across its communities and the wider world. 

The Reader Bookshelf will support the charity’s Shared Reading movement, connecting supporters, volunteers, staff and readers everywhere through a diverse and illuminating constellation of things to read. The carefully curated collection of books, plays and poems have been chosen to help people find personal connection and discover meaning in their own lives.

Get your steps in tomorrow with a walk through Liverpool's Calderstones Park ? pic.twitter.com/mInG7gA6pH

— The Guide Liverpool (@TheGuideLpool) November 25, 2020

The titles on the bookshelf for 2021-2022 centre around the theme of Walking The Earth –great literature that’s about humans surviving life on earth, or experiences of living alongside fellow humans on the planet, getting through life – or more literally, walking. It’s about the human journeys – physical and metaphorical – we take to become who we are, about living on and with planet earth. 

Works of fiction, plays and non-fictional prose, anthologies, poems, short stories and children’s books have been added to the bookshelf, with classics from Wordsworth, Shakespeare and Homer, as well as contemporary texts from authors including Derek Owusu and Nadifa Mohamed. The collection will continue to grow throughout the year as more books are added by readers, supporters, staff and volunteers. 

The Reader’s Founder and Director, Dr Jane Davis MBE, will be hosting two Zoom Q&A sessions about The Reader Bookshelf, which you can find out more about here, and a number of daily literature readings will focus on texts from the bookshelf from Monday 26 April – Friday 30 April. 

Jane said: 

“Literature is a powerful tool offering connection, comfort, wellness and meaning – all the things that we need as a society to recover from Covid-19.

“We hope Walking The Earth will help people find a shared language to make sense of the emotions and feelings that we’ve all experienced over the last year or so.”

At The Mansion House in Calderstones Park – The Reader’s Liverpool home – there will be a special programme of events that bring to life The Reader Bookshelf in different ways, including outdoor music and theatre performances, heritage and wellbeing events, and of course, Shared Reading groups. 

Find out more about our Walking The Earth events and activities here.