Books for health

Reading Well

Reading Well supports you to understand and manage your health and wellbeing using books chosen and recommended by health experts and by people living with the conditions and topics covered. Titles can be requested free via our online catalogue and borrowed from any Herefordshire library. The programme is delivered by The Reading Agency in partnership with Libraries Connected as part of the Libraries Connected Universal Health Offer.

There are five booklists currently available. For more information and a list of current booklist titles, see Reading Well.

Reading Well for mental health

Provides helpful information and support for managing common mental health conditions, or dealing with difficult feelings and experiences.

Reading Well for children

Provides quality-assured information, stories and advice to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. It covers general information and advice about understanding and managing feelings, school and online pressures, bereavement, parental mental health needs, and living well with specific diagnosed conditions and physical disabilities.

Reading Well for young people (Shelf Help)

Reading Well for young people recommends expert endorsed books about mental health, providing 12-18 year olds with advice and information about issues like anxiety, stress and OCD, and difficult experiences like bullying and exams.

Reading Well for long term conditions

Provides information and support for people living with a long term health condition and their carers’. The booklist covers general advice and information about living with a long term condition, and titles focused on specific conditions such as arthritis, bowel conditions, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Reading Well for dementia

Provides information and advice for people living with dementia, support for living well, advice for relatives and carers, as well as fiction, memoir and photographic books used in reminiscence therapy.

Books on Prescription

Under the Books on Prescription scheme, local GPs or other health professionals can prescribe a Reading Well title, which can be borrowed free of charge from any Herefordshire public library. It is free to join the library and there are no fines charged on Reading Well books.

If you have used the Books on Prescription scheme we would love to get your feedback on how you found the service and any comments you may have using the Books on Prescription evaluation form