Beat the January blues – with a book!

Everyone knows a feel-good book can help take away the winter blues after the festive season.

With this in mind, Brighton & Hove City Council’s public health team is co-sponsoring a ‘Happy Book’ scheme during January.

Libraries across the city are making a wide range of mood-boosting titles available.

They’re also asking people to tell them about their favourite feel-good novel or poetry, so that they can share the city’s top 20 feel-good book titles and make sure they are all available from the city’s libraries.

The power of feel-good books to lift people’s spirits is well known.

That’s why mental health charity Mind in Brighton & Hove and the national Reading Well campaign have teamed up with the council to back the scheme.

To go with the feel-good books campaign, Hove library is running free computer help sessions around mental health and well-being from 10am to midday on Monday 13, 20 or 27 January.

The council’s director of public health, Dr Tom Scanlon, said: “I’d rather prescribe books than drugs.

“We want to help people lift their mood and prevent the winter blues.

“So many people enjoy reading, and library books are free. Sharing ideas about enjoyable books is a brilliant way to help people connect with others and learn something new.”

You’ve got until the end of January to tell us about your favourite novel or poetry. To get involved, join in the conversation on Twitter #bhhappybooks and fill in one of the special postcards available from libraries or Mind shops in Brighton & Hove.

Please visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/happybooks or email libraries@brighton-hove.gov.uk (subject BHhappybooks) to find out more about the city’s libraries service and the January Happy Book scheme.