Within our library collection, we have a varied selection of 'reading for pleasure' books including fiction, sport biographies and books to support wellbeing. These are available for all students and staff to borrow. Why not check Heritage Online to see if we have any of your favourites in our catalogue?
If you don't have a library account, just come to the desk between 9am and 5pm weekdays with your staff ID and we can set one up for you.
The National Literacy Trust (2006) define reading for pleasure as; "Reading we do of our own free will, anticipating the satisfaction we will get from the act of reading."
Clark, C. & Rumbold, K. (2006). Reading for pleasure: A research overview. National Literacy Trust.
Image CC0 PD, from Piaxbay
Reading is the foundation of all studies and the bedrock of communication and critical thinking skills. Those who develop the habit of reading have a greater likelihood of success in their immediate and long-term future. College-aged students are also at the point in their lives when reading can open up worlds – can indeed motivate and inspire them for the future.
Dewan, P. (2013). Reading Matters in the Academic Library: Taking the lead from public libraries. Reference & User Services Quarterly,52(4).309-319. https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=lib_pub
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Seuss. (1978). I can read with my eyes shut! Random House Children’s Books.
After a wild bet, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who's ten years younger than her and as casual as they come - the opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.
Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can't just give up the joy she's found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
This book is a guide to navigating your university years and staying sane using six simple rules:
· Using exercise to stay healthy in body and mind
· Learning to positively challenge yourself
· Connecting with your peers
· Mindfully embracing the moment
· Managing self-critical thoughts and vulnerability
· Giving to others and taking positive action
Ian Thorpe's achievements in the water are nothing short of phenomenal. He has won a record-holding 11 World Championship titles and ten Commonwealth Games gold medals. He has broken 22 world records and won five gold, three silver and one bronze Olympic medals. Having been under the spotlight since he was a young teenager, he retired from competitive swimming in 2006, but after five years he mounted a comeback for London 2012, and intense media attention followed. Thorpe is one of the world's most famous sportsmen, but it is the way he has managed his success and his commitment to helping others that has earned him respect and admiration internationally. This is a man who has had highs and lows away from the pool, who has led an extraordinary life of an elite athlete that most of us will never know, and who had the courage to come back and stake his claim for the ultimate goal once more.
Maggie’s marriage has ended just 608 days after it started, but she’s fine – she’s doing really good, actually. Sure, she’s alone for the first time and can’t afford her rent and her obscure PhD is going nowhere… but at the age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace her new status as a Surprisingly Young Divorcée.
As Maggie throws herself headlong into the chaos of her first year of divorce, she soon finds herself questioning everything, including: Why do we still get married? Did I fail before I even got started? And how many 4am delivery burgers do I need to eat until I am happy?
Whatever the source of your worries, whichever way anxiety shows up for you, this book gives you the strategies and tools you’ll need to address it and find a place of calm.
Long before Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz made their splashes in the pool, Duke Kahanamoku emerged from the backwaters of Waikiki to become America's first superstar Olympic swimmer. The original "human fish" set dozens of world records and topped the world rankings for more than a decade. Kahanamoku used his Olympic renown to introduce the sport of "surf-riding," an activity unknown beyond the Hawaiian Islands, to the world. No American athlete has influenced two sports as profoundly as Kahanamoku did, and yet he remains an enigmatic and underappreciated figure: a dark-skinned Pacific Islander who encountered and overcame racism and ignorance long before the likes of Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, and Jackie Robinson.