Who we are
We love books, stories and songs because we love words! We read, tell stories and sing in order to be moved, impassioned and in order to learn something about life.
Janet Swan: (Reading, Story, Voice)
A passionate reader and chartered librarian with a specialism in reader development and reader advice. Also a qualified speech and language therapist and an MA in Reading in Practice (University of Liverpool) with a passion for why reading and singing are good for your health.
Tess McMahon:
A keen reader, independent thinker and the business brains of the outfit. Worked extensively in community co-ops and famously read a book a day in the summer holidays (when aged 9!)
What we do:
We lead a wide range of different projects showing how words and stories can help us think about things in a new way. This might be leading a walk along the canal – spotting flowers and stories, it might be working with groups of individuals to rewrite history the way they see it and so find a voice, it might be remembering songs and poems together or perhaps a creative writing session in collaboration with local writers who write to make us think. We can be responsive too and help you add a new dimension to something you are doing, as you will see in the example below. In the meantime, you can help ensure the future of this site by using this special link whenever you buy books from Amazon.
Let us add an extra dimension to your book festival!
We originated the online personalised book recommendation service. Because of the massive demand for this service we now do it in situ at reading and book festivals. The recommendation comes from people who care about reading (see below) and who, we hope, you can trust.
How does it work?
1. You know you need a book – but you can’t find the right one.
2. We spend time with you in the format of an interview about your reading preferences and what is important to you in your life right now.
3. We make a recommendation and help you find ways to get it – either from your local library, an independent bookshop or from the range we will have available in our book temple.
Our Ethos
We believe that we can help you chose the best book for you, by helping you understand your likes and dislikes
- We definitely don’t want to tell you what you SHOULD be reading
- We have a commitment to support libraries, independent bookshops and independent publishers
- We believe that reading is creative and good for you!
- We want our service to be a personal response not something generated by a computer or the lowest common denominator approach of “the people who liked this also liked this”
- We believe in offering a broad range of titles available for readers, not just the ones that generate most profits for large companies
- We are not paid commission to promote particular books, hence we can recommend books truly independently
- We want to serve a wide range of customers including people who have difficulty choosing books
