Ella Berthoud – Bibliotherapy, The Novel Cure

Reading, they say, is good for the soul and GPs are now offering novels, such as Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time, as treatment for teenage mental health conditions. Recent studies have even shown how reading a book can lower blood pressure.

Ella Berthoud’s The Novel Cure is a medical handbook, with a difference. Whether you have a stubbed toe or a severe case of the blues, within its pages you’ll find a cure in the form of a novel to help ease your pain. You’ll also find advice on how to tackle common reading ailments – such as what to do when you feel overwhelmed by the number of books in the world, or you have a tendency to give up halfway through. When read at the right moment in your life, a novel can – quite literally – change it. This is also a fresh approach to finding new books to read, and an enchanting way to revisit the books on your shelves.

During this event Ella can provide personalised book recommendations should you be willing to discuss your own ailment with her. She will also talk about her new book The Story Cure which looks at children’s books