BaNES Virtual Library

Sport & Fitness Booklist

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:57:56 +0000

This booklist highlights Sport & Fitness, from biographies and memoirs to fiction. There’s also a selection of personal recommendations from our staff.

This list is part of our Year of Reading celebrations, click the link to find out more about the Go All In Campaign.

Staff Recommendations

Click on the images to find out why staff personally recommend these books

The Boys In The Boat by Daniel James Brown

Book List: Earth Day

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:20:19 +0000

We have curated a collection of recommended reads for Earth Day, these book lists contains practical guides and helpful tips for all ages, as well as a few biographies to inspire you.

Earth Day has taken place on the 22nd of April every year since 1970. This year’s theme is ‘Our Power, Our Planet’ so we’ve chosen books to help you get involved, whether it’s small changes in your life or campaigning on a big stage. Find out more on the official website: earthday.org

Books for Adults

Finding the Stories of Forgotten Women

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:46:14 +0000

Written by Annabelle Marx

Two years ago, sitting at my sister’s kitchen table, I experienced that tingling feeling, the one that says ‘there’s a story here.’ And it was only by luck that we’d found it.

A few months earlier my sister had messaged me and said ‘You should look into our great aunt’s life, I think there’s a story there.’ I rather dismissed it; I was headlong into the first draft of my second novel and I didn’t yet have the bandwidth for considering the next book. But, thankfully, I agreed, and there we were, going through all our father’s family papers to see what we could find.

My great aunt, Lily Constance Marx, always known as Con, was born in 1887, the daughter of an Admiral, the eldest of two children. She came from a relatively well-off family, and her appointment diaries, from her teens into her twenties, are full of tea parties, lunches and tennis parties. But where her diaries seem to show a fairly uneventful life, what gave me the goose bumps was a letter, dated May 1908, addressed to Con’s father, my great grandfather, berating him for allowing Con to apply for the Sanitary Inspector’s examination, describing it as,

‘a very poor calling for an intelligent young woman and… I should imagine as monotonous as that of a call boy at an office.’

He goes on to suggest that she apply to the Dean of the London School of Medicine for Women, to apply to become a doctor.

And there was the spark of a story. Did she want to be a doctor? Did her parents not allow it? We don’t know. But we do know that she took her Sanitary Inspector’s exam and became a Social Worker. She never became a doctor.

Later, in the Great War she drove ambulances in Newcastle and then applied to join the WRNS as soon as the service was formed at the end of 1917, and was eventually posted to the Mediterranean, ending up in Malta and staying there for nine months. Can you imagine how exotic the Mediterranean must have been after four years of war, shortages, grey drizzle and general grind?

In most of the photographs we have of my aunt she is serious. Dark, beady eyes show her intelligence, there is a patient face, there is rarely a smile. But there is this one image that exudes happiness, even though you can’t see much of her face. She’s on a ship, probably the ship home from Malta, and she’s sitting out in the sun with another woman, who is smiling broadly. My aunt sits back in her deck chair, her naval cap on at a jaunty angle, there’s an air of happy contentment about her manner, the way she holds herself, relaxed and at ease. There is so much in this photograph.

After the war my great aunt became the Lead Almoner (social worker) at the Brompton Hospital, a job she continued until WW2, when she was put in charge of re-housing the bombed-out for the whole of Lewisham – a stressful job, surely. At the end of the war she retired. But her story didn’t end there. In 1946 she was persuaded out of retirement and was asked to go to Berlin for three months, heading up the Child Welfare Team to report on the health and nutrition of women and children. Although the report is very dry, it’s obvious that this must have been a harrowing experience – over-crowded orphanages, an urgent need for shoes, food shortages, increased incidence of disease etc.

In 1951 Con received an MBE for her services to Social Work.

The stories of what may appear to be ordinary women are often more extraordinary than we may, at first, think. Here was a story that had some resonance. I wasn’t able to fill in many of the gaps, but just by looking at her photographs and the tone of the few letters to her that had survived, I felt that some of her life needed to be highlighted.

As a result of finding all these snippets of information, I was inspired to write my next novel, The Translator, using a few details of my great aunt’s life to create a story. It’s not about my aunt, but it tells the story of forgotten women, women who made a difference without letting everyone know about it. Finding these stories is important for our future, for our children and for our place in society.

Find out more about Annabelle and her work: annabellemarx.com

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Women’s History Month Booklist

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:43:45 +0000

This booklist highlights women’s stories and work, from scientists to secret agents, and a former first lady to an Afghani writing group. There’s also a selection of personal recommendations from our staff.

This list is part of our Year of Reading celebrations, click the link to find out more about the Go All In Campaign.

Staff Recommendations

Click on the images to find out why staff personally recommend these books

Weathering by Ruth Allen

On Beginning by Kasha-Faye Pascoe

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:12:22 +0000

Every week, someone asks me how to “become” a writer. They tell me, “I don’t know where to begin” in the hopes that I will finally unveil a secret known only to professionals in the literary industry. A secret that, once revealed to the uninitiated, transforms them into the elusive, mysterious creature that is The Writer.

In truth, there is quite a lack of velvet curtains and fanfare involved in becoming a writer. Most often it’s a quick and subtle thing, happening without the subject of the transformation realising what has occurred.

I tell each of these people the same thing. If you are writing, then you are a writer: whether it is on napkins or vintage typewriters that you exercise your craft, whether your claim is fragmented sentences sleepily spilled onto a notes app or whole, breathing novels ready for publishing. But this opinion—I must call it that, to my great displeasure—only serves to reassure. It is not necessarily advice on how to “get started”. For that reason, and because I desperately do not wish to be dismissive of anyone who comes to me for help, we can’t stop there.

Kasha-Faye Pascoe

We have all dealt with the dreaded blank page, that daunting expanse of nothingness that forces you to contend with your insecurities. But the only real way to get started is to… start. You can spend your days planning, reading, and learning about writing (and you should, some of the time) but you must also write. We don’t learn nor improve any skill without making mistakes first. It is from mistakes that learning comes. Your battle with the blank page need not be neat, or quick, it simply has to happen, and often the best way to get it done is to allow yourself to write badly.

Ask any of the authors who donate their time to the library what their first drafts looked like, and if they have any humility, they’ll likely tell you this truth. Everyone’s early writing is messy. Sometimes you have to write a lot of awkward sentences before ever coming upon the line that makes your words sing. The same can be said of entire manuscripts. Brandon Sanderson, a giant in the sci-fi and fantasy genre, says that between ‘97 and ‘99, before he was ever published, he wrote five bad novels. “But being good wasn’t the point.” The point, as Sanderson puts it, was to experiment and to have fun.

As a teenager, I wrote feverishly. So much of what I produced twenty years ago remains truly awful, and I gladly recognise it as such. I’m nonetheless proud of it. Those countless hours spent scribbling stories into the back of my maths book and on my mum’s discarded printer paper led me to college, then to university, then to a career in writing, editing, and teaching.

It also led to me being terrible at maths, but that’s another story.

Don’t expect to become a better writer by resisting imperfection. Gold is denser than the sediment of the rivers it’s sometimes found in. You have to run buckets and buckets of silt through a sieve and let the lighter stuff be washed away if you have any chance of finding the nuggets of wealth within.

Or, to put it more simply and without the metaphor: the more you write, the better you write.

Once you start finally putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard as it may be, develop a habit of it. I want to be clear here, though, that I don’t expect you to write all the time. A common piece of advice amateurs receive when they’re asking search engines “how to write” is to write every day. Usually a certain number of minutes or words per day. Unless you thrive under pressure, I discourage this. I have found that while it may successfully produce ample writing in the early stage, the longer you force yourself to do it, the less you will enjoy writing.

Many people who attend university to study their passions (creative writing, illustration, dance, acting, etc.) find that, upon graduating, they need to take a step away from art for a time. Studying it so intensely for so long has robbed them of that early passion.

As far as I’m concerned, you should never feel like writing has become a chore. Set yourself small, achievable goals if you must. This way, if you exceed them, it is because you are enjoying yourself. And isn’t that wonderful?

There is still an element of that advice you should bear in mind. Writing often, just not in such a regimented fashion, can be very beneficial to your progress. Even if all you do is a five minute stream of consciousness exercise, your work will improve and a habit will be born.

Put some variety into what you write, while you’re at it. Experiment with form, genre, perspective, technique, and so on. Allow yourself a little bit of time here and there to play with the art form. Your ongoing projects will remain refreshing and enjoyable to write or edit, and you may discover an element of storytelling at which you excel, or a form that you love but may never have tried otherwise.

Finally, find yourself a community. Not only will a group of fellow writers of various skill levels provide you with the motivation to write, but they will be your first editors. You can never be an objective critic of your own work. Either you will view your writing through a disproportionately negative lens, or a disproportionately positive one. Rarely, if ever, does an artist see their art for what it is. As well as that, you can’t possibly imagine what your ultimate reader, who will only ever see the final draft and not the dozens of versions leading up to it, understands about your work.

This is why it’s important to share your work in the earlier stages. If you have the funds and you’re serious about a project, hire a developmental editor. It is our job to read early works and advise you on what to adjust, what to cut, where to focus, and so on. The big picture stuff. But if you can’t afford such a thing, then I cannot recommend enough the value of writing groups and classes—even if it’s just a bunch of your artistically-inclined friends hanging out to talk about their stories every couple weeks.

Workshopping is, in my opinion, a deeply underrated practice. A fresh perspective on your work will always help in some regard. Even the practice of listening to feedback, regardless of whether or not you take the advice given, prepares you for the industry. Each of my classes is followed by a half hour workshopping session. I ask my students to bring their ongoing projects into class and swap with another student, read thoroughly, then provide constructive feedback to one another. I’ll tell you what I tell them every week: you don’t have to listen to all the feedback you get. Some won’t make sense, and some will be misinformed, but every now and then you will receive the kind of eye-opening, mind-blowing feedback that changes your work for the better. At last, you might understand how your writing comes across to someone who hasn’t spent days perfecting this one specific line, scene, chapter, what-have-you.

If, after all of this, you’re still unsure how to get started, don’t be afraid to ask someone else. You’re going to hear a lot of advice from a lot of different professionals. We’re a bit like that, as contradictory as the language we so adore. Like constructive critique, you’re not always going to agree with the people dispensing advice. The same suggestions don’t work for everybody. Keep asking, keep experimenting, until you find what works for you.

However, if the thing still holding you back is a fear that nobody will want to read your story, then I’m sorry to tell you you’re quite wrong. There are eight billion people on this planet. Someone, somewhere, needs or wants to hear what you have to say. I sure do.

So, off you pop. I’ve long given up trying to make a dent in my reading pile. Let’s see how big we can make it, instead.

Click here to find out more about Kasha-Faye’s work.

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A Captivating Collection

admin — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:27:50 +0000

A brief introduction to our Historical Reference Collection

The Historical Reference Collection is B&NES Libraries’ largest reference collection, with approximately 21,000 books. The collection spans a multitude of genres, with subjects ranging from Victorian Travel to 19^th Century French Literature, and Fashion to Japanese Wasōbon. The collection has been created through a series of donations and purchases across several decades. It is now a closed collection and no longer added to.

Here a just a few of the wonderful books in our Historical Reference Collection.

Sentiments and Similes of William Shakespeare by Henry Noel Humphreys

This book was published during industrial revolution, which was a period when bookbinding was in decline, being replaced by industry mass production.

It was published by the British illustrator Henry Noel Humphreys. This book and others produced by Humphreys was his response to what he saw missing from the mass produced books of the era.

Humphrey’s books were made in the Gothic Revival style. Medieval Gothic – Two features of this style in bookbinding were illuminated manuscripts and carved wooden boards.

Victorian Gothic Revival brought back these two features with Chromolithography and Papier-Mache bindings. The paste down was coloured to contrast the dark binding. His intention was to make the binding itself an ornament.

Ormonde M. Dalton Bequest

The Ormonde M. Dalton (British Art Historian and Classical Scholar, British museum curator and archaeologist) bequest of 1945 was a fairly substantial bequest – 128 volumes donated in June of 1945 of which about 10 or so are first edition Dickens.

1844 – Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens
First Edition. Half Leather Binding, which offers a blend of durability and aesthetics, protecting the most vulnerable areas of the book while also allowing for a more cost-effective and visually appealing design.

1857 – Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

Originally published in serial form between 1855-57 in monthly instalments

Little Dorrit was published in 19 monthly instalments, each consisting of 32 pages with two illustrations by Hablot Knight Browne whose pen name was Phiz. Each instalment cost a shilling except for the last, a double issue which cost two shillings. The novel was then issued as a book by Bradbury and Evans in 1857.

1870 – The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

Originally published in 1870 but only 6 of a planned 12 instalments were published before Dickens’ death. It was left unfinished, with no plan for the remaining instalments and so no way to know who the murderer was.

Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas is one of France’s most widely read authors. A novelist and playwright who wrote romanticism and historical fiction. He is also well known for the Count of Monte Cristo.

1845 – Les Trois Mousquetaires by Alexandre Dumas

The Three Musketeers. Originally published in serial form in the newspaper le Siecle (sie-cler) in 1844. First in the trilogy ‘The Musketeers’.

1848 – Le Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas

The Viscount of Bragelonne. Published between 1847-1850 in serial form in the newspaper le Siecle. Continuation from ‘Twenty Years After’, third in the Musketeers trilogy. It’s publication was interrupted by third French Revolution in Feb 1848.

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving

First Edition. Arthur Rackham was a leading illustrator from the ‘golden age’ (1890-1919) of British book illustration. It was this 1905 Heinemann publication, and Rackham’s use of full colour plates that really brought him into public attention. Rackham’s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens illustrations are some of his most well-known. Our first edition copy of Rackham’s Peter Pan is kept in our Juvenilia Collection

Go back to the top

Our Historical Reference Collection can be viewed on request.
If you’d like to know more, please email stock_team@bathnes.gov.uk for a chat.

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Wonder by R. J. Palacio

admin — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:16:13 +0000

Our Rating:

Library Formats:

Book,
eAudiobook,
Large Print

Age Group:

Genre:

Coming of
Age, Friendship

Review by Polly Read

Wonder is about ten year old August “Auggie” Pullman, a boy who is a completely nomad kid that enjoys playing computer games, science and is a massive Star Wars fan. August though has got a rare facial disfigurement, that makes social situations very difficult. Due to his condition, August has been homeschooled by his parents for several years. His parents want him to experience the the world and make friends, so they decide to enrol him into mainstream school. The story follows August though his first ever year at school. The challenges and struggles with being accepted by others and overcoming bullies, to the happiness and joy of making friends and the importance of friendship.

I read this book as I had heard that it was a film which looked good, but I wanted to read the book first (the book is definitely much better than the film). It was also a book that I was reading as part of a book group that I was a member of.

I thought that this was a very good book. It is a lovely story that is funny, sad, moving and uplifting. It has a very clear message of the importance of being kind, kindness and acceptance. I liked that the chapter/parts of the book where from defiant peoples perspective of August these were his parents, sister, friends, teachers, bullies and from August himself. The part of the book that I did enjoy most was when Augusts was on a school camp. One evening he and his friend decided to go exploring in the woods and meet a group olde kids who started to bully him. August, with the help of his friends stood up to the bullies.

My favourite quotes from the book are:

“When given the choice between being right or being kind, chose kind.”

“It is not enough to be friendly. You have to be a friend.”

The book is recommended for children aged eight to twelve years old, but as an adult I also enjoyed reading it. Although it is set in America, and uses American English I found it is fairly essay to read. The story flows well as it keeps good pace.

This book has become one of my favourites.

I would give the book a five out of a five star rating.

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BookTrust Storytime

admin — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 09:01:20 +0000

BookTrust Storytime is an exciting library experience for families, offering a fun, free, and easy way to entertain under 5s at local libraries.

BookTrust have chosen five books they think are perfect for enjoying with children aged 0–5! So we’ll be taking part in BookTrust Storytime to share these books, and families will be voting for their favourites.

Come, vote for your favourite book each week with crafts and play during regular Storytimes at Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and Bath Central Libraries, 24 February – 2 April. Find your nearest Storytime on our events calendar.

During this National Year of Reading 2026, public libraries will be at the heart of a national movement. Across the UK, children, teenagers and adults are reading less, and families are finding it harder to read together at home. If you haven’t come to our regular Storytime before, give our special BookTrust Storytimes a go – join the library while you are there and enjoy the new buzz of play and crafts, as well as great books.

Watch last year’s winner Lucy Rowland introduce the five books shortlisted for the BookTrust Storytime Prize 2026 in the following video:

Join our Storytimes for a different book each week, with themed crafts and play. If you haven’t visited us before, check out our short videos introducing you to our libraries.

If you miss a Storytime, or want to take part from home, use the tabs below to watch the stories being read on YouTube and download our craft activity sheets.

Five Enormous Dinosaurs

Illustrated by Annie Kubler and Sarah Dellow

Interest age: 1 to 2

Count along with five mischievous dinosaurs whilst they play and find out why this book is BookTrust recommended.

Watch the story being read:

Click here to download our Paper Plate Dino craft activity

Suki Cat Astronaut

by Grace Habib

Interest age: 2 to 3

Today Suki Cat is an astronaut! Join her as she zooms to the moon and helps an alien. Push the sliders and pull the tabs for an out-of-this-world experience! Find out why this story is BookTrust recommended.

Watch the story being by Grace Habib:

Click here to download Lolly Stick Spaceship craft activity:

Superwolf

by Helen Docherty, illustrated by Thomas Docherty

Interest age: 3 to 5

Luna, the little wolf, has just one ambition: she wants to be a superhero. But there’s a big problem – all of the animals are TERRIFIED of wolves. Luna tries her best but whenever she tries to save the day, everyone runs off screaming! Will she ever see her dream of being a superhero come true? Find out why this story is BookTrust recommended.

Watch the story being read by Helen Doherty:

Click here to download the Super Hero Mask craft activity

The Jellyfish Jiggle

by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Nicola Slater

Interest age: 3 to 5

Scuttle with the crab, dive with the penguin, rock the pelican’s boat and wiggle, jiggle and giggle with the jellyfish! Find out why this story is BookTrust recommended.

Watch the story being read by Caryl Hart:

Click here to download the Jelly Fish craft activity

Tiger, It’s Snowing!

by Daishu Ma

Interest age: 8+, Reading age: 3 to 6

It’s snowing! Tiger has never seen snow before and is eager to go out and play. But best friend Mei isn’t so keen. It is quite chilly, after all. Find out why this story is BookTrust recommended.

Watch the story being read by Daishu:

Click here to download the Torn Paper Tiger craft activity

Click here to find out more about our partnership with BookTrust

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Book List: Dyslexia Friendly

admin — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:32:19 +0000

We have curated a collection of recommended reads of dyslexia friendly titles in our libraries for adults, this book list contains fiction and non-fiction.

These books are specifically designed to help adults with Dyslexia enjoy reading. They use clear layouts, larger line spacing and wider margins to help readers follow the text more easily.

Adventure

Author’s Fair Quiz

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 16:00:18 +0000

Get ready for our Author’s and Small Publishers Fair with this quiz! There are 13 questions and all you have to do is match the author to their book.

The passing mark is 70% or 9 correct answers, good luck!

QUIZ START

See All Our Puzzles and Quizzes

Click Here to See the Festival of Libraries

The post Author’s Fair Quiz appeared first on BaNES Virtual Library.

BaNES Virtual Library

Sport & Fitness Booklist

Staff Recommendations

Recommended Reads

The Boys In The Boat by Daniel James Brown

Book List: Earth Day

Books for Adults

Finding the Stories of Forgotten Women

Women’s History Month Booklist

Staff Recommendations

Recommended Reads

Weathering by Ruth Allen

On Beginning by Kasha-Faye Pascoe

A Captivating Collection

Sentiments and Similes of William Shakespeare by Henry Noel Humphreys

Ormonde M. Dalton Bequest

Alexandre Dumas

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

BookTrust Storytime

Five Enormous Dinosaurs

Suki Cat Astronaut

Superwolf

The Jellyfish Jiggle

Tiger, It’s Snowing!

Book List: Dyslexia Friendly

Adventure

Author’s Fair Quiz