Join us as we talk about all things family, what we offer our families in our libraries and what exciting events we have planned .

Last month we celebrated women’s history month and international women’s day and spoke to two inspiring women, eve from Essex County Council and Syd our author in residence

We speak to some of the team in the library service about reading for well-being. We are also joined by author Syd Moore who is Essex Library Service’s author in residence.

First came the action of running, and accompanying it was the entity known as me. I run; therefore I am. In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he’d completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and his writing. Equal parts travelogue, training log and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and settings ranging from Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston. Reserve What I Talk about When I Talk about Running Talk to us on Twitter Facebook and Instagram

Freya chats with ECC BAME Network members Zenith, Neera and Michael in this special Black History Month takeover episode of The Only Way Is Reading. They are discussing Louise Hare's fantastic debut This Lovely City, published by HarperCollins Publishers. The novel, set in 1948 and 1950, follows Laurie, a Jamaican musician who moved to London on the HMT Empire Windrush. He is courting a British mixed race woman, Evie, when he finds a baby, dead in Clapham Common pond. From then on, nothing is as simple as it seems... Hare paints a vivid image of the life of the Windrush generation in this brilliant book full of suspense, fear and hope. The group loved it and their analysis makes for a great listen.  This review has hints of spoilers, so if you want to read the book first, reserve it from your local library now: https://tlc.ent.sirsidynix.net.uk/client/en_GB/essex/search/results?qu=this+lovely+city&te=&lm=ESSEXTHURR P.s. please excuse the echoey audio - we will record in a different room next time!

On this special episode of The Only Way Is Reading we jump straight into a soundscape of Chapter 12 in The War of the Worlds. We are joined by local musician and sound artist Chris Adam who lead the Invasion Soundscaping Workshop on 28 October 2021. We discuss H. G. Wells' epic novel, why electronic music is so good for the telling of futuristic tales and how anyone can make music.

I’m Beth and today myself and my co-host Freya are getting criminal with crime fiction, interviewing author Abigail Dean and we’ll be hearing an update about the upcoming Essex Authors Day. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Only Way Is Reading. Series 1 is still available on Spotify, Google podcasts, Apple Podcasts and a few other platforms. We also have three one-off episodes about poetry, LGBT+ History Month and a young adult special. Join us for our next episode where we’ll be having our own book group and discussing short stories! This has been Beth and Freya on the Only Way is Reading. See you next time.

Hosted by Beth and Freya. I’m Beth and today myself and my co-host Freya are getting real with non-fiction and Freya interviews international man of mystery, David Omand. We will also be discussing the themes and characters in the genre and we’ll be hearing more about our Reading Well scheme.

Hosted by Beth and Freya. I’m Beth and in this episode we’ll be doing the time warp and reviewing historical fiction and Freya interviews best-selling author Liz Trenow who speaks about her family history of silk-weaving and how that inspired her to become a writer.  We’ll also hear more about the Reading Agency’s Reading Well scheme.

Episode 1: Romance and Chick lit Hosted by Beth and Freya. I’m Beth and today myself and my co-host Freya are falling in love with romance and chick-lit fiction, discussing the themes and characters in the genre and we’ll be hearing an update about the upcoming Essex Book Festival. 1:02 – Update about the Essex Book Festival Sarah from Essex Library Services gives us an update on the upcoming Essex Book Festival 2021. The box office opens 29 April 2021. · Find out more about the festival 2:24 – The Shelf by Helly Acton Freya reviews The Shelf by Helly Acton which follows Amy as she is whisked away on a surprise holiday with her boyfriend. Convinced he is about to pop the question Amy is in for a shock when she finds herself on the set of a Big Brother-style reality television show, The Shelf. Along with five other women, Amy is dumped live on TV and must compete in a series of humiliating and obnoxious tasks in the hope of being crowned 'The Keeper' · Read the e-book of The Shelf on BorrowBox · Listen to the e-audiobook of The Shelf on BorrowBox (Please note: between 6 – 22 April BorrowBox only be available through the mobile app) 7:35 – Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon Beth reviews Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon which follows Daisy as she escapes a failed relationship and secrets in her past by joining the catering team for the racing drivers on the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. · Read the e-book of Chasing Daisy on BorrowBox · Listen to the e-audiobook of Chasing Daisy on Borrowbox (Please note: between 6 – 22 April BorrowBox only be available through the mobile app) 14:15 – Themes and characters within chick-lit and romance Beth and Freya discuss the themes and characters that appear in the chick lit genre and how they can empower women. 26:33 – Romance in chick lit fiction Beth and Freya discuss why they love elements of romance in chick lit fiction. In episode 2 we’ll be travelling across galaxies and into other dimensions as we discuss sci-fi and fantasy! We would love to get your recommendations so please comment or message us on Twitter or Facebook @EssexLibraries. Feel free to give us a rating or review or send comments and suggestions of things you’d love to hear to [email protected]. Thanks for listening.