The annual celebration of the best that libraries offer is back!

This year’s theme is all about the role that libraries play in the community, helping people get active and engaged to bring communities together.

Here’s a quick reminder of what we do and how we bring people together!

A meeting place - everyone is welcome

Activities for all ages - we are gradually bringing bring back some of our regular events in libraries in line with government advice such as tots' time, knit and natter, quizzes and family history help.

Free books and magazines – borrow from your local library or download digital titles. Library members have free access to BorrowBox ebooks or e-audiobooks and digital magazines from PressReader. Autumn is a great time to cosy up with a good book and if you haven’t visited in a while there’s lots of new books to catch up on.

Computer support – residents without access to PCs or smartphones can use library computers for free. Printing and scanning is also available.

Access information – read your daily newspaper in our libraries or online with PressReader; explore family and local history (research online or visit our collections of local and family history resources); find books on how to manage your health and fitness.

Better wellbeing – join our events, stay connected and feel better with our books and DVDs. You can even stream or download music for free with Freegal Music.

Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves

The second novel in the Devon based series featuring Matthew Venn. Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed. His daughter Eve is a glassblower, and the murder weapon is a shard of one of her broken vases. Dr Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim. He's a good man, a public servant, beloved by his daughter. Then another body is found - killed in a similar way. Matthew finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home.

Borrow a printed copy or ebook and e-audiobook from BorrowBox.

Perfect Timing by Owen Nicholls

A modern-day love story. 

Musician Tom and comedian Jess have brilliant timing on stage and from the night they meet, sharing the same stage at the Edinburgh Festival, their attraction is undeniable. At first, it seems their timing is as perfect in the wings as it is in front of a crowd. But as Jess and Tom's careers take off, the moment for true connection is always just out of reach. With fate pushing them together, only to pull them apart, will the timing ever be right? 

Honeycomb by Joanne M Harris

That's the beauty of stories; you never know where they will take you. The toymaker who wants to create the perfect wife; the princess whose heart is won by words, not actions; the tiny dog whose confidence far outweighs his size; and the sinister Lacewing King who rules over the Silken Folk.

A beautifully illustrated collection of original fairy stories, linked together by the same character and theme.

Snow Country by Sebastian Faulks

A fascinating and moving tale of love – lost and found.

1914: Anton Heideck has arrived in Vienna and falls in love with Delphine. Then his country declares war on hers.

1927: For Lena, life with a drunken mother in a small town has been cosseted and cold. A young lawyer, Rudolf Plischke, spirits her away to Vienna, but the capital proves unforgiving. Lena takes a job at the snow-bound sanatorium, the Schloss Seeblick.

1933: Still struggling to come terms with the loss of so many friends on the Eastern Front, Anton, now an established writer, is commissioned by a magazine to visit the mysterious Schloss Seeblick.

Thursday 21 October at 7pm

We'll be talking about ‘The Phone Box at the Edge of the World’ by Laura Imai Messina - a powerful and moving novel based on an incredible true story.

Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, then one day she hears about a man who has an old disused telephone box in his garden. There, those who have lost loved ones find the strength to speak to them and begin to come to terms with their grief. Yui cannot bring herself to speak into the receiver, but she finds Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss.

What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking.

Tots' time is back!

Join us for weekly children's rhymes, stories and a craft.

Only £1.50 per child. For more information please contact your local library.

• Harmans Water Library Monday at 10am (starting on 18th October)
• Birch Hill Library Tuesday at 10.30am (starting on 19th October)
• Sandhurst Library Thursday at 2.15pm

Half Term crafts for kids

Keep your children occupied this autumn with a craft pack full of autumnal and Halloween craft ideas. Packs will be on sale for £2.50 at Bracknell Library from Saturday 23rd October. 

Spooky crafts

Join in the spooky fun at the following libraries:

• Birch Hill Library Sat 23rd October 10-12 midday
• Harmans Water Library Sat 23rd October 10-12 midday
• Great Hollands Library Sat 23rd October 10-12 midday
• Crowthorne Library Tues 26^th October at 2.15pm 
• Sandhurst Library Thurs 28^th October at  2.15pm

For more information and booking- please contact your local library. £1.50 per child.

Room on a Broom storytime will take place at Bracknell Library on Saturday 9 October at 10.30am. £2 per child.  Please book your place.

Starting Thursday 11 November 2-5pm

Need help researching your family tree? Drop in to our friendly sessions at Bracknell Library any time from 2pm to 5pm with free expert advice given by members of the Berkshire Family History Society. Bring your questions, problems and 'brickwalls’ and get help with getting started.

When: second Thursday of the month, 2pm to 5pm

Library members can continue to access Ancestry from home until 31st December, not just using library computers. Simply login to your library account and click the Ancestry link at the top of the page.

Dyslexia friendly library books

• Borrow super-readable dyslexia friendly children's books. (Look for the red sticker or books published by Barrington Stoke.)
• Read ebooks on the BorrowBox app using the special font that makes the text more readable for dyslexic users.
• Enjoy listening to books on CD or listen to BorrowBox e-audiobooks on your phone or tablet.

Five pillars of well-being

As we approach the winter months, why not boost your health and well-being on our `Five pillars of well-being’ course running on Saturday 16th October at Bracknell Open Learning Centre? We’ll explore the `Five Pillars of Health’ - the five main areas that contribute to an individual’s sense of wellbeing.  We’ll touch on things like the drivers that make people feel happier, more fulfilled, and more resilient in life exploring these areas and showing you how you can check to see what you need to focus on to improve your health. Find out more and book a place.