Derbyshire Libraries eNewsletter – February 2026

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Derbyshire Libraries e newsletter, Derbyshire County Council

Welcome to the Derbyshire Libraries eNewsletter

Reading

This February - we Go All In on the National Year of Reading, there are events for you all over the county, and see what we recommend you read this month!


National Year of Reading

National Year of Reading

Go All In!

In 2026, the National Year of Reading is reconnecting reading with the things that already inspire us – from playlists and football matches to films, food and family time. It’s reading that fits how we live, not the other way around.

Be sure to spread the word to your friends and family about what reading means to you to help inspire them to pick up a book. Look out for amazing events and promotions happening at your local library, and let's all make 2026 the year that reading became the nation's favourite pastime again!

Find out more here and get ready to Go All In!


Dice

February Activities for Families & Children:

We have lots of events planned for February for families and children in our libraries. To keep up to date with the latest events as we add them be sure to keep an eye on our website 'What's On' page. You can narrow down to search for Children's events at particular libraries. Some of our events for families and children this month include:

  • Wednesdays 7th, 21st & 28th February - Etwall Library - Bubbles & Babies - Bring you baby (0 to 12 months) to our informal and stimulating sensory sessions - 10.30-11.30am - Ring 01629 532633 for more info
  • Saturday 14th February - Swadlincote Library - Saturday Craft for Children - Make a funny moveable Valentine's heart to give to someone special - 10am-12pm - Ring 01629 533013 for more info
  • Monday 16th February - Ilkeston Library - Warlocks and Words - come and try some fantasy games and word games with us (for ages 12 and above) - 2-4pm - Ring 01629 533275 for more info
  • Tuesday 17th -Thursday 19th February - Long Eaton Library - Lego Building Workshops - Calling all young builders! Join us and create your Lego masterpiece (aged 5 to adult) - 10.30am-12pm - Ring 01629 531470 for more info

All events are free drop-ins unless otherwise stated. Please ring the phone number provided for more information.


Colouring

Adult Events in February

To keep up to date with the latest events as we add them be sure to keep an eye on our website 'What's On' page.

Some of our events for adults this month include:

  • Tuesday 3rd February - Belper Library - Our Freedom Project: Interactive Exhibition - An interactive installation that plays with light and shadow, with illustrations by local artist Lise Bennette, and wire words created by library customers, to show what freed means in Belper now. For adults and families with children aged 5 years and over - 3.30-5.30pm - Ring 01629 533192 for more info
  • Tuesday 3rd February - South Normanton Library - Coffee and Chat - Come along and enjoy a drink with us - 10.30-11.30am - Ring 01629 535000 for more info
  • Wednesday 11th February - Hayfield Library - Mindfulness Art Group - come along and join in with some peaceful mindfulness art with our new free group - 2.30-3.30pm - Ring 01629 533438 for more info
  • Friday 13th February - Borrowash Library - Live Life Better Derbyshire Health & Wellbeing session - come along and get your blood pressure checked and discuss other wellbeing concerns with the Live Life Better Derbyshire team - 9.30am-12.30pm - Ring 01629 533448 for more info

All events are free drop-ins unless otherwise stated. Please ring the phone number provided for more information.


LGBT History Month

Derbyshire Record Office

LGBT History Month

February is LGBT History Month, celebrating the history of gay rights and LGBT people.  It can be quite a challenge to find out about LGBT people in the past, as their history is often purposefully hidden.  Our Guide to Researching LGBTQ+ History will give you hints and tips about how to start uncovering this very hidden history.

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Multi Use BorrowBox Titles Feb 2026

Multi-Use Titles on BorrowBox

Every month we get a new selection of titles on our FREE BorrowBox app of both eBooks and eAudiobooks that can be taken out by multiple users at one time. These stay multi-use for 60 days, so if you have a book club and you're looking for your next title then one of these could be your next choice! 

You can find these titles on the main BorrowBox page, identified as a collection with 'No Waiting!' or 'Available Now!'

Titles available from January are:

In eBook & eAudio

  • The Daughter - T.M.Logan
  • A Cold Wind from Moscow - Rory Clements
  • These Violent Delights - Micah Nemerever

In e-Audiobook only

  • Different for Boys - Patrick Ness
  • Bunny vs Money and the League of Doom! - Jamie Smart

In eBook only

  • Pieces of Us - Eve Ainsworth

Libby Audio book titles for February 2026

Libby - No Wait Titles

The Libby app has a wide selection of No Wait Title e-audiobooks, that you can borrow instantly as well as being perfect for reading groups. Here are just a few that are available - please go to the Libby app to explore more great titles:

  • The Marmalade Diaries - Ben Aitken
  • Panic - L J Ross
  • Lightlark- Alex Aster
  • Parsley the Lion - Michael Bond
  • The Coffin Maker's Garden  - Stuart MacBride
  • The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes

For help on using our eAudio and eBooks, look here.


January Recommended Reads Adult

New Adult Books

Here are three new exciting novels and a non-fiction title for you to discover in February! 

Witch Trial by Harriet Tyce

When 18-year-old Christian Shaw is found dead in an Edinburgh park, the city reels - and the shock only deepens when police charge her best friends, Eliza Lawson and Isobel Smyth, with her murder.

As social media explodes and headlines scream for justice, rumours of bullying spiral into something darker: whispers of rituals, obsession, and a teenage pact gone wrong.

Matthew Phillips, a respected heart surgeon, is reluctantly called for jury duty. But as the trial unfolds - and the girls reveal a chilling defence no one saw coming - he begins to question everything: the motives, the evidence, even his own judgement.

Who's telling the truth? Who can be trusted?

And what really happened to Christian Shaw?

Let the Witch Trial begin . . .

The Invitation by Veronica Henry

London, 1953 Clementine falls for handsome Alfie Arbutus over cocktails at the Savoy and knows that life will never be the same again. Especially when he invites her to visit the family home he will inherit one day, Foxwood Manor... Stella lost a part of her heart forever when Edwin Arbutus died. Their wartime love affair changed everything - but now she has her young son, Ted, to fight for. Elizabeth hopes that throwing the glamorous Snow Ball at Foxwood will bring light back into its darkened walls, and into the eyes of her heartbroken husband, Michael, for the first time since they lost their eldest son. Yet as the gilded invitations are sent, the lives of all three women collide with unimaginable consequences - will the secrets of the past break the family apart, or bring them back together?

The Wise Witch of Orkney by Anna Caig

1593, Scotland. King James VI launches a bloody witch hunt across the length and breadth of the country. But the women he fears most are already within his court.

Elspet is a spae-wife, a wise woman and healer from the isles of Orkney. Some might call her a witch.

When the king's new bride, Anna of Denmark, summons her to deliver her baby and cast a binding spell over the child, Elspet is trapped between two impossible choices - for she cannot refuse the queen, and she cannot be discovered by the king.

While Elspet struggles to hide her secret identity in a court that wishes her dead, another woman seeks her aid: Kitty Muirhead, outcast, persecuted and desperate to escape the shadows of her past. Kitty and the queen could not be more different, but they may yet be each other's salvation.

The hunt is closing in on the three women. They must concoct a reckless plan to save one another before that fearful death sentence is cast upon them - witch.

My Gardening Life by Mary Berry

A passion that was sparked in her childhood, Mary first started gardening with her father and she has been fortunate to meet many inspirational and knowledgeable horticulturalists throughout her life. Full of anecdotes, pearls of wisdom, Q&As with her gardening heroes, and beautiful photos of Mary’s own garden, My Gardening Life is a unique memoir told through the gardens Mary has loved.

As well as Mary's first-hand commentary, she also explains the vital role that being outside, connecting with nature, and celebrating the seasons has played in her life for 90 years. From times of personal solace to times of celebration, moments of sheer joy to gardening frustrations, Mary reveals her deep love of plants and gardens.

Reserve your copies from our online catalogue.


Children's Recommended Reads February 2026

Children's Book Recommendations

One of our favourite things to do is recommend amazing children's books to you! This month we recommend you check out these titles:

Tractors in Space by Ross Mackay and Alex Willmore (Illustrator)

Life on the farm is fun, but Toby the tractor has a much bigger dream... He's going to space!

My Cat is Called Odin by Francesco Bedini and Stefano Tambellini (Illustrator)

Aldo's cat is called Odin. He has only one eye, like the Norse god of poetry and war. In fact, he IS Odin!

Aldo and his two best friends from Comics Club have been training to save the world. They’ve mastered fighting battles (with wooden swords), Morse code, and superhero skills, despite the annoying antics of Aldo’s little sister, Petra. The day Odin suddenly appears, they are swept up in a truly epic adventure . . . Yggdrasil, Tree of Life and Death, has mistakenly opened its portal and unleashed Fenrir, the gigantic, evil wolf from Norse mythology, into the world. Can Aldo, his friends and Odin’s cat army defeat the Beast before the next full moon, saving kidnapped Petra, themselves and the world?

An Anthology of Stargazing by Abigail Beall

An Anthology of Stargazing will be your child’s guide through the stars, teaching all about the intricate star patterns, the brightest stars, fascinating asterisms, and the legends woven through the night sky, from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Reserve your copies from our online catalogue.


Book Pile

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