Derbyshire Libraries eNewsletter – March 2026

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Derbyshire Libraries e newsletter, Derbyshire County Council

Welcome to the Derbyshire Libraries eNewsletter

Image of books for enewsletter

This March -  celebrate World Book Day and the National Year of Reading, visit a library event and try one of our book recommendations


World Book Day Logo

World Book Day - Thursday 5th March 2026

To celebrate World Book Day, why not visit your local library to borrow some of the fantastic children's books in stock. Most libraries with Story and Rhymetimes will be celebrating that week, so please go along and join in with your little ones. 

Ripley Library has a World Book Day exchange hub.  Exchange your £1 World Book Day token for one of the World Book Day Books, during normal library opening hours until Saturday 14th March.

To find out more about World Book Day, and to find fun reading activities, visit the official website here

(World Book Day Logo)


Toddler reading book

March Activities for Families & Children:

We have lots of events planned for March 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:

  • Thursday 5th March -  (also 12th, 19th, 26th March) - Ashbourne Library - 'Bubbles & Babies' Baby Sensory Sessions - informal and stimulating sensory sessions, meet other parents/carers, suitable for babies under 12 months - 9.45-10.45am - Ring 01629 533950 for more info
  • Friday 6th March - Long Eaton Library - Lego Club - First session of the Long Eaton Lego club for everyone over 5 years - 4-5.30pm - Ring 01629 531470 for more info
  • Saturday 7th March - Glossop Library - Family Book Club - story with questions or craft - 11am-12pm - Ring 01629 531199 for more info
  • Saturday 7th March -Ripley Library - Drawing and Character Design with Katie Abey - Join local artist and writer, Katie Abey, for a fun filled hour of drawing and creating your own character as part of World Book Day. Suitable for children aged 5+. Children to be supervised at all times - please book -11am-12pm - Ring 01629 532982
  • Monday 23rd March - Etwall Library - Rhymetime - come and join us for our new weekly rhymetime session, for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers - 2.30-3pm - Ring 01629 532633
  • Thursday 26th March - Holmewood Library - Easter themed craft session - 3-5pm - Ring 01629 533355 for more info

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


Coffee and books

Adult Events in March

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:

  • Monday 2nd March - 28th March - Belper Library - Belper’s Shops and Traders Photographic Exhibition, from the last 170 years - during library opening hours - Ring 01629 533192 for more info
  • Tuesday 3rd March - 31st March - Hayfield Library - Exhibition of illustration & fantasy by local artist and illustrator Karen Heywood - during library opening hours - Ring 01629 533438 for more info
  •  Monday 9th March and Monday 23rd March - Ilkeston Library - Quiz Social - drop in, quiz and cuppa - 10.30-11.30am - Ring 01629 533275 for more info
  • Friday 13th March - 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
  • Tuesday 31st March - Glossop Library - Derbyshire Makes Cabinets of Wonder - Miniature sculptures in boxes with Gordon MacLellan - 10am-4pm - 01629 531199

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


Women's prize for non-fiction

Women's Prize for Non-Fiction

The 2026 Longlist

The longlist for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction has been released, celebrating excellence, originality and accessibility in narrative non-fiction written by women.

You can reserve the books from our libraries and find out more here. 

Reserve your copies from our online catalogue.


Borrowbox Book Titles March 26

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 March are:

In eBook & eAudio

  • The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King - Harry Trevaldwyn
  • On the Calculation of Volume I - Solvej Balle
  • The Bones Beneath My Skin - TJ Klune

In e-Audiobook only

  • Our Sweet Violet - Flower Girls Book 3 - Rosie Goodwin
  • The Lamplighter's Bookshop - Sophie Austin

In eBook only

  • Careless People - A Story of Where I Used To Work - Sarah Wynn-Williams

Mosaic, Buxton museum workshop

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery’s Future Takes Shape

Progress is being made on moving Buxton Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) into its own dedicated temporary building, next to Buxton Library on Kents Bank Road.

For further information, look here.

(Mosaic from the recent mosaic workshop)


Libby audiobook titles March 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 Seven Dials Mystery - Agatha Christie
  • Summer at Sea Glass Cove - Jenny Kane
  • A Home for All Seasons - Gavin Plumley
  • Where Seagulls Dare - Anthony Horowitz
  • The Fells - Cath Staincliffe
  • Mosquito Men - David Price

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


Children's book recommendations March 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:

Raindrops by Robin Boyden and Robin Boyden (Illustrator)

When a drop of rain turns into a storm, a small mouse on a mission must find courage, ingenuity and resilience to make it home safely. But what will happen to the very special parcel he is carrying … and who is it for?!

The not-so great escape by Emma Green

Hedley has always played it safe, especially since the night that changed his life for ever. But when his friend Aiden steals an alpaca, Hedley is dragged on a runaway road trip that he did NOT sign up for:

An accidental robbery. A night in a haunted wood. And becoming internet famous #AlpacaBandit.

As the chaos builds, Hedley finds he isn't just running from the police, he's also running from the truth. And as his world comes crashing down, will Hedley play it safe, or take his biggest risk yet?

Young discoverers: true tales of kids who made incredible discoveries by Stephen Davies and Violaine Leroy (Illustrator)

Discover the incredible true stories of children who have changed how we see the world.

From fossilised creatures and ancient treasures to mysterious scrolls and glimmering gems, Young Discoverers is a thrilling collection of real-life tales about some of the most astonishing discoveries ever made and the young people who made them.

Travel through time and across continents to uncover:

  • A prehistoric monster hidden in the cliffs of England
  • The boy who uncovered the first step to the tomb of Tutankhamun, leading to one of the most famous archaeological discoveries of all time
  • A glittering gold nugget that sparked America’s first gold rush - found by twelve-year-old Conrad
  • A Viking Sword pulled from a lake in Sweden by an eight-year-old girl
  • The world’s biggest star sapphire, once used as a doorstop in Australia!

…And many more jaw-dropping discoveries

Reserve your copies from our online catalogue.


Book recommendations March 2026

New Adult Books

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

And the corpse wore tartan - Stuart MacBride

Move Over Miss Marple . . .

The great and the not-so-good are gathered at Skirivour Castle Hotel, in the heart of the Highlands, for the wedding of the year – but they weren’t expecting Detective Sergeant Roberta Steel to crash their party. And get horribly, horribly drunk.

The whole valley’s been cut off by a massive thunderstorm and the phone lines are down, so when the father-of-the-bride’s body is discovered – decoratively impaled on a stag’s head in the hotel lobby – it’s up to DS Steel to find out whodunit. Which isn’t easy when you’ve got a monstrous hangover and only a world-weary sergeant and a halfwit police constable for backup.

With no witnesses and every wedding guest a suspect, Roberta will need to use every one of her little grey cells if she’s going to catch the killer and get out of there alive.

A better life - Lionel Shriver

Gloria Bonaventura, a divorced mother of three living with her 26-year-old son Nico in a sprawling house in Brooklyn, decides to participate in a new city programme – Big Apple, Big Heart – that would pay her to take in a migrant as a boarder. Gloria is thrilled when sweet, kind, helpful Martine arrives. But Nico is sceptical. A classic live-at-home, unemployed Gen Zer with no interest in adulthood, Nico resents the indignity of moving from his self-contained basement flat and back into his childhood bedroom.

As the months go by, Martine endears herself to both Nico’s sisters, while finding her way into Gloria’s heart. But as Martine’s disturbingly dodgy compatriots begin to show up, Nico grows only more hostile to both his mother’s altruism and the ‘migrant crisis’ in general – though turns out to be anything but a reliable narrator himself.

Second chances - Roisin Meaney

It's never too late for second chances...

For the first time in her life, Lydia is taking a great big leap of faith. She's moving to a small town on the West Coast of Ireland to overhaul a large, long-abandoned residence named Chance House with her new husband.

Then tragedy strikes, and Lydia is reminded why she doesn't take chances. Suddenly she's facing a very different prospect: a half-finished ramshackle estate, an overgrown garden, dwindling funds, no-one to turn to - and everywhere she looks, reminders of the love she's lost.

Starting over feels impossible. Staying put feels harder still. But when the local community rallies around her and Lydia is unexpectedly reminded of the power of new beginnings, she realises she might just owe it to herself and them to take a second chance on Chance House...

Members behaving badly: a history of Britain in 52 parliamentary rogues - Debbie Kilroy

Over the centuries, the House of Commons has been full of MPs standing up against tyranny; remarkable people doing remarkable things for the good of all. Yet there have been just as many cheats and liars who have played games, played the markets and played the people who put their trust in them.

Members Behaving Badly tells the story of our nation from 1603 to 1945 through 52 of these parliamentary villains: abusers, kidnappers and murderers, violent men doing violent deeds, often using parliament as a front and excuse. These are the MPs who made history – for all the wrong reasons.

There’s rake and poet Sir Charles Sedley, whose illicit partying while sozzled and stark naked on a tavern balcony caused a sensation even in Restoration London; the stock-jobbing, flip-flopping chancellor of the Exchequer, Charles Townshend, who proposed taxes that sparked a revolution; David Lloyd George, Britain’s saviour during the First World War, but whose avarice, corruption and abuse of honours ruined his political party forever; and many more.

Reserve your copies from our online catalogue.


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