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 Welcome to Your Library News
Welcome to this month's Library newsletter. This September we are bringing you a curated collection of exciting updates, upcoming events, book recommendations, community spotlights, and much more. Whether you're an avid reader, a passionate learner, or simply love the welcoming atmosphere of our libraries, this newsletter is tailored just for you.
Stay connected, inspired, and discover new opportunities to feed your love for books and knowledge. Get ready to embark on a literary journey as we share the latest news and treasures from our libraries right to your inbox.
 Murder at Monksfell Manor - Murder Mystery Event
Could you be the next Poirot? Join us for an fun evening of Murder Mystery in the library with library staff and international bestseller, 'A true master of British crime writing' Martin Edwards! You can hear Martin discuss the much-loved genre and his latest novel Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife as well as solve a murder yourself.
Murder at Monksfell Manor is a 1920s murder mystery set in the Lake District.
Written by award-winning crime writer Martin Edwards. The audience will listen to testimony from the suspects in the case, before deciding the identity of the murderer, the means, and the motive.
Guests are invited to come dressed in 1920s costumes if they would like to!
 Manga Workshops @ Penrith Library
Following a fabulous set of workshops in Barrow and Kendal last year we are delighted to be able to bring these Mega Manga events to Penrith. Featuring highly acclaimed Manga artist and in collaboration with The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival. These sessions are not to be missed.
Kawaii Manga Monsters with Inko Ai
Welcome to the wonderful world of manga!
These workshops are perfect for young people
curious about manga as well as the avid fan.
Sit alongside professional manga artist, Inko Ai Takita, in this fun opportunity to discover what ‘manga’ means and how this culture developed in Japan. Follow step-by-step instructions and create your own exciting, cute ‘kawaii’ monster. This
workshop is perfect for fans of Animal Crossing and Pokémon! Each workshop is 2½ hours. 2x1 hr sessions with a ½ hour break - refreshments will be provided. For ages 11-16 yrs. All equipment provided.
Book your free tickets now!
Penrith Library: Saturday 11th October - 10am
Alston Library: Saturday 18th October 10am
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The Wonderful World of Manga with Chie Kutsuwada
Come and explore the creative techniques behind the art and discover the wonder of Manga-Anime. Let’s Draw Manga Style! Do you want to know how to draw manga-style characters and even design one yourself? In this workshop with professional artist Chie Kutsuwada, you will learn some techniques and tips on how to draw manga. By the end of the session, you will have some drawings, your own characters, and maybe even the beginning of your original manga story! 2x1 hr sessions with a ½ hour break -refreshments will be provided. For ages 11-16 yrs. All equipment provided.
Book your free tickets now!
Penrith: Saturday 20th September -10am
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 BorrowBox Presents an Exclusive Live Event with Kate Atkinson
Celebrate great storytelling with a live online event featuring the internationally acclaimed and multi-award-winning author Kate Atkinson, as she delves into the stories behind her unforgettable characters and compelling narratives.
This free event is open to all, giving you the chance to ask Kate questions live. For longtime fans and first-time readers and listeners alike, this is a unique opportunity to connect with one of the leading voices in contemporary fiction.
Smart, layered, and full of surprises – Kate Atkinson’s fiction defies categories and expectations. In Death at the Sign of the Rook, Atkinson’s darkly addictive Jackson Brodie series returns after five years, in a sharp and compelling new mystery exploring the threads of connection and consequence, told with Atkinson’s signature precision and heart.
Register for a free place here.
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 Book Club Day UK
Stories you love, people to meet, a day for book clubs. We are delighted to be joining The Reading Agency in celebrating the power of shared reading on Book Club Day UK, 11th September 2025! The day is for all types of groups – adults, young people and children – Thank you to all our wonderful book clubs across Westmorland and Furness.
How to join in?
This Book Club day we are sharing a fun new quiz for our book clubs to celebrate at their meeting. We are also inviting our book clubs to check out the Reading Agency's - Book Club Hub where you can find info, resources and giveaways especially for book clubs.
You can designate a member of your book club to be a Book Club Hub rep and receive offers and read and review opportunities straight to your inbox.
Would you like to start a book club? Did you know Westmorland and Furness libraries offer a dedicated loan service just for reading groups? We would love to support you to start a group. Find out more here.
 Grange Library
Grange Library has recently undergone some essential maintenance to enhance the building and improve facilities for both staff and visitors. The works included a full electrical rewire, installation of new windows and doors throughout, fresh decoration, new carpets, a redesigned reception desk, and upgraded staff welfare facilities. Externally the roof was cleared of moss and repaired, and the handrails are being cleaned and repainted.
The library has resumed its normal openings and we are looking forward to seeing our lovely customers again soon.
 Celebrating Disability Pride Month
This Disability Pride Month, we showcased a selection of fantastic books written by and features character who are disabled. There are so many fantastic books that help celebrate and demonstrate disabled peoples huge contribution to the world. Read below to find out how the library supports disabled people every day of the year.
Reading Well
The Reading Well book collections is a national scheme delivered by The Reading Agency in partnership with Libraries Connected, endorsed by professional health bodies. Reading Well books are recommended by health professionals to help people to understand and manage their health and wellbeing using self-help reading.Current book lists include, Reading Well for children, Reading Well for mental health, Reading Well for dementia, Reading Well for young people’s mental health and reading well for families.
For more information on the Reading Well website.
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Autism? Your questions answered
We offer a specialist collection of books in collaboration with the National Autistic Society which aim to support and inspire autistic people and their families. The collections are called 'Autism? Your questions answered'. We are committed to offering all staff up to date Autism awareness training. Many of our libraries have sensory spaces, activities and quiet times. A dedicated sensory room is available at Barrow Library. Social stories have been created to help you when you are visiting a library. Check your local library page on our website to view their social story.
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Dementia Collection
Research has shown that taking part in activities based on the interests and abilities of a person with dementia can significantly improve their well-being and quality of life. We now have a number of Dementia Resource Bags available for loan, and these are aimed for use at home with individuals or family members affected by dementia to promote reminiscence or discussions. Themes include topics such as Gardening, Growing Up, Holidays, The Royals, Local Sports and School Days.
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 Complete The Summer Reading Challenge Now!
We have been delighted to see so many young people taking part in The Summer Reading Challenge this year. Now is the time to pop in and collect your certificate and medal if you haven't already done so. There is still time to complete the challenge. We will be giving out certificates until 13th September so please do ask any member of staff for your certificate when dropping off your books. Everyone who has reached their reading goals this summer and told us they have completed the challenge will be entered into a prize draw with the chance to win some fantastic prizes including National Trust vouchers, cinema tickets and more, kindly donated by our local businesses.
 I've Got My Eye On You
Sometimes its hard not to judge a book by its cover and these books just draw you in, its hard to resist them.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
A lone astronaut. An impossible mission. An ally he never imagined. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery-and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone. Or does he?
Find BorrowBox eBook here.
Find BorrowBox eAudio here.
Request from the library here.
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Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
January 1978. Tallahassee. When sorority president Pamela Schumacher is startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she’s shocked to encounter a scene of implausible violence – two of her friends dead and two others, maimed. Thrust into a terrifying mystery, Pamela becomes entangled in a crime that captivates public interest for more than four decades. On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. When Ruth, her best friend, goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened. When Tina hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she suspects the same man is responsible. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela – and one last impending tragedy.
Find BorrowBox eBook here.
Request from the library here.
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The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time. She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognises the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try but can she outrun her past?
Find BorrowBox eBook here.
Find BorrowBox eAudio here.
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 Dear Diary
Why not check out these brilliant books about true stories or fantastic fictions all inspired by the every popular practice of writing a diary, the place where our deepest secrets are hidden.
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
Shaun Bythell owns The Bookshop, Wigtown - Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop. It contains 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving, with twisting corridors and roaring fires, and all set in a beautiful, rural town by the edge of the sea. A book-lover's paradise? Well, almost. In these wry and hilarious diaries, Shaun provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade, from struggles with eccentric customers to wrangles with his own staff, introduces us to the thrill of the unexpected find, and evokes the rhythms and charms of small-town life, always with a sharp and sympathetic eye.
Find BorrowBox eBook here.
Request from the library here.
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Dear Black Girl by Tamara Winfrey Harris
"Dear Dope Black Girl, You don't know me, but I know you. I know you because I am you! We are magic, light, and stars in the universe.” So begins a letter that Tamara Winfrey Harris received as part of her Letters to Black Girls project, where she asked black women to write honest, open, and inspiring letters of support to young black girls aged thirteen to twenty-one. Her call went viral, resulting in a hundred personal letters from black women around the globe. In Dear Black Girl, Winfrey Harris organizes a selection of these letters, providing “a balm for the wounds of anti-black-girlness” and modeling how black women can nurture future generations.
Find BorrowBox eBook here.
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Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
One summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles: there are 192 people aboard. When the plane suddenly crashes, twelve-year-old Edward Adler is the sole survivor. In the aftermath, Edward struggles to make sense of his grief, sudden fame and find his place in a world without his family. But then Edward and his neighbour Shay make a startling discovery; hidden in his uncle's garage are letters from the relatives of other passengers - all addressed him. Following the passengers' final hours and Edward's unique coming-of-age, Dear Edward asks one of life's most profound questions: What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
Find BorrowBox eBook here.
Find BorrowBox eAudio here.
Request to borrow here.
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Author Talk-The Forest Hideaway by Sharon Gosling
Join local author Sharon Gosling to talk about her new book The Forest Hideaway and what it means to her to be living and writing in Cumbria.
Ticket-£2 includes refreshments.
Penrith: Thursday 11th September 7pm
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Penrith Writers @ Penrith Library
Penrith Writers start their new term on Friday 19th September, 7pm at Penrith Library.
Come along to meet other writers, share work, and be inspired! For more info find Penrith Writer on Facebook.
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Katherine Priddy @ Barrow Library
Priddy’s haunting vocals and distinctive finger-picking guitar style have seen her sell out a headline tour and support world class artists including The Chieftains, Loudon Wainwright III, Vashti Bunyan and Guy Garvey.
Sunday 7th December 2025, 2:30pm
Barrow Library
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Regular Events and Activities
Explore a world of fun and learning! Are you ready for an exciting spring filled with captivating events and activities? Look no further than Westmorland and Furness Libraries! Did you know that alongside our exciting events, we offer a variety of regular groups and activities that cater to different interests and promote lifelong learning. Many of these regular groups are completely free, including Baby Bounce and Rhyme, Lego Club, Craft Club, Storytime, Knit and Natter, Chess Club, and many more.
Explore the wonderful opportunities available to you! Find us on Trybooking
Check out our regular groups and activities. 👇
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Barrow Group Libraries - Walney, Roose, Askam, Ulverston, Dalton & Ormsgill
Penrith Group Libraries - Alston, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen & Shap
Kendal Group Libraries - Ambleside, Grange, Kirkby Longsdale, Milnthorpe, Sedbergh & Windermere
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Follow Us on Social Media
Stay connected with us on social media! Did you know that Westmorland and Furness libraries can be found on across social media. Pop on over to your chosen platform to keep up to date and informed about all the latest happenings at Westmorland and Furness Libraries!
Join our growing online community and be the first to know about the engaging activities and resources we have in store for you.
Don't miss out - follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram today!
👉 Follow us on Facebook
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👉 Follow us on tiktok
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