Philip chats about how a health scare affected his reading and how in his search for therapeutic books dealing with grief and the fear of death he found it in the most unexpected places and books. He also talks about how audio has changed how he consumes certain types of books and how it has enriched his reading life.

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Show Notes

This week I chat with Philip Connor, Commissioning Editor at Penguin Random House Audio and host of the podcast What Editors Want. We chat about how Philip’s reading habits have changed and moved more into non fiction as well as how he found himself searching for himself in books on grief and dying. The importance and suprising nature of finding representation in literature and how audio has lent itself to him rereading books and now commissioning works in audio.

Joan Didion
CS Lewis
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
White Noise by Don DeLillo
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
The Hidden Spring  by Mark Solms
Night’s Dawn Trilogy by Peter F Hamilton
Ubik by Philip K Dick
Emmanuel Carrère
Emma Southern
Mary Beard
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
F Scott  Fitzgerald
Virginia Woolf
Vladimir Nabokov
WG Sebald
The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
Why I Write by George Orwell

In celebration of UCL’s wellbeing festival Replenish Dr Rayner chats with Cathy all about her book Dear Reader and how Cathy has turned to reading and books for comfort and therapy during her life.

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Show Notes

Dr Samantha Rayner talks with Cathy Rentzenbrink about her book Dear Reader, and the therapeutic effects of reading on mental health and wellbeing. It’s a lovely episode that travels through time with books that affect multiple generations, how books are enjoyed for what they are not who they are marketed at, and how writing can be hard but the satisfaction of finishing is worth the difficulty.

Cathy Rentzenbrink’s books
Everyone is Still Alive debut novelThe Last Act of Love
A Manual for Heartache
Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books
and her debut novel Everyone Is Still Alive is released in July 2021

Authors and works mentioned in the episode:
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Agatha Christie
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
Georgette Heyer
Jean Plaidy
Harriet Evans

Cathy’s book recommendation
Humankind by Rutger Bregman

In celebration of UCL’s wellbeing festival Replenish Dr Rayner chats with Cathy all about her book Dear Reader and how Cathy has turned to reading and books for comfort and therapy during her life.

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Show Notes

Dr Samantha Rayner talks with Cathy Rentzenbrink about her book Dear Reader, and the therapeutic effects of reading on mental health and wellbeing. It’s a lovely episode that travels through time with books that affect multiple generations, how books are enjoyed for what they are not who they are marketed at, and how writing can be hard but the satisfaction of finishing is worth the difficulty.

Cathy Rentzenbrink’s books
Everyone is Still Alive debut novelThe Last Act of Love
A Manual for Heartache
Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books
and her debut novel Everyone Is Still Alive is released in July 2021

Authors and works mentioned in the episode:
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Agatha Christie
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
Georgette Heyer
Jean Plaidy
Harriet Evans

Cathy’s book recommendation
Humankind by Rutger Bregman

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Show Notes
This week I chat with award winning author Diana Evans about the therapeutic effects of reading, why we no longer lend books to people, the emotional connection one has with a physical book, and why audiobooks are wonderful creations.

Link to Diana’s website where you can buy all of her books
Link to Diana’s Twitter profile

Diana gives a whole host of wonderful author and book suggestions which are listed below:
Mary Oliver
Mark Doty
Anne Sexton
Ursula le Guin
James Baldwin
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Heaven’s Coast by Mark Doty
In Search of our Mother’s Gardens by Aice Walker
My Mistress’s Sparrow is Dead edited by Jeffrey Eugenides
Behold the Dreamers Imbolo Mbue
The Beautiful and The Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald

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Show Notes
In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Clare Balding, author, broadcaster, and advocate for women in sport. We talk about books that help us understand ourselves better, the power of animals and animals in books, audio and walking, and getting around to reading newspapers.

Link to Clare’s website
Link to Clare’s twitter

Links to charities, people, and podcasts mentioned in the episode:
Strength and Learning Through Horses
Ted the Assiantance Dog
Ebony Riding School
RDA (Riding for the Disabled)
Fortunately
Economist Radio 

Authors and works mentioned in the podcast:
Heroic Animals by Clare Balding
How to Win a Life Without Losing Yourself by Dr Pippa Grange
The Long Win: The search for a better way to succeed by Cath Bishop
The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Animal Farm by George Orwell
My Animals and Other Family by Clare Balding
After You’ve Gone by Maggie O’Farrell
One Day by David Nicholls
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Triumps and Turbulence by Chris Boardman
A Few Wise Words
The History of the World in 100 Animals by Simon Barnes

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Show Notes
In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Deborah Alma, poet and founder of The Poetry Pharmacy. We discuss bibliotherapy, poetry, prescribing poems, and wellbeing, and what literature Deborah reaches for to improve mental health. This week I am joined by a guest co-host, Sara Cheraghlou.

Link to The Poetry Pharmacy website
Link to Deborah’s twitter account 

Authors and works mentioned in the podcast:
Authors:
Tove Jansson
Seamus Heaney
Derek Walcott
John Keats
William Shakespeare
Esther Morgan

Works:
The Moomin books by Tove Jansson
Love After Love by Derek Walcott
Postscript by Seamus Heaney
Grace by Esther Morgan
East Coker by TS Eliot

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Show Notes
In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Dr Radha Modgil, GP, mental health activist, and broadcaster. We discuss bibliotherapy, the rise of anxiety, the vitalness of therapuetic tools, and how important it is to care for one’s mental wellbeing.

Link to Dr Radha’s website
Link to Dr Radha’s twitter

Books and authors mentioned:
Authors:
Philip Pullman
Roald Dahl
Eckhart Tolle
Oprah Winfrey
Maya Angelou
Walter de la Mare

Books:
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
Boy by Roald Dahl
Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou

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Show Notes
In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Giles Paley-Phillips, children’s picture book author and podcast host. We discuss bibliotherapy, writing, and mental wellbeing, and what literature Giles reaches for to improve his own mental health.

Link to Blank Giles’ podcast
Link to Giles’ lovely twitter account
Link to Giles’ author page  

Books and authors mentioned in the podcast:

Authors:
Giles Paley-Phillips
Ian Livingstone
Steve Jackson
Chuck Palahnuik
Don DeLillo
Paul Auster
Jon Ronson
Ian Rankin
John Fowles
Glen David Gold
Sharon Olds
Bret Easton Ellis
Gelong Thubten

Titles:
Fighting Fantasies by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson
The Magus by John Fowles
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
The Father by Sharon Olds
One Hundred and Fifty-Two Days by Giles Paley-Phillips
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
A Monks Guide to Happiness by Gelong Thubten
Beautiful Lego by Mike Doyle
The Property by Rutu Modan
Blankets by Craig Thompson
Sandman: 30th Anniversary Edition by Neil Gaiman