There are reportedly 130 million books out in the world, and the number is growing by the millions. How can you find something you would enjoy reading? The internet has enabled us to listen to book podcasts and explore book review websites; however, here, too, the numbers have also exploded. It is daunting. The English Center has always attempted to match readers with just the right book. We have eight book groups, for example, or you can make an appointment with a staff member to point you in the right direction. BOOK BROWSING is another attempt to highlight books you might enjoy. Some months, we will draw attention to current bestsellers, award winners, or well-known classics. You might find Staff Picks one month or seasonal themes. Please keep coming back to check what we have posted.
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2026
It is almost Inventory time!
We find lots of hidden treasures, so keep checking for updates.

Letters from Father Christmas
by J.R.R.Tolkien 
This classic festive book of Tolkien’s amazing Father Christmas letters written to his children between the 1920s and the 1940s has been reworked into a new hardback edition to match other beloved Tolkien titles. It contains high-quality digital reproductions of his beautiful letters and pictures.

Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or some sketches. The letters were from Father Christmas.

The Snow Thief
ba Alice Hemming - Illustrations by Nicola Slater
The next picture book from the mega-talented creative duo that brought us New York Times bestseller, The Leaf Thief!
GASP! Where has all the grass gone, Bird?
Why is it so white and cold?
Squirrel and Bird are back, and this time it's winter! But Squirrel has never seen snow before. Will he like it?
You bet he will!
Except, just as Squirrel starts to get used to the snow, it disappears!
Is there a snow thief on the loose?

A German Christmas:
Festive Tales from Berlin to Bavaria
From helpful elves to an enchanting Nutcracker, rediscover the German Christmas tales behind our most iconic festive traditions
*A Daily Express Book of the Year*
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Eine fröhliche Weihnachten -- A Merry Christmas -- made all the more joyful with these literary treats redolent of candle-lit trees, St. Nikolaus, gingerbread, roast goose and red cabbage, tinsel and stollen cakes, accompanied by plenty of schnapps.
In this collection, classic works by the Brothers Grimm and Thomas Mann intertwine with more recent stories from writers like Peter Stamm and Martin Suter to bring together the greatest festive tales from Austria, Switzerland and Germany. From a child lost in a snowy, pine-scented forest meeting an unlikely saviour to old lovers reuniting during a last-minute dash across the city for presents, each story creates magical moments of reflection and rediscovery.
Bursting with family chaos, carols and yuletide cheer, A German Christmas showcases those works that have helped define the festive period the world over.

The Gruffalo and Friends Advent Calendar Book​
by Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Enjoy a book every day with this fantastic festive collection, including colouring, drawing and activity books based on the family-favourite picture books, The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and more. Plus lots of family fun with songs and rhymes to enjoy together. 
Then, match up the back covers of your mini-books to create four special puzzle scenes featuring all your favourite characters celebrating the festive season. 

Little People, BIG DREAMS: Advent Calendar Book Collection
by Maria Isabel Sancez Vegara
he countdown to Christmas has never been more inspiring! Each day, children can unwrap a new story featuring trailblazers, pioneers, and dreamers who changed the world. From scientists and inventors to sporting icons and musicians, every book tells the story of someone who dared to dream big and achieved incredible things. 
Part of the world’s bestselling biography series for children, this advent calendar is more than just a Christmas countdown. With stunning illustrations and engaging storytelling, it introduces young readers to the power of ambition, kindness, and resilience, making it a gift that keeps on giving beyond the festive season.  Discover the incredible lives of these bold little dreamers:  Simone Biles, David Attenborough, Leo Messi, Harry Styles, Florence Nightingale, Usain Bolt, Mozart, Iris Apfel, Yayoi Kusama, Vincent van Gogh, Mary Earps, Vanessa Nakate, Mae Jemison, Gandhi, Katherine Johnson, Rosa Parks, Charles Darwin, Louis Pasteur, Stevie Wonder, Stan Lee, Kylie Minogue, Mary Anning, Dwayne Johnson, Leonard Cohen 
This festive advent calendar collection celebrates the dreamers, thinkers, and pioneers who shaped history. Whether your child is passionate about sports, science, art, or activism, there is a story to inspire every young reader. 

Bibliophile Advent Calendar for Booklovers 
by Jane Mount    
An irresistible advent calendar for booklovers based on Jane Mount’s beloved Bibliophile books and artwork. 
The Bibliophile’s Advent Calendar for Booklovers includes:  24 miniature books of prompts, trivia, and illustrations 
​ A mini keepsake journal for recording the year’s bookish highlights  A bookshelf for your little library  A special surprise gift for the 25th day!    Each tiny book will delight you—filled with a question for the day or trivia made for booklovers, all accompanied by irresistible illustrations. The little library provided inside offers the perfect place to shelve the mini treasures once you have enjoyed each book’s splendour! Then, you can turn to the mini keepsake journal to record and reflect on your reading life. This deluxe advent calendar will create a perfect holiday tradition to return to and savour anew every year. 
 

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​Autumn
​Hooray for autumn! For many it is a time of transition that offers a unique blend of natural beauty, cozy comfort, and a sense of renewal. Think scented candles, comfy blankets, sipping a pumpkin spice latte or hot apple cider, and of course, curling up with a good book. 

Don't Tickle the Ghost! 
by Sam Taplin,  Illustrations from Ana Martin Larranaga 
You'd better not tickle the ghost... because it might just go "woooo!" if you do!
Babies and toddlers just won't be able to resist tickling the touchy-feely patches to hear the ghost, a witch, a werewolf, and more come to life in this hilarious novelty book. With fun sounds and adorable artwork, this is a perfect gift for babies and toddlers in the spooky season. An exciting new series for babies and toddlers, from the creators of That's not my...

That's not my pumpkin... 
by Fiona Watt , Illustrations by Rachel Wells
Turn the pages to discover tactile pumpkins in this delightful addition to the much-loved That's not my... series. From fuzzy leaves, to bumpy skin, as well as a velvety Halloween witch's hat, there are lots of different touchy-feely textures to explore. With their bright, bold, eye-catching illustrations and fuzzy, furry, smooth and soft tactile patches on each page, babies and toddlers love the best-selling That's not my... books.
That's not my... books are designed to be shared, and support sensory and language development.
Don't forget to spot the little white mouse on every page!

The Witching Hour
From the creators of The Haunting Season and The Winter Spirits comes a spellbinding new collection of original haunted tales 
by Bridget Collins, Imogen Hermes Gowar & 11 others
There is something peculiar about the hour after midnight. It is the time when darkness reigns.And strange things roam the earth.
In this dazzling collection of new and original haunted tales, thirteen bestselling and much-loved authors bring this hour to vivid, spine-tingling life.
So curl up, light a candle, and wait for the clocks to strike . . .

It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse!
 by Laura Numeroff, illustrations by Felicia Bond
Mouse is excited for fall because that means it is time to decorate pumpkins! But one is missing. Where could it have gone?  This is the perfect Halloween book for the very youngest reader, and is just the right book to get kids and budding artists inspired to work on their own Halloween crafts.
The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights
Long before Charles Dickens and Henry James popularized the tradition, the shadowy nights of winter have been a time for people to gather together by the flicker of candlelight and experience the intoxicating thrill of a ghost story.
Now eight bestselling, award-winning authors - all of them master storytellers of the sinister and the macabre - bring the tradition to vivid life in a spellbinding new collection of original spine-tingling tales.
Taking you from the frosty Fens to the wild Yorkshire moors, to the snow-covered grounds of a haunted estate, to a bustling London Christmas market, these mesmerizing stories will capture your imagination and serve as your indispensable companion to the cold, dark nights.
Spooky Stories (Illustrated Story Collections)
by Sam Baer and more
Eight spooky stories to bring you out in goosebumps. A haunted castle, a spooky diary, a creepy treehouse, and a ghostly mummy are all waiting to send shivers down your spine. Curl up in your favourite spot and begin. Just remember: things are not always what they seem...

Memoirs offer readers a unique and powerful experience.  
Memoirs, unlike biographies, which often provide a chronological account of a person's life, focus on a specific period, theme, or event.  They can provide readers with a new understanding of historical events, social issues, or the human condition. By stepping into someone else's shoes, readers can gain a deeper appreciation for diverse experiences, cultures, and struggles.  Reading about how an author navigated challenges and found meaning can be incredibly motivating.  

Educated
by Tara Westover
Tara Westover grew up preparing for the end of the world. She was never put in school, never taken to the doctor. She did not even have a birth certificate until she was nine years old.
At sixteen, to escape her father's radicalism and a violent older brother, Tara left home. What followed was a struggle for self-invention, a journey that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes, and the will to change it.

Cher: The Memoir, Part 1 
by Cher
After more than seventy years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her true story in intimate detail, in a two-part memoir. Her remarkable career is unique and unparalleled. The only woman to top Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, she is the winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, and an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who has been lauded by the Kennedy Center. She is a lifelong activist and philanthropist. As a dyslexic child who dreamed of becoming famous, Cher was raised in often-chaotic circumstances, surrounded by singers, actors, and a mother who inspired her in spite of their difficult relationship. With her trademark honesty and humor, Cher: The Memoir traces how this diamond in the rough succeeded with no plan and little confidence to become the trailblazing superstar the world has been unable to ignore for more than half a century. 

Tuesdays With Morrie
by Mitch Albom
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.
For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.
Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder.  Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger?
Mitch Albom had that second chance.  He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life.  Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college.  Their rekindled relationship turned into one final "class": lessons in how to live.

More Myself: A Journey
by Alicia Keys
One of the most celebrated musicians of our time, Alicia Keys has enraptured the nation with her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary vocal range, and soul-stirring piano compositions. Yet away from the spotlight, Alicia has grappled with private heartache over the challenging and complex relationship with her father, the people-pleasing nature that characterized her early career, the loss of privacy surrounding her romantic relationships, and the oppressive expectations of female perfection.
Since her rise to fame, Alicia’s public persona has belied a deep personal truth: she has spent years not fully recognizing or honoring her own worth. After withholding parts of herself for so long, she is at last exploring the questions that live at the heart of her story: Who am I, really? And once I discover that truth, how can I become brave enough to embrace it?