Scottish Families Book Group

‘Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation.’  

These are the words of Dr David Lewis, one of the Mindlab International researchers at the University of Sussex, who looked at the impact of reading on our stress levels. They found that just six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68%, slowing down heart rates and easing muscle tension. 

Knowing the positive impact of reading, Scottish Families started up a monthly book group in early 2021. We read for fun, we read to relax, and we read to escape the pressures of whatever may be going on around us.  

We provide the books for our group, delivering them straight to their homes for them to enjoy reading in their own time. We then meet online each month for an informal discussion of what we’ve read, rating the book out of ten and talking about the content, the characters and our emotional response to the book. 

The group tells us they not only enjoy the connection the group offers, but have also shared how much they enjoy receiving the books and making time for themselves to read each month. Here is some of the feedback we have received: 

“An activity to occupy the mind and ease anxiety.” – Family Member

“Gives me a totally different social sphere and interaction. Do something different to make time for myself.” – Family Member

“It makes me feel less isolated. It’s good to know without it being talked about that we are all experiencing the same problems at home.” – Family Member

“It seems the simple things are still as effective in improving well-being: reading, chat, social interaction, having a time out from often challenging periods in life.” – Family Member

How to join the book group:

The Scottish Families Book Group is for anyone who is currently being supported by one of our services in Scotland.

For more information or to join us, please contact Lena from our team groups@sfad.org.uk.

Group meetings can be found here.

Book Reviews

Lena, our staff member who runs the book group, writes a review every month on the chosen book, giving it a rating and sharing the feedback from the group members.

You can read all the reviews for the books we have read together here.