A Little, Aloud with Love

"Will it come like a change in the weather? Will its greeting be courteous or rough? Will it alter my life altogether? O tell me the truth about love."( W.H. Auden). Many of the most popular works in the English language celebrate love in all its forms: that heady first flush, the agony of heartbreak, joyful reunions, the love of a parent for a child...And what better way to share these beautiful pieces than to read them aloud, to someone you love? Research has shown that being read to makes us healthier and happier, it enriches our hearts and minds.

Put together by The Reader Organisation, whose read-aloud book groups help thousands all across the UK each week, this anthology gathers together favourite poems and prose as well as some surprises. Read 'Our places by the fire place' to a parent, 'My love is come to me' to a partner, 'Most near, most dear' to a child, or even 'A need to reach out sometimes' to a friend. Discover Haruki Murakami's quirky take on love at first sight and, alongside it, enjoy the immortal wisdom of Walt Whitman.

The publisher is donating all royalties from this book to The Reader Organisation, the leading UK agency for reading and health.

THE READER ORGANISATION (TRO), founded by the charismatic Jane Davis, is a national charity dedicated to bringing about a reading revolution by making it possible for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to enjoy and engage with literature on a deep and personal level. Their 'Get Into Reading' read-aloud groups reach people who may not otherwise read, including people living in deprived areas, the mentally or chronically ill, older people living in Care Homes, prisoners, recovering addicts and excluded children. The organisation started on Merseyside but has since expanded across the UK and beyond.

ANGELA MACMILLAN has worked at The Reader Organisation since its inception and runs several 'Get Into Reading' groups.