Joanne Harris

If you think you’re familiar with Joanne Harris, our author-of-the-month for July, you might want to think again.

While she’s best known for her multimillion-seller Chocolat, Harris’ books don’t tend to neatly fit within one genre. Perhaps uniquely among best-selling authors, her books dip into a multiplicity of topics such as food, romance, France, psychological thrillers, vampires, Norse mythology, fairy tales, author self-help – and Dr Who.

In a recent interview with the Hampshire Libraries’ podcast Love Your Library (available later this month), Harris explained: ‘Much as a I understand the convenience and the financial interest of being a brand who does the same thing predictably every year, I just couldn’t do that. What drives me is an element of discovery and of risk.’

It’s the above-mentioned Chocolat (made into an Oscar-nominated film featuring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp), which first gave her a taste of success. It’s now sold more than 33 million copies worldwide and in 2012 she became only the fifth British female novelist to join the book industry’s “Millionaires Club”: an exclusive list of authors who have seen at least one of their books pass the million sales barrier in the UK since the 1990s.

Joanne Harris (MBE) grew up with her English father and French mother in Barnsley, South Yorkshire and started her career as a teacher, pursuing writing as a hobby. Her first novel, The Evil Seed, is a dark gothic romance which had limited commercial success. She spent more than 12 years teaching French at Leeds Grammar School, the inspiration behind her St Oswald’s series of books, the latest of which, A Narrow Door, is to be published next month. This darkly comic novel continues the story of eccentric Latin Master Roy Straitley, and follows Gentlemen and Players, and Different Class.

She said: ‘In a sense I’ve been writing about teaching since the start. I tend to write about small communities and the pressures they undergo, and the changes new arrivals make – and how the volatile chemistry of the small community can be utterly disrupted by what seems to be a relatively trivial change.’

Harris writes intelligently with a dry humour, and while her work is sometimes described as captivating or enchanting, her novels can frequently be darkly funny. Settings play an important role in her books and she often writes in a first-person, dual-narrator structure with complex characters who may be psychologically damaged or morally ambivalent.

She’s already published two other books in 2021: The Strawberry Thief (the fourth in the Chocolat series, including Chocolat, The Lollipop Shoes and Peaches for Monsieur le Curé), a bittersweet story of motherhood and learning to be yourself; and Honeycomb, a novel built from stories in which every chapter tells a standalone tale, which sits within her folklore/fairytale collection (A Pocketful of Crows, Orfeia and The Blue Salt Road).

This achievement is all the more admirable since, alongside the normal difficulties of living through lockdowns and Coronavirus, Harris was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of last year. With typical generosity, she has decided to share her experience to ‘make it more mundane’ and talks about her diagnosis as ‘Mr C’, a fictional character who has outstayed his welcome: her Twitter updates include the hashtag #GoodbyeMrC.

Harris still lives in Yorkshire, she plays bass and flute in a band first formed with her husband when she was sixteen, and works in a shed in her garden.

If you like Joanne Harris, you might also like Tracy Chevalier, Louis De Bernieres, Helen Fielding, Sebastian Faulks, Kate Atkinson, Salley Vickers, William Boyd, Anne Tyler, Barbara Kingsolver and Edward St Aubyn.

Written by Kate.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2019

Body image issues can affect all of us, disregarding gender or age.
This year, the focus of the Mental Health Awareness Week (13 May – 19 May) is on just this – body image.

We’ve put together a booklist of books, for all ages, to help get the conversation started about body image and to see that we are all beautiful – no matter our size or weight!

For adults and parents;


Body positive power
by Megan Jayne Crabbe

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We’ve been convinced that happiness is something that only comes once we hit that goal weight, get those washboard abs, shrink ourselves down and change every part of ourselves. We believe that our bodies are the problem, but the truth is that our bodies are not the problem. Megan’s body image issues began when she was five years old. She spent her childhood chasing thinness, and at 14 found herself spiralling into anorexia. After recovery she spent years dieting, binging, losing and gaining weight. Then she found body positivity, quit dieting, and finally escaped the cult of thin. Now she’s determined to let as many people as possible know the truth: that we are all good enough as we are. With her inimitable flair, whip-smart wit and kickass attitude, Megan argues for a new way of seeing ourselves, and a world where every body is celebrated.

non-fiction

Weight expectations: one man’s recovery from anorexia
by Dave Chawner
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Looking at the day-to-day struggle of living with an eating disorder, Dave Chawner shares how he became anorexic, and how he has started to recover. This engaging and sharply funny book will give hope to anyone in a similar situation, and give insight life with mental illness to those fortunate enough not to have it.


Am I ugly?
by Michelle Elman

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In today’s world of supplements, celebrity diets and social media, it’s very easy to be hard on ourselves about the way we look. With all this pressure to strive for ‘perfection’ aesthetically, it is easy to forget how damaging this can be psychologically. ‘Am I Ugly?’ is Michelle Elman’s compelling and deeply personal memoir that describes her childhood experiences of life-threatening health problems, long stays in hospital and fifteen complex surgeries that left her scarred, both mentally and physically. The narrative follows Michelle’s journey from illness to health, and from childhood to adulthood as she deals with her body-confidence issues to embrace both her scars and her body – and help others to do the same.

non-fiction

Man up: surviving modern masculinity
by Jack Urwin

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Jack Urwin’s father died just before he turned 10. Being male, he never really learned to talk about this with any kind of sincerity. His grief stayed with him through his teens, slowly becoming depression. Now 24 and a journalist whose recent Vice article ‘A Stiff Upper Lip is Killing British Men’ became a viral sensation, he explores what it means to be a man now. He traces crises of masculinity from our grandfathers’ inability to deal with the horrors of war, to the mob mentality of football terraces or Fight Club, and the disturbing rise of mental health problems among men today.

non-fiction

Curvology: the origins and power of female body shape
by David Bainbridge

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Cambridge Professor of Veterinary Anatomy David Bainbridge applies the science of evolutionary biology and cutting-edge psychology to women’s bodies, to explain why the human female is the only female animal to have curves and how these curves rule our lives, by influencing not only sexual selection but also social hierarchy and self-image.

non-fiction

Happy fat: taking up space in a world that wants to shrink you
by Sofie Hagen
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In Happy Fat, comedian Sofie Hagen shares how she removed fatphobic influences from her daily life and found self-acceptance in a world where judgement and discrimination are rife.From shame and sex to airplane seats, love and getting stuck in public toilets, Sofie provides practical tips for readers – drawing wisdom from other Fat Liberation champions along the way.Part memoir, part social commentary, Happy Fat is a funny, angry and impassioned look at how taking up space in a culture that is desperate to reduce you can be radical, emboldening and life-changing.

non-fiction

Overcoming anorexia nervosa: a self-help guide using cognitive behavioral techniques
by Patricia Graham
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This title provides a complete self-help recovery programme for the dangerous and wide-spread eating disorder anorexia nervosa.

non-fiction

The woman in the mirror: how to stop confusing what you look like with who you are
by Cynthia M. Bulik
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The Woman in the Mirror goes beyond typical self-esteem books to dig deep into the origins of women’s problems with body image. Psychologist Cynthia Bulik guides readers in the challenging task of disentangling self-esteem from body esteem and taking charge of the insidious negative self-talk that started as early as when you first realized you didn’t really look like a fairy princess. By reprogramming how we feel about ourselves and our bodies, we can practice healthy eating and sensible exercise, and focus on the many things we have to offer our family, community, and job. Bulik provides us the tools to reclaim our self-confidence and to respect and love who we are.

non-fiction

The A to Z of eating disorders
by  Emma Woolf
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This practical, myth-busting book demystifies the issues and terminology around eating disorders. In A-Z format, it gives a comprehensive explanation of the different physical and mental aspects of these complex conditions – ending with Z for size zero.


Body image problems & body dysmorphic disorder : the definitive treatment and recovery approach 
by Lauren Callaghan, Annemarie O’Connor & Chloe Catchpole
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From the heart and soul of mental health sufferer Chloe Catchpole, and the expert minds of the talented, clinical psychologists, Lauren Callaghan and Dr Annemarie O’Connor, this book is divided into two helpful, cohesive parts. Detailed from the separate perspectives of a sufferer and the psychologists is an insight into mental health recovery that sufferers can really relate to.

non-fiction

The gentle eating book
by Sarah Ockwell-Smith
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Most parents worry about their child’s eating. Common concerns include picky eating in toddlerhood, sweet cravings and vegetable avoidance in the early school years and dieting and worries about weight in the tween and teenage years. This book helps parents to understand their child’s eating habits at each age. Starting from birth, it covers how to start your child off with the most positive approach to eating, whether they are breast or bottle-fed. Parents of older babies will find information about introducing solids, feeding at daycare and when to wean off of breast or formula milk. For parents with toddlers and older children, Sarah includes advice on picky eating and food refusal, overeating, snacking and navigating eating at school, while parents of tweens and teens will find information on dieting, peer pressure, promoting a positive body image and preparing children for future independence.


For the younger readers;


Help your kids with growing up : a no-nonsense guide to puberty and adolescence
by Robert Winston
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Covering everything from the menstrual cycle to sexting and even cyber-bullying, this visual guide to puberty and adolescence is a must-read for all parents and tweens embarking on those scary teenage years. It covers contemporary issues such as internet safety, whilst also tackling key topics such as sexuality and body image.

non-fiction

 

Growing up for boys
by Alex Frith

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This text prepares boys for what to expect from puberty and offers advice on what they can do to cope with the physical, psychological, and emotional changes and stay happy and confident as they go through their early teens.
Try the eBook

non-fiction

Growing up for girls
by Felicity Brooks
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This book prepares girls for what to expect from puberty and offers advice on what they can do to cope with the emotional, psychological and physical changes and stay happy and confident as they go through their early teens.
Try the eBook

non-fiction

Banish your body image thief : a cognitive behavioural therapy workbook on building positive body image for young people
by Kate Collins-Donnelly
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The body image thief is a sneaky character – if you’re not careful, he’ll steal away all your positive feelings about your body from your ‘Body Image Vault’, leaving only the negative ones behind. How can you banish him? Fortify your vault with positive self-beliefs so he can’t break in! This imaginative workbook contains activities and strategies to help you build up positive thoughts, feelings and beliefs about your body. This title includes blank sections to be filled in by the reader.

non-fiction

Big bones
by Laura Dockrill
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The latest teen novel from the sparkling Laura Dockrill, introducing Bluebelle, and her moving, hilarious take on food, body image and how we look after ourselves and others A heart-warming teen story from the unique voice of Laura Dockrill, about Bluebelle, aka BB, aka Big Bones – a sixteen-year-old girl encouraged to tackle her weight even though she’s perfectly happy, thank you, and getting on with her life and in love with food. Then a tragedy in the family forces BB to find a new relationship with her body and herself. Moving, memorable and hilarious.

fiction

If you’re worrying about body image and need someone to talk to, these charities can be a good start:

Beat
Helpline for adults: 0808 801 0677
Helpline for youths: 0808 801 0711
Helpline for stiudents: 0808 801 0811

 

Overeaters Anonumous

 

Seed
Helpline 01482 718130