Introducing: A Little, Aloud with Love!

We're delighted to have a new addition to the A Little, Aloud series, as A Little, Aloud with Love is published today!

Literature is not short of lovers and odes to the great emotion itself, and A Little, Aloud with Love celebrates love in all its forms, from the heady first flush to the agony of heartbreak, joyful reunions with loves lost and the endurance of love through the years, as well as the kinds of love shared between friends and families and the love of a parent for their child. With the wealth of stories and poetry on the subject vast, narrowing down the selection wasn't an easy task but our editor Angela Macmillan has chosen carefully from a diverse range, with texts both classic and contemporary filling the pages and warming the heart. Read Romeo and Juliet alongside John Clare, combine the quirkiness of Haruki Murakami with the wisdom of Walt Whitman, bring Emily Bronte together with the romance of Shelley. Within the book you'll be able to revisit old favourites as well as make new discoveries, and find lots to love.

As with both of the previous A Little, Aloud anthologies, the book is designed to be read aloud and shared with someone you love - whoever they may be. Each section of prose and matched poem has its own heading - ranging from 'Our places by the fireplace', 'My love is come to me', 'Most near, most dear' and 'A need to reach out sometimes' - and the poems and stories are given added emotional power by the accompaniment of the thoughts and reactions of the members of The Reader's Shared Reading groups from around the UK. Humorous, poignant, sweet and real - all of the personal observations and connections come entirely from the texts themselves, and may act as conversation starters while you're reading.

'Her name was Ruth and I was mad about her for two years and never plucked up the courage to even speak to her,’ said a man in a nursing-home reading group. 

'Reading that poem left me feeling tearful,' said a woman in a library group. 'I'm not sure why because weddings are happy occasions, aren't they?

'It's true that we can't help falling in love, but of course we are to blame if we cause damage as a result,' said a man in a community group.

We're feeling even more love as Chatto & Windus, the publisher of A Little, Aloud with Love, are donating all royalties from the book to support The Reader's Shared Reading groups, allowing more loving connections to be made each week.

A Little, Aloud with Love is available to buy now - just in time to sort out those Valentine's Day gifts...

With the arrival of A Little, Aloud with Love we're also relaunching the A Little, Aloud blog. Make sure that you keep us bookmarked for lots of A Little, Aloud with Love news, announcements and treats, and you can also let us know what you think about the book and what your favourite pieces are over on the Your Comments page. Perhaps you even have a story of how reading has played a part in one of your own relationships - we'd love to hear those too.