READING FOR PLEASURE: A YEAR OF IMPACT
In March of 2025, the Library Customer Service team launched a new Reading for Pleasure (RFP) initiative, and it has quickly become a popular part of the Library experience, both with students and staff.
The collection was put together using books from our existing catalogue alongside very generous donations from our staff and several publishers that we approached. The project set out with a clear purpose: to give students the opportunity to read beyond their academic studies for relaxation, creativity and mindfulness.
Between March and December 2025, the impact has been remarkable:
- 278 books borrowed from a display of 376 titles
- 143 loans from newly donated titles added to the catalogue
- 135 loans from the Library’s existing fiction stock
Many of the fiction titles from the Library section that were incorporated into the RFP collection had not been borrowed within the past year or more before being relocated and promoted within the RFP initiative. This has demonstrated and reinforced the idea that visibility and accessibility can breathe new life into overlooked resources.
The most popular books from the RFP display (those borrowed three times or more) in 2025 include:
A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas
A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara
Blue Sisters, by Coco Mellors
Don’t Swipe Right, by L. M. Chilton
Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros
One Dark Window, by Rachel Gillig
Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch
Spiral, by Bal Khabra
Where Sleeping Girls Lie, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Wife, by Charlotte Mendelson
Based on the Ground Floor of the Library, making it highly visible and easy to browse, the collection sits opposite our Help Desk and is in clear view. Signage directs students to the wider Fiction collection upstairs, while a prominently displayed QR code connects readers to Libby, the free eBook and audiobook platform available to Brunel students with their library card. Together, these features ensure that reading for pleasure is accessible in multiple formats, however students prefer to read.
Beyond the numbers, the Reading For Pleasure display supports Brunel’s broader goals. Students who enjoy reading for pleasure are consistently shown to achieve stronger academic outcomes, but the benefits go deeper. Research suggests that recreational reading fosters creativity, empathy, critical thinking and innovative approaches to research. All of these are qualities that sit at the heart of Brunel’s values.
Importantly, this has been achieved without any additional funding. By using donations and re-energising existing stock, the project has shown that simple ideas such as this can support wider goals and, most importantly, our students. It has also highlighted that our students appreciate access to newer and more recent fiction publications which is something the donations have been able to provide.
The success of Reading for Pleasure is a credit to everyone involved, from those who donated or sourced books to the colleagues who catalogued and promoted them both in the Library and through our social media channels. It is a powerful reminder that small projects like this, rooted in shared values, can have a lasting impact.
From Jan 5th to Feb 22nd this year, we’ve already had 65 books borrowed from the display and this reinforces our belief that university students enjoy reading outside of their studies.
We have been encouraging our students to explore the collection and rediscover the simple pleasure of getting lost in a good book.
Reading for pleasure is an essential part of student life, supporting wellbeing, creativity and academic success in equal measure. Through initiatives such as this, the Nero Book Awards partnership (the awards co-sponsored by Brunel University of London) and Brunel’s Big Read, and by making engaging visuals such as our recent Blind Date with a Book display, we are proud to champion a vibrant reading culture at Brunel.
We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to make reading visible, accessible and inspiring for all our students.