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Six Minute English

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Hello, this is six minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. And I'm Georgina. What type of books do you like to read Georgina?

I love reading crime fiction. know detective stories by authors like Ruth

Wendell or Agatha Christie really do you find them relaxing I wouldn't say relaxing

exactly but I get really involved in the story trying to work out who the murderer is,

then finding out on the last page.

That's interesting because today we'll be looking at how books can help us relax and feel more alive during troubled times.

We'll be finding out how reading is one of the best ways to find relief from the pressures of modern life.

Neil are you talking about bibliotherapy?

Ah, amazing detective skills Georgina.

Exactly.

Bibliotherapy is the prescription of books as a remedy to sickness.

It's been around since 2013 when the UK Charity Reading Agency published a list of books that doctors could offer to patients tackling topics from depression to dementia to chronic pain.

Since then 1.2 million readers have borrowed the scheme's books from libraries. It's so successful

that it's about to be extended to children as well. I wonder which books have been

most popular over that time. In fact that's my quiz question for today. What is the

best-selling book of all time? Is it A. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's

Stone by J.K. Rolling. B. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Or

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