Vicky
6 Oct 2026
North East Reads is a free reading programme launching this September across Co. Durham as part of the National Year of Reading. It's led by New Writing North with support from Durham County Council, and the idea is to get whole communities reading the same book at the same time. We're giving thousands of books away and programming free reading sessions across the County to go alongside them.
There are two strands. The Big Read is for adults and the Little Read is for children and their families and carers.
The Big Read book is The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, a crime novel set in a remote Scottish lodge over New Year. It's a locked room mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie, and a proper page-turner. We are hosting a Big Read session on Thursday 15th October at 6pm. Join the Big Read's Reader in Residence, Toni, for a fun, relaxed workshop and take a closer look at this bestselling murder mystery. Already read the book? Great, let’s learn more about classic detective fiction, examine what makes The Hunting Party work and plot our own murder mystery. Not read the book yet? No problem! We’ll do our own investigation in a group solve-a-long.
The Little Read is The Big-Time Boogie-Woogie Animal Band by Giles Andreae and Nick East, a picture book about a music-loving dog who starts a band.
Bring your little ones to a free story session with songs and plenty of joining in on Monday 19th October 1pm-3pm. Elana will be sharing The Big-Time Boogie-Woogie Animal Band, a noisy, funny picture book about a group of animals who love making music. There'll be reading-along, sensory play, and simple signing. There's plenty of chances to wiggle and dance along too! It's for children up to age seven and their grown-ups.
Finally, we've got free tickets available to see Lucy Foley at Durham Book Festival for community members, whether they attend the reading session or not. She's at the Gala in Durham on Saturday 10 October, 3-4pm, where she'll be talking about The Hunting Party and her new Miss Marple mystery. To register for free tickets go to: https://tinyurl.com/lucyfoley