MOOD-boosting books to help people dealing with cancer will be on the shelves of libraries across Oxfordshire.

A special list of uplifting titles has been drawn up by the Reading Agency and Macmillan Cancer Support after people affected by cancer were asked to recommend their favourites.

All 20 of the final contenders are now in stock at Oxfordshire County Council libraries, and where there were already copies, extras have been brought in.

Getting stuck into A Slice of Britain: Around the Country by Cake by Caroline Taggart is Jane Mason, was reader services manager at Oxford Central Library.

She said: “I think everybody who suffers from cancer or is trying to recover is looking for something that will lift their mood.

“They have to sit down quite a lot anyway. They’re all very comfortable reads and don’t require a lot of effort. They make people feel happy about the world around them.”

Books were selected through engagement with people who have experienced cancer, including sufferers themselves but also carers, friends and family.

Mechelle Harris, co-founder of the Hummingbird Centre for cancer support in Bicester, lost her father Ray Hurcombe to the disease in 2008.

She said that while she found listening to CDs and classical music a comfort, she would also read and that it could act as good therapy for people who were ill.

She added: “People like to feel normal. Reading something light-hearted is just as thera- peutic as something heavy.

“I would encourage it. We have books available here as well. We were looking to start a book club, which goes to show that there’s interest.”

One of the lesser-known books in the collection, by poet and former Oxford University student Kit Wright, is an anthology entitled Ode to Didcot Power Station. The volume rubs shoulders with classics such as CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and newer bestsellers like Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project.

The Mood-boosting Books scheme forms one half of the Reading Agency’s Reading Well campaign, alongside Books on Prescription, which recommends expert self-help titles for people with conditions like dementia.

Reading Well campaign leader Debbie Hicks said: “We worked closely with MacMillan and put out calls through social media. We collected a whole list of titles and whittled it down to a shortlist.

“There was a very interesting piece of research published by Mindlab International, based at Sussex University, that looked at the benefits of reading.

“It reduced stress by 67 per cent, more than taking the dog for a walk, having a cup of tea or even listening to music. That’s a really interesting finding.

"Reading a good book is like going on holiday without packing your bags. I think it’s brilliant that these books will be available. They really demonstrate the power of reading to boost moods and allow you to escape from the world. It’s great people from Oxfordshire will have that before them.”

All the books are now available to library members for borrowing.

They will not be specially signposted in libraries but included in online reading lists.

Lindsay Gale, the county council’s cabinet member for cultural services, said: “Being treated for cancer is clearly a difficult position to be in. It affects many people as well as their friends and relatives.

“I’m glad that Oxfordshire’s libraries now have all these books in stock. Hopefully their presence in our libraries will bring joy to the lives of people going through a hard time.”

Reading lists can be found at readingagency.org.uk