Book Clubs

International Staff Book Club

International Staff Book Club – In Collaboration with the International Staff Support Group

Welcome to the International Staff Book Club, a space created for colleagues from every corner of the world to come together, share stories, and celebrate the richness of global perspectives.

When we read books from different cultures, we don’t just learn about others — we understand ourselves more deeply too. We aim to build a community where every voice is valued, every background is honoured, and every story matters.

Whether you’re an avid reader or just curious, you’re welcome here. Bring your experiences, your questions, your interpretations — and let’s discover the world together, one book at a time.

To launch our International Staff Book Club, we will be reading Watching the English, a widely acclaimed study of English cultural norms and social behaviour. Written by anthropologist Kate Fox, the book offers a clear, research‑based look at the habits, values, and unspoken rules that shape everyday life in England.

We have 7 copies to offer on a first come first serve basis, but the book is available as well as an audiobook and on Kindle for those of you who may have Amazon/Apple/Spotify subscriptions.

The discussion sessions will take place on:

13 July, 13:30–14:00 on Teams
15 July, 13:30–14:00 on Teams

To join contact the library at library.enquiries@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk

General Staff Book Club

The Breakroom Book Club

It is well known that book clubs can have a positive impact on mental and emotional wellness. Reading has been shown to reduce stress, improve memory/cognitive function, and even boost self-esteem.

A book club experience is a social connection; it helps you to broaden your horizons, hear new perspectives. It is a great way to learn about the world and to get you outside your comfort zone and around people you may not have the opportunity to interact with otherwise. More than that, book clubs offer you an opportunity to develop your personal wellbeing.

By joining our book club sessions, you can reap these benefits while also engaging in meaningful conversations with others, which can help to combat feelings of stress and anxiety associated with work!

Detaching yourself from work, commitments, the hustle and bustle of daily life just for 30 minutes or an hour every couple of months and getting immersed in a friendly and healthy conversation on a book that you have read, or haven’t yet, is like breathing new air. It helps you decrease stress and increase your memory and attention level.

Our Book Club is open to OHFT staff and students. Every two months, we hold a couple of sessions between 1-3pm over MS teams.

Our next book is to be confirmed…

Women Support Group Book Club

The Intersectional Sisterhood: Celebrating Women’s Stories

Our Virtual Women Book Club is open to all women around the Trust, every two months we hold a session between 1-2pm over MS Teams.

We are the offspring of the most popular Women’s Staff Support Group, and our book club is committed to exploring unique female perspective, and it supports women’s voices, in a safe and inclusive space.

Exploring different narratives, promoting a cross-cultural point of view with stories from various backgrounds, and perspectives, and sharing personal experience, will help us to build a community that values empathy, and a deeper understanding for one another.

The printed copies requested are kindly funded by the women support group only for Oxford Health staff.

Our next read is :

It’s not about the burqa: muslim women on faith, feminism, sexuality and race, by Mariam Khan

In It’s not about the burqa you will find voices you won’t see represented in the national news headlines: seventeen Muslim women speaking frankly about the hijab and wavering faith, about love and divorce, about feminism, queer identity, sex, and the twin threats of a disapproving community and a racist country.