Pause Library
Pause community library is an intentional, reflective and accountable space for our community of readers, non readers and first time readers. We believe that books are for healing, for practicing anti-capitalism, for ushering in a neurodiversity paradigm, for practicing anti-caste stance, for queering, for celebrating, for criping, for pleasure, for slowing down, for community making, for resonance, for solidarity, for reflection, for questioning the norm, for uplifting voices, for visibilising, for reflecting on discourses, for learning, for unlearning, for acknowledging, for building agency, for safety, for brave space, for meaning making, for relational sitting with, for collaboration and MORE!
What books mean to us?
Our books
We curate books that support us to affirm values that are social justice based. Our book genres include books on anti-caste, disability, neurodiversity and queerness. We aim to curate books that support us in holding space for ourselves and others as part of the diverse weave in the ecosystem of life around us.
Visit our community mental health library any time between 10:30 to 6:00pm on all days. Please call us in case you would like to spend a couple of hours, we want to make sure theres space for you on the say.
Picture Books
Picture books are stories waiting to be witnessed, seen and embraced and in that they offer their presence for you to feel witnessed, seen and embraced too.
Intentional Selection
Our selection of books invite your attention to ways in which life shows up inside of you and for others. Come sit with our books, they share something in common with you and others.
Room for more
Our space is welcome for you to come sit and read for as long as the space is open. We are open to recommendations for more books you believe must occupy our space.
Many ways to be
Come by to pause and stitch, stim, color, draw, read and work. Our space is open. Just call us to check if spaec is available today
Anti Oppression
Come by to read books on anti oppression. We have books that educate and represent oppression and experiences of caste.
Centering lived Experiences
We centre authors with lived experiences. Mental health, disability and social justice are some of the genres we centre.
Our Sessions
At Pause we surround ourselves with books no matter the occasion. Books feature in our individual session, they become our solidarity nurturers when we sit together and read, they say more than we can and they weave new stories and hopes for us as a collective.
We host several sit-ins as a collective. We have a once-in-three weeks session call the Safe Spaces and Quiet Reading Nooks, these are spaces where we come together to read and reflect on themes such as shame, love, belongingness, trauma, hope and more. We also host book sessions called the Queer Book Reading Circle that entail reading and reflecting queer chapter books. We have an anti-caste reading circle where we reflect on caste and how it informs our identities. Our library sessions are infused with understandings of intersectional mental health and it is a space for all. To know more about our library write to us at pause.perspective@gmail.com or send us a Whatsapp message or call us on 9490708947.
Reviews of Books We Read
Books That Were Loved in 2022
Books That Were Loved in 2022 Ever since I began to curate books for Pause Library I have become immersed in reading books like never before. It started off as
Duck, Death and the Tulip: Book Review
Duck, Death and the Tulip: Book Review Duck, Death, and the Tulip How I live with death as my frenemy ‘Duck, Death, and the Tulip’ is a bittersweet picture book
Home is where the heart is – A Book Review
Home is where the heart is – A Book Review As the season is changing and the temperatures are dipping, I sat pondering the question put up for all of
The Keeping Quilt By Patricia Polacco: A book reflection
The Keeping Quilt By Patricia Polacco: A book reflection As part of the initiative book buddy in the library group for MHPs two of our therapists read this wonderful book
Creepy Capitalism: Resisting with books
Creepy Capitalism and Resisting with picture books When I was initially introduced to narrative therapy, I was all excited. Oh yes let’s bring out the alternate stories, lets ditch the
Book Review: Rain Must Fall- Nandita Basu
Book Review: Rain Must Fall -Nandita Basu Rain must Fall by Nandita Basu is a book I naturally gravitated to firstly because it was a Duckbill book. I have loved