Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish — reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!

Thanks to everyone who joined in last week while I was in Chicago for a wedding. Heather reviewed The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds, a historical novel about the impact of a British colonialism in Malaysia. Tina got caught up in the DCI Banks series, reading the 23rd book, When the Music’s Over. Jean is still plugging along with The Faerie Queene. Mike provided a terrific Venn diagram for every one who is confused about the difference between England, Britain, and the United Kingdom. Becky reviewed the children’s book, I Don’t Know What to Call my Cat.

We were still staying in a hotel room in Chicago when the news about Manchester started going non-stop on cable. We don’t have cable at home, so I got a taste of the addictive nature of the 24-hour news cycle during a breaking news story.

One thing that seems to help me when I’m overwhelmed by the news is to focus on the individuals who were lost. The BBC is compiling a list of stories, tributes, and photos on this page.

Another thing that helps is to look for the helpers, taking the advice of Mr. Rogers. An Entertainment Weekly reporter wrote a heart-warming piece about how Mr. Rogers lived that advice.

In looking for helpers, with an eye toward good examples for a British Isles Friday post, I found these stories:

• Video of the Queen’s visit to a children’s hospital in Manchester
• Tributes from the players and coaches of the Manchester United soccer team
• A recording by British race car driver Lewis Hamilton, ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, clearly demonstrating that one reason fans love him so much is because he loves us back