Quick Reads

Today marks the launch and publication of The Reading Agency's 2018 Quick Reads selection of books.

   

I am a big fan of the Quick Reads series. Each book costs only £1 and they are written by popular authors, and this years collection of authors are, I think, the best yet. I have read books by all of these authors and I firmly believe that there is something for everyone in this selection.

Quick Reads are designed to encourage more people to pick up a book and read. 1 in 6 people find reading difficult or something which they rarely do. This may be for a number of reasons, they have never learnt to read, they don't want to pick up a book or just don't have the time. Quick Reads aim to encourage everyone to (re)discover the joy of reading. 

Quick Reads are short books and are written in language that is easy to read and understand. These books may be the first 'adult' book a person reads or one that encourages a reader to try a new author as each book has details of other books by the author included.

Quick Reads are being sold by all the major retailers and also available in libraries across the country.

Quick Reads is making real, lasting changes to people's lives. Since 2006, 4.8 million books have been distributed through the initiative, 3 million library loans have been registered and through outreach work hundreds of thousands of new readers each year have been introduced to the joys and benefits of reading. Quick Reads is a unique collaboration and we are very grateful for the support of everyone involved.

 

     2018 titles

This year's Quick Reads authors and titles, available from 1 February 2018, are:

• Cut Off by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown): A punchy, taut urban thriller about that moment we all fear: losing our phone! For Louise, losing hers in a local café takes a sinister turn. Billingham has sold five million copies of his novels and has twice won the Theakston's Old Peculiar Award for Crime Novel of the Year.

• The Great Cornish Getaway by Fern Britton (HarperCollins): As the sun sits high in the sky over Cornwall, and the sea breeze brings a welcome relief to the residents of the seaside village of Trevay, a stranger arrives in need of a safe haven. The former presenter of This Morning, Britton is now a Sunday Times bestselling author and this story is full of her usual warmth and wit.

• Clean Break by Tammy Cohen (Transworld): A dark and twisty portrait of a marriage coming to its bitter end, from the mistress of domestic noir. Can Kate rid herself of her jealous husband before it's too late? Cohen's acclaimed novels include The Mistress's Revenge, The War of the Wives and Someone Else's Wedding.

• Inspector Chopra and the Million-Dollar Motor Car by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton): An enchanting Baby Ganesh Agency novella from the bestselling Khan set in the bustling back-streets of Mumbai. Inspector Chopra and his elephant sidekick have two days to solve the mystery of a missing - and very costly - car for its gangster owner, or there'll be a heavy price to pay.

• The Beach Wedding by Dorothy Koomson (Arrow): A gripping short read featuring a wedding, family drama, and old secrets. Tessa is thrilled when her daughter arrives in Ghana to get married but memories of the last time she was there haunt her; can she lay the ghosts of the past to rest or will they come back to haunt her daughter's future? Koomson is the bestselling author of 12 novels including The Ice-Cream Girls, My Best Friends' Girl and most recently The Friend.

• Six Foot Six by Kit de Waal (Viking): A charming novella from Costa First Novel Award shortlisted author de Waal about finding friendship in the most unlikely of places. Everything changes for Timothy, a 21 year-old with learning difficulties, when local builder Charlie calls on him for help. De Waal worked in criminal and family law and was a magistrate for many years before her international bestseller, My Name is Leon was published.

Thank you to Ed PR for sending me a selection of the Quick Reads books. I really love the selection of authors chosen for this years selection and will be reading all the titles very soon.