Discover the joy of reading with Quick Reads. Short books and great stories by bestselling authors!

The need

1 in 6 adults in the UK struggle with reading and 1 in 3 adults do not regularly read for pleasure. England ranks 23rd out of 23 OECD nations for literacy level amongst 16-19 year olds. In addition, studies have shown that those who do read for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations.

The programme

Quick Reads provide a route into reading that prioritises great story telling and adult-focused content while ensuring the books are written in an accessible and easy to read style. The books are written by some of the most popular authors in the UK - including Andy McNab, Jojo Moyes, Anne Cleeves, Ian Rankin and Benjamin Zephaniah - so they can be a brilliant entry point to new genres, authors as well as the spark to reignite or build up the joy of reading.

The Quick Reads programme has collaborated with over 30 publishers to produce a total of 135 titles since 2006 (many still available to borrow from your public library or buy from The Reading Agency's bookshop) with over 5 million copies distributed and over 5.7 million library loans. Each year, The Reading Agency work with bestselling authors to produce six new titles. See the full back catalogue.

The programme is in the final year of funding received through a generous donation from best-selling author Jojo Moyes who has funded the programme for three years.

The 2020 series

On 20 February 2020 six new Quick Reads were published.

The titles included This is Going to Hurt: an easy to read version by Adam Kay (Pan Macmillan); Darkness Rising by A. A. Dhand (Transworld); The Donor by Clare Mackintosh (Little, Brown); The Little Dreams of Lara Cliffe by Milly Johnson (Simon & Schuster); Notting Hill Carnival: A West Side Story by Candice Carty-Williams (Orion) and A Fresh Start: a collection of ten short stories by authors including Ian Rankin and Jojo Moyes (Orion).

Find out more about the books and buy them for a little as £1 from The Reading Agency's bookshop on bookshop.org, Hive, Amazon, Waterstones and WH Smith. You can also borrow the titles from your public library. The titles are available in paperback and eBook.

The 2021 series

A new set of six titles will be published on 27 May 2021.

The titles include: The Baby is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Atlantic); The Skylight by Louise Candlish (Simon & Schuster); Saving the Day by Katie Fforde (Arrow); Wish You Were Dead by Peter James (Macmillan); How to Be a Woman, abridged by Caitlin Moran (Ebury); The Motive by Khurrum Rahman (HQ).

Find out more and pre-order your copies from bookshops and library suppliers now.

Quick Reads are also produced in Welsh.

Impact

Quick Reads are an extremely valuable tool for boosting reading skills, confidence and engagement in learning. They can act as an entry point to different authors' work in diverse genres, and have led to thousands of adults reading, completing and enjoying a book for the first time. Our long-term goal is to build a nation of readers by getting Quick Reads into every home in the UK!

You can read reviews on Find A Read.

Take a look at our case studies to see the impact that Quick Reads have on emergent readers.

How to take part

Quick Reads are available to purchase for a little as £1 from The Reading Agency's bookshop on bookshop.org, retailers such as Hive, Amazon, Waterstones and WH Smith and bookshops across the country. They can be borrowed from your local library.

We work with public libraries, prisons, colleges, hospitals and adult learning organisations to ensure these books are accessed by those who may find reading difficult as they are a perfect entry point to reading for pleasure.

Take a look at our learning resources and discussion guides that can be used to support the books. Unionlearn have a toolkit for making the most of Quick Reads and how they can be used in workplaces.

Quick Reads are perfect for supporting the Reading Ahead programme either as reading material or to use as rewards and incentives. Find out more about Reading Ahead.

Get involved

Order Quick Reads and support The Reading Agency through our bookshop.
Find out more about the 2021 titles.
Take a look at our other reading programmes for adults, such as Reading Ahead and World Book Night.
Contact lily.staunton-howe@readingagency.org.uk with any questions.