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.

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 6 million library loans.

Six new Quick Reads were published in 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).

The titles are available in paperback, ebook and for the first time this year, in audiobook!

Right now you can support Quick Reads and help us tackle the adult literacy crisis with Buy One, Gift One: for every title sold until 31 July, a matching copy will be gifted by the publishers to The Reading Agency who will distribute these Quick Reads to those who struggle with reading or have limited access to books. Order your copy now and contribute to this important initiative