Genre-spanning line up for 11th Galaxy® Quick Reads release
Six exciting new Galaxy® Quick Reads titles have been announced by The Reading Agency for publication in February 2017, from a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast to a road trip in search of Poldark. The list also includes new titles from Dreda Say Mitchell and Jenny Colgan, a special Quick Reads edition of Susan Jeffers’ Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, and a crime collection featuring authors such as Harry Bingham, Mark Billingham and Clare Mackintosh.
Quick Reads titles are specifically designed to be easy to read, and are shorter and easier to tackle for adults who are less confident in their reading skills. The accessible, bite-size format means they’re also perfect for people who want a light, easy read to pick up for their commute or to fit into a busy day.
One in six adults in the UK struggles with reading, whilst one in three does not read for pleasure, and Quick Reads will next year continue its work to break down the barriers that prevent people from picking up a book. 95% of literacy practitioners report that using Quick Reads has been effective at raising learners’ confidence to read, whilst 91% say that the books have been effective at improving readers’ literacy skills.
““Since launching the programme 11 years ago, Quick Reads have introduced millions of adults to the joys and benefits of reading for pleasure. It is with a great sense of pride that we announce, together with the Reading Agency, the 2017 titles – a diverse list of entertaining and inspiring stories that will give even more emergent readers access to new experiences and new worlds, both on and off the page.””
Five fiction titles and one non-fiction book make up this year’s selection, covering crime, romance and self-help. Published on 2 February 2017, the titles include:
• Dead Simple crime anthology (Orion) - a crime collection bringing together eight writers including Harry Bingham, Mark Billingham, Clare Mackintosh, James Oswald, CL Taylor, Angela Marsons, Jane Casey and Antonia Hodgson.
• Looking for Captain Poldark by Rowan Coleman (Ebury) - a road trip novel about four people who meet online and drive to Cornwall to the Poldark set to find Aiden Turner. Coleman, who is dyslexic herself, is the bestselling novelist of The Memory Book and We Are All Made of Stars.
• A Very Distant Shore by Jenny Colgan (Little Brown) - a romantic novel set on a remote Scottish island, where a Syrian refugee goes to work as a doctor. The small community welcome him but can he forget his past? Colgan is the bestselling author of The Little Beach Street Bakery.
• The Other Side of You by Amanda Craig (Little Brown) - a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast, set in London. Amanda has written a number of very well-reviewed novels including Hearts and Minds and A Vicious Circle.
• Feel the Fear & Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers (Ebury) - a specially adapted book drawing on the late Susan Jeffers’ landmark self-help book Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway and its bestselling follow ups.
• One False Move by Dreda Say Mitchell (Hodder) - a gritty novel set on the Devil’s Estate in London, the same setting as her recent Gangland Girls trilogy.
““At The Reading Agency, we believe that everything changes when we read. We were delighted to welcome Quick Reads to our organisation last year and we hope this exciting new list of titles will continue to encourage readers across the country to pick up a book and discover a love of reading.” ”
This is the seventh year Quick Reads has been sponsored by Galaxy® and the second year that it has been run by The Reading Agency.
In 2017, the initiative – which has published over 100 titles, sold or distributed more than 4.8 million copies and enabled over 4.3 million library loans (PLR) since it was founded in 2006 – will continue to work with literacy practitioners, prisons, librarians and retailers to bring the benefits and pleasure of reading to everyone.
For further information please contact FMcM Associates:
• Christopher Bone, chrisb@fmcm.co.uk
• Ashton Bainbridge, ashtonb@fmcm.co.uk
