Sarah Talks… Quick Reads 2018

Morning everyone, here I am with my first February post! Can you believe it’s February already?! Where exactly did the first 31 days on 2018 go?!

This morning I want to talk a little bit about the Quick Reads project. It’s something that had passed me by until I was contacted and asked if I minded sharing some information about it on my blog. Now I’m a huge reader, and I’m sure most of you who have found your way to my book blog are too. My parents taught me to read at a young age, I was probably around three, I was definitely reading reasonably independently by the time I started school, and as much as I loved going out and playing with friends, riding my bike and kicking a football around, I was equally at home curled up on my bed with a book.

There was definitely a period of time when I stopped reading fiction as much as I would have liked, at university I studied Psychology and Politics and between all the essays and lab reports I had to research and write I just didn’t have the time or the inclination to read anymore. Last year I was determined to start reading more again and that is one of the main reasons that Sarah Withers Blogs exists. Last year I read 84 books in 365 days, there were some months I read huge amounts and other months I fell into a bit of a slump but I knew I would always have to option to escape back into the world of fiction, but did you know that 1 in 6 adults in the UK struggles with reading, and 1 in 3 don’t read for pleasure. I’m not sure I can really imagine how my life would be without books which is why when I heard about Quick Reads and the aim of the project I was more than happy to help promote it through my blog.

Quick Reads was founded by Baroness Gail Rebuck DBE in 2006 to provide shorter, more accessible books for less confident adult readers. As Quick Reads enters its twelfth year more than 4.8 million books have been distributed and a huge variety of well known authors such as Ann Cleeves, Andy McNab and JoJo Moyes.

Today sees The Reading Agency release 6 titles for their 2018 campaign.

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.

All six titles are available from today for just a pound each. Perfect for a quick read for yourself or as a gift for the person in your life who is a little less confident or just doesn’t have time for reading.