The Reading Agency have announced their Quick Reads selection for 2026!
Quick Reads are short books and great stories by bestselling authors, written in an accessible and easy to read style. Now entering its 20th year, Quick Reads is a flagship initiative to help new readers access the power of reading and lapsed readers get back into the habit.
Want more suggested books? Take a look at our recommendations.
Cell One
Leye Adenle
Rookie cop Bobby Fatokun’s first day on the job in Lagos is off to a bad start. Not only has his life in London not prepared him for the hustle of the Nigerian city, but his new boss seems to be missing.
When a popular blog is hacked, the horrifying truth becomes clear – Superintendent Adams has been kidnapped, and his captors plan to kill him live on camera in a matter of hours. As chaos unfolds and the team scrambles for leads, Bobby begins to suspect that Adams’ role in the police may have had something to do with his abduction.
But without knowing who he can trust, Bobby will have to rely on his instincts alone to find the truth before time runs out.
Hunger Pains
Derek Owusu
Ray wants the perfect body.
But how far is too far?
When his training turns extreme, Ray is pulled into a dark gym culture that promises results at any cost. As his body changes, so does his mind. Watching from the sidelines is his girlfriend Temi, a journalist who expresses concern but has her own secret agendas.
Hunger Pains is a gripping story about obsession, control, and what happens when self-improvement becomes self-destruction.
The Last Bench
Carmel Harrington
Journalist Vega Pearse arrives at the home of Anne and John Davis to interview them for a piece she is writing on the local drug crisis. The devoted couple show Vega around their beautiful blossom tree maze, which sits at the top of their garden. They tell Vega their family’s life story and share their devastation at losing a child.
But as they approach the last bench in the maze, Vega starts to suspect there is something they’re not telling her. And secrets, like memories, rarely stay buried for ever.
The Woman Next Door
Louise Jensen
Running from her past, Meena hopes to find peace in her new home. But her neighbour, Ada, is a mystery. Meena can’t shake the feeling that something about Ada is off. Ada is delighted to have a new neighbour, but she, too, knows Meena is hiding something.
While Meena and Ada are watching each other, someone is watching them. With danger closing in, they must rely on one another to survive, but when both are lying, trust becomes the deadliest weapon.
Sweet Charity
Rosie Goodwin
Charity has always lived a charmed life beneath the open skies. Growing up as part of the gypsy community, she has revelled in the freedom of swimming in the rivers, caring for the horses and embracing the ever-changing road.
But as she turns sixteen, that freedom begins to slip away. Her parents expect her to marry, and not for love, but for duty. Then fate brings Luca back into her life – a boy from the travelling circus she has known since childhood. Only now, with eyes opened by the first stirrings of passion, Charity sees Luca as more than a friend. In Luca’s laughter and quiet strength, she finds the promise of a love so fierce it feels destined.
But their bond is forbidden. Two different communities. Two worlds that cannot unite.
The Girl in the Picture
Rachel Hore
When journalist Amy Collins returns to Norfolk, a magazine assignment leads her to Farthington House. As she steps through the gates into the garden, she remembers visits she made as a child to the grand old house, but nothing prepares her for what she finds inside: a portrait of a young woman who looks very similar to Amy herself.
With the help of Kyle Rutherfurd, the house’s new owner, Amy uncovers a hidden family scandal involving a young woman nicknamed ‘Bird’. And as Amy finds out more, she discovers a personal connection to Bird that could change everything she thought she knew.