I love to read. Books are my escape from the stress of the real world, and my safe place to go to when I am upset.
I’ve seen a lot of people this year saying that they wish they read more, and plenty of resolutions for 2016 were along the lines of “try to read a book a month this year”.
Quick Reads, supported by Galaxy, are the ideal way to get back into reading – bite size novellas from some wonderful authors, with something to suit everyone. This year is the tenth anniversary of the brilliant reading scheme. Each book costs just £1, and they are all available at libraries too, so there isn’t much to lose by trying one out!
They were kind enough to send me a selection of this years’ books, along with a scrummy bar of Galaxy chocolate. I’ve enjoyed curling up with my books and trying out a different author too – they are a fab way to explore new genres.
The first book I enjoyed was A Baby at the Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond, which is continues the story of the loveable characters of her Beach Cafe series, which is one I really like. This novella can easily be read as a stand-alone story though, and is a great read… touching on some very real emotional struggles surrounding pregnancy and infertility, whilst also providing some laugh out loud moments.
The Double Clue: Poirot Short Stories is a great introduction to Agatha Christie’s fantastic mystery writing, and the fantastic character that is Hercule Poirot. With four short stories in this collection, it is a really good one to pick up and read with a coffee, and has some great puzzling stories – including a classic “locked room” mystery. I’m a big Agatha Christie fan so this was a really enjoyable Quick Read for me.
On The Rock by Andy McNab introduced me to an author I hadn’t come across before, and I will be trying some of his other books after this fab fast-paced read. I didn’t want to put it down once I’d started reading, and I was drawn into the story from the first line – and now I want to know what happens next!
The 2016 titles and authors are:
- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (with Christina Lamb)
- A Baby at the Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond
- The Anniversary edited by Veronica Henry
- The Double Clue: Poirot Short Stories by Agatha Christie (Edited by Sophie Hannah & John Curran)
- Too Good to be True by Ann Cleeves
- On The Rock by Andy McNab
Of course, the Galaxy chocolate they sent was pretty enjoyable too – the perfect accompaniment to the self-indulgence of curling up with a good book!
Why not pick one or two of them up and give them a try, especially if you have been missing reading for the sake of enjoyment? They’re available as eBooks
, too, which you can read on smartphones & tablets as well as eReaders.
