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Today we celebrate World book Night and, hopefully, read a while!

So now to support our effort we can announce that The Road to Reading is back with the goal of dedicating more time to regular reading, even in short bursts. It can make a real difference to how we feel — help us relax, unwind, connect. spark curiosity, boost self-esteem and support mental health. So, if you really want to make a difference you can sign up to the Road to Reading – a Reading Agency initiative – where you pledge to read each week for 10 weeks and see what a difference it makes.

Last year, 73% of participants said that it helped them to feel more relaxed, and 76% said it added purpose to their week. It doesn’t just have to be physical books. It can include short stories, audiobooks, even graphic novels.

According to research, adults who read for just 30 minutes a week are: 20% more likely to report greater life satisfaction; 18% more likely to have higher self-esteem; 52% more likely to feel socially included and 37% more likely to get greater pleasure out of their social life.

If you want to ease your way in, or simple enjoy some Quick Reads, here’s the current crop:

Write It All Down, Cathy Rentzenbrink; A New Year, Leila Aboulela; The Mind Manual, Dr Alex George; A Rising Man, Abir Mukherjee; A Boy Called Saul, Fiona Cummins; The Surprise Visitor, Cathy Bramley

Buy from your local bookshop or find them at the library.

Last night’s online event from Bloodaxe Books featured readings by Pascale Petit, Vidyan Ravinthiran and Benjamin Zephaniah is now available on YouTube.

It introduced new titles by the two poets, but included a tribute to the late and much-missed Benjamin Zephaniah. They read from and discussed their new collections with the host, Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley, as well as Zephaniah’s retrospective Dis Poetry: Selected Poems & Lyrics. The event included clips of him performing, taken from Pamela Robertson-Pearce’s film To Do Wid Me, which readers will be able access in full using the QR code printed in the new book.

A day-long celebration of art, poetry and music was held last week at Brunel University in Uxbridge, where Benjamin was a Professor of Creative Writing and another is planned for Sunday 27th April at the Lyra Poetry Festival, Bristol. This special tribute to will celebrate his extraordinary work and enduring legacy, featuring readings of his iconic poems, including his Poem for St. Pauls performed in Bristol in 1983 for the BBC, plus talks, personal stories and reflections from his friends and family members, including sisters Joyce Springer-Amadedon and Millicent Springer, and his wife Qian Zephaniah
You can find booking details HERE.