Tag Archives: books

18/04/2025 · 16:34

6 Quick Reads for World Book Night

World Book Night is almost here. Don’t know what this is or confusing it with World Book Day? Well you’re not alone. According to my local book store ‘it finished weeks ago’ — no that’s the one where kids dress up as their favourite character, but don’t read books!

Well next week, Wednesday 23 April, is definitely World Book Night brought to us courtesy of The Reading Agency. It began in 2011, but was moved to this date to coincide with UNESCO International Day of the Book and, probably, the birth and death date of William Shakespeare.

This year The Reading Agency has released 6 Quick Reads — short books and great stories by bestselling authors, written in an accessible and easy to read style. They’re a valuable tool for boosting reading skills, confidence and engagement in learning, and have led to thousands of adults reading, completing and enjoying a book for the first time.

Just to add to my own huge pile of ‘reads’ I’ve completed two of the titles: Leila Aboulela’s A New Year and Fiona Cummins A Boy Called Saul.

Leila’s story follows the recently widowed Suad as she begins to try and transform her life. Family support turns to family grievances — a theme that must be echoed across the nation and familiar to many tv viewers. Will the kids rally round, or leave her to stew on her own?

I wasn’t sure about A Boy Called Saul until I read the opening line: ‘Saul Anguish hated the police.’ Now I was hooked — as I’m supposed to be. How can you ignore someone with the name Anguish or even a police office called Storm.

These are both less than 115 pages, so easily digested in one sitting. I’ve another four to go so I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, check out the site for more info.

NB: My local library has the biggest selection of Quick Reads I’ve ever seen, housed in a separate bookcase. They haven’t heard of WBN either!

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21/03/2025 · 16:59

Then it’s gone – LBF 2025

Last week, the London Book Fair, the largest Spring gathering of the international books industry, saw publishing professionals from all over the globe descend on Olympia. Thousands of exhibitors and visitors gathered to make deals, share knowledge and experiences, make new connections, and learn about new and pressing matters within the book industry today.

Kicking off the first day: On Author HQ, popular authors Elif Shafak (There Are Rivers in the Sky, The Island of Missing Trees), Adele Parks (First Wife’s Shadow, Just Between Us) and Bobby Palmer (Isaac and the Egg) talked to Georgina Moore (The Garnett Girls) about their writing life and processes, offering insight into how they wrote.

The AI and Copyright: Policy Developments in the UK and US panel, with Maria Pallante, President and Chief Executive at the Association of American Authors, and Dan Conway, the CEO of the Publishers Association, discussed the issue of AI and how the policies surrounding the topic may have global consequences.

The Carnegie Medal for Writing Shortlist was announced. This year’s shortlist is: Kelly McCaughrain – Little Bang, Clare Furniss – The Things We Leave Behind, Matt Goodfellow – The Final Year, Blessing Musariri – All That It Ever Meant, Luke Palmer – Play, Margaret McDonald – Glasgow Boys, Nathanael Lessore – King of Nothing, Brian Conaghan – Treacle Town. 

On day two, Dan Houser, Creator and Founder of Absurd Ventures, the legendary entertainment and video games company, gave a talk about how reading and his love for books has impacted him. While Author of the Day was Monica Ali, author of five books, including Brick Lane, was in conversation with Booker Prize Chair Chris Power, discussing her work, inspiration, and screen adaptations.

Over in Author HQ, the first ever Creative of the Fair, Jamie Smart, ran a popular talk and draw-along sharing insights from his award-winning career, including his much-loved Bunny vs. Monkey comic series.

A Fireside Chat Session hosted by Helena Gustafsson, StorySide, Ana Maria Allessi, Hachette Audio, Eric Bartoletti, Bookwire, and Ed Nawotka, Publishers Weekly, delved into how to take advantage of AI and understand how it is reshaping the audiobook environment.

On day three Natasha Poliszczuk, Content Director of BookBrunch, joined William Rayfet Hunter and Taylor-Dior Rumble, author of The Situationship, to discuss the importance of diversity and representation in literature and how this can shape the future of reading.

Later, Children’s Author of the Day, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Waterstones Children’s Laureate, chatted to Louisa Lewis, Deputy Editor at the Today Programme, about his laureateship and career.

At Author HQ, The Women’ Prize for Fiction celebrated its 30th anniversary. The Women’s Prize Trust, the charity behind the global prize, reminisced over its achievements across the last three decades, whilst exploring what is now needed to achieve genuine equity in the world of books. Claire Shanahan, the Trust’s Executive Director, spoke to writers Kit de Waal and Chloe Timms about how to remove barriers for writers from all backgrounds.

Dr. Carina Spaulding, The Reading Agency, talked with authors Clare Mackintosh and Kit de Waal about the reading and literacy crisis, alongside how we can work together to build the next generation of readers. While, in Why We Need Working Class Writers and Readers a panel session, discussed the topic of what working class people want to write about and read about.

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06/03/2025 · 16:25

It’s World Book Day

Today is World Book Day with loads of events in schools, libraries, bookshops, online promotions, even a new office and warehouse announcement from a major publisher in Glasgow.

Thankfully, there are reports that some schools are encouraging parents to ditch the dressing up theme in order to reduce costs for families. This is a welcome development. The emphasis should always be on books and encouraging reading. My local primary school saw a steady stream of mini Harry Potters (can’t they think of anything else) and princesses today. The parents I spoke to tell me either that he/she doesn’t like to read: they would rather watch on a tablet or TV or there weren’t any books in the house! I know of many adults like that too.

The World Book Day charity is supporting parents with easy solutions to unlock the benefits of reading for fun for children. Numerous studies show that reading for enjoyment has life-changing benefits, but research also confirms reading it is at its lowest levels since records began in 2005 – with only 1 in 3 UK children saying they enjoy it (National Literacy Trust).

New research among 1,066 children aged 8-14 years old and their parents reveals that children are much less likely to grow up as readers if their parents don’t read. Parents who don’t consider themselves as readers are much less likely to read with their children, with only 59% saying they do, compared to 71% of those who identify as readers. Additionally, parents who were not encouraged by their own parents to read, are twice as likely to say they don’t encourage their child to read.

There is a generational decline in reading for fun. Reading avoidance is being passed down, with the children of non-readers almost twice as likely to hold negative attitudes towards reading. Almost a third of this group say they avoid reading as much as possible, and that they don’t read for fun as books are boring. On the converse, three-quarters of children who think their parents enjoy reading for fun want to read more themselves. In a world of multiple distractions over half (56%) of parents of 11-14-year-olds say their child would rather go online than read, rising to 94% among kids who are non-readers. Over a quarter (26%) of kids also say they would read more if books were as engaging as computer games.

Sadly, unless there is a massive shift in reading, the children of Gen Z are even less likely to know what a book is, let alone read one is!

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