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Music star Stormzy has thrown his weight behind a scheme designed to get adults reading as almost half of Britons say they are \u201cnot readers\u201d. The Reading Agency\u2019s Quick Reads is a flagship initiative featuring short, accessible books written by bestselling authors and created specifically for non-readers, lapsed readers, people with short attention spans, and neurodivergent readers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Since its launch in 2006, Quick Reads has distributed more than five million books, worked with more than 30 publishers, and generated more than six million library loans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The scheme celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026 \u2013 the National year of Reading \u2013 with its most ambitious programme to date having grown into a national reading movement centred around World Book Night on April 23. Thousands of Quick Read titles are gifted to libraries, prisons, community groups, charities, and foodbanks across the UK. Among the six new Quick Reads titles for 2026 is Hunger Pains by Derek Owusu, published by #Merky Books, Stormzy\u2019s imprint at Penguin Random House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The other 2026 Quick Reads titles span thrillers, romance, and contemporary fiction \u2013 with books by Rachel Hore, Leye Adenle, Rosie Goodwin, Louise Jensen and Carmel Harrington.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cReading helped me when I was young and it still does today,\u201d said Stormzy. \u201cBooks have the power to carry you through life. So I\u2019m really proud that Derek Owusu, one of our incredible #Merky Books authors, is taking part in The Reading Agency\u2019s Quick Reads. His words will reach the people who need them most.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI encourage anyone who doesn\u2019t usually read to pick up a Quick Read \u2013 because reading really is a superpower.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Known for his creative and cultural impact as well as his commitment to social change, Stormzy has long used his platform to tackle inequality and champion access to the arts. In 2020, he founded the #Merky Foundation, pledging \u00a310million over 10 years to support racial equality and justice reform.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Stormzy added: \u201cMusic and books are both about finding your voice. We are all made of stories \u2013 they define who we are \u2013 and that\u2019s why #Merky Books exists: to make sure every voice has a platform.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Award-winning writer and poet Derek Owusu said: \u201cHaving never read a book until the age of 24, I wish I had come across Quick Reads sooner. They\u2019re accessible, affordable, and gentle in their approach, allowing new or lapsed readers to find their way into the pleasure and fulfilment of reading fiction and non-fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n