Stormzy backs bid to get adults into books: ‘Reading really is a superpower’

British music icon Stormzy is urging adults to get into reading after giving his backing to Quick Reads.

The Reading Agency’s UK wide-initiative aims to boost literacy through short, accessible books designed for non-readers, lapsed readers, neurodivergent readers or people with short attention spans.

Almost half of the UK adults The Reading Agency polled said they didn’t read and the Westminster government has designated 2026 as the National Year of Reading to reignite a love of books. 

Among the six new Quick Reads titles for 2026 is Hunger Pains by Derek Owusu, published by #Merky Books, Stormzy’s imprint at Penguin Random House.

Stormzy said: “Reading helped me when I was young and it still does today. Books have the power to carry you through life. So I’m really proud that Derek Owusu, one of our incredible #Merky Books authors, is taking part in The Reading Agency’s Quick Reads. His words will reach the people who need them most.

“I encourage anyone who doesn’t usually read to pick up a Quick Read – because reading really is a superpower.”

Quick Reads turns 20 this year and will see thousands of titles gifted to libraries, prisons, community groups, charities, and food banks across the UK.

2026 will be the first time Quick Reads books will be available as audiobooks while half a million books will be gifted to UK prisons, also a first.

A special Quick Read title and major new partnership is set to be announced on World Book Night too, which takes place on 23 April.

Stormzy has long been a champion for reading, setting up the #Merky Books imprint alongside Penguin Random House UK in 2018.

Read more:

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• Changemakers: How Stormzy is giving black students scholarships at Cambridge
• It wasn’t until I went to prison that I realised how important reading was – it became a lifeline

He then created #Merky Foundation, pledging £10 million over 10 years to support racial equality and justice reform.

Stormzy added: “Music and books are both about finding your voice. We are all made of stories – they define who we are – and that’s why #Merky Books exists: to make sure every voice has a platform.”

Quick Reads has so far distributed more than five million books since it launched 20 years ago.

This year’s other Quick Reads titles span thrillers, romance, and contemporary fiction, with books by Rachel Hore, Leye Adenle, Rosie Goodwin, Louise Jensen, and Carmel Harrington.

Karen Napier, CEO of The Reading Agency, said: “Quick Reads are a proven, high-impact way to reach adults who don’t yet see themselves as readers. During the National Year of Reading and on World Book Night, we want to show that reading is for everyone – and that a single book can be the start of a lifelong habit.”

Quick Reads can be ordered from The Reading Agency.

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