About the Books
Leila Aboulela is an award-winning novelist whose novels have been translated into 15 languages. She was the first winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. Leila grew up in Sudan and now lives in Scotland.
Leila’s Quick Read, A New Year, follows the story of widow Suad, who moves in with her son’s family in the Scottish countryside, until relations break down with her daughter-in-law as they clash over their different approach to tradition, values, and duty, leaving Suad alone to learn to live as an independent woman.
Cathy Bramley is a British author of sixteen romance novels and has sold almost two million copies worldwide. Her books have hit the UK bestsellers’ list and have been nominated for several awards including the British Book of the Year 2023.
Her Quick Read, The Surprise Visitor, follows Claire and Lisa who haven’t seen each other in 25 years, but make their long-distance friendship work with weekly calls. However, both are hiding secrets and maintaining lies. So, when Lisa pays Claire an unexpected visit, their friendship is put to the ultimate test.
Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former journalist. Rattle, her debut novel, was the subject of a huge international auction and has been translated into several languages. She has since written several bestsellers.
Her Quick Read, A Boy Called Saul, follows the clever but troubled teenager with a dark past, Saul Anguish. A grim discovery on an island near his home town in Essex leads Saul, and a former police detective, to look back to the past when the pair met two years earlier when a five-year-old was kidnapped by a serial killer, whose evil deeds left scars on them all.
Dr Alex George is a TV doctor, author, and Youth Mental Health Ambassador to the government. Alex has become a leading voice in mental and physical health and wellbeing and uses his platform to make health and medicine more accessible to millennials and beyond.
His Quick Read is an abridged version of his bestselling book, The Mind Manual: Mental Fitness Tools for Everyone. It helps readers assess their mental health, complete with a mental health toolkit to help readers thrive.
Abir Mukherjee is the Times bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in Raj-era India which have sold over 400,000 copies worldwide and been translated into 15 languages. His books have won numerous awards including the CWA Dagger for best Historical Novel.
Abir’s Quick Read is an abridged version of the first book in the Wyndham detective series, A Rising Man. The historical crime novel set in India in 1919 received rave reviews, with Ian Rankin dubbing it ‘A thought provoking rollercoaster’.
Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink is a former Project Manager of Quick Reads and is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books. Cathy has taught for Arvon, Curtis Brown Creative, at Falmouth University and at festivals and in prisons.
Her Quick Read is an abridgement of Write It All Down, a guide to putting your life on the page. It offers a compendium of advice to help writers discover the pleasure and solace found in writing. The helpful handbook steers the reader through the philosophical and practical challenges of writing, intertwined with reflections and exercises.
Abigail Guessis, Manager at Bradford Waterstones:
“We’re thrilled to host the reading stunt on the eve of World Book Night and show off the incredible beauty of our Bradford bookshop, which is an experience in itself. Hopefully, it will help lure reluctant or reticent readers to come and explore the many worlds that books offer.”
