Book lovers are invited to join us this June to celebrate National Crime Reading Month 2024.
The month-long festival, which takes place across the UK and Ireland, is run by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) in partnership with national charity, The Reading Agency. It is designed to celebrate the UK’s most popular genre and get the nation reading. Research from The Reading Agency shows that just 30 minutes of reading each week helps adults to report greater life satisfaction. All the more reason to #PickUpAPageTurner this June.
One of the UK’s most prominent crime writing societies, the CWA works to support, promote, and celebrate the crime writing genre. NCRM culminates with the prestigious CWA Dagger awards ceremony, hosted at the end of June.
Karen Napier, CEO, The Reading Agency said: “Through our adult reading work, we know how important crime writing is both for lifelong reading lovers and for those who are just starting out on their reading journey. We’re delighted to be taking part in NCRM once more this year and help new readers discover great reads.”
All throughout June, NCRM will celebrate the UK's favourite genre and there will be a host of author events taking place nationwide. Last year there were 150 different author events. National Crime Reading Month launches on the 1st June at 6:30pm at Capital Crime in London, the crime writing festival. Authors CL Taylor and TM Logan will be interviewed by book blogger and NCRM Reading Ambassador Stu Cummings. There will be author talks across the country in local libraries and online.
Another highlighted event for June will take place in Cambridge University Library. Celebrating 20th century British crime fiction, the library has a brand new Murder by the Book exhibition. Curated by Nicola Upson, award winning novelist, the exhibition is supported by Arts Council England and will feature rare books, audio-visual recordings that will explore the genre from its origins from Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens to today's bestsellers such as Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.
An online panel discussion will take place on the 4th June called Murderous Inspirations, Crime Novels that Inspire Crime Writers. Discussing seminal crime novels the event will be chaired by crime critic and broadcaster Barry Forshaw and feature writers Fiona Veitch Smith, Abir Mukherjee and Nadine Matheson.
Readers can got to www.crimereading.com to see all the latest events near to them and keep an eye as new events are added throughout the month.
Speaking on the allure of ‘cosy crime,’ which continues to dominate book sales, Janice Hallett said: “Cosy crime fiction is a celebration of the conundrum. It's a workout for your critical mind as you attempt to untangle the fiendish knot of the plot…once you start reading, you'll be captivated, absorbed, enthralled, and ultimately entertained.”
For cosy crime reading inspiration and beyond click here to explore our collection.
Sam Blake, the NCRM organiser and CWA board member, said: “Crime fiction has drawn audiences since the Penny Dreadfuls. It’s hugely popular and dominates our bookshelves and TV screens. There’s something for everyone and we hope by demonstrating the breadth of the genre that NCRM will engage even more readers and encourage them to discover authors they haven’t read before.”
Because we're big fans of reading any and all types of crime writing we have an extensive line-up of collections to appeal to every crime reader. Whether you want the thrill of the courtroom, or to follow your favourite detectives with police procedurals we have plenty of suggestions. You can also find true crime recommendations and read more about organised crime. Perhaps you're more interested in female-led crime fiction or you're wanting your next read to be set in a different country: across the pond or brought to you by skilled translators. Maybe you like your crime reading to have something unique that sets them apart, they may have a festive twist or accolades to their name. Whatever your predilection there's a collection for every mood and interest.
One in six adults in the UK struggle with reading and one in three adults do not regularly read for pleasure. England ranks 23rd out of 23 OECD nations for literacy level amongst 16–19-year-olds, and studies have shown that those who do read for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations.
For a full programme of events for National Crime Reading Month, go to www.crimereading.com and follow the conversation online.
Here's a comprehensive list of all our crime writing collections for you to browse throughout June:
We'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse - Explore These 20 Books about Organised Crime
What To Read After The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - Cosy Crime and Beyond
100 Police Procedurals Every Crime Addict Must Read
We'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse - Explore These 20 Books about Organised Crime
Wrapped in the Star-Spangled Banner - 20 Absolutely Cracking Crime Novels Set in the USA
Celebrating National Crime Reading Month with Translated Crime
Sixteen Christmas Crime Stories For The Dogged Crime Lover: Unwrap A Murder This Christmas
Best Books about Serial Killers — 30+ Novels That Reel with Multiple Murders Most Horrid
Comments (0)
Leave A Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.