By now, you\u2019ve probably heard that 2026 has been declared the UK\u2019s National Year of Reading. This is a campaign that\u2019s close to the hearts of many book lovers \u2013 some of whom you\u2019ll find right here at Jericho Towers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reading for pleasure is in decline, but the National Year of Reading aims to change that by reconnecting reading with everyday culture and experiences. Throughout 2026, initiatives to celebrate books and encourage more people to pick them up regularly will be rolling out through libraries, schools, community organisations and workplaces. We\u2019re delighted that Jericho Writers is now a National Year of Reading Pledge Partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No doubt you\u2019re familiar with the phrase \u2018Readers become leaders\u2019 \u2013 but here, as you\u2019d expect, we\u2019re more likely to be found chatting about how and why readers become writers<\/em>. What can we learn from other authors? How can their work inform our own, or light the creative spark that powers the invention of a brand-new fictional world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this blog, members of Team JW shine a light on their own reading habits, highlighting the books that have meant something special to them…<\/p>\n\n\n\n “When I look back, it’s as though my childhood was mapped out in books. The first one I really, properly remember was The Fantastic Mr Fox<\/em>. I pretty much taught myself to read with that book. Then, zooming forwards, childhood flew by via Roger Lancelyn Green’s Tales of the Greek Heroes<\/em>, and Le Morte D’Arthur<\/em> (with Rackham’s illustrations) and The Once and Future King<\/em>, and Sherlock Holmes and Hornblower and Dick Francis and Raymond Chandler and Vanity Fair<\/em> (Becky Sharp was the first fictional woman I ever fell in love with\u2026) Finally, I was onto all the big Victorian novels and some Russian doorstoppers. I still feel genuine love for all those things – and I notice how much they’ve since fed themselves into my own writing. Lucky we are, to have such riches.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harry Bingham, Founder<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “The Family<\/em> by Mario Puzo and Carol Gino is a page turner full of intrigue, betrayal, and corruption that keeps the drama coming and had me absolutely hooked. It was unputdownable, and even after the last page it stayed with me – I had to just sit for a while thinking \u2018My God!\u2019 It was the sort of book that really makes you want to up your own game as a writer.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cleo Slevin, Writer Support Assistant<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “The Hobbit<\/em> and The Lord of the Rings<\/em> are books that will always be special to me because they were read as bedtime stories by my father, God bless him. The Ents, in particular, are a standout memory for me as my father just loved them and did spectacular<\/em> voices to bring them alive. My dad was an Ent to me – oak tree solid.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rachel Davidson, Writer Support Executive<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “I’ve been reading My Friends<\/em> by Fredrik Backman on and off for a couple of months \u2013 which is very unlike me as I generally speed read. The reason is that I find it so deeply human and devastating that I have to keep taking breaks. There is something about his writing that just gets to the core of what it means to be a human – flawed and sad and happy all at the same time. I can never put my finger on exactly what he does or how he does it, but as a writer I desperately wish I could unlock that secret magic he has.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sophie Flynn, Managing Director<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n “I was introduced to the work of Agatha Christie as a child and a lifelong fascination was born. I loved cracking the puzzles of her stories and seeing just how everything would eventually come together. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd<\/em> is still my all-time favourite and a book that defines the murder mystery genre. Reading it for the first time is a brilliant experience and one that I almost wish I could relive. As an adult, I can see the tropes and paths Christie created for the genre and recognise their homages in more modern work, as people also respect these great classics of the mystery genre.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily Mitchell, Writer Support Assistant<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “I\u2019ve been story obsessed from as far back as I can remember and was always one of those kids with a reading age \u2018above her actual age\u2019. For a long time \u2013 partly because I was deemed \u2018capable\u2019 of reading them and then because they were mandatory on my English degree course \u2013 I thought it important to read Proper, Serious Novels. It wasn\u2019t until later that I embraced the joy of reading brilliant commercial fiction. Rapidly turning their pages during my first baby\u2019s nap times, I devoured novels by the likes of Marian Keyes and David Nichols. Totally swept away, I laughed and cried, but also marvelled at the authenticity of the emotions they managed to convey. It\u2019s easy to sneer at books that entertain en masse<\/em>, but novels like One Day<\/em> are popular for a host of very good reasons. In my own writing, I strive to perform the sort of magic I found there. I want my work to be unapologetically entertaining, but also to offer truth, humanity and a sense of connection.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laura Starkey, Senior Marketing Executive<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “I can’t remember one particular book that made me fall in love with reading. Books were a big part of my early childhood, especially if unicorns or fairies were involved! But I can remember wanting to\u00a0write\u00a0<\/em>when I read Double Act<\/em> by Jacqueline Wilson. As a shy and cautious child, I identified with the quiet twin, Garnet, and felt the full plethora of emotions as the twins grew up and apart. Both the humour and the ubiquity of Jacqueline Wilson meant that it was also popular with my schoolfriends, and I can remember us trying to copy how the twins would walk and swing their hair in unison! I soon started writing my own story about twins on the family computer.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imogen Love, Senior Writer Support & Courses Assistant<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “It was a routine in my family whilst growing up that, every Saturday afternoon, we would spend it in the library, picking out our books for the week. It was during one of these fated trips I came across A Series of Unfortunate Events<\/em> and the elusive Lemony Snicket. I was pulled into a world of three orphans and a tyrannical \u201cactor\u201d desperately seeking their fortune, where the author continuously broke the fourth wall to address its reader. I finished all 13 books in just two trips to the library and was overjoyed when my dad found a box set in a charity shop so I could delve back into the Baudelaires\u2019 story whenever I wanted. I still have that boxset, and it sits on my desk – a reminder of why I started writing and the power of a good story.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verity Hicks, Courses Executive<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Some of my earliest memories are tied to books. I remember being a tiny little thing on my weekly trips to the library with my mum, and I can still feel the excitement of choosing my eight books (the maximum you were allowed). I was determined to read them all before the next week\u2019s visit and book top up. I devoured everything from Roald Dahl to Jacqueline Wilson, and I felt a special connection to stories like\u00a0Matilda<\/em>, where books were a kind of magic. As I grew a little older, one book that really stood out was\u00a0Inkheart<\/em>. It was a hardback with a beautiful cover, and I\u2019ll never forget how special it felt! The weight of it, the characters inside it, the idea that stories could spill into real life\u2026. if only!<\/p>\n\n\n\n