Events to celebrate the love of reading were held today in both north and south Wales on St Dwynwen's Day to mark the launch of the Quick Reads / Stori Sydyn titles for 2012. The 8 new titles for Wales (4 in English and 4 in Welsh) were launched by Jeff Cuthbert, the Welsh Government's Deputy Minister for Skills, at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. Former Ab Fab star Helen Lederer and Miss Wales 2010 Courtenay Hamilton were also present.

A separate event will be held in Neuadd Pritchard Jones (Institute), Newborough, Anglesey at 6.30pm, a few miles from Llanddwyn, the spiritual home of the Dwynwen legend.

Now in its seventh year, the Quick Reads /Stori Sydyn campaign has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to the joys of reading by providing short, fast-paced books from bestselling writers and household names. The aim of this joint initiative, between the Welsh Government and the Welsh Books Council, is to encourage people to look afresh at reading through entertaining, fun and short books.

Deputy Minister for Skills, Jeff Cuthbert AM, said, "The Welsh Government is committed to supporting people to gain the confidence needed to embark on the road to learning and personal development.

"Quick Reads - Stori Sydyn supports this work by promoting titles which are easy to pick up and read. It's great to see eight new books published here in Wales and many of the contributors are fantastic role models for people of all ages.

"With four titles in Welsh and four in English, including two on the Olympics, I hope this collection will inspire more people to start reading in 2012."

Delyth Humphreys, Head of Children's Books and Reading Promotion at the Welsh Books Council, added, “The Quick Reads / Stori Sydyn campaign is gaining momentum all the time and encouraging thousands of people across Wales to give reading a go, many of whom may never have read a book before.

“The sixteen new titles for 2012 offer a fascinating mix of subject matters and should appeal to a wide range of people. And with London 2012 on everyone's mind, sport is certainly well represented.”

The Wales and Welsh-language 2012 Quick Reads / Stori Sydyn titles are :

Earnie: My Life at Cardiff City, Robert Earnshaw
Going for Gold: Welsh Olympic Dreams for 2012
Finger Food, Helen Lederer
Why Do Golf Balls Have Dimples?
Weird and Wonderful Facts of Everyday Life, Wendy Sadler
Yr Elyrch: Dathlu'r 100, Geraint Jenkins
Cymru yn y Gêmau Olympaidd, John Meurig Edwards
Hunllef, Manon Steffan Ros
Tu ôl i'r Tiara: Bywyd Miss Cymru, Courtney Hamilton with Alun Gibbard

The UK and Ireland 2012 Quick Reads titles are:

Full House, Maeve Binchy
The Cleverness of Ladies, Alexander McCall Smith
Quantum of Tweed: The Man with the Nissan Micra, Conn Iggulden
The Little One, Lynda La Plante
Beyond the Bounty, Tony Parson
Amy's Diary, Maureen Lee
Get the Life You Really Want, James Caan
Doctor Who: Magic of the Angels, Jacqueline Rayner