Now, I love my paperbacks. I enjoy the smell, the feel, and the routine of flicking through page after page. I even like it when the glue melts and the pages fall out on holiday! However my new toy, although not purchased to replace my much-loved books, has added a great deal to my favourite pastime. Admittedly, a few years ago I was skeptical about the electronic alternative, as you can see from the piece I did for the BBC back in 2008 (link to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7613392.stm) but then I had an epiphany (of sorts). I realised ultimately, I am a lover of reading, not books. Therefore there are plenty of reasons to love eBooks too. If you haven’t considered eBooks before, then have a read of the things that I think digital readers are good for.

Firstly, the accessibility it gives me is unbeatable. No bookstore in the world can compete with the Internet. With a digital reader, you have instant access to an enormous range of literature. This also eliminates any time between reads. Another bonus, which I did not expect, is the research you are able to do on them. I am able to hunt for books, read reviews and find out the next item in a series, all on a single page (well you can on Lovereading.co.uk). I also love the fact that PDF extracts of books can be downloaded and read on my eReader so I can see if I like the book enough to buy it.

Another great feature of eReaders is the level of privacy they give you. I must admit, after a long day at work, sitting on the tube, I sometimes prefer not to engage in the most literary works. Reading on a Kindle or the like, eliminates any embarrassment you might feel about your reading material.

Finally, the portability of an eReader is a saving grace, for my back if nothing else. I love the fact that I always have a book with me. Now if my train is delayed or my lunch date’s running late, I always have a book with me and best off all, if I finish it, I always have a back up – or with wifi connections get one pretty quickly!

I am not trying to say eBooks are better than print books. Nor am I really trying to compare them to one another at all. I discovered that a love of reading is not the same as a love of books. You can love them both! If it’s reading you enjoy then eBooks might just be for you. Find out more at Lovereading’s special eBook section where you can get all the most popular formats, Kindle, iBooks, ePub and Google eBooks.

Peter

May Books of the Month

A full bloom of Spring titles awaits you on our burgeoning bookshelf this month. But we especially love:

Mega Book of the Month Anne Boleyn brought to life. Sequel to the Booker winning Wolf Hall.

A witty, feel-good and quirky country romance, full of characters you will feel instantly drawn to.

Sizzling, life- changing adventure in 1920s New York during the Prohibition.

And … Fashionably Late – We loved this!

Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 by Sonnet Stanfill and Oriole Cullen. Coinciding with an exhibition at the V&A in London, this innovative book presents iconic British ballgowns of the last 60 years, by Alexander McQueen, Bellville Sassoon, Stella McCartney, Zandra Rhodes and more.

See our other May Books of the Month below.

Buckle up for this month’s Author of the Month, Andrew Gross

Drawing on many events from his own life, thriller maestro and May Author of the Month Andrew Gross has ‘literarily’ frightened the life out of millions of people. His latest white knuckle ride, 15 Seconds, is no exception. You’ll want to read it with all the lights on, the doors open and a friend in the room. What you won’t want to do is put it down. It’s the story of how one short event can tear a life to shreds. This and Andrew’s other novels can be found in his special section.

Win a weekend break in South Devon

The county of Devon has featured in many novels, from Agatha Christie plots to one of our featured books this month, An Inventory of Heaven by Jane Feaver. We have teamed up with Visit South Devon to offer you the chance to win a wonderful weekend away with tickets to The Contemporary Craft Festival (15 – 17 June 2012) and staying at the beautiful Ilsington Country House Hotel in South Devon. Visit our Prize Draws section to find out more and enter. Good Luck.

The First Word – Debuts of the Month

Many of you were hugely taken by the debut Secrets of the Tides earlier this year. Well,
The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson is the second debut of the year that the Lovereading editorial team has selected as being massively special. It’s a captivating, beautifully written story of modern motherhood that sparked a publishing bidding war. Don’t just take our word for it; see what the Lovereading reader reviewers thought of it.

In addition to The Underside of Joy we’ve unearthed over 10 hot new writers.

All are stunning, but our personal favourites are:

Mega Debut of the Month The Last Summer Judith Kinghorn A beautiful, sweeping and haunting story of lost innocence and enduring love spanning WWI and beyond.	Mega Debut of the Month The Light Between Oceans M. L. Stedman Superb characters, a heart-rending plot, a unique setting and one devastating decision ….
All That I Am Anna Funder Love, betrayal, danger and honour in a story that you’ll pick up once and not put down.	Seating Arrangements Maggie Shipstead Darkly comic tale of family feuds, patriarchal meltdown and social obligations.

Crime and Creation – eBooks of the Month

As mentioned above, we have more e-titles available…in more formats…in one place than any other site. This month we recommend:

Closer than Blood

by Gregg Olsen

Eerie, dark, disturbingly psychological, edge-of-your-seat crime thriller with more dark twists than a maze at midnight.

Mr g

by Alan Lightman

Playful and profound account of The Creation by the big ‘G’ himself.

2012 CrimeFest – The Pen is Mightier than the Sword!

Featuring bestselling authors, readings and gala events, CrimeFest (24 -27 May) has been the most popular event in the crime writing calendar since its inauguration in 2008. This year, hundreds of talented writers are taking part, including: powerhouse of an author, Frederick Forsyth; award-winning Borge Hellstrom and our very own Lovereading guru, Maxim Jakubowski. You can still get tickets here…and whet your appetite with our crime section where you can see Maxim’s personal recommendations.

Exciting New Young Adult Fiction

Publishers are really going to town at the moment on releasing teen and YA fiction but how can you pick what’s best? We’re here to help you do just that so we’ve selected our favourites – for your eyes only. You’ll find them all in our ‘newgen’ category. It was, of course, the Twilight books that really kick-started this genre but it has quickly developed (like teenagers) to cover a wide range of compelling storytelling, some of supernatural and some not. Our teen bookshelf below is teeming with great reads. Also don’t forget to check out our Dystopian Fiction category for even more choice.

New and Noteworthy

District Nurse by Patricia Jordan – first published in 1977…If you loved Call the Midwife, the huge non-fiction bestseller and now massive TV series featuring Miranda among others, then don’t miss these charming memoirs of an Irish district nurse in the troubled 1950s.

Self-Help, but Not as We Know it! – School of Life

Ridiculed by some, but ever more popular, the self-help book has been around for over 2,000 years. The School of Life has launched a ground-breaking series of intelligent, rigorous, well-written self-help and lifestyle changing books, put together by some of the leading minds in the field, including Alain de Botton. Help yourself!

More Books, Ma’am? – The Queen’s Jubilee

2012 is a non-stop celebration, it seems, so to kick off the festivities we have a small section specifically to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It’s a glittering bookshelf of Jubilee related page-turners…

…and that just about fills up our little pot of guidance from Lovereading.co.uk this month. Scroll down for lots more selections in the categories you have told us you would like to be kept up to date with. Next month we’re lifting the lid on some great new titles for your Summer reading!

P.S. Just announced, the winner of the 2012 Arthur C. Clarke Science Fiction Award, which this year went to The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers. Jessie Lamb is an ordinary girl living in extraordinary times. If the human race is to survive, it’s up to her. But is Jessie a hero?

For your chance to win just click here

The Contemporary Craft Festival was founded in 2003 and has become one of the most prestigious and highly acclaimed craft events in the UK. Set in idyllic surroundings at the edge of Dartmoor, the festival brims with opportunities to meet Craftspeople from across Devon and the whole of the UK who have got together for a celebration of craft and making. 

After marveling at the crafts at the Fair, Ilsington Country House is the perfect place to retreat & relax. This family-run country house hotel on Dartmoor is bursting with traditional character and friendly service from people ready to make you feel at home. Few Dartmoor hotels in Devon can possess such a perfect setting as this one.

For your chance to win, click here

Situated amid the beautiful Dartmoor National Park, with its heather clad rolling hills, ancient woodland and stone tors, this family friendly Dartmoor hotel offers more than just a place to stay.
It boasts an irresistible combination of country charm; award-winning food inspired by fresh Devon produce, friendly service and outstanding countryside views.

The Festival runs from 15-17 June and the prize will consist of a weekend ticket for two (valid for the three days) to the Festival and a Deluxe room for the Friday and Saturday night for 2 people inclusive of breakfast at the Ilsington Country House Hotel, Ilsington, South Devon.

For your chance to win, click here

More book news for April below – and don’t forget it is World Book Night on 23 April. Click here to find out how to get involved.

April Pre-Publication Exclusives

We love introducing you to new writing before it’s hot! The Underside of Joy by Seré Prince Halverson sparked a bidding war and is set to be a sensation. We think it’s a captivating, beautifully written, emotional roller-coaster. You can read our special reader reviews and download an extract here – and find 4 other ones to watch.

Women of a Dangerous Age Fanny Blake Insightful, funny, addictive read that women will totally understand and men would do well to read too!	Dead Scared S. J. Bolton Good grief! – talk about tense (practically unbearable towards the end of this book). This is a cracking, addictive thriller.
The Last Summer Judith Kinghorn An enchanting, sweeping debut of big storytelling and social and political change spanning the First World War and beyond.	The Playdate Louise Millar This gripping contemporary thriller will have you turning the pages and re-evaluating people you call friends.

We also have a late Month MEGA Debut, The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. What a brilliant and memorable debut. Superb characters, heart-rending plot and, set on an island 100 miles from Australia, a uniquely beautiful setting. We featured this as a pre-publication exclusive and it’s due for release on 26 April.

At Last! Read the book – Win the series

This month sees the paperback release of the 5th and concluding part of the award-winning Melrose Series, a bleak satire about privileged people – At Last by Edward St Aubyn.

The debut Never Mind (1992) won a Betty Trask Award. The whole series has been re-released with beautiful new covers and we have 4 sets you can win – just visit our Twitter post to find out more.

Different Worlds – Dystopian Fiction Section

Also new this month is our section devoted to dark and troubled imagined futures. From classic novelists to contemporary ones, from post-apocalyptic thrillers to futuristic horror stories, there is something here for everyone who enjoys a real adventure into the darker side of “What if?”.

History – Revisited

For History book lovers, we wanted to draw your attention to our recently revised History category with selections from our resident expert, Sue Baker.

This month she is especially keen on Foundation: The History of England by Peter Ackroyd and Blitz Kids: The Children’s War Against Hitler by Sean Longden but there’s much more besides.

Plus

Orange Prize Shortlist – ‘the’ prize for writing by women announced its 2012 shortlist on 17 April. Visit our special section where you can read reviews and extracts and choose your favourite.

And speaking of the Orange Prize and a book not to miss, we have The Invisible Circus, the debut novel by Jennifer Egan. She was longlisted for the Orange in 2011 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize with her dark and witty novel that is practically impossible to pigeon-hole, A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Calling all chicken lovers – Alice Walker is probably best known for her sensational debut – The Color Purple – but chicken lovers in particular will love her down-to-earth memoir, The Chicken Chronicles.

More award news sees the release of the shortlist for the prestigious and, this year, controversial Arthur C. Clarke Science Fiction novel of the year. Our favourite is the breathtaking Embassytown from China Miéville. The winner is announced on 2 May 2012.

World Book Night, 23 April. As a book lover don’t miss the chance to get involved with the biggest book night of the year. Visit the World Book Night site to find an event near you and go along to get a FREE BOOK! And, if you happen to be in London or Somerset then why not come along to one of the two Lovereading events we’re hosting – click here for more details of those events.

Enjoy the rest of April and expect an email from us in early May with lots more reading treats.

P.S. – Don’t miss our Food and Drink section with its fresh and tasty selection of new titles. Two of the additions, both stunningly beautiful books, have a definite travel theme about them there’s one which takes you on a delicious journey around Asian food called Lemongrass and Ginger one which takes you on a journey Around the World in 80 Dishes.

P.P.S. – ‘Something about bookshops seems to attract weirdness and it helps to alleviate a dull day for the long suffering bookseller’. Find out some of the bizarre happenings collected together in our Non-Fiction Book of the Month, Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell – ALL book lovers are in for a treat!

P.P.P.S. Definitely the last one – don’t miss the film of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen which opens on 20 April.

Happy Reading.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from dys-‘bad’ + Utopia. An imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.

Commonly extrapolating elements of current society dystopian fiction explores the darker side of possible worlds. In recent years a new crop of authors have emerged. Discover them and some of our favourites in this special category.

image copyright Dylan Glynn

H.G. Wells was the first popular dystopian writer with the Time Machine (1895) in which the future doesn’t bring continuous improvements in human kind, rather its demise to the baser darker side of our nature. Through Metamorphosis (1915) by Franz Kafka, Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell and on to The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood dystopian fiction continues to probe the darker areas of the human condition.

Perhaps all the end of world prophecies have fueled the demand, never the less the contemporary dystopian offerings are proving popular reading – especially among a younger audience. One of the most popular, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has been made into a movie taking over $500 Million at the box office.

Here are a selection of books you’ll find, we hope you enjoy them.

The Passage  Justin Cronin One of our Great Reads you may have missed in 2011. It’s the end of the world, but not as we know it. The rise of a zombie plague, and life in the aftermath, but a real cut above the usual… Format: Paperback – Released: 12/05/2011

The Road  Cormac Mccarthy January 2012 Guest Editor Simon Lelic selects The Road… Technically and philosophically, this is probably not McCarthy’s best book. His masterpiece, probably, is Blood Meridian – although I also love Child of God. And Outer Dark. And… Format: Paperback – Released: 01/06/2007

The Knife of Never Letting Go  Patrick Ness Shortlisted for the 2009 Branford Boase Best Debut Novel Award. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Award 2009. Winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2008 and Booktrust Teenage Prize 2008. The electrifying and unflinching young adult debut novel about the impossible choices of… Format: Paperback – Released: 14/10/2008

Legend  Marie Lu Los Angeles, California Republic of America. He is Day. The boy who walks in the light. She is June. The girl who seeks her brother’s killer. On the run and undercover, they meet by chance. Irresistably drawn together, neither knows… Format: Paperback – Released: 02/02/2012

Momentum  Saci Lloyd One of the 8 titles longlisted for the Guardian Children’s Book Prize 2011. Momentum is an action-packed thriller with a warm heart but a disturbing message of what can happen in a broken society. The setting is a disintegrating London in… Format: Paperback – Released: 02/06/2011

The Declaration  Gemma Malley A powerful, gripping and tense futuristic novel about a world which has gone mad, a world where life is forever except for the likes of Peter and Anna (who shouldn’t be there at all according to the declaration) who are… Format: Paperback – Released: 05/05/2008

April Books of the Month

We have searched and trawled the literary halls to fill our Easter bookshelf with brilliant stuff for you to find your next great read. So, the only thing you’ll be hunting … is eggs! Here are some to get you started,
if you love thrillers don’t miss The Chill of Night by James Hayman. It’s an atmospheric crime novel – a thriller of a thriller! Lovers of biography should head to Seasons of My Life by Hannah Hauxwell, the classic and much-loved tale from a solitary Daleswoman.

And for the itchy-footed among you…including those of the armchair variety The Tao of Travel by Paul Theroux, now in paperback, is all you ever need to know about travel. Or try A.A. Gill is Further Away, the very best of this acerbic globe-trotter’s travel musings.

April Guest Editor – Paul Torday

Easter Bunny Guest Editor this month is the brilliant Paul Torday. His unique, touching and hilarious debut, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, has received numerous awards and, recently, a special new front cover to celebrate the 20th birthday of publisher Orion. A perfect excuse to discover a masterpiece! Paul has divulged his own favourites to us and there are some real crackers in there! You can find all of these and his latest title, The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall, featured on the site. And, don’t miss the film of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, starring Ewan McGregor, in cinemas everywhere from 20 April. We’ve had a sneak preview and it gets five stars from us.

Get Drenched! – April Shower of Prizes!

We have some great prizes up for grabs this month. Celebrate 20 years of Orion Publishing and win a massive 20 re-released classic titles! Special new edition as one of 20 titles selected to celebrate the 20th
birthday of publisher Orion

We have 10 copies of the outstanding debut: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford to give away. We love this amazing book and it can be yours in a click!

First Love…Debuts of the Month

Five stunning debuts – discover one today…

Secrets of the Tides Hannah Richell Our MEGA debut. A sensitive, compelling story of family tragedy. See what our readers thought in their own reviews.	Can We Still Be Friends Alexandra Shulman (Editor, UK Vogue) A book about how the future is never what you think it will be – that will stay with you for ages.
The Greatest Love Story of All Time Lucy Robinson Love, madness and laugh-out-loud comedy in Cosmopolitan’s Book of 2012!	The Weird Sisters Eleanor Brown Hilarious, thought-provoking and poignant, a sparkling debut. One not to miss.
Signs of Life Anna Raverat A bold psychological debut from a captivating voice.

Writ Large – our BRAND new Large Print Books Section

We are very excited to announce the launch of our Large Print Books section. I’m sure we all know someone who no longer enjoys reading because they’re straining to see every word. If so, steer them to us. We know it’s difficult to find a good selection of large print books in bookshops so we have teamed up with the Large Print Bookshop and gathered the cream of the crop. We wouldn’t claim to have thought of everything, but we are certainly striving for it! Just look out for the Large Print Books in our ‘other formats’ box that’s on every title page.

And finally, don’t forget to have a quick look at these noteworthy titles …

The Waste Land by Simon Acland – a great title from this self-published phenomenon. Forget Dan Brown: this is the real story of the Holy Grail – shortlisted for the People’s Book Prize for Fiction 2012.

A brilliant and memorable debut,The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman has superb characters and a heart-rending plot. Due for release 26 April but you can start reading it right here on Lovereading today.

Scroll down to see more personal recommendations in the categories you have said you would like to be kept up to date with… or click here to amend them.

Happy Easter Reading.