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Archive for August, 2009

Sport, History and New search engine

As El Nino looks to have turned this Summer into a washout, why not abandon the real world and resort to the fantastic worlds created in the books we have on the website this month. From heart warming to heart wrenching and with a big dose of thriller in the middle there’s something for everyone.
Find a new book today…

It’s a book search Jim – but not as we know it

At Lovereading we work long and hard (but gosh it’s enjoyable) scouring the book market to read and recommend to you dozens and dozens of brilliant books every month. That’s what makes us different from any other online or offline book resource. But did you know that we also have around 1.2 million titles available to buy through Lovereading?

So, if you know exactly which title you want then finding it via Lovereading is now even easier as we have redefined the way you search for books. Just start typing the book or author name and a drop down menu appears with a range of options, if you see what you looking for just click on it and you’ll jump straight to it. Why not give it a try? With 25% off the RRP on most of our books it will be worth your while as well.

This month’s highlights

Knock yourself for six – match-winning sports writing

Perhaps with England’s rather patchy sporting history our new Sport category is perfect for both athletes and armchair sportsmen. Regardless of the results you can lose yourself in plenty of biographies, and insightful writing about the sports you love. Why not find out more today?

Troy Bolton (aka Zac Efron) would get eaten alive!

Perfect for teenage girls our ‘new gen’ series of the month is Private by Kate Brian. Set in an exclusive US boarding school – High School Musical it ain’t! Get hooked with the latest in the series, Ambition, knowing there are plenty more to keep reading well into the new school year.

British Writers who are out of this World

If you love Sci Fi or are feeling the need for something a little different from your usual reading you must not miss Maxim Jakubowski’s pick of the best British Sci Fi writers, he’s one of the UK’s best known experts and Britain is without doubt leading the way in this area. Even if you thought you didn’t like Sci Fi find out what brilliant writing you are missing out on.

Read unpublished authors or find readers for your own book

red text heading, images and blue links all to go to lovewriting home page

Have you visited our sister website, Lovewriting.co.uk? It has been created to be a showcase for independently or self-published authors who have not yet been picked up by the major publishing houses. The categories are conveniently arranged to match those on Lovereading, so why not browse the free Opening Extracts on Lovewriting to see if you can discover the new Ian McEwan or JK Rowling?

Also have you written a book – or always thought you had one in you? Well, you definitely need to visit Lovewriting.co.uk. We can help guide you through the process,create your own micro site to help you promote your book and provide tips on effective marketing. And please do tell any of your would-be-author friends about this exciting new website.
So, we hope you enjoy the tail end of August and that regardless of the weather or the sporting under-achievements you will always find sunshine and pleasure in a book that you found on Lovereading.

Most popular Opening Extracts 9 – 16 Aug 2009

Lovereading.co.uk Top 10

1
Corduroy Mansions Corduroy Mansions
Alexander McCall Smith
His fans will love another wittily observed gem of a book. With McCall Smith, the places change – you could be in Botswana or Scotland or, now, London – but the sheer humanity is the same. Here, a new group …
Download free opening extract
2
Living in Perhaps Living in Perhaps
Julia Widdows
August 2009 Debut of the Month.

There is a sinister undertone throughout this book, it is the way that children can be innocent and yet so manipulative at the same time. This is a real page turner, well structured, engaging, intriguing …
Download free opening extract

3
The Crossing Places The Crossing Places
Elly Griffiths

August 2009 Book of the Month.

This is the author’s first venture in to crime writing, and this will be the first in a new series which looks set to be gripping and engaging stuff. Ruth Galloway makes a great lead …
Download free opening extract

4
Passion Passion
Louise Bagshawe
August 2009 Book of the Month.

After 13 top selling glitz and glamour novels, this talented author has changed tack and written an adventure yarn, a sort of James Bond for girls, and it’s terrific.  Fast moving, lots going on, bags …
Download free opening extract

5
The Scent of Your Breath The Scent of Your Breath
Melissa P.
The follow-up to One Hundred Strokes of the Brush Before Bed.  If Melissa P’s poetic prose fails to grab you then her x-rated exploits will. …
Download free opening extract
6
It's the Little Things It’s the Little Things
Erica James
The story of two couples who survived the Boxing Day tsunami and how their lives changed in the following four years.  It’s touching, perceptive and well-rounded.  As an author I feel she has ‘grown up’, her books are now deeper, …
Download free opening extract
7
Tease Tease
Immodesty Blaize
The British Queen of Burlesque, Immodesty Blaize, turns her talents to writing, with great success. With all the racy, raunchy fun you could expect from a novel about a girl who has risen to the top of her game in …
Download free opening extract
8
The Not So Invisible Woman The Not So Invisible Woman
Suzanne Portnoy
The follow up to her highly successful first book The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker, Suzanne Portnoy is back with more tales of her sex life. Whether you approve of her lifestyle choice or not it certainly makes for …
Download free opening extract
9
The Best Day of Someone Else's Life The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life
Kerry Reichs
May 2009 Debut of the Month.

Funny, sophisticated, witty and thoroughly enjoyable! Kerry Reichs certainly inherited the writing gene from her mother Kathy and we think you will find her debut novel impossible to put down. Unlucky in love, Vi finds …
Download free opening extract

10
The White Queen The White Queen
Philippa Gregory
This is a must for any of you who devour their historical fiction. Focusing on one of the most scandalous and intriguing times in British history The White Queen centres around Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of the Princes in the …
Download free opening extract

Lovereading4kids.co.uk Top 10

1
The Rabbit Problem The Rabbit Problem
Emily Gravett
An outstandingly original and entertaining book packed full of rabbitty details and a feast of novelty features that makes it all the more fun to read again and again and again. The Rabbit Problem shows what happens after Lonely sends …
Download free opening extract
2
Timewalker Timewalker
Justin Stanchfield
Full of intrigue, this is a terrific time-twist adventure with a dramatic plot that keeps its tension to the end. When sleepwalking along a lonely road near the quiet town of Antler, Sean meets a strange girl who is being …
Download free opening extract
3
Back to Life Back to Life
Joanna Nadin
More hilarious exploits from the angst ridden teen diarist Rachel Riley.  Fans of Louise Rennison’s character Georgia Nicolson will love this as will all those who have enjoyed the ups and down and ups again of Rachel’s life to date. …
Download free opening extract
4
Darke Academy 1: Secret Lives Darke Academy 1: Secret Lives
Gabriella Poole
This is the first story in a series of three featuring supernatural spirits, with each one set in a different exotic city.  Secret Lives has a gripping unputdownable plot, a sophisticated Parisian setting and paranormal romance that will set the …
Download free opening extract
5
Call Me Gorgeous Call Me Gorgeous
Giles Milton
Stunning illustrations show the most arresting features of all sorts of animals – the pointy teeth of a crocodile and the long curving neck of a flamingo – all of which are fitted together to create a wonderful invented creature.  …
Download free opening extract
6
Boom! Boom!
Mark Haddon
Everything about this deliciously improbable adventure is almost completely daft – and that’s the fun of it all. When Charlie sets up his walkie-talkie in the staff room he doesn’t hear gossip about the pupils as he had expected. Instead, …
Download free opening extract
7
Grass Grass
Cathy Macphail
A thrilling, fast-paced, high octane story that is brilliantly spun out by the queen of teen thrillers Cathy Macphail as she captures how Leo gets caught up in the terrifying gang warfare that rules his town in Scotland. Leo and …
Download free opening extract
8
The Boy in the Dress The Boy in the Dress
David Walliams
Touching, funny and full of insight, this tender story tells how Dennis decides that everyone does not have to be the same. Bravely, he decides to do something completely different. Taking a risk he reinvents himself and begins to see …
Download free opening extract
9
Wolven Wolven
Di Toft
A howlingly hairy summer adventure – Picture a boy, his eccentric grandparents and a pet dog that is a kind of special werewolf in reverse, all living on the edge of a strange and eerie wood. Now imagine that this …
Download free opening extract
10
The Elephant's Tale The Elephant’s Tale
Lauren St John
This is the fourth thrilling African adventure featuring Martine, her beloved giraffe Jemmy and Martine’s best friend Ben.  With just 13 days to investigate the mysterious goings on at the Game Reserve and the fate of 20 missing elephants, Martine …
Download free opening extract

Most popular books 2 – 9 Aug 2009

Lovereading.co.uk Top 10

1
Corduroy Mansions Corduroy Mansions
Alexander McCall Smith
His fans will love another wittily observed gem of a book. With McCall Smith, the places change – you could be in Botswana or Scotland or, now, London – but the sheer humanity is the same. Here, a new group …
Download free opening extract
2
Living in Perhaps Living in Perhaps
Julia Widdows
August 2009 Debut of the Month.

There is a sinister undertone throughout this book, it is the way that children can be innocent and yet so manipulative at the same time. This is a real page turner, well structured, engaging, intriguing …
Download free opening extract

3
Passion Passion
Louise Bagshawe

August 2009 Book of the Month.

After 13 top selling glitz and glamour novels, this talented author has changed tack and written an adventure yarn, a sort of James Bond for girls, and it’s terrific.  Fast moving, lots going on, bags …
Download free opening extract

4
Under Fishbone Clouds Under Fishbone Clouds
Sam Meekings
August 2009 Debut of the Month.

From the opening pages you know that this is going to be a magical book. Beautifully written and intricately blending the story of a marriage with Chinese history and folklore makes this a debut not …
Download free opening extract

5
The Crossing Places The Crossing Places
Elly Griffiths

August 2009 Book of the Month.

This is the author’s first venture in to crime writing, and this will be the first in a new series which looks set to be gripping and engaging stuff. Ruth Galloway makes a great lead …
Download free opening extract

6
The Lazarus Project The Lazarus Project
Aleksandar Hemon
August 2009 Book of the Month.

A Bosnian, living in Chicago with his American wife, stumbles on an old news story about the death of Lazarus, a Jewish immigrant at the beginning of the twentieth century.  He becomes intrigued, obtains a …
Download free opening extract

7
The White Queen The White Queen
Philippa Gregory
This is a must for any of you who devour their historical fiction. Focusing on one of the most scandalous and intriguing times in British history The White Queen centres around Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of the Princes in the …
Download free opening extract
8
An Equal Stillness An Equal Stillness
Francesca Kay
Written as if a biographer is writing about an artist not recognised in
their time this is a moving and beautifully written debut delving in to
the world of art, creativity and passion. A very moving story, from an
exciting new talent. …
Download free opening extract
9
It's the Little Things It’s the Little Things
Erica James
The story of two couples who survived the Boxing Day tsunami and how their lives changed in the following four years.  It’s touching, perceptive and well-rounded.  As an author I feel she has ‘grown up’, her books are now deeper, …
Download free opening extract
10
The Best Day of Someone Else's Life The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life
Kerry Reichs
May 2009 Debut of the Month.

Funny, sophisticated, witty and thoroughly enjoyable! Kerry Reichs certainly inherited the writing gene from her mother Kathy and we think you will find her debut novel impossible to put down. Unlucky in love, Vi finds …
Download free opening extract

Lovereading4kids.co.uk Top 10

1
The Rabbit Problem The Rabbit Problem
Emily Gravett
An outstandingly original and entertaining book packed full of rabbitty details and a feast of novelty features that makes it all the more fun to read again and again and again. The Rabbit Problem shows what happens after Lonely sends …
Download free opening extract
2
Call Me Gorgeous Call Me Gorgeous
Giles Milton
Stunning illustrations show the most arresting features of all sorts of animals – the pointy teeth of a crocodile and the long curving neck of a flamingo – all of which are fitted together to create a wonderful invented creature.  …
Download free opening extract
3
Charlie Small: The Mummy's Tomb Charlie Small: The Mummy’s Tomb
Charlie Small
An exciting series of unusual escapades are noted by Charlie Small
in his journals as one hectic adventure follows another.  Charlie’s
adventures start ordinarily enough when his Mum forces him to leave his
computer game and go out to play. Charlie sets out …
Download free opening extract
4
Timewalker Timewalker
Justin Stanchfield
Full of intrigue, this is a terrific time-twist adventure with a dramatic plot that keeps its tension to the end. When sleepwalking along a lonely road near the quiet town of Antler, Sean meets a strange girl who is being …
Download free opening extract
5
Darke Academy 1: Secret Lives Darke Academy 1: Secret Lives
Gabriella Poole
This is the first story in a series of three featuring supernatural spirits, with each one set in a different exotic city.  Secret Lives has a gripping unputdownable plot, a sophisticated Parisian setting and paranormal romance that will set the …
Download free opening extract
6
The Troll The Troll
Julia Donaldson
An original and witty version of a traditional tale which shows what happens when two stories get blended into one. The Troll lives under the bridge – which is where he is meant to live. And the pirates are out …
Download free opening extract
7
Boom! Boom!
Mark Haddon
Everything about this deliciously improbable adventure is almost completely daft – and that’s the fun of it all. When Charlie sets up his walkie-talkie in the staff room he doesn’t hear gossip about the pupils as he had expected. Instead, …
Download free opening extract
8
The Boy in the Dress The Boy in the Dress
David Walliams
Touching, funny and full of insight, this tender story tells how Dennis decides that everyone does not have to be the same. Bravely, he decides to do something completely different. Taking a risk he reinvents himself and begins to see …
Download free opening extract
9
Gruff the Grump Gruff the Grump
Steve Smallman
Kindness works like a magic charm on the grumpy old Gruff, a growly, grizzly grump of a bear. When Gruff the Grump unexpectedly does something kind and rescues a rabbit stuck in a tree, the rabbit repays him by bringing …
Download free opening extract
10
Wolven Wolven
Di Toft
A howlingly hairy summer adventure – Picture a boy, his eccentric grandparents and a pet dog that is a kind of special werewolf in reverse, all living on the edge of a strange and eerie wood. Now imagine that this …
Download free opening extract

New books for August – find out more

Hello again! We’re pleased to bring you a whole new batch of literary masterpieces to bulge your brain and make your heart all floaty. Enjoy a few of our free Opening Extracts or use our ‘Book Price Comparison Engine’ to find the best price. Just some of the unique benefits of Lovereading … Read on for this month’s highlights or scroll down to see our reading recommendations for you.

Author of the Month international bestseller Alexander McCall Smith

McCall Smith is the prolific and hugely popular author of the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels. Now, as our Author of the Month you can discover the first book in his new series, set in London, Corduroy Mansions. There’s also La’s Orchestra Saves the World, a haunting love story set in Suffolk during WWII, and several other titles!

Books of the Month enthralling thrillers, loco killers

The Mephisto Threat

E V Seymour

The second in the series featuring ex-firearms officer Paul Tallis, as he gets dragged in to edge-of-your-seat action and high political corruption.

More info

Dexter by Design

Jeff Lindsay

The ‘moral’ serial killer, the usually meticulous Dexter makes a textbook mistake that could cost him everything he has, including his life. 4th in the brilliant series.

More info

Passion

Louise Bagshawe

A compulsive read described by one reviewer as “James Bond for girls” – two divorcees get thrown back together again when they go on the run. Will it reignite old passions?

More info

The Lazarus Project – Aleksander Hemon

This is a dazzling novel about flight and the meaning of home, which starts with the unprovoked murder of a Russian Jewish emigrant.

More info

The Crossing Places

Elly Griffiths

Sparky and original crime fiction in the first of a new series about forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway – this time she’s in grave danger from a killer herself!

More info

Guest Editor romantic soul Erica James

Erica has been delighting readers with her riveting, award-winning romantic novels for several years. So, it’s well worth finding out which books have inspired her writing – the literary gems behind a literary gem. Also find out more about her new book It’s the Little Things tracing events set in motion by the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004.

Debuts of the Month the future of great storytelling

Under Fishbone Clouds –

Sam Meekings

A wonderfully nuanced love story and family saga interwoven with tales from ancient Chinese history.

More info

Living in Perhaps –

Julia Widdows

A sinister gem of a book, darkly funny and heartbreaking, about a girl who wishes away her family to devastating effect.

More info

Lovereading goes back in time…

History is the best tool for understanding the world we live in today and this month we’re pleased to announce a new category of remarkable history books. As Churchill said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”

Knock yourself for six – match-winning sports writing

Our new Sport category is brilliant for both athletes and armchair sports fans – with plenty of biographies, and plenty of insightful writing about the sports you love.

The Rainbow Orchid – Adventure, drama, and beautiful pictures

First published online, The Rainbow Orchid is an ambitious graphic-novel combining classic storytelling with cinematic artwork à la Tintin. A brilliant roller coaster ride for any intrepid adventurer from 7 to 107!


Find the cheapest deals with our nifty Price Comparison Engine

You can buy any of the books on Lovereading with a flat rate 25% discount on all our featured books, often the best deal on the web! But we’re all about helping readers – so you can also use our Book Price Comparison Engine to find out the cheapest deals on any titles you choose.

Squeeze more from your summer Summer Reading & Listening

It’s not long ‘till the end of our Summer Reading /genre/sr promotion, but there’s still time to find some hot summery books – perfect to take on holiday, or enjoy in your garden while the weather’s behaving. And if you are on a driving holiday check out our Summer Listening Section as well.

So there we go – we can sleep at night knowing you’ve got everything you need to enjoy choosing your next great read. For book lovers, a visit to Lovereading is a bit like being a child in a sweet shop, but with more tools to help you make up your mind!

Most popular books 27 Jul – 2 Aug 2009

Lovereading.co.uk Top 10

1
The Best Day of Someone Else's Life The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life
Kerry Reichs

May 2009 Debut of the Month.

Funny, sophisticated, witty and thoroughly enjoyable! Kerry Reichs certainly inherited the writing gene from her mother Kathy and we think you will find her debut novel impossible to put down. Unlucky in love, Vi finds …
Download free opening extract

2
Tease Tease
Immodesty Blaize
The British Queen of Burlesque, Immodesty Blaize, turns her talents to writing, with great success. With all the racy, raunchy fun you could expect from a novel about a girl who has risen to the top of her game in …
Download free opening extract
3
American Wife American Wife
Curtis Sittenfeld
This is an absolute joy to read.  It follows the life of an ordinary American girl, with a teenage tragedy hanging over her, who falls for an ambitious, rich and privileged boy whose sights are on the White House.  It …
Download free opening extract
4
The Forest of Hands and Teeth The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Carrie Ryan
July 2009 Debut of the Month.

This is a quite remarkable and moving debut novel that has was causing waves well before it was published.  The author has crafted a powerful and, at times frightening tale that explores humanity’s unfailing desire …
Download free opening extract

5
Unsticky Unsticky
Sarra Manning
A delightful read in the vein of that feel-good film Pretty Woman, only here the girl is not a hooker, just desperate as she is so badly in debt.  Both main characters have loads of baggage and each needs to …
Download free opening extract
6
The Tent, The Bucket and Me The Tent, The Bucket and Me
Emma Kennedy
If you went holidaying in the 70’s you will remember a time when holidays meant packing all the family in a car, including grandparents, and travelling down motorways and A-roads to get to a campsite or self catering holiday home. …
Download free opening extract
7
Past Imperfect Past Imperfect
Julian Fellowes
Reviewed on Richard & Judy on Wednesday 13 May 2009.
Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 29 January 2009.

Rich Damian Baxter is dying without an heir when an unsigned letter arrives inferring he had a son thirty years …
Download free opening extract

8
Too Close to Home Too Close to Home
Linwood Barclay
With the runaway success of last year’s No Time for Goodbye, expectations have been high for Barclay’s next novel and luckily he
doesn’t disappoint. When the Cutter’s neighbours are all shot dead in
their home one night, the Cutter family find themselves …
Download free opening extract
9
The White Queen The White Queen
Philippa Gregory
This is a must for any of you who devour their historical fiction. Focusing on one of the most scandalous and intriguing times in British history The White Queen centres around Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of the Princes in the …
Download free opening extract
10
Bone By Bone Bone By Bone
Carol O’connell
Small-town America full of strange characters and a bucket-load of secrets.  One does wonder if such a small town could contain so many wacky people and secrets but who cares, it works!  The narrative is calm, almost understated, no histrionics, …
Download free opening extract

Lovereading4kids.co.uk Top 10

1
The Boy in the Dress The Boy in the Dress
David Walliams
Touching, funny and full of insight, this tender story tells how Dennis decides that everyone does not have to be the same. Bravely, he decides to do something completely different. Taking a risk he reinvents himself and begins to see …
Download free opening extract
2
The Troll The Troll
Julia Donaldson
An original and witty version of a traditional tale which shows what happens when two stories get blended into one. The Troll lives under the bridge – which is where he is meant to live. And the pirates are out …
Download free opening extract
3
Urgency Emergency! Injured Spider Urgency Emergency! Injured Spider
Dosh Archer
A fun first read that no 5+ year old, who is just beginning to want more words on the page than a picture book offers, should miss.  It’s been a while since something as good as has been published for …
Download free opening extract
4
The Forest of Hands and Teeth The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Carrie Ryan
This is a remarkable and moving debut novel that was causing waves well before it was published.  The author has crafted a powerful and at times frightening tale that explores humanity’s unfailing desire not just to survive, but to live, …
Download free opening extract
5
Dear Miss Dear Miss
Amy Husband
A perfect companion to the holiday season.  Written in the form of letters from a little boy called Michael who writes some terrifically witty notes to his new teacher to explain why he can be late getting back to school.  …
Download free opening extract
6
Master Crook's Crime Academy: Robbery For Rascals Master Crook’s Crime Academy: Robbery For Rascals
Terry Deary
Welcome to the school where scoundrels save the day.  This is Robin Hood meets Oliver Twist in a laugh-out-loud new series from one of the most-loved children’s authors, Terry Deary.  With a cast of hilarious characters, witty asides and farcical …
Download free opening extract
7
At the Seaside At the Seaside
Germano Zullo
An absolutely gorgeous large format board book.  Each spread is crammed full of fun and humorous illustrations.  You and your toddler can share in the excitement of finding one of the many characters in the book and follow that character …
Download free opening extract
8
Angel Cake Angel Cake
Cathy Cassidy
Friends and relationships are the hallmarks of Cathy’s novels as she portrays her characters and their friendships particularly well.  The plot lines are easy to get into, there’s always a subliminal message too and in Angel Cake it’s don’t judge …
Download free opening extract
9
Demon Defenders: Classroom Demons Demon Defenders: Classroom Demons
Jake Lancing
Terrific comedy adventures with a footballing twist that are sure to be
loved by boys in particular as well as reluctant readers. These books
show that mischievousness doesn’t necessarily mean naughty!  The kids
are part of an anything-but-ordinary football team.  For starters each
kid …
Download free opening extract
10
Girls to Total Goddesses in Seven Days Girls to Total Goddesses in Seven Days
Sue Limb
Brilliant fun, this is a roller coaster of a read as it swings effortlessly from the wild extremes of  total despair to absolute ecstasy capturing the trials and tribulations of Zoe and Chloe, best friends forever. Zoe and Chloe have …
Download free opening extract