Lovereading.co.uk Top 10

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The Wedding Party The Wedding Party Sophie King A multi-voiced novel with each chapter written from the point of view of the various main characters as the months before a wedding are fraught with personal problems.  It’s a second marriage so there are grown-up children in the mix ... Download free opening extract
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The Business The Business Martina Cole Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 13 November 2008.  Another gem from the queen of gritty East End crime novels. Set at the end of the 70’s and moving up to the present day following the Dooley family. ... Download free opening extract
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Child 44 Child 44 Tom Rob Smith February 2009 Book of the Month.  Winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2008.   Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2008.Costa Book Awards 2008 Judges' comment: "This gripping, unputdownable thriller is an exciting new addition to the genre."   Featured on The ... Download free opening extract
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My Secret Diary My Secret Diary Jacqueline Wilson   Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 12 March 2009.     ... Download free opening extract
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The Golden Pig The Golden Pig Mark Penny, Jonathan PennyFebruary 2009 Debut of the Month.    This is one of those titles we love to discover on Lovereading and pass the word on about. A brilliantly funny detective novel from two new authors -The Penny Brothers. They have written each part ... Download free opening extract
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Leaving the World Leaving the World Douglas Kennedy   Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 12 March 2009.     ... Download free opening extract
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East of the Sun East of the Sun Julia Gregson     Winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year 2009.   This is an utterly captivating story of three young British women in search of freedom and love in 1920s India, but it also provides a wonderful insight into a now vanished world. ... Download free opening extract
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Wildthorn Wildthorn Jane Eagland Set in Victorian England, this is a thought-provoking and shocking debut story for teenagers and adults of how a young woman with an ambition to become a doctor (at a time when it was frowned upon for women to have such thoughts) is ... Download free opening extract
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The Secret Scripture The Secret Scripture Sebastian Barry   Winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award 2008.   Winner of the Costa Novel Award 2008. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2008.  Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 19 February 2009.   Costa Book Awards 2008 Judges' comment: "A heartbreaking ... Download free opening extract
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The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher Kate Summerscale   Reviewed on Richard & Judy's Book Club 2009 on Wednesday 28 January.   Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 4 December 2008.   This reads like a first rate crime novel but is in fact an analysis of real life events. It's ... Download free opening extract

Lovereading4kids.co.uk TOP 10

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Gone Gone Michael Grant   Gripping from the first moment on, this is a scary, an unputdownable and a brilliantly plotted fantasy. First the teachers start to disappear from school; soon all the adults are gone. Only the children remain and they are trapped, cut ... Download free opening extract
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The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish Neil Gaiman Visually dramatic, this is a hugely entertaining adventure perfectly tinged with an alarming subtext.  Desperate to have his friend’s two goldfish, a boy swaps his father for them – despite the warning from his sister. Predictably, Mum is not pleased ... Download free opening extract
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Shadow Forest Shadow Forest Matt Haig Winner of the overall Blue Peter Book of the Year 2009 and category winner of ‘the book I couldn’t put down’.   A dramatic adventure story set in an enchanted magical world. Samuel Blink’s life changes forever when a giant log ... Download free opening extract
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If You're Reading This, it's too Late If You're Reading This, it's too Late Pseudonymous Bosch This is the quirky, original and deliciously dark sequel to the hilarious The Name of This Book is Secret.  Bursting with inventive characters and laugh-out-loud moments, readers will be instantly hooked once more by the stylish storytelling of Pseudonymous Bosch.     A ... Download free opening extract
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My Sister Jodie My Sister Jodie Jacqueline Wilson A fantastic book from Jacqueline Wilson. Pearl and Jodie are sisters who are very different. Jodie is noisy, brash, insensitive and bold. Pearl is only ten, little and shy and anxious all the time. When their parents both get jobs ... Download free opening extract
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Tumtum and Nutmeg: Pirates' Treasure Tumtum and Nutmeg: Pirates' Treasure Emily Bearn The enchanting and delightful mice Tumtum and Nutmeg are back for a third adventure. This time the two home lovers are off on a camping trip but soon things begin to go very wrong as they get swept down the ... Download free opening extract
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The Magic Thief The Magic Thief Sarah Prineas This is an absolutely captivating debut fantasy adventure. Full of magic and trickery, this is the story of a wizard and his new apprentice trying to discover why the magic in their city is fading and how they must stop it from disappearing ... Download free opening extract
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My Mum! My Mum! Beth Shoshan From the same illustrator that brought us the charmingly funny My Dad! - we now have My Mum! - who is rather silly but simply lovely. Guarenteed to put a smile on your child's face. ... Download free opening extract
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Tales From Outer Suburbia Tales From Outer Suburbia Shaun Tan This beautifully illustrated book takes a quirky look at some of the mysteries of urban life. Once you start reading it's very hard to stop reading more of these short stories filled with darkness and delight. ... Download free opening extract
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The Ant Colony The Ant Colony Jenny Valentine An irresistible new novel from Jenny Valentine, winner of the Guardian Children's Book Prize with Finding Violet Park.  Written with a wonderful lightness of touch, the author manages to weave and interweave the very different lives of a disparate range ... Download free opening extract