Welcome to May from Lovereading! April’s amazing sunshine has left us in holiday mood here, but one swallow (or Amazon for that matter!) does not a summer make. So, let’s hope we don’t return to a Waterland in May! Talking of which, Graham Swift – author of that fantastic novel about life in the Fens – was born in May 1949. A perfect month perhaps to revisit the work of this controversial Booker Prize winner in preparation for his new novel, Wish You Were Here, coming in June.

Rock-a-bye (s)Tory – Our Author of the Month: Louise Bagshawe

Taking multi-tasking to a new level, our rocking Author of the month is mum of three, Louise Bagshawe. As well as writing many best-selling novels Louise has toured with rock bands and is currently the MP for Corby, Northamptonshire! Fans of Jackie Collins will love her pacey, racy books combining glamour, thrill and dangerous passions. Her latest novel (also Book of the Month) is Destiny. Kate is a very beautiful woman who has a fairy tale life until it becomes clear that her knight in shining armour is lacking in all of the character traits normally associated with his class. He wants to make her suffer she wants revenge...fabulousy addictive stuff.

Guest Editor – Carol Drinkwater

Star of the popular ‘70s TV series All Creatures Great and Small, our Guest Editor is also the writer of several successful memoirs. Carol Drinkwater’s popular Olive Farm series recounts her life on the (sometimes not so) idyllic olive farm in France, which she has made her home. These incredible books are soon to be made into a lavish documentary and the latest, Return to Olive Farm, is just out in paperback. All of her books are featured on the site and extracts are available for you to have a ‘taster’ first. Not only that but Carol has also agreed to share her own favourite books with us and what a wonderful collection they are. Come to the site and take a peep!

Our Mega Book of the Month - The Passage by Justin Cronin When The Passage, the first part of a post apocalypse trilogy came out in hardback last year it was huge hit in the office and the people who read it did so late into the night and missed train and bus stops because they were so engrossed. It’s about a man-made viral epidemic that brings America to its knees and only a curious little girl and a group of doughty survivors hold the secret to survival. In hardback it was £20! – well its’s now out in great value paperback… get reading today.

Aliens, Romance and Death – May Books of the month

At Last Edward St. Aubyn The eagerly anticipated new novel from the Man Booker-shortlisted author of Mother's Milk £9.74 Save 25%	This is Where I Leave You Jonathan Tropper This is Where I Leave You Jonathan Tropper Hilarious and compassionate tale of a Jewish family in mourning, from Richard & Judy selected author, Jonathan Tropper. £5.99 Save 25%	The Summer of the Bear Bella Pollen The Summer of the Bear Bella Pollen Dark and uplifting – a family struggles with sudden death and a tame bear makes a bid for freedom. £5.99 Save 25%
The Death Instinct Jed Rubenfeld A spellbinding literary thriller about terror, war, greed, and the darkest secrets of the human soul, by the author of the bestseller, The Interpretation of Murder. £5.99 Save 25%	The Perfect Hero Victoria Connelly Die-hard romantic, Kay Ashton has only just opened her B&B when the cast and crew of a new production of Persuasion descend. £5.24 Save 25%	The Distant Hours Kate Morton An eerie castle, three strange, elderly sisters and hidden family secrets for Edie Burchill to discover.. £5.99 Save 25%
The Confession of Katherine Howard Suzannah Dunn Two unlikely teenage friends fall foul of love, passion, betrayal and intrigue in Tudor England. £5.99 Save 25%	Why Don't You Come for Me? Diane Janes A harrowing psychological thriller about a woman who is unable to cope with the abduction of her daughter. £5.99 Save 25%	The Book of Crows Sam Meekings The richly poetic journeys of those whose lives are touched by the mysterious Book of Crows – the history of the world past, present and future. £11.24 Save 25%
Letters from Home Kristina McMorris Life-shaping romance, built on letters, that start's with one single moment before a marine goes to fight in WW2. £5.24 Save 25%	A Conspiracy of Friends : A Corduroy Mansions Novel Alexander McCall Smith The 3rd in the Corduroy Mansions series - the hilarious adventures of nasty Lib Dem, Oedipus Snark and a vegetarian dog called ’Freddie de la Hay’. £12.74 Save 25%	Embassytown China Mieville Humans and alien hosts have lived in harmony until the arrival of a dark new Ambassador. Futuristic brilliance! £13.49 Save 25%
The Absolutist John Boyne From the author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas comes a novel that examines the events of the Great War from the perspective of two young privates. £12.74 Save 25%	Blood Harvest S. J. Bolton An outstanding British thriller from a new star of the genre - as creepy as Karin Slaughter, as addictive as Tess Gerritsen. £5.24 Save 25%	Deadlock Sean Black Set in America's highest security prison, a thriller with The unrelenting pace and a brilliant plot. £5.24 Save 25%

You Couldn’t Make it Up! - Non Fiction Books of the Month

The Story of English How the English Language Conquered the World Philip Gooden May 2011 Non-Fiction Book of the Month. The extraordinary story of the development and spread of the English language, from Dark Age Britain to the age of the Internet. The Story of English... £6.74 Save 25%

A Voyage for Madmen Peter Nichols May 2011 Travel Book of the Month. Already a classic among sailors, Nichols tell the true story of the inaugural 1968 Golden Globe sailing race: the first single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the world.... £6.74 Save 25%

Don’t miss this weirdly brilliant Pullitzer wining novel. Orange Book Award long-lister Jennifer Egan has won the Pullitzer Prize in Fiction for her weirdly brilliant novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad. Drawing her unlikely influences from both Proust and the TV series The Sopranos, Egan has created a unique, delightful and hard-to-describe book about human lives and kinship. It didn’t make the Orange short list but we definitely think ‘she was robbed’ It’s brilliant, trust us!

Writes of Passage – Debuts of the Month

Attachments Rainbow Rowell May 2011 Debut of the Month. This is such a funny, warm, heartfelt, touching and unforgettable novel and as a bloke I’m not even sure I’m the target reader at all! Set in... £7.49 Save 25%	Plugged Eoin Colfer May 2011 Debut of the Month. From the bestselling and exceptionally gifted writer of the Artemis Fowl children's titles comes a brilliant, darkly comic, adult crime debut. Written with the warmth and wit... £9.74 Save 25%
The Sky's Dark Labyrinth Stuart Clark May 2011 Debut of the Month. A vivid, thrilling portrayal of the lives and work of Kepler and Galileo and their struggles with the social and political forces around them. It's the first... £9.74 Save 25%	Before I Go to Sleep S. J. Watson May 2011 Debut of the Month. How would you live your life if everytime you fell asleep you forgot everything? This is the idea behind this sensational debut literary thriller... With awesome advanced quotes... £9.74 Save 25%
Guilt by Association Marcia Clark May 2011 Debut of the Month. This is one hell of a debut novel. It’s a super sharp, superbly constructed page turning legal thriller introducing us to a new protagonist Los Angeles D.A.Rachel... £9.74 Save 25%

Man, What a Book! – Man Booker 'Best of Beryl' Prize-winner Announced!

We mentioned in March that the Man Booker Prize organisers had set up a special 'Best of Beryl' prize, dedicated in her memory, for the best of her novels. Voting has been furious and finally a decision has been reached. The winner (drum-roll please) is the brilliant Master Georgie. Pipped to the post in 1998 by Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam, this masterpiece can finally take its place on the literary throne. We are featuring this and all her shortlisted works on the site this month. A great chance to revisit some fabulous writing and to do so before her final novel, The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress, written just before her death is published in June!

Never be stuck for what to do in a crisis!

Finally – news of a book that has become something of a fixture in the Lovereading office. What to Do About Everything by Barbara Toner. It is written in an easy friendly style is comprehensive, to say the least and the advice is spot on. We spent an entertaining hour trying to think up household disaster scenarios to catch out Ms Toner but we didn’t succeed! So, that just about wraps up our May news, scroll down to see our favourite books in the categories you have told us you are interested in. Let’s hope there are many sunny days for you to sit out and enjoy a good book (or three!) and we’ll be back soon with loads more ideas for you! P.S – what ever you do don’t miss the competitions and free prize draws we have on the site this month. You can, among others win the whole DVD set of The Crimson Petal and the White, all of the Orange shortlist...what are you waiting for.