Lovereading has teamed up with Dartmoor.co.uk to offer a prize package of VIP accommodation for 2 at Lurcombe luxury apartments during the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey (June 7 – 9th), including  tickets to attend the festival itself, Dinner for two (including a bottle of wine) in one of our leading gastro pubs, The Rock Inn and a delicious lunch for two at Home Farm Café  set in the scenic grounds of the National Trust Estate at Parke in Bovey Tracey as part of the package.

The Accommodation

Lurcombe Luxury Apartments / Cottages on Dartmoor remain totally secluded, charming & rustic.

Lurcombe’s ‘Mill’ & Flour Store was built in 1851 and has been lovingly converted into 5*living accommodation, suitable for couples. With all the contemporary features you would expect from a ‘premier’ apartment, whilst still maintaining bags of character.

We are delighted to offer a fabulous prize of 2 nights VIP accommodation for 2 on Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th of June, over the weekend of the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey.

The Supper Offer

If you are seeking truly special  dining on Dartmoor, then look no further than the Rock Inn. Nestling below the famous Haytor Rocks and just inside the Dartmoor National Park is the rural hamlet of Haytor Vale and the Rock Inn. This traditional English Country Inn has been offering
travellers hospitality, good food and shelter since its foundation as a coaching inn in the mid-eighteenth century. In this modern age we pride ourselves on a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, with personal service reminiscent of a bygone age.

We are delighted to offer a fabulous prize of dinner for 2 to inc a bottle of wine on either  on Friday the 7th or Saturday the 8th of June, over the weekend of the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey.

The Lunch Offer

Home Farm Café is the perfect place to unwind after a stroll around the scenic National Trust Estate at Parke in Bovey Tracey. Choose delicious, freshly cooked food from our daily menu board, relax with a real coffee or just drop in for a baguette or picnic box. You’ll love the peaceful setting, and you’ll love our food!

We are delighted to offer a fabulous prize of lunch for 2 to on Saturday the 8th of June, or Sunday 9th June over the weekend of the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey.

Contemporary Craft Festival

Two day tickets to the Contemporary Craft Festival at Bovey is one of the leading events in the South West celebrating the best of British craft and designer making.

Dartmoor.co.uk Lovereading Prize Draw Terms and Conditions

The prize is for up to two people to stay for two nights (Friday 7th and Saturday 8th June) at an apartment at Lurcombe luxury cottages, Dartmoor.  Dinner at The Rock Inn,  Dartmoor includes a set menu for two and a bottle of house wine and must be taken on either Friday 7th or Saturday 8th june at The Rock Inn,  Dartmoor.  Lunch at the Home Farm Café includes a set menu for two and must be taken on either Saturday 8th June or Sunday 9th June.  It does not include travel insurance, personal expenditure or incidental costs and transport is not included.  Over 18s only.  One entry per person.  The prize must be taken from on the dates specified. The prize is non-refundable and non-transferable.  There is no cash alternative.

admin :: May.22.2013 :: Book News, Special Features :: No Comments »

Welcome to the mid-month update of everything that is new and exciting in the world of books from the Lovereading team who are lucky enough to eat, drink and sleep books! Read on for a pre-publication bookshelf bursting with amazing reads, a chance to win a weekend break in Devon and much more…Ahead of the Game! – Pre-publication Exclusives

You know we like nothing more than bringing you great new titles before the rest of the madding crowd gets to see them? And do look out for the extra reviews from our Reader Review panel members.

Welcome back the un-PC Grandmother of Mummy Porn!

Oh the excitement in the office when we heard that Ambition was being reissued 24 years on from its original publication. This rude, raunchy, sleazy, addictively readable, guilty pleasure still has the power to shock and as Julie Burchill says herself ‘it makes Fifty Shades of Grey look like Anne of Green Gables’. Click here to read an exclusive Q&A Lovereading had with Julie Burchill. This is an absolute must read for everyone who has read 50 Shades and loved it or loathed it!!!

Win a luxury craft weekend break on Dartmoor

If beautiful things, as well as reading, are your passion, then click here to find out how you can win a weekend away amongst beautiful surroundings, breathing the clean air of rural Dartmoor, whilst indulging your passion for exquisite hand-crafted products.

The prize, to be taken 7-9 June, includes a 2 night stay in luxury self-catering accommodation, gourmet lunches and dinner and tickets to the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey!

And while we are on more practical matters Foodies shouldn’t miss our Food and Drink Book of the Month  Freeze & Easy: Fabulous Food and New Ideas for Making the Most of Your Freezer from Sara Lewis – just the thing to keep you busy in the kitchen waiting for the sunshine to come back!

Get a (down)Load of this! – eBooks of the Month

eBooks, we love them and have them in a wide range of different formats to suit different devices including the exciting range of new KOBO eReaders. See the shelf below for some of our e-favourites this month but whatever you do, don’t miss The Twelve by Justin Cronin the epic continuation of the sweeping, vampire-packed, dystopian, end-of-civilisation thrill-ride that began with The Passage.

Fact and Fiction for Teens

Our ‘new gen’ category is a treasure trove of books and authors that aims to bridge the reading gap for the teen / young adult audience. From scary paranormal romances, mesmerising thrillers and compelling dystopian tales, there is something for every young adult taste. This month don’t miss the steamy Irresistible by Liz Bankes, which got some rave reviews from our Reading Panel and the useful and insightful Blame My Brain: The Amazing Teenage Brain Revealed by
Nicola Morgan (invaluable for teenagers and parents we think).

One for the Clever Clogs in the Family. (Father’s Day is 16 June btw!)

Word up! – We all like to impress with our vocabularical dexterity, even if more often than not we utilise words completely out of context … just because they sound impresario.

This new book, as entertaining as it is educational, explains the etymology of 600 words you probably know but don’t use correctly. It’s a great gift for Father’s Day! Just saying. How to Sound Clever: Master the 600 English Words You Pretend to Understand…When You Don’t by Hubert van den Bergh.

And talking of Father’s Day check out our special Father’s Day category for more literary gift suggestions.

Group Bookings! – Help for Reading Groups

If you are part of – or thinking of starting – a Reading Group, we have a special section JUST for you. Designed to bring you a perfect selection of great titles suitable for groups PLUS we’ll give you an extra 5% discount when ordering 5 or more books. Now that’s a talking point! Click here to get started.

This month we recommend the controversial debut Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin, dealing with issues of identity, gender and sexuality and freedom of the press. Also The Child Thief by Dan Smith, a page-turning, atmospheric and taut historical thriller.

Time to get in a Flap!

The Great Gatsby film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opens 16 May. So, if you’ve not yet read the book on which the film is based, or any of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s other timeless classics that epitomised the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age, then click over to our special category featuring beautiful editions published by 2012 Independent Publisher of the Year Alma Books.

NEW “Find Your Local Bookshop” feature

It’s all about books and book-lovers at Lovereading (the clue is in the name) and we are always looking to provide the best ways for you to access great reads. Local bookstores need our support and we thought that as well as guiding you to fabulous books, we could also show you where to get them – if you don’t want to use Lovereading’s mouse to doormat service. Neat, huh? To find your local bookshop just click the button you will find on every page.

And that, book fans, sums up a blossom-filled May at Lovereading. See you next month for even more great reads in the summer sunshine!

admin :: May.16.2013 :: Newsletters :: No Comments »

Independent Booksellers’ Week, 29 June to 6 July 2013

Lovereading is happy to support Independent Booksellers Week, a national celebration of independent bookshops which takes place from 29th June to 6th July 2013.

A key new element for IBW 2013 is a programme of IBW Bookseller Collectibles. Inspired by Independent Record Store Day www.recordstoreday.co.uk publishers are creating a small range of titles, available only through independents, perfect for readers who love to browse in independent bookshops.

To find out more about what is going on you can visit independentbooksellersweek.org.uk or just click on the ‘find your local bookshop’ image and get in touch with an independent bookshop near you.

admin :: May.15.2013 :: Book News, Special Features :: No Comments »

The Great Gatsby has been named among the greatest fictional playboys of all time, it emerged yesterday.

F Scott Fitzgerald’s lothario, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the latest big screen adaptation — out today — features in a list of the UK’s most popular imaginary ladies’ men, with James Bond topping the poll.

Other pleasure-seeking characters to make the top 10 include Iron Man’s Tony Stark and Batman’s Bruce Wayne.

The research, commissioned by AudioGO — the UK’s most popular publisher of audiobooks — to mark the release of The Great Gatsby audio book, saw 1,000 Brits polled about their relationships with literature.

The survey also found that more than half of women admitted to being attracted to fictional bad boys — with one in ten feeling more intensely for a make-belief male than their own partner.

That could be why cinematic smooth operators such as Alfie, Arthur and even Austin Powers have proved to be such popular and enduring figures.

Speaking yesterday, AudioGO Sales and Marketing Director, Rachel Josephson commented: “Fictional playboys’ mix of power and charm ensures they were a hit with both men and women. It’s the air of adventure and charm that make playboys so endearing and part of many great stories.

“Great leading men like Gatsby are never forgotten and as the new Baz Luhrmann film adaptation proves, still go on to inspire whole new generations alongside brand new characters.

“For men, playboys serve as a fantasy role model to try and emulate, while many women are excited by their devil-may-care demeanour.”

Dorian Gray, Don Juan and Shakespeare’s Romeo complete the list of the top 10 greatest fictional playboys.

Though sex appeal was unsurprisingly named as a key quality of fictional charmers, intelligence was deemed the most important attribute.

A sense of adventure, carefree attitude and power were also key.

For men, James Bond was the fictional character they’d most like to be, with 30 per cent wishing to step into the super spy’s shoes, followed by those of Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark and legendary lover Don Juan.

The larger-than-life playboys of novels and films prove to be just as appealing to women, with 63 per cent of ladies saying they find them attractive.

Shockingly, 10 per cent of women say they feel a stronger attachment to their favourite fictional playboy than they do for their boyfriend or husband.

No wonder then that one in 10 blokes admit to getting jealous about their partner’s obsessing over fictional lead men.

Nearly 20 per cent of women, however, confess to feeling guilty about succumbing to these loveable rogues’ charms.

Rachel Josephson from AudioGO added: “The research shows just how much we invest in the characters we read, sometimes more than perhaps we should, but such is the power of great story telling.”

TOP 10 FICTIONAL PLAYBOYS

1.     James Bond

2.     Bruce Wayne

3.     Tony Stark

4.     Don Juan

5.     Dorian Gray

6.     Jay Gatsby

7.     Austin Powers

8.     Thomas Crown

9.     Alfie

10.  Arthur

admin :: May.15.2013 :: Book News, Special Features :: No Comments »

Ambition Julie Burchill’s debut novel has been reissued after 24 years and it is still v. v. rude! - ’it makes Fifty Shades of Grey look like Anne of Green Gables‘ – read on for an exclusive Q&A with Julie about Ambition.

Oh the excitement in the office when we heard that Ambition was being reissued 24 years on from its original publication. This rude, raunchy, sleazy, addictively readable, guilty pleasure still has the power to shock and as Julie Burchill says herself ‘it makes Fifty Shades of Grey look like Anne of Green Gables’. The plot – nakedly ambitious deputy news editor, Susan Street, wants the top job and ruthlessly immoral media baron, Tobias Pope, will give it to her provided she does EVERYTHING he wants her to do… but really he just wants to break her. Welcome back the un-PC Grandmother of Mummy Porn!

Lovereading got the chance to ask Julie a few questions about her debut novel 24 years on – and you can read them below – but be warned her answers are pretty direct (as you would expect!).

Q&A with Julie Burchill

1. Ambition is now being seen as a progenitor for books like 50 Shades of Grey and the whole Mummy porn genre – what is your view?

I haven’t read any of the Grey books, but from what I’ve read ABOUT them, the heroine seems quite wet. Whereas my heroine, Susan Street, is extremely tough. I’d want to be friends with Susan Street, whereas Anastasia Steele seems a wimp, and therefore a bore.

2. If Susan Street (Ambition) met Anastasia Steele (50 Shades) what do you think she would say?

‘Grow a pair, BITCH!’

3. Re-reading Ambition 20 years on how do you feel about your debut novel?

It’s just extraordinarily RUDE. I took it to the hairdresser yesterday, and I had to put it down, I was blushing so much.

4. 20 years ago your book pushed the boundaries on mainstream fiction. Where do you think it sits now?

There are ruder books, and there are funnier books. But I can’t think of a book by a woman which is so funny AND so rude.

5. Do you think the media barons of today are much different from the fictionalised ‘Tobias Pope’ of the early ‘80s?

I don’t think there were ever any media barons like Tobias Pope, regrettably. He was only ever a figment of my dirty twentysomething mind.

Julie Burchill has written more than a dozen books, with the TV adaptation of one of them, Sugar Rush, winning an International Emmy. Her hobbies include spite, luncheon, philanthropy, writing short stories and learning Modern Hebrew. She has been a journalist since the age of 17 and is now 53 years old, and currently writing for the Daily Mail and Observer. She is married and lives in Brighton.

admin :: May.07.2013 :: Book News, Special Features :: No Comments »

Welcome to May! With two bank holidays and the promise of summer on the horizon, we think May was made for reading! It’s also the month that James Bond creator, Ian Fleming was born in 1908. Funny that because we’ve had our spies out tracking down the latest and greatest reads for you, and we’re sure we’ll leave you both shaken and stirred with what we have to offer, for every taste, this May. Read on to find out what’s new…

Author of the Month – Barbara Kingsolver

There is almost too much to say about American Author of the Month, Barbara Kingsolver. Nominated for the Pulitzer and winner of the Orange Prize and countless other gongs, Barbara is an academic scientist turned captivating fiction sculptress. Her unique mission to challenge her own boundaries of experience with each novel has created a canon of stunning work.

And you can find a recent selection of her work in our special section including her latest title, Flight Behaviour, a topical, engrossing and thought-provoking read set in rural America. Kingsolver has a real talent for getting you right inside her characters’ lives and this poetically written story is possibly her best novel since her Orange shortlisted The Poisonwood Bible.

Gathering Books in May! – Books of the Month

Our bookshelf this month is teeming with great titles, all rated by our Lovereading experts. AND look out for the ‘reading glasses’ symbol signifying reviews from Lovereading’s independent and opinionated Reader Review Panel.

One definitely not to miss is the complex and thought-provoking, dark psychological thriller Fallen Land which explores the failure of the American Dream. It is Patrick Flanery’s second book following on from his critically acclaimed debut Absolution.

Good Books – FACT! – Non-Fiction Books of the Month

A Foodie Non-Fiction title has grabbed our beady-eyed attention this month. Freeze & Easy: Fabulous Food and New Ideas for Making the Most of Your Freezer by Sara Lewis – Lots of stuff you didn’t know about freezing food and saving money!

And our Travel Book of the Month Walking Home. It’s a uniquely charming, droll, moving, British narrative from writer and poet Simon Armitage as he recounts his 256 mile (North to South) walk along the Pennine Way.

Darling Buds! – May’s Debuts

Bad puns aside (who? Us?), don’t miss the brilliant offerings from this month’s ‘budding’ first-time authors. Also, look out for the ‘glasses icon’ for books with Reader Reviews to help you choose. Office favourites this month are Sketcher by Roland Watson-Grant, an atmospheric, uplifting and deeply moving story, about the beauty of life no matter how broken it is. And Golden Boy – a gritty, cool and brilliantly compelling novel from one of the hippest young authors around, Abigail Tarttelin.

May Luck be With You! – This Month’s Competitions

Win a luxury craft weekend break on Dartmoor - If beautiful things, as well as reading, are your passion, then click here to find out how you can win a weekend away amongst beautiful surroundings, breathing the clean air of rural Dartmoor, whilst indulging your passion for exquisite hand-crafted products.
The prize includes a 2 night stay in luxury self-catering accommodation, gourmet lunches and dinner and VIP tickets to the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey!

Also this month we’re giving you the chance to win some highly collectable, desirable – not to mention readable - 1^st Editions of John le Carre’s latest title: A Delicate Truth. It’s one of his best yet and is a tense, gripping, highly topical, thrill-ride.

And we have EIGHT signed copies of the dystopian thriller The Twelve from Justin Cronin up for grabs.

Finally, Crime fans won’t want to miss the chance to win a goody bag of books from Crime Writers’ Association favourite Cath Staincliffe. Or the chance to read two reissued Sal Kilkenny Mysteries published this month.

Too Good for just the Kids

After collecting some of the shiniest and most coveted awards in the literary silverware cupboard, the clever publishers of the young adult mega-bestselling Chaos Walking Trilogy have given the books some spanking new ‘grown-up’ covers as they believe, and we wholeheartedly agree, that adults will enjoy them just as much. If your kids haven’t read these books yet … they won’t get to for a while because you’ll be glued to them! Take a peek at the whole brilliant trilogy here.

And speaking of award winners, well it was the Lovereading favourite in the Man Booker shortlist last year, The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng is just out in paperback. With poised and precise prose this novel revisits the traumatic aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, and the post-war insurgency against British rule. It should definitely be on your reading lists.

Discover some new authors in May

With personal recommendations from book experts it’s like having a book guru on hand 24/7 helping you find new authors you’ll love. This month fans of Trisha Ashley will love the funny, bittersweet romance from Margaret James called The Wedding Diary.

And lovers of Wilbur Smith’s African epics should look no further than Tom Knox who has penned a first-rate adventure thriller set in Cornwall and Egypt, full of ancient religious texts and satanic rituals, called The Deceit.

P.S. World Book Night may be over but if you enjoyed the book you were given then why not try something else from the same author. Fans of Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader should try his latest collection of short stories, Summer Lies, out now in paperback.

Read on to see more hand-picked great reads in the categories you have said you would like to be kept up to date with. Click here to update your choices.

admin :: May.03.2013 :: Newsletters :: No Comments »

Spring at last… Read on to bring some sunshine into your reading life with exciting pre-publication extracts to download, our favourite eBooks of the Month and an easy way you can help an author you might know…

Start reading books published next month!

Get ahead of the game by starting to read some great May books – before they are published. Some of them have also been reviewed by our Reader Review panel. So find out what they thought of them, along with our own Lovereading experts.

Fundamental Film and Fiction

The acclaimed novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, centring on the life of a young Pakistani professor pre and post 9/11, has been made into a film due for release in the UK on 10 May.

Also worth a look is interesting debut The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri Murari, a page-turner that’s full of hope and tenderness and shows that love can overcome and outwit those that reign terror over a country. Sarah Broadhurst said of the book ‘It starts off pretty dark, strong and grim, but finishes light, compulsive and highly satisfactory. I loved it’.

Free to enter Book Prize Draws not to miss

This month, as always, we have some amazing free to enter Prize Draws to win armfuls of book goodies. Signed CD’s from Bryan Ferry that inspired the soundtrack to The Great Gatsby Film, 25^th anniversary editions of the life-changing Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and books from star authors Jodi Picoult and Charles Cumming.

Visit the Free Prize Draws category to see, and enter, them all.

Interacting April! … eBooks of the Month

Our aim, with offering so many eBook formats is to make buying them as easy as ABC. See? We have thousands of eBooks on the website but this month we especially love….

Great Scott! – F. Scott Fitzgerald

With the movie release of Baz Luhrmann’s adaption of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and opening Cannes this year, we’ve decided to make a feature of the classic writing of the literary giant F. Scott Fitzgerald with these stunning new editions from Alma Classics; featuring Art-Deco illustrations, pictures and a wealth of extra material. Alessandro Gallenzi, Managing Director of Alma Classics, said of these books ‘They are a publisher’s and a fan’s tribute to one of the greatest masters of world literature.’ We’re also giving you the chance to win one of 3 sets of the Alma Classics editions together with a DVD of the TV adaptation of The Great Gatsby and some signed CD’s of Bryan Ferry’s album The Jazz Age … so visit the special category today.

Delightfully delicious, unmissable Debuts

Two debuts have really caught our eye this month and we really don’t want you to miss them, both of them have been loved by our Reader Review panel as well.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is an absolute gem of a book that weirdly sits somewhere between One Day by David Nicholls and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time from Mark Haddon. A review panel member said ‘What a brilliant book… Please read it, he [the protagonist] will change your life‘.

A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri describes the spellbinding story of an Iranian girl who is separated from her mother and twin sister during the turmoil following the revolution. One of our panel members said ‘Great story, extremely memorable…I couldn’t put it down till the end and will definitely be recommending it to others.’

If You Like You’ll love

Discover great reads from new authors. Fans of John le Carré should definitely check out Charles Cumming and his latest book A Foreign Country. His complex, realistic spy thrillers are rewarding reads and we have a competition to win a set of his earlier spy novels.

Rosamunde Pilcher is a genre-defining author and we think her fans will love the author Liz Fenwick with her Cornwall inspired books. The Cornish House is out now and her second, A Cornish Affair, is out at the end of May – and we have an exclusive extract you can read today.

Help an Author Make Better Social Introductions

At Lovereading we love authors most of all, as they create the brilliant books that we get to tell all of you book lovers about. So, to help them share more of their thoughts with their readers we have built a uniquely useful new system that shows their latest Facebook posts and Tweets on their Lovereading author and book pages.

But we can only show the posts and tweets if we have the correct information – So, why not help any authors you know, or follow, by checking their author page on Lovereading to see whether the Facebook posts and Tweets are appearing. There are handy buttons to let the author know what is missing and what you can do about it – simples.

Before we sign off for April, lovers of a great Romantic Read shouldn’t miss this year’s best reads as judged by the Romantic Novelists’ Association. We have all the individual category winners in our Book Awards section and the overall winner will be crowned at a special Summer Party in May.

P.S. Don’t miss More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell – yet more tales from the antiquarian bookshop where Jen works, and includes a selection of ‘Weird Things…‘ sent in from other booksellers across the world. It is full of laugh-out-loud anecdotes.

admin :: Apr.18.2013 :: Newsletters :: No Comments »

At Lovereading we love authors most of all, as they create the brilliant books that we get to tell all of you book lovers about. So, to help them share more of their thoughts with their readers we have built a uniquely useful new system to link directly to their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds.

But we can only show the posts and tweets if we have the correct information – So, why not help any authors you know, or follow, by checking their author page on Lovereading to see whether the Facebook posts and Tweets are appearing. If they are there are handy buttons to let the author know what is missing and what you can do about it – simples.

admin :: Apr.12.2013 :: Book News, Special Features :: No Comments »

April – the month that Stratford’s favourite son, Bard of Avon and scourge of school children everywhere, William Shakespeare was born and died – that’s why 23 April is World Book Night. And, there’s certainly Much Ado About Something at Lovereading this month as we’ve got great new reads and recommendations for every palate…

April’s Books of the Month

This month’s bookshelf is fit to burst with brilliance, just feast your eyes below! … look out for the ‘reading glasses’ symbol which signifies reviews by members of our Lovereading Reader Review Panel. All of them are also rated by our Lovereading experts.

A Pearl Among Authors – Tracy Chevalier

We’re thrilled that our Author of the Month this month is U.S. born, and now fully-adopted daughter of good ol’ Blighty, Tracy Chevalier. If you don’t already know her work, she created the smash-hit: Girl With a Pearl Earring. Think Rose Tremain, Joanne Harris and Philippa Gregory in one dazzling package! Her latest The Last Runaway is a warm-hearted, compassionate, very real tale of slavery and pioneering communities in mid 19^th Century America. We think it is very special indeed. Discover more about all of Tracy Chevalier’s writing today.

April the Firsts … Debuts of the Month

There’s a first time for everything, which in the case of our amazing Debuts this month is just as well! Again look out for the Reading Glasses symbol which signifies reviews by members of our Lovereading Reader Review Panel as well as a Lovereading expert.

Don’t miss our MEGA debut:The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - A quirky, romantic gem somewhere between ‘One Day’, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ and ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’

The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion We defy you not to absolutely love this quirky romantic gem of a book, that weirdly sits somewhere…

A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea Dina Nayeri If you loved A Thousand Splendid Suns, you’ll sink into this spellbinding story…

The Taliban Cricket Club Timeri Murari A romantic comedy with a grisly background, very suitable for both genders…

Small Screen Dreams – Kate Mosse Labyrinth

International smash hit (and Richard and Judy’s favourite read in 2006) Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (not the model … obvs) was on our small screens over Easter. It was great, and the author loved it, but we still think the book is SO much better. Why not get lost in the pages of Labyrinth, the sequel Sepulchre and then you’ll be ready for the paperback of the final book in the trilogy, Citadel, coming in the Summer. It is excellent historical fiction. We also have some very special prizes to offer 5 lucky winners…

Putting Faith in Great Fiction

Whatever your beliefs, it’s interesting that so many classic British works have come from authors with a strong Christian faith. Take C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and more recently P.D. James, for example. Publisher, Lion Hudson is carrying on this tradition into the 21st Century with the likes of Pam Rhodes and Stephen Lawhead who cover a pretty wide spectrum of taste and will certainly appeal to everyone who enjoys good literature! See below for this month’s choices.

The Skin Map Stephen Lawhead A time travelling epic fantasy about a quest to regain Paradise. The first in a five volume epic called Bright Empires…

The Bone House Stephen Lawhead The quest for the map continues in the second volume of the, Bright Empires series.

Fisher of Men Pam Rhodes A heart-warming comedy of manners with real spiritual resonance and depth…

Cosying up to Crime … M. C. Beaton is back!

We love cuddly crime writing! Murders planned in rectories and carried out on the trimmed lawns of English decency. Doyenne of the genre M. C. Beaton gets a special focus with the paperback release of her 23rd Agatha Raisin caper, Hiss and Hers and the re-launched adventures of much-loved highland sleuth, PC Hamish Macbeth now on to its 28th adventure … Midsomer who?

Fun and Games for the Holidays!

Now the Easter Holidays are underway and the chocolate is a distant (ish) memory, keep family and friends entertained, engaged and having fun with our Easter Games bookshelf. It’s packed with great ideas for passing the time constructively and don’t miss a gem of a book called Hey Presto! for any budding Magicians.

Finally, don’t miss the free to enter prize draws we have on the site this month where we have armfuls of book goodies to be won.

admin :: Apr.05.2013 :: Newsletters :: No Comments »

How Change the URL for your Facebook Fan Page

The URLs that Facebook allocates Fan Pages by default are not that helpful and when they have the string of numbers on the end it stops us re-publishing your posts on Lovereading

An example of one that didn’t work was http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mums-Like-Us/374265565994740

However – what you need is something like http://www.facebook.com/Mums-Like-Us

Here’s how…

STEP 1) Log in to Facebook using the admin account for your Fan Page. This will be the account you were logged in with when you created your Fan Page

Make sure you have at least 25 fans as Facebook won’t allow you to set your vanity URL otherwise (in order to help stop spammers / squatters).

STEP 2) Once you’re logged in, put http://www.facebook.com/username/ in to your browser address bar.

Just to be clear – we don’t mean replace “username” with your actual username – just type in http://www.facebook.com/username/ – like this:

STEP 3) You’ll now be taken to a page where you can set a short username for your own Facebook profile (which you can do if you like, whilst we’re here!).

What we’re really interested in though is your Fan Page – underneath, you can see a list of the pages you manage:

STEP 4) Select the Page you want to set a URL for from the dropdown list (if you’ve only got one that won’t be hard!), enter the page name you want (i.e. what you want to appear at www.facebook.com/XXXX) and hit “Check Availability”.

Please note that once you change your URL you’re stuck with it for life, so think carefully!

If it’s available, click “OK” and  you’ve got a lovely short URL to send to everyone – and allow them to easily share your posts.

admin :: Mar.22.2013 :: Special Features :: No Comments »