Hello again from Lovereading! As autumn approaches - Keats's "Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness" - we’ve had a very fruitful search on your behalf for great reads this month. ...and with the kids preparing to go back to school, you may like to know that it was while marking exam papers one day in September that a teacher named J R R Tolkien scribbled down, "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit." - the first line of what was to become one of the most popular books of all time. Incidentally, if you uncover any literary facts for October, do let us know. It is always good to hear from our members and maybe we'll share your knowledge in next month’s newsletter and, if there is a gap, include it in our daily dose of literary facts on the home page.

Our Epic Author of the Month – Conn Iggulden

Continuing a theme, our author of the month in September also used to be a teacher - one who liked nothing better than to inspire pupils with epic stories. This is evident in his historical novels in which he tackles rich tales from the Roman Empire to the conquests of Genghis Khan. He also has an eye for comedy, having published The Dangerous Book for Boys with his brother, David. His newest book, Empire of Silver, is the much anticipated fourth in the hugely popular Conqueror series and is available along with his other works through the Lovereading site. If you’ve not thought about reading historical fiction before but love plenty of action and adventure then Conn Iggulden is a great author to start with. Find out more today.

September’s Heroes – Our Books of the Month

The Snowman Jo Nesbo A prize-winning thriller which sees detective Harry Hole trying to outwit a horribly cunning serial killer in a case that will push him to the brink of insanity. £5.99 Save 25%	Empire of Silver Conn Iggulden From our Author of the Month, the latest in the Conqueror series. After the death of Genghis Khan, the dynasty is thrown into a bitter struggle for power. £5.99 Save 25%	The Blitz: The British Under Attack Juliet Gardiner Our Non-Fiction Book of the Month is an incredible story of how the relentless onslaught of the 1940 blitz affected the whole country and galvanised a nation against a common foe. It’s written by one of the UK’s foremost historians. £5.99 Save 25%
The Disappeared M.R. Hall Amongst the corruption and lies surrounding the disappearance of a young Asian man, local coroner Jenny also uncovers some very personal demons. £5.99 Save 25%	A Weekend with Mr Darcy Victoria Connelly Two women desperate for change in their lives attend a Jane Austen conference and get way more than they bargained for in this intriguing romance £5.99 Save 25%	Mozart's Ghost Julia Cameron Teacher by day and medium by night, Anna’s world is turned upside down when the ghost of Mozart meddles in her love life from beyond the grave. Great fun! £5.99 Save 25%
The Water Theatre Lindsay Clarke Jaded war reporter Martin Crowther has his self-belief tested to the limit, in his attempt to bring home the exiled children of his dying mentor from their tight-knit and secretive Umbrian community. £5.99 Save 25%	The Brave Nicholas Evans A beautiful, mesmerising read following the turbulent life of Tommy Bedford from his cowboy-fanatical youth to a life of danger in the hills of Hollywood. This is one of those ones you just have to read from the author of The Horse Whisperer. £5.99 Save 25%	Annexed Sharon Dogar With absolute clarity, compassion and accuracy, Annexed, told through the voice of Peter van Pels, offers its readers an entirely new perspective on the most famous diary ever written. £5.99 Save 25%

Guest Editor – Belle de Jour

Our fabulous Guest Editor this month is Belle de Jour. Belle rose to prominence with her award winning blog about her life as a London call girl. Her diaries, The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl and The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl, have both been bestsellers and adapted for a hit TV series starring Billie Piper. After six years of anonymity, Belle de Jour revealed her true identity in November 2009 as research scientist Dr Brooke Magnanti. If anyone is qualified to talk about men, she is and her latest book - Belle de Jour’s Guide to Men - is a comprehensive guide to men for girls. Whether it’s to find one, lure one, hitch one or ditch one this witty guide is a must have for all women! Belle has also exclusively agreed to share with us the books that are personally special to her and we hope you find inspiration from her choices.

New Blood. September Debuts of the Month

Rupture Simon Lelic What happens when a small town teacher walks into morning assembly with a gun and kills three pupils, one colleague and then himself? And who is to blame? Award winning intrigue. £5.99 Save 25%

The Waste Land Simon Acland A gripping, well crafted tale of Hugh de Verdon’s quest for The Holy Grail during the extraordinary historical events of the First Crusade. £5.99 Save 25%

Calling all Crime Fans – The C.W.A. Daggers Shortlist

The ‘Daggers’ are the longest established literary awards in the British Isles and have come to be internationally recognised as a symbol of excellence and achievement. There are many prizes announced through the year and recently the shortlists for the ‘New Blood’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Ian Fleming’ daggers were announced. We are featuring the lists on the site prior to the winners being revealed, in a televised award ceremony in September. So, go to the site and take a look at the fantastic finalists and get your inspiration for your next bedside table book.

A Classic Comeback – Great Modern Classics

Some of the great modern classics are due for republication this year which means that this month you have a great opportunity to discover some titles that you may have missed first time around. There is a special feature on the Lovereading site listing them all, but here are some just to whet your appetite: Wild Swans by Jung Chang, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and Sea Biscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. Re-discover one today...

If you like … you’ll love. Literary Matchmaking

We’ve all got friends who read more than we do and sometimes these friends are useful in helping us work out what to read next. But do bear us in mind as well! At Lovereading, we hope you’ll consider our guidance as a ‘friend’ too! Let us help you discover new authors and titles through our hand-picked perfect matches that are not selected by a computer as they are on other online bookshops but in the traditional way by human hand and thought! This month we have a special feature in which the Lovereading team has picked out just a few of these interesting connections. For example; if you like Terry Pratchett, try Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde; if you’re a fan of Jodi Picoult, try Before The Storm by Diane Chamberlain or if you’re a fan of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction then try Anne O’Brien. Of course, for the full service you just need to go to the Lovereading site and use the exclusive ‘Author Like for Like’ tool … Then go to a dinner party and show off a little! (www.lovereading.co.uk/authorrec)

James Tait Black Memorial Prize winners

Authors AS Byatt and John Carey have joined giants such as DH Lawrence in winning Britain’s oldest book awards. Former Booker Prize winner, AS Byatt, has won for her much praised novel, The Children’s Book and John Carey for his book, William Golding: The Man Who Wrote Lord of The Flies. Interestingly, Golding himself won the same prize in 1979. The James Tait Memorial Prize is the only major British book awards judged by scholars and students and is awarded to the best work of fiction and the best biography published over the last 12 months. So. That’s it. The September basket of great reads and features available on Lovereading this Autumn. We hope we’ve inspired you to get online and start looking for your next great escape, whatever kind of writing you’re into. See you next month for more great ideas. Until then, happy reading!

PS. Man Booker Prize 2010

One more thing! The Shortlists for the 2010 Man Booker Prize are due to be announced on 7th September, so look out for them. You can see the shortlist on the Lovereading site, form then, and read free Opening Extracts of them all – and if you have an iPhone you can even download a special App...