New books for February 2009

We don’t know about you, but here at Lovereading we wish there were more hours in the day to read all of the wonderful titles being published each month. This month we’ve found some real corkers – spell-binding gritty noir, humour and pathos and heart-melting moments.

 

Keep up to date with the Prize Winning books  

One of the most prestigious book awards of the year is the Costa Prize, and the overall winner of the various category winners has just this week been announced as Sebastian Barry, with his love story, The Secret Scripture. But don’t forget that exclusively at Lovereading we also have features and extracts for the entire shortlist, and all the category winners, for you to feast your imaginations on. Rumour has it, it was a close run thing between Barry and Athill, who won the Biography category. The favourite in the Lovereading poll was Sadie Jones with The Outcast but the general consensus in the Lovereading office is that Athill was robbed! Another longstanding award, this time from The Romantic Novelists' Association, has just announced its shortlist, and Lovereading's Peter Crawshaw is on the judging panel! Download some heart-melting free opening extracts of the shortlisted books here. The winner will be announced on 10 February. Why not enter our poll to vote for your personal favourite.

Make the most out of 2009

Our New Year, New You category continues with the addition of one or two further titles that might just help you to achieve your ‘New Year, New You’ goals. We are all feeling the credit crunch so Spendsmart might be the perfect book to help you save some money in these belt-tightening times.

 

 

Romantic Fiction just got darker!

Next up, we have an intriguing new genre to make your heart glow ghostly white. 'Paranormal Romance' is big in the States and, undoubtedly, will be here too if the success of the film Twilight is anything to go by. Download some free Opening Extracts and find out what you get when you combine all the spookiness of the supernatural with romance and seduction. Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the best in this genre and the next in her Dream Hunter series is out now – Dream Warrior.

Author of the Month – Graham Hurley

Author of the Month is crime writer Graham Hurley. His new book, The Price of Darkness is spellbinding, gritty noir that critics have likened to Ian Rankin. An award winning documentary maker, Hurley decided to turn his hand to writing and is now one of our best up and coming crime writers We rate him highly.  

February Books of the Month

We've got some incredible Books of the Month which are sure to keep the grey matter sharp and give your emotions a good workout.

Small World by Matt Beaumont - Humour and pathos abound in, a novel about how every person you come into contact with impacts the way your day goes.	Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith - the gripping first novel, is out in paperback. It's an unputdownable thriller set in a bleak and skilfully realised Stalinist Russia.	The Lost Daughter by Diane Chamberlain - a darkly intriguing novel about an unsolved murder, a missing child, and a lifetime of deception...	The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville's - Her stunning new novel follows an astronomer who arrives in New South Wales with the first British settlers, and finds his life changed by the local Aboriginal people.

 

Discover someone new from our Debuts of the Month

Dance with Wings by Amelia Carr - a heart-warming family drama spanning three generations with an unforgettable love story at its centre.	The Golden Pig by the Penny Brothers - an hilarious odyssey, who took it in turns to write the chapters unfolding this surreal, North London private detective story.	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz - a Pulitzer prize winning literary treat about a ghetto nerd and his family's uproarious journeys in the Dominican Republic and the USA.

The best new books for Teenagers and Young Adults

If you have children who've reached an age where they're looking for more grown-up reading challenges, show them our 'New Gen' section of books written for young adults:    

Weighing it Up by Ali Valenzuela - a teenager's frank account of her successful battle to overcome life-threatening anorexia.	House of Night: Betrayed - the second book in the brilliant series by mother and daughter team P.C and Kristin Cast, set in a 'vampyre finishing school'.	Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd - a powerful book, full of mystery, about a boy, a murder, and the troubles of Northern Ireland – for us it’s a must read!

 

So visit Lovereading, try out some free Opening Extracts from this marvellous mixture of books, and find a few to keep you turning pages into 2009.