We hope the weather's good where you are and you've managed to fit in some blissful outdoor reading. June seems like a time for great literary inspiration – in June 1816 Mary Shelley was staying at Lord Byron's villa on Lake Geneva, with her husband Percy, when they decided to all write ghost stories. Mary's would become Frankenstein. Years later in June 1990, while sitting on a delayed train, J K Rowling first had the idea for her story of a young boy who goes to a school of wizardry!

Author of the Month – TV reporter turned novelist Gerald Seymour

Gerald led a long and brilliant career reporting from areas of conflict around the world before turning his hand to writing novels. His superb new thriller, The Collaborator, is out now in paperback, and for those who’d rather listen there’s a brilliant unabridged audio book, So, whether reading or listening it could make your daily commute fly by.

Guest Editor – Patrick Gale

Patrick was born on the Isle of Wight in 1962 and following his degree at Oxford has, by his own admission never had a grown up job. He now lives in the far-reaches of Cornwall raising cattle and his love affair for the country has feeds his work. His long-awaited brilliant new book, Gentleman's Relish, is his second collection of darkly comic and imaginative short stories. As our Guest Editor this month he has also shared with us some books by other authors that have really inspired him over the years and why.

A big bunch of Books of the Month

City-Pick: Amsterdam The latest in the informative, inspirational and interesting series of travel books that use snippets of writing by published authors to give a flavour of a place. This time Amsterdam. £6.74 Save 25%	Genesis Bernard Beckett A challenging, quirky but fantastic novel set in a troubled future that young adults will also devour. £5.24 Save 25%
The Wings of the Sphinx Andrea Camilleri Montalbano, the quintessential Italian detective, is back in this latest hugely enjoyable series. £11.24 Save 25%	Beatrice and Virgil Yann Martel From the author of the Booker winning, Life of Pi comes a haunting story about the relationship between humans and animals. It’s breathtaking. £11.99 Save 25%
Play Dead Harlan Coben A romantic suspense novel written by bestselling Harlan Coben in his 20s! Different in style but not to be missed. £5.99 Save 25%	And Another Thing ... Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Part Six of Three Eoin Colfer Eoin takes up Douglas Adams' mantle for the next installment of Hitchhikers’ Guide, the 6th in the Trilogy! £5.99 Save 25%
The Moonstone Legacy Diana De Gunzburg, Tony Wild A debut that picks up from Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone, this is a mysterious and intriguing story about a young girl who sets out to discover the truth about her mother's tragic death.. £6.74 Save 25%	A Life Like Other People's Alan Bennett An incredibly poignant memoir about Bennett's parent’s relationship, and his own childhood. £5.99 Save 25%
Hush, Hush Becca Fitzpatrick A book full of angels and the paranormal that both teenagers and adults will love. £5.24 Save 25%	Numbers 2: The Chaos Rachel Ward Something awful is going to happen in 2027 – but what is it? And what can Adam do about it? £5.24 Save 25%
What I Saw and How I Lied Judy Blundell A post WW2 coming of age book that started as a teen novel sensation has now grown up and is now taking the rest of the reading world by storm. £5.24 Save 25%	The Cardturner Louis Sachar From the author of the brilliant children’s book Holes comes a fantastically imaginative story about Alton and his blind, ageing uncle that adults will love as well. £9.74 Save 25%

Maxim's Crime Duos

If you've ever read all the work of one particular novelist and then worried you won't be able to find similarly brilliant reading experiences ever again, then fear no more! Our crime fiction expert, Maxim Jakubowski has put together some pairs of authors who work in similar moods or genres. So if you love one, you'll probably like the other too. Find inspiration for your next book right here and don’t forget you can always use our Author Like-for-Like recommendation tool to find new authors when ever you are feeling adventurous..

Fantastic first-timers - The Desmond Elliott Prize

This prestigious prize is awarded annually for a first novel written in English. You can find out more about the incredible books shortlisted right here on Lovereading.

Stunning first books – our Debuts of the Month

Repeat it Today with Tears Anne Peile A startling, exciting novel about pre-punk teenage London. £8.24 Save 25%	Soul Murder Daniel Blake Tense and enthralling novel introducing Francesco Patrese – FBI specialist for religious crime. £5.24 Save 25%
Thin Blue Smoke Doug Worgul A beautiful story about love and loss, hope and despair, and barbecues and the blues. £5.99 Save 25%	I Kill Giorgio Faletti A serial killer is on the loose in Monte Carlo, who announces his heinous acts in advance with desperate phone calls! £5.24 Save 25%
The Sky is Everywhere Jandy Nelson This is a heartbreaking, sometime’s funny novel about grief that will really appeal to those who lap up romantic fiction. £5.99 Save 25%	The Last Summer of the Death Warriors Francisco X. Stork A buddy novel of the highest calibre about the story of a friendship that helps two young men become all they can be. £8.24 Save 25%
Virgin Widow - England's Forgotten Queen Anne O'Brien A truly engrossing romance, drawn from history and wonderfully told. £5.99 Save 25%

What the experts say – Editor’s Choice

In this special section of Lovereading you can find out what various high-profile editors from the top publishing houses in the UK are tipping for the top – an insider's insight into the latest incredible books.

Fine ale and fine ‘crime’ writing

The long list for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2010 has just been announced. Our personal favourites in the Lovereading office are Ian Rankin's Doors Open and R J Ellory's A Simple Act of Violence. Voting for the shortlist is open to the public with the final list announced on 1st July so, have a look yourself and vote for your favourite.

For heavens sake do better than socks!

Father's Day is fast approaching. This year look no further and find a book for him. Here on Lovereading we have collected together a small but perfectly formed special selection of books guaranteed to make your dad proud. And finally, we just had to tell you about one of the most talked about books within the book world at the moment and we’ve persuaded the publisher to let us have an exclusive pre-publication extract to get your mouth watering. It’s called The Passage and it’s published on 24th June. Why not, check out the first couple of chapters right here, right now. We hope there is plenty here to keep you happy, reading and listening for another month in between, for some of you at least, the ups and downs of the World Cup – enjoy finding some amazing stories on Lovereading.co.uk and take a look at the prizes on offer this month in the competitions page.

A newgen film tie in for teenage movie fans who love reading too

4.3.2.1 is a roller-coaster diamond heist thrill ride novelisation of Noel Clarke's big movie project of the same name. Noel wrote the screenplay and the book, so you can be sure they are both equally fantastic adventures! P.S You may well have seen that JG Farrell, who died in 1979, has won the ‘Lost’ Man Booker. The Troubles was our favourite to take the prize all along, so we're thrilled that it has finally got the recognition it deserves, albeit after his death and after 40 years. Happy Reading