Lime Books

Not long now until the Chelsea Flower Show gets into full bloom! From 20-24th May the Chelsea Flower Show throws open its doors for people to discover the delights of flowers, plants, garden designs and gardening for everyone to discover, whatever your age or ability.

Organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, it has been going for 95 years and is a major event on the summer social calendar.

Here are a few statistics to ponder over and wonder at:

• Started it 1913


• Uses over 590 tonnes of soil


• Sees over 157,000 visitors


• Takes 21 days to set up before the doors open

If you can't make it yourself this year why not treat yourself and buy this amazing book detailing the history, colour and variety displayed at the Greatest Flower Show on Earth.




Chelsea: The Greatest Flower Show on Earth (RHS)
By Leslie Geddes-Brown

It's a busy couple of days ahead as sunday 11th May sees us celebrate International Mother's Day and Nurse's Day on Monday 12th May.

You can find lots of book ideas at LimeBooks.co.uk and plenty of card and gift ideas for both celebrations at GiftChooser.co.uk.

It has been revealed that books are the most popular item to buy online and the numbers are only getting larger!

Statistics worldwide show 41% of people using the internet have bought a book online at some point in time, a rise of 6% from 2 years ago. The UK is tenth in the world for buying the greatest number of books by the magic of the web, some 14.5 million people.

People buy books for themselves not as a luxury anymore, but as a daily or weekly treat and by buying online you can generally grab yourself a pretty good bargain.

Books are also bought as gifts, for book clubs and as a bit of holiday reading as bank holidays and summer holidays approach.

Buy Books online at LimeBooks.co.uk

It's that time of year when the Orange Prize for Fiction comes into town and the shortlist of books is announced.

They also do a New Writers Award (for females only) - which was launched in 2005. It runs in conjunction with the Orange Prize for Fiction but aims to promote short story fiction and novellas. In its 3 years it has done well at promoting new talent and created an appreciation of shorter fiction writing.

Last years winner was Karen Connolly with her novel The Lizard Cage

This years nominees for the prize are:

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

Inglorious by Joanna Kavenna

The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam by Lauren Liebenberg

The winner will be announced on 3rd June 2008 and receive their prize of a £10,000 bursary so they can pursue their work with greater freedom.

The famous international award for the best full-length novel of the year. Set up to promote english fiction by women novelists worldwide.

The shortlist for this years competition has just been announced and the nominees are as follows;

Fault Lines by Nancy Huston
A highly gifted 6 year old boy called Sol whose devoted mum feels sure that he is destined for great things.

The Outcast by Sadie Jones
Essentially the tale about a man adapting to life outside of jail after being released.

When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson
A story based around the secrets of the Rubin family that emerge after the collapse of the wedding of Leo, her eldest son.

Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill
The tale tells us of the struggling life of a girl growing up with her drug addict father after her mothers death.

The Road Home by Rose Tremain
Lev is an Eastern European migrant worker. The book tells us his story as he travels to England to seek a better life for his mum and daughter.

Lottery by Patricia Wood
The novel is about an orphaned man, Perry, who scoops the jackpot and discovers he has a whole new family.

The winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction gets a healthy £30,000 cheque and a limited edition bronze statue named Bessie.

Award ceremony is held on 4th June 2008 in London.

Last years winner was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie with her novel, Half of a Yellow Sun

It's only a couple of weeks away on 23rd April. Plenty of people are getting busy organising parties to celebrate our National Day - any excuse for a party!

It is becoming more of a big deal to many people, and whilst the campaign to make it a bank holiday in the UK is ongoing, everyone is pushing their national pride in their own way.

Some people plan a big St George's Day party using the national colours of white and red, flying the flag, waving the giant inflatable hand and of course dressing up. The curly red and white wig is always popular!

Others buy and send cards or gifts for people. Related gifts are popular, especially if their birthday falls on the 23rd.

St George was originally known for being a brave soldier in the 3rd century and a staunch Christian but was beheaded for his beliefs by the Romans. Since then there have been many stories about him, well myths really, in particular the famous George and the Dragon story that has been passed on down the years (but is just a story).

We don't know that much about the real George, but this book details everything we do know about our Patron Saint - St.George: Patron Saint of England by Christopher Stace.

For kids, this lovely illustrated storybook makes a great gift idea - George and the Dragon by Christopher Wormell.

1st April is April Fool's Day, a time for pranks, jokes, tricks and people to make a fool of themselves and each other!

How April Fool's Day started nobody knows. There are lots of theories, but it appears it has been a general day of merriment all over the world for centuries. Interestingly when we switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, New Years Day moved from 1st April to 1st January, is this a coincidence?

Apparently those who hated the change of New Year decided to continue celebrating on 1st April and it still goes on.

Not a traditional day of gift giving, but if you are looking at telling a few jokes or playing a few pranks on family, friends or work colleagues, then read all about it at GiftChooser.co.uk.




Buy this joke book for just £7.99

Easter has been celebrated for centuries, but only recently has it become more commercialised, as with so many other dates on our calendar.

Easter has its religious connotations, it is also a time where we can pig pout on chocolate and not feel guilty. It may also be a time that you savour as you get a few days holiday. What better way to enjoy your time off work than to settle down with a good book.

Here are the current Top 5 best selling paperbacks

1. Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka

2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

3. Sisters by Danielle Steel

4. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child

5. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

But if you are looking to buy something else for family and friends this Easter, check out GiftChooser.co.uk

For the best in edible gift ideas this list of Best 20 Easter Eggs for 2008 will get your mouth watering

Or if you fancy buying presents that are a little bit different this year, why not look at the Alternative Easter Gifts guide at Giftchooser.co.uk

Spring is in the air. Can you tell? It seems to be the time when a multitude of half marathons and marathons begin with a flurry of beginners, amateurs and and professional runners all vying to cross the finish line.

Some just want to finish in a record time, whilst others merely want to finish. I am sure it will be a great feeling of accomplishment to achieve my goal of finishing in one piece, having experienced the atmosphere and elation felt when my friend completed the London marathon years ago.

Talking of which the Flora London Marathon 2008, one of the most famous Marathons, is just a few weeks away, kicks off on 13th April.

However, I will be just looking at completing the Hastings Half Marathon that I have signed up for. My first attempt at any formal type of race will see me jogging 13 miles up and down the hills of Hastings Town and promenade in an effort to raise money for the Tree of Life for Animals (TOLFA), a close friends animal charity in India.

Wish I had bought this excellent book though to help me prepare better - The Marathon and Half Marathon Training Guide by Graeme Hilditch.

Maybe next year!

6th March 2008 is the 11th World Book Day. The day is used to promote reading and enjoying the wide variety of books that are available.

World Book Day has lots of events going on such as book exchanges, reading groups, author talks and signings. There are also 9 new books children's books for just £1 that have been written and published especially for World Book Day.

2008 also happens to be the National Year of Reading, and apparently the book that everyone is taking about is Boy A by the author, Jonathan Trigell.

Boy A by Jonathan Trigell is his debut novel. It tells the story of a young man who, after committing a heinous crime as a boy and spending his childhood in prison, is released back into the real world at 24, with a new identity. It is a sometimes harrowing tale of Boy A's rehabilitation which proves to be incredibly insufficent, and his dream to find peace and stability in the world around him.

Described as an 'engrossing read', 'compelling', 'beautifully written' and 'thought-provoking', this book is surely one to add to your list of 'Books To Read'.

Mum's Day is really early this year, Sunday 2nd March. Mothering Sunday has been celebrated for years but hasn't lost its original meaning, to show your Mum that you love her.

If you haven't bought a gift yet, or are stuck for gift ideas, then it's not too late.

You can always go the traditional route and buy a lovely bunch of flowers, or a scrummy box of chocolates however they never last for very long, so how about a book?

A special book is something she can keep forever and there are plenty to choose from.

Check out this selection of speciality books specifically created for mums on Mothers Day.

• To My Lovely Mother on Mother's Day



• With Love on Mother's Day



• Happy Mother's Day

Or even a compilation CD of classic songs your mum will adore.

• To Mum With Love 40 tunes for a No 1 Mum!



• World's Best Mum: 40 Songs to Show How Much You Care

Oh, and don't forget to send her a card too!

In today's world of glitz and glamour and the obsession we have for celebrity gossip, it is also becoming more and more common to see everyday folk go under the knife. Cosmetic surgery isn't just reserved for the rich or famous anymore. Sharon from down the road could be having her boobs enlarged, Matt from work could be having liposuction and Aunty June may be booking a face lift for her 60th!

I am not sure if this is because cosmetic surgery is more accessible, if people have more money to spend on procedures like plastic surgery, whether loans for cosmetic surgery are more readily accepted or if we have realised that we all have the right to look and feel good.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with surgery to enhance your features, especially if it makes you feel better about yourself. It's just when beautiful people ruin their looks by having too much or if they use it as an opportunity to make themselves look like someone else's clone.

Anyway, cosmetic surgery is something you must consider very carefully before going ahead with, read up about how you should go about it. After all you wouldn't buy a car without checking it out first, would you?

There is a whole host of guide books out there to read, but Cosmetic Surgery for Dummies guide book is a great place to start.

As we are well and truly approaching spring, the sound of wedding invites popping through the letterbox starts. There is something about weddings in spring and summer. They are obviously a popular time to get married, as many brides hope to get a perfect sunny wedding day and photos to prove it. But they can also get more expensive as you start to pay for getting married in peak season.

Weddings are expensive and many engaged couples actually end up paying for weddings themselves (not like the olden days when it was the bride's father who paid the bill), so the sooner you start saving and planning, the better. If you are having trouble saving the funds, you can always get extra help by way of a wedding loan.

Planning a wedding from start to finish is a full time job and many people will be on a budget in order to help with financing your perfect wedding day.

Every prospective bride will begin planning their day as soon as they get engaged, if not before. Because we are aiming for the best day of our lives, the pressure can be great. Investing in a guide book to help is a sensible course of action and should benefit you greatly. Helping you get organised, giving you ideas and detailing how to make solid plans.

Self-help books can also give you a selection of gift ideas that you may want for your wedding list, plans to make your honeymoon truly memorable and unique. Essentially the book will act as your bible for the months ahead offering advice, support and suggestions - so they are well worth getting.

Check out some of the wedding guide books available.

Love is well and truly in the air. February 14th of every year is traditionally St Valentines Day, a day where it is compulsory to tell someone just how much you love them.

It isn't long until Valentine's Day and if you are looking for Valentine's gift ideas then read on.

You may want to look into buying traditional roses, chocolates or jewellery or whisking your loved one away for a naughty but nice weekend break somewhere.

If you're on a budget though, how about a nice romance novel? This years Romance Novel of the Year Award has just announced it's shortlisted books. If your Valentine is a bookworm and loves a classic romantic read or a good old-fashioned bodice ripper, then have a gander at the books on offer.

• One Last Summer by Catrin Collier
  


• Pillow Talk by Freya North
  


• Silk and Steel by Catherine King
  


• Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes
  


• The Leaving of Liverpool by Maureen Lee
  


• Young Wives' Tales by Adele Parks
  

Oh and whatever you get - don't forget a Valentine's day card!

Yesterday, it was revealed that the winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award was AL Kennedy. The judging panel, chaired by author Joanna Trollope, thought it was "a masterpiece".

Kennedy, a scottish author and stand up comedian, was favourite to win with the book Day.

Day tells the tale of Alfie Day, a tail gunner during the second world war. This war veteran's past is revealed throughout the book as he works as an extra during the filming of a POW film and how he has to confront past memories of his time during this terrible moment in history.

Now she has won this award, it should make her work better known to the masses and increase her audience range.

Don't miss out! Buy the book here.

Winter has almost been banished, and there is a definite change in the air. Spring is just around the corner and this is one of the busiest times of the year for buying and selling houses, spring cleaning our attics and decorating our homes.

With DIY being one of the UK's top hobbies, we are all itching to get our paintbrushes and drills out. Not only can home improvements make our homes nicer places to live in, but they can also increase their value. So if you ever do decide to move then a lick of paint, wooden flooring or a brand spanking new kitchen could prove worthwhile.

Why not go the whole hog and take out a home improvement loan, which will allow you to do some larger home improvement work, such as converting your loft, replacing your windows with double glazing or building an extension. Increasing the living space in your home is the best way to increase its value and so could actually turn out to be a worthwhile investment. Just remember to get a professional involved though. We don't want any injuries or botched jobs. This may end up creating more problems or a drop in value!

Here are a selection of books from Amazon that could prove to be useful.

The author who brought us Kay Scarpetta, the infamous female chief medical examiner, has returned with Scarpetta's latest epic, Book of the Dead.

If you have read any of Cornwells previous books you'll know they are pretty gritty thrillers about murder and motives - a bit like CSI in paperback form.

In her latest novel, Book of the Dead, refers to the logging book that belongs to the morgue Scarpetta works in. This log details every body that has gone through the doors.

Scarpetta has set up a new practice, and soon finds the bodies piling up, each murder more violent and gruesome than the previous one - will Kay Scarpetta's name be the next name to be entered into the Book of the Dead?

And in a latest attempt to gain some publicity for the book, Cornwell has asked for fans to submit an entry into her competition, create an advert to promote the book. The winner will be chosen on 17th March 2008 and their 20 second short film or script will be used to create the promotional TV advert.

Take at look at Patricia Cornwells previous books too.

The Costa Book Awards for 2007 were revealed last night on BBC Radio 4.

The winners are as follows:

The 2007 Costa Novel Award Winner went to A.L. Kennedy for Day

2007's Costa First Novel Award Winner went to Catherine O'Flynn for What Was Lost What Was Lost

The 2007 Costa Biography Award Winner was Simon Sebag Montefiore for Young Stalin

2007's Costa Poetry Award Winner was Jean Sprackland for Tilt

2007 Costa Children's Book Award Winner was awarded to Ann Kelley for The Bower Bird

All we are waiting for now is the Costa Book of the Year 2007 which will be selected from the 5 winning books - come back on January 22nd for the results.

If you have read any of the books that were nominated or won a Costa Book Award, let us know what you thought of it by leaving a comment.

A literary survey reveals that we brits just can't stop re-reading our fave books. In fact 77% of us have said that we will re-read a book again if we enjoyed it first time round. A quarter of these would read an enjoyable book at two or three times, and almost a fifth of avid readers would read a good book four times, five times or more!

For many people reading cheers them up and re-reading a favourite book means they are guaranteed to enjoy it. Many people never tire of a particular story and some can even get something new out of a second read - something that was missed the first time.

The results are part of a research project looking into reading habits of the UK. It was commissioned to mark the 2007 Costa Book Awards. It revealed our top 20 most revisited reads. How many have you re-read?

Top 20 Revisited Reads

1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling



2. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien



3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

4. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

6. 1984 by George Orwell

7. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

8. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

10. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

11. Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson

12. To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

13. Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews

14. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

15. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

16. The Bible

17. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

18. Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel by Helen Fielding

19. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

20. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Each year for the past 14 years, the Literary Review has handed out a 'Bad Sex in Fiction' Award.

A panel of judges chooses what has been deemed to be the worst description of a sex scene within a book. The section of the book which could resort the readers to tears of laughter or would not go amiss if it was deleted from the book itself.

Over the years, descriptions of scenes of a sexual nature have either been humourous, tasteless, crude or downright bizarre. There is often a lot of poetic licence involved as each author tries to write a scene which is different than other authors, but which usually ends up sounding ridiculous.

In the running was David Thwellis, Norman Mailer, Jeanette Winterson, Richard Milward, Ali Smith, Christopher Rush, Clare Clark and Gary Shteyngart.

The winner was announced in London on 27th November, and was awarded post-humously to Norman Mailer for his novel The Castle in the Forest

The judges thought that Mailer who died earlier this year,

"were sure he would have taken the prize in good humour"

An extract from the winning book;

'His mouth lathered with her sap, he turned around and embraced her face with all the passion of his own lips and face, ready at last to grind into her with the Hound, drive it into her piety'

Some authors do not take the accolade so graciously though. Tom Woolfe is one of a few who declined to receive their award in person.

Part 6 of our Costa Book Awards 2007 shortlist

The nominations for the Costa Biography Award

* Rudolf Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanagh

The life and loves of Rudolf Nureyev, the great ballet dancer of the 21st century who has left a great legacy to the world of ballet today with his style, choreography and directorship.

* Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy by Ben Macintyre

Britain's most well known double agent who led many lives during the 2nd World War. This biography is as fascinating as the life of Eddie Chapman, also known as Agent ZigZag.

* Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore

This biography tries to uncover the mystery that has always surrounded Stalin. Stalin was charming and yet dangerous and so the book also touches on the Russian revolution and the history that moulded Stalin to become who he was.

* Fatty Batter: How Cricket Saved My Life (Then Ruined It) by Michael Simkins

A biography on Michael Simkins passion for the classic game of cricket which took hold of him from an early age despite his love of sweets and his roundness.


Which ones do you think are the winners!

Final decisions to be announced on 22nd January 2008.

Part 5 of our Costa Book Awards 2007 shortlist

The nominations for the Costa Poetry Award

* The Speed of Dark by Ian Duhig

A book of poetry based on a medieval text, set amongst the fantasy, legends, religion and corruption of the French court during the 12th century.

* The Space of Joy by John Fuller

Poems that recall desire, love, failures and obsession amongst well-known musicians and writers.

* Look We Have Coming to Dover! by Daljit Nagra

A debut collection of funny and poignant poems depicting the lives of several British born Indians.

* Tilt by Jean Sprackland

The authors third book of poetry uses images from a chaotic and distressed world. It is about survival, but still remains beautiful to read.

Come back tomorrow for Part 6 the Costa Biography Award

Part 3 of our Costa Book Awards 2007 shortlist

The nominations for the Costa Children's Book Award

* The Bower Bird by Ann Kelley

The story of Gussie, a 12 year old who is going through the trials and tribulations of adolescence whilst being on a waiting list for a heart transplant operation.

* Crusade by Elizabeth Laird

The tagline reads '2 boys, 2 faiths, 1 unholy war'. Set in Jerusalem, Crusade is the story of two young boys from two very different backgrounds whose lives merge.

* What I Was by Meg Rosoff

Tells the story of Hilary who in his old age recollects his childhood growing up at boarding school in the 60's and his relationship with a young boy he befriends.

* Blood Red, Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick

A historical novel set during the Russian Revolution, a very gothic fairytale story full of thrills, romance and betrayal.

Come back tomorrow for Part 4 the Costa Poetry Award

Part 2 of our Costa Book Awards shortlist.

Shortlisted nominations for the Costa Novel Award

* Skin Lane by Neil Bartlett

Neil Bartletts 3rd novel tells the story of Mr F, a fur coat maker on Skin Lane who begins to suffer from frightening and recurring nightmares. Set in London in the 60's, it is part has been described in part as a fairytale, a story of obsession, and a psychological shocker.

* Day by A.L. Kennedy

A story set in World War II provides an evocative backdrop to the life and tribulations of Alfie Day, a tail gunner during the war. A brutal tale of love, war, death and humanity.

* Death of a Murderer by Rupert Thomson

The story tells of one night in the life of Billy Tyler, a police constable who has to stand guard in the mortuary one night to watch over the body of Myra Hindley, the notorious child-killer.

* The Road Home by Rose Tremain

A funny yet moving tale about Lev, a migrant worker from Poland who moves to Britain to earn money to send back home to support his young daughter. A topical story with plausible characters and a look at Britain from an outsiders point of view.

Come back tomorrow for Part 3, The Costa Children's Book Award

Once upon a time (well 1971) there was an annual Book Award known as the Whitbread Literary Awards. Nowadays however this award is known in reading circles as The Costa Book Awards, now that Costa coffee has taken over the sponsorship of the most popular and well known event in the literary world.

There are 5 categories which highlight the cream of the crop of books written and published in the past year. The shortlist has finally been announced and you can even purchase the books too and judge for yourself.

Costa First Novel Award

*A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

*Gifted by Nikita Lalwani

*What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

*Mosquito by Roma Tearne

Come back tomorrow for the next category shortlist, the Costa Novel Award.