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Readers have voted for Emylia Hall’s debut novel The Book of Summers (Headline) as their number one “favourite read” from the Richard and Judy Summer 2012 Book Club promotion held with W H Smith.
Members of the public voted for their favourite title from the 10 selected for the famous couple’s book club through the retailer’s website, with the feature attracting increasing participation from readers, according to the retailer.
Voted second was The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas (Black Swan) and third was The Thread by Victoria Hislop (also Headline).
Hall said she was “so, so happy—and more than a little stunned” with the win. “Being chosen for the Richard and Judy Summer Book Club has been a dream from start to finish; the excitement of initially finding out, the interview with Richard and Judy themselves, meeting readers via the Facebook webchat, signing books in the WHSmith in Exeter—the town where I was born,” she said. “It's been a joyful summer, and the vote result, especially given the brilliance of the other books, is the cherry on the cake.”
Richard Madeley called The Book of Summers “a delicate, atmospheric tale, with moments as gentle and warm and languorous as its title, but with powerful running tensions too".
WHS said its Book Club Podcast is also going from strength to strength with more than half a million downloads on iTunes to date.