María Dueñas, 47, never intended to write a bestselling novel. She never even dreamed of becoming a fiction writer. A professor for almost 20 years, with a Ph.D. in English philology, Dueñas says she was perfectly happy teaching at the University of Murcia in Spain. But she also says she felt it was time for something new.  The Seamstress is her second novel.

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Penguin authors at the Edinburgh International Book Festival which runs from 11th to 27th August. Our featured author for August, Maria Dueñas, makes an apperance on Monday 20th August. We've got some summer reading suggestions for you including The Best of Everything, highly recommended by the Penguin Readers' Editor 'enthralling from start to finish', and Charles Dickens: A Life, which critics have praised as 'flawless.. fascinating'.

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The Whitehaven Library Reading Group in Cumbria reviewed The Seamstress by Maria Duenas. They started their review with the words 'Lost in translation?  Not a bit of it!'  They thought the book was 'superbly written' and the author's 'descriptive powers were excellent'.  Having enjoyed this book, they are looking forward to the next one.

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Stefanie Bierwerth, Editorial Director, Michael Joseph has chosen Disgrace by Jussi Adler-Olsen.  She thinks that 'Jussi is an amazing treat for everyone who enjoys a stellar crime novel' and although the book 'takes you to some of the darkest places of the human psyche, I mean that in a really good and fascinating way'.

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Our featured author, Maria Duenas has some unexpected book recommendations for our Readers.  They include The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton, 'her descriptions of ginger beer and Scotch eggs seemed exotic and delicious to Mediterranean boys and girls' and Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 'for Cervantes's mastery of the language'.  Find out what other books she's picked as her favourites.

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Fans of Marian Keyes will love The Space Between Us, a heart-breaking story of friendship from award-nominated author, Anna McPartlin. From babyhood Eve and Lily were best friends. But one huge fight and 17 years later Eve wakes up from a horrific accident to find her old friend nursing her.  Little do they suspect that their friendship is under a threat that will change the future forever ...

We have 10 copies of The Space Between Us to give away.

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Have you been saving up some books for your summer reading? Let us know what they are on the Penguin Readers' Forum. Here at Penguin Readers' we're toying with the idea of one big book to stay occupied over the summer period: Charles Dickens: A Life, or  Penguin's Alternative to Erotic Fiction.

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