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Created page with "If you'd like to sign up for our monthly newsletter, just drop us [mailto:subscribe@thebookbag.co.uk an email]. We won't bother you more than once a month, but we'll tell you ..."
If you'd like to sign up for our monthly newsletter, just drop us [mailto:subscribe@thebookbag.co.uk an email]. We won't bother you more than once a month, but we'll tell you about what we've been reading at Bookbag and any news from the site. We promise never to pass your details on to anyone else. In fact... we won't even tell each other.
== August's News from Bookbag Towers ==
Ok. Hi. We hope all is well with all of you. World news this month has been ''so'' horribly unhappy and depressing, hasn't it? Sometimes, it makes you feel utterly hopeless. We don't have any answers here at Bookbag but we do wish peace for all people in every country and we hope that one day humanity will achieve it. One possible way is, in the words of the proverb, to walk a mile in another man's shoes. Books can help us do this. Books allow us to see the world through someone else's eyes, to put ourselves in someone else's place. They can be distractions but they can also be tools of comings-together. And it's in that spirit of comings-together that we bring you this month's newsletter.
Anyone who frequents Twitter will know that it's a mixed blessing. It's a mine of wonderful information and supportive camaraderie. It's also - unfortunately - home to a lot of people who take great pleasure in causing pain to others. But in amongst all this are a few gems and one of them is [https://twitter.com/Queen_UK @Queen_UK], a delightful satire on members of the royal family, celebrities, the political classes and the state of Her Majesty's nation. Or, ''one's nation'' as Ma'am would say. [[Still Reigning by The Queen|Still Reigning]] is her second bookand it's the sort of parody which leaves you wondering if the writer might not be someone ''very'' close to the original. You really must read it.
Her Majesty does not do interviews, but all at Bookbag dropped their Union Jack flags and waved a curtsy when The Queen of Twitter [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To The Queen|made a royal visit]] to Bookbag Towers. Go and read all about it!
'''Golden Hour'''
We're going back to 2003 this month, and featuring [[Doing It by Melvin Burgess]]. It's a funny and truthful peek into the minds of sex-obsessed teenage boys. And girls aren't left out, either. Parents might find it shocking but the kids will find it as real as they did a decade ago. Melvin Burgess popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Melvin Burgess|chat to us]] about it, too. As ever, he has plenty to say!
'''Books of the Month'''
And on to to the new...
.
In fiction, we have a slice of smart sci-fi for you this month. Sam loved [[Afterparty by Daryl Gregory]]. People have been taking pills and seeing God for years, but in ''Afterparty'' Daryl Gregory is taking the idea of smart drugs one step further. What happens if after a particularly bad trip you have an omnipresent God with you? Is this a sense of wellbeing, or are you now just schizophrenic? In the near future people take drugs not only for their cures, but also their side effects and seeing deities may be the worst side effect of all. This is a darkly comic creation that questions why we are here and should we really care?
In non-fiction, Louise thinks you should look at [[Psy-Q: You know your IQ - now test your psychological intelligence by Ben Ambridge|Psy-Q by Ben Ambridge]], a fun and interactive slice of 'Pop-Science' which delves into various psychology topics, with the aim of entertaining and enlightening the reader and debunking a few myths along the way. Most of the chapters are only a couple of pages long and include quizzes, personality profiles, experiments, optical illusions and the odd cheesy joke thrown in for good measure. The result is a readable, accessible and un-putdownable book that she managed to devour in an entire afternoon.
For tweens, Jill is recommending one of her favourite books of the year so far. [[Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan]] is the gorgeous story of a girl reuniting with her mother after 11 years. Things don't go as she'd hoped - you knew they wouldn't, didn't you? It's beautifully written and heartwrenching in all the right ways. This is one you really should not miss. So don't!
'''Features'''
In addition to our conversation with Her Imaginary Majesty, we have a couple of super features for you this month. Firstly, we couldn't believe it when we realised that it was five years since Jim first reviewed for Bookbag. Time goes so quickly when you're enjoying yourself! It was a tough job but Jim rose to the challenge of selecting his [[Jim's Top 15 Books Reviewed in the Last 5 Years |top fifteen books]]. Here's to another fifteen in 2019, Jim!
And Sue was so convinced by Kim Staflund's book [[How to Publish a Bestselling Book ... and Sell It Worldwide Based on Value, Not Price! by Kim Staflund|How to Publish a Bestselling Book ... and Sell It Worldwide Based on Value, Not Price!]] that she was tempted to give it a go - and she hasn't even written a book. When Kim popped in to see us she had a [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Kim Staflund|good few questions]] to ask.
'''Reviewers'''
We're always on the look out for people to join our panel of reviewers at Bookbag. We need people who understand that the reader wants to know what the reviewer thinks about the book and not just what's written on the back cover. If you think that you're one of these special people that we're looking for, we want to hear from you. You can find details of how to apply [[Reviewer Vacancies|here]] on the site. Don't be shy!
'''Competitions'''
We have [[Competitions|competitions]] for some great books going this month, and every month, so get entering!
And that's about it for this month. If you're passing Bookbag Towers do pop in and see us – we're at [[The Bookbag|www.thebookbag.co.uk]].
'''''All at Bookbag Towers'''''
(PS – if you don't want to receive further copies of our newsletter please [mailto:unsubscribe@thebookbag.co.uk email us] and we'll see that you're deleted from the mailing list.)
[[Category:Newsletters|* 2014 08]]
== August's News from Bookbag Towers ==
Ok. Hi. We hope all is well with all of you. World news this month has been ''so'' horribly unhappy and depressing, hasn't it? Sometimes, it makes you feel utterly hopeless. We don't have any answers here at Bookbag but we do wish peace for all people in every country and we hope that one day humanity will achieve it. One possible way is, in the words of the proverb, to walk a mile in another man's shoes. Books can help us do this. Books allow us to see the world through someone else's eyes, to put ourselves in someone else's place. They can be distractions but they can also be tools of comings-together. And it's in that spirit of comings-together that we bring you this month's newsletter.
Anyone who frequents Twitter will know that it's a mixed blessing. It's a mine of wonderful information and supportive camaraderie. It's also - unfortunately - home to a lot of people who take great pleasure in causing pain to others. But in amongst all this are a few gems and one of them is [https://twitter.com/Queen_UK @Queen_UK], a delightful satire on members of the royal family, celebrities, the political classes and the state of Her Majesty's nation. Or, ''one's nation'' as Ma'am would say. [[Still Reigning by The Queen|Still Reigning]] is her second bookand it's the sort of parody which leaves you wondering if the writer might not be someone ''very'' close to the original. You really must read it.
Her Majesty does not do interviews, but all at Bookbag dropped their Union Jack flags and waved a curtsy when The Queen of Twitter [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To The Queen|made a royal visit]] to Bookbag Towers. Go and read all about it!
'''Golden Hour'''
We're going back to 2003 this month, and featuring [[Doing It by Melvin Burgess]]. It's a funny and truthful peek into the minds of sex-obsessed teenage boys. And girls aren't left out, either. Parents might find it shocking but the kids will find it as real as they did a decade ago. Melvin Burgess popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Melvin Burgess|chat to us]] about it, too. As ever, he has plenty to say!
'''Books of the Month'''
And on to to the new...
.
In fiction, we have a slice of smart sci-fi for you this month. Sam loved [[Afterparty by Daryl Gregory]]. People have been taking pills and seeing God for years, but in ''Afterparty'' Daryl Gregory is taking the idea of smart drugs one step further. What happens if after a particularly bad trip you have an omnipresent God with you? Is this a sense of wellbeing, or are you now just schizophrenic? In the near future people take drugs not only for their cures, but also their side effects and seeing deities may be the worst side effect of all. This is a darkly comic creation that questions why we are here and should we really care?
In non-fiction, Louise thinks you should look at [[Psy-Q: You know your IQ - now test your psychological intelligence by Ben Ambridge|Psy-Q by Ben Ambridge]], a fun and interactive slice of 'Pop-Science' which delves into various psychology topics, with the aim of entertaining and enlightening the reader and debunking a few myths along the way. Most of the chapters are only a couple of pages long and include quizzes, personality profiles, experiments, optical illusions and the odd cheesy joke thrown in for good measure. The result is a readable, accessible and un-putdownable book that she managed to devour in an entire afternoon.
For tweens, Jill is recommending one of her favourite books of the year so far. [[Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan]] is the gorgeous story of a girl reuniting with her mother after 11 years. Things don't go as she'd hoped - you knew they wouldn't, didn't you? It's beautifully written and heartwrenching in all the right ways. This is one you really should not miss. So don't!
'''Features'''
In addition to our conversation with Her Imaginary Majesty, we have a couple of super features for you this month. Firstly, we couldn't believe it when we realised that it was five years since Jim first reviewed for Bookbag. Time goes so quickly when you're enjoying yourself! It was a tough job but Jim rose to the challenge of selecting his [[Jim's Top 15 Books Reviewed in the Last 5 Years |top fifteen books]]. Here's to another fifteen in 2019, Jim!
And Sue was so convinced by Kim Staflund's book [[How to Publish a Bestselling Book ... and Sell It Worldwide Based on Value, Not Price! by Kim Staflund|How to Publish a Bestselling Book ... and Sell It Worldwide Based on Value, Not Price!]] that she was tempted to give it a go - and she hasn't even written a book. When Kim popped in to see us she had a [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Kim Staflund|good few questions]] to ask.
'''Reviewers'''
We're always on the look out for people to join our panel of reviewers at Bookbag. We need people who understand that the reader wants to know what the reviewer thinks about the book and not just what's written on the back cover. If you think that you're one of these special people that we're looking for, we want to hear from you. You can find details of how to apply [[Reviewer Vacancies|here]] on the site. Don't be shy!
'''Competitions'''
We have [[Competitions|competitions]] for some great books going this month, and every month, so get entering!
And that's about it for this month. If you're passing Bookbag Towers do pop in and see us – we're at [[The Bookbag|www.thebookbag.co.uk]].
'''''All at Bookbag Towers'''''
(PS – if you don't want to receive further copies of our newsletter please [mailto:unsubscribe@thebookbag.co.uk email us] and we'll see that you're deleted from the mailing list.)
[[Category:Newsletters|* 2014 08]]