Features

Check out the full lists of interviews, top tens and articles.

Emma Barnes Talks To Bookbag About Everyday Magic in Children's Books

When Emma Barnes started writing children's books, she wanted to write about real, breathing, contemporary children from everyday families and neighbourhoods having adventures of the kind that might befall anyone. Read more...

Man Booker Prize 2012

The long list was announced on 25 July and we'll know who has made the shortlist on 11 September. The winner will be announced on 16 October. Read more...

Rosie Thomas Talks To Bookbag About Whether She Writes And Travels - Or Travels And Writes

Rosie Thomas popped in to chat to us about have travel lends perspective to her writing. We were fascinated. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg August 2012 Newsletter

Hi, hello, how are you? Coming down from Olympomania (sic)? It's been marvellous, hasn't it? Even the most dedicated non-sporty geeks amongst us - ahem, Jill - have been beside ourselves with excitement.

Sport over though, we have some fantastic news for you this month! HarperCollins has acquired a fantasy debut by an 18-year-old classical musician, Stefan Bachmann. His book, The Peculiar, will be released in October. You might think that name is familiar - and you'd be right. Stefan is on Bookbag's panel of reviewers and we are so pleased to see he is enjoying such success. He is very talented, but he's also friendly, generous, enthusiastic and generally wonderful to know. You can keep up with Stefan by reading his blog. And watch this space for more about The Peculiar. We're keeping everything crossed for its success! Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Renae Lucas-Hall

We felt that we were in the heart of Japan when we read Tokyo Hearts - A Japanese Love Story and it was a real pleasure to chat to Renae Lucas-Hall when she called in to see us. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg July 2012 Newsletter

Hi, hello, how are you? Andy Murray didn't win Wimbledon. Boo! It keeps raining. Boo!

There's news from The Reading Agency about this year's summer initiative for children. Every year, thousands of families all over the country are involved in the UK's biggest reading event for children in libraries, the Summer Reading Challenge, coordinated by The Reading Agency. In 2012, the Challenge is called Story Lab. The aim of the challenge is to get children to read six books from their library during the summer holidays. Just head to your local library at the beginning of the summer holidays. You can find out more here. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Susie Day

One of our favourite novels for tweens and younger teens so far this year is the absolutely outstanding Pea's Book of Best Friends by Susie Day – a definite modern classic! We were thrilled to interview Susie. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Simon Packham

We thought that Simon Packham's latest novel tackled a difficult subject with warmth and a surprising amount of humour, so we had quitea few questions for him when he came into Bookbag Towers. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Oldman Brook

We thought that The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain by Oldman Brook was a real roller-coaster ride. As soon as we'd picked ourselves up we asked Oldman to pop in and chat to us. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Ruth Warburton

I absolutely loved Ruth Warburton's A Witch in Winter and am just about to get my hands on the sequel A Witch In Love (released next week!) so I was thrilled to get the chance to interview her. Read more...

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2012

With eight great books on the longlist we're looking forward to finding the winner in November. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Gerry Wells

We were very impressed by Gerry Wells' book of short stories based on his experiences of crewing a Sherman tank in WWII. Chatting to him was too good an opportunity to miss. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Jenny Smith

When we read My Big Fat Teen Crisis by Jenny Smith we loved Jenny's breezy writing style. It was a real pleasure to chat to her when she popped in to Bookbag Towers. Read more...

Victoria Eveleigh Talks To Bookbag About Why Pony Books Aren't Just For Girls

Victoria Eveleigh's story about a friendship between a young girl and a wild stallion kept Sue reading well into the night. We were fascinated when Victoria popped in to tell us why pony books are not just for girls. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg June 2012 Newsletter

Wow. First we get a mini heatwave then the skies open and hundreds of people are flooded out of their homes. Where else but Blighty, eh? On the upside, though, we're loving the Sky Arts TV channels at the moment and in particular their coverage of the Hay Festival. For those of us unable to get our diaries in sufficient order to book accommodation a year in advance, it's been great. We almost, but not quite, felt as though we were there. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Cathy Farr

We loved Moon Chase and Moon Crossing and when author Cathy Farr popped into Bookbag Towers we asked her all about fellhounds, Thesk, and how she feels about being a writer. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To David Vann

It's nearly three years since we first discovered the work of David Vann and we're impressed by his latest book. The opportunity to ask the author a few questions was not one to be missed. Read more...

H A Goodman Asks Who Would You Be In An Alternate Reality?

We've really enjoyed our trips around Hal Goodman's afterlife universe, with its dark comedy and glossy plot. He wanted us to think about who we would be in an alternate reality when he popped in to see us. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Stephanie Guerra

We reviewed, and really enjoyed, Stephanie Guerra's Torn earlier this year. She was kind enough to do this interview for us. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Allan Hendry

We enjoyed End Game by Allan Hendry, a fast-paced and action-packed eco-thriller to make you think exactly where we're going - and who is likely to do something about it. We had quite a few questions for the author when he popped in to see us. Read more...

Melissa Wareham Talks To Bookbag About How She Became An Accidental Author

Here at Bookbag Towers we love dogs and people who love dogs, so we knew we'd love Melissa Wareham even if she wasn't such a good writer. When she popped in to see us we wanted to know how the girl from the Dogs' Home became a best-selling author. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Kathryn James

Kathryn James caught our attention last year with her wonderful portrayal of Nell Beecham, the 13-year-old heroine of her first novel, Mist. We're far from being the only ones who are impressed - in fact, just two days ago she won the Dorset New Horizons Award - congratulations, Kathryn! While we're eagerly awaiting book 2, Frost, we managed to persuade her to take a little time out from writing to answer some questions. Read more...

The Desmond Elliott Prize for Debut Fiction Published in the UK 2012

The prize of £10,000 will be awarded to one of the three short-listed books on 28 June Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Ellen Richardson

We thought that Charmed Summer was the 'charming' start to what looked like an exciting new series. We couldn't resist having a chat to the author. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg May 2012 Newsletter

Are you reading ebooks yet? Or are you still in love with physical books? Either way, it's undeniable that ebooks are becoming more and more popular and their prevalence raises all sorts of questions about the future of publishing generally and about the best ways to market individual books. The Authors Electric group of writers has been giving this some serious thought. Recently, and to coincide with World Book Night, they organised a two-night giveaway. 15 member authors gave away 21 books via the Amazon Select promotion scheme. In all, they gave away 15,353 ebooks. And it paid off. 19 of the titles made Amazon's worldwide top 20 lists. In the UK, 8 made the top 5 and 12 made the top ten. That is some going, don't you think?! Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Francis Bennett

We loved The Crabber Stories- a book of coming-of-age short stories set on Long Island in the nineteen-fifties - and we had plenty to talk about when Francis Bennett popped in to see us. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Karen McCombie

Here at Bookbag we've always been big fans of Karen McCombie and we particularly enjoyed Life According to... Alice B. Lovely so it was a real pleasure to ask her a few questions. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Daniela Sacerdoti

We liked Dreams (Sarah Midnight Trilogy) by Daniela Sacerdoti, the start to a new teen paranormal series and had a few questions we wanted to ask the author. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Anne Allen

We really enjoyed Dangerous Waters: Mystery, Loss and Love on the Island of Guernsey so we had plenty we wanted to talk about when author Anne Allen popped in to see us at Bookbag Towers. Read more...

Linda Newbery Talks To Bookbag in Praise of Charity Shops

Here at Bookbag we were blown away by Linda Newbery's latest book The Treasure House and we couldn't wait to hear about the inspiration behind the story. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Tony Parsons

We enjoyed Tony Parson's latest novel Catching the Sun and we really wanted to know more about the background to the book when Tony popped into Bookbag Towers. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Louisa Reid

We were very impressed by Louisa Reid's debut novel Black Heart Blue and we had lots of questions we wanted to ask her. Read more...

Jon Mayhew Talks To Bookbag About The Bonehill Curse: Influences and Inspirations

Imagine you had your own magic lamp, just like Aladdin. Think of what you'd wish for! Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Elizabeth Wein

We loved Code Name Verity and when author Elizabeth Wein popped into Bookbag Towers we had some searching questions to ask her. Read more...

Barbara J Zitwer talks to Bookbag about meeting the ladies at the Hampstead Heath Ladies Pond on the day her mother died

Barbara J Zitwer on meeting the ladies at the Hampstead Heath Ladies Pond in London on the day her mother died in New York and why these women, alongside her mother were transformed into the main characters for her debut novel, The J M Barrie Ladies' Swimming Society. Read more...

Barbara Mitchelhill Talks To Bookbag About Her Favourite Period in History: The Tudors

We loved Barbara Mitchelhill's Road to London and couldn't wait to hear more about Barbara's fascination with the smell of Tudor life. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg April 2012 Newsletter

Hello! Is the weather doing weird things around your way? At Bookbag Towers, the weather just can't make up its mind. It's bitterly cold one day and sunshine warm the next. It's playing havoc with our wardrobe choices. Sigh.

One piece of bookish news that caught our eye this month was about a $20m fund launched by audiobook Audible. Authors signing up to its program will benefit financially if they use social media to promote their work. You can read about it here in The Guardian. Writers will get $1 dollar for every audiobook sold through either Audible or iTunes. A dig at Kindle, we wonder? It's not as though authors aren't already using social media. All the ones we know are, anyway. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Liz Kessler

Robert recently read A Year Without Autumn. He was thrilled when Liz popped into Bookbag Towers for a chat. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Jane Prowse

We came late to the charm of Hattori Hachi but when Author Jane Prowse dropped in to see us we had quite a few questions to ask her! Read more...

William Poundstone Talks To Bookbag About Job Interviews

Ever since we read Are You Smart Enough To Work At Google? we've been trying out the questions on each other. William Poundstone popped into Bookbag Towers and chatted to us about some of the questions which are asked at job interviews. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Olga Levancuka

After years (a lifetime!) of being told to be less selfish and to put other people first it was a relief to encounter someone who had other ideas - so when Olga Levancuka came to the office with some copies of her book we couldn't wait to ask her a few questions. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Terry Murphy

Here at Bookbag Towers we really enjoyed Weekend in Weighton by Terry Murphy and we were very taken by his hero, Eddie Greene. When Terry popped into the office we had a few questions for him. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Cat Clarke

We've been impressed by both Entangled and Torn by Cat Clarke, so we enticed her into the office to ask her a few questions. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Marc Nash

We really enjoyed the collection of flash fiction by Marc Nash and it was a real pleasure to chat to him when he popped into Bookbag Towers. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Margie Gelbwasser

We found Margie Gelbwasser's Pieces of Us to be one of the most disturbing YA books we've ever read, but it was incredibly well-written. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to find out a bit more about this talented author. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg March 2012 Newsletter

Hello! How are things? Read anything good lately? Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Kai Meyer

Arcadia Awakens. is a super blend of action thriller and paranormal romance set in Sicily. We recommend it for for interesting characters and wonderful scene-setting and, of course, jumped at the chance to chat to Kai about it. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Megan Miranda

Fracture is an excellent, thought-provoking, teen chiller and a very impressive debut for Megan Miranda. We had to talk to her! Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To S B Hayes

We thought that Poison Heart was a really compelling psychological thriller with strong characters and an incredibly tense atmosphere making this one you shouldn't miss. We couldn't miss talking to the author either! Read more...

Matthew Green Talks To Bookbag About His Own Imaginary Friend

We were impressed by Matthew Green's Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend and fascinated to hear about his own friend, called Johnson Johnson. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Sam Hawksmoor

We loved The Repossession, a stunning sci-fi novel for teens, with an exceptionally likeable central pairing and a fast-moving and exciting plot. It's totally crazy in the very best way. We couldn't resist asking a few questions when Sam popped into see us. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Sadie S Forsythe

Jill enjoyed The Weeping Empress finding it enjoyably direct with a satisfying plot. It was a real pleasure when Sadie popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg February 2012 Newsletter

Hello, how are you? We've been finding out all sorts of interesting stuff this month. Not long ago Sue was introduced to the work of Scottish Book Trust and was surprised by how little she knew about it and that its work was not restricted to Scotland. We persuaded Beth Bottery to tell us more about the work the Trust does and how schools (and adults) across the UK and the rest of the world can benefit. You can - and should! - read all about it here.

We've also been reading like mad and have all sorts of recommendations to make! Read more...

Beth Bottery Talks To Bookbag About Scottish Book Trust

Not long ago Sue was introduced to the work of Scottish Book Trust and was surprised by how little she knew about it and that its work was not restricted to Scotland. We persuaded Beth Bottery to tell us more about the work the Trust does and how schools (and adults) across the UK and the rest of the world can benefit. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Edward Hogan

We were very impressed when we read Daylight Saving, a gripping thriller with a superb central pairing and tons of atmosphere. We knew that he was an author to watch so we couldn't miss the opportunity to have a chat with Ed. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Tim Bowler

Blade is one of Bookbag's favourite series for children ever - and we mean ever. OUP are giving it a reissue with four books in longer instalments rather than the original eight books in very short ones. Whatever the size of the package, this is one series you shouldn't miss. So of course, we jumped at the chance to ask Tim Bowler a few questions. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Danielle Joseph

We really enjoyed Danielle's book Indigo Blues and the chance to chat to us was too good to miss. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Helena Close

Here at Bookbag we were very impressed by Helena Close's novel The Clever One and we were delighted when she dropped by for a chat. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg January 2012 Newsletter

Hello and a belated Happy New Year to you all. Did you have a super-duper festive season? Was it busy-busy-busy or laid-back and relaxed? Did you receive nice presents? More importantly, were any of them books?

We're back in the saddle here at Bookbag Towers and we have been reviewing as busily as ever. There's some wonderful stuff around at the moment and you can read about our favourites right here in this newsletter.

Before we go any further, though, we did want to tell you about the Bloomsbury Institute. Have you ever wanted to get a glimpse inside the world of publishing? Rub shoulders with authors and listen to their talks? Well, now you can. Bloomsbury are organising a series of events at their London home in Bedford Square. The first is on 31st January and features two Bookbag favourites, Stephen Kelman and Nick Lake. You can find out more - and sign up to attend - by looking at the website. What a great initiative! Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Katie Dale

What do you do when your mother dies of Huntington's Disease and you find out that she wasn't your mother at all? And that there is a person - a sister? - out there who may carry the gene for this terrible disease? Brilliant premise for a YA novel, no? So you can imagine we were very keen to chat to author Katie Dale about her debut book Someone Else's Life. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Maudie Smith

We were completely blown away when we read Opal Moonbaby and we were sure that it was going to be great fun when Maudie Smith came in to talk to us and as Opal would have said, we had a balloon. Read more...

Cliff McNish Talks To Bookbag About The Hunting Ground

Cliff McNish, author of The Hunting Ground popped in to Bookbag Towers to talk to us about ghosts. We're almost convinced: see what you think! Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Monica Carly

Here at Bookbag we were lucky to read The Golden Thread before it was published - and even luckier to be able to chat to Monica Carly about how she came to write the book. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Anne-Marie Conway

Here at Bookbag Towers we've really enjoyed Phoebe Finds Her Voice and Polly Plays Her Part from Anne-Marie Conway's Star Makers Club series. We couldn't resist the opportunity to ask her a few questions. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg November 2011 Newsletter

Well, world news isn't exactly encouraging, is it? Everywhere a crisis. It's times like these when books become even more important. They give us the chance to escape the misery for a while and indulge in a bit of escapism. And, with a cash-strapped Christmas coming up for many of us, books also make great value presents that won't break the bank. With this in mind, we've collected some of our favourite books from 2011 as recommendations for Christmas gifts. We think it has something for everyone - including a Kindle for those who aren't quite boracic. Take a look at our list if you're in need of ideas. We've also updated our review of the Kindle to include the lovely new dinky version. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Pauline Fisk

Pauline has produced a reissue of her Smarties Prize-winning Midnight Blue for Kindle herself. It has a gorgeous new cover image and lots of interesting stuff about the various inspirations that led her to write the book. We were lucky enough to chat to Pauline about the book, the reissue and about writing in general. Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Ellie Irving

We really enjoyed Ellie Irving's For the Record, an engaging story full of the best kind of English eccentrics trying to save their Jersey village from the bulldozers. It's charming and fun - just like Ellie herself! Read more...

The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Keren David

Keren David's latest book is something of a departure - although she tells us that there are similarities. We couldn't resist asking her a few questions. Read more...

File:Booknewsletters.jpg October 2011 Newsletter

Happy autumn, fellow bookworms! How goes it? Did you cope well in during the mini Indian summer at the start of the month? It came as such a shock to Jill that she almost got the vapours. Short-sleeved t-shirts? In October? October?!Thankfully, her sanity was saved by some jolly good young adult fiction making its way onto bookshelves near you.

Well, after all the fuss about the dumbing down of the Booker in 2011, can you believe they decided to give to the man who's made a career of writing about the chattering classes? You really can't help but laugh, can you?! Anyway, we're happy. We loved The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes and if you haven't read it yet, you should put it on your list. Read more...

Ilkley Literature Festival 2011

When we think about literature festivals it tends to be the big names which spring to mind – Hay and Edinburgh to name but two – but there's an awful lot to be said for the smaller events and Sue has been investigating the Ilkley Literature Festival. Read more...

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