June 2008 Newsletter

If you'd like to sign up for our monthly newsletter, just drop us 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.

June's News from Bookbag Towers

This is a busy time of year for Bookbaggers. The sun's been out for a few weeks and things are hotting up in the garden. Between harvesting the first yummy radishes and lettuces and settling down with a good book, or two, or three, or four, we've barely time to hear ourselves think. Still, there are worse fates in life and it's not as though either hobby is a chore. We hope you're enjoying 2008 as much as we are.

There's still lots going on in the publishing world and, as usual, here's our round up of the best books hitting the shelves this month...

If there's anything you'd like to tell us, or anything you think we've left out, please drop us a line and let us know.

What we've been reading...

In fiction, Sue has three books to recommend. She remains impressed by Andrea Camilleri's Montalbano series. The ninth book is as fresh and original as ever. Superb plotting and excellent characters make this as close to perfect as a police procedural can be. Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs really is top class fiction for women and it doesn't come much better than this. It's well-written with characters you can engage with. Finally, Wedding Season by Katie Fforde is a pacy and well-researched story of a wedding planner who doesn't believe in love. Fans of historical fiction should heed Lesley, when she says that A Small Part of History by Peggy Elliott captivated her completely, despite a rocky beginning. It's the story of an American wagon train in the 1840s.

In non-fiction, Katherine loved What Is She Doing Here? by Kate Clanchy, a remarkable and unforgettable memoir of a friendship with a Kosovan refugee. If you fancy some heavyweight reading, Sue suggests One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Krushchev and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War by Michael Dobbs. It's the definitive telling of the story of thirteen days which brought the world closer to the brink of nuclear war than it had ever been before - or since. On a lighter note, John loved Ronnie by Ronnie Wood, a memoir by the hellraising guitarist and occasional artist, whose music career included working alongside Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart before joining the Rolling Stones in 1975.

In children's books, Zoe continues her love affair with a remarkable teen author and recommends Escape by Kate Cann a sizzling summer read following the adventures of gap year-er Rowan and her unexpected adventures in the USA. John thinks you should read Titanic 2020: Cannibal City by Colin Bateman. He says, in an unusual rush of praise, if people continue to wonder why he likes to read teen fiction, he shall just point them in the direction of this brilliantly styled, energetic and gripping adventure book. A timely read for the little ones is Outstanding Olympics by Clive Gifford, a factual look at the Olympic Games from ancient times up to the preparation for the 2008 Beijing Games. Interesting facts, chatty style and action photography of the highest standard. Jill enjoyed Lost Riders by Elizabeth Laird, a wonderfully researched and heartbreakingly vivid, Elizabeth Laird tells the story of the child-slave camel jockeys of the Middle East with her trademark robust sympathy.

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 here on the site. Don't be shy!

Competitions

We have 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 www.thebookbag.co.uk.

All at Bookbag Towers

(PS – if you don't want to receive further copies of our newsletter please email us and we'll see that you're deleted from the mailing list.)