8,382
edits
Changes
From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to searchOctober 2012 Newsletter (view source)
Revision as of 08:44, 19 October 2012
, 08:44, 19 October 2012Created page with "{{adsense4}} 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, ..."
{{adsense4}}
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.
== October's News from Bookbag Towers ==
Woohoo! Jill's personal favourite, [[Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel|Bring up the Bodies]] won this year's [[Man Booker Prize 2012|Booker Prize]], making Hilary Mantel the first woman AND the first Briton to win twice. We are very happy about that, as we are about Mantel's rehabilitation of Thomas Cromwell. Which of the shortlist would you have chosen?
And now, we suppose, thoughts will turn to Christmas. Will you be buying books as gifts? How about a [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]]? The Kindle Fire is out later this month. Are you going to buy one? We're still thinking about it but will let you know what we think if and when we plump for one. You let us know, too. We'd be interested to hear your views.
'''Golden Hour'''
For our blast from the past this month, we're choosing an autobiography written for children but which is as enjoyable a read for adults. [[Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl]] will make everybody laugh, as does everything written by Roald Dahl. More than that though, it provides rich and arresting detail and some of the inspirations for all those other, fictional stories written by the master. It goes some way towards explaining that disgust at the adult abuse of authority that pervades all of his books. Perhaps, with Boy, Dahl wanted finally to win the argument. Grown ups are naughty. You will love it. They will love it.
'''Books of the Month'''
And on to to the new...
.
In fiction, Robin recommends [[The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally]]. Expectations are high for this story of the World War I experiences of the Australian, Durance sisters who volunteer for nursing duties in far off Europe. It's an expertly researched story, full of compassion and human spirit, and a fitting tribute to the brave volunteers - and with an ending that you will want to talk about with other readers.
Crime fans should listen to John, who loved [[I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir]]. Three people – a couple and another young woman – get ferried across the fjord to one of western Iceland's most remote outposts, with the aim being to renovate an old building as a guesthouse. It might be Nordic, but this is not just another thriller – this is one of the most spooky reads you could wish for.
In non-fiction, Robert loved [[On The Map by Simon Garfield]]. You might think that there's not a lot which could be said about maps - but you'd be completely wrong. Garfield's engaging style and the sheer variety of maps discussed here make what could have been a dry subject into a staggeringly entertaining read. You might even say that it deserves to put Simon Garfield on the map!
For the younger ones, Linda thinks you should look no further than [[Tales from Schwartzgarten: Osbert the Avenger by Christopher William Hill]].
The teachers at the Institute are extremely cruel. It gets so bad that in this story, the first of four about the city of Schwartzgarten, a studious and highly intelligent boy feels compelled to take action. And he isn't just thinking of a stern letter to the Board of Governors. He wants something a little more decisive. And painful. Yes, this book is dark, but it is also comic, and it has a clear moral message.
'''Features'''
Two brilliant young adult authors have called into Bookbag Towers this month. It's always fascinating to find out what makes an author write a book in a particular way. We've loved Keren David's series about Ty Lewis since we first read [[When I Was Joe by Keren David|When I Was Joe]] so the opportunity to hear her [[Keren David Talks To Bookbag About Choosing Archie Stone As The Narrator Of Another Life|tell us]] about about the [[Another Life by Keren David|third book]] in the series was not one we were prepared to miss.
If that weren't enough, the brilliant Luisa Plaja has also [[Luisa Plaja Talks To Bookbag About Contemporary Series for Young Adults|waxed lyrical]] about contemporary series for young adults. When she read a great post about series at [http://www.yacontemporary.com/2012/09/where-are-ya-contemporary-series.html YA Contemporary], my first thought was, ''But I have shelves full of YA contemporary series! Surely there are lots of memorable ones still being published?'' Y'think?
We've also had our interviewing hats on. Last year we were delighted by Rob Keeley's [[The Alien in the Garage and Other Stories by Rob Keeley|first collection]] of short stories. This year it was a real pleasure to read [[The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories by Rob Keeley|The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories]]. We had quite a few questions to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Rob Keeley|ask him]] when he popped into Bookbag Towers. We've been thrilled by Stephanie Burgis' [[A Reckless Magick by Stephanie Burgis| Magick]] series and delighted that she was able to find the time to pop into Bookbag Towers to have [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Stephanie Burgis|a chat]] with us.
'''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|* 2012 10]]
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.
== October's News from Bookbag Towers ==
Woohoo! Jill's personal favourite, [[Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel|Bring up the Bodies]] won this year's [[Man Booker Prize 2012|Booker Prize]], making Hilary Mantel the first woman AND the first Briton to win twice. We are very happy about that, as we are about Mantel's rehabilitation of Thomas Cromwell. Which of the shortlist would you have chosen?
And now, we suppose, thoughts will turn to Christmas. Will you be buying books as gifts? How about a [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]]? The Kindle Fire is out later this month. Are you going to buy one? We're still thinking about it but will let you know what we think if and when we plump for one. You let us know, too. We'd be interested to hear your views.
'''Golden Hour'''
For our blast from the past this month, we're choosing an autobiography written for children but which is as enjoyable a read for adults. [[Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl]] will make everybody laugh, as does everything written by Roald Dahl. More than that though, it provides rich and arresting detail and some of the inspirations for all those other, fictional stories written by the master. It goes some way towards explaining that disgust at the adult abuse of authority that pervades all of his books. Perhaps, with Boy, Dahl wanted finally to win the argument. Grown ups are naughty. You will love it. They will love it.
'''Books of the Month'''
And on to to the new...
.
In fiction, Robin recommends [[The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally]]. Expectations are high for this story of the World War I experiences of the Australian, Durance sisters who volunteer for nursing duties in far off Europe. It's an expertly researched story, full of compassion and human spirit, and a fitting tribute to the brave volunteers - and with an ending that you will want to talk about with other readers.
Crime fans should listen to John, who loved [[I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir]]. Three people – a couple and another young woman – get ferried across the fjord to one of western Iceland's most remote outposts, with the aim being to renovate an old building as a guesthouse. It might be Nordic, but this is not just another thriller – this is one of the most spooky reads you could wish for.
In non-fiction, Robert loved [[On The Map by Simon Garfield]]. You might think that there's not a lot which could be said about maps - but you'd be completely wrong. Garfield's engaging style and the sheer variety of maps discussed here make what could have been a dry subject into a staggeringly entertaining read. You might even say that it deserves to put Simon Garfield on the map!
For the younger ones, Linda thinks you should look no further than [[Tales from Schwartzgarten: Osbert the Avenger by Christopher William Hill]].
The teachers at the Institute are extremely cruel. It gets so bad that in this story, the first of four about the city of Schwartzgarten, a studious and highly intelligent boy feels compelled to take action. And he isn't just thinking of a stern letter to the Board of Governors. He wants something a little more decisive. And painful. Yes, this book is dark, but it is also comic, and it has a clear moral message.
'''Features'''
Two brilliant young adult authors have called into Bookbag Towers this month. It's always fascinating to find out what makes an author write a book in a particular way. We've loved Keren David's series about Ty Lewis since we first read [[When I Was Joe by Keren David|When I Was Joe]] so the opportunity to hear her [[Keren David Talks To Bookbag About Choosing Archie Stone As The Narrator Of Another Life|tell us]] about about the [[Another Life by Keren David|third book]] in the series was not one we were prepared to miss.
If that weren't enough, the brilliant Luisa Plaja has also [[Luisa Plaja Talks To Bookbag About Contemporary Series for Young Adults|waxed lyrical]] about contemporary series for young adults. When she read a great post about series at [http://www.yacontemporary.com/2012/09/where-are-ya-contemporary-series.html YA Contemporary], my first thought was, ''But I have shelves full of YA contemporary series! Surely there are lots of memorable ones still being published?'' Y'think?
We've also had our interviewing hats on. Last year we were delighted by Rob Keeley's [[The Alien in the Garage and Other Stories by Rob Keeley|first collection]] of short stories. This year it was a real pleasure to read [[The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories by Rob Keeley|The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories]]. We had quite a few questions to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Rob Keeley|ask him]] when he popped into Bookbag Towers. We've been thrilled by Stephanie Burgis' [[A Reckless Magick by Stephanie Burgis| Magick]] series and delighted that she was able to find the time to pop into Bookbag Towers to have [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Stephanie Burgis|a chat]] with us.
'''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|* 2012 10]]
