Check out the full lists of [[:Category: Interviews|interviews]], [[:Category: Lists|top tens]] and [[:Category: Comments|articles]].__NOTOC__<!-- Remove -->
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|title=Top Ten Self-Published Books 2023
|summary= We've seen some really good self-published books this year: they're up there with the best of traditional publishing. Here's our top ten, in alphabetical order, by author.
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|category=interviews
|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Jeffrey Dunn
|summary=Jill enjoyed [[Radio Free Olympia by Jeffrey Dunn|Radio Free Olympia]], a story blending prose and poetry with themes of ecology, folklore, love and loss. She didn't think it was the easiest read, but a rewarding one.
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|title=How To Write a Fantasy Novel: The Full Guide
|summary=Fantasy has always been our way out of the real world's limitations. It's a space where magic is real, mythical creatures roam, and heroes go on epic quests. This genre is loved by people of all ages and backgrounds. It allows us to explore new worlds and face unimaginable challenges, all without leaving our homes.
But what if you could do more than just visit these magical lands? What if you could create your own? This is the magic of writing a fantasy novel. You have the power to build worlds with your words. You can turn simple ink and paper into landscapes that readers can explore.
So, get ready for an adventure. This journey is not just about castles and wizards. It's also about the craft of writing. You'll learn to use language and imagination to make a rich, varied story. And who knows what unexplored realms you'll discover along the way?
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|title=How Can Reading Improve Your Vocabulary: Best Practices
|summary=Reading is one of the most effective ways to improve your vocabulary. Not only does it expose you to new words and their meanings, but it also allows you to see them used in context, which is essential for understanding and using them correctly. With the rise of language learning apps, such as Promova, many people have turned to technology to improve their vocabulary. However, reading remains a tried-and-true method that has been used for centuries.
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|title=3 Things You Didn't Know About Ghostwriters
|summary=How much do you know about ghostwriters? These professionals lurk in the shadows of the publishing industry (both self- and traditional publishing), with most members of the public having only ever heard of them because of the Pierce Brosnan film. Given the awkwardness a lot of people feel toward ghostwriters, it's no surprise that there are a number of misconceptions about what they do, so I'm hoping to clarify three important things in this post.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Conrad Delacroix
|summary=Sue really enjoyed [[The Lensky Connection by Conrad Delacroix|The Lensky Connection]], a thriller set primarily in Russia. She had quite a few questions for author Conrad Delacroix when he popped into Bookbag Towers.
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|category=lists
|title=Top Ten Self-Published Books 2022
|summary=We're constantly amazed at the quality of the self-published books which come our way and we've seen some real gems in 2022. Here they are, in alphabetical order, by author:
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|title=3 Things You Should Know About Literary Agents
|summary=If you're all set to publish your novel, it might be time to [https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-find-a-literary-agent/ get yourself a literary agent]. Since you're essentially picking the person responsible for presenting and marketing your book to the world, this is no easy task. When you've sent your [https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/how-to-write-a-query-letter/ query letters] and started getting responses, these tips will help you choose the right person for you.
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|title=Lolita Book Review: Most Important Things to Know
|summary=Lolita, a highly controversial book, is not subject to bans in American schools. Here are the most important things you need to know about it.
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|title=Stylish Restaging of The Crucible is All Show and No Substance, According to Reviews
|summary=The Crucible is a tragedy that’s been debated and discussed for many years. Its current running in theaters has received a rather intriguing review. Keep reading to find out more.
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|title=How Bar Modeling Makes Word Problems Easy in Singapore Math
|summary=Singapore Mathematics is a unique way of presenting this science. Parents and teachers will be able to understand and explain to children the simplest mathematical processes using images.
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|title=Finding More Time For Reading
|summary=If there is one thing that a lot of people could benefit from having more of in their lives, it's [[A Bookbagger's View:What it's like to be a reviewer|literature]]. Plenty of us have gone through this experience of suddenly finding that we are not reading as much as we used to. There are a lot of possible reasons for this, and it's something that you might be able to approach in a number of ways if you want to make sure that you are getting back into reading again. But one of the most important parts of this is probably that you are able to find enough time for reading, and that can be harder than you might initially think.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Gerry Brown and Randall S Peterson about Disaster in the Boardroom: Six Dysfunctions Everyone Should Understand
|summary=Sue was absolutely riveted to [[Disaster in the Boardroom: Six Dysfunctions Everyone Should Understand by Gerry Brown and Randall S Peterson]]. It's brilliantly readable but rather frightening: people's lives and livelihoods could be in the hands of company boards which are dysfunctional. Sue wanted to know more.
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|title=Top Ten Self-Published Books 2021
|summary= We thought that 2020 was a strange year but 2021 has been equally so. Once again we've been amazed by the quality of self-published books which have come our way. Last year's top ten consisted of eleven books (maths never was our strong point...) but this year we're going to have to make it a baker's dozen as we really couldn't split them apart. Here they are, in alphabetical order, by author...
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|title=How to Write a Standout Book Review in a Saturated Market
|summary=Book reviews are a crucial tool for the reading community — it’s via these that opinions are exchanged, ideas discussed, and recommendations found. But though the growth of book review sites is promising for readers, a saturated market also means that it’s getting increasingly difficult to make your mark as a book reviewer.
If you’re looking for ways to freshen your voice and make a stronger impression, I’ve got a few tips that might help. As an avid reader of book reviews, I’ve noticed that the ones that stay with me usually follow these three guidelines.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Gerry Brown, Andrew Kakabadse and Filipe Morais about The Independent Director in Society|summary=Sue was an enthusiastic reader of [[The Independent Director in Society: Our current crisis of governance and what to do by Gerry Brown, Andrew Kakabadse and Filipe Morais|The Independent Director in Society: Our current crisis of governance and what to do]] and she had several points she wanted to discuss with the authors when they popped into Bookbag Towers.
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|title=Comic Books Where the Bad Guys Won
|summary=Comic books and movies, in general, have been given the portrayal of good; always winning and saving the day. however, thanks to the creativity of writers, we have a few writers of comics who have managed to alter this unsaid rule, 'evil wins at the end of the day'. While it may not be a great thought to bear in mind, it is still something a bit fascinating to dwell on. And, we believe that it is a breath of fresh air to discover that we have something different from the cliché where the hero always emerges as the victor.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Gerry Brown About Making a Difference: Leadership, Change and Giving Back the Independent Director Way
|summary=Gerry Brown is so keen to see people geting involved that there's a free digital [https://www.degruyter.com/view/title/580618 download] of this £42 book.
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|title=Top Ten Self-Published Books 2020
|summary= In this strangest of years we've been delighted by the self-published books we've read and they're all books which compare well with traditionally-published books in the same genres. We really couldn't narrow the choice down any further - so this year's top ten consists of eleven books and here they are, in alphabetical order by author...
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Olga Kokshagina and Allen Alexander
|summary=Sue was so impressed by [[The Radical Innovation Playbook: A Practical Guide for Harnessing New, Novel or Game-Changing Breakthroughs by Olga Kokshagina and Allen Alexander]] that she wished that she had a good business idea of her own so that she could use the book. Perhaps that was what she was talking about when Olga and Allen popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Andrew Hampshire
|summary=Technology can seem frightening to people who don't have the background. In [[Creating Value Through Technology: Discover the Tech that Can Transform Your Business by Andrew Hampshire|Creating Value Through Technology: Discover the Tech that Can Transform Your Business]] Andrew Hampshire discusses the tech that can add quantifiable value to your business and how to get the most out of it. He and Sue had a lot to chat about when he dropped into Bookbag Towers.
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|title=Stand Up to Bullying With a Pulitzer Prize Winner
|summary=In every generation, there are kids who become bullies. They bully their siblings, neighbor kids, and their classmates. They seem to believe that other kids look up to them and respect them. That is self-delusion, as most adults are aware, but kids don't have the experience to properly judge what is respect and what is merely fear.
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|title=From Sci Fi to Reality: How Dreams Turn Into Innovations
|summary=The gap between sci-fi and reality is not so big anymore. You don’t have to go that far back in time to see huge developments in technology. For example, the smartphone has been around for over 10 years now, but if you don’t have one in today’s society, you’d either be seen as crazy or just out of touch.
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|title=5 Great AI books to read in 2020
|summary=Artificial intelligence (AI) has expanded into one of the most important technologies in human history. It comes with so many benefits, from improving the efficiency of simple, basic tasks to helping to solve advanced problems by quickly analyzing large data sets.
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|category=lists
|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Gabe Riggs
|summary=Luke thought that [[Punk Love Foucault by Gabe Riggs]] was an intense, emotional and visceral read that illuminates and educates with a strong voice and clear, capable prose. There was a lot to talk about when Gabe popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
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{{newfeature
|category=newsletters
|title=October 2017 Newsletter
|summary=
Hi, hello and welcome to October's witterings from all of us here at Bookbag Towers.
The list of titles for 2018's World Book Day has [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41429806 been announced]. So good to see a [[Paddington's Finest Hour by Michael Bond |Paddington]] book on there. RIP Michael Bond and his wonderful messages about openness and inclusivity. But the 2018 list isn't universally popular. Many children's authors, among them Bookbag favourites David Almond and Anthony McGowan, have [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/oct/02/childrens-authors-slam-celebrity-heavy-world-book-day-lineup criticised it] for the number of celebrity authors it contains. Almond says '' It’s demeaning to children because it is assuming that children don’t read properly.'' What do you think? Here at Bookbag, we are inclined to agree. World Book Day should feature quality writing, not famous names. Even so, good luck to an important event. Oh, and good luck in advance to all frazzled parents helping with costumes when the big day eventually arrives!
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Stephan Santiago
|summary=Ani was quietly moved by [[Returning Home by Stephan Santiago|Returning Home]] and there were several points she wanted to discuss with author Stephan Santiago when he popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
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|title=August 2017 Newsletter
|summary=
Happy August, Bookbaggers! Here's hoping you get the opportunity to make the most of summer's good weather by taking some time to read in the sun.
Not that we spend much time sympathising with politicians here at Bookbag Towers but oh, poor old Andrea Leadsom! Her slip of the tongue - at least we hope it was a slip of the tongue - in referring to Jane Austen as one of our greatest ''living'' authors has resulted in [http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/andrea-leadsom-jane-austen-waterstones-throw-shade-a7851571.html much merriment]. ''Anyone know who Jane Austen's agent is? We'd love to book her for an event,'' said Waterstone's. Teehee.
}}
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Tessa Buckley
|summary=Jill's really taken by author Tessa Buckley's mystery and family drama series, Eye Spy Investigations and enjoyed [[Eye Spy II by Tessa Buckley|Eye Spy II]]. There were quite a few questions for Tessa when she popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
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|title=July 2017 Newsletter
|summary=
Hello Bookbaggers! How the devil are you? Well, we hope.
The best bit of book news recently comes right after one of the worst news stories for the country generally. Philip Pullman [http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-06-27/philip-pullman-set-to-name-character-in-new-book-after-grenfell-tower-victim-following-charity-campaign is set to name] one of the characters in his upcoming novel after a victim of the Grenfell Tower fire. Teacher James Clements pledged £1,500 in memory of his former pupil Nur Huda El-Wahabi, who died in the fire, and hundreds of others added more cash to his bid in the Authors for Grenfell fundraising auction. The whole auction raised £150k. And we don't mind telling you that we shed a few tears over it all. We hope the authorities get their stuff together and show a similar generosity of spirit. We're not holding our breath on the showing so far, sadly.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Saqib Noor
|summary=Sue laughed and cried when she read [[Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants: Letters from a doctor abroad by Saqib Noor|Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants: Letters from a doctor abroad]], touched and humbled by a man who has provided medical aid in some of the neediest parts of the world. She had quite a few questions when author Saqib Noor popped into Bookbag Towers to see us.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Johnny Ringwood
|summary=Peter enjoyed [[Cargoes & Capers: The life and times of a London Docklands man by Johnny Ringwood|Cargoes & Capers]] with its memories of life in the East End and stories how the author, Johnny Ringwood, turned his life around. He had rather a lot of questions when Johnny popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
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|title=June 2017 Newsletter
|summary=
Hello, you lovely Bookbaggers. It's been a sad and angry month since we last spoke, what with terror attacks and general elections. We hope all is well with all of you and you are all coping as best you can. But we are going to try to distract you from it all just for a minute or two by pointing you in the direction of some great books to read. When all else fails, books can comfort, right? So let's have some positivity, if only on the subject of books and reading.
So here's some exciting news! We have a title, a character and an [http://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/may/26/before-his-dark-materials-how-lyras-story-began-exclusive-extract extract] for the first volume in Philip Pullman's new trilogy, out in October. ''La Belle Sauvage'' is the canoe owned by Malcolm Polstead. His daemon is Asta. And you can read an interview about it with Philip Pullman [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rE45VHtSzw here]. As you can imagine, we at Bookbag Towers are beyond excited. Roll on October! And while we're on the topic of young readers, here's some more good news. [http://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/record-number-teenagers-say-they-enjoy-reading Record numbers] of children say they enjoy reading. A survey by the Literacy Trust has found that more than half of children and young people say that they read for pleasure. Isn't that great?
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Isabella Davidson
|summary=Sue was grabbed by [[The Beta Mum: Adventures in Alpha Land by Isabella Davidson|The Beta Mum: Adventures in Alpha Land]] as soon as she started reading. She decided to tackle author Isabella Davidson about what it means to be an alpha or a beta mummy when she popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Lizzy Mumfrey
|summary=Sue was stunned by [[Fall Out by Lizzy Mumfrey]] and simply couldn't put the book down. She had a whole list of questions for the author when she popped into Bookbag Towers.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Hugo Driscoll
|summary=Sue thought that [[Seven Days with You by Hugo Driscoll|Seven Days With You]] was a quick but surprisingly deep read which looks sensitively at young love and terminal illness and that it's more uplifting than you might expect from that description! There was a lot to chat about when author Hugo Driscoll popped into Bookbag Towers.
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|title=May 2017 Newsletter
|summary=
Hi, hello and how the devil are you, fellow Bookbaggers?
We want to start out this month by mentioning not one, but two, good causes. Anna Boatman, along with 29 of her Hachette publishing colleagues have cycled 185 miles from London to Paris, in order to raise money for TWO amazing charities: the Literacy Trust and The PSP Association. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy is a little-known disease similar to Parkinson's that Anna's lovely Dad has been suffering with for 17 years. We think these are great charities to support and if you do too, you can contribute towards them by donating to this sterling effort. Anna's Just Giving page is [http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Anna-Boatman?newPage=True here] and the Hachette team's page is [http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Hachette-Connect-Team here]. Well done, you guys. You've more cycling courage than we have!
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Michael Pronko About ''The Last Train''
|summary=Sue was very impressed by [[The Last Train (Detective Hiroshi) by Michael Pronko|The Last Train]], a thriller set in Tokyo. she had quite a few questions for author [[:Category:Michael Pronko|Michael Pronko]] when he popped into Bookbag Towers.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To David Windle
|summary=After reading [[Spudboy and Chip by David Windle]] Jill wants a potato superhero. There was a lot to talk about when the author popped into Bookbag Towers.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To B C R Fegan
|summary=Jill thought that [[The Grumpface by B C R Fegan and Daniela Frongia]] was sweet, funny and vividly illustrated. She had quite a few questions for author Bryce Fegan when he popped into Bookbag Towers.
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|category=newsletters
|title=April 2017 Newsletter
|summary=
Hello Bookbaggers! How are you? Well, we hope.
First up this month, our great friend SF Said reminded us of an important campaign the other day, and we want to remind you in turn.#coverkidsbooks draws attention to the lack of representative coverage of children's books in newspapers and other media. You can read about it here. As this blog post points out, according to The Bookseller, sales of children's books overtook adult fiction for the first time in 2014, and they now account for over 30% of the UK publishing market. And yet children's books currently get just 3% of all book review space, despite accounting for that 30% of the market. That is an entire order of magnitude of under-representation. We couldn't agree more and we at Bookbag give equal priority to adult and children's books. But we know that we are preaching to the converted and we wish that newspapers would make more effort to get on board. There is more to children's fiction than Harry Potter, guys. A lot more.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Spadge Whittaker About Confessions of Modern Women
|summary=Jill thought that ''Confessions of Modern Women'' was both fun and funny to read and occasionally bawdy to boot. There was a lot to chat about when Spadge popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Tormod V Burkey
|summary=Sean was impressed when he read [[Ethics for a Full World or, Can Animal-Lovers Save the World? by Tormod V Burkey|Ethics for a Full World or, Can Animal-Lovers Save the World?]]. There was a lot to chat about when author Tormod V Burkey popped into Bookbag Towers.
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|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Marilyn Bennett
|summary=Sue's only problem with [[Granny with Benefits by Marilyn Bennett]] was that she would have loved to spend more time with the characters. When the author popped into Bookbag Towers there was quite a lot to chat about.
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|category=comments
|title=Keren David Talks To Bookbag About Alternative Facts
|summary=Keren David Talks To Bookbag About #alternativefacts
|summary=It wasn't until someone on Twitter tagged her book [[The Liar's Handbook by Keren David|The Liar's Handbook]] with #alternativefacts that Karen David realised quite how well the title and themes hit the zeitgeist.
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|category=newsletters
|title=February 2017 Newsletter
|summary=
Hi, hello and how are you all?
We don't want to dwell too much on convulsive world events - not because they don't concern us but because everyone is doing it and probably doing it much better than we could. But how could we ''not'' point out that George Orwell's ''newspeak'' classic ''1984'' is, as we write, back in [http://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/24/george-orwell-1984-sales-surge-kellyanne-conway-alternative-facts Amazon's bestseller list]. Alternative facts are not facts. And thank you, George Orwell, for warning us.
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|title=Linda Newbery Talks To Bookbag About The Power Of Protest
|summary=Linda Newbery Talks To Bookbag About The Power Of Protest
|summary=We were very impressed by Linda Newbery's [[Until We Win by Linda Newbery|Until We Win]] a dramatized example of Suffragist ideas. She's been chatting to us about the power of protest.
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{{newfeature
|category=lists
|title=Top Ten Self-Published Books 2016
|summary= It's never an easy job picking our top ten self-published books of any year, but 2016 was particularly difficult as we've seen some exceptional books.
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|category=interviews
|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Charles D Blanchard
|summary=Luke thought that [[Kingdom's End by Charles D Blanchard]] was an adventurous take on a political thriller. It features rats but offers some fascinating insights into the world of us humans. Luke had quite a few questions for the author when he popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
}}
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|category=newsletters
|title=January 2017 Newsletter
|summary=
Hello, hello, hello! And a very happy New Year to you all. May 2017 bring joy and prosperity to every one of you. The world may well be heading to hell in a handcart but we hope it finds a new direction this year and, even if it doesn't, all our readers find at least the small pleasures that make life worth living come their way.
Have you seen the film of [[A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness|A Monster Calls]]? It's lovely! As lovely as the book - and we rarely say that hereabouts. The cast is superb and the film balances its emotional and fantastical elements beautifully. If you haven't seen it yet, then you really should.
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[[Category:Features|*]]
