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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.
The eagle-eyed amongst you might have spotted that there was no December newsletter. This January edition is a bumper double issue - which is to say we were all utterly swamped in the run-up to Christmas here at Bookbag Towers, and something had to fall by the wayside. Apologies. Did you miss us?
We have some great [[Features|features]] for you again this month, including an interview with [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Gary Blackwood|Gary Blackwood]]. Keith fell in love with his [[Mysterious Messages - A History of Codes and Ciphers by Gary Blackwood|Mysterious Messages - A History of Codes and Ciphers]] and couldn't resist the opportunity to ask him a few questions. Keep an eye out for a review of We also read and loved Gary's equally excellent ''[[The Great Race: The Amazing Round-The-World Auto Race Of 1908 by Gary Blackwood|The Great Race'' appearing on Bookbag soon]].
Over November and December, our most read new review was [[100 Facts About Pandas by David O'Doherty, Claudia O'Doherty and Mike Ahern]], an enjoyable stocking filler with a quirky sense of humour. Did you know that ''All pandas are born female. They will only turn male if they get a fright within their first 48 hours of life. It is for this reason that zoos with a high female bear population often employ a panda spooker to surprise newborn girls into manhood''?
In non-fiction, Sue was very impressed by Chris Mullin's autobiography [[A View from the Foothills by Chris Mullin|A View from the Foothills]]. Mullin was never one of the 'big beasts' of New Labour but this well-written and considered book may well prove to be the definite volume about the Blair years. The reissue of his novel [[A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin|A Very British Coup]] was very welcome too. George really enjoyed [[Taking the Medicine by Druin Burch]] - a fascinating history of pharmacology and medicine and the development of evidence based research.
In children's books, and for the little ones, Keith was enchanted by [[One Smart Fish by Chris Wormell]]. The mix of a magical story, gentle humour, appropriate primer on evolution and Chris Wormell's wonderful illustrations make for a fine addition to any young child's bookshelf. If older readers only know the Disney film, they'll lap up the original [[Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi and Sara Fanelli|Pinocchio]], which has wonderful illustrations from Sara Fanelli. Jill was awash with excellent sequels for teens, including [[Blade: Mixing It by Tim Bowler]], and [[The Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd]] and [[Time Quake by Linda Buckley-Archer]]. She also loved [[Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak]]. It's - a gritty novella about tough lives in tough neighbourhoods at tough economic times. Short- and [[WE by John Dickinson]] - a classy sci-fi thriller about free will, sharp and punchyindividuality, it has moments of savage humour collectivism and pure pathos. There's poetry in every life - even when it's seeped in violencethe genetic need to reproduce.
'''Reviewers'''
'''''All at Bookbag Towers'''''
See what we were doing [[January 2009 Newsletter|last year]].
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[[Category:Newsletters|* 2010 01]]