How’s everyone getting on with their ‘book of the month’? We’ve read Gimme A Call, and have just started Skulduggery Pleasant. Do vote in the poll on the left to tell us what you’re reading. If you’ve already read any of them, go tell us what you think in our forum now.

There is a lot going on at Bookbabblers. We’re lining up future ‘authors in residence’ for you (we’re very excited to tell you that we’ve got Ellen Renner and LA Weatherly already on board!!), getting lots of great books for review and brilliant author guest posts and Q&A’s coming through (Sophia Bennett, Sue Limb, PC Cast, Gillian Shields, MG Harris, to name but a few…) Hope you’re all as excited about it as we are?

As we’ve lots of things happening, and we’ve been running for a few weeks now, we thought now would be a good time to gather a little Bookbabbler feedback. We’d really appreciate it if you could spare us a few minutes to take our feedback survey. Just click here to be taken to it – answers are all anonymous, so you can be totally honest!! Thanks so much – it’s your group, so we want you to have your say.

Now, to new releases. The fab news is that there are LOADS of new books out this month that look brilliant! Picking just a few out here to share with you is the tricky part, but here goes…

Wilma Tenderfoot & the Case of the Putrid Poison – Emma Kennedy

A cunning disguise.

Some stinky seaweed.

And a dastardly villain on the loose . . . sounds like another case for Wilma Tenderfoot!

Wilma Tenderfoot, the feisty and determined assistant to the greatest living detective, Theodore P. Goodman, is faced with a peculiar, and pongy, case to crack. Cooper Island’s vaudeville theatre becomes centre stage for a murderous menace, as one by one the actors are fatally poisoned. Can Wilma, along with her faithful hound and dazzling dancing partner, Pickle, discover the fiend’s identity . . . before the final curtain falls for Wilma herself?

Seriously Sassy: Crazy Days – Maggie Gibson

‘I’m gonna use my fame and money to make the world a better place . . . OK?’ Life is seriously good for Sassy Wilde – she’s had her first kiss, she has the two bestest bezzies ever and her rock-chick dreams are on the verge of coming true. But just as everything’s set to take off, her new boyfriend starts acting weird – and then the record company turns Sassy’s world upside down! Sassy feels like giving it all up – until a real disaster strikes. Now’s not the time for Sassy to pack away her guitar, cos her talents are needed more than ever . . .

The Dead:V1 – David Gatward

Lazarus Stone is about to turn sixteen when, one night, his normal life is ripped to shreds by a skinless figure drenched in blood.

He has a message: The Dead are coming.

Now Lazarus is all that stands in their way. To fulfil his destiny, he must confront not only the dark past of his family, but horrors more gruesome than even Hell could invent. And it all begins with the reek of rotting flesh …

Withering Tights – Louise Rennison

Picture the scene: Dother Hall performing arts college somewhere Up North, surrounded by rolling dales, bearded cheesemaking villagers (male and female) and wildlife of the squirrely-type.
On the whole, it’s not quite the showbiz experience Tallulah was expecting… but once her mates turn up and they start their ‘FAME! I’m gonna liiiiive foreeeeeever, I’m gonna fill my tiiiiights’ summer course things are bound to perk up.
Especially when the boys arrive. (When DO the boys arrive?)
Six weeks of parent-free freedom.
BOY freedom.
Freedom of expression…
cos it’s the THEATRE dahling, theatre!!

The Other Countess – Eve Edwards

England, 1582 ELLIE – Lady Eleanor Rodriguez of San Jaime – is in possession of a gold-seeking father, a worthless title and a feisty spirit that captivates the elite of the Queen’s court, and none other than the handsome new Earl of Dorset . . . WILLIAM LACEY has inherited his father’s title and his financial ruin. Now the Earl must seek a wealthy heiress and restore his family’s fortune. But Will’s head has been turned by the gorgeous Ellie, yet their union can never be. Will is destined to marry a worthy Lady so the only question is – which one . . . ?

This one’s a personal choice, as here at Bookbabblers, we love to see fiction with a little history woven through it. Entertainment and learning all in one go!

All are in our ‘featured’ section of our shop now. There are lots more we love – The Beastly Boys’ Battle of the Zombies, Bree Despain’s The Dark Divine, Marcus Sedgwick’s White Crow, Maggie Stiefvater’s Linger – aaah, so many! There are others we’ll be letting you know about through our reviews, author Q&A’s and author guest posts this month anyway, so look out for plenty more..

It’s all go in Bookbabblers world. We’ve delighted in making prize winners out of many of you, and enjoyed putting our review panel together, too. We have also been beavering away arranging lovely authors to swing by and chat with us, so you’ll be seeing more of that soon. Oh, and in between all of this, we’ve managed to get going on our ‘book of the month’ choices. The Butterfly Lion was fab and we’re well into The Dragonfly Pool now – hope you’re enjoying them?

Onto the reading, and there’s a lot of good titles to choose from this month – always great news for book lovers! We’ve managed to choose a few for you, though you may find we pop up with a few more we like towards the end of the month, too!

The Oldmoor Orphans and the Rodent’s Revenge – Simon B Nicholson, illus. David Wyatt

Oldmoor Hotel is a rickety hotel in the middle of a bleak, foggy moor. Two children, Ernest and Daisy, manage it because their grandmother has mysteriously disappeared. But why are the guests so odd? And what draws them to this strange and isolated hotel? Rodents’ Revenge is the first in the Oldmoor Orphans six-book series and features squirrels, a mad parrot, secret passageways and a whole load of nutty goings-on.

Magical Mischief – Anna Dale

Hardbattle Books is no ordinary bookshop. Magic has settled there in every corner and over the years has brought chaos to Mr Hardbattle’s life and driven away most of his customers. His livelihood threatened, Mr Hardbattle is finally forced to take action. Together, Mr Hardbattle, the resourceful and down-to-earth Arthur and Miss Quint embark upon a quest to find a new home for the magic.

Daizy Star and the Pink Guitar – Cathy Cassidy

Meet the one and only Daizy Star! Daizy is ready to dazzle everyone with her brand-new pink guitar – maybe she’ll even find her star quality! But then Dad comes up with another crazy idea, which means swapping happy family life for milking African goats. Eeeek! Daizy needs a clever plan . . . she’s got to win the Battle of the Bands, or she can say goodbye to all her friends, sleepovers and – worst of all – custard doughnuts . . .

Girl 16: Five Star Fiasco – Sue Limb

The teenage world of Jess Jordon is looking characteristically chaotic: Mum has joined an online dating programme and has recruited Jess as advisor, while Jess’ best friend Flora has a rich new boyfriend who Jess can’t possibly keep up with. Then Jess’ own boyfriend, Fred, does something unbelievably treacherous and spineless. Jess is becoming completely fed up with the male sex, and is beginning to think that the only reliable form of male is e-mail …Never mind, there’s Valentine’s Day to look forward to. Fred is sure to make amends then. Isn’t he?

Kisses for Lula – Samantha Mackintosh

Lula Bird is gorgeous, funny and dreading her birthday because you can’t turn 16 if you’ve never been kissed…So why does every boy in Hambledon run a mile the second she bats her eyelids? The fact is, they fear for their lives. Rumour has it Lula’s been jinxed! And it’s not as if that’s her only problem: Lula thinks she has a stalker, her dad keeps sneaking out at night with a lady’s handbag, and a mysterious theft is threatening to bring the town to its knees…

You’ll find all of these under our featured/reviewed section in our shop now. If you do read one of them, leave a comment on this post telling us what you thought of it.

Coming up in the next few days, we have a Q&A with ‘Broken’ author Daniel Clay and we find out what Dino FC are up to as our own World Cup is starting. In the meantime, happy reading!