Books Are My Bag, the consumer campaign division of the Booksellers Association, has today announced Every Moment Since by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen as Fiction Book of the Month, and The Christmas Tree Mouse by Joseph Coelho & Farah Shah as Children’s Book of the Month for December.
 
Independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland will be promoting Every Moment Since and The Christmas Tree Mouse throughout December on social media and in-store. Books Are My Bag will be supporting the promotion of the Indie Books of the Month through social media and promotional material.

Known for her character-driven domestic suspense novels, Marybeth Mayhew Whalen’s tenth and latest novel Every Moment Since is a deeply raw and emotional exploration of the aftermath of every family’s worst nightmare - the disappearance of a child. This heart-wrenching story opens a window into the turbulent lives of those left behind and their inspiring quests for truth and pursuits of hope amidst it all.
 
Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, author of Every Moment Since commented: “When I was a child, my mother used to take me to a shopping centre and leave me to explore the indie bookstore while she ran her errands. (It was a different time, after all). I can still hear the creak of the stairs as I climbed to the second story where the children's books were located. It was there, in those hours of browsing and reading, that my love of story was born. Indie bookstores feed imaginations by providing a place for all of us who love words, and paper, and the magic that the two create as they come together.”
 
Jenny Eagles, Selection Panel member for Owl & Pyramid Bookshop commented: “Every Moment Since is a book with a lot of cinematic detail. The writing is vivid and immediate; it really does take you to another time and place. It's a heartbreaking story, dealing with the disappearance of a child, and the unravelling of the cold case 20 years later. It's full of lies and loss, but also hope and healing, a powerful and moving story, whose characters stayed with me for a long time after I'd finished reading.”
 
From beloved former Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and emerging illustrator extraordinaire Farah Shah comes a magical picture book and perfect present for children this Christmas. Every Christmas Eve, Christmas Tree mouse brushes away Santa's snowy footprints, nibbles up the mince pie crumbs, and - most importantly - checks on her Santa HQ tablet that all the correct presents are under the tree. But when Christmas Tree Mouse discovers that baby Ola has received the wrong present, it's a CATASTROPHE! Can she use all her special training and determination to save the day? And might Santa himself make a special appearance?
 
Joseph Coelho, author of The Christmas Tree Mouse commented: “I am so delighted that The Christmas Tree Mouse has been selected as Children’s Book of the Month by independent bookshops. When you enter an independent bookshop you are very much entering a work of art, every shelf has been moulded over, every book is a little brush stroke telling you a little something about the special individuals that make that shop's heart beat.”
 
Farah Shah, illustrator of The Christmas Tree Mouse commented: “It is an absolute delight to be part of this industry alongside so many creative and passionate booksellers.”
 
The Indie Book of the Month titles are selected by panels of booksellers from publisher submissions. The Fiction panel were from Owl & Pyramid in Seaton, Devon and Hewson Books. The Children’s panel for December comprised members from Booka Bookshop in Oswestry, Shropshire, The Rabbit Hole in Brigg, London and Browser in Dartmouth, Devon.
 
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