The Booksellers Association has today announced The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession by Jake Kendall as Fiction Book of the Month, and The Secret of the Moonshard by Struan Murray as Children’s Book of the Month for March.   
 
Independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland will be promoting The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession and The Secret of the Moonshard throughout March on social media and in-store. The Booksellers Association will be supporting the promotion of the Indie Books of the Month through social media and promotional material.
 
The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession is a collection of short stories themed around art, art history and creative obsession. It shares stories of those with an insatiable hunger for creation – sacrificing friendships, careers, romance, and even their own happiness in pursuit of a vision.
 
Weaving art styles such as Cubism and Surrealism into his writing, each of Kendall’s story is complemented by a black and white illustration, drawing out the visually evocative nature of the writing and offering readers a unique artistic delight. The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession is published by Neem Tree Press (22^nd February) and is available to buy in bookshops now.
 
Jake Kendall said: "I love how independent bookshops reflect their own individual personalities and how they can be inviting community spaces for writers and literary enthusiasts. Each time I visit an independent bookshop, I come out with two or three books that I hadn’t intended to buy but have found to be must-reads!” 
 
Jo Coldwell, Red Lion Books and member of the selection panel, said: “Through 8 short stories, this collection fictionalises the people and the passion behind art, over the last 300 years. You will find yourself googling the paintings if you don't know them already, and mulling over the obsessions, sacrifices and challenges faced in the pursuit of art.”
 
The Secret of the Moonshard is a new magical adventure that follows the story of Domino, an eleven-year-old girl with a strange affliction. If she goes anywhere near magic, it will kill her. Stuck in a floating laboratory by the crueller Science Barons, she has never known a single day of freedom until a mysterious wizard arrives.
 
When Domino discovers that everything she's been told by the Barons is a lie, she escapes to Abzalaymon, a city filled with scientific marvels, hulking thunder lizards and hidden magic. But the Barons are soon on her trial. Domino must brave a hidden realm of magic if she is to uncover a secret that might save the world. The Secret of the Moonshard is published by Puffin and is available to pre-order now, ahead of release on 7^th March.
 
Struan Murray said: “I am honoured that The Secret of the Moonshard has been selected as the Children’s Book of the Month. Independent bookshops are indispensable places of wonder and wisdom, portals for children to journey into worlds of magic and adventure. We are so lucky to have the passion and expertise of independent booksellers – what a difference they make in building the imaginations of young readers!”
 
The Indie Book of the Month titles are selected by panels of booksellers from publisher submissions. The Children’s panel for March comprised members from Children’s Bookshop, Huddersfield; The Thoughtful Spot Bookshop and Children’s Bookshop, Muswell Hill. The Fiction panel were from Literary Cat, Red Lion Books and Devizes Books. The titles were also available to be voted on by all participating bookshops on Edelweiss.
 
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