Next Thursday, Super Thursday for those in the publishing world, Books Are My Bag launch their campaign for 2014. If you remember the striking orange bags of last year you’ll already know that BAMB is a nationwide campaign to celebrate bookshops.

This year they’re back with a new limited edition bag by Tracey Emin as well as reprints of the traditional orange bags of last year for those who missed out. Saturday 11th October bookshops around the UK will be hosting Big Bookshop Parties with authors and giveaways a plenty. My local bookshop, Dulwich Books, will be giving away free Tracey Emin bags to the first 100 customers at their party filled with two free “randomly selected” book so it’s definitely checking out what is happening at your local.

The lovely people at BAMB recently contacted me and sent me reading survival kit. Book wise, included in the box was a copy of Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (can you spot the theme yet?) and a signed copy of this year’s official BAMB book The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell. I’ve been wanting to read Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit for a while so I was really excited to find this copy nestled among the orange tissue paper.
Despite having wanted to read it for so long I added it to my to read pile and immediately started The Bookshop Book and I’m loving it so far. The book is by the same author as Weird Things Customers Say In Bookshops. A quarter of the way in and I’m already longing to go on a road trip to Scotland visit Wigtown.

It wasn’t just books they sent me, this was a reading survival kit after all.There were tissues for weepy books (orange naturally), a box of orange matchmakers for reading munchies, a t-shirt to make sure people are aware that books are my bag and a brilliantly sarky (orange) notebook which has ‘seriously.’ ‘seriously?’ ‘seriously!?’ written on the bottom of each page.  Also included was a book token I’ve already spent in my head. I’ve got so many books I’ve currently got my eye on but I’ve been on a buying ban so this is a good reason to get myself to a bookshop and break it.

Be sure to find out if your local bookshop is hosting a Big Bookshop Party here and join in the fun!

(Cross-posted from Wordpress 4th October 2014)