Books Are My Bag has today announced The Coast Road by Alan Murrin as Fiction Book of the Month and Amelia Cheese heart Investigates: Mummy Mayhem by Cat Weldon and Nene Lonergan as Children’s Book of the Month for May.
 
Independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland will be promoting The Coast Road and Amelia Cheeseheart Investigates: Mummy Mayhem throughout May 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.
 
From Alan Murrin, winner of the Bournemouth Writing Prize and shortlisted for a Irish Book Award for his short story “The Wake”, comes a brilliantly observed debut novel set in a small Irish community in 1994. Described as 'impressive' (TLS), ‘assured and powerful’ (The Sunday Times) and ‘a compelling, compassionate page-turner’ (The Observer),  The Coast Road is about a closed community and the consequences of daring to move against the tide, perfect for fans of Claire Keegan, Elizabeth Strout and Colm Tóibín.
 
It’s 1994 in County Donegal, the legalisation of divorce is just around the corner and everyone is talking about Colette Crowley – the writer and bohemian who left her husband and sons to pursue a relationship with a married man in Dublin.  But now Colette is back, and nobody knows why. Desperate to see her children, Colette enlists the help of Izzy, a housewife and mother of two, and the two women forge a friendship that will send them on a spiralling journey – one toward a path of self-discovery, and the other toward tragedy.
Alan Murrin, author of The Coast Road , commented: “I worked as a bookseller and it was the best job I ever had. Pressing books I loved into the hands of readers was an absolute thrill. Knowing that The Coast Road has the support of independent bookshops means the world to me.”
 
From Cat Weldon, author of the acclaimed How To Be A Hero triolgy, comes a hilarious and madcap comic-book form mystery series featuring an intrepid flying mouse detective and her spider sidekick, Webster. Illustrated by Eco de Literatura prize, Ignatz award and Le Blanc Literature prize nominated comic book illustrator Nene Longergan, who also won the Irish Institue of Designer’s Graduate Award in 2023, Amelia Cheeseheart Investigates: Mummy Mayhem is the perfect big adventure for small readers!
 
Every evening after the museum closes, Amelia Cheeseheart and her best friend Webster go exploring.

But what’s this? Special objects are being stolen from the museum’s Ancient Egyptian Room!

Cleo the Cat Mummy is up to something...

It's time for Amelia Cheeseheart to investigate!
 
Cat Weldon, author of Amelia Cheeseheart Investigates: Mummy Mayhem, commented: “I love independent bookshops for their unique charm, friendly vibe, and the joy of discovering hidden gems. I am beyond thrilled to be chosen to be Children’s Book of the Month and can’t wait to see Amelia Cheeseheart on the shelves.”
 
The Indie Book of the Month titles are selected by panels of booksellers from publisher submissions. The Fiction panel were from City Books, Hewson Books, Caper Books and Truman Books. The Children’s panel for April comprised members from Booka Bookshop, White Rose Books, Children’s Bookshop (Huddersfield) and Norfolk Children’s Book Centre. 
 
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