May is bright, May is Orange... We have the six shortlisted titles up for the Orange Prize as our contenders for our next bookclub. The winner of the award isn't announced until June 4th, but you can choose your own personal favourite right here and cast your vote for our May Book of the Month Poll.

Diary dates for May are: poll closes Friday 2nd May at 8pm and discussion night takes place Tuesday 27th May 8-10pm.

And don't forget, we'll be getting stuck into April's book, the epic Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie Macdonald, right here next Tuesday 29th April, from 8 - 10pm.

Thank you Tilly aren't you due pretty soon?

yup, due in 10 days but it feels pretty imminent. have been coming home with industrial buckets of cleaning products when all I went out for was milk...

Will keep you posted if it arrives before next Tuesday's chat night...

How are you feeling? You're due in June?

Tilly and Sophiewd, I didn't realise you are both due (and Tilly, so imminently!). I have a young baby-just turned 10mths-and it has definitely changed my perspective on so many things, including my thoughts on the books I read. Alot of my friends are not mums, and the ones that are don't read much. So I think having a mumsnet book club with mums' perspectives on books, life, the universe etc. is brilliant!

8 weeks Tilly and counting

Hi Arti, I agree: films, telly, books, art, everything takes on a new light when you're a parent. This will be my second, but i remember with my first son I couldn't stop seeing everyone as tiny babies, and thinking how perfect and beautiful everything starts off. And I'm terrible at unhappy endings these days. Feels like I've become very tough and very soft at the same time, and that affects my reading hugely.

sophiewd, is this one your second babe too?

Yes, have a a very active 2 year old DD.

I know what you mean about the unhappy endings-I have a pile of bestseller books I have no desire to read because they are supposed to have unhappy endings!

Good luck Tilly and Sophiewd.

Tilly, does that mean someone elso will be tepping in to run the book groupp for a while?

Best wishes from me too. I think the book club is a great idea. I will watch the discussion from this months book on Tuesday.

Sorry, just noticed my shocking typos. I was typing one-handed, in my defence...

I'll still be here but morningpaper is going to lend a hand too - and the summer will quieten down a bit, as the plan is to do Summer Reads for July and then have August off.

See everyone tomorrow for April's chat - unless the bump starts to shift, in which case I'll post Thundercats Are Go! on this thread...

Tilly and Sophie - good luck with the imminent arrivals. Just to say, like the others, what a great idea this book club is. I love reading, but have never managed to find a RL book club to go to, and this on-line version is so much easier now I am a mum

Hello - not sure whether I should put this here or in Site Stuff, but the link in the little banner at the top of the page actually goes to the March discussion thread at the moment!

Off to check out the shortlist...

Thanks Flossie - we've been having some problems with the banner ads so I'll check it again and see what's going on.

Strawberry, v glad you like the book club. All feedback hugely appreciated - if there's anything you think could work better, authors you want to see, changes you think we could make then do put suggestions up here...

Tilly - how could I not know you were pregnant? and about to give birth imminently as well

If Morning paper needs any help, am more than happy to lend a hand.

I presume you have a blackberry so if you should happen to be in the hospital giving birth when we need you, you'll be contactable?

Oooh yes of COURSE I will lend a hand. Mind you, you might be able to keep up - I always had lots of books on the go when I had a newborn - it took a while to get the hang of feeding/reading but I actually got through quite a few books from reading through the loooong 2a.m. feeds...

ooh squonk yes it will be fun!

Absolutely - will be taking all calls from the birthing suite, probably on conference so I can yell across the room...

I'm hoping I'll get through some books during the night, I think I need one of those lectern gadget things that holds your book in the bath etc. I remember last time I got hooked into BBC7 because they played live Eddie Izzard gigs throughout the early hours, which was v surreal.

Hope everyone's voted for May book (and got their friends to vote too) - will be back 8pm to announce result.....

I have voted

I remember when I had dd1, they all laughed at me as I unpacked all the books I had taken to the hospital with me.

They were laughing on the other side of their faces when I was bfing with one hand and reading with the other.

I think they all expected me to just look at the baby! pah!

Sorry, sorry, am late... lost the laptop but finally I am here to announce with appropriate drum roll that the Orange Prize winner in Mumsnet bookclub is....When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson. Hurray!

You can get the book here and we'll be discussing it on Tuesday 27th may at the usual tine of 8-10pm.

I will start trying to get an author chat organised and will keep you posted on this thread...

Thanks, I will be avidly reading from now on.Kids will have to eat cheese strings all month! Good luck with the babies Tilly and Sophie

damn! I've just ordered four new books and have only now discovered your lovely book club! Have to nip out and buy this one! Hope to join the chat on the 27th (best not tell the hubby- hes slightly worried that hes discovering bags and cupboards of hidden books :-)

Two bits of breaking news:

Waiting to hear back from Charlotte Mendelson about joining us for a live author chat on Tuesday 28th. If she's otherwise engaged, we'll have an advance Q&A session which we'll email her and then pop the answers on the thread on the night. So get your questions at the ready...

And I'm no longer balancing my laptop on an enormous spacehopper - our second son born last Saturday - still struggling with name, but Atticus is a strong contender since our Mocking Bird chat - he is a peach and all well.

Will keep you posted on any other major events (not planning any more babies just yet)

Tilly - very many congtratulations and what a fab name if you stick with it. Hope you are feeling OK and it wasn't to bad.

SO much easier this time round. Went to hospital at 2, had baby at 3.15, went home at 6.30. Felt like we'd popped round the corner shop and bought one.

Still god almighty painful, mind, but so quick you don't care so much.

Hoping yours is nice and speedy too...

Update on author: Charlotte is away in France and can't join us on the actual discussion night but she'd be delighted to answer our questions in advance.

Will everyone pop their thoughts on the discussion night thread and I'll send them on to her - cut off point is next Thursday 22nd to give her enough time to send answers back before discussion night.

Hope you all enjoying the book, looking forward to chatting on Tuesday 27th.