Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Linda Howard |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Shadow Woman |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=4 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Thrillers |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Prelude: the President of the United States and the First Lady are on what is not being called a campaign tour. It is. It is most definitely a re-election campaign; it's just not supposed to be. They retire to their suite for the night, and the protection detail of the Secret Service are looking forward to a shift change at the end of a long day. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0749955848</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Anthony Quinn |
| − | |title= | + | |title=The Streets |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=4.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=General Fiction |
| − | |summary=The | + | |summary=Anthony Quinn's ''The Streets'' is set in London in the early 1880s in the area known as Somers Town, which to those not familiar with London geography is the area around Euston, St Pancras and King's Cross stations. Today, much of this falls under the trendy Camden area, but in the 1880s, was the site of some of the worst slum tenements in the capital. Some 50 years' earlier, Charles Dickens lived in this part of London and although he had died by the time this is set, the depiction of the poverty is not far from what we would term Dickensian. The book is narrated by David Wildeblood, who is a principled but naive young man who finds employment as an 'investigator' for the charismatic Mr Marchmont's ''The Labouring Classes of London'' - a strange mix of social geography and journalism publishing regular stories of the poor who reside in the slums of London. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099575159</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Julia Green |
| − | |title= | + | |title=This Northern Sky |
| − | |rating=4 | + | |rating=4.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Teens |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Kate is not happy. Still raw from the disaster with Sam, she's been whisked away on a long holiday with her parents to a remote Hebridean island. Even discounting a broken heart, this is not the type of holiday a vivacious teenage girl wants to go on. And there's more. Kate's parents have been rowing of late. And she knows that this holiday is a last ditch attempt to save their marriage. It's not something she wants to sit and observe, day after day. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408820692</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Margo Lanagan |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Yellowcake |
| − | |rating=5 | + | |rating=4.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Short Stories |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=We should always make time for short stories. Especially if they are written by Margo Lanagan. In ''Yellowcake'', a traveller boy uses three items to reunite an old man with his memories. A boy with a crippled foot watches his townfolk butcher a beautiful creature washed up in their harbour. Rapunzel gets a makeover in which things turn out differently. We find out how the Ferryman of the Dead became the Ferrywoman. And more. |
| − | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849921113</amazonuk> | |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=David Levithan and Andrea Cremer |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Invisibility |
|rating=4.5 | |rating=4.5 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Teens |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Stephen is cursed with invisibility. He's never been seen by anyone, even his parents. Elizabeth isn't invisible, but sometimes she wishes she was. After problems back home, she's hoping to make a new start in New York City by blending into the background. Then she meets Stephen, and can see him. What is it about her that's so special? The two fall for each other hard - but in a world full of spells and curses, does love stand a chance? |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141348879</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Chris Ward |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Out of Office: Work Where You Like and Achieve More |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=3 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Lifestyle |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary='Imbibe coffee and become imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit' would be an apt summary of the gist of 'Out of Office' by Chris Ward. If you choose to read the book, be prepared to receive inspiration rather than practical instruction on how to build an empire, if anything. This is not to discredit the book; it is attractively designed, full of fundraising event photos and company founder portraits, motivational quotes and brief enthusiastic testimonies of the interviewees featured. But in terms of content, it doesn’t offer substantial advice on how to make that leap from the office cubicle – a context quite heavily vilified by Ward – to the existence of the creatively liberated mover and shaker. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0957612303</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Ruth Thomas |
| − | |title= | + | |title=The Home Corner |
|rating=3.5 | |rating=3.5 | ||
|genre=General Fiction | |genre=General Fiction | ||
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=When you finish your Highers, you’re supposed to go on to university, especially if you’re a girl like Luisa. But she’s failed hers, so for now higher education is out, and working is unfortunately in. So, she finds a job working as a classroom assistant in a primary school. It’s not something she ever wanted to do, and she finds herself in a weird sort of limbo, at a life stage somewhere between the children in her class, and her proper grown-up adult colleagues. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>057123061X</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Kate Maryon |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Invisible Girl |
|rating=4.5 | |rating=4.5 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Confident Readers |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=The day that it happened, that everything changed for Gabriella had felt the same as any other. If she had realised that she would not sleep in her own bed again she may have snuggled down for a little longer. If she had known how very hungry she would get she would have made time for an extra piece of toast that morning. If Gabriella had known what was going to happen she may have begged her Dad to change his mind. However in the space of twenty four hours Gabriella was to lose her home, her Dad, her school and her best friend. She finds herself totally alone and stakes everything on being able to find her brother, Beckett, whom she has not seen for several years. She believes if she can find Beckett she will have found a home and a family. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007466900</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Peter Bently and Russel Ayto |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Dustbin Dad |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=3.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Emerging Readers |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=''Dustbin Dad'' is a cautionary tale aimed at all of those children who leave food on their plate at the end of a meal. Dad likes nothing better than to polish off the leftovers, much to the disgust of his family. One day, however, he gobbles down a pint of something that tastes like fish chowder. Unfortunately, it is cat medicine and it has some very strange side effects indeed, as dad discovers when he hears a loud rip and a long tail pops out of the back of his trousers... |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847388744</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Ellen Crimi-Trent |
| − | |title= | + | |title=My School Day |
| − | |rating=5 | + | |rating=4.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=For Sharing |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=The feature that initially attracted me to ''My School Day'' was the huge, interactive clock face on the front cover. Learning to tell the time is such an important life skill, but sometimes young children can struggle with the concept. A hands-on approach, combining the senses of sight and touch can be an effective method of teaching. The child is learning through play and having lots of fun at the same time. |
| − | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849158533</amazonuk> | |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | ||
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Fuminori Nakamura |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Evil and the Mask |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=4.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Crime |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=The novel begins when the protagonist is only eleven years old, and spans the rest of his life, alternating between the past and the present in the first half of the novel, until we catch up with the present day. At the start young Fumihiro is summoned to the room of his elderly father, the present president of the Kuki Group of interlinked corporations across Japan. What transpires next is a monologue from Fumihiro's father, telling the boy he was bred to be a cancer on the world and spread unhappiness. Fumihiro's father ends with introducing Fumihiro to his new adopted sister, Kaori, and informing them both that when they turn fourteen Kaori will be an integral cog in the plan to break Fumihiro's spirit; to 'show him hell'. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1616952121</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Katherine Longshore |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Tarnish |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=4 |
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|genre=Teens | |genre=Teens | ||
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Anne Boleyn is coming back to court. After suffering embarrassment and exile, Anne is not about to let this second chance slip through her fingers. But the trickery of court life is difficult to navigate, and telling friend from foe can be the difference between social success and becoming a pariah. Luckily she has the help of Thomas Wyatt, poet and infamous womaniser. He promises to make Anne the most popular woman at court, and when Anne starts to play his game, things start to escalate far further than anyone ever imagined. For not only does Anne manage to get the court eating out of her hand, but the King is starting to sit up and take notice too... |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471116964</amazonuk> |
}} | }} | ||
{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Sahar Delijani |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Children of the Jacaranda Tree |
| − | |rating=4 | + | |rating=4 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Crime |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Azar is in labour and about to give birth to her first child. Elsewhere she'd be looking forward to medical care for as long as she needs it and a good chance of a safe delivery. But this is Iran in 1983 and Azar is in the notorious Evin Prison for daring to believe in something different from the government. Amil saves date stones to make into a bracelet for his little baby as she grows into a child without him; he too is incarcerated. Even those on the outside need to be wary of what they say or do as Laila discovers when hair falls over her face while she's out walking. This isn’t the brave new world that the revolution was meant to provide, however it is the world in which they, their children and children's children will need to survive. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0297869027</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Helen Smith |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Invitation to Die |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=4 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Crime |
| − | |summary='' | + | |summary=I must confess I feel a little apprehensive writing this review. Why? It has to do with the subject matter of the book, a murder mystery set in a London Hotel. The murder victim ''just'' ''happens'' to be a blogger who writes book reviews [laughs to self nervously] and one of the key suspects is a writer who has taken offense at the poor reception that her book has received online. I keep telling myself that this is only fiction. ''Only'' ''fiction''. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1477807306</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Victoria Eveleigh |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Joe and the Hidden Horseshoe |
|rating=4 | |rating=4 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Confident Readers |
| − | |summary= It' | + | |summary=Joe did not want to move. Birmingham suited him just fine. It was where his friends were and his school - and he'd got life sorted quite nicely. But his father had got his dream job as head of a group of village primary schools and the family - Mum, Dad, Joe and his younger sister Emily - moved to a farmhouse in Devon. His Mum was determined that she and Emily would have ponies to ride and not being prone to thinking things through before acting it wasn't long before Lady and Lightning arrived in a horsebox. Mum should have made checks on the ponies before deciding to buy them and she should have been even more wary when the ponies were delivered with little ceremony. But she wasn't. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>144400591X</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Jeremy Strong and Scoular Anderson |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Chuckle Bob's Great Escape |
|rating=5 | |rating=5 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Confident Readers |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Chuckle Bob looks positively wicked in the first illustration of this book, but then who can blame him for feeling a bit cranky? He wants to swing in the trees and run in the grass, not sit in a cage all day. When he sees a chance to escape, he takes it, causing all sorts of mayhem in the process. Once out of his cage he turns the entire pet shop into a disaster zone. He lets the parrot loose, but it falls into the fish tank. Fish get knocked everywhere, including down the pet store assistant's top, and then he lets out the gerbils and rabbits as well. While Mr Rush, the pet store owner and his assistant Maya try to deal with all the mischief he has caused, an unsuspecting customer enters the door, and Chuckle Bob makes his escape, with just a bit more mayhem of course. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781122156</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Robert Sellers |
| − | |title= | + | |title=What Fresh Lunacy is This?: The Authorised Biography of Oliver Reed |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Biography |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=For rather more of his career than he, his family and closest friends might have liked, the name Oliver Reed was a byword for booze, brawls and all types of laddish behaviour. As Sellers’ very full and remarkably objective biography reveals, it was a funny yet sad life all at once. For although he repeatedly played up to the image of the lovable rogue which he had created, underneath the bad boy of popular legend he was at heart a professional actor who could always deliver a first-rate performance on the film set when required. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>147210112X</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Lisa Cutts |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Never Forget |
|rating=4 | |rating=4 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Crime |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=DC Nina Foster isn't ''that'' unusual in the police force. She's perhaps a little overweight and a little too fond of wine. Her relationships don't tend to last but then the unpredictable hours which the job demands don't help in that area. She has some good friends within the force - part camaraderie, part common interest and a lot of knowledge that that these are the people you might be relying on in an emergency. Nina does have one secret though and it relates back to her childhood. She does her best not to give what happened to her any room in her head and most of the time it works. Most people have no idea about her history. Then a frenzied stabbing pulls Nina into her first murder investigation and the Major Incident Room. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1908434260</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Christopher Fowler |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Bryant and May and the Invisible Code |
|rating=4 | |rating=4 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Crime |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Never judge a book by its cover? Oh come on... Doesn't that do a huge disservice to the army of graphic designers designing those covers? To be fair, the designers don't get the final say and we've all read things that didn't do what they said on the tin, but I think it's time we started giving a bit of credit to those that do. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857500953</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Francesca Simon and Tony Ross |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Horrid Henry's Nightmare |
|rating=5 | |rating=5 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Confident Readers |
| − | |summary=It | + | |summary=Horrid Henry was the first chapter book my son ever read alone. It was quickly followed by a succession of books in the series and my son's confidence in reading grew by leaps and bounds with this engaging series that gets young children reading and keeps them reading. The simple fact is, with such a large number of books in the series, any child who reads through the whole lot will improve their reading skills. As he has grown older, his tastes in books have changed, but as I sat down to read 'Horrid Henry's Nightmare' to my four year old he was happy to listen in as well and we all enjoyed sharing this book as a family. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444000160</amazonuk> |
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| + | |author=Claudia Pineiro | ||
| + | |title=A Crack in the Wall | ||
| + | |rating=4.5 | ||
| + | |genre=Thrillers | ||
| + | |summary=Pablo Simó is an architect on the verge of a mid life crisis. His work, marriage and general life is governed more by habit and routine than anything, leaving him to ponder over the attractions of his colleague Marta with whom he suspects his boss may be having a relationship. When a young girl enters the office asking if anyone knows a man called Nelson Jara, the three architects deny all knowledge, but they do know him. He was involved in a claim that one of the practice's projects caused a crack in the wall of his apartment and how this was resolved is something all three of them would rather forget. | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1908524081</amazonuk> | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Marlen Haushofer |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Nowhere Ending Sky |
|rating=4.5 | |rating=4.5 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Literary Fiction |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary= Little Meta is growing up in a childhood paradise with two parents who love her and a younger brother to tease and train to do all the things that Meta wants him to. However the world outside Meta's paradise will soon change beyond all recognition as the Austria and Germany of the 1920s makes way for the Austria and Germany of the 1930s. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0704373130</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Lea Carpenter |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Eleven Days |
| − | |rating=5 | + | |rating=4.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Literary Fiction |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Sara raised Jason alone; even when she was with his father it felt as if she was a lone parent. Jason's father always seemed to be away doing something indefinable abroad; then he disappeared leaving her completely. Two years later Jason's father was dead. However Jason is a lad to be proud of, never giving Sara a moment's trouble and now a member of the elite US Navy SEALS. Now he's missing in action… Now she has to hang on and hope. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444776231</amazonuk> |
}} | }} | ||
{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Fiona McIntosh |
| − | |title=The | + | |title=The Lavender Keeper |
| − | |rating=5 | + | |rating=4.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Thrillers |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Provence 1942: Lavender farmer Luc Bonet joins the Maquis (a rural guerrilla wing of the French Resistance) to avenge the death of his adoptive Jewish family. Meanwhile in London gifted linguist Lisette Forester is recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a group of trained specialists parachuted into enemy territory to send vital information back to the homeland. Their paths will cross as Lisette is sent into France with the aim of ingratiating herself with Nazi Colonel Markus Kilian. The mission is clear cut on paper, but life can be messier than any plan can predict. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0749013443</amazonuk> |
}} | }} | ||
{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Tatyana Feeney |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Little Owl's Orange Scarf |
| − | |rating=5 | + | |rating=4.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=For Sharing |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Little Owl's Mummy knitted him a scarf. A long, itchy, orange scarf, and Little Owl does not like it! He tries to get rid of it, using it as wrapping for a gift, and hiding it in a suitcase bound for Peru, but no luck! Mummy finds it every time. Then one day, Little Owl goes on a school visit to the zoo and he comes home without his scarf. What will Mummy say? |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>019279454X</amazonuk> |
}} | }} | ||
{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Simon Urban and Katy Derbyshire (Translator) |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Plan D |
|rating=4.5 | |rating=4.5 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Crime |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=October 2011 and the Berlin wall is still intact. Inspector Martin Wegener of the East German People's Police faces another day dividing his mind between thoughts of his luscious ex-lover Karolina and work. On this particular day 'work' is a body found hanging from the GDR section of gas pipeline that joins Russian to Europe. Not only is he hanging, the deceased has eight knots round his neck and his shoe laces are tied together: a Stasi trademark. Who is he and why are the Stasi killing again? Martin needs answers and they're sending a West Berlin detective in to help him find them; not the best start to a day. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846556929</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Lucy Cruickshanks |
| − | |title= | + | |title=The Trader of Saigon |
|rating=5 | |rating=5 | ||
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=General Fiction |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=In the Saigon of the 1980s the Vietnam War is over but the traces remain. Alexander has deserted from the US army and makes a comfortable living selling girls to local business men. Phuc used to be a business man, complete with mansion and the means to keep his wife and three children in affluence. Now his family live in a shanty hut, afraid of the ruling government that spies through the eyes of children. At last he finds a way out, his luck just needs to hold. Hanh also lives in poverty, desperately trying to help her sick mother with the pittance she earns from cleaning one of the city's many open latrines. Then one day she meets someone who offers so much more. His name is Alexander. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782063218</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Alain Mabanckou |
| − | |title= | + | |title=Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=General Fiction |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Michel is as carefree as any child can be during that difficult process called 'growing up'. Here in Congo Brazzaville he has his best friend Lounes, a crush on Caroline (his best friend's sister), the hassles of school and a family consisting of two mothers in two houses which seems perfectly normal. He's also being educated about the world by his father; a world that changes daily as it's 1979. Never mind, he can always marry Caroline as long as he meets her conditions: she requires children, a red 5-seater car and a white dog. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846685842</amazonuk> |
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{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| − | |author= | + | |author=Marie Harbon <!-- 6/12 --> |
| − | |title=The | + | |title=Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle |
| − | |rating= | + | |rating=3.5 |
| − | |genre= | + | |genre=Science Fiction |
| − | |summary= | + | |summary=Following several main characters - scientist Paul, businessman Max, remote viewer Tahra and mystery woman Ava - across two time frames spanning the 1940s to the present day, ''Seven Point Eight'' blends science fiction and fantasy in a sprawling, absorbing, diffuse novel that will attract fans of both genres. |
| − | |amazonuk=<amazonuk> | + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>B005IBYKC0</amazonuk> |
}} | }} | ||
Revision as of 05:59, 19 June 2013
Hello from The Bookbag, a book review site, featuring books from all the many walks of literary life - fiction, biography, crime, cookery and anything else that takes our fancy. At Bookbag Towers the bookbag sits at the side of the desk. It's the bag we take to the library and the bookshop. Sometimes it holds the latest releases, but at other times there'll be old favourites, books for the children, books for the home. They're sometimes our own books or books from the local library. They're often books sent to us by publishers and we promise to tell you exactly what we think about them. You might not want to read through a full review, so we'll give you a quick review which summarises what we felt about the book and tells you whether or not we think you should buy or borrow it. There are also lots of author interviews, and all sorts of top tens - all of which you can find on our features page. If you're stuck for something to read, check out the recommendations page.
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Shadow Woman by Linda Howard
Prelude: the President of the United States and the First Lady are on what is not being called a campaign tour. It is. It is most definitely a re-election campaign; it's just not supposed to be. They retire to their suite for the night, and the protection detail of the Secret Service are looking forward to a shift change at the end of a long day. Full review...
The Streets by Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn's The Streets is set in London in the early 1880s in the area known as Somers Town, which to those not familiar with London geography is the area around Euston, St Pancras and King's Cross stations. Today, much of this falls under the trendy Camden area, but in the 1880s, was the site of some of the worst slum tenements in the capital. Some 50 years' earlier, Charles Dickens lived in this part of London and although he had died by the time this is set, the depiction of the poverty is not far from what we would term Dickensian. The book is narrated by David Wildeblood, who is a principled but naive young man who finds employment as an 'investigator' for the charismatic Mr Marchmont's The Labouring Classes of London - a strange mix of social geography and journalism publishing regular stories of the poor who reside in the slums of London. Full review...
This Northern Sky by Julia Green
Kate is not happy. Still raw from the disaster with Sam, she's been whisked away on a long holiday with her parents to a remote Hebridean island. Even discounting a broken heart, this is not the type of holiday a vivacious teenage girl wants to go on. And there's more. Kate's parents have been rowing of late. And she knows that this holiday is a last ditch attempt to save their marriage. It's not something she wants to sit and observe, day after day. Full review...
Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan
We should always make time for short stories. Especially if they are written by Margo Lanagan. In Yellowcake, a traveller boy uses three items to reunite an old man with his memories. A boy with a crippled foot watches his townfolk butcher a beautiful creature washed up in their harbour. Rapunzel gets a makeover in which things turn out differently. We find out how the Ferryman of the Dead became the Ferrywoman. And more. Full review...
Invisibility by David Levithan and Andrea Cremer
Stephen is cursed with invisibility. He's never been seen by anyone, even his parents. Elizabeth isn't invisible, but sometimes she wishes she was. After problems back home, she's hoping to make a new start in New York City by blending into the background. Then she meets Stephen, and can see him. What is it about her that's so special? The two fall for each other hard - but in a world full of spells and curses, does love stand a chance? Full review...
Out of Office: Work Where You Like and Achieve More by Chris Ward
'Imbibe coffee and become imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit' would be an apt summary of the gist of 'Out of Office' by Chris Ward. If you choose to read the book, be prepared to receive inspiration rather than practical instruction on how to build an empire, if anything. This is not to discredit the book; it is attractively designed, full of fundraising event photos and company founder portraits, motivational quotes and brief enthusiastic testimonies of the interviewees featured. But in terms of content, it doesn’t offer substantial advice on how to make that leap from the office cubicle – a context quite heavily vilified by Ward – to the existence of the creatively liberated mover and shaker. Full review...
The Home Corner by Ruth Thomas
When you finish your Highers, you’re supposed to go on to university, especially if you’re a girl like Luisa. But she’s failed hers, so for now higher education is out, and working is unfortunately in. So, she finds a job working as a classroom assistant in a primary school. It’s not something she ever wanted to do, and she finds herself in a weird sort of limbo, at a life stage somewhere between the children in her class, and her proper grown-up adult colleagues. Full review...
Invisible Girl by Kate Maryon
The day that it happened, that everything changed for Gabriella had felt the same as any other. If she had realised that she would not sleep in her own bed again she may have snuggled down for a little longer. If she had known how very hungry she would get she would have made time for an extra piece of toast that morning. If Gabriella had known what was going to happen she may have begged her Dad to change his mind. However in the space of twenty four hours Gabriella was to lose her home, her Dad, her school and her best friend. She finds herself totally alone and stakes everything on being able to find her brother, Beckett, whom she has not seen for several years. She believes if she can find Beckett she will have found a home and a family. Full review...
Dustbin Dad by Peter Bently and Russel Ayto
Dustbin Dad is a cautionary tale aimed at all of those children who leave food on their plate at the end of a meal. Dad likes nothing better than to polish off the leftovers, much to the disgust of his family. One day, however, he gobbles down a pint of something that tastes like fish chowder. Unfortunately, it is cat medicine and it has some very strange side effects indeed, as dad discovers when he hears a loud rip and a long tail pops out of the back of his trousers... Full review...
My School Day by Ellen Crimi-Trent
The feature that initially attracted me to My School Day was the huge, interactive clock face on the front cover. Learning to tell the time is such an important life skill, but sometimes young children can struggle with the concept. A hands-on approach, combining the senses of sight and touch can be an effective method of teaching. The child is learning through play and having lots of fun at the same time. Full review...
Evil and the Mask by Fuminori Nakamura
The novel begins when the protagonist is only eleven years old, and spans the rest of his life, alternating between the past and the present in the first half of the novel, until we catch up with the present day. At the start young Fumihiro is summoned to the room of his elderly father, the present president of the Kuki Group of interlinked corporations across Japan. What transpires next is a monologue from Fumihiro's father, telling the boy he was bred to be a cancer on the world and spread unhappiness. Fumihiro's father ends with introducing Fumihiro to his new adopted sister, Kaori, and informing them both that when they turn fourteen Kaori will be an integral cog in the plan to break Fumihiro's spirit; to 'show him hell'. Full review...
Tarnish by Katherine Longshore
Anne Boleyn is coming back to court. After suffering embarrassment and exile, Anne is not about to let this second chance slip through her fingers. But the trickery of court life is difficult to navigate, and telling friend from foe can be the difference between social success and becoming a pariah. Luckily she has the help of Thomas Wyatt, poet and infamous womaniser. He promises to make Anne the most popular woman at court, and when Anne starts to play his game, things start to escalate far further than anyone ever imagined. For not only does Anne manage to get the court eating out of her hand, but the King is starting to sit up and take notice too... Full review...
Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Delijani
Azar is in labour and about to give birth to her first child. Elsewhere she'd be looking forward to medical care for as long as she needs it and a good chance of a safe delivery. But this is Iran in 1983 and Azar is in the notorious Evin Prison for daring to believe in something different from the government. Amil saves date stones to make into a bracelet for his little baby as she grows into a child without him; he too is incarcerated. Even those on the outside need to be wary of what they say or do as Laila discovers when hair falls over her face while she's out walking. This isn’t the brave new world that the revolution was meant to provide, however it is the world in which they, their children and children's children will need to survive. Full review...
Invitation to Die by Helen Smith
I must confess I feel a little apprehensive writing this review. Why? It has to do with the subject matter of the book, a murder mystery set in a London Hotel. The murder victim just happens to be a blogger who writes book reviews [laughs to self nervously] and one of the key suspects is a writer who has taken offense at the poor reception that her book has received online. I keep telling myself that this is only fiction. Only fiction. Full review...
Joe and the Hidden Horseshoe by Victoria Eveleigh
Joe did not want to move. Birmingham suited him just fine. It was where his friends were and his school - and he'd got life sorted quite nicely. But his father had got his dream job as head of a group of village primary schools and the family - Mum, Dad, Joe and his younger sister Emily - moved to a farmhouse in Devon. His Mum was determined that she and Emily would have ponies to ride and not being prone to thinking things through before acting it wasn't long before Lady and Lightning arrived in a horsebox. Mum should have made checks on the ponies before deciding to buy them and she should have been even more wary when the ponies were delivered with little ceremony. But she wasn't. Full review...
Chuckle Bob's Great Escape by Jeremy Strong and Scoular Anderson
Chuckle Bob looks positively wicked in the first illustration of this book, but then who can blame him for feeling a bit cranky? He wants to swing in the trees and run in the grass, not sit in a cage all day. When he sees a chance to escape, he takes it, causing all sorts of mayhem in the process. Once out of his cage he turns the entire pet shop into a disaster zone. He lets the parrot loose, but it falls into the fish tank. Fish get knocked everywhere, including down the pet store assistant's top, and then he lets out the gerbils and rabbits as well. While Mr Rush, the pet store owner and his assistant Maya try to deal with all the mischief he has caused, an unsuspecting customer enters the door, and Chuckle Bob makes his escape, with just a bit more mayhem of course. Full review...
What Fresh Lunacy is This?: The Authorised Biography of Oliver Reed by Robert Sellers
For rather more of his career than he, his family and closest friends might have liked, the name Oliver Reed was a byword for booze, brawls and all types of laddish behaviour. As Sellers’ very full and remarkably objective biography reveals, it was a funny yet sad life all at once. For although he repeatedly played up to the image of the lovable rogue which he had created, underneath the bad boy of popular legend he was at heart a professional actor who could always deliver a first-rate performance on the film set when required. Full review...
Never Forget by Lisa Cutts
DC Nina Foster isn't that unusual in the police force. She's perhaps a little overweight and a little too fond of wine. Her relationships don't tend to last but then the unpredictable hours which the job demands don't help in that area. She has some good friends within the force - part camaraderie, part common interest and a lot of knowledge that that these are the people you might be relying on in an emergency. Nina does have one secret though and it relates back to her childhood. She does her best not to give what happened to her any room in her head and most of the time it works. Most people have no idea about her history. Then a frenzied stabbing pulls Nina into her first murder investigation and the Major Incident Room. Full review...
Bryant and May and the Invisible Code by Christopher Fowler
Never judge a book by its cover? Oh come on... Doesn't that do a huge disservice to the army of graphic designers designing those covers? To be fair, the designers don't get the final say and we've all read things that didn't do what they said on the tin, but I think it's time we started giving a bit of credit to those that do. Full review...
Horrid Henry's Nightmare by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
Horrid Henry was the first chapter book my son ever read alone. It was quickly followed by a succession of books in the series and my son's confidence in reading grew by leaps and bounds with this engaging series that gets young children reading and keeps them reading. The simple fact is, with such a large number of books in the series, any child who reads through the whole lot will improve their reading skills. As he has grown older, his tastes in books have changed, but as I sat down to read 'Horrid Henry's Nightmare' to my four year old he was happy to listen in as well and we all enjoyed sharing this book as a family. Full review...
A Crack in the Wall by Claudia Pineiro
Pablo Simó is an architect on the verge of a mid life crisis. His work, marriage and general life is governed more by habit and routine than anything, leaving him to ponder over the attractions of his colleague Marta with whom he suspects his boss may be having a relationship. When a young girl enters the office asking if anyone knows a man called Nelson Jara, the three architects deny all knowledge, but they do know him. He was involved in a claim that one of the practice's projects caused a crack in the wall of his apartment and how this was resolved is something all three of them would rather forget. Full review...
Nowhere Ending Sky by Marlen Haushofer
Little Meta is growing up in a childhood paradise with two parents who love her and a younger brother to tease and train to do all the things that Meta wants him to. However the world outside Meta's paradise will soon change beyond all recognition as the Austria and Germany of the 1920s makes way for the Austria and Germany of the 1930s. Full review...
Eleven Days by Lea Carpenter
Sara raised Jason alone; even when she was with his father it felt as if she was a lone parent. Jason's father always seemed to be away doing something indefinable abroad; then he disappeared leaving her completely. Two years later Jason's father was dead. However Jason is a lad to be proud of, never giving Sara a moment's trouble and now a member of the elite US Navy SEALS. Now he's missing in action… Now she has to hang on and hope. Full review...
The Lavender Keeper by Fiona McIntosh
Provence 1942: Lavender farmer Luc Bonet joins the Maquis (a rural guerrilla wing of the French Resistance) to avenge the death of his adoptive Jewish family. Meanwhile in London gifted linguist Lisette Forester is recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a group of trained specialists parachuted into enemy territory to send vital information back to the homeland. Their paths will cross as Lisette is sent into France with the aim of ingratiating herself with Nazi Colonel Markus Kilian. The mission is clear cut on paper, but life can be messier than any plan can predict. Full review...
Little Owl's Orange Scarf by Tatyana Feeney
Little Owl's Mummy knitted him a scarf. A long, itchy, orange scarf, and Little Owl does not like it! He tries to get rid of it, using it as wrapping for a gift, and hiding it in a suitcase bound for Peru, but no luck! Mummy finds it every time. Then one day, Little Owl goes on a school visit to the zoo and he comes home without his scarf. What will Mummy say? Full review...
Plan D by Simon Urban and Katy Derbyshire (Translator)
October 2011 and the Berlin wall is still intact. Inspector Martin Wegener of the East German People's Police faces another day dividing his mind between thoughts of his luscious ex-lover Karolina and work. On this particular day 'work' is a body found hanging from the GDR section of gas pipeline that joins Russian to Europe. Not only is he hanging, the deceased has eight knots round his neck and his shoe laces are tied together: a Stasi trademark. Who is he and why are the Stasi killing again? Martin needs answers and they're sending a West Berlin detective in to help him find them; not the best start to a day. Full review...
The Trader of Saigon by Lucy Cruickshanks
In the Saigon of the 1980s the Vietnam War is over but the traces remain. Alexander has deserted from the US army and makes a comfortable living selling girls to local business men. Phuc used to be a business man, complete with mansion and the means to keep his wife and three children in affluence. Now his family live in a shanty hut, afraid of the ruling government that spies through the eyes of children. At last he finds a way out, his luck just needs to hold. Hanh also lives in poverty, desperately trying to help her sick mother with the pittance she earns from cleaning one of the city's many open latrines. Then one day she meets someone who offers so much more. His name is Alexander. Full review...
Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty by Alain Mabanckou
Michel is as carefree as any child can be during that difficult process called 'growing up'. Here in Congo Brazzaville he has his best friend Lounes, a crush on Caroline (his best friend's sister), the hassles of school and a family consisting of two mothers in two houses which seems perfectly normal. He's also being educated about the world by his father; a world that changes daily as it's 1979. Never mind, he can always marry Caroline as long as he meets her conditions: she requires children, a red 5-seater car and a white dog. Full review...
Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle by Marie Harbon
Following several main characters - scientist Paul, businessman Max, remote viewer Tahra and mystery woman Ava - across two time frames spanning the 1940s to the present day, Seven Point Eight blends science fiction and fantasy in a sprawling, absorbing, diffuse novel that will attract fans of both genres. Full review...
