Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
| Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
'''Read [[Features|new features]].''' | '''Read [[Features|new features]].''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{newreview | ||
| + | |author=Lindsey Leavitt | ||
| + | |title=Going Vintage | ||
| + | |rating=4 | ||
| + | |genre=Teens | ||
| + | |summary=After finding out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her with a girl he met online, Mallory decides that the best way to make her life less complicated is to get rid of the boy, and of the new technology that's the cause of her woes. Finding a list her grandmother wrote as a teen in the Sixties, she decides to go vintage, and live as her grandmother did. Will she find the answer to her modern-day problems in the past? | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>140713485X</amazonuk> | ||
| + | }} | ||
{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| Line 219: | Line 228: | ||
|summary=It may only have taken a year for the second in the ''Wall of Night'' series to hit the shelves, but on Haarth five years have passed since [[The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe|The Heir of Night]] disappeared from the Wall. She's known not to have died in the Swarm attack, but was last seen in the wilds of Jaransor and many believe her now to be dead. | |summary=It may only have taken a year for the second in the ''Wall of Night'' series to hit the shelves, but on Haarth five years have passed since [[The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe|The Heir of Night]] disappeared from the Wall. She's known not to have died in the Swarm attack, but was last seen in the wilds of Jaransor and many believe her now to be dead. | ||
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0356500039</amazonuk> | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0356500039</amazonuk> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
}} | }} | ||
Revision as of 12:01, 6 April 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.
There are currently 16,117 reviews at TheBookbag.
Want to find out more about us?
New Reviews
Read new reviews by genre.
Read new features.
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
After finding out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her with a girl he met online, Mallory decides that the best way to make her life less complicated is to get rid of the boy, and of the new technology that's the cause of her woes. Finding a list her grandmother wrote as a teen in the Sixties, she decides to go vintage, and live as her grandmother did. Will she find the answer to her modern-day problems in the past? Full review...
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Australian Professor of Genetics Don Tillman is passably good looking, successful and tall. If he were an animal he'd be highly sought after for breeding purposes. Unfortunately he's human and although popular (well… he has two friends anyway) he can't get a second date… from anyone… at all. Being a scientist he sets out on a logical quest for a mate. The Wife Project begins and seems to be progressing… until Rosie. Full review...
Last Snow (Jack McClure Trilogy) by Eric Van Lustbader
Jack McClure, aide and friend to the US president, is back at work after the death of his daughter and the resolved kidnapping of President Carson's own daughter, Alli. However, Jack hasn't fully recovered; he's still in mourning and full of self-recrimination but the show must go on. When an American senator is killed in Capri Jack's on hand to investigate, starting a mission that will take him into the Ukraine and the seamier side of power on both sides of the Atlantic. Apparently not all the President's closest advisors can be trusted and that's not Jack's only complication. After Alli's traumatic experiences at the hands of Morgan Herr Jack is the only person she trusts, so she's coming along for the ride, through hell, high water and a few murders. Full review...
Dreams and Shadows by C Robert Cargill
Once upon a time, a sweet boy met a sweet girl and they fell perfectly in love. Their love is rich and fulfilling and true. They did what people in love do: moved in together, got married, had a baby. And then something most people don't believe exists crawls into their house through an open window and exchanges their perfect baby for a changeling. It's the start of something bigger than even the switcher can begin to imagine. Full review...
You, Me and Thing 4: The Mummy That Went Moo by Karen McCombie
Do you remember Thing? Yes, that's right, he's that funny little creature who's a bit like a troll or a fairy or a squirrel or a, well, a something and he lives in the woods at the bottom of Ruby's garden. Ruby and Jackson became friends thanks to discovering Thing, and now they try to take care of him as best they can, and keep him out of trouble if at all possible. Unfortunately with Thing's wayward magical powers it isn't always easy to do! Full review...
Baksheesh (Kati Hirschel Murder Mysteries) by Esmahan Aykol and Ruth Whitehouse (translator)
Kati Hirschel, daughter of German parents, still runs the only crime fiction bookshop in Istanbul and, when good's measured against bad, seems to be having a rough time. Good that she's about to buy her first apartment. However, looking at the bad, she's just split up with her boyfriend (albeit after a very good dinner), is strangled in a car park (though not to death… which is good) and is about to be arrested for her strangler's murder occurring, as it did, while she was eating strawberry ice cream. The only way she can exonerate herself is to emulate her fictional heroes once again and do some sleuthing. Full review...
Jack Hunter: The French Connection by Martin King
After solving the ancient secret of the King, Jack Hunter's life has been brilliant. Finding a centuries-old key and unlocking mysteries dating back to the time of King Richard, as well as being integral in unveiling dangerous criminal activities and rescuing long-lost treasure have earned Jack and his friends a French holiday. But nothing is ever easy. Jack finds himself in the middle of a robbery, and nothing is what it seems. Russian gangsters, stolen jewels, a famous movie star.... and another historical secret pull Jack and his friends even deeper into the secrets of The Four Corners. What is going on? And how do they even know about Jack? With his family in danger, Jack can't even be sure who the good guys are. Full review...
Don't Look Back by S B Hayes
Ever since they were children, Sinead has been taunted by her older brother Patrick. Always their mother's favourite, he constantly plays games with her, trying to force her to follow him. When he goes missing, it seems to be his most sinister game yet - as he leaves a trail of clues which lead to Benedict House, a strange place where time seems to stand still. Full review...
Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick
Charlie Beale returned from the war in Europe and 1948 found him in Brownsburg, Virginia. He'd been driving around looking for somewhere to settle and all he had with him were two suitcases. One contained an excellent set of butchers' knives - and the other was full of money. Brownsburg seemed like a fine place to stay and before long he had a job with Will Haislett and the Haislett family became his family. He'd never hankered after children but their five-year-old son, Sam found a place in his heart. Life might have been good if it had continued in this vein, but Charlie Beale met Sylvan Glass.s Full review...
The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen
Lazlo is afraid of the dark. Each night he takes a torch to bed as he knows that the dark shares the house with him, lurking in all the corners of his home. Usually though, the dark lives in the basement and each morning Lazlo builds up the courage to go to the door of the basement and say hi to the dark. But then one night the dark does something different and visits Lazlo in his bedroom and speaks to him! It has something that it wants to show Lazlo and it is something that will help Lazlo to overcome his fear. Full review...
Wendy Quill Is A Crocodile's Bottom by Wendy Meddour
Wendy Quill really wants to be 'a little bit famous', but her plans don’t always work out. Still, nothing can stop her from trying… and having the best time ever. First, she’s absolutely sure she’ll get the lead part in her school production of Peter Pan and Wendy. She has been Wendy all her life, after all. When that doesn’t work out, she stuns the audience with her performance as the crocodile’s bottom! Then, she gets dragged along to her best-friend Florence's tap-dancing class, and manages to land a part as a tap-dancing munchkin in their show… and she didn’t even know she could dance! But fame finally comes her way when she dresses up for a class project on the Plague and saves her teacher, Miss Pinch, from Kevin, the escaped school rat. Her heroic deed makes the front page, where everyone can see her! Full review...
Wolf and Dog by Sylvia Vanden Heede and Marije Tolman
Wolf and Dog are cousins, and whilst Wolf is wild and lives in the forest, Dog is tame and lives in a house with his boss. In spite of their differences they somehow develop a friendship, of sorts, sharing everything from food to fleas! Full review...
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
Inside Mohsin Hamid's How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a bitter-sweet love story disguised as a self help book. It's a well structured concept and works nicely. Each chapter is presented in the format of those common to the self help genre, with advice like 'Move to the City', 'Get an Education' etc., although the chapter entitled 'Be Prepared to Use Violence' is a notable omission from most business tomes and self help books. After some general chatty comments in the self help book style, the attention turns to two people who are named only 'the boy' and 'the pretty girl', charting their rise and fall from rural poverty in an unnamed Asian country (although it certainly feels like Pakistan) to business success and wealth in the city. The two are not a couple, but their lives cross at frequent times and he, in particular, remains infatuated with his childhood acquaintance. Full review...
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
I first encountered Anna Quindlen when I read Life with Beau: A Tale of a Dog and His Family. I'm a sucker for non-fiction books about dogs but what struck me was that the book could have been trite. Instead it was elegant, witty and with a real eye for detail and social nuance. It was genuinely about life with Beau and what the family learned from him rather than - as so many such books are - what the family had done for the dog. The book struck a particular chord with me as our older dog was, we knew, on borrowed time (although her innate stubbornness kept her going for another two years) and Quindlen helped me to think about what Rosie had given us. Full review...
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O'Hara
'My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish' is not a book that an adult would read unless they have children. This is a book written for children, and Mo O'Hara certainly has a very clear idea of what children like. This has none of the hallmarks of a first foray into fiction; O'Hara jumps right in with the confidence of a master. A bit of research shows she has in fact had time to perfect her craft, as a storyteller with live audiences where the immediate feedback would have shown what the children wanted to hear - and what they didn't. She has obviously perfected the art of storytelling for children before beginning her first book. Full review...
Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
Set in rural Tennessee, Dellarobia Turnbow is a young mother, trapped in the result of a shotgun wedding in a largely loveless marriage on her husband's failing family farm dominated by the disapproval of her God-fearing mother in law. She dreams of escape with equally unsuitable younger men until one day on her way to acting on this impulse for the first time, she encounters an act of nature that will change her life for good. Barbara Kingsolver perfectly captures in the opening paragraphs the sense of entrapment and dissatisfaction of Dellarobia and doesn't let up for a moment. Full review...
Made to last: The story of Britain's best-known shoe firm by Mark Palmer
From its founding by the Quaker brothers Cyrus and James Clark in the Somerset village of Street, to its present-day status as a global shoe brand, the name of Clark has weathered many a storm as it draws close to its bicentenary. This account of the company, by a distant kinsman of the two original founders, has drawn heavily on the archives and on in-depth interviews with the family to tell the full story. Full review...
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 10 by Maxim Jakubowski
A couple of years ago, I reviewed The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8 by Maxim Jakubowski and it was something of a frustrating experience. There were some really good short stories in there, from excellent authors, but they were padded out by a significant number of completely unmemorable ones. The latest in the series suffers from the same lack of quality control - if anything, the ratio of hits to misses is somewhat lower. Full review...
The Vegetarian Pantry by Chloe Coker and Jane Montgomery
Chloe Coker and Jane Montgomery aren't strict vegetarians, but they are passionate about fresh, healthy, seasonal, meat-free cooking. A shared frustration about being unable to find the inspiration and ideas they wanted led to this book, with its recipes which will appeal to everyone from strict vegetarians to meat eaters. Reassuringly they're not out to convert anyone - just to give some inspiration, particularly to people who haven't tried this type of food before. Some recipes are suitable for vegans (or can be easily adapted) and they're clearly marked, as are those suitable for people with a gluten intolerance. Full review...
Patisserie at Home by Will Torrent
I've always been in awe of people who can make great desserts - the ones which taste amazing AND look stunning on the plate. I have used The Roux Brothers on Patisserie by Michel and Albert Roux (that's Michel Roux senior, by the way and not his son) but I found the book almost pernickety in some of its requirements and I've long wished for a book which was rather more relaxed and aimed at the home cook rather than someone who aspired to be a professional chef. Patisserie at Home seemed to fit the bill. Full review...
Department 19: Battle Lines by Will Hill
The wheels have been set in motion for Dracula to rise. Department 19 is in disarray, dealing with deaths, the disappearance of their chief Henry Seward, and the dreadful knowledge that there could be yet more traitors in the ranks. Jamie Carpenter is trying to train rookies into a fighting force who can take on vampires more dangerous than any newly-turned ones that have ever been seen before, Matt Browning is desperately trying to find a cure for vampirism, and Larissa Kinley is in the USA trying to help in the fight against her own kind. With Zero Hour coming ever closer, can the department save the day? Full review...
Lilliput by Sam Gayton
Sam Gayton's tale of a tiny girl who longs to go home has all the ingredients you need for a thumping good read. There are villains and heroes, adventures and deadly peril, new friends and wonderful animals, plus some charming illustrations. Oh, and chocolate. There's lots of that, and the book is all the better for it. Full review...
Cheesecake by Hannah Miles
I have a weakness for cheesecake, the genuine item rather than the over-sweet lookalikes found in some supermarkets. I love that unctuous richness and the slightly tart taste on the tongue. I'm less keen on what they deliver in terms of calories, but that simply means that cheesecake has to be an occasional treat - and the best that there is around. So, Cheesecake by Hannah Miles was going to press all the right buttons. Hannah reached the final of Masterchef in 2007, so she knows a thing or two about food. Full review...
The Gathering of the Lost by Helen Lowe
It may only have taken a year for the second in the Wall of Night series to hit the shelves, but on Haarth five years have passed since The Heir of Night disappeared from the Wall. She's known not to have died in the Swarm attack, but was last seen in the wilds of Jaransor and many believe her now to be dead. Full review...
