Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
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| + | |title=Apple and Rain | ||
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| + | |summary=''A story about sad endings.''<br> | ||
| + | ''A story about happy beginnings.''<br> | ||
| + | ''A story to make you realise who is special.''<br> | ||
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| + | This is the blurb on the back jacket of ''Apple and Rain'' and it sums up the book just perfectly. | ||
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Revision as of 17:30, 13 August 2014
The Bookbag
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 16,116 reviews at TheBookbag.
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Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan
A story about sad endings.
A story about happy beginnings.
A story to make you realise who is special.
This is the blurb on the back jacket of Apple and Rain and it sums up the book just perfectly. Full review...
Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? by Liz Kessler
Who doesn't dream at times of having a super-power? Suddenly being able to creep around without anyone knowing you're there, or to soar above the tree-tops with the birds? When you're an ordinary thirteen year old girl, going to an ordinary school, finding out that bits of you have started disappearing and reappearing must come as a bit of a shock, especially as it happens the first time right in the middle of a rather boring double geography lesson. Luckily Jessica has Izzy, who willingly helps her recover from the news and start to control the way she uses this new and exciting aspect of her life. And Izzy isn't even jealous, which, let's face it, is definitely the sign of a real, true friend. Full review...
Animal Lives: Giraffes by Sally Morgan
The new Animal Lives series of picture books aims to help young children become animal experts, with each book focusing on a different wild animal. The current series looks at animals of the African savannah and this time it is the turn of the noble giraffe to take centre stage. Full review...
The Best British Short Stories 2014 by Nicholas Royle (editor)
I’m a keen reader and I like a massive tome. But every so often, I drift into a mode of finding it hard to settle to anything and at such times, I like to read short stories. I also enjoy them when I’m horribly busy and don’t have the time to read much more. Full review...
Animal Lives: Cheetahs by Sally Morgan
The first thing that struck me about this book was the excellent use of visuals. Most of the photographs in the book are for a double page spread. The images are crisp and clear and provide a great close-up view of these beautiful cats. Using the photograph as a centrepiece, each two-page section examines a different aspect of cheetah behaviour. Subjects covered include growing up, hunting, territory and cheetahs under threat. The sections have a brief introductory paragraph in large, bold print and then several smaller facts surround the main picture, sometimes including smaller photographs to illustrate the main points. Full review...
The Bee: A Natural History by Noah Wilson-Rich
Bees have been making a bit of a media splash of late, due to heightened concern about their declining numbers and general welfare. Governments have been urged to do more to protect these important creatures, with a recent EU ban on neonicotinoid pesticides hailed as a 'victory for bees'. There is no doubt that these prolific pollinators are a vital part of our ecosystem, and the human fascination with bees goes back to our ancient history. But just why do we find these hardworking insects so fascinating? Full review...
Animal Lives: Elephants by Sally Morgan
The eye-catching image on the cover of this glossy picture book certainly encourages young readers to pick it up and start reading. Two cute baby elephants gaze confidently into the camera lens whilst sharing a trunkful of lush green vegetation. There is just something about baby elephants, isn't there? Who could resist opening the book for a closer look? Full review...
The Girl Next Door by Ruth Rendell
Before the Second World War a series of tunnels were dug under the green fields of Loughton in Essex. As children will they played in them, acted out small dramas and made them their own - until they were told not to go there again by the father of one of the children. He was known as Woody - a man with a sharp temper along with a disinclination to work, which he managed to achieve because of the money which his wife had inherited and which was supplemented by some inheritances of his own. There was a child in the family - Michael - but neither parent took any interest in him and his mother spent most of her time indulging herself. When Woody discovered that she was being unfaithful to him he murdered her and her lover, cut off one of their hands and buried both in a tin box far out in the fields. Full review...
The People Inside by Ray Fawkes
Love happens. There, that must be the shortest plot summary on this site, but the fact remains that you can say a lot more about what is on these pages, and you still have all you need to know in those two words. This book takes the profound – which, of course, love can be, and the mundane – ditto, and presents them to us happening in quiet, pacific black and white, and it does so in quiet usual, and in incredibly unusual, ways. Full review...
How to Publish a Bestselling Book ... and Sell It Worldwide Based on Value, Not Price! by Kim Staflund
As well as being an established author Kim Staflund is also the founder and publisher at Polished Publishing Group, which aims to help self-publishing authors produce the best book possible ('supported self-publishing') and she also has extensive experience in many areas of publishing which she's brought together, not only in her business but also in this book, which does exactly what it says in the title. Publishing a book is an exciting time - particularly for an indie author - but it's also a very steep learning curve because publishing is a mysterious business littered with acronyms, old Spanish practices and mantraps for the unwary. Knowledge is essential and you need it fast. Full review...
The Ripper Affair by Lilith Saintcrow
Emma Bannon, Sorcerer Prime and servant to the crown, has been locked away in her house for some time now, trying to avoid being drawn into affairs of treason and murder, thank you very much. But when Archibald Clare discovers the secret Emma has been keeping from him - in a violent incident at a court that takes the life of Clare's manservant, Valentinelli - Emma finds herself unable to avoid being thrown back into the fray. For someone sorcerous is murdering frails in the darker corners of Londinium, and though Emma would rather Clare spend time resting and recovering his faculties, she soon starts to realise that they may be the only ones capable of stopping whatever danger is blooming in the night. Full review...
Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
What's that about treating an ending purely as another beginning? When the marriage of Elizabeth's parents ends, the foursome of Lizzie, her older (and wiser beyond her years) sister and kid brother and the mum move to a Leicestershire village to begin again. But things don't start swimmingly – the entire village seems to turn against them and maintain their outsider status. Thinking this down to the D-notice put on their parents (for divorce means a woman being unacceptably short of trustworthiness in the early 1970s) the girls put their efforts into match-making. Little do they realise the lack of options they face – and the life-changing events that arise when they witness a glimmer of success… Full review...
In the Beginning Was the Sea by Tomas Gonzalez
In the Beginning Was the Sea is the first novel written by Colombian author Tomas Gonzalez. It was written over 30 years ago but the work has only just been translated into English. It tells the story of J. and Elena, two intellectuals who have grown sick of their life of endless parties and highbrow conversations and have decided to move away from the mainland to set up a new life that focuses on nature and the purity of hard work and the elements. They bicker and alienate the locals, and neither of them is prepared for the brutal weather and the microscope that such surroundings put on their less-than-perfect relationship. Full review...
Danger Is Everywhere: A Handbook for Avoiding Danger by David O'Doherty and Chris Judge
Meet Docter Noel Zone. Yes, it's his spelling – safely making sure people don't think he is a real doctor. And safety is his first and foremost interest. After having to rescue too many people in his job as a swimming pool lifeguard – he banned all movement in and around the water as it was just too dangerous, after which however the people in the water started to drown – he made it safer for all concerned by removing the water. I'm sure he'd barricaded the diving board off long before – even in his own home he's removed the stairs as a safety risk. This book is his illustrated guide to playing it safe, in all aspects of life – from the hazmat suit needed to make toast to illustrating what you need to do when attacked by a polar bear or a toothbrush snake. Full review...
The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman
'My name be Ice Cream Fifteen Star and this be the tale of how I bring the cure to all the Nighted States, save every poory children, short for life. Is how a city die for selfish love, and rise from this same smallness. Be how the new America begin, in wars against all hope - a country with no power in a world that hate its life. So been the faith I sworn, and it ain't evils in no world nor cruelties in no red hell can change the vally heart of Ice Cream Star.' Full review...
Hollywood Frame by Frame: Behind the Scenes: Cinema's Unseen Contact Sheets by Karina Longworth
If you ever think of Hollywood you think of it as the home of a certain kind of output. Superstars, big studio productions, and what they combined to produce – things you might call movies, or films. Once upon a time, of course, they were called moving pictures, without the abbreviation, but the artform – once called the greatest of the 20th Century – was just as recognisable through the still images it produced. This coffee table book is designed as a catalogue of those still images – whether they be formally posed portraits taken on set, re-enactments of the cinema's scenes shot separately on still camera for the purpose of publicity, or candid stills that formed a matter the star had a final say in, which would go some way to increasing the cult of their personality in the magazines that were then starting to focus on celebrity. Full review...
Create Your Own Online Store (using WordPress) in a Weekend by Alannah Moore
I've run a website for over eight years now but I've always shied away from any inclusion of e-commerce on the site. It seemed like too large a subject, too much complexity and choice and the possibility of problems which could go disastrously wrong. I first encountered Alannah Moore when I read The Creative Person's Website Builder and was impressed by the way that she approached her subject, so when I had the opportunity to see how to create an online store in a weekend, I jumped at the chance. Full review...
Mr Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire by Andy Stanton and David Tazzyman
Meet Alan Taylor. No, sorry – you'll have to look down if you want to. He's only 15.24 centimetres tall, but now you're looking down you can see the blue sparks that come off him when his electric muscles move him. Alan's a true gentleman born and (ginger)bread, but he's been tainted by money – a massive fortune the little gingerbread man carries around in a biscuit tin. He's of the impression that he needs to scatter his dosh around in order to make friends. Nobody else in their right mind in the town of Lamonic Bibber is of the same opinion, but two people who are certainly keen to be on the receiving end of the cash include the nasty Mr Gum – and he wants to receive it all through some evil robbery. What's more, he'll do it in the middle of Alan's impromptu party, complete with helicopter rides, a full fairground and the world's nastiest hot dog stand… Full review...
The Art of Neil Gaiman by Hayley Campbell
An early Neil Gaiman book was all about Douglas Adams, and came out at the time he had a success with a book of his own regarding definitions of concepts that had previously not had a specific word attached. Gaiman himself is one of those concepts. I know what a polyglot is, and a polymath – but there should be a word for someone like Gaiman, who can write anything and everything he seems to want – a whimsical family-friendly picture book, a behemoth of modern fantasy, an all-ages horror story, something with a soupcon of sci-fi or with a factor of the fable. He can cross genres – and to some extent just leave them behind as unnecessary, as well as cross format – he was mastering the lengthy, literary graphic novel just as 'real' books were festering in his creativity, and songs and poems were just appearing here and there. So he is pretty much who you think of as regards someone who can turn his hands to anything he wishes. He is a poly-something, then, or just omni-something else. Full review...
The Axe Factor by Colin Cotterill
Jimm Juree's family is beyond dysfunctional. Her mother apparently hired her father, one brother is her sister as well as a computer genius and her other brother is dating a body builder old enough to be his mother. Jimm is relatively normal: a thirty-four-year-old crime reporter living in - and helping to run - a dilapidated beach resort on the Gulf of Thailand - but without a crime to report on. Until, that is, she was approached by Nurse Da about the fact that the Doctor from the health centre had gone missing. There doesn't actually seem to be a crime, but Jimm agrees to find out what has happened to Dr. Somluk. Full review...
Bear and Bee: Too Busy by Sergio Ruzzier
Bear is trying to do lots of fun things, but they'd all be much more fun if only his friend, Bee, would join in. Bee, however, has other ideas and is just too busy to roll down hills or climb up trees. When Bee is finished and wants to play with Bear, Bear is trying to sleep! Full review...
Who Do You Think You Are?: The Genealogy Handbook by Dan Waddell
The celebrity genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are? celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The makers, Wall to Wall Media, were fortunate enough to ride the ripple of family tree fascination, helping to turn it into the hobbyist tidal wave that remains today. For those not familiar with the format, each episode allows us to accompany a household name as they discover secrets, scandals and surprises about an ancestor or two. Thus we aren't only entertained; we're encouraged to delve into our own pasts, BBC TV publications acting as tutor and motivator via this handy little reference guide. Full review...
Charles Dickens: Scenes from an Extraordinary Life by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life these pages must show… Such Dickens wrote – although of course he never wrote that about himself. He did write a lot – letters, short stories, travel journals, and of course a firm dozen classic novels – but never a strict autobiography. This book for the primary school age reader gets round that by cribbing bits from here and there, and by using a good graphic eye, to tell the stories of not only his life, but many of the works too. Full review...
I Was the Cat by Paul Tobin and Benjamin Dewey
Meet Burma. Allison Breaking, blogger and journalist behind the Breaking News website is about to, for she's accepted his giant wage packet to ghost write his memoirs. She's been told to expect the unexpected as regards his looks, but she is shocked to find that Burma is in fact the world's only talking cat, and that he has not one but nine lives to talk about. The past eight were full of a lot of evil, sin and death – but at least he's coming clean now, right? Full review...
The Scatter Here is Too Great by Bilal Tanweer
When the bomb exploded at the Karachi railway station causing intended death and mayhem, an aging reactionary poet, his middle-aged son, a child, a writer and a woman who relates more to stories than reality, are in the midst of it. Each experiences the blast as differently as their experiences of life are from each other but each will be affected. Full review...
The Godless by Ben Peek
These are strange times in Mieera, the land made from the bodies of dead gods. The Leeran army is closing in on a Mieera defended only by a scratch army of citizens and The Dark, a band of mercenary saboteurs led by cynically tough Bueralan. Ayae the cartographer's apprentice has a more personal crisis. She's pulled from a burnt out building alive and totally unscathed. This can only mean one thing: she's one of the cursed. As the effects of this newly endowed immortality hit her she must decide what to do. Zaifyr, the mysterious charmed man, has some ideas but then so do the sinister Keepers which doesn't help much. Meanwhile that army is getting closer… Full review...
In Search of Solace by Emily Mackie
Jacob Little is many things to many people as he goes through life, reinventing his personae and name. Who exactly is he? Perhaps he's unsure but the thing he's certain of is his love for a young woman he lived with for 2 years. It took her leaving and the next decade apart for him to realise he loves her but now he wants to make up for lost time. She said her name was Solace so now he's (all together now) in search of Solace. Full review...
The Incorruptibles by John Hornor Jacobs
Fisk and Shoestring are a couple of the mercenaries paid to guard Ruman high born Cornelius and his family of spoilt, back-biting in-fighters on board their steamer, The Cornelian. The exception to the continuous badly-mooded is Cornelius' daughter, the healer, Livia. She seems to have struck up a rapport with Fisk; the reason why they get on so well seems hidden in a dark secret that Shoe hopes to crack if they live that long. The truth is that life is cheap – the Stretchers roam the land, bloodthirsty and dangerous ensuring that Fisk and Shoe earn every penny Cornelius allows them. Full review...
The Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland
More and higher taxes are being levied on the English by teenage King Richard II and his uncle/advisor John of Gaunt to pay for the wars against France. They may cause annoyance to the rich but they're breaking the poor, people like Lincolnshire river boat man Gunter and his family. Meanwhile some of the better off are facing problems from other quarters. Cloth merchant Robert of Bassingham is losing his stock before it arrives due to theft and unrest among the weavers in Flanders. It's not a good time to be English and eventually something will snap; we're heading towards 1831 and the peasants will be revolting. Full review...
