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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All I Want For Christmas by Amy Silver
In Amy Silver's 'All I Want for Christmas', the reader meets three very different women. Bea, who runs the local delicatessen, The Honey Pot, is facing Christmas alone with her young son Luca but is determined to make it as good as she possibly can. Olivia has somewhat rashly offered to host all of her fiancé's family from Ireland and it looks like it will be chaotic. On the other hand, Chloe will be celebrating alone, as her boyfriend will be sitting down to Christmas dinner with his wife and family. Although on the surface, the three women appear to have little in common, as Christmas approaches they start to form a bond that is likely to last well beyond the festive season. Full review...
All That Mullarkey by Sue Moorcroft
Cleo and Gav seemed to have the perfect marriage. Neither of them wanted children and their lives seemed to be full of fun, enjoyment and love. But sometimes all is not as it seems as Cleo discovered the night that she'd made up her mind to go to a reunion and Gav said that she shouldn't go. She set off, but wondered if it really was worth causing so much heartache when she wasn't all that keen on going and turned back. When she got home she found that the writing was on the wall for their marriage – quite literally. It said, in marker pen on the bedroom wall 'This Marriage is Over' and Gav had gone. Full review...
Monster High by Lisi Harrison
I don't know about everyone else, but I'm getting a bit fed up of all the vampires, werewolves and other creepies that seem to have popped up since the explosion of hype around Twilight. So, when this book landed on my doorstep, I can't say I held much hope for it. Full review...
Getting Away With It by Julie Cohen
Julie Cohen's latest book is a different creature to her previous novels. It's not just that it's longer, although the length allows for more characterisation and trickier, complex plots than her Little Black Dress books, but it also feels different in style. There's the same quirky side that Julie writes so well - the heroine this time is a stunt woman, some bizarre ice cream flavours and there's some interesting crop-circle action! But the book feels more serious - more grown up somehow - yet just as readable and compelling as her previous stories have been. Full review...
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? by Horace McCoy
Many of us will know of the release of the film of the same title back in the 1960s. I haven't seen the film so I started reading with no ready-made opinions about the book. Likewise, I had no idea how the attention-grabbing title bore any relation to a book about dance. I was about to find out. It's both arresting and simple. The book cover and also the inside front cover are littered with praise for this book. 'The first existentialist novel to have appeared in America' says one writer. 'Takes the reader into one of America's darkest corners ...' from another source. So, I was expecting a terrific read. But did I get it? Full review...
Burning Secrets by Clare Chambers
Daniel, his mother and his sister Louie are escaping the city to spend six months on the isolated island of Wragge. They're all escaping something: Daniel's mother is still getting over a broken marriage; Louie is prone to black depressions and self-harming; Daniel has just been released from a youth offenders institution after a conviction for fire-setting resulting in the death of an old itinerant. There's plenty to leave behind. Full review...
Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
Ben's thirteen and an only child. You'd think he was entirely used to being the centre of attention, then, wouldn't you? But this isn't really the case. Ben's parents are academics. His father is a fiercely ambitious behavioural psychologist and his mother is both completing her doctorate and acting as her husband's research assistant. Ben is used to coming second to the advance of science. He can cope with that. Usually. But then his parents up sticks and move him all the way across Canada. Why? Because his father's new university is prepared to underwrite his new project - raising a chimpanzee as human and trying to teach it American Sign Language. Full review...
Two Sons in a War Zone: Afghanistan: The True Story of a Father's Conflict by Stephen Wynn
It's almost a nightly occurrence – that news item which contains the words '… has been killed in Afghanistan' and we think of a young life, or young lives cut tragically short. They're fresh-faced young men or women at what should have been the beginning of their adult life and now they are no more. You feel for them and their families, but what about the families who have people they love out in Afghanistan, who live each day with the worry that the knock will be coming to their door? Stephen Wynn has two sons who have done tours of duty in Afghanistan and who are likely to do so again. 'Two Sons in a War Zone' is his story of how he copes with the unrelenting pressure. Full review...
Sigrun's Secret by Marie-Louise Jensen
It must have seemed to Sigrun that she had an ideal life in Iceland, breaking and training the colts on the family farm or helping her mother, Thora, who was a healer. Life seemed to be complete when her father's ship returned home and the family was together again. It was not to last though. Sigrun's parents were hiding a dreadful secret and when it caught up with them, Sigrun, her father and Asgrim, her brother were forced into exile in Jorvik for three years. She was completely unused to the busy city life and disliked the violence and cruelty she found around her. But – at the same time – her own skills as a healer and midwife began to blossom. Full review...
The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Haynes
Haynes starts with the positive statement that we shouldn't throw the subject of ancient history straight in the bin, so to speak. We should instead embrace it. It has lots to tell us if only we would listen. Chapter 1 entitled Old World Order certainly grabbed my attention with the line ... 'Can politicians really make a positive difference to our lives ...' In 2010 when the role of politicians is at an all-time low in the eyes of the voters, this is an excellent question to kick off with. We zoom right back in time and explore how the Athenians lived. Apparently they were rather forward-thinking and progressive people with ideas which could easily be put into use today. They also enjoyed true democracy. When Haynes was talking about politics generally I liked another sweeping statement of hers where she says ' ... that history teaches us we could offer our politicians a hefty pay cut and still get plenty of perfectly competent candidates.' My inner voice was shouting out - make an immediate start on that one please. I won't spoil all the delicious details which led up to this attention-grabbing statement but it really is food for thought. Full review...
Phantoms on the Bookshelves by Jacques Bonnet, James Salter and Sian Reynolds
Translated from French this beautifully presented little book takes the reader into homes boasting book collections, large and small. Studded with succinct and appropriate quotations such as 'there is no better reason for not reading a book than having it' by Anthony Burgess. Full review...
Birth of a Killer (The Saga of Larten Crepsley) by Darren Shan
Larten Crepsley leads a hard, hard life. One child amongst many, born during an industrial revolution, he works horrendously long and dangerous hours in a silk factory even though he's yet to see his teens. If the family is to eat, there is little choice. The foreman is a violent bully, issuing regular beatings, and nobody dares challenge him and if it wasn't for his orphan cousin, Vur, Larten's life would be grim indeed. But things never seem quite so dark when you have a true friend, do they? Full review...
Last Mission: the last hours of the Third Reich by Jack Everett and David Coles
We first meet a couple of characters living in the United States. A husband and wife and a relation of theirs called Paul. On the surface, they appear to be enjoying happy, normal lives. But all is not what is seems. We soon find out that the husband, Carl has some secrets. Pretty big ones. He keeps a picture of Adolph Hitler on display - somewhere - in his home, for example. Links with Germany and his past life are often talked about, or rather whispered about, with a handful of trusted 'acquaintances' over a beer or two. Full review...
Meg and Mog: Meg Goes to Bed by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski
Meg is a witch who lives with her cat, Mog, and Owl. This is the latest in a lovely series of picture books by Helen Nicoll and illustrator Jan Pienkowski. In other books in the series they travel around the world and beyond, but Meg Goes to Bed describes an evening/night at home. Full review...
The Longest Journey: Nine Keys to Health, Wealth and Happiness by Sandy Donaghy
How many self-help books have you read where the ideas all seem very good, but they've not been tested in the fire, so to speak? The end result seems good, but you suspect that the starting point wasn't all that disadvantageous and more to the point, the cynic inside you wonders if the motivation for writing the book was financial gain. Has it made you shy away from such books? Now, I want you to drop the cynicism, because what we have here is a book that's written from the heart and not the wallet and the only motivation in writing it was to help people. Unusual? Yup; it is. Full review...
Rumpole at Christmas by John Mortimer
This book is as slim as one of Rumpole's beloved packets of cigars and it can also be read in the time it takes an average turkey to cook in the oven on Christmas Day. A handful of festive, short stories is covered in this book with its appealing front cover. Most of the stories have been previously published elsewhere, mainly in 'The Strand Magazine' but also in some of the national newspapers. Full review...
The Lion Storyteller Christmas Book by Bob Hartman and Krisztina Kallai Nagy
Christmas is such a magical time of year especially for children. Sometimes though, with all the excitement of presents, decorations and parties, they can forget what Christmas is really about. The Lion Storyteller Christmas Book is perfect for sharing wonderful tales and legends from around the world that help to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Full review...
The Management Myth: Debunking Modern Business Philosophy by Matthew Stewart
Stewart's book is subtitled "Debunking Modern Business Philosophy". It is a criticism (and I mean criticism not critique) of the management consultancy business since its inception to the close of the first decade of the 21st century.
Matthew Stewart is a former management consultant, so he should know what he's talking about.
On the other hand, by his own admission he made a more than reasonable profit out of management consulting, and he is now doing likewise out of showing what a sham it all is. Make of that what you will. Full review...
The Drawing Lesson: The First in the Trilogy of Remembrance by Mary E Martin
Alexander Wainwright is the UK's premier artist. He's just won the Turner with The Hay Wagon – a painting with a luminous, moonlit landscape. He should be at the peak of his powers, but he's about to lose his muse and, more worryingly, there seems to be something wrong with his sight and the year to come is going to be traumatic. The story of it is told by his friend, art dealer Jamie Helmsworth, who has pieced together what he knows, what he's heard – and used a little artistic licence to fill in the gaps. It's a most unusual story which will take you deep into the world of artists and writers. Full review...
Learning to Scream by Beate Teresa Hanika
Malvina is thirteen years old, the youngest of three children in a dysfunctional family. Her father is a very grumpy teacher, with little understanding of children, whilst her mother seems to suffer permanently from migraine. She has a good friend, Lizzy, and they play together as much as they can, united in their dislike of the 'boys from the estate'. Her grandmother died last year, leaving her granddad on his own and it's Malvina's job to go and visit him and take him his meals. The family think this is a great arrangement because they know how much Granddad loves Malvina and looks forward to her visits. There's a problem though. Malvina doesn't like going, particularly on her own. Granddad kisses her on the mouth. Full review...
Epitaph by Shaun Hutson
To state the obvious, all of us are afraid of different things. Gina, a woman having an affair in cheap hotels, is scared of getting caught. Paul, mid-30s and in advertising, sees the redundancy notice he's just been handed as prelude to a nightmarish future. And Laura, 8, can find the underpass from school to home, and echoing footsteps within it, too spooky. The nastiest thing about this book is that for all these characters, they're forced beyond these horrors, to find something even more frightening. Full review...
The Golden Acorn - The Adventures of Jack Brenin by Catherine Cooper
Determined as 'The One' when he insouciantly picks up a golden acorn, Jack Brenin is thrust into a world of adventure and magic as he is given the heavy responsibility of saving the diminishing magical population of the village of Glasruhen, along with Camelin, the talking raven who provides welcome flair through his humorous dialogue. Full review...
Justinian: The Sleepless One by Ross Laidlaw
Born Uprauda Ystock, the son of a peasant, Justinian (as he was to become known) managed to change his life around when his mother's brother, Roderic, an important general in the Roman Army, paid for his education. After a series of successes, Roderic became Emperor Justin and then passed the mantel on to his nephew, who became known as Justinian. When he came into power, the Roman Empire was under attack from all directions and Justinian was forced to battle for his right to remain Emperor. Fortunately, he married Theodora, an ex-courtesan, who helped to mould him into the leader that he needed to be. Was this enough to remain in power, or would it all be snatched away from him? Full review...
The Boy Who Wanted to Fly by Don Mullan
There is a Foreward by both Pele and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Names to make most of us sit up and notice. The title is certainly quirky and Mullan is probably hoping that prospective readers will be saying to themselves, what's this all about then. Good start, I thought. Then I realised that there's an awful lot of football in this book. Even although it's a slim, sliver of a book, there's no getting away from the subject matter. Football. I don't 'do' football. So, I counted to ten, put on what I hoped was a good reviewer's face and started to read ... Full review...
A Little Princess Treasury by Tony Ross
Most parents of two to three year olds will surely be aware of The Little Princess. She is used universally whilst potty training thanks to 'I want my potty!' and always seems to raise giggles and sniggers from little ones when her stories are read aloud. I do enjoy reading them aloud, as I get to be loud and shouty and obnoxious! This treasury is a lovely collection, with a wide range of stories as well as some puzzles for slightly older toddlers thrown in too. Full review...
The Secret Lives of Princesses by Philippe Lechermeier and Rebecca Dautremer
Ah, the French! They're so good at being funny in eccentric ways. This book is a perfect example. Although princesses such as Cinderella are mentioned in passing, here we are being introduced to less commonly known princesses like Princess Alli Fabette who is 'verry pritty butt she has a huje problim: she dusn't spell verry welll' or Princess Anne Phibian who is obsessed with frogs, is convinced her Prince Charming is disguised as one, and 'spends most of her time standing in ponds kissing every green creature she encounters.' Full review...
See You Later, Escalator by John Foster
Always a sucker for a good poetry anthology here at Bookbag, we've enjoyed two previous collections from John Foster. See You Later, Escalator continues in the same vein, with poems from the likes of Tony Mitton, Michael Rosen, Michelle Magorian and Brian Patten. Full review...
The Joy of Spooking: Unearthly Asylum by P J Bracegirdle
The district of Spooking is still a problem for the evil diplomats from Darlington, the city that surrounds it. It was in the way of their waterpark last time, and now puts a stop to a new sewage plant. Actually, chiefly in the way last time was Joy, who still calls it home. A cold, decrepit, run-down and gothic home in her instance, but home nevertheless. But the evil diplomats are still making their plans to redevelop the place. If only Joy could claim historical prestige for it with her beloved author E A Peugeot as a son of Spooking. Full review...
The World Turned Upside Down by Leila Rasheed
Stratford upon Avon 1642 – The English Civil War has come to the town. Mary is a young Catholic at a time when her religion was regarded with deep suspicion. She is drawn to Jack, even though he is a Roundhead soldier with no money, land or status, and he is from an inferior background to her. Full review...
Nella Last in the 1950s: The Further Diaries of Housewife, 49 by Patricia Malcolmson and Robert Malcolmson (Editors)
Nella Last wrote a regular diary for twenty-seven years. Two previous volumes, also edited by Patricia and Robert Malcolmson, deal with the Second World War and immediate post-War years. Now this third book starts with selections from 1950 and covers four years of social change as Britain moves into the reign of Elizabeth II. Full review...
We Need To Talk About Kelvin by Marcus Chown
Sporting the best title for a popular science book this side of Alex Bellos' Here's Looking At Euclid, Marcus Chown shows us what everyday things tell us about the universe. You'll find out how your reflection in a window shows the randomness of the universe, how the abundance of iron shows a 4.5bn degree furnace exists in space, and how most of the world's astronomers are wrong about what the darkness of night shows us. Full review...
The Monstrumologist: The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
While the celebrated monstrumologist Dr Peregrine Warthrop has spent his life tracking down dark and mysterious creatures, the existence of some of these fiends is too much for him to believe. In fact, there's a split between Warthrop, his former close friend John Chanler, and their mentor Von Helrung over whether there really are such things as vampires, werewolves, and the terrifying wendigo, rumoured to be the ultimate predator. Warthrop scoffs at the other men's belief in this creature - and at one point in the book gives an interesting lecture on why it's impossible for it to exist - but nevertheless goes in search of Chanler when he disappears searching for it. It's not just friendship that drives him to look for his colleague though, as he's asked by Chanler's wife Muriel - who is Warthrop's former fiancee. The search for Chanler takes the monstrumologist and his young assistant John Henry deep into the Canadian wilderness, but when they return to New York they bring back someone - or something - that can endanger their lives. Full review...
Moorehawke Trilogy: The Rebel Prince by Celine Kiernan
After spending the entire of The Crowded Shadows, the excellent second book in this series, looking for it, the Protector Lady Wynter Moorehawke has finally discovered the hidden camp of her childhood friend Prince Alberon. Can she, along with her travelling companions Razi Kingsson - Alberon's brother - and Christopher Garron, persuade the Rebel Prince to make peace with his father, or is their quest to end in bloodshed and failure? Full review...
The Wombles by Elizabeth Beresford
A scruffy, shaggy, slightly overweight, furry creature is riding around part of South London, barely in control of his bicycle. No, not the political memoirs of the incumbent Mayor of London. Better. Far better. It's Orinoco Womble and the gang are back! Full review...
The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen by Kwame Anthony Appiah
In the Preface, Appiah believes that morality is an extremely important area of our lives as we live them today. He goes on by saying that it's all very well thinking about morality - our morals - our own code of living - but it's the ultimate action which truly matters. Well, I would certainly agree with that. And as Appiah digs deeper into his subject, he tells his readers that he was struck by similarities between, for example, the collapse of the duel, the abandonment of footbinding, the end of Atlantic slavery. In the following chapters he debates the issues of those three major areas of morality. They were, in short, moral issues on a very large scale. Full review...
Tumtum and Nutmeg: A Circus Adventure by Emily Bearn
I'm a big fan of the Tumtum and Nutmeg stories. They always remind me of Mary Norton's The Borrowers, with the two little mice scurrying secretly around the human's house, helping the children when possible and trying to avoid being seen. So I was excited to read their latest adventure. Full review...
Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue Commonwealth & Empire Stamps 1840-1970 2011 by Hugh Jefferies
Over the years the 'Gibbons Commonwealth' catalogue has seen many changes. This is the second edition since Gibbons compacted its listings to cover the era of pounds, shillings and pence up to the end of 1970. (This is fair as the currency in Britain and various other territories goes, though Canada and her territories went decimal in the mid-nineteenth century). This boundary is extended in a few instances, such as the Barbuda British monarchs series, issued at regular intervals over an eighteen-month period spanning 1970-1, but by and large this is what we might call the sterling era catalogue. Full review...
The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
Tony DiTerlizzi's name will be familiar to many readers as the co-creator of the Spiderwick Chronicles, and it is entirely possible that this new trilogy will become just as popular. It is a charming tale of a young girl who has never seen another human being and who has been brought up by a kindly robot in an underground home. Right from the very first pages we suspect things are not going well: lights flicker and malfunction, machinery and furniture is chipped and scratched, and even the wheel Eva's robot mother moves around on is tread-worn. Eva is being trained to go up into the outside world to meet other humans, but there has been no contact from other Sanctuaries, as the underground homes are called, for a long time. Eva will very soon need to go out and discover for herself if there are any other humans on this strange and colourful planet. Full review...
The Tolpuddle Boy: Transported to Hell and Back by Alan James Brown
In 1834, six men from the Dorset village of Tolpuddle were deported to Australia for their trade union activities. This book, written in a very simple style for children, tells the true story of what happened to them, the politics of their arrest and deportation and the campaign by trade unionists and other supporters of trade union rights to overturn their convictions. Full review...
Out For Blood by Alyxandra Harvey
Hunter Wild has always been head of her class at the Helios-Ra Vampire Hunter Academy. Her family takes vampire hunting very seriously – she's called Hunter, after all – and her Grandpa is one of the most infamous vampire hunters of his generation. He believes in staking all vampires, no questions asked. But then, he also believes it's a good idea for Hunter to cut off all her long blonde hair. Hunter isn't so sure on either count. Full review...