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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If I Close My Eyes Now by Edney Silvestre
File:4.star.jpg Crime (Historical)
12th April 1961, the radio news is full of Yuri Gagarin's first earth orbit and two boys who'd had ambitions to be Tarzan, to be engineers, or medical scientists curing all diseases, suddenly had a new possibility: maybe they could be astronauts. 'Brasilia had been inaugurated less than a year earlier, but whichever of us got to be president was going to transfer the capital back to Rio. We were twelve. It was a different country. A different world.' Full review...
The Woman who Changed Her Brain: How We Can Shape our Minds and Other Tales of Cognitive Transformation by Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
Imagine feeling like a stranger in your own body, unable to comprehend the world around you. Symbols, words and numbers swirl in an unintelligible mix on the page and make no sense at all. Activities that others perform with ease are a struggle for you, leading to deep feelings of frustration. This was the challenge that Barbara-Arrowsmith-Young faced daily as a result of her complex learning disabilities. Her intense feelings of despair even caused her to attempt suicide. Full review...
Quack Like a Duck! by Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback
You mustn't be shy if you're going to read this book. It's not the sort of book you can whisper on a train to a fidgety baby, or that you pack in your nappy bag for quiet times when you're out and about. This is the sort of book that is going to require some very loud moo-ing, so consider yourselves warned! Full review...
The Walk and other stories by Robert Walser
The publication of this collection of around forty short stories affords the English speaking public a unique opportunity; that of reading Walser, possibly the leading modernist writer of Swiss German in the last century. He has received high praise in 'A Place in the Country', W G Sebald's recently published posthumous collection and he is well-known as being a significant influence on Franz Kafka. His work here dates from 1907 to 1929 and along with his poetry won him recognition with Berlin's avant garde. He combines lyrical delicacy with detailed observation; reflective melancholy with criticism of brash commercialism. The fine writing in this volume strives to achieve a hard won integrity together with an experimental capacity for reflection. It challenges the reader and provokes him to new insights. Full review...
Inferno (Chronicles of Nick) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
I'm tempted to say I have a love/hate relationship with the Chronicles of Nick series, but that's probably overstating both aspects of it. Call it a like/dislike relationship, perhaps - at its best - notably in much of the first book, Infinity and Infamous, it's a high-octane thrill ride which is hugely entertaining thanks to the sheer amount of larger than life characters and some very well-written dialogue. At other moments, as in Invincible, Kenyon's narration can make me grit my teeth and the books can have pacing issues. Full review...
The Rising by Kelley Armstrong
Maya Delaney is on the run. Her idyllic life in Salmon Creek was an elaborate ruse run by the St. Clouds - a Mafia like family of supernaturals who want Maya and her friends because of their emerging powers, powers thought to be extinct before now. Maya is losing friends fast as they are recaptured. She'd do anything to get them back, but when making contact with a scientist who might have some answers doesn't play out how they hoped, Maya realises that she and her friends are on their own, and that confronting their enemies might be their only chance. Full review...
First Aid Kit Girl by Lynsey Rose
Steph hates her job. She hates her colleagues. She likes the work first aid kit, a lot. She’s trundling along, doing not very much, finding her release where she can. To me it seems like she loves to hate her life. Takes great pleasure in despising it, in fact. Full review...
Chasing Heart: 1 (Ellen Martin Disasters) by Mark Lingane
Ellen Martin is a driving, ambitious US lawyer, so when her boss sends her to the Colombian town of Barrancabermeja (Barranca for short, mercifully) for a touch of charity work it would be career threatening to protest too strongly. Besides it only amounts to getting someone out of prison. Soon after arriving Ellen realises that there's more than one person who needs rescuing; she can add herself to the list. Luckily for her Barranca is also the home of her personal trainer's nephew and, luckier still, he has a housemate called Alex. Indeed during Ellen's stay Alex is going to be more than useful. Once Barranca really shows its true colours Alex is going to be indispensable. Full review...
The Hive by Gill Hornby
There's an old joke that, for parents, there are only two good days in the school holidays - the first and the last, but in St Ambrose the real work begins when the children go back to school at the start of the new school year. There's a new head at the school (and he'll have to be knocked into shape) but the real power is Beatrice - 'Bea' to those whom she elects to call friends for the time being - who rules the parents, decides who is in or out and what status they should have in the community. And how does she do it? Well, she's the queen. Full review...
Fu-Manchu - Daughter of Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer
Fu Manchu is dead (or is he?) but his evil genius lives on, in the form of his daughter! New narrator Greville is sent to fetch Dr Petrie (narrator of the first three books) to come to an archaeological dig where Greville's chief Barton, an old friend of Petrie's, lies dead. (Or does he?) From there, the pair, along with Nayland Smith and Superintendent Weymouth, are plunged into a death-defying adventure. Full review...
A Bright Moon For Fools by Jasper Gibson
Jasper Gibson’s debut novel, A Bright Moon For Fools, tells the story of Harry Christmas and his drunken escapades in Caracas and the small villages of Venezuela. Harry Christmas is nowhere near as jolly as his name suggests, in fact Harry is drunken conman. He has pushed his luck too far and is forced to fly to Venezuela to evade William Slade, the irate son of a woman Harry fleeced out of £27,000. Harry’s life is defined by booze and where to get the next drink; he is having a major breakdown. Slade is no better off and is also having his own mental crisis: unfortunately for Harry, Slade’s breakdown is of a much more psychotic nature. Full review...
The Sleeping Baobab Tree by Paula Leyden
Sister Leonisa is always telling her students grim and gruesome stories. One day, she tells them all about Ng’ombe Ilede… the place of the sleeping cow; the place of death. As Bul-boo and Madillo arrive home filled with her horror stories, next-door neighbour Fred (himself always full of tales of woe) informs them he is to go to that very spot with his fearsome witch great-granny, Nokokulu. Also, that night they learn that patients from their mothers’ AIDS clinic are mysteriously vanishing; one of the vanished just happens to be Fred's wonderful Aunt Kiki. Is all of this a strange coincidence or fate? With Bul-boo and Madillo stowing away in the boot of the car, Nokokulu drives a doom-laden Fred out into the Zambian wilds for an encounter with mystery and magic the three will never forget. At the sleeping baobab tree, anything could happen. Full review...
Bageye at the Wheel: A 1970s Childhood in Suburbia by Colin Grant
Growing up as one of the few black children in Luton in the 1970s, Colin Grant was in awe of his father, always known as Bageye. In this memoir of his childhood, he looks back at his own early years and the impact his feckless dad - and his friends, or spars, such as Summer Wear, Tidy Boots, Anxious and Pioneer - had on him. Full review...
Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
Joey Harker isn't a regular boy, but then his teacher isn't a regular teacher. He's one of the wacky ones that thinks nothing of dumping his class in threesomes in the middle of town, penniless and only with their guile to get back in one piece. Seeing as Joey is one of the world's more easily-lost people, never knowing which way he should be heading, perhaps it should be no surprise that he finds a different universe before he finds his destination. And then another, and another. It soon becomes clear that other people are aware of this, and have a much greater knowledge of Joey's weird powers – and demand a much greater influence on his destiny… Full review...
Dead To You by Lisa McMann
When Ethan was 7 years old, he was abducted from the street in front of his house. His parents and younger brother Blake were devastated, their lives torn apart. But now, 9 years later, a teenaged Ethan has returned, having escaped his new, often brutal life, to return to his old familiar one. Except it’s not familiar. His mind traumatised by years of neglect culminating with a spell living on the streets, Ethan remembers nothing about his life at home before the abduction. Full review...
Moon Bear by Gill Lewis
Tam's village in rural Laos must make way for a new highway. So Tam and his family move to a new village in the lowlands. They've been promised running water, electricity, and even a school. But the ground in the new village is scattered with bombs left over from America's war in Vietnam. And, while Tam and his father are preparing their field for the new rice crop, one explodes and everything changes again. Tam's father is dead and his mother and sisters won't be able to keep their house unless Tam goes to the city and earns money to send home. Full review...
Dead Boys' Club by Geoffrey Malone
Sam wakes up one morning at dawn. It's strangely quiet. Outside his hut, the village is absolutely silent. No cockerels are crowing. Something is horribly wrong. Stepping outside, Sam's worst fears are realised. A line of children, all armed with AK-47s, are rushing at him, yelling like crazy. It's God's Freedom Army. Full review...
Winning Without Losing: 66 strategies for succeeding in business while living a happy and balanced life by Martin Bjergegaard and Jordan Milne
It's a common assumption that if you're a serious entrepreneur then you're going to have to dedicate your life to making money, passing up on the good things (apart from those which can be bought, obviously) such as a happy family life, the world outside of work and quite probably your health too. But what if there was a way to have it all? Winning Without Losing' doesn't give a blueprint which will enable you to go out and make your first million and have a wonderful life outside work - but it does give you sixty six ideas for ways in which you could adjust your working life to make the most of it without ruining everything else. Full review...
The Black Russian by Vladimir Alexandrov
Until I read this book I had never come across the story of Frederick Bruce Thomas, 'the Black Russian', before. It is a remarkable tale of rags to riches, tragedy, success against the odds and subsequent failure. Full review...
Geekhood: Mission Improbable by Andy Robb
Despite his efforts with Sarah at the start of term, fourteen-year-old Archie is still as geeky and as clueless about girls as ever. Then he meets Clare, a sixteen-year-old who has relationship problems of her own, and they create a fake relationship to try and get their crushes to notice them. What could possibly go wrong? Full review...
Diary of a Wimpy Vampire by Tim Collins
Nigel is a fairly typical teenager in many ways. He suffers from spots, he is awkward and uncomfortable around girls, he is moody, irritable and constantly feeling bitter and resentful of his parents. Worst of all, he just doesn't know where he fits in. But unlike most 15 year olds, this isn't just passing a stage. Nigel has the body, emotions and typical trials and tribulations of the average teenager, but he has been stuck in this stage of development for 85 years. As he nears his 100th birthday, he begins to wonder if he will ever fit in, ever find a date, and ever develop into a proper vampire. You see not only does he have all the difficulties of most teens, he also has to cope with the fact that despite being a vampire for nearly 85 years, he has developed none of the usual vampire strengths and talents. His little sister has all the speed, grace and power of a grown vampire, but he is still as helpless as an infant in the vampire world. His parents have to hunt for him, bullies torture him at school, and the worst torture of all is that he has finally fallen in love - but has no idea what to do about it. Full review...
Super Geek, Dinosaurs, Brains and Supertrains by Glenn Murphy
Super Geek, Dinosaurs, Brains and Supertrains is divided into eight sections. The first four sections are questions on dinosaurs and prehistoric life, the human brain, natural disasters and finally transport. The following four sections are much longer and provide not only the answers to the previous sections' questions, but a detailed, scientific explanation in clear easy to understand language that even my four year old can usually follow. These answers are very well written and quite interesting to both of my children, and even as an adult I found this both educational and entertaining. I have to admit, I learned a few things from this book as well, and we will certainly be brushing up on our knowledge of the human brain before bringing this out again. Full review...
A Darkness Descending (Sandro Cellini) by Christobel Kent
It was a new political party and it seemed to have caught the public's imagination, particularly the young and even some older people, embarrassed by the antics of their prime minister. Then the leader, Niccolo Rosselli collapsed at a rally - but there was worse to come. His partner, Flavia, disappeared leaving behind a devastated Niccolo - and a baby who was only a matter of weeks old. She was found in a down-at-heel hotel, where she'd ended her life in the bathroom. But why would she do it? Why did she not leave a note? Sandro Cellini was called in to investigate - but quite what was he investigating? Full review...
Tide by Daniela Sacerdoti
After her parents' deaths at the hands of the demons they fought against, Sarah Midnight was left reeling again by the revelation towards the end of book 1 that her 'cousin' Harry Midnight was actually Harry's friend Sean Hannay. Unable to trust Sean following his lies, Sarah turns to Nicholas, new on the scene. But Nicholas has dark secrets of his own - has Sarah placed her faith in the wrong person? And will she find out the truth about the Midnight legacy before the demons attack again? Full review...
Frogspell by C J Busby
Arthurian stories and settings never date, do they? I've been devouring them ever since I first learned to read and I'm still not tired of them [censored] years later. And hooray! Here's another.
Frogspell follows Max Pendragon, a peaceable little chap and without doubt the least bellicose of all Camelot's squires. He'd much rather be a wizard than a warrior. Full review...
Rescuing Gus by Melissa Wareham
Melissa Wareham was convinced that she must be adopted: how could someone like her who loved dogs have been born to parents who, well, wouldn't have them in the house? She wasn't even that convinced when her mother produced her birth certificate. Melissa wouldn't be able to have a dog until she had a home of her own but in the meantime she got a job at Battersea Dogs' Home and it was there that she met Gus. He wasn't in the first flush of youth and his breath was a weapon of mass destruction, but he and Melissa bonded and when he was very poorly - he had kennel cough - she took him home. Full review...
The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook
The Aftermath is set amongst the devastated ruins in the fire-bombed city of Hamburg in 1946. The British have occupied the ruined city and Colonel Lewis Morgan, an officer and a gentleman, is charged with overseeing the restoration of order. However, Colonel Morgan must first deal with the human cost of the bombing including remnants of fanatic Nazis, the trummerkind - children of the rubble, and the starving civil populace. He also, in 1943, lost a child due to a Luftwaffe bomb and he must support his deeply grieving wife, Rachel, when she arrives after months of separation with their surviving twelve year old boy, the impressionable Edmund. Full review...
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
In the middle of the forest, Carey and Jenessa live with their mother in a tatty old camper van. Cut off from civilisation, they scrabble to take care of themselves and each other, in a setting where every day is a fight for physical and mental survival. They just about make it through, but the girls’ mother is a drug addict with a habit of disappearing, and she’s done just that. It’s been more than a month since they saw her. Maybe more than two. Then, one day, summoned by a letter sent by the girls’ mother, strangers appear in the woods, looking for Carey and Jenessa. They have come to take them away from the woods, and back to the real world. Full review...
The Fate in the Box by Michelle Lovric
Venice is a place of contrasts, where poverty and extravagance jostle each other for space on the misty streets. But its inhabitants, poor or rich, have always been intensely proud of their city and its history. Ships arrive full of wonders from across the world, skilled glassblowers create magnificent artefacts, and magic is occasionally to be found in the oddest of nooks and crannies. Amneris, for example, knows that if she embroiders an exact copy of the fabulous patterns created by 'the dear creature' (as they call Uncle Annibale's kaleidoscope) each week, she and her family will always earn enough to live on. Full review...
Mr Gig by Nige Tassell
Born too late to remember the 60s and early 70s, music lover and journalist Nige Tassell, who has written for The Guardian, New Statesman and others, lived the life for some years as punter, reviewer, roadie, DJ and promoter. Then he married and became a father, and the most important gig (if the one with the least comfortable seats) was the kids’ primary school nativity play ten days before Christmas. Around 2010 the midlife crisis hit with a vengeance, and the urge to hit the road in search of what live music was all about these days came upon him. That does not just require private transport capable of taking roads the length and breadth of the land in its stride (and the car passed the test - just), it also requires a certain amount of courage. Full review...
Deadly Days in History (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary and Martin Brown
Horrible Histories' catch phrase is History - with all the nasty bits left in. This is not completely true, Scholastic is not going to print a children's book with details which are too graphic for children, but this is without a doubt the nastiest and most gruesome of all of the Horrible Histories books we have read. While I am happy enough reading most of the Horrible Histories books to my 4 year old as well as my 8 year old, I do think this one is best for the older children, would recommend a minimum age of 7, and this only if the child is already aware of the Holocaust, or the parent is prepared to broach this subject in a sensitive manner and provide further information. Full review...