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.
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The Dying Season: A Bruno Courreges Investigation by Martin Walker
It's said that you should never meet your heroes but Bruno Courrèges, chief of police of the sleepy Dordogne town of St Denis, has no such thoughts when he's invited to the 90th birthday celebrations of the man who has been his hero since he was a child. Marco Desaix is a war hero, flying ace and a man with high level political connections in France, Russia and Israel - and he's known as The Patriarch. The party - if you can use such a mundane word for an occasion which includes a fly past by the air force - went well, with only one minor disruption when an old family friend accosted one of the daughters of the Desaix family and was disinclined to let go. Still, it was well known that he was an alcoholic and no one seemed surprised when Gilbert was removed without ceremony by the gamekeeper. Full review...
Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando
'Black Cat, White Cat' made me laugh out loud. In a lifetime of consuming literature greedily, I can count on one hand the number of books that have had this effect on me. I couldn't wait to read it with someone else to share the joke. Given that the humour relies on an element of surprise, I'm torn about how much to reveal here so, for the moment, I'll tell you a bit more about the book. Full review...
The Only Pupil in the School by Hsukung Liu and Xinlin Wang (translator)
On the first day of the school term only one pupil appeared and the teachers began to worry about losing their jobs. So they made their minds up that they would make their only pupil the best in the school, which - when you think about it - wasn't going to be all that difficult. They began by trying to persuade her to come to their classes and when that didn't persuade her they began fighting amongst themselves and didn't notice our heroine creeping away. She went to the forest and met an old man who taught her lots about the flowers and the insects. A chef showed her how to make soup - it was delicious and warming - and then she had lots of fun (and exercise) with a dog she met in the park. The further she looked, the more she learned and at the library she drew a book about what she had seen - and it was there that the teachers found her. Full review...
The Boleyn Reckoning (Anne Boleyn Trilogy) by Laura Andersen
SPOILERS FOR BOOKS 1 & 2 AHEAD: Henry IX is still in love with his childhood sweetheart Minuette and is determined to marry her, despite being betrothed to Princess Elisabeth of France for political reasons. What he still doesn't realise is that Minuette is married to the third member of their childhood trio, his trusted advisor Dominic, Duke of Exeter. Meanwhile there are some who feel that Henry's sister Princess Elizabeth would make a better ruler than he. Then there's his half-sister, Lady Mary, who is starting to realise what she's given up for Henry's future. The beginning of the end has started… but whose end/ends will it be? Full review...
Rama and the Demon King by Jessica Souhami
Rama was a brave and good prince, the king's favourite son. He loved his wife, Sita and his best friend was his brother Lakshman. Everyone loved him, except for one person. His stepmother was jealous and she was determined to get rid of Rama. Long ago she had saved the king's life and he had promised to grant her any wish. She asked that he send Rama into the forest for fourteen years and although the king was horrified he had to keep his promise. Rama was sent into the forest, but he did not go alone, as Sita and Lakshman went with him and for a while all was well. They fought off the demons who first appeared and then built a house and led a simple life among the forest animals. Full review...
The Cake, the Wolf and the Witch by Maudie Smith
Max doesn't believe in happy endings. How could he, when lovely, brave, caring Mum got killed climbing a mountain? He doesn't like heights or small dark spaces and he doesn't like silly fairy stories. He absolutely hates being dressed in knickerbockers, silk slippers and a cape for Dad and Ilona's wedding, and in fact, the only thing that's worse, in his opinion, is the fact that once it's over he'll have to share his home with a horrible new brother and sister. I mean, come on, people! Nettle is a total grouch who's clearly never cracked a smile in her whole life, and little Wild is just . . . well, to tell the truth, he's plain daft. He prances about the place like a demented butterfly, and he never takes his baseball cap off, even to go to bed. How's Max supposed to get along with that pair? Full review...
When I Am Happiest by Rose Lagercrantz and Eva Eriksson
If Dani leaves her school for the summer holidays with one souvenir, it will either be the memories of the fabulous friendship she formed with Ella, who struck a chord in book one then moved away, or it will be a book she has written and compiled to remind her of all the happiness she has encountered along the way. That is not quite finished, for the following day is to be the great end of year party, and her classroom decorations are complete and her dress has been bought new specially. But not all of life is happiness and jollity – and Dani is removed from the classroom to face very bad news. What ending is in store, for her book and for ours? Full review...
Dinoblock by Christopher Franceschelli
As befits a book about dinosaurs, 'Dinoblock' is suitably chunky. Not monstrously large but enticingly substantial in a 'pick me up and read me' kind of way. Inside this board book, twenty plus beasts are on parade. If you don't know your Triassic from your Jurassic step this way… Full review...
The Dead Assassin by Vaughn Entwhistle
London, 1895. Arthur Conan Doyle is summoned to the scene of a mysterious crime – a senior member of the Government lies murdered. Close by, the body of the attacker is found, riddled with bullets. The dead assassin is identified, however, as a man who was hanged several weeks previously. Mystified by the strange incident, Arthur Conan Doyle calls on a friend for advice – Oscar Wilde. Together, the two of them are swept up into a bizarre investigation – one that threatens their lives, their families, and the very establishment itself. It seems that someone is reanimating corpses, and programming them for murder… Full review...
Village of Secrets by Caroline Moorehead
Village of Secrets is an account of resistance (with a small 'r') and rescue in a series of small villages scattered across the Vivarais-Lignon plateau in Vichy France. Residents of these villages harboured a number of people, many of them children, many of them Jews, seeking to avoid deportation to concentration camps, at great personal risk. There have been other accounts of this chapter in French history and, of course, a great many books about Vichy France in general. However, Village of Secrets is, perhaps, the most detailed, much of it based on primary sources (interviews with both rescuers and the rescued, or their families), backed up by extensive documentary research. Full review...
Love Notes for Freddie by Eva Rice
Marnie is an innocent, mathematical genius schoolgirl who, unfortunately, gets expelled from her fancy boarding school. Julie is her teacher, formerly a dancer, rigorously private about her past. Freddie is the boy that both of them fall in love with. Revealed through the eyes of two of the three main characters, this is a slow-moving, but rather beautifully told, love story. It has the same vintage feel that Eva Rice used so well in The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets and it cleverly winds its way through Marnie's story in the 1960's as well as Julie's past in pre-WW2 New York. Full review...
All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie
Fifteen-year old Evie is a normal teenager until a solicitor from Scotland appears on her doorstep with news of a £10 million inheritance and a secret that turns her world upside down. It's little wonder she struggles to cope and ends up being enrolled on a summer programme for troubled teens on the remote island of Lightsea. Little does she suspect that her troubles are only just beginning. At the same time as coping with her burgeoning attraction to two of the boys on the programme, she discovers the island is linked to her family secret. Evie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, unaware of the dangers that this will bring for both her and her new friends. Full review...
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Ballet Shoes tells the story of three adopted orphans – Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil. Brought to 1930s London as babies by an eccentric explorer (Great Uncle Matthew, otherwise known as Gum), the girls have a comfortable life until the family begin to run out of money. Luckily they are all given places at the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training and soon start to earn their own way as child performers on the stage. Full review...
Artificial Anatomy of Parks by Kat Gordon
One morning in 2002, twenty-one year old Tallulah Park is woken in her depressing bedsit by the phonecall announcing her father's heart attack. From this bleak beginning springs Kat Gordon's gripping debut novel of a dysfunctional upper middle class family with a history of papering over the cracks and ignoring the uncomfortable and unfitting. Tallulah has been doing her fair share of powering on and pretending things don't exist, but it seems like this might turn out to be the time to stop running away. With the reluctant help of two aunts, an old family friend and her own imperfect recollections, and with a vivid imagining of her late grandmother as the voice of conscience, Tallulah sets out to answer some long-standing questions about her family and her own past. Full review...
Manhattan Mayhem – New Crime Stories from the Mystery Writers of America by Mary Higgins Clark (editor)
I was unsure how to open this review. I heart Manhattan, big time. I am always attracted to any work set in Manhattan, but I don’t want to pigeonhole this remarkable collection of stories into a slot that says 'only for Manhattan lovers'. Far from it – it is a superb collection featuring the highest standards of both mystery writing and the form of short story. Full review...
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
How do you find someone who doesn't want to be found? For Jenna, it's to enlist the services of a fallen-from-grace psychic, and a fallen-from-grace former cop turned PI. Can this mismatched threesome uncover the truth of what really happened all those years ago? Full review...
Grandad's Island by Benji Davies
Syd and his Grandad are going on an adventure – through the door in Grandad's attic to a ship that will sail across an ocean of rooftops to a magical tropical island. They are going to find new wonders at every turn as they explore the island and make lots of new friends in the form of the animals and birds. In fact, it's such an amazing place that Grandad decides to stay. Full review...
Low Life: The Spectator Columns by Jeremy Clarke
There is a story that back in 1997 there were three deaths at about the same time and God had taken the shift at the pearly gates to do the paperwork. Princess Diana came first and was quickly followed by Mother Teresa. Stories of their good works flowed out and God hated to admit it but he was little wearied. Still it was the end of his shift... but then another soul appeared. Jeffrey Bernard! It was with relief that God dashed to the bar to get the first round in... There might have been high jinx in heaven but back on earth Life was not so clear cut and even Taki Theodoracopulos was a little worried. He wrote High Life for the Spectator, but where would that be without its counterpoint, Low Life which had been written for years by Bernard? Fortunately there was an able replacement waiting in the wings. Full review...
Gray Mountain by John Grisham
Gray Mountain is the latest exciting legal thriller from John Grisham. In this gripping book, two small town lawyers, Donovan Gray and Samantha Kofner, take on the might of some devious coal companies who have never played by the rules. As a result, many of their previous employees are both dying and destitute. All they ask for is some compensation and dignity to live with for the rest of their lives. However, the coal companies don’t see things the same way and are not prepared to give an inch. Will Donovan and Samantha be able to ensure that justice is done? Full review...
The Hounds of Falsterbo by Jules Nilsson
In between the beach huts
Where the white sands meet the seas,
The heather meets the sand dunes
And long grasses dance the breeze.
Full review...
Clash of the Rival Robots (Adventures of the Steampunk Pirates) by Gareth P Jones
We learn a lot about the world of the Steampunk Pirates in this volume of their adventures. While having had references to Britain fighting France before now, we find the location matters more than last time, as we head back to England. The Pirates have been told of a way to get into the Tower of London to steal the Crown Jewels. We also learn a lot about their upbringing, if you can call it that – certainly more than last time, as we see what made them piratical in the first place, which was a surprise to their inventor when it happened. But you never know, they may be about to face a showdown against said scientist – and, worse, his next generation of robots. If only they perhaps had been programmed to avoid temptation… Full review...
Renishaw Hall: the story of the Sitwells by Desmond Seward
Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire, has been the home of the Sitwells since 1625. Though the history of the house and its family go back to the early Stuart era, as Seward tells us in a few wonderfully concise chapters, it is really with the appearance of the eccentric Sir George Sitwell and his three famous children that the narrative comes into its own. Full review...
Stalin's Gold: A Frank Merlin Novel by Mark Ellis
When we last saw DCI Frank Merlin he was champing at the bit to enlist and do his bit but frustrated by the fact that he could not be released. On the positive side there were signs that he was recovering from the death of his wife a couple of years earlier and he's now in a relationship with Sonia, a refugee from Poland who's working in the dress department at Swan and Edgar. The phoney war is well and truly over and London is suffering daily bombing raids: the capital is a dangerous place to be. Some people are taking advantage of the situation and looting is disappointingly frequent. It's one of the problems that have been dropped on Merlin's toes. Full review...
Romeo and Juliet in Palestine: Teaching Under Occupation by Tom Sperlinger
Towards the end of Tom Sperlinger's first book, he says education can open people's eyes, making them aware 'that we make assumptions all of the time, without even knowing they are assumptions.' Romeo and Juliet in Palestine: Teaching Under Occupation is a fine example of this belief in learning, an assumption-shattering book that offers a new perspective on Palestinian life not seen on the news or in the papers. Full review...
My Magical Oasis: Art Therapy Colouring Book for Creative Minds by Eglantine de la Fontaine et al
It's not often I can review a book and mention how it changes your brain, but that's apparently the effect of the colouring-in-for-adults phenomenon. There's a science behind it all that attests how alpha waves, a slightly more childlike, accepting, relaxed form of brain activity, are used by our bonces when we colour – and as opposed to the braver, thinking, active beta waves they're something the mind could do more of, especially in this kinetic, plugged-in, 24/7 lifestyle. So whereas I normally review books to help my readers make their mind up, here I'm mentioning this volume because it allegedly would change your mind. Full review...
The Hippobottymus by Steve Smallman and Ada Grey
The Hippobotymus is a great romp through the jungle using language to create sound and rhythm which is really fun to engage with and read aloud. All the animals are having a great time, singing their song and each adding their own sounds, but just what is it that Hippo did? You’ll just have to read it to find out. Full review...
The First Slodge by Jeanne Willis and Jenni Desmond
The First Slodge thinks everything is his, until he finds out he might be the first Slodge, but that doesn’t make him the only Slodge. Will they learn to share? They might just have to. I found The First Slodge to be a fascinating book. I loved the ideas, and I think it’s great that a picture book is managing to tackle a number of issues all at once like this without losing its own sense of story and purpose. Full review...