Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
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| + | |summary=Sabine lives two lives. Literally. Each night, at midnight, she shifts from one self to another. Time resets too; Sabine may be a teenager to her families and friends but in reality, she has thirty-odd years-worth of life experience. It's a stressful existence: the shift itself is frightening and painful, and Sabine must be careful to behave appropriately in each environment. And her lives are very different. In Wellesley, Sabine is wealthy and popular with two brothers and a boyfriend other girls are jealous of. In Roxbury, she has one sister, parents whose business is struggling, and a reputation for rebelliousness. | ||
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There lived a boy called Roan Novachez who always dreamed of being a pilot like his big brother. Fate works in mysterious ways and poor Roan ended up at Jedi academy instead. His first year was full of drama and tween angst; trying to make friends, fit in, impress girls and avoid lightsaber-wielding bullies. Roan thinks this year is going to be different: '''This school year will definitely be the BEST YEAR EVER!''' Of course, nobody told Roan that when you make statements like that, you are just asking for trouble... | There lived a boy called Roan Novachez who always dreamed of being a pilot like his big brother. Fate works in mysterious ways and poor Roan ended up at Jedi academy instead. His first year was full of drama and tween angst; trying to make friends, fit in, impress girls and avoid lightsaber-wielding bullies. Roan thinks this year is going to be different: '''This school year will definitely be the BEST YEAR EVER!''' Of course, nobody told Roan that when you make statements like that, you are just asking for trouble... | ||
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Revision as of 06:31, 7 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.
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Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington
Sabine lives two lives. Literally. Each night, at midnight, she shifts from one self to another. Time resets too; Sabine may be a teenager to her families and friends but in reality, she has thirty-odd years-worth of life experience. It's a stressful existence: the shift itself is frightening and painful, and Sabine must be careful to behave appropriately in each environment. And her lives are very different. In Wellesley, Sabine is wealthy and popular with two brothers and a boyfriend other girls are jealous of. In Roxbury, she has one sister, parents whose business is struggling, and a reputation for rebelliousness. Full review...
Psy-Q: You know your IQ - now test your psychological intelligence by Ben Ambridge
Psy-Q is a fun and interactive slice of 'Pop-Science' which delves into various psychology topics, with the aim of entertaining and enlightening the reader and debunking a few myths along the way. Most of the chapters are only a couple of pages long and include quizzes, personality profiles, experiments, optical illusions and the odd cheesy joke thrown in for good measure. The result is a readable, accessible and un-putdownable book that I managed to devour in an entire afternoon. Full review...
What's My Name? (The Not So Little Princess) by Tony Ross and Wendy Finney
Now, I do hope that what I'm about to tell you won't be too upsetting. The Little Princess is growing up and it's causing a problem in the palace. You see the little princess has always been known as, well, the Little Princess. Whilst the Queen was helping to make cucumber sandwiches the King was striding up and down, wearing the carpet out and making his shoes squeak. He had a problem - a big problem. Now that the little princess was growing up was it really appropriate to continue calling her the Little Princess? There was an open secret in the palace: everyone knew the little princess's real name - but no one was prepared to tell her what it was. Full review...
Ten Little Princesses by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty
Ten little princesses are going to a ball, but not all of them may get there. There are lots of distractions between the castle and the dance floor. Some of them are less than pleasant, like the scary monsters or the poison apple, not to mention the huffing, puffing big bad wolf (can see a familiar theme emerging?) Others are much more enticing, like a frog just begging to be kissed or a charming prince (on a skateboard, no less). Full review...
Wolfman by Michael Rosen and Chris Mould
People are panicking. The police are afraid. The army have run away. Who or what could possibly be so scary? It’s Wolf Man. And he’s on the loose. Full review...
The Widow's House (Dagger and the Coin) by Daniel Abraham
The fourth in Daniel Abraham’s majestic The Dagger and the Coin series has pretty much everything you can want in an epic fantasy adventure – even more so than the first three. There’s action, war, politics, betrayal, great relationships between family and friends. There’s a surprising amount of laughter here, even if it’s all rather bleak, as some of the heroes are using gallows humour to cope with the amount of death and destruction they're forced to see. Even better than any of this, though, is the superb characterisation. Abraham has given us perhaps half a dozen character arcs which are absolutely masterful. From the widowed woman trying to save her country by betraying its leader, while juggling an inappropriate romance with a servant (these two are probably my favourite couple ever), to a villain who manages to be simultaneously evil enough to make your skin crawl yet often pitiable and, sometimes, even likeable, all of the main players here are brilliantly portrayed. I also think the dialogue here is outstanding, hugely quotable. Full review...
A is Amazing!: Poems about Feelings by Wendy Cooling and Piet Grobler
How do you get young children interested in poetry? I guess you hope that you don't have to – you want them to be aware of clapping and skipping songs by nature, and of lyrics to music heard in school and at home. Surely it's a case of making sure a child never learns to hold verse in disfavour, and carries a natural eagerness for poetry through to adulthood. But just in case, there are books such as this wonderfully thought-through compilation, that will catch the eye and entertain those aged six or seven and up, and provide for many a read of many a different style of verse. Full review...
The Confabulist by Steven Galloway
Martin Strauss has an unusual affliction that causes him to reinvent his life from false memories, convincing even himself. As a confabulist he's unsure of his past and whether he actually had a happy relationship with the woman he loved. But there is one thing of which he's convinced: he killed the famous Ehrich Weiss twice. You've not heard of Ehrich Weiss? Oh but you have for Ehrich was Harry Houdini, the best escapologist (among other things) that the world has ever known. Full review...
Lord of the Forest by Caroline Pitcher and Jackie Morris
Everything in the forest is exciting and new for little tiger as he explores the world around him. His mother has told him of The Lord of the Forest and so he watches, listens and waits in the hope of discovering who this mysterious animal may be. As time passes he grows puzzled and starts to ask the other animals such as the Rhino, the Elephant and the Peacock who The Lord of the Forest is and each in turn claims that it is he. The tiger does not believe them and continues his search. It is not until the tiger is fully grown with a mate and cubs of his own that he finally discovers the identity of the beast he has been searching for. Full review...
The Sixteenth of June by Maya Lang
On June 16th, 1904, James Joyce had his first date with his future wife, Nora Barnacle – an occasion he commemorated by choosing it as the one-day setting for his magnum opus, Ulysses; main character Leopold Bloom gives his name to the annual Joyce celebration that takes place around the world on June 16th. Full review...
The Dark Meadow by Andrea Maria Schenkel and Anthea Bell (translator)
It was at the end of the war that Afra Zauner returned to her parents' cottage in Finsterau. She'd lost her job as a waitress and it was some time before she realised that she was pregnant. When Albert was born her father turned against her and the boy and there was little sympathy for her in the village - but they didn't expect that Afra would be murdered. The obvious suspect was Johann Zauner. It was no secret that there had been constant arguments between him and his daughter and he had some injuries which he couldn't entirely explain. When a policeman 'obtained' a confession it seemed that this was an open-and-shut case. Full review...
I Heart Holidays by Clara Vulliamy
Martha and her bunny brothers are going on holiday to the seaside and it's charming. They’re in a vintage camper van, and while a traffic jam holds them up a bit, they're soon on the beach and ready to swim. Well, Martha is. But the boys don't want to so instead they have sandcastle building competitions, and a picnic and a paddle and some ice creams. Every time Martha mentions the sea, a new plan emerges. Will anyone ever go in the water with her? Full review...
Me After You by Lucie Brownlee
People die all the time. I’m not trying to be crude, they just do. It’s the circle of life, or some less Disney-fied sentiment. And if everyone whose partner or parent died wrote a book about it, well, to say that would be less than good would be a severe understatement. For a book on such a theme to be worth reading, it has to have a pull, a twist, something to make you look twice. In Lucie’s case it’s the fact that her husband Mark was only 37 years old when he died. And not only that, he died during a bit of nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Talk about going out with a bang. Full review...
Afterparty by Daryl Gregory
People have been taking pills and seeing God for years, but in Afterparty Daryl Gregory is taking the idea of smart drugs one step further. What happens if after a particularly bad trip you have an omnipresent God with you? Is this a sense of wellbeing, or are you now just schizophrenic? In the near future people take drugs not only for their cures, but also their side effects and seeing deities may be the worst side effect of all. Full review...
Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir
Elizabeth of York could have ruled England were she not a woman and were she not born in the fifteenth century. Oldest daughter of Edward IV, she was the heiress of the Yorkist dynasty after the death of Richard III at Bosworth (and her own younger brothers in the Tower of London). Henry VII, the first Tudor king and victor by conquest, had at best a tenuous claim to the English throne. He legitimised it by his marriage to Elizabeth and proclaimed it through the Tudor rose, that joining of the emblems of York and Lancaster. Elizabeth's marriage to Henry produced one of our most famous kings in Henry VIII. Full review...
Danloria: The Secret Forest of Germania by Gloria D Gonsalves
Stan loves to go for walks in the forest of Danloria, located in the seven hills of Germania. He goes with his father almost every day. One particular day, Stan's father is ill in bed and can't take him out. And that's when Fern appears. Stan notices the plant waving to him and can't help but investigate. Fern has an invitation for Stan. He wants to take him to the secret parts of the forest, to a party. Stan has a fabulous time, meeting all the plants and finding out about the various ways in which they benefit humanity. The following spring, Stan is racking his brains to think of the perfect gift for his mother's fortieth birthday party when Fern appears again. More friends of the forest supply presents more wonderful than Stan could ever have dreamed of. A firm friendship ensues. Full review...
All Cut Up by Bruce Crowther
Jimmy and his Mum were at the supermarket when she disappeared. He didn't immediately think that it was a problem - after all she was suffering from dementia and out of roughly the last hundred and fifty visits to GetItAll he'd lost his mother on thirty five of them. But - she wasn't usually gone for this long and then there was the nagging worry that she might have become the latest victim of the Acton Axeman - a serial killer who was targeting blond, slightly-plump women wearing green - a description which fitted Jimmy's Mum to a tee. Full review...
The Dangerous Discoveries of Gully Potchard by Julia Lee
Gully never intended to get into trouble. At the beginning of our story he has a good job as a delivery boy and a safe, secure home with a loving family. But a single action can have a multitude of effects, and being forced by Nathan Boldree and his gang to take part in their latest scam soon has Gully fleeing his home. He takes refuge from the villains with his uncle on the Isle of Wight, but even there danger and menace pursue him. Full review...
Busiest People Ever by Richard Scarry
I suspect lots of us grown ups feel a certain amount of nostalgia when we come across a Richard Scarry book. He has such a distinctive style that you recognise it immediately and find yourself hunting for Huckle the pig and Lowly worm. This book tells us all about Busytown and the different things that are going on there. I actually didn't get to read the story properly until I sat down to write this review because although this has become a firm favourite with my two year old son he has no patience for the story and instead just wants to spend all his time looking at all the many, many different kinds of vehicles there are throughout the book! Full review...
Research by Philip Kerr
John Houston is a multimillionaire with a beautiful wife, a number of mistresses, countless extravagances and an apartment in Monaco, for tax reasons. He made his fortune by creating a formula for a series of best-selling novels designed specifically to appeal to the average man on the street. John has a team of four ghost-writers to do all the writing, meaning that he can produce an average of six bestsellers per year. John calls his group of ghost-writers his atelier', his ‘workshop’, perfectly reflecting his views of them. Full review...
At the Edge of Uncertainty: 11 Discoveries Taking Science by Surprise by Michael Brooks
Eleven Discoveries are introduced and explored in Michael Brooks’ At the Edge of Uncertainty, spanning all from the expansion of epigenetics, the possibility of creating a hypercomputer, and the unveiling of the true nature of the universe. Some of the hypotheses currently being investigated by our contemporary scientific community are baffling enough in themselves: Is our universe a hologram of an extra-dimensional universe? Are the mechanisms governing photosynthesis and human olfaction in fact one and the same? Just how well-established are animal personalities and cultures, if such exist? Is a human ‘will to live’ something which can be attributed to discernible biological responses and systems? Is time an illusion? Full review...
The Girl Who Walked on Air by Emma Carroll
I have been looking forward to reading this book for some time. Emma Carroll’s debut novel, Frost Hollow Hall, was one of my favourite children’s books of last year and I was delighted to discover that this is just as good. This is the exciting story of Louie and her hopes to become a circus star. Ever since she was abandoned as a baby at Chipchase's Travelling Circus, Louie has dreamed of becoming a 'Showstopper’ but Mr Chipchase only ever lets her sell tickets. However Louie has a talent as a tightrope walker and every morning she practises her act in secret watched by her little dog Pip. Can Louie find the courage to overcome the challenges that face her, defy Mr Chipchase and achieve her dream? Full review...
Following the Tractor by Susan Steggall
There's only one thing that you need to know about this book and that's that it is about a tractor. Not sold? Well, your under five will be but in case you require further persuasion, try this out for size. The tractor is red and appears on every page and on one page (could there be more joy?), there is also a blue tractor and a green combine harvester. I've yet to meet a child who doesn't like a tractor. My local rhyme time librarian introduced a toy for each verse of Old McDonald then had to invest in additional vehicles for the tractor round as it was less 'brrmm brrmm here' more 'toddler fisticuffs there'. Full review...
I Don't Want To Go To School by Stephanie Blake
Simon is a rabbit. A cheeky rabbit. So when his mum tells him he’s starting school in the morning, he doesn’t accept this. He answers back. I’m not going he says. And while at first it seems he’s just being stubborn, over night the truth comes out: he’s actually a little bit scared. Full review...
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
A young teacher is kidnapped leaving her family distraught. Wealthy and influential, they call in the big guns to find their daughter, but is there more to the story, and indeed to the family, than meets the eye? Full review...
Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
Jenna is getting married and no one would be more excited than her mother Beth. But Beth passed away before she could see the baby of the Carmichael family happily hitched. Knowing she wouldn't live to see the day, she drafted The Notebook, a guide to help Jenna plan her nuptials with wise, motherly advice on every aspect. Full review...
Letter 44 Volume 1: Escape Velocity by Charles Soule and Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque
I guess we don't always think of the President of the USA as someone who is thrown into the deep end on day one, given his retinue of advisors and aides. But this one is – when being inaugurated as the 44th POTUS, Stephen Blades gets a letter from the outgoing premier. He – and we – learn that the prior two terms, when America was busy fighting in the eastern hemisphere and not getting her economy into gear, were pretty much just a cover-up. The military presence and lack of economic benefit at home was purely due to something a long way away – the discovery of something being manufactured by aliens within our own asteroid belt. Due to some cloaking technology little is known about what is up there – and that applies to our own response, too – the ultra top secret mission we've sent up, both scientific and military, to have a closer look. Welcome to the job, Mr President. Full review...
The Dark Blood (The Long War) by AJ Smith
The lands of Ro are slowly being subjugated by the evil sorceresses known as The Seven Sisters. Their only hope is to kill them and only one man is up to the task: the Dark Blood assassin, Rham Jas. He chooses master forger and fixer Kale as his assistant but, as this will reduce Kale's life expectancy markedly, Kale's not keen. Meanwhile Utha, albino Black Order cleric, his squire Randall, axe maiden Halla Summer Wolf, Timon the Butcher et al are dragged into a bloody conflict during which they have to fight for more than just their own survival. Full review...
The Rain-Soaked Bride by Guy Adams
The last thing that the afflicted people see before their death is a wet woman in white. The last thing they feel is their own personal rain cloud soaking them while everywhere else remains dry. All also happen to be in top government jobs. What's happening? British Intelligence Department 37 (in the form of August Shining and Toby Greene) is there to find out. This may not be the full extent of the problems facing them though; not with a South Korean delegation coming to the UK for talks and August's sister April wanting to get in on the act. Full review...
Paper Swans by Jessica Thompson
Ben Lawrence has a charmed life it would seem. There’s the highly successful and lucrative career in PR, the fast car, and more girlfriends than he can possibly remember. However, despite all this, Ben is sad and lonely. He is scared to commit to any woman because of a tragic incident from his past. Even visiting his therapist does not seem to make a difference. Therefore, he is completely taken by surprise when, after meeting Effy Jones, the founder of the charity that Ben’s firm is sponsoring, he finds that he cannot stop thinking about her. Full review...
Jedi Academy 2: Return of the Padawan by Jeffrey Brown
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
There lived a boy called Roan Novachez who always dreamed of being a pilot like his big brother. Fate works in mysterious ways and poor Roan ended up at Jedi academy instead. His first year was full of drama and tween angst; trying to make friends, fit in, impress girls and avoid lightsaber-wielding bullies. Roan thinks this year is going to be different: This school year will definitely be the BEST YEAR EVER! Of course, nobody told Roan that when you make statements like that, you are just asking for trouble... Full review...
