Book Reviews From The Bookbag

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 16,119 reviews at TheBookbag.

Want to find out more about us?

Reviews of the Best New Books

Read new reviews by genre.

Read the latest features.

Missing in Malmo (Anita Sundstrom Mysteries) by Torquil MacLeod

Crime

Anita Sundstrom wasn't best pleased when she was told to look into the disappearance of British heir hunter Graeme Todd: missing persons weren't really her thing and it seemed that it was only down to her because she was fluent in English. There was a similar reluctance when her ex-husband asked her to look into the disappearance of his girlfriend. But events took a sinister turn and Anita found herself deeply entangled in both cases. The first case seemed to be linked to a robbery which took place in Newcastle some twenty years earlier and in the second case it seemed that Bjorn Sundstrom hadn't been entirely truthful with her about his relationship with Greta Jansson. Full review...

Bella Broomstick by Lou Kuenzler and Kyan Cheng

Confident Readers

Bella Broomstick has dark brown eyes, chocolate curls, absolutely no warts on her nose, an ability to talk to animals, a caring nature and a talent for sketching. So not your average witch at all. Aunt Hemlock decides Bella will never get the hang of spells and banishes her to the world of Persons where everyone is supposed to be stupid. But Bella discovers otherwise and soon finds herself loved and much wanted – and a style of magic all of her own. Full review...

Ultimate Reptileopedia by Christina Wilsdon

Children's Non-Fiction

Have you ever wanted to know more about reptiles? Scratch that. Have you ever wanted to seemingly know everything that there ever was to know about reptiles? If so, you don't just need a normal encyclopaedia that will have a page or two on the subject, but a Reptileopedia that has more information and images of reptiles in it than you could shake a snake at. Full review...

If She Did It by Jessica Treadway

General Fiction

Hanna and Joe had two daughters. Iris, the elder, had done well at school and gone on to be a medical student, but Dawn had always struggled. Hanna worried that it was something to do with the birth when Dawn might have been starved of oxygen for a brief moment. She was never bright, bullied at school and suffered from amblyopia or lazy eye. Dawn called it 'lacy eye'. In her late teens she had a boyfriend - tall, good-looking Rud and was obviously besotted with him and brought him home for Thanksgiving, but the pair left the next morning under a cloud with Joe accusing Rud of having stolen from the house whilst everyone else was out. That night Hanna and Joe were attacked in their beds; Joe died from his injuries and Hanna was left severely scarred and with no memory of the events of that night. Full review...

Bertolt Brecht - A Literary Life by Stephen Parker

Biography

Drawing on letters, diaries, and unpublished material, Stephen Parker offers a rich and detailed account of Brecht's life and work, and paints a new picture of one of the twentieth century's most controversial cultural icons – a man whose plays are performed more in Germany than Shakespeare's. Examining Brecht's beginnings in Bavaria, through the First World War and onto the beginnings of a career. Then, Brecht's journey through Weimar Germany where he became a political artist, struggling with the fascists who would eventually drive him to exile in Denmark, and onto life in the US – suspected of being a Soviet agent, before the eventual return to Germany, and a later life plagued with illness. This is a fascinating book about the man, his work, and the climates in which he wrote and influenced his work, as well as providing insights into the thought processes, health, and women who filled the world of Brecht. Full review...

The Unfriended by Jane McLoughlin

Women's Fiction

The Unfriended lays its cards out on the table right from the first page: this is a novel all about feminism. It's going to have those conversations, and it's going to deliver some opinions, and it's not going to apologise for doing so. Full review...

The Killing of Polly Carter by Robert Thorogood

Crime

I'm a fan of old-school murder mysteries…think Agatha Christie, think Margery Allingham, Dorothy Sayers… These are stories as games. Usually on the very edge of plausibility, gruesomeness kept to a minimum, police procedure trodden all over in hobnailed enthusiasm of insight and flashes of inspiration. So it follows that I enjoy TV series in the same vein: Midsommer Murders, Poirot… and Death in Paradise. It was because my enjoyment of the series was known that The Killing of Polly Carter was sent my way. Full review...

One Second Ahead: Enhance Your Performance at Work with Mindfulness by Rasmus Hougaard, Jacqueline Carter and Gillian Coutts

Business and Finance

Have you ever worked at a task and found your mind wandering to something else? Do you find yourself breaking off what you're doing to answer an email? Do you try to multitask, thinking that you're being more efficient? Do you have far too much to attend to, to complete and nowhere near enough time to do it all?

You do? Me too. You need this book. Full review...

Skimbleshanks: The Railyway Cat by T S Eliot and Arthur Robins

For Sharing

I have to say, on opening this book I was tempted to break out into song! This is due to a lot of my teenage years spent listening to, and singing along with Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals (I know...I do apologise!) You'd think being an English graduate I'd take a T.S. Eliot poem more seriously, wouldn't you? But no, it's the musical of Cats that leapt instantly to my mind. Anyway, if an Eliot poem seems an unlikely source for a children's picture book, think again, because this is a lovely book, both funny to read and listen to, and with lots to see and discuss. Full review...

Lockdown (Urban Outlaws) by Peter Jay Black

Confident Readers

High-tech gadgets and gizmos, feats of daring that will have you chewing your nails down to the elbow, villains who just love to gloat, and then (because this isn't any old kids-beat-the-baddies saga) the well-established tradition of Random Acts of Kindness – New York style. This may be the third sortie for Jack and his rag-tag team, but somehow the author still manages to surprise and delight his readers by giving the characters even more complex back stories, and by ratcheting up the tension so high you'll need to nip outside and have a quick scream from time to time. Full review...

The Nutcracker by Jane Ray

For Sharing

There's something rather magical about Jane Ray's stories. The Doll's House Fairy continues to be one of my daughter's favourite stories, even though she's now a rather grown up nine year old, so we opened up this new story with a great deal of anticipation. It remains close to the traditional Nutcracker story, and there is a wonderful feel of Christmas throughout. I'm sure you can read it quite happily all year round (I know we will!) but it's particularly special in the run up to Christmas. Full review...

The Orchard Book of Bedtime Fairy Tales by Helen Craig

Emerging Readers

Fairy Tales have been around for centuries and reflect the tradition of oral history; stories spoken from one person's memory to another. This is why some Fairy Tales seem to have subtle differences depending upon where you were brought up. Did you hear that the three little pigs boiled the wolf alive, or perhaps you think he just walked away in frustration? Helen Craig is a talented illustrator who has decided to tackle the tricky Fairy Tale compilation. Will her retelling of classic stories match your own? Full review...

Eating Well Made Easy: Deliciously healthy recipes for everyone, every day by Lorraine Pascal

Cookery

Lorraine Pascal specialises in no-nonsense, simple recipes that provide delicious results; a speciality that has afforded her a deserved space in today's crowded celeb chef culture. Lorrain's ethos in Eating Well Made Easy is to provide recipes for everyone, encompassing vegetarians, allergy sufferers and those who just want something delicious, all with a healthy spin. Full review...

Beneath The Lake by Christopher Ransom

General Fiction

The Mercer family are on the holiday of a lifetime at the somewhat remote Blundstone Lake in Nebraska. It is all the things a camping holiday should be; tranquillity and beautiful scenery in spades and lots of good old-fashioned family fun. When another family arrive, the Mercers try not to feel disappointed that their solitude has been encroached upon and do their best to keep out of the other family's way, but when the newcomers' family disharmony becomes violent and murderous, The Mercers have no option but to become rather more acquainted with them than they had bargained for. And so their lives are forever altered. Full review...

The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty) by Ken Liu

Fantasy

Mata Zyundu is on the way down in life having been born into an aristocratic family deposed and burdened with all the resentment that goes with it. Meanwhile the charming Kuni Gara finds fame and success as a bandit leader after a lifetime surviving on the streets. The two form an unlikely friendship that's torn asunder as the Empire crumbles and they find themselves on opposite sides for better or, indeed, for worse. Full review...

The Drop in My Drink by Meredith Hooper and Chris Coady

Children's Non-Fiction

This brilliant book tells the story of where water comes from in a wonderfully captivating way. In full colour picture book style, it does far more than explain scientific facts about our planet, the way life has evolved and where our water comes from. It takes the reader on an inspiring, exciting and eye-opening journey through millions of years – the same journey one little drop of water in one child' cup may have taken! Full review...

Number 11 by Jonathan Coe

General Fiction

There's a great deal of significance in the title of Number 11. It's the common abbreviation for the home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as well as a bus route around the outskirts of Birmingham which provides a useful haven for those who can't afford to put the heating on at home. It's also Jonathan Coe's eleventh novel. On a level more personal to the characters in the book it's also the number of floors below ground which are being added to a house in Chelsea owned by an obscenely-rich family. Even more obscene is the fact that the owner of the house doesn't know what she wants that floor for - everything that could possibly be added (swimming pool with palm trees, wine cellar, bank vault, staff quarters...) is on the other floors or in the house itself. But Mrs Gunn wants it because she can have it. Full review...

Dark Sky by Mike Brooks

Science Fiction

Making money is not easy, especially if you live life on the edges of known space scraping a living doing odd jobs with your crew; some legal, some not so legal. You may not have much money, a good ship or even adequate washing facilities, but what you do have is the friendship and comradery of your fellow crewmates. That is unless you have all just discovered that the captain used to be a space pirate who once suffocated his entire crew so that he could escape. Welcome to the jolly ship Keiko. Full review...

Time Travelling Toby and the Battle of Britain by Graham Jones and Neil Parkinson

For Sharing

Toby lives in an unremarkable village and goes to an unremarkable school - just like millions of other boys - but he has a secret. We're told it's humongous and I think that's right. You see, Toby has (wait for it...) two brother, a Mum and a Dad, a Nanma, two dogs, three fish and two rabbits as well as...

... a time machine that looks just like a sports car. Full review...

Murder at the Old Vicarage by Jill McGown

Crime

The vicar's daughter, Joanna, had mixed feelings when her husband called at the vicarage. The last time she'd seen him his violence had put her in hospital and she'd been living with her parents ever since. She had her reasons for deciding to see him, even though her parents would have preferred just to send him packing. George Wheeler had more problems than his daughter's marriage to worry about: he was strangely attracted to a young widow who had recently come to the parish and also had serious doubts about his vocation. It was only his wife, Marian who stopped the wheels from falling off his life. But Marian was always that sort of woman. Then - on Christmas Eve - his son in law was battered to death with a poker in his daughter's bedroom at the vicarage. Full review...

Lucerin: Identity by Dan Corns

Teens

Aiden Chase seems, on the face of it, to be a normal teenage schoolboy facing real-world issues like bullies, homework and girls. He has no idea that he has Lucerin blood; the key to unlocking uncanny abilities like stopping time and even materialising solid items from thin air. This legacy has made Aiden very desirable to one person in particular: Lukas Voorman. Voorman is head of a group of powerful Lucerin who 'pull the strings' behind the world scenes. Initially a force for peace, the Lucerin mission has been slowly corrupted in the last few years. Could a boy like Aiden have the power to change all of that and bring harmony to the Lucerin once more? Full review...

Nova by Samuel R Delany

Science Fiction

In the 31st century the rare element Illyrion is a crucial energy source, and naturally enough a whole lot of politics and power are bound up with whoever controls the supply. Lorq Von Ray, daring spaceship captain, has this mad idea that flying into an imploding star will – as long as he can get out again – allow him to gather Illyrion in unimaginable quantities. Luckily his rag-bag crew don't know about this when they sign on. Full review...

Showman Killer: Heartless Hero by Alejandro Jodorowsky, Nicolas Fructus and Ivanka Hahnenberger (translator)

Graphic Novels

A long way away, in terms of both time and space, the most perfect assassin is formed – genetically bred, adept at magical transformations, with the most athletic and deadly abilities, and with the complete lack of emotion needed. All he will ever seek is the highest price for the best job – a job that will, now and again, force him to meet with the most unusual people… Full review...

Fools, Frauds and Firebrands: Thinkers of the New Left by Roger Scruton

Politics and Society

Thinkers of the New Left first came out in 1985, under Thatcher's government. British left-wing intellectuals gave it savage reviews. The publisher was threatened with a boycott and the book was withdrawn from bookshops. Roger Scruton feels this caused his university career to decline. In the introduction, he says he is reluctant to return to the scene of such a disaster. However, this is a subject he is clearly passionate about, having worked with underground networks in communist Europe and seen the destructive reality behind the fashionable leftist ways of thinking. Full review...

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Autobiography

She's a phenomenon is my OH's response to any mention of Malala. I can't disagree on some level, but what this book proves is that on another she is just a girl. One voice among many. It's just that she decided to speak louder than most. We know about Malala because she got lucky. She got lucky because when she got shot by the Taliban there were people nearby, doctors who got her to a hospital, and then luckier still because when her condition worsened, nearby there were western doctors with access to western facilities and she was flown to the UK for treatment. Full review...

Asterix and the Missing Scroll (Album 36) by Jean-Yves Ferri

For Sharing

Asterix is those rarest of book series; one designed for kids which is actually even funnier when you are an adult. I used to love Asterix as a child, but now that I reread them I can't help but wonder why, because they are so full of hilarious jokes that I definitely wouldn't have understood when I was younger. I laughed loud and hard to myself twice within the first two pages of Asterix and the Missing Scroll, so I'd definitely say that this was a hit. Full review...

How to Sound Cultured by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh

Lifestyle

Sometimes it can be hard to run with the big dogs, and while I know the names to drop in my field of work, some wider cultural references can pass me by. This is especially true for those from before my time and so I was delighted to find icons from all decades and centuries featured in this book. Badged as the 250 names that intellectuals love to drop into conversation this book features quotes and biographical titbits covering big names from every sector – science, the arts, philosophy. Full review...

From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generation by Allan Metcalf

Trivia

I have to go a roundabout way to introducing this book, so bear with me. It stems partly from dictionaries and the etymology of the language we use, but more so if anything from a different couple of books, and their ideas of generations. The authors of those posited the idea that all those archetypical generations – the Baby Boomers, the Millennials, and those before, in between and since – have their own cyclical pattern, and the history of humanity has been and will be formed by the interplay of just four different kinds, running (with only one exception) in regular order. I don't really hold much store by that, and I certainly didn't know we'd started one since the Millennials – who the heck decides such things, for one? Somebody must have put out an order, as someone here says of something else. But in the same way as generations get defined by collective persons unknown, so do words – and those words are certainly a clue to what was important, predominant and of course spoken in each decade. Full review...

When You Dead, You Dead by Guy Martin

Autobiography

It's a little depressing when a 34 year old is publishing his second autobiography, but that's what this book is, and Martin proves he's certainly not short on material. The author, for those of you who don't know, is a mechanic who dabbles in TV presenting and motorcycle racing, though it's the latter for which we he will be most well-known. Full review...

Lily and the Christmas Wish by Keris Stainton

Emerging Readers

In the small town of Pinewood the people are busy preparing for Christmas. This year they are doing something special to celebrate. Each person will write down a secret wish and tie it to the Christmas tree in the town square. Although nine year old Lily likes this idea she is more than a little sceptical that wishes can come true, no matter how much you may want them to. Then a strange storm blows in and scatters all the wishes across the town. Lily wakes up the following morning to discover that Bug, her pug puppy, can talk! That was not what Lily had wished for but maybe it was someone else's wish? The Christmas magic has definitely gone wrong. Can Lily, her younger brother Jimmy and, of course, Bug put things right before Christmas Day? Full review...