Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
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|summary=On the run from the Darkling, Alina and Mal are together at last. But when he emerges from the Shadow Fold with a horrific new power, the Darkling could prove himself to be more dangerous than ever. Alina will be torn between her growing power, the man she loves, and her patriotism - can she survive the oncoming storm? | |summary=On the run from the Darkling, Alina and Mal are together at last. But when he emerges from the Shadow Fold with a horrific new power, the Darkling could prove himself to be more dangerous than ever. Alina will be torn between her growing power, the man she loves, and her patriotism - can she survive the oncoming storm? | ||
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Revision as of 20:02, 21 July 2013
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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Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
On the run from the Darkling, Alina and Mal are together at last. But when he emerges from the Shadow Fold with a horrific new power, the Darkling could prove himself to be more dangerous than ever. Alina will be torn between her growing power, the man she loves, and her patriotism - can she survive the oncoming storm? Full review...
My Funny Family by Chris Higgins and Lee Wildish
Mattie Butterfield is a worrier. Well, it's not surprising with a family like hers - something always seems to be going wrong. Or if it doesn't go wrong then it very easily might. She gets upset that the tomato seeds which she and Lucinda have planted at school won't thrive because they're in the cold, dark cupboard and they're all wet. Lucinda's parents don't seem to like each other very much and it might be that they're going to get divorced. What would happen if Mattie's parents stopped liking each other? Why does grandma seem not to like the Butterfield children very much? You see, when you think about it, there's lots to worry about. And Mattie is particularly worried about why Mum has been to the doctor. Full review...
The Black Count: Glory, revolution, betrayal and the real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss
While the novels of Alexandre Dumas, like The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, weren't true, they were based on a real hero - Dumas's own father. Born the son of a slave and a French nobleman, General Alexandre Dumas would go on to rise to fame and fortune during the French Revolution, only to face racism, betrayal, and a rivalry with Napoleon Bonaparte which would eventually lead to the virtual disappearance from history of this incredible figure. Full review...
The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix by Kate Saunders
So I’ve jumped right into the world of Skittle Lane, going straight to the sequel, The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix. One of the great things about this book is that while going straight to number two makes you want to find and read the first one because you know it’ll be a good book, you’re not lost. It stands easily by itself as a fairly awesome magical adventure. Full review...
Hold Your Breath by Caroline Green
Tara can locate lost objects - keys, phones, and even people. But she knows that this strange ability can bring trouble, so when bully Melodie Stone goes missing, she wants to keep her visions to herself. The images she sees won't go away, though - should she risk humiliation, or worse, by trying to find her? Full review...
New England Rocks by Christina Courtenay
After being expelled from her boarding school, Rain Mackenzie gets sent abroad to New England, to live with her parents and attend the local high school. Not expecting to like anything about the place, she's surprised to find herself immediately falling for the school heartthrob Jesse Devlin. Will they end up together, or will Jesse's girlfriend Amber get in the way? Full review...
Midsummer Magic by Julia Williams
After a whirlwind romance, Josie and Harry are engaged to be married and she is putting every waking hour into planning the wedding down to the finest detail. This includes taking Harry, bridesmaid Diana and best man Ant down to her parents’ home in Cornwall for the weekend as that is where the wedding is going to be taking place. It should be a weekend of excited planning and preparations but, unfortunately, things don’t turn out entirely as Josie hopes. She turns into the 'bride from Hell' driving all her friends crazy with boredom as she talks non-stop about the wedding plans in the minutest of details. In order to liven things up, Harry and Ant persuade the girls to take part in a hypnosis experiment which will make them plight their troths to their true loves at midnight on Midsummer Night’s Eve. As you might imagine, all sorts of mayhem occurs as well as a few home truths shared. Full review...
Tutankhamen's Curse: The Developing History of an Egyptian King by Joyce Tyldesley
The striking cover of 'Tutankhamen’s Curse' certainly has a way of arresting the reader’s attention. The iconic golden funeral mask peers out from an ink-black background and those heavily-lined Egyptian eyes seem to stare eerily into the soul of the beholder. Full review...
Phoenix by SF Said
Lucky thinks he is a normal Human boy. But one night, he dreams that the stars are singing to him and he can feel a mysterious power rising within him. When he wakes, his bedclothes are scorched. And when his mother finds out, Lucky's world is turned upside down and he finds himself on an alien spaceship, on the run, and in the middle of a warzone. Everything Lucky has been brought up to believe is being tested. The war between Human and Axxa is raging, so why does Lucky's mother trust alien renegades more than she does humans? Where is his father? What are the secrets his mother has kept from him all his life? Full review...
As the Cards Fall by Christina Green
At the end of the nineteenth century Bella Reed was working as a companion to a lady in Exeter and she had a gentleman friend, Jack Courtney. Jack was a solicitor and their friendship seemed to grow steadily - the the extent that Bella suspected he might be about to propose. The letter from her cousin rather upset the applecart, not least because she had no idea that she had a cousin. Since the deaths of her parents she'd thought of herself as an orphan without any relatives - but Lizzie asked that she visit the family home on Dartmoor as her Uncle William was ill and wanted to see her. A weekend trip didn't seem unreasonable and Jack escorted her to the station and said that he would meet her on Monday when she returned. Full review...
Indiscretion by Charles Dubow
Charles Dubow's debut novel promises to be a modern day Great Gatsby. It too is set amongst the rich and famous outside New York, it too is narrated by a character seemingly on the outside, Maddy's childhood friend Walter. Full review...
The Curiosity by Stephen P Kiernan
Microbiologist Kate Philo is a member of an Arctic expedition sent to locate life forms frozen in ice flows. Striking it lucky, she and the team find a human whom they reanimate once they get him back to their American lab. However new life brings new challenges. The man died over a century earlier and much has changed. The press is now omnipotent, his 'resurrection' offends religious fundamentalists and scientific ethics never saw this problem coming. To Kate, though, he's not a problem. He's Jeremiah, afraid, bewildered and in need of an ally. Full review...
Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky
It's ten years since Charlotte and Nicole were close. Since then Nicole has married Julian, an eminent surgeon and Charlotte has made her way as a writer. She has a base in New York, but it's little bigger than a cupboard and is only a place to stay between foreign assignments. Nicole lives in Philadelphia but still spends her summers at her family's property off the coast of Maine. This year is going to be the last time though. Her father died suddenly and her mother can't bear to go back to Quinniepeague, so Nicole is returning to the island to clear the house for sale. And she's going to write a cookbook. Full review...
Spy Society by Robin Benway
Sixteen-year-old Maggie Silver is a spy, just like her parents. Well, not quite like her parents - she's far better than either at cracking safes. They've always worked as a team, though, so when the Collective - the mysterious organisation that give them assignments in righting wrongs - choose her for a solo run, she's not sure what to expect. Thrown into high school for the first time ever, she's got a clear mission - make friends with Jesse Olivier, stop a security leak, and get out. Making friends with Jesse is easy. It's the getting out witout anyone getting their heart broken which might be tough. Full review...
Kind of Kin by Rilla Askew
Welcome to Cedar, Oklahoma, 2008. The big issue of the day is immigration and this town is at the centre of a political storm. Bill 1830 has just been passed creating havoc as the Mexican inhabitants are rounded up and driven out of town. Full review...
The Flappers: Diva by Jillian Larkin
Clara Knowles and Lorraine Dyer are both devastated by Marcus Eastman's upcoming wedding. Can either of them stop it? Meanwhile, Gloria Carmody is socialising with business mogul Forrest Hamilton, as befits an icon of flapperdom. But it's not just pleasure for Gloria - if she can get some information about Forrest for the FBI, her future with boyfriend Jerome could be a bright one. If not, she could be back in jail in the blink of an eye... Full review...
The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce
Taylor Oh has inherited a curse from her mother. Fated to help ghosts of murder victims get revenge, or be taken by the Darkness herself, she lives her life in fear of being consumed. It's bad enough trying not to alienate her only friend, and persuade her father that she's not insane - but when school bully Justin gets murdered, she's left trying to solve the crime and also cope with the realisation she's becoming attracted to him. Full review...
Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe
He may now be 81, but there are no signs that Tom Wolfe is mellowing. Is his latest Back to Blood another magnificent addition to the Wolfe hall or is he merely bringing up the bodies? Well for me, it's a little of both. The book's great strength and also its main weakness are in the similarities between this Miami-set story of racial and cultural tension and his New York-set classic The Bonfire of the Vanities. There are familiar themes: newspapers, racial tension, the super-rich behaving disgracefully and lost in their own ego-mania, and a lively writing style shot through with angry humour, all of which bring to mind The Bonfire of the Vanities. As there, he takes several characters from different worlds whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. But while taking those ingredients might seem a very welcome thing, the end result suffers in comparison. Full review...
Wonder Women by Rosie Fiore
Jo Hockley has always wanted to run her business but real life has got in the way. Married to Lee and mother to two small children, she has enough on her plate looking after all of them. However, when she dreams about an innovative kids’ clothing store with play facilities, she cannot let the idea go. She is sure that all mums would welcome the opportunity to shop while their children are able to play boisterously supervised by friendly staff. Encouraged by Lee, she investigates the idea further and before she knows what is happening, she is renting premises, planning interiors and hiring staff. Holly and Mel come on board and together, all three women work hard to make Jo’s dream become a reality. Full review...
Sweetness and Lies by Karen McCombie and Jessica Secheret
Starting a new school is always tough, and when Tilly is the only girl from her primary to win a place at the more exclusive Beech Cliff School, her old friends abandon her as being too posh. She quickly makes friends with Mia, but when a new girl Amber Sweet tries to join the group Mia definitely feels that two is company and three is a crowd. Amber is torn between loyalty to Mia and her own conscience as Tia is openly cruel to Amber. Tilly soon begins to question Mia's jokes and put downs. There doesn't seem to be any way Tilly can be friends with both girls, Mia won't allow it. Can she find the courage to stand up to Mia and risk having no friends? And would Amber even want to be her friend any more if she did? Full review...
Cheesemares by Ross Collins
Every time Hal eats cheese he has terrible nightmares. Hal's mother suggests drastic measures - no more cheese before bed. Hal loves his cheese though so he sets off on a quest for clues to solve the Case of the Cheesemares. He is accompanied by his canine sidekick, Rufus. He stumbles upon his first clue very quickly. All of the cheese that has been giving him bad dreams has come from Contessa Von Udderstein's (not at all evil) House of Cheese in Bovina. Hal follows the trail to a spooky castle ruled by the evil Contessa Von Udderstein, a very mad cow who looks quite a bit like a bovine version of Cruella De Ville. The irate cow wants revenge on humans for stealing their milk for years (it's a good thing no one mentioned hamburgers or roast beef) Hal and Rufus must escape from the clutches of the mad cattle and make cheese safe to eat again. It's a good thing cows don't have hands to clutch with. Full review...
The Glass God (Magicals Anonymous) by Kate Griffin
Sharon Li, former coffee shop barista and current community-support-worker-cum-apprentice-shaman, continues to run Magicals Anonymous, a self-help group for those with mystic issues. It sounds a simple life, however there there's one factor that ensure that 'simple' remains an illusion: her acquaintance with the Guardian of the City, Defender of the Gate and so forth, The Midnight Mayor, aka Matthew Swift. Matthew's workload includes investigating a number of supernatural disappearances. Or at least it did till he too went missing. So who ya gonna call? No, they don't call them; they call Sharon and along with the mission comes unwanted promotion: Sharon Li, Deputy Midnight Mayor. Full review...
A Very British Killing: The Death of Baha Mousa by A T Williams
Almost ten years ago on a Sunday morning back in September 2003, British Troops raided a hotel in Basra. It was a difficult period in the occupation, six months on from the U.S. led invasion. Temperatures were more than 50 degrees centigrade. Members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) took ten suspects in for questioning from a hotel in the vicinity of insurgent weaponry. The Iraqis were hooded, plasticuffed, forced into stress positions and subjected to karate chops and kidney punches by the British. Other men and officers watched, walked by or wondered at the stench that resulted from vicious punishment. After 36 hours of torture, a 26 year-old hotel receptionist lay dead by asphyxiation. His grossly disfigured body bore 93 individual injuries. There are now in the region of another 250 individuals, men and women, whose families are making legal claims to have been killed in further encounters with British patrols or prison guards. Full review...
The Black Dragon (Mysterium) by Julian Sedgwick
Danny is a fish out of water at his public school. Half Chinese, he's still a newcomer after over a year, having grown up in a circus called The Mysterium. Those days behind him, he delights at the chance to go to Hong Kong with his guardian aunt Laura, even while she's there working as an undercover journalist, investigating nightmarish Triad gangs. Once in that exotic world it's a quandary to know just what side who is on, what with corrupt crops, people who are not as they appear and more – but what on earth is the connection between all this and the dark, disastrous ending the circus suffered? Full review...
Ways To See a Ghost by Emily Diamand
Isis has spent half her life effectively being the adult in the family. After a dreadful car accident which killed her little sister Angel five years previously, her mother Cally falls apart, and her father walks out on them. Isis is left to cope as best she can, though the early days are hard: there's often no food in the house, her uniform is grubby and too small, and she has to take responsibility for getting herself to and from school. Full review...
Hats Off To Brandenburg (The Roxy Compendium) by Graham Thomas
It was London, 1815. George III was on the throne although it was his son who was Regent, but it would be quite a while before those facts bothered the Roxy Playhouse Irregulars, who lived, loved and had their being in the old Roxy Playhouse. Money had always been in short supply as it tends to be when life is lived as a celebration, but they were in debt to Richard Sheridan and eventually forced to strike a bargain with him: pay their debts within one month or he would take the Roxy Playhouse. The Irregulars took the challenge and put on a performance, only this was no three-act play on a stage. Their performance was a tightly choreographed heist which would relieve members of the ton of some of their more valuable trinkets. If you're thinking of Robin Hood then forget it - this was going to be far more complex and bloody and it was obvious that there was more at stake than a decrepit playhouse. Full review...
