Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
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| + | |author= Sara Sheridan | ||
| + | |title= British Bulldog | ||
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| + | |genre= Crime (Historical) | ||
| + | |summary= As a decade, the fifties doesn't attract much attention from authors and scriptwriters - it's dull and grey in comparison with the vivid horrors of war and the colourful extravagance of the sixties. But World War II left a long shadow, and this, the fourth instalment in this excellent series, takes us deep into past life of ex-intelligence agent Mirabelle Bevan, and the sorrow and the blighted love she has so desperately fought to hide from public gaze soon becomes hopelessly entangled with present deaths and danger. | ||
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|summary= The jackdaw is flying over the countryside, the sea, towns and forests inviting all the creatures he meets to his party. He is excited and so busy trying to tell everyone about his party that he does not understand that the other animals are all trying to warn him that he is flying into danger. Will he work out what they are telling him before it is too late? | |summary= The jackdaw is flying over the countryside, the sea, towns and forests inviting all the creatures he meets to his party. He is excited and so busy trying to tell everyone about his party that he does not understand that the other animals are all trying to warn him that he is flying into danger. Will he work out what they are telling him before it is too late? | ||
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Revision as of 15:42, 4 June 2015
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 16,114 reviews at TheBookbag.
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British Bulldog by Sara Sheridan
As a decade, the fifties doesn't attract much attention from authors and scriptwriters - it's dull and grey in comparison with the vivid horrors of war and the colourful extravagance of the sixties. But World War II left a long shadow, and this, the fourth instalment in this excellent series, takes us deep into past life of ex-intelligence agent Mirabelle Bevan, and the sorrow and the blighted love she has so desperately fought to hide from public gaze soon becomes hopelessly entangled with present deaths and danger. Full review...
The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins by Antonia Hodgson
A few months after we left Tom in the 1720s we return to find him living in sin and love with Kitty. Or it would be sin if they ever get round to the bed bit. Just as he promised underworld gang leader James Fleet, Tom has taken in James' son Sam to train him in the ways of being a gentleman. All seems to be going well in that department until Tom receives a visit from an old enemy and a brush with the country's ultimate power. Then both collide to create fear and an offer that Tom isn't able to refuse, no matter how hard he tries. Full review...
Scout, Atticus and Boo by Mary McDonagh Murphy
First published in 1960, ‘’To Kill a Mockingbird’’ is not only a beloved classic, but a touchstone in literary and social history. ‘’Scout, Atticus & Boo’’ commorates the fifty years plus since ‘’To Kill a Mockingbird’’ was published, and discusses its impact with contributions from Oprah Winfrey, James Patterson, Adriana Trigiani and Wally Lamb amongst others – particularly Alice Finch Lee, Harper Lee’s older sister who passed away last year. Full review...
My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman
Every 7-year-old needs a superhero. That's just how it is… and for Elsa it's her Gran. When Gran dies, Elsa is surprised and devastated. Granny can't be old - Elsa has only known her for 7 years! Elsa still has to carry out Gran's last wish though; there are letters to be delivered and with each delivery Elsa learns something more about Gran the person behind Gran the superhero. Will it enforce her hero status or destroy it? Full review...
Silly Dizzy Dinosaur by Jack Tickle
Reading to children does not have to be a passive experience. Some of the best books have you interacting with the characters found between the pages. Dizzy Dinosaur is not the most sensible of chaps at the best of time, but his errors are only compounded when the reader gets involved. Can we help this clumsy Camarasaurus from falling over too much? Full review...
Death is a Welcome Guest: Plague Times Trilogy 2 by Louise Welsh
Magnus is a comedian but life isn't as funny as it was… not funny at all in fact. He's on the run from prison in a Britain that's in deadly dire trouble. But he must remain focused, his goal is to travel back to his native Scotland to be back with his family who may or may not have died of the Sweats; the deadly plague ravaging the world's population. On the other hand, the Sweats aren't the only threat to his life in a world where only the lucky survive. He may be lucky in some respects but luck has a habit of running out, the only question is when. Full review...
The Beast of Grubbers Nubbin (Stitch Head) by Guy Bass and Pete Williamson
It's all wrong in Castle Grotteskew. The very walls should be terrified by the monsters the Mad Professor in the basement is creating, out of various body parts and different animals. But no, the clamour of noise, the unlikely activities and horrendous appetite for food come from something else entirely – a hundred rescued human orphans. That appetite needs feeding – so it’s perfect timing for the village below the castle, Grubbers Nubbin, to have their annual podge-a-thon feast. But when Stitch Head and his human friend Arabella go to purloin some human food – there being no decent alternative – they're horrified to find something even worse than the monsters trapped in the castle above… Full review...
Kipper’s Little Friends by Mick Inkpen
Mick Inkpen has an enormous amount of talent, and he manages to somehow make the simplest of stories endearing and interesting. Here, on his 25th anniversary, Kipper is back with a new story in which he’s thinking about baby animals. He finds out what various different animal babies are called, and then he begins to wonder what he was when he was a baby. Full review...
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
Micah is an orphan who has been raised by his grandfather, but now Micah’s grandfather is dying. And if that wasn’t bad enough, his horrible great aunt has arrived to take care of him, cutting their limited time together further. But don’t worry all hope is not lost. When grandpa Ephraim was a child he visited the mysterious Circus Mirandus, where he was promised a miracle by the miraculous Man Who Bends Light. All Micah has to do is get a message to the Light Bender and his grandfather can have his miracle. With the help of Jenny Mendoza (the smartest girl in the class), Micah sets his sights on the circus, a task that requires unconditional love and faith. Aunt Gertrudis is wrong, Ephraim’s stories aren’t just stories ... are they? Full review...
The Sunlit Night by Rebecca Dinerstein
Frances comes from a 'desperately artistic family', her father a medical illustrator and her mother an interior designer. Along with her younger sister Sarah, she grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan: bunk beds for the girls and a fold-out sofa bed for the parents. The claustrophobic atmosphere has gotten to everyone and now, with Frances graduating from college, it looks like the family might fall apart. Her parents argue constantly and disapprove of Sarah's fiancé (not just because he isn't Jewish). Frances has her own romantic crisis: after a pregnancy scare, Robert breaks up with her. A high-flyer with a future in politics, he tells her that her art has no purpose; it isn't helping anyone. 'What does it matter if you do what you love, if what you love doesn't matter?' she asks her father. Still, she has no other prospects, so agrees to take up a painting apprenticeship in the furthest reaches of Norway; 'All I had was a direction, north.' Full review...
In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
How many planes have to crash, before people take notice? How often can an unlikely event occur before you have to stop calling it that? How horrible do things have to get before the adults are willing to talk to the children about their fears, their theories, their understanding of it all, rather than just glossing over the details? Full review...
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Audrey has been stuck at home for a while now, ever since that awful business at her last school. It left her suffering from social anxiety disorder and depression. Dr Sarah is impressed with Audrey's progress towards recovery, but Audrey still can't go out of the house, speak to strangers, or even make eye contact with her family. The painfully slow path to wellness is beginning to weight heavily on her. And then her brother's friend Linus shows up and begins to entice Audrey outside of herself again. He has a lovely orange-slice smile and writes funny notes and - to Audrey's disbelief - seems to like her. But Audrey really does need to heed Dr Sarah's warning that recovery is not a smooth progression: it's a series of two steps forward and one step back. Full review...
Mother of Eden by Chris Beckett
Chris Beckett writes page-turning science fiction with deep theological implications. I almost never read sci-fi, but in 2012 I devoured Dark Eden, admiring it so much that I chose it as Greenbelt Festival's Big Read that year. Anyone approaching this sequel without knowledge of the first book will inevitably be a mite confused, so a synopsis of the first book may come in handy. Six generations ago a pair of astronauts, Angela (Gela) and Tommy, landed on the planet Eden and became matriarch and patriarch of a new race of primitive humans. A young leader, John Redlantern, rose up within the group, determined to free his people from their limited worldview by demythologizing their foundational story. Through events that mirror those in Genesis and Exodus, Beckett presents an intriguing counterpoint to the ways Jews and Christians relate to the biblical narrative. Full review...
The Wrong Girl by Laura Wilson
Phoebe Piper went missing on a family holiday in 2006 when she was just three years old and no trace of her has ever been found. There was a lot of publicity at the time and there still is some - particularly those computer-generated pictures which show what Phoebe would probably look now. The 'now' is seven years on and ten-year-old Molly Jackson is convinced that she is Phoebe Piper: she seems to have the proof. Life isn't going well for her at the moment: she's recently been uprooted from the life - and friends - she knew in London and is living in a Norfolk village, in the home of her great uncle Dan. Only, she's just found Dan dead in bed. Full review...
Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
When Lane rocks up at Latham House, he has no intention of being there long. There is no way he is going to allow a diagnosis of total-drug-resistant tuberculosis to get in the way of his inexorable progress to an Ivy League college and a stellar career. He has even brought extra textbooks and test papers with him, so that he doesn't fall behind during this period of quarantine in this medical facility for kids with this new strain of TB. But when he meets Sadie and her group of misfit friends, Lane begins to wonder if he's got his priorities straight. Perhaps there's more to life - and illness - than a progression of tests and achievements. Full review...
Food Bank Britain by Ray Barron Woolford
One morning Ray Barron Woolford watched as a smartly-dressed young man foraged in waste bins for food, less than a mile from the riches of the City of London. Intrigued as to what was going on he went to ask. The man explained to him that he'd just got a job after two years of being unemployed, but it would be five weeks before he was paid. He couldn't claim benefits as he was in work and had no savings, so the bins had to be his source of food and by the following week he would have to walk to work as he couldn't afford the fares. That was the inspiration for the We Care Food Bank. Full review...
Travels of an Extraordinary Hamster by Astrid Desbordes and Pauline Martin
Meet Hamster. He's a bit curt with his so-called friends, the other animals in the Clearing – Mole, Snail, Ant, Bear, Hedgehog, Rabbit and Squirrel. He demands one of them build him a spaceship. He is far too dismissive of another's attempts at writing a thousand-page novel. But considering he doesn't really get on with anything and anyone, there is no chance of him joining in when they all go to meet the Bear's Arctic cousin, is there? Full review...
A Gold Star for George by Alice Hemming and Kimberley Scott
George the Giraffe is a lovable chappie, that much is evident from the start. He’s smart too, both in brains and attire (spotted bow tie being every day wear if you’re George) and right now he’s very excited because the Wildlife Park are having some awards. Gold stars for things like ‘’Most Popular Animal’’, ‘’Best Trick’’ and so on. George ‘’really’’ wants to win one. Full review...
Born Free Lion Rescue: The True Story of Bella and Simba by Sara Starbuck
Bella was not supposed to be worked as a youngster as a model for holidaymakers' photos on the Black Sea Coast, but that probably happened before she ended up in a poor Romanian zoo, blind in one eye and losing the sight in the other. Simba was not supposed to be shaking his magnificent maned figure about a circus cage in southern France. But she was, and he was, and things weren't right. Luckily, the zoo was too poor to operate, and people were already on hand to relocate the animals, and fortunately someone realised the circus was a no-starter as well, when it comes to keeping a fully-grown lion in captivity. In alternating chapters the two cats' tales eventually combine to one, in this great little read with a heart-warming message. Full review...
The Other Child by Lucy Atkins
Tess is giving up a lot to leave England for Massachusetts but she’s happy to do it too, happy that her son Joe will have new and exciting adventures, happy she will be living with Greg, the father of her unborn child. But pretty soon, unsettling things start happening. The neighbours are behaving strangely. Things in the house are mysteriously getting moved out of place. Nothing is as it seems and her dream is quickly becoming a nightmare. Full review...
In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon by Laurie R King and Leslie Klinger (editors)
Well, that's one way to get a heck of a lot of attention to your series of short story collections, for sure – get the estate of the author you're respecting to take you to court with the idea that the works cannot be published – the characters are so firmly established and entrenched, but established and entrenched as their property and therefore cannot be artistically reinterpreted, revived or otherwise returned to at all until full and final copyright statutes have expired. Never mind that the characters – one S Holmes and Dr JH Watson – hardly have parallels in how often they already have been mimicked. Never mind the fact that the estate of Conan Doyle was paid off in order for the first book to released. Still, the case was won and this sequel is in our hands. Is it worth all the legal documents? What is the important verdict, at the end of the reading day? Full review...
Help! The Wolf is Coming! by Cedric Ramadier and Vincent Bourgeau
With every turn of the thick, cardboard pages, the Wolf is getting closer. Eek. Can you escape in time? Maybe if you’re clever and make him trip up on himself by tilting the pages? Might he then slide off? Full review...
My Depression : A Picture Book by Elizabeth Swados
If you have ever suffered from depression you'll find it very difficult to explain to other people how you're feeling. You're not feeling just a little bit down. A treat or a dollop of positive thinking will not miraculously cure you. You're definitely not swinging the lead, but suffering from a legitimate illness which deserves to be recognised. Elizabeth Swados is a long-term sufferer from severe depression: she's also a talented storyteller and has told her the story of how depression feels for her - complete with drawings, which fill in those gaps which words can never fill for any sufferer from depression. Full review...
Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman
Bronwyn is a wild and seemingly mute sideshow attraction, known to all as Savage Girl. Apparently raised by wolves, she is swiftly adopted by a wealthy Manhattan couple, and, once cleaned up, introduced to high society. Darkly beautiful, intelligent, and with no end of suitors, Bronwyn seems destined for a good life – until these suitors start turning up dead. Could the Savage Girl be living up to her name? Or is someone else the killer? Full review...
It’s About Love by Steven Camden
As an acclaimed hip-hop style performance poet, Steven Camden is skilful at painting evocative imagery with words. His second novel for teens enters the world of the film script, cleverly playing with cinematic intertextuality. It is a tale of past mistakes, violence, revenge, friendship and love. An emotive, powerful, thought provoking experience it rates a 4.5 because it lacks the magical ingredients of Camden’s debut, ‘Tape’. It doesn’t make the reader’s heart sing but it does put their nerves on edge. I challenge you not to shed a tear. Full review...
What the Jackdaw Saw by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt
The jackdaw is flying over the countryside, the sea, towns and forests inviting all the creatures he meets to his party. He is excited and so busy trying to tell everyone about his party that he does not understand that the other animals are all trying to warn him that he is flying into danger. Will he work out what they are telling him before it is too late? Full review...
