Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
'''Read [[Features|new features]].''' | '''Read [[Features|new features]].''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{newreview | ||
| + | |title=The Adventures of Shola | ||
| + | |author=Bernardo Atxaga | ||
| + | |rating=4.5 | ||
| + | |genre=Confident Readers | ||
| + | |summary=You can approach Bernardo Atxaga, one of the most renowned Basque-language writers currently working, from two ways. Either start at the [[The Accordionist's Son by Bernardo Atxaga|literate end]], finding out if his voice is unique, his content exotic or universal enough for your tastes, and see if his Basque roots make him special in any way. Or you can just approach him as a wordsmith, and enjoy him enjoying himself, such as with these small children's stories put into this most handsome anthology. From the original, where the title character is spelled Xola, Atxaga has himself translated them into Spanish – even if the fourth is yet to appear there – and this is a fine English language version of all four tales. | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782690093</amazonuk> | ||
| + | }} | ||
{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
| Line 246: | Line 255: | ||
|summary=Miss Slightly Jones is a thoroughly likeable young person. She is courageous and determined (although her Granny Tonic, who adopted her when her parents died, might use other, less charitable words like foolhardy, impulsive and stubborn) and her quick wit enables her to get out of many a difficult situation. Her hero, needless to say, is the celebrated Sherlock Holmes, and she often seeks inspiration from his cases when she is unable to decide what to do next. | |summary=Miss Slightly Jones is a thoroughly likeable young person. She is courageous and determined (although her Granny Tonic, who adopted her when her parents died, might use other, less charitable words like foolhardy, impulsive and stubborn) and her quick wit enables her to get out of many a difficult situation. Her hero, needless to say, is the celebrated Sherlock Holmes, and she often seeks inspiration from his cases when she is unable to decide what to do next. | ||
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846471702</amazonuk> | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846471702</amazonuk> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
}} | }} | ||
Revision as of 11:38, 29 September 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.
There are currently 16,117 reviews at TheBookbag.
Want to find out more about us?
New Reviews
Read new reviews by genre.
Read new features.
The Adventures of Shola by Bernardo Atxaga
You can approach Bernardo Atxaga, one of the most renowned Basque-language writers currently working, from two ways. Either start at the literate end, finding out if his voice is unique, his content exotic or universal enough for your tastes, and see if his Basque roots make him special in any way. Or you can just approach him as a wordsmith, and enjoy him enjoying himself, such as with these small children's stories put into this most handsome anthology. From the original, where the title character is spelled Xola, Atxaga has himself translated them into Spanish – even if the fourth is yet to appear there – and this is a fine English language version of all four tales. Full review...
Smart Read Easy by Margaret Henderson Smith
Reading has always been one of my great pleasures and it's one which has been passed down in my family. It's the key to so much: without an easy grasp of the skill employment opportunities are limited, there's always going to be social embarrassment lurking around the corner and there's the loss of so much fun and enjoyment. It's well over half a century since I learned to read and in that time I've seen numerous schemes for teaching children to read come and go, some discredited, some no longer fashionable. It's always struck me though that no one system will work for all children; reading will click for some using one method, some another and occasionally what's needed is a combination just to slot all the bits of the jigsaw into place. Full review...
Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa? by Andrez Bergen
In search of entertainment, Jack crosses over from real world Melbourne to Heropa, where he becomes (dah daaah!) Southern Cross. However there's not much time for him to acclimatise to his new lycra-clad role or his super-power. As the new addition to The Equalizers he has work to do. The heroes of Heropa are starting to die in a totally unprecedented manner so Jack joins forces with the quartet starting with an 'e' (but with a symbol looking suspiciously like a 'z) in an attempt to restore law and order and to remain alive. For the rules have changed in this once-virtual world: death in Heropa now means death in real life too. in Heropa now means death in real life too. Full review...
The Garden of Burning Sand by Corban Addison
A little girl named Kuyeya is found in Lusaka, Zambia abused, deeply shocked and badly injured. American lawyer Zoe Fleming is over there when her friend and local police officer Joseph receives the call and so her involvement begins. She's determined to help Joseph track down Kuyeya's attacker but the trail takes some surprising turns through the underbelly of Zambia, alarming Zoe with the extent of the crusade she's taken on. Full review...
Great Britain's Great War by Jeremy Paxman
Throughout the nineteenth century, Britain was regularly at war with one or more overseas nation, be it France, Russia, South Africa or elsewhere. These conflicts generally passed the public by, except for families who had loved ones serving overseas. When the declaration of war against Germany was announced to the crowds in London in August 1914, it was assumed that once again most people would not be affected, and that it would probably be over by Christmas. This was proved wrong on both counts. A weary conflict dragged on for four long years, and nobody in Britain escaped from the long shadow which it cast. Full review...
The True German: The Diary of a World War II Military Judge by Werner Otto Muller-Hill and Benjamin Carter Hett
We've had diaries of teenagers, opium addicts, drug smugglers, and a lot more. Some of them have been optimistic, happy things, and many not. Clearly World War II was not a place for a terribly cheerful outlook, whatever the diarist. However sometimes it was not the done thing to be pessimistic, for example when you were in the huge German military and were publicly denigrating the dreamt-of Nazi success. Such corrosion of morale would mean you being put in front of a three-man military tribunal, and most probably sentenced for such treacherous behaviour. The startling thing about this book, however, is that it contains much that would certainly have been deemed corrosion of morale, yet it was written by one of the very military judges who served on those panels. Full review...
Dork Diaries OMG: All About Me Diary! by Rachel Renee Russell
I feel a pattern forming. After three books in the Dork Diaries series came a throw-away, tie-in volume that offered a bit of a story to it but was not full-on plot and action like the routine books. After six real novels comes this, where for the first time the star of the book really is not Nikki Maxwell, but whoever buys it (or gets it bought for them). This is where the franchise branches away from fiction, to cover the purchaser or fan of the series, and gives her the chance to spill about herself, her school life, and her BFFs. I think this is where I'm supposed to go SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!! Full review...
The Manny by Holly Peterson
Jamie Whitfield is married to Phillip and has three children - although, if truth be told, she has four children, but shares a bed with one of them, who also happens to have a highly paid job. Well, most people would think that he has a highly-paid job, but Phillip is resentful that he's not one of the super-rich. Just nicely getting into seven figures is simply not enough. Living in New York's Grid is not enough - he wants one of the massive apartments. Jamie works too, but she's only a part-time television news producer, so obviously her needs - and rights - are going to be secondary. Full review...
My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott
Ella's marriage to the artist Sebastian Monclair has gone downhill just as quickly as Sebastian's once-stellar career did. With him living in an outhouse and her seeking comfort with charming gardener Ludo, who she's not quite ready to have an affair with, their children are caught in the fallout. When Ella's parents go through their own marital problems and her overbearing mum moves in with her, will it give Ella the push she needs to take action? Full review...
Omens by Kelley Armstrong
Olivia Taylor-Jones has a charmed life. Her family is rich, her fiance perfect and though she has some questions about her career, she knows that things will work themselves out. Until she learns that she's adopted - her true parents America's most infamous serial killers. Suddenly on the run from the media, Olivia finds shelter in the small town of Cainsville. It's a strange sort of place - full of oddball characters and gargoyles that seem to only appear at certain times. Full review...
The Reluctant Cannibals by Ian Flitcroft
Over a truffled turkey at their college Christmas dinner in 1964, a group of Oxford dons decide to join their love of fine food and drink with their mutual appreciation for nineteenth-century French philosopher of food Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (author of the 1825 classic La Physiologie du Goût, or The Physiology of Taste) by forming a secret dining society. Together these fellows of St Jerome's College form the Shadow Faculty of Gastronomic Science, a group that will continue meeting to share new and daring culinary experiences until Oxford agrees to set up a proper gastronomic school of its own. Full review...
The Christmas Carrot by Allan Plenderleith
It’s Christmas time, and there’s every reason to be afraid, at least if you’re a carrot. While everyone else is getting excited about the season, the Christmas carrot is dreading it. He’s about to go under the knife and emerge as a side dish on the family dinner table tomorrow. Gulp! Luckily Billy has other ideas, and seizes him from the kitchen where his dad (a nice touch…it’s not just mums who cook) had been about to prepare him. Outside they go, heading for Billy’s snowman who is missing one small feature… a nose! It’s a last minute save from the chopping board, but the Christmas carrot is still not happy with this career change, because it’s, y’know, rather cold out here. And so his adventure continues. Full review...
The Box of Red Brocade (Chronoptika) by Catherine Fisher
Ok. Let's catch you up. Jake's father is still lost in time. Venn's wife is still dead. Summer, the Queen of the Shee, still hasn't made Venn her husband. Sarah still hasn't prevented the destruction of the future by Janus. And the Scarred Man still hasn't done, well, whatever it is that he's trying to do. The Chronoptika, a mirror made of black obsidian and a time travel device, connects Jake, Venn, Sarah and the rest, but they all want different things from it. Can they all be satisfied? It doesn't look likely. Full review...
Wibbly Pig and the Tooky by Mick Inkpen
I had a feeling, when I saw the cover of this book, that I was going to enjoy it. I wasn't disappointed. Something really tickled me as I read this book, and I have since flicked through it again, by myself, without the kids! So that's usually a good sign of a good children's picture book. Especially if I now sneak it upstairs onto my picture book bookshelf where I keep all my personal favourites from our ridiculously large collection and I try to keep sticky fingers off them and keep them for special reading times together! Full review...
Winnie's Pirate Adventure by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
We like Winnie the Witch stories in our house. We have a whole bag full of them, and have read them many times over, so when my daughter saw this new one she was very excited. Sadly, it didn't quite live up to our (admittedly high) expectations. This new story sees Winnie head off on a pirate adventure which should, you would think, have the makings of an excellent story. Full review...
How to Keep Calm and Carry On by Daniel Freeman and Jason Freeman
Heart pounding, rapid breathing, dry mouth and sweaty palms are just some of the unpleasant symptoms associated with anxiety. Anxiety affects us all at one time or another in our lives and occurs in varying degrees of severity. For example, a little nervousness is par for the course when a performer steps on stage in front of a huge crowd, but on the other end of the spectrum, conditions such as OCD and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can leave sufferers paralysed with fear. Full review...
The Best Book in the World by Peter Stjernstrom and Rod Bradbury (translator)
Titus Jensen may not have written many great novels for a while (if ever) but his festival readings of others' works are renowned. Why, his rendition of The Diseases of the Swedish Monarchs from Gustavas Vasa to Gustav V has been compared favourably to his offerings from Handbook for Volvo 245. However, one drunken night he and romantic poet Eddie X agree that their fame on the festival circuit would be insignificant by comparison if they could write the best book in the world; a combination of all genres, appealing to all tastes and making all the best seller categories. They start work on it the next day but, rather than collaborate, each wants the lone glory. The race (or should that be battle?) to the publishing date is on! Full review...
A Different Sun: A Novel of Africa by Elaine Neil Orr
Emma Davis, daughter of a Georgian plantation owner has never been happy about the slave system. People just shouldn't be owned like merchandise. Whenever possible she slinks away to hear African stories from elderly slave Uncle Eli, sparking her imagination and love for a far off continent about which she's determined to do more than dream. Emma is going to theological college and she will be a missionary out there. Her resolve pays off when she meets and marries Henry, clergyman and missionary to Yoruba. Once there Emma discovers a local culture richer and more rewarding than she imagined, but, then again, so is the cost. Full review...
Betrayal by Adriaan van Dis
Dutchman Mulder renews his acquaintance with his old friend Donald as he returns to South Africa, a land he knew well in the days of apartheid. Life may have moved on and apartheid ceased but some things have worsened. Have Mulder and Donald made any difference at all? As they recall their shadier youth, they have one more chance to struggle for someone's freedom against all odds and a violent society. Full review...
Close to the Wind by Zana Bell
Georgiana da Silva seems to have everything to look forward to; an engagement to her dashing cousin Jasper will finally allow her to escape the clutches of her oppressive aunt and open up the opportunity for her to travel the world, broadening her horizons considerably. Unfortunately, when she overhears a conversation between Jasper and the duplicitous Lord Walsingham, she realises that her engagement is a sham and that her brother’s life is in danger from a ruthless assassin. Can she reach her brother in New Zealand before the assassin has time to strike? The scene is set for an exciting cross-continental race against time which will pitch Georgiana headlong into a world of deceit, intrigue and adventure. Full review...
The Shadow Collector by Kate Ellis
A convicted murderess and alleged witch returns to Devil’s Tree Cottage, after eighteen years in jail for butchering two teenage girls. When bodies start falling in West Fretham just days after her release, dispatched by Wiccan ceremonial blades, she is the obvious suspect. But, for DI Wesley Peterson, something strange is going on in the village that casts doubt on the identity of the killer and on the validity of Lilith Benley’s original conviction. Full review...
The Doll's House by Tania Carver
There can be no confusion in the name of the latest Tania Carver novel. The Dolls House well and truly sums it up, which is made clear as the book opens in a very pink, very well laid out lounge with a living doll, also dressed in pink, arranging the room until it is spotless. Aside from the slightly ominous undertones and the repetition that everything must be perfect; the reader could almost be forgiven for initially thinking they haven’t picked up a crime novel at all. It soon becomes obvious that this isn’t the case though as we follow DI Phil Brennan back into that same room with the doll sat straight-backed at the precisely laid out dinner table. This time though, the doll is dead. Full review...
Ding Dong Gorilla by Michelle Robinson and Leonie Lord
We never learn the name of the main character in Ding Dong Gorilla. This book is told in the first person, from the point of view of a very young child and addressed to his parent. This works quite well in this story, because most children will be able to identify very easily with the protagonist and most parents will identify with the unseen mother whom this story is directed to. The story begins with a sheepish looking wee boy reminding his mother how they had ordered a huge pizza. Unfortunately, he has a bit of bad news to break first. Full review...
The Pagan Lord (Warrior Chronicles 7) by Bernard Cornwell
Lord Uhtred is outlawed and evicted from his land as he continues to niggle the Saxon clergy. However this time it's in a big way: he murders an abbot while trying to reclaim his eldest son. As a punishment he's evicted from his land so Uhtred does the only thing he can: he follows his destiny and travels north to reclaim Bebbanburg (Bamburgh) from his usurping uncle, Aelfric. There's a chasm between his dream and reality, but Uhtred is determined. Perhaps it's just as well because his choice of strategy will shape a nation. Full review...
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
Andrea Beaty and David Roberts make a great team. Their previous book, Iggy Peck, Architect, is a best seller and has a lot in common with Rosie Revere, Engineer. Both stories offer hope and encouragement to children who feel at odds and left out of the mainstream. Rosie is very shy and cannot bring herself to join in at school. But at home she sparkles and comes to life while building inventive gadgets from odds and ends, often using things rescued from the bin. When her favourite uncle laughs at one of her contraptions (made especially for him), Rosie is mortified and it takes the exuberant help of another relative to bring her back out of her shell. Full review...
How to Betray a Dragon's Hero (How To Train Your Dragon) by Cressida Cowell
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is on an impossible quest: He needs to be crowned King of the Wilderwest before the Doomsday of Yule, but has a plethora of obstacles to overcome before his mission is complete. He needs to collect together the Ten Lost Things, which have unfortunately fallen into the hands of the evil Alvin and his mother, the witch Excellinor. To do that, he will have to find out the location of their secret lair and overcome thousands of Alvinsmen guards. The Alvinsmen are not Hiccup’s only enemies, however. The dragons of the rebellion, headed by the formidable Dragon Furious are also seeking Viking blood. Hiccup’s obnoxious cousin Snotlout has also appeared on the scene, claiming to be a friend, but can he really be trusted? Full review...
A Slightly Jones Mystery: The Case of the Hidden City by Joan Lennon
Miss Slightly Jones is a thoroughly likeable young person. She is courageous and determined (although her Granny Tonic, who adopted her when her parents died, might use other, less charitable words like foolhardy, impulsive and stubborn) and her quick wit enables her to get out of many a difficult situation. Her hero, needless to say, is the celebrated Sherlock Holmes, and she often seeks inspiration from his cases when she is unable to decide what to do next. Full review...
Hospice Voices: Lessons for Living at the End of Life by Eric Lindner
Hospice Voices tells the stories of the last days of some fascinating people while it follows author Eric Lindner through his journey as a hospice volunteer and a crisis in his own daughter's health. Full review...
