Difference between revisions of "Book Reviews From The Bookbag"
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| + | |summary=If I was going to write a list of authors I admire - well, I wouldn't begin it now. There are so many that I'd still be doing it at the end of November. But if I did take it upon myself to write a list, Lawrence Block would probably be on top of it. Hugely prolific and vastly varied when it comes to thrillers and crime stories, he's someone who seems able to turn his hand to so many different types of novel or short story with excellent results every time. He's created my two favourite crime-solvers, alcoholic ex-cop Matt Scudder and gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, and the contrast between the grittiness of the former series and the cosiness of the latter would place him high on my list of favourites even without his other work. Throw in the comic capers of Evan Tanner, whose sleep-centre was destroyed by shrapnel and now works for a mysterious department going across the world and stirring up trouble, and stamp-collecting assassin Keller, and you've got four excellent series of novels. Then there's the short stories, which feature all of these characters and many others, often rivalling Roald Dahl for darkness and clever plot twists. | ||
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|summary=Having lost her mother at the age of thirteen, Evangelina embarks on a quest to not only find her biological father, but to delve into the past and discover things about her mother she never knew. Set predominantly in North America and Brazil, this novel explores Vanja's journeys, both physical and emotional, as well as her relationships with key characters, in particular, that of her Mother's ex husband, Fernando. Uprooting herself when barely a teenager, Vanja leaves her home country of Brazil to live with Fernando in Colorado, the only connection she has at her disposal to enable her to trace her roots and biological family. Narrated beautifully in the first person, the reader is propelled into the thoughts and feelings of the young but courageous, determined and, at times, very wise, adolescent girl. | |summary=Having lost her mother at the age of thirteen, Evangelina embarks on a quest to not only find her biological father, but to delve into the past and discover things about her mother she never knew. Set predominantly in North America and Brazil, this novel explores Vanja's journeys, both physical and emotional, as well as her relationships with key characters, in particular, that of her Mother's ex husband, Fernando. Uprooting herself when barely a teenager, Vanja leaves her home country of Brazil to live with Fernando in Colorado, the only connection she has at her disposal to enable her to trace her roots and biological family. Narrated beautifully in the first person, the reader is propelled into the thoughts and feelings of the young but courageous, determined and, at times, very wise, adolescent girl. | ||
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Revision as of 13:15, 2 November 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 16,126 reviews at TheBookbag.
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Telling Lies for Fun and Profit: A Manual for Fiction Writers by Lawrence Block
If I was going to write a list of authors I admire - well, I wouldn't begin it now. There are so many that I'd still be doing it at the end of November. But if I did take it upon myself to write a list, Lawrence Block would probably be on top of it. Hugely prolific and vastly varied when it comes to thrillers and crime stories, he's someone who seems able to turn his hand to so many different types of novel or short story with excellent results every time. He's created my two favourite crime-solvers, alcoholic ex-cop Matt Scudder and gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, and the contrast between the grittiness of the former series and the cosiness of the latter would place him high on my list of favourites even without his other work. Throw in the comic capers of Evan Tanner, whose sleep-centre was destroyed by shrapnel and now works for a mysterious department going across the world and stirring up trouble, and stamp-collecting assassin Keller, and you've got four excellent series of novels. Then there's the short stories, which feature all of these characters and many others, often rivalling Roald Dahl for darkness and clever plot twists. Full review...
The War that Ended Peace: How Europe abandoned peace for the First World War by Margaret MacMillan
One could argue that the main title of this book is slightly questionable. Throughout the half-century or so before the outbreak of hostilities in 1914, Europe had rarely been free from conflict, with the Franco-Prussian, Graeco-Turkish and Balkan wars for a start. Nevertheless, the majority of the continent was at peace with itself and most of its neighbours during this period. Full review...
The Curve: From Freeloaders into Superfans: The Future of Business by Nicholas Lovell
Back in the 20th century, companies tried to sell the same products to everyone for the same price, and needed to shift massive amounts of them if they wanted to make a lot of money. Today, there is the potential to get just as much money from customers by selling expensive items or services to a small number of big spenders. Of course, the trick is getting enough of these big spenders to discover what you're marketing in the first place - and one of the best ways to do that is by giving something away for free. But how do they then turn these freeloaders into superfans? Author and consultant Nicholas Lovell gives us an overview of the changing world, and advice on how to take advantage of it, in this fascinating book. Full review...
Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll
The ten year old me would have absolutely adored this Victorian ghost mystery and I’m now considerably older than 10 and still devoured this lovely book in one sitting. Winter, 1881 and Tilly has sneaked into the grounds of Frost Hollow Hall. She is not supposed to be there. Ten years previously a young boy, Kit Barrington, drowned in the lake and as Tilly skates on the frozen surface she forgets the stories she has heard in the village and is no longer afraid. Then the ice breaks and she is underwater. Close to death, Tilly is saved by a beautiful boy. It is Kit’s ghost and he needs Tilly’s help. Full review...
The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen
Ella Milana is a language and literature supply teacher currently teaching in her hometown of Rabbit Back and dealing with challenging revelations in her life. Ella is unexpectedly invited to join the hugely successful and influential Rabbit Back Literature Society, a group of nine authors who were hand selected and mentored from childhood by Finland’s greatest author (Laura White) to become literary icons in their own right. There weere always intended to be ten members of the society but Laura White has not selected a new member for decades and the appointment of Ella is a massive literary event. The ceremony in honour of Ella’s new membership to the incredibly elite society is unfortunately overshadowed by Laura White’s disappearance at the ceremony itself. Full review...
Speaking of Love by Angela Young
For some people it's impossible to tell another person that they love them and both are damaged. Iris could not tell her daughter, Vivie, that she loved her and Matthew, Vivie's childhood friend, neighbour and would-be lover could not tell her how he felt. For all three the result was years of separation with Vivie feeling that she was fundamentally unloveable and the whole situation was further complicated by Iris's mental disintegration and her treatment removing most of her memories of Vivie's childhood. If that sounds depressing and soul-destroying then I am doing Speaking of Love an injustice because it's also a story of trust, reconciliation and learning to speak about your feelings. Full review...
The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig by Emer Stamp
Hello.
You is looking for the funniest, most bizarre-looking but adventurous book for the under-tens, but you is also looking for a book you will have a great big beaming smile from reading as an adult. You is going to be most satisfied with this really, really fun and funny book designed as the diary of a farmyard pig, called Pig, who is best friends with a duck called Duck, but who is not friends with the Evil Chickens. The Evil Chickens are Evil and are also making a space rocket, which they prefer pigs to fly. Duck is intelligent, and knows that when Farmer and Mrs Farmer are feeding Pig so many slops it is because they wants Pig for the pot – yes, Pig is expendable. But he is a lucky Pig because he can avoid the pot by obeying the Evil Chickens and taking the space rocket to Pluto. Full review...
Dedicated to...: The Forgotten Friendships, Hidden Stories and Lost Loves found in Second-hand Books by W B Gooderham
I have found many strange and unusual things in second-hand bookshops. I have done one or two strange and unusual things in them as well, but that's a different story. Twice now I have managed to find a second-hand book, completely signed and dedicated by the author, yet discarded by the recipient, and have been able to present the author with the edition at hand and get it re-dedicated. (If I'm not mistaken, the discarders were a neighbouring babysitter, and a teacher of the author's children.) I'll admit that's rarefied, however, and on the whole the scribble you find in second-hand books is from the person who bought it, and gave it as a gift, not the person who wrote it. But even so, the dedication of the donor can be immensely fascinating and open to all kinds of interpretation, as these examples show perfectly clear. Full review...
Richard Hammond's Great Mysteries of the World by Richard Hammond
Have you ever wondered whether or not the Loch Ness Monster actually exists? What about the Abominable Snowman? Do you think about what really goes on inside the Bermuda Triangle? Well, don't expect a definitive answer from Richard Hammond's Great Mysteries of the World. You'll have to make up your own mind after being presented with the arguments. You'll need to marshal your brainpower. There are eighteen mysteries here, arranged within four topics - Weird Waters, Alien Encounters, Creepy Creatures and Ancient Treasures. All the biggies are here. Full review...
The Bear in the Book by Kate Banks and Georg Hallensleben
Readers of my reviews may be aware that I am quite partial to stories about bears. I jumped at the chance to read this one. It has that wonderful picture of a smiling black bear on the cover after all - who could resist? Full review...
Beauty and the Beast by Ursula Jones and Sarah Gibb
We do love a good fairytale in our house. As soon as this one arrived it was snaffled by my daughter and she burrowed herself away on the sofa to read it quietly on her own. Everyone knows the story of Beauty and the Beast. This version is reasonably traditional, with a few quirks of humour thrown in through the book. Full review...
Deadly Detectives: Top Tips to Track Wildlife by Steve Backshall
Steve Backshall is best known for his Deadly 60 series, which focuses on deadly predators. This book has plenty of predators from all around the world, but it also includes many less dangerous creatures, including a fair amount on animals in the UK. Tracking a fox may not sound as exciting as tracking a leopard, but it something many children may find a chance to do in the UK, and Steve very helpfully shows the reader how to differentiate between a fox print and that of a dog. The book has several other footprint illustrations, teaching children subtle differences between may types of prints. It even had crab and bird prints to look for at the seaside. But this is about so much more than tracking and footprints. Full review...
Z is for Moose by Kelly L Bingham and Paul O Zelinsky
He's sitting contently on the third page. But who’s that over on the next one – Moose? D isn’t for Moose! It’s for duck, but the poor little quackers have been pushed off the stage by the exuberant elk. No, says Zebra. You’re on the wrong page, he tells Moose. Full review...
The Year Without Pants: WordPress.Com and the Future of Work by Scott Berkun
Sometimes you find a book which you simply can't not read. 'The Year Without Pants' was one of them. It's not what you're thinking (money's not that tight) - but the story of what happens when an old-school management guru goes back to the coal face to lead a team which had not had a leader before - to be accurate they'd not had teams - in a revolutionary company which takes remote working to the extreme. Members of Scott Berkun's team lived all over the world and worked for a company which had largely gone beyond email, had headquarters which were rarely used and had no rules. So, why did I have to read the book? Well, the company in question is Automattic which brings us WordPress, the open source software which powers fifty million websites. I run a website which uses open-source software - and I've been in business for the last seven and a half years with someone to whom I've never even spoken. Full review...
The Sad Story of Veronica Who Played The Violin by David McKee
When I sing, people cry. And not in a good way. But when Veronica plays the violin, the tears are good tears. She moves people, y’know? It’s a big deal for Veronica, because when she started playing, she kind of sucked. But now she’s gotten good. Very good. So very good, in fact, that like an X Factor contestant, she’s dropping out of school to become a star. Full review...
Parkland by Vincent Bugliosi
Parkland is not just a book about history but a book with a history. Vincent Bugliosi published Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 2007 with much of the book being based on his preparation for a mock trial of Lee Harvey Oswald which was shown on British television. This book was an exhaustive look at what happened in Dallas and at subsequent events such as the trial of Jack Ruby and the conspiracy theories which have abounded in the intervening fifty years. Four Days in November: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy was published in June 2008 and is - as the title suggests - restricted to what happened on 22 November 1963 and the following three days. Parkland is the film tie-in version of that book. Full review...
The Woman in Black: Angel of Death by Martyn Waites
It's here at last – the novel of the script of the sequel to the film of the book – that was always better as a stage-play. I'll maintain as long as you like that the play is the best way to witness The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, purely for the added extra of the final frisson – that you'll be carrying the story with you when you leave. Making sequels to the film, what with its departures from the source, certainly don't marry up with that – instead of the ghost going away into the audience it's instead as if the new characters are compelled into her domain – but either way, the dread inevitability of all the best ghost stories are on these pages. Full review...
Rogerson's Book of Numbers: The culture of numbers from 1001 Nights to the Seven Wonders of the World by Barnaby Rogerson
One book, split into two testaments, regarding a holy trinity, the principal part known from four writers, in a world abutting another where five pillars are important, up against a world where a six-pointed star holds so many meanings… It's obvious from just a quick dash through the most schoolboy-friendly parts of religion that numbers are important. This book, although counting down from multitudes to that late-comer zero, brings them all to us, with brief notes about why they all hold relevance where whichever country, civilisation or religion is concerned. In the end, I'm sure it's a lot more user-friendly, interesting, and will be a lot more popular, than the original Book of Numbers. Full review...
All my Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
'There are 249 superheroes in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.' Tom is not one of them, but he had just got married to one – the Perfectionist – when her jealous ex, Hypno, hypnotised her into being completely unable to see or hear or otherwise respond to him. It certainly led to the wedding night Tom was least expecting – instead of the usual, he began to work out her new responses to him when he tried to touch her, such as hiccupping when he touched her head, spasms when he tried hand contact. Now, six months on, the Perfectionist is quitting the city for a new life. He is in the plane seat right next to her, hoping against hope to get what they had back… Full review...
Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
With the end of her first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality fast approaching, Sophronia is caught up in a conspiracy involving a mysterious trip to London, a prototype that everyone wants to get their hands on, and a potential threat to a friend. Can she save the day? Full review...
The Mangle Street Murders by MRC Kasasian
March Middleton's father dies, and she becomes a 20-something alone; not a good status for a Victorian woman. She therefore moves in with her guardian, Sidney Grice, personal (not private!) detective. Although, as Sidney has a case to solve, March may as well be invisible. Grice has been employed by shopkeeper William Ashby who has savagely murdered his own wife by stabbing her 40 times and leaving the Italian word for 'revenge' on the wall. Everyone says he did it apart from Ashby, of course. Therefore Grice teams up with Inspector Pound of the Yard to solve the conundrum and March is there to help, whether Sidney wants her to or not. Full review...
A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith
A Christmas Story starts with a birth in a stable. Not the arrival of the baby Jesus, but the birth of a donkey. Like most young creatures, the little donkey wants to be near to his mother. So when she leaves the stable to carry her owner on a journey to Bethlehem her baby misses her. With help from a young girl, Rebecca, the little donkey manages to follow the family to Bethlehem and all the events of the nativity are seen through their eyes. Full review...
Bit-Bot and the Blob by Jo Litchfield
This book really has everything; an absent minded adult to laugh at, a sensible robot butler, a dog and a robot for the main character's best friends and a scary monster from a slimy swamp ..... or is it? It all begins when George's parents are snowed in on an expedition to the North Pole. This means George must spend his holidays with his uncle, but with the new robot companion his uncle has created for him, this sounds a real dream holiday. The only hitch is when his uncle insists that he go to bed instead of staying up late to watch a scary monster film. Bit - Bot comes up with the perfect solution, allowing them to stay in bed and watch the film, but things get a bit more frightening then they had planned when a real live blob shows up in the bedroom. Full review...
The Slightly Annoying Elephant by David Walliams and Tony Ross
When Sam filled out the elephant adoption form at the zoo, he never imagined the elephant would actually be coming to live with him. Silly boy - he should have read the fine print. Of course many children would love having an elephant as pet, but this elephant is not a pet. He is rude, bossy and really a very annoying house guest who will very quickly out stay his welcome - but what can Sam do? A deal is a deal and he did sign the contract. As soon as the elephant arrives he begins issuing demands, making complaints, and turning the house into a disaster zone and things are only going to get worse. Sam really should have read the adoption form - especially the part about the elephant's friends. Full review...
The Great Moon Confusion by Richard Byrne
Aldrin knows everything. At least he thinks he does. So when rabbit asks why the moon is getting smaller, Aldrin is to embarrassed to admit he really doesn't know. Instead he launches an investigation and quickly comes to the conclusion that the moon is being stolen. This is one of the most fun books we have read recently. You can't help but laugh at poor Aldrin and his expertise, and the beautiful illustrations make this story very easy to follow, even for the youngest reader. Before the book is finished, Aldrin will not only learn about the moon, but also about friendship, boasting, jumping to conclusions, accusations and apologies, and along the way he will stumble into one hilarious situation after another. Full review...
Bones Rock by Peter L Larson and Kristin Donnan
Most children go through a dinosaur phase, but there are always a few children who are completely captivated by dinosaurs - and everything that goes with them. This is the most detailed palaeontology book for children I have ever found. This book is written for older children, even teens who may wish to seriously consider palaeontology as a career choice. The book begins, not with dinosaurs, but with science. The book explains how science works. It presents science, not as a set of facts, but of theories and ideas that are subject to change. Science becomes a living and fluid thing rather than a stuffy set facts to memorise. Reading this book, I can almost forget how much I hated science as a child. Full review...
Butterflies in November by Audur Ava Olafsdottir
' 'It's all threes here,' she says, 'three men in your life over a distance of 300 kilometres, three dead animals, three minor accidents or mishaps… animals will be maimed… it'll wet more than your ankles… it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a lottery ticket'.' And so an over-priced but miraculously accurate fortune-teller sets in process a narrative that provides for a very quirky read, with quite a bit of charm amongst the unusual. The lottery ticket and a loose end and a best friend stuck in hospital all conspire to make the narrator and said best friend's four-year-old son embark on a journey of discovery, all on the southern stretch of the ring road that encircles Iceland. Full review...
Call of the Undertow by Linda Cracknell
If you read a lot of books, then the fact of your life is that you are always part-way through at least one of them. You read all of the time. Over breakfast, in the bath, waiting for trains, on trains, between trains. You make a cup of tea in order to have an excuse to sit-and-read for half an hour. But even so, most of your reading is done in stolen moments – often in moments when a nagging voice from the gremlin-centre of your brain is reminding you that you should be doing something else. Full review...
A1 Annual by Dave Elliott (editor)
It's perhaps a little surprising how few comics anthologies there are on the shelves of regular bookstores. The whole world of sequential art is so fragmented the choices to be made are infinite, everyone who comes into some renown soon wishes for a self-published collection of his favourites or her friends' work, and there definitely is too much out there for anyone in the audience of comix to fully grasp without some kind of editorial spoon-feeding. One such editor is Dave Elliott, whose A1 Comics has been collating what it deems the world's greatest since 1989, but even with that pedigree it's only now that full hardbacks of their greatest hits are being launched – hardbacks such as this book. Full review...
Crow Blue by Adriana Lisboa
Having lost her mother at the age of thirteen, Evangelina embarks on a quest to not only find her biological father, but to delve into the past and discover things about her mother she never knew. Set predominantly in North America and Brazil, this novel explores Vanja's journeys, both physical and emotional, as well as her relationships with key characters, in particular, that of her Mother's ex husband, Fernando. Uprooting herself when barely a teenager, Vanja leaves her home country of Brazil to live with Fernando in Colorado, the only connection she has at her disposal to enable her to trace her roots and biological family. Narrated beautifully in the first person, the reader is propelled into the thoughts and feelings of the young but courageous, determined and, at times, very wise, adolescent girl. Full review...
