Book Reviews From 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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Snug as a Bug by Tamsyn Murray and Judi Abbot
When George looked out the window at the rain, he was a bit reluctant to go out. That was until his mum told him that they would be taking lots of extra cuddles that would keep him lovely and warm. In fact, he would be as 'snug as a bug rolled up in a rug'. Added to that he would be 'like two cosy bats in thick woolly hats' and even 'as hot as three pigs in big purple wigs'. This list of how snug he will be keeps being added to all the way up to ten when Mum tells George that he will be 'tucked up like... Ten toasty geese all sharing one fleece'. Full review...
Turned Out Nice Again: On Living With the Weather by Richard Mabey
After many years of discussion of climate change it's easy to assume that this is a book about climate but it's not - or only indirectly. It's about how we live with weather and our reactions to it and climate comes into the discussion only as an examination of our reaction to the changes. You might have heard the essays which were broadcast in a five part BBC Radio 3 series Changing Climates which ran in February 2013, but as always with Richard Mabey, his words warrant thought and examination which can't be accommodated by the spoken word. Full review...
Black Sheep by Naima B Robert
Sixteen-year-old Dwayne is a badman – a wannabe rapper who hangs around with other gang members and doesn't see any future in education. Misha, high-flying university-bound daughter of a local councillor, should have nothing in common with him, but when they meet there's an undeniable attraction, and they start to date in secret. Misha makes Dwayne want to be a better person – but with his old life tempting him back at every turn, can he make a break from it, or will he be drawn back in? Full review...
Lord Kelvin's Machine by James P Blaylock
On a dark and rainy night, a weary but determined Langdon St. Ives rides out in hot pursuit of the villain who is holding his wife, Alice, captive. Catching up with his nemesis on the road, the resulting standoff between the two ends with St. Ives witnessing the cold-blooded murder of his beloved, shot in the head at point blank range whilst pinned under the wheels of a carriage. It is a scene that will play out again and again in his mind, driving him to the brink of madness and desperation. There appears, however, to be a glimmer of hope in the form of a mysterious machine in the possession of the Royal Academy of Science; a machine that may hold the secret to time itself. Is it possible for our hero to harness the power of Lord Kelvin’s Machine and rewrite history? Full review...
Skylark by Meagan Spooner
Lark's city is run on magic - they've found a way to use it like electricity, it powers everything. This magic comes from teenagers. When a child comes of age they find their magical power, which is then harvested. Once this is done, your magical abilities have gone. However, there are stories about people who are Renewable, there magic just keeps coming back. Someone like this would be invaluable to society, and unfortunately for Lark, this is exactly what she is. Determined not to be a slave, and having been tortured by the government for her powers, she escapes (with the help of another Renewable who is a prisoner of the city) and leaves. She begins her journey to find others like her - Renewables - her only clue to 'follow the birds'. Full review...
The Man Who Was George Smiley: The Life of John Bingham by Michael Jago
John Bingham, 7th Baron Clanmorris, volunteered to serve in the army at the outbreak of the Second World War, but his sight prevented front-line service and he joined MI5. Prior to this he’d been a journalist, working on the '’Hull Daily Mail’’ before moving to Fleet Street. He found a natural home in MI5 and a considerable talent for interrogation. At a time when spies are thought of as being flamboyant, he was the opposite - a small, bespectacled man who could easily blend into the background. His greatest skill was that he was a patient listener. John Le Carre has said that nobody who knew John and the work he was doing could have missed the description of Smiley in his first novel. Le Carre was a junior colleague in MI5. Full review...
The Disappearances by Gemma Malley
The Disappearances opens a year after Evie and Raffy escaped from the City. They have begun a new life in the Settlement - Raffy farms and Evie sews and this kibbutz-like living is like balm in comparison to the ultra-controlled, denunciation environment they left behind. But Raffy's jealousy won't leave him and it's threatening to ruin the couple's precious, new-found peace. Back in the City, Lucas is finding that switching off the System hasn't been the panacea he thought it would be. His people are lost without the rigid controls they had lived under for so long. And to make matters worse, the City's young people are disappearing. Full review...
The Mummyfesto by Linda Green
Three women, who meet regularly in the school playground, have become close friends. Sam has two sons: the sensitive, old-for-his years Zach, who is seven, and the fun-loving five-year-old Oscar. Anna has two teenagers, Will and Charlotte, and a younger daughter called Esme. Jackie just has Alice. Oscar, Esme and Alice are classmates, and good friends; sadly, Oscar suffers from an incurable muscle-wasting disease, and can only move in a wheelchair. Sam and her partner Rob have to use ventilators and other machines just to keep him alive, knowing that any infection could be seriously life-threatening. Full review...
By Any Other Name by Laura Jarratt
Everyone knows that Holly is a new girl at school, and that her family are newly arrived in the village. None of them realise just how much is new about Holly, though - even her name. Last year, she was a witness to a crime, and she and her family have gone into witness protection, forcing them to start life afresh. Can they find happiness in a strange place, or will the nightmares that haunt Holly never leave her? Worse, are they safe, or could the nightmares come true? Full review...
Binny for Short by Hilary McKay
It can be quite risky to start a book with what is almost the final scene, especially for younger readers. Prize-winning author Hilary McKay, however, writes with such a sure hand that by the time the end comes round for the second time everything has dovetailed beautifully and is yet, somehow, full of surprises. In fact, it is a sure bet that many readers will want to immediately return to the beginning and read the book again, just to see how she does it. Full review...
The Traitors' Pit: (Wulfgar 2) by V M Whitworth
Wystan, one of Wulfgar's brothers, has always been an honest, sturdy farmer. Not the sharpest sword in the armoury perhaps, but he pays his taxes and remains well-respected. However that seems to have changed. Wystan is accused of plotting against King Edward of Wessex. Wulfgar knows Wystan is innocent and has three months to prove it; three months to stop Wystan being hanged and hurled into the open, unconsecrated grave that is the Traitors' Pit. Not an easy task to begin with, it becomes considerably harder when Wulfgar's liege Lady Fleda asks him to go on a mission he can't refuse; a mission that could take more time than he has. Full review...
The House of Trembling Leaves by Julian Lees
To many it may just be another skirmish in the longstanding clan war in the Malaysia of 1936 but the explosion destroys Lu See's village dam and over 30 lives. As far as Lu See's concerned, it's time for her to leave anyway. Rather than face an abhorrent arranged marriage she escapes to Cambridge, England with her Tibetan servant, Sum Sum, seeking a future that combines study with her forbidden true love, Adrian Woo. Adrian comes from a rival family in the village so this isn't a match that pleases everyone. For now Lu See and Sum Sum think they've left trouble and conflict behind but their futures testify differently. Full review...
Curse of Kings (The Trials of Oland Born, Book 1) by Alex Barclay
In a land tormented by the screams of 999 souls, victims of dreadful experiments which have taken place since the despicable coward Villius Ren betrayed a king and seized power for himself, a young boy is about to become a hero. Servant to Ren and the rest of the Craven Lodge, 14-year-old Oland Born takes a stand and is forced to flee the castle after reading a mysterious letter addressed to him, but written by a king who died before he was even born. Trying to find out more about his background and how to save the kingdom from the Lodge, Oland sets out on a quest. Full review...
Homunculus by James P Blaylock
What could possibly be the connection between a mechanical toy crocodile that eats birds, a giant emerald, an oxygenator device for a spaceship and a tiny alien man with the power of life and death? The answer, of course, is that each item on this unusual list has been placed inside one of four identical boxes. The boxes are hidden in various locations in order to prevent the contents from falling into the wrong hands, but evil has a habit of seeking things out.... Full review...
The Bone Thief: (Wulfgar 1) by V M Whitworth
It's 900AD. Fleda is the Lady of Mercia, taken from her native Wessex to marry Mercia's Lord 15 years ago, her childhood friend, secretary and wanna-be-priest Wulfgar being one of her few existing links with the past. Their country is far from united as whispers of unrest come from all directions. Perhaps the only way to strengthen Mercia and increase its importance is to acquire a saint's relics? As a result of this thought process, Wulfgar is sent to Baldney in order to steal the bones of St Oswald. Despite having the company of young Ednoth of Sodbury (who can just about handle a sword), Wulfgar beings to realise that stealing bones is the easy bit. Staying alive may be a tad harder. Full review...
The Conception of Zachary Muse by Jason Hinojosa
Evangeline Muse gives birth to Zachary alone in her special lagoon… but that's starting at the end. In the beginning, Thomas Greene is a tutor and Will Archer a talented wood carver who both accept employment from Michael Muse. What they don't realise at that moment is, once they meet his beautiful daughter, Evangeline, nothing will ever be the same again for any of them. Full review...
Abyss: A Siren Book by Tricia Rayburn
Vanessa is getting weaker and weaker, unwilling to use her powers of seduction to kill someone as she must do if she doesn't want to die herself. When there are more deaths, and Vanessa starts receiving anonymous messages from someone who seems to know her secret, she must work out whether she's ready to face her destiny. Full review...
Gilt by Katherine Longshore
Kitty Tylney has always followed her best friend Cat. Cat is larger than life, full of ridiculous plans and plots, the self-titled Queen of Misrule. Cat wants nothing more than to live life at the Court of Henry VIII - wearing amazing clothes and enjoying the attention of handsome lords - and Kitty is happy to play along. Full review...
Gossip by Beth Gutcheon
Loviah French, Dinah Wainwright and Avis Metcalf met when they were at boarding school. Lovie owns a top-class dress shop in Manhattan - the place where women of a certain class go when they want something for a special occasion and to be secure in the knowledge that they will be treated well and discreetly. Dinah is a columnist who chronicles the lives of New York's rich and famous, whilst Avis is a prominent figure in the art world. Lovie is our narrator and she's also the glue which holds the three women together. They're both devoted to her and she to them, but a small, imagined slight, many decades earlier, has left an icy distance between Dinah and Avis. Full review...
Girl genius: Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio
Nobody said that life on the road with a travelling show would be easy, but Master Payne’s Circus of Adventure seems to face more hazards than most. Firstly, there are those giant battle clanks lurking in the forest, waiting to reduce unsuspecting travellers to cinders. There are also prowling gangs of eerie Geisterdamen, or 'spider riders', with their ghostly glowing eyes and long hair. Nearby towns could be inhabited by revenants; misshapen zombie humans infected by Slaver Wasps, hungrily on the lookout for their next victim. But when a mysterious girl called Agatha and her talking cat join the troupe, that’s when the real danger begins... Full review...
Rat Runners by Oisin McGann
Nimmo lives in a London of the future. It's not a great place to be. Under constant surveillance by the WatchWorld network and its Robocop-style Safe-Guards, even the slightest transgression brings you into very unwelcome attention from the authorities. Life is particularly difficult for Nimmo. His parents are in prison and he must live below the radar of WatchWorld, amid the city's underground criminals. As you can imagine, Nimmo has skills. And this is why gang boss Move-Easy calls him in when a case containing valuable black market credit cards goes missing. Nimmo, together with sibling grifters Manikin and FX, and teen geek Scope, are to find the case or face Move-Easy's chief goons. Full review...
Bad Blood by Dana Stabenow
You would think that if there were two villages side by side then they would be much of a muchness with lots of toing and froing between them and with regular intermarriages. It wasn't so with Kushtaka and Kuskulana in the Alaskan National Park. One village - well, a small township really - thrived, whilst the other, Kushtaka, went downhill. A hundred years of bad blood occasionally erupted into violence and there was little doubt that the responsibility for suspicious death of a teenager was down to the people of Kuskulana and that there would be vengeance. It was down to State Trooper Jim Chopin to find the culprit and prevent the inter-village warfare from escalating out of control. Full review...
Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes
Annabel lived on her own, with a life filled by her job as a police intelligence analyst, her aging mother and her cat. It was the cat that began the story, as she led Annabel to the house next door, where there was a body which had obviously been there a long time. Decomposition was advanced but Annabel hadn't known that there was anyone living there and it seemed that no one else cared. Back at work curiosity took hold and it seemed that there had been rather a lot of bodies which had lain undiscovered over the last few months - and definitely more than in previous years. There was, though, no suggestion that death was other than through natural causes so it was difficult to get her police colleagues interested. Full review...
The Baby Diaries by Sam Binnie
Hot on the heels of the Wedding Diaries, Kiki and Thom are back with the next installment of their lives. It’s not giving too much away, given the title, to tell you that there’s a baby on the way. It was sorta, kinda not all that planned, but they’re happy if a little shocked. Luckily she’s got her sister to guide her through the process, numerous friends who are newly married, newly pregnant or newly parents themselves, and her own mother who seems to be almost nice for once. Full review...
The Nine Day Queen by Ella March Chase
The young monarch, Edward Tudor, is dying and the Protestants of England fear a return to Catholicism through his sister, Mary Tudor. However, the Dukes of Northumberland, Pembroke and Suffolk seize the opportunity to promote self-interest in the form of Suffolk's 16 year old daughter, Jane. His eldest and 4th in line to the throne is also young enough to do as she's told. In this way the door closes harshly on Jane's childhood, for history knows her as Lady Jane Grey; a name that will be written in blood. Full review...
Bedlam by Christopher Brookmyre
Ross Baker is a wage slave at Neurosphere, writing computer code for a new brain scanning system. His girlfriend, Carol, is not happy about the hours he puts into his job, thinking he's being played for a fool by doing extra work for no recognition. Ross thinks they're about to break up, but soon discovers their relationship is about to move to a level he was too busy to anticipate. After a rough morning, he agrees to have his brain scanned in one of the trial machines. Full review...
Worthless Men by Andrew Cowan
If you read a lot of fiction about World War One, it's tempting to imagine pre-war England as an idyl of peace and innocence. Andrew Cowan's Worthless Men depicts a much more gritty and earthy England. Set in 1916 in an industrial and market town, it weaves together several narratives that combine to depict a hard life even before the outbreak of war. In fact, its easier to imagine the lure of adventure that the war initially offered as a change from the harsh realities of life at home, although by the time Cowan's novel begins, the grim reality of what is involved has dampened much of this enthusiasm. Full review...
Unexpected Lessons in Love by Bernardine Bishop
Cecilia Banks and Helen Gatehouse met by chance in a doctor's waiting room and a friendship developed because they were both cancer survivors, albeit with a colostomy. It was a case of opposites attracting: Cecilia was quiet, reserved, married for the second time and the mother of Ian whom she idolised. Helen had never married, loud in the nicest sense of the word and an author. They gave each other mutual support and an outlet for their preoccupations. People with whom you can discuss the, er, intricacies of your stoma are few and far between! The relationship wasn't entirely uncritical: Helen was less than impressed when Ian dumped (sorry - there's really no other word for it) a baby on his mother. Cephas was the result of a fling he'd had with the child's mother and she'd disappeared. He - a war correspondent - was on his way abroad. Full review...
The Carrier by Sophie Hannah
Due to a delayed flight home, Gaby has to stay overnight in a German hotel with fellow passenger Lauren. During the night Lauren tells Gaby about a man charged with the murder of his paralysed wife. At this point two things strike Gaby: 1. Lauren believes him to be innocent. 2. He's Tim Breary, Gaby's former lover with whom she has unfinished business. Once home Gaby is determined to prove his innocence but that's easier said than done. Full review...
The Wind in the Wallows by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
I'm always ready for a fun story when I see that Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross have come together to do another picture book. This is a particularly fun one to share, especially with kids who enjoy anything to do with farts and stinkyness and, most importantly, the tussle over who is responsible for the terrible smell! Full review...
Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort
The Black Bloomer and her crew of scurvy pirates are off in search of treasure, but this is no ordinary booty. These underwear-loving scoundrels are searching for the fabled Pants of Gold, which can be found in Big Knickers Bay. Following the route on their trusty treasure map, they lift anchor and set sail for the island. Unfortunately, when they arrive, it seems that another crew have beaten them to it! Armed with a sharp cutlass and a wicked glint in his eye, the Captain has a plan to reclaim the Golden Underpants for himself... Don’t worry, this is a children’s book; you will have to read it to find out exactly what the Captain does with the cutlass... Full review...
Come On Daisy! by Jane Simmons
Daisy the duckling is having too much fun exploring the riverbank to listen to Mamma Duck. Mamma has told her to stay close, but where is the fun in that? After all, there are lots of interesting creatures living in the river and Daisy wants to make friends with them. Then, of course, there are the giant lily pads. Daisy loves to bounce on the lily pads. Bouncy, bouncy bouncy. Bong bong! But when Daisy stops playing, she notices something. She is all alone. Full review...
Flip-A-Shape: Go! by SAMI
Packed into this sturdy sixteen-page board book you'll find a fun way for toddlers to develop colour and shape recognition. In Go! the theme is transport and you'll see the yellow blade of the digger becomes the sail on a boat as the book is opened. Similarly a circle of a bicycle wheel becomes a balloon as the page is turned over. The blue square of a train cab becomes the purple body of a lorry. The yellow rectangle of a bus becomes the red body of a pull-truck. I'm sure that you get the picture! Full review...
Tarzan: The Savage Lands by Andy Briggs
Lord Greystoke is looking for his cousin Tarzan – but while he claims he merely wants to be reunited with his long-lost relation, Robbie and Jane are suspicious of his true motives. Can they find their friend to warn him before the nobleman reaches him, and just why is Lord Greystoke so keen to brave the wilds of Africa? Full review...
Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, Book 2) by Marissa Meyer
The events of last time are but media chatter as we start book two, with a French farmgirl being worried. Her grandmother has been missing for over a fortnight, and the police think there's no case for them to solve. Our girl is even more worried when her dad, long missing presumed drunk, turns up to ransack the farm looking for something that must have been left behind – something that her kidnappers need. Things might look up with the arrival of a good-looking man, the epitome of calm power and strong senses, but while he seems concerned and claims his innocence, dad points him out as one of the gang behind the crime. How much can he be trusted? Either way, things must be investigated – and so our heroine, Scarlet, complete with her favourite riding-red hoodie, must go off into the unknown –alongside the man his fellow underground fighters call Wolf… Full review...
What have I done? by Amanda Prowse
When Kate Gavier married Mark Brooker, she was full of optimism for their marriage and their future. However, from the first day of their marriage, her dreams were shattered as she realised that Mark was nothing more than a cruel bully. He even insisted on calling her Kathryn rather than Kate which is how she prefers to be known. There followed sixteen years of torment and torture as Mark strove to control his wife and punish her for any wrongdoings – of which there were many. To the outside world though, it looked as though Mark and Kathryn had the perfect loving marriage, mainly due to Kathryn’s resolve to spare her children, Dominic and Lydia, from knowing of and witnessing their father’s cruelty. One day though, she snapped and, for the first time in her life, fought back. Hours later, Mark was dead and Kathryn was locked up in a police cell being questioned about what happened. Full review...
Magda by Meike Ziervogel
Meet a woman who, despite praying to remain virginal, had seven children. Meet a woman whose mother thought her hoity-toity, and spoilt, and who thought she should go to work in a factory at school age to know her place better. Meet a woman of whom her oldest daughter would write 'I don't care what Mother says. Mother isn't always right. No, she definitely isn't.' All three women are, of course, one and the same, and they're Magda Goebbels, the woman who epitomised more than anyone the Nazi wife. Full review...
