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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Four Sisters:The Lost Lives of the Romanov Grand Duchesses by Helen Rappaport
A few years ago, Helen Rappaport wrote and published Ekaterinburg: The Last Days of the Romanovs, a painstaking, chilling account of the final days and death of the last Tsar of Russia and his family. To a certain extent this biography is a prequel to that volume, an account of the short lives of OTMA, as they referred to themselves – the Tsar’s daughters Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia. Full review...
Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
Polly is disconsolate. She thought she had it all, the perfect yuppie lifestyle in Plymouth. She is 32 and has worked tirelessly marketing and managing her artist boyfriend’s graphic design consultancy. Now, with the sudden economic downturn and the competitive nature of new technologies, the bank has foreclosed. Chris just wants to shut out the world and slink back to his mother's, leaving Polly bereft, homeless and confused as she struggles to start over again away from the rat race. Faced with the prospect of grungy student flat shares, she looks further afield for new affordable accommodation and finds a neglected tidal island in Cornwall connected by a causeway to the mainland. In the harbour, there is a dirty, derelict building for rent. The upstairs loft is over a disused bakery. Full review...
The Mad Sculptor by Harold Schechter
The modern proliferation of TV channels has not filled our screens with copious amounts of quality television that we can't find time to watch, but instead has given us countless channels we cannot be bothered to see. Some of these channels are packed to the gills with True Crime Documentaries that go into lurid detail about murders, kidnappings and other unsavoury business. ‘The Mad Sculptor’ by Harold Schechter is a True Crime novel, but is it a well-researched slice of nonfiction, or another avenue to glorify crime for those fans of TV Crime? Full review...
Water Music by Margie Orford
Cassie is out riding on a bridle path hardly used in the height of summer, totally deserted in winter. Her horse takes a tumble, and she goes with it, and stumbles into a tiny, plastic-wrapped child, maybe three-years old, and painfully thin, foot-soles like marble and skin blue with cold. Full review...
Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters
Every family has its stories, the anecdotes passed down the generations that help to explain who we think we are. Roberta is sure that she knows all there is to know about her family until she comes across a letter written to her grandmother in 1941. The contents cast doubt on all her assumptions about the past. Full review...
Burqas, Baseball, and Apple Pie: Being Muslim in America by Ranya Tabari Idliby
I can’t imagine it’s that easy to be a Muslim in most areas of the USA. Even if you don’t ‘look like’ a Muslim, even if you don’t drop to your knees in the direction of Mecca 5 times a day, even if you give your kids arguably Jewish names. And being openly Muslim cannot have got any easier in the wake of 9/11. This book examines one Muslim-American family’s life and the constant challenges they face from friends, neighbours and teachers. Full review...
A Love Like Blood by Marcus Sedgwick
One day towards the end of World War Two, Charles Jackson is dragged to a museum of antiquities just outside a newly liberated Paris by his commanding officer during their downtime. While the other looks at the unusual ancient artefacts, Jackson finds something much more horrific – a man in a wartime bunker in the grounds, squatting over a female figure, blood on his lips that could only have come from her neckline. Years later, Jackson returns to Paris for reasons to do with his medical career, and finds the same man in the company of someone who, were he only aware of the fact, is to become the first and possibly only love of his life. But that's not the only time the paths of Jackson and the mysterious male are destined to cross – the prologue was set in the late 1960s… Full review...
Curses and Smoke by Vicky Alvear Shecter
Medical slave Tag is desperate to win his freedom by fighting in the arena instead of just treating the gladiators he longs to beat. Lucia, his owner's daughter and his childhood friend, wants to be with him instead of the rich man she doesn't love but is betrothed to. When Quintus, an arrogant younger son of a nobleman, joins the gladiatorial school to train - and to infuriate his father - we see the beginning of a love triangle which could have devastating consequences. But the year is 79 AD, the place is Pompeii, and there's something even worse on its way... Full review...
The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon: The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Although the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency belongs to Mma Ramotswe, I often feel that Grace Makutsi really shares equally in these stories and, in this particular episode, she has reached a truly lovely high point in her life. We saw her arrive to work for Mma Ramotswe, initially standing upon the laurels of her unheard-of 97% in her secretarial exams, and throughout the series she has developed, both as a character and as a person. She grew her role from secretary to associate detective (with great determination at times!), she bought new shoes and sometimes conversed with them, and then we rejoiced with her when she married Phuti and began to build a home with him. This time around Mma Makutsi is pregnant, but the question on everyone's mind is will she ever speak to Mma Ramotswe about the baby before it arrives? Full review...
Mr Monkey and the Birthday Party (Early Reader) by Linda Chapman and Sam Hearn
What is a young girl to do? Anya wants to go with the rest of her primary school class to a swimming party, but she's worried of being laughed at for staying at toddlers' depth, for she is not a confident swimmer. As luck would have it, she has been picked to take home the class 'pet', the cuddly toy called Mr Monkey, for the week, and just as luck would have it, he's actually a secretly magical being. But could even he get Anya out of her jam and make a Cinderella moment come true? Full review...
Chocolate Porridge (Early Reader) by Margaret Mahy and Terry Milne
Young Timothy has been drummed out of his mother's kitchen by her and his sisters, so he cannot join in with their baking. Instead he goes to the garden and devises chocolate porridge – a lot of mud, plus some other ingredients. But only when he's happy with his craft does he begin to realise that not even calling mud chocolate porridge makes it edible. Oh what is a boy to do? Full review...
Scavenger 1: Zoid by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Somewhere out in the further reaches of the galaxy is a spherical construction, speeding the last few surviving Earth humans on their way to a different, new home, a giant biosphere acting as the one remaining Ark for what's left of humankind. And its purpose is even more important as, somewhen, somewhere and somehow, during its flight, the robot inhabitants – the cleaners, butlers, farmers and mechanics – rebelled. Since then they have evolved themselves, and ignored all their original programming, and are intent on wiping out humans instead. We, of course, are fighting back, but when the tiny community of little more than a hundred that serves as the whole world for the young worker known as York gets wiped out, he gets the clearest picture yet of how difficult that battle will be… Full review...
Poppet by Mo Hayder
DI Jack Caffrey has been around for a while now, I just haven't previously stumbled into his deep dark world. This is the sixth in the series of books featuring the plain clothed Detective Inspector of Bristol's Major Crime Investigation Team, but you don't need to have read any of the others to enjoy - if enjoy is the right word - this (not quite the) latest offering. Full review...
The Beggar and the Hare by Tuomas Kyro
Our hero, Vatanescu, is a fish out of water. He's a father without his family, a man without a home, a possibility without a chance. He's being transported across Europe by a criminal people-smuggler, who is also packing Vatanescu's sister off to the cosmetic surgeon then the prostitute trade. Our hero is destined to sit in discomfort, sleet and in hateful gazes of others as a beggar on the streets of Helsinki. But at the same time impossibilities are amassing – one of which splits Vatanescu from his minder/mentor, and leaves him on the run with a fistful of useless currency. A further impossibility gifts him a friendly, warm companion – a rabbit being chased by local youths jumps into the sanctuary of his arms, and becomes a welcome source of focus. From then on many more jumps will be made from one impossibility to another, as the life of this illegal immigrant begins to resonate across his adopted homeland… Full review...
The Holy Fox: The Life of Lord Halifax by Andrew Roberts
Of all the British nearly-Prime Ministers Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, must be unique. He was the one who came closest to assuming the mantle only to find the job denied him, and had he done so, on him Britain’s destiny would have depended. For he was the man whom several confidently expected, and many wanted, to take over after the resignation of Neville Chamberlain during the dark days of May 1940. Full review...
The Rental Heart and other Fairytales by Kirsty Logan
To start with, are these stories strictly fairytales? On the evidence of this collection, it is at times a distinction that seems open to debate, a category that lies waiting for definition. But at the same time, such is the genre-switching (and at times gender-switching), that it is a subtitle that serves better than most. The title story examines a life's romantic history via a twist on the idea that we give our heart away to every lover – what do we have when they are gone and a new one takes their place? Elsewhere, a landed lady takes advantage of her servant, and another cultured madam hires a clockwork companion to shrug off the suitors, with obvious, narratively logical results. A medical worker and her pregnant partner share a caravan together, all the while knowing a different circumstance might be closer than first thought. We have the beginnings of love lives, the end of hatred, and the end of the world in these pages. Full review...
Little Egypt by Lesley Glaister
Twins Isis and Osiris are now in their 90s, living together in Little Egypt, the English manor house where they were born and brought up. Their names are a clue to their parents' near fetish for everything Egyptian. In fact this near fetish leads their parents to Egypt itself, in search of a big discovery back in the 1920s, demonstrating more enthusiasm than savvy. Having left the twins in the care of the housekeeper, they never return. Isis and Osiris are now bound to the house, tied not by love or memories but dark secrets that won't let go. Full review...
Barbapapas New House by Annette Tison and Talus Taylor
At the end of the last Barbapapa book, our pink protagonist and his lovely wife were blessed with the addition of seven new shape-shifting Barbababies. A house that was already cramped for a couple was literally bursting at the seams as the family of nine squeezed and squashed themselves into every available crevice. Something had to give; the walls collapsed and out spilled the unfortunate family. Full review...
Night Broken (Mercy Thompson) by Patricia Briggs
Phew. That's the sound of relief I gave when I found this book, the eighth in this lengthy genre series, was on form. As the quality had hardly ever dipped in the past you might be wondering why I sounded particularly anxious this time. Well, book seven was that dip, and this time round things have changed – for the first time the British market gets a hardback. But we've not jumped the shark. If anything, the fantasy side of this series is following on from book six – River Marked and the fae implement that was so much a feature of that book is being requested by a dangerously powerful character. But the urban fantasy side of this series is not without its dangerous characters – as Mercy is forced to bring the worried, frantic yet exceedingly manipulative figure of her husband's first wife into the shelter of their household… Full review...
The Shattered Crown (Steelhaven: Book Two) by Richard Ford
The king is dead… his city is next shouts the strapline, and it's not wrong! Following on from Herald of the Storm, Janessa is the new queen and is quaking; she's young, inexperienced and watching the massed hordes of Amon Tugha approach to rout the kingdom of Steelhaven. This isn't the only problem her father's untimely death has left her with; there's a whole heap of trouble (internal as much as external) and hardly anyone Janessa can trust. Little Rag is now in the Guild but it's not all she dreamt it would be or as safe as she'd hoped. Meanwhile Merrick the ex-mercenary and Kaira, the former spear maiden are settling into their new job as bodyguards to the Queen. Merrick, though, has other things to think about as his past comes back to haunt him. Waylian the witch's assistant is still alive, which is good. And Regulus? He just wants to offer his men's swords in defence of Steelhaven but just didn't realise how difficult that would be, even before the fighting officially starts. Full review...
The Convictions of John Delahunt by Andrew Hughes
As John Delahunt sits in a cell for the condemned writing an account of his life, we go through it with him. It all begins as he witnesses a fracas between his fellow students and the police after a visit to one of the fine hostelries Victorian Dublin has to offer. In this way John's brought to the attention of 'The Department', a pro-British intelligence unit based in the notorious Dublin Castle. John agrees to help them not realising this is never going to be an agreement he can back away from, no matter how hard he tries and no matter how much it costs him. Full review...
Where Are You Banana? by Sofie Laguna and Craig Smith (Illustrator)
Banana. It may not be the most obvious name for a dog but it’s the name of Roddy’s pet. Apparently it was Roddy’s first word, spoken, by coincidence, when the new pup arrived. A tad precocious and serendipitous as first utterances go but I’m going to let that one slip as, dog name aside, 'Where Are You, Banana?' contains some delicious observations of family life captured in both written and painted form. Full review...
The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
Death Row, in a prison somewhere in the rural US. It's an old prison too, where the modern sensors and security will never be seen, and where those waiting years for their final, final appeals – or for the closing act in their life – remain underground, in dank cells that have no mod-cons, and can easily flood when the rains raise the water table too high. It's where a man called York is seeing out his days, and whereas a female investigator is trying her hardest to get evidence that might see his sentence quashed or changed, he is saying it should be carried out forthwith. While she tries to piece together what got him there and what made him take that terminal decision, shadows of her own dark background are forced to move into sight. All this is told us by the omniscient narration of another man on Death Row, thanks to two heinous crimes… Full review...
The Four Seasons of Lucy Mckenzie by Kirsty Murray
For the first time in her life, Lucy dreaded Christmas.
She has been sent to stay with her Great-Aunt Big, who lives in a homestead in the Australian wilderness. Her family, meanwhile, will be spending Christmas in Paris, tending to Lucy’s older sister who is in a coma following a tragic accident. Lucy is deeply worried about her big sister and understands why she has been left behind, but she is filled with trepidation at the idea of spending such a long time with her eccentric Aunt, miles away from civilization without even as much as a mobile phone signal. Full review...
The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt
'All intellectual and artistic endeavours…fare better in the mind of the crowd when the crowd knows that somewhere behind the great work or the great spoof it can locate a cock and a pair of balls.' Thus we are introduced to the unforgettable Harriet Burden – larger-than-life, six-foot-tall amazon artist – and to some of the novel's essential elements: musing on what makes intellectual products successful in a postmodern marketplace, feminist resentment of the overvaluing of male achievement, and an unapologetic, playful boldness with language. Full review...
Urban Outlaws by Peter Jay Black
What skills would you need to trick the rich and powerful out of their ill-gotten gains? A posse of brilliant lawyers and accountants with elastic consciences? A cache of guns and bombs? Well, maybe, although it is very possible that all that will do is to turn you into villains as dirty as your marks. And, if you'll forgive the sudden descent into street-speak, that's not the way these five young Urban Outlaws roll. Full review...
The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman
Rachel wasn't ready to drop dead at thirty-five. It's been a year since - a year she's spent trapped in some sort of netherworld that allows her brief, tantalising glimpses of the lives of those she's left behind. There's no apparent rhyme or reason to the glimpses, and Rachel wishes they were more often and lasted longer. Full review...
Mungo Monkey has a Birthday Party by Lydia Monks
It’s Mungo Monkey’s birthday which means…Party Time! From baking a cake to blowing up balloons, he’s so excited to get things organised and ready for when his friends arrive. Full review...
What's Your Favourite Animal by Eric Carle
I love that this book is written by Eric Carle and friends. There’s something rather lovely about the idea of a group of authors and illustrators, hanging out and deciding to collaborate on a project together. Unlike the usual two-person job, though, where the result is typically as seamless as if it came from a single pen, this is an eclectic mix of pages that very clearly come from various minds. Let me explain. Full review...
Dream On Amber by Emma Shevah
Ambra Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto has a very long name. I have a very short name, so I can’t relate. But I’m with her on other issues. Like how hard it is to start secondary school and try to make new friends when you’re not quite like everyone else. Maybe you’re a bit smaller than the other girls. Maybe you’re of an interesting heritage (say, half Italian, half Japanese). Maybe one of your parents has gone AWOL. Maybe you don’t have all the right gear you need to blend in – sometimes a caveman mobile phone just won’t cut it. Ambra has all of these things working against her, AND a name that makes it sound like she’s identifying with an item of underwear, so it’s no wonder she’s changed it to Amber in a bid to fit in. Full review...
The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula Jones
Imagine a story – a good old-fashioned adventure with journeys and magic and villains and young people finding their strengths despite the odds, and coming at last to the place they belong. Then imagine another story, a heart-touching one this time, about the writing of that story, and you have the whole of this charming book. Full review...
Hero by Sarah Lean
Leo is a boy with a big imagination. He is a bit of an outsider and feels overshadowed by the achievements of others, in particular by those of his older sister, but in his dreams he is a brave and all-conquering Roman gladiator. Desperate to be a hero in the real world and receive attention from those he wants to impress, one day Leo makes a bad decision and does something wrong. As the repercussions multiply and Leo feels that he has let everyone down, the disappearance of a small dog called Jack Pepper offers him the opportunity to put things right. Full review...