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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The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle
When you want - or need - to master a new skill you'll be told to practice, but there's not always a lot of advice around on how to practice. Sometimes it's that hint about how to practice more effectively, how to approach the skill from a different direction which makes all the difference. Daniel Coyle has fifty two tips - most of which can be applied to just about everything from improving your golf swing to success in the business world. The tips are short - all fifty two are covered in about a hundred and twenty pages - easily read and simple to put into practice. Full review...
Eleven Eleven by Paul Dowswell
It's 2am in Paris on Tuesday 11th November 1918. Negotiations for ending World War I are almost complete and both sides will announce the Armistice at 11am. But the people actually fighting the war don't know that yet... Full review...
Winnie's Dinosaur Day by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
Winnie and Wilbur are always happy to queue up with everyone else to visit their favourite museum. There are so many things to look at and play with but best of all is the dinosaur room. Winnie is fascinated by the dinosaurs and tells Wilbur that she would love to see a real one. One time when they visit, they discover that it is actually Dinosaur Week and that there is an exciting competition to make a model or draw a picture to show what the museum's dinosaur skeleton would have looked like when it was alive. Full review...
I Am So Strong by Mario Ramos
There's no hiding the fact that the wolf is a bully. After he's had his meal (obviously it was a good one) he goes for a walk in the woods to aid the digestion and to find out what everyone thinks of him. First he meets a little rabbit, who agrees that the wolf is the strongest around here. Full of the joy of being him he strides on and gets pretty much the same response from Red Riding Hood, the three little pigs and the seven dwarfs. In fact this must be the best day ever for the wolf - until he meets 'the little toad of some sort' and finds that he's met his match. I'm not going to tell you how - you'll have to read the book to find out! Full review...
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
Grace is the new girl in San Francisco, who can't understand why she's seeing weird creatures whom no-one else seems to notice. Gretchen is an experienced monster-hunter. Greer is a socialite. The three of them look eerily alike - what's their connection, and can this mismatched trio of teens defend the world from the demons who seem to be appearing with ever-increasing frequency? Full review...
Sylvia Pankhurst: The Rebellious Suffragette by Shirley Harrison
To some extent, the history of the suffragettes was also the history of the Pankhurst family. Sylvia, born in 1882, was the second daughter of Dr Richard and Emmeline Pankhurst, and one of three sisters. The family had always been heavily politicised, Richard being a founder member of the Fabian Society alongside George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells, and the children had quite an austere upbringing. When their father’s health took a sudden turn for the worse in 1898, Emmeline and eldest daughter Christabel were abroad on business and Sylvia was left in charge of her younger siblings as well as having to nurse him, taking the full force of the shock when he died in her arms. With his passing the family were left strangely detached from each other. His widow became heavily involved in public work and political agitation, an increasingly remote mother from the young children who needed her. Full review...
Time's Echo by Pamela Hartshorne
Grace Trewe has temporarily moved to York to sort out the affairs of her godmother, Lucy, who died suddenly. After surviving the Indonesian tsunami the previous Christmas, Grace has decided to live life to the full and plans more travelling once Lucy's house is sold. She hasn’t a care or a tie in the world, as long as she doesn't remember little Lucas back on that Christmas beach. As it turns out, that's not the only thing she needs to avoid. Strange, horrific dreams disrupt her sleep and vivid daydreams start to attack her waking moments as 21st century York keeps fading to be replaced by its 16th century streets. Grace will be fine though; it's just stress and her oddly acquired knowledge of the past is just a coincidence, or so says seemingly kindly neighbour, historian and single father Drew. Meanwhile, 500 years before, there was a woman named Hawise who met a terrible death… Full review...
Sworn Secret by Amanda Jennings
A year ago Anna Thorne was found dead after presumably falling from the roof of her school after drinking vodka. Twelve months later, her parents, Kate and Jon, and her sister, Lizzie, are still trying to make sense of and come to terms with what has happened. They each have their own way of dealing with their grief which, rather than uniting, serves to isolate each of them. Ultimately, they are becoming three sad strangers living under the same roof. Full review...
Another Life by Keren David
Ty's cousin Archie, son of two top lawyers, has managed to get himself expelled from another boarding school. He wants to be back in London, spending time with his friends and with his cousin. But with Ty struggling to cope as he's sentenced to a spell of time in a Young Offenders Institution, Archie tries to find out more about his cousin's past. Full review...
Vanish by Sophie Jordan
Events have forced Jacinda back into the arms of the Pride. When her mother took her away from them, it was the last thing Jacinda wanted. But now she's back, she wants nothing more than to spread her wings and fly away. But it's not that easy. Severin, leader of the Pride, has her under virtual house arrest. Tamra, Jacinda's twin, is going through some tumultuous changes, and needs the support of the Pride. And there's Cassian - a permanent fixture in Jacinda's life, the one who brought her back to the Pride, who she is beginning to think cares about her for more than just her firebreathing talents. Full review...
Taken: An Alex Verus Novel by Benedict Jacka
Alex Verus, future-diviner and erstwhile Camden magic shop owner has dusted himself off after the rigours of Cursed and is good to go once more. He continues training Luna as his apprentice but all is not completely well. Alex has been asked to investigate the disappearance of apprentices by Council representative, Talisid. Now, Alex's involvement with the Council (and indeed Talisid) hasn't always been good for Alex's health in the past, but his commissioning may be a sign of his enhanced reputation and this time there's a note of self-interest: Luna may be the next to vanish. Alex receives a tip-off that Fountain's Reach (a stately home with a mysterious past) has something to do with it and, as luck would have it, it's also the venue for the next apprentice tournament which Luna has entered. The investigation begins and hopefully they'll survive to see it through to the end. Full review...
The Dark Winter by David Mark
Just a couple of weeks before Christmas Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy was with his young son in the centre of Hull when he was alerted by screaming. The noise was coming from the church and McAvoy so nearly caught the man responsible. He'd brutally murdered a young girl who had already escaped as the only survivor when her family was slaughtered during the conflict in Sierra Leone. It's a difficult time for the police with a relatively new team at the Serious and Organised Crime Squad and it's a little while before the links to two other deaths emerge. Fred Stein had been the sole survivor of the loss of one of the three trawlers from Hull which went down in early 1968. He'd been part of a documentary about the loss but had disappeared - off Iceland - in the course of the filming. He was later discovered - dead in a drifting lifeboat. Full review...
Scramasax: The Viking Sagas, Book Two by Kevin Crossley-Holland
We left Solveig finally reunited with her Viking father, after a journey that took her all the way from her Scandinavian home to Miklagard (Constantinople). There, her father is in the service of Harald Hardrada, who in turn serves the Empress Zoe. Zoe's court is a dangerous place, full of spies and prisoners and instant punishment by death - for the smallest of transgressions. So Solveig needs to learn fast if she is to persuade Harald to allow her to stay with the Viking guard. Full review...
Rabbit's Wish by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Rabbit's best friend is Hedgehog but they don't get to spend a lot of time together because Rabbit is awake during the day and Hedgehog is awake at night. One day Rabbitt made a wish that Hedgehog could stay up all day with him - and it came true, but not in the way Rabbit was expecting. There was a downpour and Rabbit's burrow was flooded. The hill on which he lived was turned into an island as the lake rose higher and higher. His first thought as for Hedgehog and he shouted to see if he was OK - but Hedgehog had worried about Rabbit and he'd swum across to make certain that he was alright. They had a wonderful time but Rabbit worried that it was his wish that had caused the problem. Full review...
How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival by David Kaiser
In his introduction Professor Kaiser states that there are three ways in which the west coast hippies have benefited the development of Physics; they opened up deeper speculation into the fundamental philosophy behind quantum theory, they latched on to a crucial theorem of Bell, about what Einstein termed spooky interactions between particles at a distance. This might otherwise have been totally neglected. Thirdly they propounded a key idea which has become known as the 'no-cloning theorem'. Kaiser tells a lucid account as might be expected from the Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and department chief in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's program. Incidentally he also provides an engaging insight into the American industrial-military complex and associated institutions like the Californian University at Berkley. Full review...
Do Me No Harm by Julie Corbin
Dr Olivia Somers is minding her own business, trying to raise two kids alone in the wake of her divorce, when everything goes wrong and her son, Robbie, ends up in hospital. It’s hard to work out what really happened, or even if Robbie is giving her the full story, but when there’s a further incident, this time involving a break in at their home, it becomes clear that these are no random attacks, and someone is out to get them. With the help of a friendly (and handsome) detective, Olivia tries to piece together the puzzle to work who is behind the trouble, and it’s a race against time to figure it out before the next unwelcome surprise from the culprit. Full review...
Herring on the Nile by L C Tyler
A motley crowd of oddball characters (few of whom end up being who they say they are), find themselves as travelling companions on a luxury paddle steamer, cruising up the Nile. And when a murder occurs, it soon becomes clear that only a member of the crew or one of the guests could have done the dastardly deed. A couple of amateur detectives have to work fast to discover who pulled the trigger. Sound familiar? Full review...
Woffles: A Fishy Adventure by The Curtises, James and Nick
Woffles is a big, shiny black Labrador with a very long, pink tongue and he is one happy dog. Once he's greeted you with a yodel and a wuff (and I suspect that there might be a generous lick in there too) he'll tell you all about his wonderful life. What pleases him is that he lives in the countryside - it's very green, you know and there's a complete lack of coffee shops and other things for which he has no time. He has lots of friends, but his bestie is Pip the Border Terrier and today they're off on an adventure down to the lake which is being restocked for the fishermen. And - on a boiling hot day what's better than a dip in the lake and using that long tongue to extract a few sandwiches from the fishermen's hampers? Full review...
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
Daniel Murphy ('Murph') is 18, in the American army and about to embark on his first tour of duty in Iraq. By his side is John Bartle, three years older and more experienced in the army. However neither of them has any notion of the sort of life or job they will face when they get there. The fighting is dirty, unpredictable and not set out in any text book. Their commanding officer, Sergeant Sterling, is sadistic and without any apparent humanity. But everything will be alright: Bartle has made a promise to Murph's mother, a promise that will ricochet from the US to Iraq and back again. Full review...
Roman Games (Plinius Secundus) by Bruce Macbain
Sextus Ingentius Verpa isn't the most popular person in Rome. He may be a high ranking politician with the Emperor Domitian's ear but this also means he's a spy, ambitious and not always using his power and position for good. When Verpa is discovered, unceremoniously and repeatedly stabbed in his well-guarded bedroom, there are many who sigh with relief. However, the murderer must still be found and so Domitian appoints Gaius Plinius Secundus (or Pliny the Younger as history will dub him) to investigate. Pliny isn't a natural but reluctantly takes on the task because Domitian says so; Pliny has no choice. Domitian also says that the culprit must be found before the end of the Roman Games, giving Pliny 15 days. Over these 15 pressurised days he'll dig into Rome's filthy underbelly of cults, prostitution and other things he wasn't expecting, including practically adopting his own, personal rude poet. Full review...
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth is part spy novel but more a love story and a tale of deception and half truths. It's also, more subtly, a book about the power, role and importance of fiction. Set in the 1970s, with frequent musical and political references to the UK at that time, Serena Frome is a beautiful, Cambridge-educated daughter of an Anglican bishop with a taste for unsuitable romances. From an early affair with a man who turns out to be homosexual, to an affair with an older lecturer she moves on to a surprise job at MI5 where she had a crush on one of her bosses, again and awkward, repressed and unattractive individual before encountering talented author Tom Haley as part of her job with whom she once again falls in love. Few of these men are what they seem, and neither for that matter is Serena when she has to hide her job from Haley. Full review...
Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling by David Crystal
Are you a speller? I must confess I'm not much of one myself, so the main thing I was after from this book was an insight into the peculiarities of English spelling, and some hints and tips for remembering the rules. Oh, and a fun, entertaining read at the same time (this is Crystal, after all).
I was not disappointed.
(Even if I can still only spell disappointed with the help of my spellchecker) Full review...
The Betrayal of Trust: A Simon Serrailler Novel by Susan Hill
After the wettest summer for a hundred years we'll all be familiar with what happened in Lafferton. Heavy rain caused a landslip on the moors, blocking the nearby road. Thankfully, what we're not familiar with was the presence of a shallow grave and the skeleton of a teenage girl. The sharp eyes of one of the forensic team spotted that something wasn't quite right in another area - and a second grave was revealed. It was easy to identify the first body - the young girl had gone missing from the town sixteen years before - but the second body proved more difficult. And, in a time of financial cuts and staff shortages it's down to Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler to tackle the cold case on his own with just a little help on the new murder case. Full review...
El Clasico - Barcelona v Real Madrid: Football's Greatest Rivalry by Richard Fitzpatrick
Nothing divides opinion quite like football and no-one expresses their joy and disappointment like football fans. For many fans, the most important matches of their entire season are the ones against their local rivals; the derby matches. English football has a number of these, but only the matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain have elevated themselves above mere derby status and earned their own name: El Clásico – the Classic. Full review...
Getting To Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury
Negotiation is a tough thing, but given how often we do it (for many people, there are things to negotiate on a daily basis) you’d think we’d be better at it. This book starts with the line Like it or not, you are a negotiator and that’s the bare truth of it. Full review...
I'm Dougal Trump... and it's not my fault! by Dougal Trump
Dougal Trump is worried about dying. You might be surprised that a young boy is already writing (and rewriting) his will, but that's because you haven't met his sister Sibble (it's Sybil! - sorry Sibble), the mysterious creature in the shed, or the even more mysterious person who left the creature there with a note saying 'If it dies so will you.' If you were in his circumstances, wouldn't you be worried about your life expectancy? Full review...
Girl in a Green Gown: The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait by Carola Hicks
The Arnolfini marriage portrait, as it is generally if perhaps inaccurately known, painted by Flemish artist Jan van Eyck, signed and dated 1434, has long been one of the most popular and enigmatic paintings of its time. Of modest size, a little less than three feet high, it is one of the oldest surviving panel pictures to be painted in oils rather than tempera. It is also regarded as the first work of art which simultaneously celebrates both middle-class comfort and monogamous marriage. Full review...
Kitty Slade: Raven Hearts by Fiona Dunbar
Thirteen-year old Kitty Slade is a normal girl in many ways; she bickers with her younger brother and sister, enjoys having fun and watching DVDs. However she is different in one very important way… Kitty can see ghosts. Not only can she see ghosts but she also uses their help to solve mysteries. In the fourth book in this popular series, Kitty and the rest of her family are staying on a caravan site on the Yorkshire Moors when they hear that a local man has disappeared without trace and he is not the first person to do so either. Kitty also learns of a terrifying ghost hound that is said to prey on humans on the bleak moors. Can Kitty solve both these mysteries with the help of the strange ghost called Lupa with whom she forms an uneasy but growing friendship? Full review...
Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, first Queen of England by Tracy Borman
Writing the biography of any woman who lived as long ago as the eleventh century, even someone as illustrious as a Queen, is a pretty thankless task. There will always be huge gaps in the knowledge available. For example we do not know when Matilda was born, and likewise we do not have a precise date for her marriage, although we do know when she died. No lifelike images of her are known, though evidence suggests that she was quite short of stature. In a male-dominated society, there are approximate records of when her sons were born, but not her daughters. Even more confusingly perhaps, many of the stories passed down to us throughout history are quite probably false. It is hardly surprising that this appears to be the first full-length life of her yet to appear in English. Full review...
The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith
So, here we are with Isabel Dalhousie in her ninth story, and I'm assuming that you know who she is by now because really, if you don't, then you'd better not start with book number nine and instead you should really go all the way back to the beginning of the series and The Sunday Philosophy Club. If, on the other hand, you are well acquainted with Isabel then settle yourself down for another good read from the master of gentle, funny fiction. Full review...
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett
Harry Curren lives with Miles (one of his brothers) and their widowed father in a small Tasmanian fishing community. Their mother has been killed in a car accident but life goes on even if it's more damaged and disjointed than before. Miles still goes out on his father's fishing boat to ensure their income and Harry spends his time at school, outside amusing himself or being with his other brother, Joe, who, for some reason, lives with their grandfather. Full review...
After The Fall by Charity Norman
It’s the middle of the night when five year old Finn falls from the balcony at his home in a remote part of New Zealand. Leaving his twin brother and older sister in the care of a neighbour, his mother Martha stays with him as a helicopter races him to the nearest hospital. But as he is rushed into surgery, she is taken to one side for questioning, with first nursing staff then the police and social workers raising concerns. Was Finn really sleep walking, something he is prone to do? But if so, how did he come to have suspicious bruises on one side of his body, not in keeping with how he landed? And if it wasn’t the accident Martha is saying it was, was his mother involved or is she covering for someone? Full review...
Superworm by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Superworm is long and strong and he's a real hero as far as all of his insect friends are concerned. He always comes to the rescue when there is trouble. When Baby Toad is in danger of being run over on a major road, he turns himself into a lasso and scoops the baby away from the oncoming wheels. Another time, Beetle falls into a well and Superworm transforms himself into a fishing line in order to save him. In fact, Superworm can pretty much turn himself into anything and that makes him a very useful and helpful friend. Full review...
Zom-B by Darren Shan
Strange news reports are coming out of Ireland. YouTube is buzzing with clips of zombie infestations and the military clearing remote villages. This is all taken with a pinch of salt by B Smith, schoolfriends, teachers and parents. Most people think it's all a promotion campaign for a new film, but there are also scatterings of various conspiracy theories. None of it really impinges on B and pals though - they carry on with life regardless. There's hanging out in the park to be done, after all. Various peer group scores to settle. Fake IDs to find and attempts to buy alcohol. You get the picture. Some silly fake zombies barely register. Full review...
The Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher
Jake's father disappeared while working on a secret project with his best friend, the celebrated explorer and recluse Oberon Venn. Jake is sure that Venn is a murderer and sets out to prove it, dragging his teacher, Mr Wharton, into the investigation. But the truth is perhaps even more frightening: David Wilde isn't dead, he's lost in time. Venn and his sidekick Piers are intent on re-entering the past to find him, using a device called the Chronoptika. But it's dangerous and they aren't the only ones hell bent on using the time machine. There's Sarah, who can turn herself invisible, and who's being pursued by a murderous Replicant and his wolf. And there's the scarred man with his acolyte and his strange weapon. And there are the Shee, who keep their own counsel, but have their own ambitions, and who enchant the forest on Venn's estate... Full review...
Fantastic Mr Dahl by Michael Rosen
Reading this book is rather like curling up in a deep, squishy armchair with a cup of cocoa and some squashed-fly biscuits while a favourite uncle chats to you about books. He tells you interesting things about Roald Dahl's life, and then he discusses how those events may have affected his writing, secure in the knowledge that you already know and love the stories. Just as important, he pauses in his chat from time to time to ask your opinion — and it's clear he's really interested in your answer. Do you prefer the original version of James and the Giant Peach, or the one which was eventually published? Can you imagine how funny it would be to see your grandfather looking in through your bedroom window, like the BFG? Full review...
Guardian Angel (CHERUB) by Robert Muchamore
Reviewers at the Bookbag have had mixed feeling about cherub in the past, so I wanted to start this review by saying I'm a big fan of the series in general. I thought People's Republic, the first of the 'new' books, actually showed a significant improvement on the last couple of the James Adams books because Muchamore didn't use the long flashback which had irritated me in both of them. I really liked Ning, one of the new characters introduced in that one, and was looking forward to reading more about her here. Full review...
The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson
Tamia and Scott met at school and they were friends before they were anything else although it wasn't to the liking of either family. Scott's brother referred to Tamia as that - a reference to the colour of her skin. Tamia's family weren't racially prejudiced but they knew the Challey family and their reputation for criminality. It wasn't what they wanted for their daughter: they saw a university education, but were to be disappointed on both counts. It looked to be working well: the marriage seemed stable and they had two beautiful daughters, but then one night it all fell apart. Scott was arrested in front of his wife and children for a dreadful crime. As if this wasn't bad enough, Tami's world disintegrated even further when she discovered that Scott's accuser was someone whom she regarded as a close friend. Full review...
Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil
Novels about narcotic substances are notoriously hard to pull off. The challenge is to make the induced events interesting and meaningful to the, presumably, non-induced reader. In Narcopolis, Jeet Thayil pulls this off surprisingly well for me, although it's fair to say that it won't be everyone's taste. It's not a book that the Bombay/Mumbai tourist office will be keen to promote. A cover quotation links the book to a similar vein (OK, that's a poor choice of words in the circumstances) to Trainspotting and that's not far from the mark. Full review...
The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber
Jo Marie, who was recently widowed, feels drawn to an inn in a small town called Cedar Grove, where she believes she can find healing. She renames it Rose Harbor Inn and gets ready to welcome her first two guests. Full review...
Ferney by James Long
History lecturer Michael Martin thought that the chance of love and marriage had passed him by. Then Gally, a history nut and lecture gate crasher, attended one of his lectures and dared to contradict him. Contradiction led to courtship and the marriage that had previously seemed so elusive but despite their love and accompanying emotional security, Gally has a dark subconscious that haunts her. She's unsettled by repeating nightmares and, worse, night terrors that can't be explained by counsellors' logic. However when Mike and Gally find their (or rather, Gally's) ideal home in the shape of a derelict cottage in the Somerset village of Penselwood, Gally's nightmares are augmented by a strong feeling of déjà vu. Meanwhile the Martins seem to have developed a benevolent stalker in the shape of aged local Ferney Miller. Mike considers him a bit of a pain while for Gally he represents something else entirely; something that she can't explain nor understand but will become a threat to her marital happiness and Michael's peace of mind. Full review...
Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich
Following on from Wicked Appetite, pastry chef Lizzy and paranormal bounty hunter Diesel continue to seek the seven powerful stones linked to the seven deadly sins. They're looking for the stone associated with lust and it becomes a bit of a treasure hunt as, accompanied by Gloria (the slightly wizardy un-witch) and Carl (the ill-mannered monkey) they have to work their way through a string of clues. However, they aren't the only ones looking; for wherever goodies seek power, the baddies lurk also. The baddies in question are again the deliciously dark (on many levels) Gerwulf (Wulf) Grimoir and his medieval minion Hatchet. Wulf may be Diesel's cousin but there's not a lot of family love in any room they both occupy so let the race to the stone commence. Full review...
Timedance 1: Neptune's Tears by Susan Waggoner
The premise is both original and timeless: star-crossed lovers separated by an apparently unbreachable barrier. Two hundred years into the future, a healing empath meets a mysterious young man to whom she is immediately attracted. For Zee this could be a disaster, not only because falling in love so intensely is likely to damage her ability to do her work, but also because the boy has a secret so huge and terrifying it could destroy them both. Full review...
Arabesque by Colin Mulhern
When a group of amateur criminals find themselves suddenly short of twenty grand for an ambitious deal with a weapons dealer, one of them has the bright idea to kidnap a pair of semi-celebrity teenage girls, Amy May and Mia, to extort money from their wealthy parents. But when the kidnappers make a mess of the situation the girls find themselves in the hands of a decidedly more sinister villain. Galloway likes to think of himself as a higher class of criminal and when he realises that Amy May is an Olympic standard gymnast, he decides to take advantage of the situation, using a combination of sly manipulation, threats and blackmail to coerce the girls into working for him. Galloway isn't a fool and he has all the cards in his hand, but somehow Amy May has to push herself to the limit to save not just herself, but her best friend too. Full review...
NW by Zadie Smith
Fans of Zadie Smith have had a seven year wait since her last book On Beauty. In NW, Smith returns to more of the issues addressed in her brilliant debut novel White Teeth. Set in parts of London that should be obvious from the title, the book takes the lives of four people who grew up on a rough estate and looks at how they have moved on - or not. All four still live nearby the estate where they grew up. There's multi-cultural tension and the have and have nots of power and money and Smith looks at how much individuals are in control of their destiny and ability to rise out of their upbringing, and how chance encounters can bring you back to your past with a bump. Full review...
Huntingtower by John Buchan
Dickson McCunn is on his travels through rural Scotland when he meets a man he doesn't warm to at first, by the name of John Heritage. They are quite chalk and cheese – McCunn an older man, who has only just sold up his very well-known Glasgow grocery shop and made this trip his first steps into retirement on a complete whim. Heritage is younger, English, and a soldier. McCunn seems the old Romantic, Heritage modern poetry in contrast. But when they meet up it's at the edge of the Huntingtower estate, a coastal country house, guarded by suspicious landlords turning guests away and unfriendly foreign types, and found to contain a young beauty who just happens to be the love of Heritage's life, since they met a few years previous. She is being coerced into staying against her will, but lo and behold – the cynical Heritage can come over all chivalrous and try and rescue her – with desperate consequences for both men… Full review...
The Flappers: Ingenue by Jillian Larkin
Gloria Carmody and Jerome Johnson fled Chicago for New York to escape the mob and the police after Gloria killed a man. They thought that their love would be enough to get them through – but a white woman and a black man living together will need a lot more than that to get a happy ending. After witnessing another murder, Jerome's sister Vera knows that New York is about to get even more dangerous for the pair, but can she find them to warn them in time? Meanwhile Lorraine Dyer, formerly Gloria's best friend, is also trying to find them – but in her case she wants revenge on Gloria. As for Clara Knowles, former 'Queen Sheba of the flapper scene', she may be back in New York but she's not going back to the speakeasies and parties. She's happy with quiet, respectable Marcus Eastman. Until she gets an intriguing offer... Full review...
Westminster: A biography, from earliest times to the present by Robert Shepherd
There seems to be no shortage of ways in which the history of London can be told, and as befitting an experienced historical and political biographer, Shepherd has found another interesting variation on the theme. In this superbly detailed and exhaustively researched volume, he brings us the story of Westminster, the royal capital that became the birthplace of parliamentary government and the centre of a world power. Over 1500 years ago it was Thorney Island, a secluded area on the banks of the Thames. It then became a village, yet a very grand one comprising a spiritual centre, a royal ceremonial stage and later a political capital, encompassing buildings such as the Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and 10 Downing Street. Against this stage has been enacted the history of a nation, of the monarchs and politicians who for better and worse shaped the events of the last thousand years. Full review...
Katie and the Starry Night by James Mayhew
When Katie goes out with her Grandma to museums and art galleries interesting things always seem to happen whenever Grandma takes a little nap! This time Katie and Grandma have come to see an exhibition of Van Gogh paintings, and as Grandma rests Katie climbs into The Starry Night painting and begins her adventure! Full review...
ParaNorman by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Things are not easy when you're the only kid in town who can see, and talk to, ghosts. You can't bury your own grandma in peace without other ghosts asking you to pass on messages to those they left behind. You can't study biology without the toad you're supposed to dissect asking for a better end. And you can't take an unwanted starring lead in the school pageant, even when it's a special one for the three-hundredth anniversary of the town's own witch trial, without getting a message from beyond that means the legacy of that historical event will be a life or death matter… Full review...
Seeking Crystal by Joss Stirling
Crystal Brook has always struggled with her paranormal gifts, but meeting the Benedict brothers makes things even worse. While her sister Diamond finds her soulfinder in Trace, Crystal can't stand his conceited brother Xav. After an unforeseen attack, though, the unlikely pairing will have to pool their resources to save their families. Full review...
Lessons from the Top: How Successful Leaders Tell Stories to Get Ahead - And Stay There by Gavin Esler
As a journalist and broadcaster, Gavin Esler has interviewed everyone from Bill Clinton to Angelina Jolie, and now he’s taking what he’s learned from those chats to bring us Lessons from the top…how successful leaders tell stories to get ahead – and stay there. Full review...
