Book Reviews From The Bookbag
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 Moonshine Dragon (Little Gems) by Cornelia Funke
What happens when stories escape from books? One moonlit night Patrick is woken up by the noise of a tiny dragon emerging from his storybook and chased by an equally tiny knight on horseback. Suddenly Patrick finds himself shrunk to story book size too and he and the dragon find themselves under attack. Can Patrick save them both before time runs out? Full review...
The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman
Tooly (Matilda) Zylberberg, runs a small independent book shop in Caergenog, close enough to Hay on Wye to attract literary festival overflow. She loves and understands literature which is more than can be said about her understanding of her parents. In fact Tooly doesn't even know who her parents are. She had a weird childhood being taken from one city or country to another by Paul but she never got to ask why or even who he was. The sum of her knowledge was that he worked in IT and seemed to take care of her… or rather she took care of him. So one day she leaves her able assistant Fogg to keep the shop going and retraces her life, hopefully finding the answers to the questions she never got around to asking. Full review...
Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads by David Almond and Vladimir Stankovic
The Bad Lads had been together for years. They were scamps, mischief makers - lads having a bit of fun - and they were led by Joe Gillespie who was a year or two older. The lads thought that Joe was great but there was a niggling feeling amongst one or two of the boys that he was getting a bit more extreme and that some of his pranks were actually - deliberately - going to hurt people. The fire at Mr Eustace's (he was a conchie, you see) happened the same week that Klaus Vogel arrived in the town of Felling. The scrawny refugee from East Germany who knew hardly any English would change things for the Bad Lads. Full review...
Jane of Lantern Hill by L M Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery, the Canadian author, is best known for her classic story, Anne of Green Gables, but in her lifetime she wrote a large number of books that are not so well known. This story is one of them, and is, in fact, one of my favourite stories. Jane Stuart is a wonderful heroine. She is straight-talking, down-to-earth, and funny too. This book follows her journey from a life of misery, closeted in a home lacking in love, through to a joyous happy ending. Full review...
Children of War: A Bruno Courreges Thriller by Martin Walker
Rafiq had phoned Bruno Courreges for help just a few hours before his tortured and mutilated body was found in the woods, but despite his being a policeman the Brigadier didn't see the case as a priority. He sees the wider picture, whilst Bruno is only the chief of police in a small French country town. A young Muslim by the name of Sami has turned up at a French army base in Afghanistan and he's keen to get home to St Denis and although it's possible to smuggle him back into the country, the FBI are not far behind him. It seems that Sami has been involved in bomb making in Afghanistan and has quite possibly been indirectly responsible for the deaths of soldiers of all nationalities. Full review...
The Twelve Children of Paris by Tim Willocks
Knight of the Order of St John the Baptist, Mattias Tannhauser, does as he has promised. After surviving the 1565 siege of Malta, Mattias goes to Paris to look for Lady Carla (his heavily pregnant wife) and Orlandu, her child by birth and his by adoption. Carla went to sing and play at the royal wedding but seems to have disappeared. It's definitely not a good time to sample Parisian hospitality: one of the city's bloodiest chapters is about to begin as the Catholics seek to cleanse the city of members of the Protestant Reformist Church of France, better known as Huguenots. It gets worse though: not only are all Huguenots (and anyone who gets in the way) being hunted down and killed grotesquely, guess which church Carla's hosts belong to? Full review...
Skin Game (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden is and has been a lot of things: the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, PI, reluctant Knight of the Winter Court, even apparently dead. Now it looks as though he's about to relive the death bit but a bit more permanently. The parasite in his brain is still killing him while he's stranded as warden on the island penal colony of Demonreach. Hold tight though – the good news is that he's about to be liberated. The bad? The liberator is Queen Mab who wants Harry to do a bit of robbery beside a former arch enemy of his. If he refuses, the parasite will kill him and then slope off to kill everyone he knows and cares about, including his little daughter Maggie. However, nothing is simple, even this. There are catches, hell's bells there are! Full review...
Manifest Destiny Volume 1 by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts and Owen Gieni
It's 1804 and some newly-American soldiers are expanding the territory to the west, at the orders of President Jefferson – orders which allude to the pioneering party encountering some very unusual things. And they do – first a huge arc of greenery, putting the modern reader in mind of the Missouri landmark arch as bastardised by something along the lines of the Statue of Liberty in the original 'Planet of the Apes'. But when that site gets attacked the weirdness certainly starts to show itself… Full review...
My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff
Joanna Rakoff was twenty three when she took a job as assistant to a literary agent in New York. She'd not long left graduate school (and her 'college boyfriend') and her dream was to become a poet. The job was for experience and for income - her parents were somewhat dismissive of the position, pointing out that it was what used to be called a secretary - but there was a bonus which Rakoff had not anticipated, or even appreciated when she first heard of it. The agency might be stuck in the past - with Dictaphones and typewriters rather than computers - but its main client was J D Salinger. Rakoff knew the name - obviously - but she had never read one of his books. Full review...
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek (A Memoir) by Maya Van Wagenen
At the age of 13, Maya Van Wagenen found a 1950 guide to popularity, written by teen model Betty Cornell. Unhappy at school and intrigued by what her dad calls its outdated ideas, she secretly decides to try and change her life by putting the book into practice, a chapter a month. But surely her dad is right, and Betty's words have no place in the modern world? Read this and find out! Full review...
An Appetite for Violets by Martine Bailey
Biddy 'Obedience' Leigh is the under-cook at Mawton Hall, but although she is passionate about cooking, her dearest wish is to marry her young man. The date is set for her to leave the Hall for married life and she is looking forward to it. But the master of the house surprises everyone when he gets himself a very young wife – and Biddy’s world is rapidly changed. Lady Carinna takes a shine to Biddy, and when Biddy proves herself to be resourceful and entrepreneurial, her fate is sealed. Full review...
Home Sweet Anywhere: How We Sold Our House, Created a New Life, and Saw the World by Lynne Martin
Lynne and Tim Martin had known each other decades ago but when we meet them they've only been married for a short time. There's just one thing though - they're not ready to settle down, despite the fact that they're what might be called 'upper middle aged'. Their roots are in the US - both have adult children there and the Martins have a house in California - but they want to travel and not just as tourists. They want to see the world as the locals see it and to experience what it's like to live there. Lynne describes them as not being wealthy, but they decide to sell their home, invest the money and become 'home-free'. Full review...
Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Fremantle
Now that their sister Lady Jane and father, Henry 1st Duke of Suffolk, have been beheaded for treason, the remaining Grey sisters, Katherine and Mary have hidden all signs of their protestant reformist faith. Their mother Frances can escape court but Mary Tudor has other plans for the girls, keeping them under royal scrutiny. This is a dangerous spotlight to be subjected to. As the trademark heretic burning of the Spanish Inquisition comes to England, the Greys must work harder to impersonate good Catholics. Their lives depend on it. However Katherine is less than tactful and set on her own path. Is Mary strong enough to protect both of them? Full review...
Barbarians by Tim Glencross
It's 2008 and things are on the up for the Howe family. Sherard Howe, patriarch, art lover and lefty-wing publisher is relishing the power that comes from being well-connected. Wife Daphne is about to publish her second book. Her first, a feminist tome from the 1960s, is still remembered; something that she won't be grateful for. Their son Henry is about to get a well-paid tutoring job and Afua, their informally adopted black African daughter has political ambitions. However not everyone dreams of lofty heights. Henry and Afua's poet friend Buzzy just wants to bed Afua's bloke Marcel. They'd all best enjoy their plans and achievements while they can: the nation's on the cusp of change and so, it seems, are their fortunes. Full review...
None The Number (The Hueys) by Oliver Jeffers
A Counting Adventure! the subtitle of this book boasts. How exciting! I love numbers and counting, and so does a little boy I know. This one’s a bit old for him just yet – he’s the wrong side of 24 months – but I can’t wait to share it with him in the future. The item of question here is whether 0 is a number. After all, a number is something you can count. And if there’s 1 of something and you take 1 away, you’re left with a different number: 0 Full review...
The Very Noisy House by Julie Rhodes and Korky Paul
I might live in the middle of the country now, with nothing but pheasants and the odd wild turkey for neighbours, but I remember well what it’s like to live in the hustle and bustle. In fact, unless you too have lived on the main artery of Mexico City in a single glazed apartment, you’re going to come 2nd in the Who’s lived in a noisier house? competition. Well, it would have been second, but after reading this, I think we’d both have to bump down a spot, because nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to this house. Full review...
Betsy Goes To School by Helen Stephens
What a lovely book! Betsy is a big grown up girl so it’s time to start school, but that’s a scary thing to do. There are so many other boys and girls there, and she doesn't know any of them. Will she make it through the first day with no tears? Full review...
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Idris and Timur may be brothers growing up together but that doesn't mean that they will grow up to be the same. Nabi is the servant of a wealthy man but carries the secret of a deed he regrets and a love that can't be acknowledged. Then there are 10 year old Abdullah and his little sister Pari; inseparable till something separates them, causing a rift that will haunt them both in some way for the rest of their lives. They're all very different people, born of a nation of great natural beauty, natural wealth and the cradle of civilisation. It's also a nation of great pain and turmoil. These people are Afghans and this is their story. Full review...
Black Lake by Johanna Lane
John's family have owned Dulagh (Black Lake), the big mansion in the Irish countryside, for generations. Unfortunately now no longer able to afford its upkeep, John, his wife Marianne and children Kate and Philip, move into a cottage on the estate instead. They still own the house but it'll be run by the government with revenue from opening it to the public. At the time it seems the perfect solution, but the future has plans other than perfection. Full review...
The Case of the Exploding Loo by Rachel Hamilton
Noelle (or Know-All to many) is daughter to a famous TV presenter and science boffin, intent on making the human race a much smarter one. Well, he was, for he visited a Portaloo one Christmas Market time and it blew up, leaving just his shoes. Only Noelle and her sister, the vicious Holly, are left thinking the case is something much greater – the police have given up, as has the girls' mother, who has turned into a slob on the couch. But impetus is given to Noelle by unusual things her unusual maths teacher has been getting her to solve… Full review...
The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene
Arthur Winthrop leads a prestigious Vermont boarding school (sufficiently posh for him to be a headmaster, not a principal). Like his father before him, and his father’s father before that, it is what was always expected of him. The right thing to do. What is not the right thing to do, however, is to be caught wandering, naked, through Central Park in the middle of winter. Under questioning from the police, Arthur is keen to talk. Not about this episode, perhaps, but about other things on his mind. Like his interaction with a young student that has crossed the boundaries of an acceptable student-teacher relationship. It’s as if the flood gates have been opened and there’s no way to shut them now before everything has come gushing out. Full review...
Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex by E T Harper and Dan Taylor
Everyone love dinosaurs, that is as long as they stay millions of years in the past and don’t suddenly turn up in the park next time I am having a picnic. Dylan is a character who certainly loves dinosaurs, enough so that he is able to travel back in time to answer any questions he may have about their existence. Seems a little dangerous to me, especially when he comes up against the king of lizards in E T Harper and Dan Taylor’s, ‘Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex’. Full review...
Terror Town: Elf Girl and Raven Boy 5 by Marcus Sedgwick
Nobody wants to go to Terror Town. It might have a fabulous castle, a Horror Hotel to stay in, and more, but nobody wants to go there. Oh, except for Elf Girl and Raven Boy, who need to collect something from the Hotel in order to defeat the Goblin King. And lo and behold, the Singing Sword held at the Hotel is just given away as a complete annoyance – but getting what they came for so easily could only come at a price… Full review...
The Secrets of Stonehenge by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom
I hope you agree with me about the sheer optimism of this book's title. It carries a certain chutzpah to pretend to show all the secrets about a mystical site which remains, even with a lot of evidence, sheer conjecture. Yes we know when the stones were erected, and from where they came under the orders of what kind of prehistoric man, but nothing is guaranteed in the occult world of pagan ritual, prehistoric pantheons and primitive perpetual calendars. This book won't admit to doubt beyond saying some people have different ideas about Stonehenge, but it will succeed in giving a fleeting glimpse to some of the mysteries and oo-er factors that make the site so intriguing for all ages to this day. Full review...
Ogres Don't Dance (Ogden the Ogre) by Kirsty McKay
Meet Ogden the Ogre. Getting lost in the forest one night after a raid on the village for a bit of human-shaped supper he finds a barn full of colourfully-dressed people having a riotous time, dancing away happily. Obviously Oscar wants to join in, but it's only when he chances on meeting Willow, an incredibly independent nine year old girl, that he gets the opportunity to learn how to dance. But will he stick to the promise he has to give her in return, that of never eating another human, or will he leave her a weeping Willow? Full review...
Riccarton Junction: 1 by W Scott Beaven
Kikarin (Kiri to her friends), moves with her family from cosmopolitan London to the wilds of the Scottish borders where not all accept her Japanese/English mixed heritage. Her father works in forestry for the local laird and her mother lives for the day when Kiri's brother, Keith, is released from the Young Offenders' Institute. However, bringing Keith home again doesn't mean the end of their problems or indeed his. Full review...
The Obsidian Poplar and Other Stories by Lightfall Literary Agency (Editor)
I'll confess that I was a little nervous about The Obsidian Poplar and Other Stories. There's a common misconception that short stories are easy - something run off quickly before the author gets on with doing the proper job of a full-length work, but the truth is rather different. A short story has none of the luxuries of a longer work: plot development has to be done quickly, characters have to come off the page. Every word must earn its keep. A book can be written - a short story must be crafted. But what made me particularly nervous here was that all the authors are students - and the editor was convinced that there are ten of them who are good enough to be included in the book. Full review...
The Serpent House by Bea Davenport
It's 1898 and Annie is living a miserable existence with her aunt and cousins. Not long orphaned, she misses her mam every day. So Annie is overjoyed when her brother's employer Lady Hexer allows him to bring his sister to live with him on a cottage on the estate at Hexer Hall. Lady Hexer takes an interest in both brother and sister. But why? Full review...
Chasing Stars (After Eden 2) by Helen Douglas
Chasing Stars is the follow-up to After Eden - in which Ryan travels back in time to save the world from disaster by preventing the discovery of a far-off planet. In so doing, he falls in love with Eden. In this second story, Ryan travels back once again - this time to save Eden's life. And now Eden must make a sacrifice, too. The boy she loves has given up everything to save her and now she must give up everything to save him... Full review...
Children are Naughty by Vincent Cuvellier and Aurelie Guillerey
Children are naughty. You don't have to tell me that. I have two monsters, one of whom I found this very morning standing on top of the toilet and putting nappy cream all over himself (fully clothed, of course!) I only left the bathroom for a moment! Anyway, this story tells you all about the naughty antics that children can get up to, with everything from biting to throwing food on the floor! Prepare yourself, things could get messy...! Full review...
Sentinel by Joshua Winning
In many ways this book is not as typical of fantasy and mild horror as the summary might suggest. Unlike a lot of stories where we join the main character in the aftermath of a major event, this one begins before Nicholas is orphaned. The ever-increasing tension as his parents leave for a train journey, coming so soon after a menacing and mysterious prologue, makes it pretty clear to us that they won't be returning, and that Nicholas will soon be in deadly danger himself. Full review...
