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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Me After You by Lucie Brownlee
People die all the time. I’m not trying to be crude, they just do. It’s the circle of life, or some less Disney-fied sentiment. And if everyone whose partner or parent died wrote a book about it, well, to say that would be less than good would be a severe understatement. For a book on such a theme to be worth reading, it has to have a pull, a twist, something to make you look twice. In Lucie’s case it’s the fact that her husband Mark was only 37 years old when he died. And not only that, he died during a bit of nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Talk about going out with a bang. Full review...
Afterparty by Daryl Gregory
People have been taking pills and seeing God for years, but in Afterparty Daryl Gregory is taking the idea of smart drugs one step further. What happens if after a particularly bad trip you have an omnipresent God with you? Is this a sense of wellbeing, or are you now just schizophrenic? In the near future people take drugs not only for their cures, but also their side effects and seeing deities may be the worst side effect of all. Full review...
Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir
Elizabeth of York could have ruled England were she not a woman and were she not born in the fifteenth century. Oldest daughter of Edward IV, she was the heiress of the Yorkist dynasty after the death of Richard III at Bosworth (and her own younger brothers in the Tower of London). Henry VII, the first Tudor king and victor by conquest, had at best a tenuous claim to the English throne. He legitimised it by his marriage to Elizabeth and proclaimed it through the Tudor rose, that joining of the emblems of York and Lancaster. Elizabeth's marriage to Henry produced one of our most famous kings in Henry VIII. Full review...
Danloria: The Secret Forest of Germania by Gloria D Gonsalves
Stan loves to go for walks in the forest of Danloria, located in the seven hills of Germania. He goes with his father almost every day. One particular day, Stan's father is ill in bed and can't take him out. And that's when Fern appears. Stan notices the plant waving to him and can't help but investigate. Fern has an invitation for Stan. He wants to take him to the secret parts of the forest, to a party. Stan has a fabulous time, meeting all the plants and finding out about the various ways in which they benefit humanity. The following spring, Stan is racking his brains to think of the perfect gift for his mother's fortieth birthday party when Fern appears again. More friends of the forest supply presents more wonderful than Stan could ever have dreamed of. A firm friendship ensues. Full review...
All Cut Up by Bruce Crowther
Jimmy and his Mum were at the supermarket when she disappeared. He didn't immediately think that it was a problem - after all she was suffering from dementia and out of roughly the last hundred and fifty visits to GetItAll he'd lost his mother on thirty five of them. But - she wasn't usually gone for this long and then there was the nagging worry that she might have become the latest victim of the Acton Axeman - a serial killer who was targeting blond, slightly-plump women wearing green - a description which fitted Jimmy's Mum to a tee. Full review...
The Dangerous Discoveries of Gully Potchard by Julia Lee
Gully never intended to get into trouble. At the beginning of our story he has a good job as a delivery boy and a safe, secure home with a loving family. But a single action can have a multitude of effects, and being forced by Nathan Boldree and his gang to take part in their latest scam soon has Gully fleeing his home. He takes refuge from the villains with his uncle on the Isle of Wight, but even there danger and menace pursue him. Full review...
Busiest People Ever by Richard Scarry
I suspect lots of us grown ups feel a certain amount of nostalgia when we come across a Richard Scarry book. He has such a distinctive style that you recognise it immediately and find yourself hunting for Huckle the pig and Lowly worm. This book tells us all about Busytown and the different things that are going on there. I actually didn't get to read the story properly until I sat down to write this review because although this has become a firm favourite with my two year old son he has no patience for the story and instead just wants to spend all his time looking at all the many, many different kinds of vehicles there are throughout the book! Full review...
Research by Philip Kerr
John Houston is a multimillionaire with a beautiful wife, a number of mistresses, countless extravagances and an apartment in Monaco, for tax reasons. He made his fortune by creating a formula for a series of best-selling novels designed specifically to appeal to the average man on the street. John has a team of four ghost-writers to do all the writing, meaning that he can produce an average of six bestsellers per year. John calls his group of ghost-writers his atelier', his ‘workshop’, perfectly reflecting his views of them. Full review...
At the Edge of Uncertainty: 11 Discoveries Taking Science by Surprise by Michael Brooks
Eleven Discoveries are introduced and explored in Michael Brooks’ At the Edge of Uncertainty, spanning all from the expansion of epigenetics, the possibility of creating a hypercomputer, and the unveiling of the true nature of the universe. Some of the hypotheses currently being investigated by our contemporary scientific community are baffling enough in themselves: Is our universe a hologram of an extra-dimensional universe? Are the mechanisms governing photosynthesis and human olfaction in fact one and the same? Just how well-established are animal personalities and cultures, if such exist? Is a human ‘will to live’ something which can be attributed to discernible biological responses and systems? Is time an illusion? Full review...
The Girl Who Walked on Air by Emma Carroll
I have been looking forward to reading this book for some time. Emma Carroll’s debut novel, Frost Hollow Hall, was one of my favourite children’s books of last year and I was delighted to discover that this is just as good. This is the exciting story of Louie and her hopes to become a circus star. Ever since she was abandoned as a baby at Chipchase's Travelling Circus, Louie has dreamed of becoming a 'Showstopper’ but Mr Chipchase only ever lets her sell tickets. However Louie has a talent as a tightrope walker and every morning she practises her act in secret watched by her little dog Pip. Can Louie find the courage to overcome the challenges that face her, defy Mr Chipchase and achieve her dream? Full review...
Following the Tractor by Susan Steggall
There's only one thing that you need to know about this book and that's that it is about a tractor. Not sold? Well, your under five will be but in case you require further persuasion, try this out for size. The tractor is red and appears on every page and on one page (could there be more joy?), there is also a blue tractor and a green combine harvester. I've yet to meet a child who doesn't like a tractor. My local rhyme time librarian introduced a toy for each verse of Old McDonald then had to invest in additional vehicles for the tractor round as it was less 'brrmm brrmm here' more 'toddler fisticuffs there'. Full review...
I Don't Want To Go To School by Stephanie Blake
Simon is a rabbit. A cheeky rabbit. So when his mum tells him he’s starting school in the morning, he doesn’t accept this. He answers back. I’m not going he says. And while at first it seems he’s just being stubborn, over night the truth comes out: he’s actually a little bit scared. Full review...
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
A young teacher is kidnapped leaving her family distraught. Wealthy and influential, they call in the big guns to find their daughter, but is there more to the story, and indeed to the family, than meets the eye? Full review...
Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
Jenna is getting married and no one would be more excited than her mother Beth. But Beth passed away before she could see the baby of the Carmichael family happily hitched. Knowing she wouldn't live to see the day, she drafted The Notebook, a guide to help Jenna plan her nuptials with wise, motherly advice on every aspect. Full review...
Letter 44 Volume 1: Escape Velocity by Charles Soule and Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque
I guess we don't always think of the President of the USA as someone who is thrown into the deep end on day one, given his retinue of advisors and aides. But this one is – when being inaugurated as the 44th POTUS, Stephen Blades gets a letter from the outgoing premier. He – and we – learn that the prior two terms, when America was busy fighting in the eastern hemisphere and not getting her economy into gear, were pretty much just a cover-up. The military presence and lack of economic benefit at home was purely due to something a long way away – the discovery of something being manufactured by aliens within our own asteroid belt. Due to some cloaking technology little is known about what is up there – and that applies to our own response, too – the ultra top secret mission we've sent up, both scientific and military, to have a closer look. Welcome to the job, Mr President. Full review...
The Dark Blood (The Long War) by AJ Smith
The lands of Ro are slowly being subjugated by the evil sorceresses known as The Seven Sisters. Their only hope is to kill them and only one man is up to the task: the Dark Blood assassin, Rham Jas. He chooses master forger and fixer Kale as his assistant but, as this will reduce Kale's life expectancy markedly, Kale's not keen. Meanwhile Utha, albino Black Order cleric, his squire Randall, axe maiden Halla Summer Wolf, Timon the Butcher et al are dragged into a bloody conflict during which they have to fight for more than just their own survival. Full review...
The Rain-Soaked Bride by Guy Adams
The last thing that the afflicted people see before their death is a wet woman in white. The last thing they feel is their own personal rain cloud soaking them while everywhere else remains dry. All also happen to be in top government jobs. What's happening? British Intelligence Department 37 (in the form of August Shining and Toby Greene) is there to find out. This may not be the full extent of the problems facing them though; not with a South Korean delegation coming to the UK for talks and August's sister April wanting to get in on the act. Full review...
Paper Swans by Jessica Thompson
Ben Lawrence has a charmed life it would seem. There’s the highly successful and lucrative career in PR, the fast car, and more girlfriends than he can possibly remember. However, despite all this, Ben is sad and lonely. He is scared to commit to any woman because of a tragic incident from his past. Even visiting his therapist does not seem to make a difference. Therefore, he is completely taken by surprise when, after meeting Effy Jones, the founder of the charity that Ben’s firm is sponsoring, he finds that he cannot stop thinking about her. Full review...
Jedi Academy 2: Return of the Padawan by Jeffrey Brown
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
There lived a boy called Roan Novachez who always dreamed of being a pilot like his big brother. Fate works in mysterious ways and poor Roan ended up at Jedi academy instead. His first year was full of drama and tween angst; trying to make friends, fit in, impress girls and avoid lightsaber-wielding bullies. Roan thinks this year is going to be different: This school year will definitely be the BEST YEAR EVER! Of course, nobody told Roan that when you make statements like that, you are just asking for trouble... Full review...
Night Runner by Tim Bowler
Strange men are watching Vinny's house but he doesn't know why. His mum is being disloyal to his dad but he doesn't know why. Something is up with his dad and his job but Vinny doesn't know what. But Vinny does know that he's had enough of school, where he's being bullied. Everything is going wrong. And now, the men who are watching the house are after Zinny too. Mum ends up in the hospital. Dad disappears.
What's going on? Full review...
Hattie B, Magical Vet: The Dragon's Song (Book 1) by Claire Taylor-Smith
Hattie's birthday is not going as well as she planned. Mum and Dad are busy at work, her teenage brother is ignoring her and her best friend has decided to go away for the weekend. Hattie is resigned to a morning of watching DVD's in her bedroom until a surprise knock at the door heralds the delivery of a very special gift that will change her life forever. Full review...
Doing It by Melvin Burgess
First published in 2003, Doing It is the story of a group of teenagers discovering sex for the first time. It's explicit. It's unflinching. And it caused a stir at the time. With high teen pregnancy rates, is there such a thing as too much accuracy? Or are honest portrayals the best form of education? Reissued a decade later, we can have that conversation all over again through the prism of the three teenage boys this novel follows. Full review...
After Before by Jemma Wayne
Emily easier for English people to pronounce than Emilienne, lives in a council tower block, barely furnished, but still - for her - a place of safety, a place of anonymity, which is the best way for her to exist. She cleans commercial premises and relishes the work. She makes her small earnings go as far as possible, shopping locally, living frugally. Full review...
Runaway by Marie-Louise Jensen
After her father is brutally murdered, Charlotte escapes the city to try to find a new life, and to avoid the vicious killer who is surely tracking her down. Disguising herself as a boy, she puts her skill with horses to good use by finding employment at a grand country estate, drawing the notice of a kind man far above her station in life. But while Charlie tries to grasp happiness where she can find it, the shadow of the past looms over her. Will she ever be truly free of the terror of her father's death? Full review...
The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing by Bob Hartman
From the Montagues and the Capulets to the Sharks and the Jets, there are some groups who just can't mix without fireworks resulting. A sheep making friends with a Wolf was never going to end well. The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing tells the tale of one little lamb who decides to go to Wolf school. She's bored of the day to day routine of being a sheep. The daily dips, the badminton playing, the endless knitting. Mum's knitting comes in handy though as a wolf suit flies off her needles. This enables Little Sheep, suitably disguised, to trot off to Wolf School and learn that it's ok to be friends with someone who is outwardly quite different to yourself... Full review...
What Milo Saw by Virginia Macgregor
Milo is 9 years old and slowly going blind. He lives with his Mum, his Gran and Hamlet the pet pig but not Dad. Milo's Dad lives in Abu Dhabi because Dad made The Tart pregnant. One day, once the emergency services go away, Mum breaks it to Milo that Gran can't live with them anymore and has to go into a home. It doesn't end there though. Milo is on a mission; he and Hamlet will bring Gran back. It's a bit of a difficult mission for a 9-year-old and pig to accomplish alone though so first he needs to convince at least one adult. Good luck Milo! Full review...
My Gentle Barn: where animals heal and children learn to hope by Ellie Laks
As a child Ellie Laks was abused, but not only did she suffer at the hands of her abuser, she also had to endure parental indifference to what was happening to her. Her only relief came through animals - and even then she had to cope when the animals were taken from her. As an adult she discovered that she had a real talent for healing animals - and that they helped her to heal too. In a brilliant leap of intuition she realised that if the animals could help her to heal they could do the same for others and so the Gentle Barn was born - a place where animals were brought as a place of safety and where disadvantaged children and special needs groups could use as therapy. Full review...
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir who got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe by Romain Puertolas
Ajastashatru Oghash Rathod is an Indian fakir or an Indian conman, depending on your viewpoint. The day he decides to buy a new bed of nails he does what any of us would do: jumps on a plane from the Indian sub-continent to Paris with some misappropriated money in order to shop at Ikea. His nefarious means will only go so far, therefore he decides to sleep in the store overnight. What’s the problem? Ikea has bedrooms and everything. However, Ikea also has security which is how Ajatashatru gets to travel around Europe in a less than conventional way chased by a homicidal taxi driver. That's the sort of thing that could happen to anyone though, isn't it? Full review...
Explore and Draw Patterns: An Art Activity Book by Owen Davey and Georgia Amson-Bradshaw
Explore and Draw Patterns is a beautifully presented interactive workbook designed to spark creativity and imagination. The appeal of the subject matter is universal; everyone loves to doodle, so the book would be equally enjoyable for adults or children. Full review...
Hummingbirds: A Life-Size Guide to Every Species by Michael Fogden, Marianne Taylor and Sheri L Williamson
I've always been fascinated by hummingbirds - delicate, colourful, beautifully and brilliantly adapted to extract nectar from flowers. Perhaps most of all for me it's their acrobatic flight - the ability to hover and manoeuvre which has me hooked: I could watch them for hours, amazed that birds whose weight can only meaningfully be given in ounces can do so much. I was drawn to this book as soon as I saw it, for a number of reasons. Full review...
The Dinosaurs are Having a Party! by Gareth P Jones and Garry Parsons
You've hired the clown, there appears to be enough food and goodie bags for everyone, but have you made one fatal mistake? Is the venue big enough, this is after all a party for dinosaurs. 'The Dinosaurs are Having a Party!’ tells of one such party fully populated by our extinct friends; apart from one small boy and his dog. Everything at the party appears to be fine, but where is the food? Full review...
