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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Paul Smith for Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry
The pig family are heading out for a picnic and – goodness – they are going to have some ride! This is the loose story line that functions as a vehicle (pun intended) to introduce a mind boggling array of ‘things that go’. In and around Ma and Pa Pig’s house there are no less than seven motors. That’s a quiet page in Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Prepare to be dazzled along the journey by more vehicles than you ever thought existed all illustrated and labelled. This is an American book so some of the cars, trucks and fire engines may look a little unfamiliar. However, I’m pretty sure though that I never saw a shark car, wolf wagon or pickle truck on either the M5 or the I5. Full review...
The Book With No Pictures by B J Novak
My favourite moments of reviewing books are ones just like this; when I decide to take a chance on a book that I have no idea about but which looks like it might be just a little bit interesting, and it turns out they are. The Book With No Pictures by B J Novak isn't just a little bit interesting, it is staggeringly original and so much fun. Full review...
Thornfield Hall by Jane Stubbs
I can't say that I'm a fan of reworkings of classic books: some suck the life out of the original, others fail to add anything - and why would you want to read an inferior version when you can read the real thing? Generally, I try to avoid them - and I'm still not certain why I made an exception for Thornfield Hall - it certainly wasn't the headless woman (sigh...) on the cover - but I added it to my reading pile. I'm glad that I did. Full review...
Ultima by Stephen Baxter
In Proxima, alien hatches were discovered across the galaxy, hatches that when opened caused completely unimaginable events to occur - amongst many strange happenings, one character suddenly had a twin she didn't have previously , and one hatch led to a different earth, where the Roman Empire never died.
It is there that Ultima begins - on a world where the Roman Empire never fell, and the technology and culture is markedly different as a result. Full review...
To Kill For (The Killing Machine) by Phillip Hunter
- Contains To Die For spoilers**
Ex Falkland Campaign para Joe is out for revenge. Brenda, a woman he could have loved, is murdered and Joe himself may have been the one forced to kill Kid, an abused young girl he'd sworn to protect. Joe will find the name behind the deaths and make sure they too suffer fatally. The only thing is, in a world of fluctuating loyalties and deceit, he may not survive long enough to carry out his ambition, even if he was the only one searching… But he's not! Full review...
Talking to Ghosts by Herve Le Corre and Frank Wynne (Translator)
French Police Commandant Pierre Vilar's young son Pablo went missing a while ago but he believes him to be alive; a belief that has wrecked his marriage. Meanwhile elsewhere, 13-year-old Victor comes home to a brutally murdered mother. Is there a connection between these two tragedies? That's something that Vilar is desperate to find out, no matter what he has to do or what it does to him. Full review...
Here Are the Young Men by Rob Doyle
Here are the Young Men surges forward, oozing edginess, from the very first sentence. Is that a bad thing? Probably not. It just means that readers may at times slip out of the story, feel themselves taking a step back and admiring the spare coolness of the novel before easing back into the narrative. Full review...
The Magic and Mystery of Birds by Noah Strycker
Sometimes it is easy to overlook the wonder all around us. For example, that scruffy looking starling sitting on your garden fence may look unassuming and commonplace, but type murmuration into the search bar on Youtube and prepare to be mesmerised as a huge flock of the birds perform a gracefully hypnotic aerial ballet which has an almost alien quality. If we take time to stop and look at our feathered friends, we will see that they are anything but ordinary. The bird world is full of unsolved mysteries that humans are only now beginning to unravel: How do pigeons navigate? How do vultures find food? What are penguins afraid of? How do nutcrackers find their hidden food caches? The Magic and Mystery of Birds searches for the answers to these questions, as well as many more, opening our eyes to the hidden world of birds. Full review...
The Last of the Spirits by Chris Priestley
Teenage Sam and his little sister Lizzie are starving on the streets of London, which is gripped by terrible cold. Asking an old businessman for money, a man who looks at them with such sheer contempt that Sam's heart fills with hate. He swears that he will seek vengeance and rob the old man, not caring whether his victim will live or die. But before he can do so, a strange spirit appears to him, and warns him about the terrible path he will put himself on with this violent act. Can Sam resist the temptation to gain revenge? Several more spirits show him the possible consequences of his action, as we see Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol from a new viewpoint. Full review...
The Test Book: 64 Tools to Lead You to Success by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschappeler
The title of the book intrigued me: The Test Book and the offer of sixty four tools which would lead me to success. I'm happy with where my life is but it struck me that only a fool doesn't see room for improvement - and besides, it's a slim book, ideal for popping into a bag or pocket for those waiting room moments. It was only the reputation of the authors - and the value of their earlier books - which made me realise that this wasn't going to be a light-hearted series of 'tests' such as those favoured by some magazines and newspapers. For the most part these are serious, well-established tests used by professionals. Full review...
Bear and Hare: Snow! by Emily Gravett
Emily Gravett is, let's face it, always good. There are books upon books which are well written and well thought out for the preschool market, but I can't help but feel like very young tots are often an after thought. Gravett, however, takes her sweet and witty style and gives it to just this market, and she is repeatedly excellent at it. There is just as much thought in her work as with any picture book for a slightly older reader, but it speaks to small ones in particular and I cannot do anything other than applaud her for that. Full review...
Chop Chop by Simon Wroe
'Monocle' isn't his real name, but that's what the brigade at The Swan would call him once they knew him well enough to insult him. He has an English Literature degree, you see, and the chefs think that's what he would have worn. He'd no interest in cooking, but was two months behind on his rent and being the lowest-rung chef in a gastropub in Camden was the only job that he could get. His co-workers are deranged and borderline criminal whilst the head chef, Bob is a top-rank sadist constantly on the look out for material on which to practice. Monocle has little choice but to stay - given the situation between his parents, going home isn't really an option. Full review...
Massacre Pond by Paul Doiron
What is best for the great outdoors? Is leaving it to nature is the most sustainable option or does hunting help to protect the ecosystem? Each group has opposing viewpoints and are unlikely to reach common ground, therefore someone is going to have to stand between the two of them and make sure nothing bad happens. Something like murder. Full review...
The Lost Child by Suzanne McCourt
Sylvie lives in a small Australian fishing village with her mum, dad and elder brother, Dunc. However all that is about to change and little Sylvie finds herself in the middle of dramas she neither understands nor controls. Her world may never be the same but she tries to make sense of it, Trollop, clingy mother, moody father and all. Full review...
A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas and Peter Bailey
Christmas time growing up in a Welsh seaside town was magical for Dylan Thomas, always snowy and full of adventure. From attempting to extinguish house fires with snowballs to hippo footprints in the snow his childhood in the snow was a time of wonder and pure joy. Full review...
Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
I've been intrigued by the idea of Girl Online since I first heard about it - I love books about blogging and the internet, and obviously YouTube sensation Zoella has had the experience of becoming well known online herself. The backlash from certain quarters has intrigued me as well; the number of people who've completely dismissed this as a bad book while admitting they haven't read it seems surprisingly high. I approached it with an open mind - I've never watched any of her YouTube videos and at the time of reading, hadn't read her blog, although I've just checked out a couple of her personal posts and I'm quite impressed by them. I think that people who do the same thing will enjoy it. Full review...
Misdirected by Ali Berman
Ben's family are moving from cosmopolitan, multi-faith Boston to a small town in America's Bible Belt, much to Ben's disgust. He's not looking forward to attending a conservative Christian high school and it doesn't take more than a few days before all his fears are realised. Open about his atheism, Ben meets shock and disgust from teachers and pupils alike. When he meets a girl, Tess, her parents forbid the relationship: as a non-believer Ben, to them, is a dangerous and pernicious influence. With his brother on a tour of Iraq with the military, a sister away at college and two Boston friends who won't talk to him, Ben has only a few stolen moments with Tess to make life bearable.
And then even that goes wrong... Full review...
Circle, Square, Moose by Kelly L Bingham and Paul O Zelinsky
If you have children you have no doubt read loads of books about shapes; the circle, the square, the dodecahedron. They are all variations of the same things – this wheel is round like a circle, this bread reminds me of a square, what on earth is a dodecahedron? Why not spice the book up by throwing in a moose, but not just any moose. This is a moose that brings chaos to everything he touches and must be chased from the book! Full review...
Atticus Claw Learns to Draw by Jennifer Gray
Who knew how much trouble a rainy day could bring? When nothing else inspires them, children Michael and Callie and police cat sergeant Atticus all enter a draw-some-pickles competition, for the chance to win a trip to, er, the pickle factory. Atticus has been around a bit – he used to be the world's best cat burglar – and he seems to recognise one of the faces on the pickle jars as an old enemy, but at least the main baddies of the series – the Russian spy mistress and her cat, and the town magpies – are miles away and tucked up safely inside a giant shark. So lo and behold when Atticus's entry wins, and the whole family gets taken to the factory. And lo and behold when the factory owner seems rather suspicious, and lo and behold when a certain shark gets captured… Full review...
House of Ashes by Monique Roffey
There had been unrest in the Caribbean City of Silk in Sans Amen for some time with people growing increasingly belligerent about the perceived corruption of the government. Then the day came when The Leader called the Brothers together and told them that they were going to make history: they would take over the House of Power and the television studios and reclaim what was rightfully theirs. Part of this 'revolution' is Ashes, a quiet, bookish young man who seems to feel most guilty about the lie he told his wife - that he'd be back home for dinner - when he left the house. He'd been swayed by The Leader's rhetoric and finds himself a part of the rag-tag band of ill-trained but probably over-armed young men and teens who invade the House of Power. It would not go as they expected. Full review...
Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo
It's May, 1915. World War I is underway and the Scillionians have already seen losses. Like the rest of Britain, they are beginning to realise that this war won't be over any time soon.
When Alfie and his father are out fishing one day, they hear a child's cries. On one of the archipelago's uninhabited islands, they find a half-starved little girl, abandoned and in a terrible state. She can only speak one word: Lucy. Who is this foundling? Is she a ghost? A mermaid? Or, more worryingly, could she be a German spy? The name Wilhelm is on the label of her blanket, after all. And why does she gaze at the moon with such longing in her eyes? Full review...
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram
I’m not an overly sentimental person on the whole, I tend to lean towards fanciful tales and humorous romps rather than mushy, squishy books. 'Guess How Much I Love You' has been very much an exception to that for a long time, and I only have to turn the first page to quickly become a sentimental wreck. This 20th anniversary edition is a wonderful addition to the collection, with a very touching little introduction from both the author, Sam McBratney, and illustrator, Anita Jeram. Full review...
Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh
We've all heard the phrase 'it's not brain surgery' but what is it really like to operate on someone's brain in the frightening knowledge that a small slip, a slight error can have the most devastating consequences for the patient, with death probably not being the worst? Henry Marsh is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and Consultant Neurosurgeon at Atkinson Morley/St George's. If anyone knows what it's like then Henry Marsh is the man to tell you. Full review...
Things We Couldn't Explain by Betsy Tobin
Jericho, Ohio - 1979.
Annemarie is a clever, funny and spirited girl. Born with sight, she turned blind as a child, but more than compensates for her disability. Living amongst the small-town folk of Jericho, she has a relatively standard, suburban life, schooled at home but more than friendly with many in the town - especially her charming neighbour Ethan.
All is calm, until one day Annemarie finds herself pregnant. Full review...
The Naughtiest Reindeer by Nicki Greenberg
If you made all of Father Christmas’s reindeer line up, you would find it pretty tricky to find the naughtiest one among them as they are so well behaved. However, there is one reindeer who is so naughty that she does not get asked to pull the sleigh very often. On certain occasions needs must and when Rudolf is ill on Christmas Eve, the only help comes in the form of his little sister Ruby – dear oh deer. Full review...
The Fourth Secret (Inspector Montalbano) by Andrea Camilleri
Early one morning an Albanian construction worker - a legal resident with a work permit - fell from scaffolding and was dead when his co-workers found him. What struck Montalbano was that there had been rather a lot of what were described as tragedies in the workplace - six in the last month, in fact, although he was sure that there would be statistics to prove that this was not abnormal within the EU. Strictly it wasn't his case to deal with, but he received an anonymous letter telling him that Pashko Puka was going to be killed. Admittedly the letter arrived after the death due to a malfunction in the local postal system, but it did mean that it was difficult to think of the death as a 'tragic accident'. Full review...
The Kill by Jane Casey
I'm quite picky with crime fiction. This oversaturated market seems to teem with mediocre products. There are thrillers with excellent plots that are are badly written, some that contain masterful prose but are, well... boring, and others that are so far-fetched that I end up throwing the book away in disgust. I read Jane Casey′s highly enjoyable stand-alone The Missing several years ago. The Kill was my first foray into her Maeve Kerrigan series and I was keen to see how it would stand up. Full review...
Sir Charlie Stinky Socks: The Pirate's Curse by Kristina Stephenson
Sir Charlie Stinky Socks: the Pirate's Curse passed the grandchild test. The oldest granddaughter, aged 7, chose it for the teatime read as she'd already enjoyed another in this series. She took the lead in turning the pages, opening the giant flaps and pointing out details of the plot and jokes. The varied typefaces and sizes made it easy for her beginner reader brother to join in and the lively story line frequently attracted the attention of the third child who was sitting on the other side of the table absorbed in a project of her own. Full review...
The Squickerwonkers by Evangeline Lilly and Johnny Fraser-Allen
Selma is a young girl who finds a strange attraction on the edge of a fair – a large gypsy caravan-styled contraption, which she enters, alone but for her shiny red balloon. She appears to be alone, until nine marionette puppets suddenly appear on the stage within, and a disembodied voice introduces them all to her. They are the Squickerwonkers, and as we are about to see, they can reveal someone's entire character with the simplest of actions… Full review...
Sanctuary by Robert Edric
Everyone knows Charlotte, Emily and Anne. Not many know that this famous trio of literary sisters also had a brother, Patrick Branwell Brontë, born the year after Charlotte and a year before Emily. Like his sisters, he had literary ambitions: he wrote juvenile stories, poems and translations from the Greek; he also trained as a painter (you have most likely seen his famous painting of his sisters). Again like his sisters, however, he was destined to die young. Full review...
