Our book reviews online

The Goblin and the Girl by Neil Irani

2012-02-15T09:30:00.000Z

The Power Of The Mirror
Review by The Mole

The Girl has a mirror which whenever she looks in it all she sees is a goblin. Frightened that other people will see the goblin too she hides her face behind a large hat and avoids people until one day when The Boy talks to her in a friendly way and she can't hide from him.

One thing that surprised me in this book is that "The Girl" and "The Boy" don't have names. It's something that I hadn't noticed until I re-read it and the more I think about it the more relevant this idea actually is.

While the pictures (by Park Yun) are powerful they also manage to catch the mood very well of The Girl as the story progresses.

My only concern is if a child on their own could catch the true understanding of the important subject that this book covers, so I feel that at some point it needs to be shared and talked about. Self-esteem. Perhaps one of the earliest character developments that can shape a person for many years. The book is written such that if it is shared with a child and discussed it can be used to show that 'the quiet child in the class' should be talked to and treated kindly even if not actually befriended by everyone or it can be used to show a shy child that they don't look like a goblin and are perfectly normal and that they can talk and play with other children.

A beautifully drawn and well scripted book for sharing and discussing.

Publisher - Maverick Books
Genre - Children's Early Reader

Buy The Goblin and the Girlfrom Amazon

The Brothers by Asko Sahlberg

2012-02-13T10:48:00.001Z

Finnish Epic
review by Maryom

The Brothers is the first offering in Peirene Press' Year of the Small Epic, the tale of Henrik and Erik - two brothers different in almost every way: one is courageous and adventurous, going off to see the world and make his fortune; the other is steadier, the type to stay at home and tend the family farm; one appears to have everything he could want; the other is thwarted at every turn. Through accident, the brothers found themselves on opposite sides as the Russians and Swedes fought over Finland, and as the story opens Henrik returns home for the first time after the ending of the war - the perfect dramatic set-up for an opening up of old wounds and long-held grudges on, yes, an epic scale!

The Brothers is another wonderful offering from Peirene Press - one which might top Portrait of The Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius as my favourite.
A "small epic" seems a curious oxymoronic thing but although The Brothers is short on pages it's certainly not short on plot or characterisation. In just over 120 pages Sahlberg brings to life a family drama of long simmering resentment, sexual tension, financial mismanagement and long hidden secrets. It's rather like watching an intensely focused, dramatically packed 90 minute film, instead of the slow progression of a 12 part TV series. I loved the depth of characterisation and scope of the action achieved in such a small space.
There's something reminiscent of Greek tragedy to the story in the inevitable working out of fate and also in the presentation - each character talks directly to the reader, revealing his/her thoughts, desires and secrets and the action is seen through their eyes. Yet the opening sequence has all the hallmarks of a Western - the crunch of footsteps as Henrik approaches, the measured step, his slow appraisal of his surroundings, for all the world like a gunslinger walking up the main street of a Wild West town. Once you start to think "western" a lot of other things fit in - the horse, the girl, the squabbles over land -perhaps it just underlines the timeless quality of the story.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Peirene Press
Genre - Adult Literary Fiction

Buy The Brothers from Amazon or You can purchase a subscription from Peirene Press

Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft

2012-02-10T09:30:00.000Z

A chilling read!
Review by The Mole

It's an unusually cold winter in Sweden and the people are in a state of apathy waiting for warmth to come when a body is found hanging in a tree. The body is naked and has been beaten and slashed beyond recognition and Malin, with her partner Zeke, are called to start the investigation. Without identification and no-one matching having been reported missing there won't be a quick solution.

This is the first Scandinavian crime thriller that I've read and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe 'enjoy' isn't quite the word I'm looking for but I would most certainly do it again.

The style was comfortable for me to read (being of the squeamish nature) for example the victim suffered some horrific injuries and it could have been described in a stomach churning fashion - but it wasn't, and where ever the opportunity arose to shock the impact was thoughtfully minimised. The purpose was to shock and horrify the characters but not the reader.

Malin has lots of life 'issues' but show me a fictional detective that lives a happy life. (OK.. they do in Midsomer but they're more fictional than fiction!) But we also get close to most every other character in the book.

The investigation develops slowly but that's not to say the story moves slowly - it doesn't and you start to wonder where the 420 pages went! With the entire detection process no secrets are held back from the reader and in fact as the victim actually has a voice from the grave throughout the book it's arguable that the reader knows more than the detectives. And in the end was justice served? Is justice ever served fairly? Maybe and maybe not and as with life not all the loose ends are tied off. Some are left for the reader to ask about, wish for or wonder at. But as with all good crime thrillers it's not guessing who did it that matters - it's the story of actually getting there.

A really good book and I look forward eagerly to Malin's next case - and maybe we'll find out what Karim's wife WAS thinking!

The version of the book I was reading was The Richard and Judy Book Club version that is exclusive to W H Smith and has bonus content including the first chapter of the next book as well as a Q&A with the author, Mons Kallentoft.

Publisher - Hodder
Genre - Adult Crime Thriller

Buy Midwinter Sacrifice from W H Smith

The Book Of Summers by Emylia Hall

2012-02-08T09:30:00.002Z

Long Hot Hungarian Summer
review by Maryom

One day Beth's father comes on a surprise visit, bringing with him a parcel sent to her from Hungary. She knows who it will be from - the handwriting on it is that of her estranged mother's Hungarian artist partner, Zoltan - and at first she determines not to open it.
For seven years after her parents' separation, Beth made the long journey to Hungary for a week long summer holiday at their home, Villa Serena. At the time these weeks seemed idyllic -in comparison to her dull, plodding life at home with her quiet, almost silent father, Beth found Hungary to be hot, exotic and vibrant - but after they came to an abrupt end Beth has tried to block all memory of them.
Curiosity wins over her original decision - and inside the parcel she discovers The Book Of Summers, a scrapbook with an exquisitely painted cloth cover, compiled by Beth's estranged mother, Marika, filled with photographs, postcards and pressed flowers celebrating the holidays Beth spent with her in Hungary. Beth finds herself drawn back into her life there, rediscovering the joyful summers and the traumatic ending to them.

In essence The Book Of Summers is a coming of age story, a journey of self-discovery while facing up to hidden, unpleasant truths, one in which the heroine cannot build a future without coming to terms with the past. But what makes it stand out from so many similar tales is the way in which it is told.
The Book Of Summers brought the sights and smells of the Hungarian countryside to life for me. It's one of those novels that can transport you to a different time and place - I read it last week in the biggest freeze so far this winter and would swear I could feel the heat of the Hungarian summer as I read. It's such a beautiful evocation of hot, lazy summer days, of meadows disappearing into heat haze, hidden forest pools and not forgetting the wonderful Hungarian food - goulash, spicy sausages, juicy water melons, bullet-holed cheese.

I wondered slightly as I was reading, entranced as I was, quite where the plot was leading - whether it was solely a series of enchanting snap-shots. Then without warning, wham, came a lightning bolt of a plot twist - one that stopped me in my tracks and made me reassess the story so far.

I was told that this was a book that I would adore - and I do!

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Headline
Genre - adult, literary fiction

Buy The Book of Summers from Amazon

Snowy Favourites

2012-02-07T12:10:00.005Z

With snow and ice lying around for the third day, we started thinking about our favourite snowy reads - so here's yet another Top 5 list

Maryom's Top 5

When I started thinking of snowy day stories, the first one that sprung to mind was the AA Milne one in which Pooh and Piglet go in search of a woozle - admittedly it's not a complete story, just a chapter from Winnie the Pooh but it's complete in itself and captures the essence and excitement of snow and of tracking something through it.
There are lots that didn't quite make the Top 5 - Cold Mountain and Possession both have memorable snow storms though the overall feel isn't 'snowy'; almost anything Russian is bound to include snow - Dr Zhivago, War and Peace, Eugene Onegin - and so many murder mysteries - The Murder on the Orient Express, The Virgin in the Ice, The Opposite of Amber .....

Anyway, these are the ones that made the final cut;

In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting and nearly catch a Woozle - classic snowy weather hunting tale for the under-5s

Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith - faceless dead bodies and fur smuggling introduce us to Arkady Renko of the Moscow militia.

Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow by Peter Hoeg - Nordic Noir. The police claim a boy's death is an accident, Miss Smilla, with her indepth knowledge of snow, insists it's murder.

The Still Point by Amy Sackville - memories of a polar explorer unearthed by his great-grand niece on a hot summer's day, making the cold colder and the heat, hotter.

Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson - snow covered fir trees alternate with ripe strawberries against the background of teen love and a murder trial.

The Mole's Top 5

Well I don't see how any top 5 snowy stories can be completed (or even started) without including The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. Magic, snow, friendship and love - all the components for an excellent story.

And when it comes to magic The Lion The Witch And The Wardobe by C S Lewis has captured so many imaginations since it was first published and is still capturing them today.

But snow is not all soft and fluffy whiteness as we see in Dark Matter by Michelle Paver when we see the darkest and most hostile side to winter.

And when people become dark in their intentions and join forces with winter we end up with stories like Dead Of Winter by P J Parrish. A truly chilling and thrilling tale.

But sometimes the darker side of people does not involve murder and mayhem as we see in Legend Of A Suicide by David Vann when winter conspires with mood to bring very dark times.

Your Top 5 snowy stories

Do tell please?

The Comic Cafe by Roger Stevens

2012-02-06T09:30:00.000Z

A Work of Art
Review by The Mole

By a strange and plausible turn of fate, Wilf and his 4 sisters are accidentally abandoned in the seaside cafe that their parents have bought. Sounds like a recipe for parties and fun but instead they decide to do the cafe up and open it up again. Sounds like an adventure but becomes much more when things don't go quite to plan.

Written with bags of humour and with all the characters having a their own contribution to the plot, this book must appeal equally to both boys and girls. Laughs come thick and fast from Wilf who is the only one that doesn't take life too seriously but is also the most focussed of them all. Sounds like a contradiction? Yes, I suppose it does but it works and gives a really entertaining, light hearted read for children of about 9+.

One comment that was made as I was reading it was that it would make a children's television series. Well it would but let's not overlook that it's a really good children's book first though.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Children's 9+, Comedy

Buy The Comic Cafe from Amazon

Grolion of Almery by Matthew Hughes (Short Story)

2012-02-03T09:30:00.000Z

The Strength Of An Anthology
Review by The Mole

Songs of the Dying Earth (Pt 2)

This anthology is a celebration of Jack Vance's first novel "The Dying Earth" and as such each is set on the same world with the same magics and customs but with entirely different imaginations telling the stories. Writers such as Robert Silverberg, Tanith Lee and Neil Gaiman contributed their tellings in honour of the creator of the Dying Earth.

This, the second story from the anthology, is a complete mood change from the first and is none the worse for it.

Grolion is being pursued and is offered shelter after knocking on a door at random. But Grolion doesn't appear to be who and what he says he is. But The Resident doesn't appear to be either. And who's the narrator of this tale? Both humorous and adventurous this story will entertain on the train and set your mind jumping for a day or two in the spirit of all good short stories. And it's nice to turn the page and start the next story wondering what the mood will be.

The stories in this anthology are well worth a read. They won't all be to everyone's taste but there will be something there for most people.

Publisher - Voyager
Genre - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Story

Buy Songs of the Dying Earth from Amazon

Runemarks by Joanne Harris

2012-02-01T09:30:00.000Z

End of the World - Again!
review by Maryom

Maddy Smith has always known that she is different to the other folk in her village - the rune mark that she was born with makes her so and gives her powers to deal with the magical world whose existence is denied by her neighbours. But just how different, she doesn't realise till the day Old One-Eye asks her to open the way under Red Horse Hill and go in search of the Whisperer, a relic of the Old Gods. Here she discovers adventures beyond her imaginings, journeying through the World Below to Hel on the borders of chaos.

I stumbled across Runemarks accidentally on the Serendipity Reviews blog - until then I'd associated Joanne Harris with adult fiction in warmer French settings (Chocolat being my favourite) so found the idea of a teenage fantasy novel very intriguing. I asked my library to order it and settled back to wait. Imagine my surprise and delight then when I was lucky enough to win a competition on the same blog offering not just Runemarks but also a signed copy of the sequel, Runelight!

Runemarks is a marvellous, magical adventure story, of double and triple cross, with so many twists and turns that at times it's hard to remember who is on whose side! Maddy is an engaging, feisty heroine, able to pluck up the courage to do what needs to be done - no matter how frightful or gruesome. But I must say my favourite character was Loki - charming and witty, cunning and devious, he always has an answer for everything, trying to shift the blame on to others and away from himself - a sort of Old Norse spin doctor! They're backed up by a sweeping cast of Gods, goblins, shape-shifters, parsons and pot-bellied pigs, and the sinister members of The Order who would like the world to be a duller, more ordered place without magic and with themselves in charge!

A word of caution to anyone who's a little claustrophobic, as I am - it contains the most frightening and realistic fictional tunnels since Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. Harris captures the cramped (terrifying) underground feel so well that, in the early parts of the story as Maddy ventures through the tunnels of the World Below, I found myself having to break off and come up for air!

A book for anyone who enjoyed the Sabriel series by Garth Nix, although lighter and funnier.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Random House Children's Books
Genre - Teenage Fantasy Adventure

Buy Runemarks from Amazon

The Fart by Cynan Jones

2012-01-31T09:30:00.000Z

The Year Of The Short Story (cntd)
The Mole

Cynan Jones is a true published author with two books (Everything I Found On The Beach and The Long Dry) in print more as 'work in progress'. We interviewed the author and found him to be a most sober chap. His first novel (The Long Dry) was translated into French, Italian and Arabic but in this short story he demonstrates that he does have a sense of humour. It's not the schoolboy humour that the title may imply but a sort of mature... err... errr... schoolboy humour?

WARNING - This story contains details of a bodily function that some people may find offensive. If this is you then please look away now.

WARNING - This story also contains wry humour that may mean you want to read it on your own - whatever, enjoy it!

How long should a short story be? Perhaps not this short but it's all about entertainment and this certainly entertained me. This kind of thing has never happened to me but I can feel everything that happened in it and smile about it too!

This story can be downloaded for free from Amazon until 3rd February 2012 and if you don't own a kindle then Amazon offer free software on most any device, however I haven't seen one yet for my vacuum cleaner.

Publisher - Kindle
Genre - Adult, Humour, Fiction, Short Story

Get The Fart from Amazon

Songs of the Dying Earth edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

2012-01-30T09:30:00.000Z

The Year Of The Short Story (Pt 1)
Review by The Mole

2012 is, officially, the year of the short story so maybe it's time to revisit some of those short story collections that are gathering dust.

With the birth of e-readers and the decline of the hardback novel the opportunity for people to read a whole story during a morning commute may mean a return to reading by people. Let's hope that works for at least some people.

This particular collection is written by a group of science fiction writers of repute who feel that they have read, enjoyed and been influenced by Jack Vance. The Dying Earth was Vance's first novel which he wrote while working in the merchant navy and is a book that I haven't read. Each of these stories has been set on that dying world.

The first contributor is Robert Silverberg, possibly one of the more universally known writers who has quite a list of stories and awards to his name. I have read many stories by both authors over the years and enjoyed their worlds, times and events.

The True Vintage Of Erzuine Thale by Robert Silverberg

Puillane of Ghusz is a poet. Well, not just a poet, but a celebrated poet, celebrated as the greatest and most prolific poet alive. He is also a man expecting the planet to die imminently. This constant expectation of the sun's death breeds in him a depression that leads him to drink. But the local wines are rather special and when drinking the poetry spills forth like an uncorked barrel. In his wine cellar is a bottle of the most special wine that there ever was, The True Vintage Of Erzuine Thale. This particular bottle he is waiting to open until the sun actually goes out because he believes that if he drinks it then then the greatest poem ever written will pour from him. All his property is protected by magic and this bottle especially so. Travellers come to see him but will they persuade him to open the bottle early?

Truly a good opening to the collection this story delivers much of it's enjoyment through the telling as all good stories should although to say more would be to give spoilers. And as a first story in the collection it sets the scene and treats the reader to the delights of both Vance and Silverberg leaving the reader with high expectations for what is to come from the rest of the collection.

Publisher - Voyager
Genre - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Story

Buy Songs of the Dying Earth from Amazon

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch

2012-01-27T09:11:00.001Z

Behind The Scenes with Laura Palmer
review by Maryom

If you ever watched Twin Peaks you'll remember that it started with the death of popular homecoming queen Laura Palmer. To the world she appeared to be a normal happy teenager but as the series progressed her increasingly dark past was revealed. Her diary starts from the other perspective - from the age of 12 Laura shared her darkest secrets with her only guaranteed-to-keep-silent friend, her diary. The reader is immediately aware of the relationship between her and mysterious character Bob, and follows her as her life descends into a nightly round of drugs and sex while keeping up her 'innocent' daytime life.

Reading this a long while after watching Twin Peaks, I wasn't sure how well it works as a stand-alone novel. I had a feeling that it was mainly filling in gaps from the TV series and leaving a lot unsaid. At times, the device of having pages 'ripped out' is used to avoid giving the reader too much information - surely a better way could have been found.

An interesting read out of curiosity but not one I'd be likely to re-read.

Warning - sexually explicit a lot of the time.

Maryom's review - 3.5 stars
Publisher - Simon & Schuster
Genre - adult fiction, TV tie-in

Buy The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer from Amazon

Vanished by Liza Marklund

2012-01-25T09:32:00.001Z

How To Disappear
review by Maryom

A woman is on the run from a killer after two men are shot dead in the container port of Frihamnen near Stockholm. When she contacts the Evening Post newspaper offices, she is put through to copy-editor Annika Bengtzon, who in turn puts her in contact with The Paradise Foundation - an organisation that claims it can make people disappear without trace - offering a lifeline to battered wives or criminals eager to escape their past. Annika's further enquiries into the Foundation start to leave her wondering if it is as altruistic as it first appeared and if referring anyone to them was such a good move. Investigating both the dockside killing and Paradise's credentials leads Annika along a convoluted, dangerous trail and to an encounter that will shape her life.

I read my first Liza Marklund thriller, The Bomber, just before Christmas and was curious to see how Vanished would compare. Some crime/thriller series fall into a repetitive mould with the same-old characters going through the same-old motions time and again. Happily, Marklund has avoided that trap. Vanished is set at an earlier point in time than The Bomber. Annika Bengtzon is down on her luck at this point in her life - leading an almost solitary existence in her crumbling dilapidated flat, working odd hours at the Evening Post, troubled by her family relationships. All in all things are not going well for her. There are hints at her backstory - enough to fill in the gaps but not so much that I wouldn't want to read about it. I was fascinated to see how the Annika Bengtzon character had developed over the time between Vanished and The Bomber. Here she is younger, less confident of herself in both personal and work relationships, but still recognisable as the more mature person she will become. She comes over as a real, living, breathing faults-and-all person and through her Marklund examines issues that affect many lives- difficulties with family, care of the elderly, uncaring work colleagues.
It is, of course, mainly a thriller. Her journalistic instincts for a good story lead Annika into situations that will have you biting your fingernails and reading rapidly to get her out of the fix. Most definitely a book that falls into the 'stay-up-late to find out how it ends' category.

Vanished is published next month - but meanwhile I've seen other Annika Bengtzon thrillers on sale in my local supermarket...

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Corgi/Transworld
Genre - thriller

Buy Vanished from Amazon

Year of The Dragon Book Challenge

2012-01-24T14:59:00.007Z

Another New Year, Another Reading Challenge

Shortly after posting yesterday's review - Tell Me A Dragon by Jackie Morris - I happened to be idly looking at our book shelves and realised how many books we have involving dragons in some way, shape or form. So I've decided to mark the Chinese Year of the Dragon with another reading challenge - I won't be going out of my way to read nothing but dragon-related stories all year, but to keep track of the ones that I do.

Top of my intended list, waiting on the TBR pile for nearly a year since I bought it, is The Ultimate Dragon - a collection of dragon-related short stories from a variety of authors including Tanith Lee, Ursula Le Guin and Robert Silverberg.

It's also a good excuse to read old favourites from The Hobbit to Eragon to the Dragonriders of Pern series or catch up with the latest RainWild chronicle from Robin Hobb - City of Dragons, published in April 2012

If anyone feels like joining in or just sharing their favourite dragon stories, please comment below.

Tell Me A Dragon by Jackie Morris

2012-01-23T11:49:00.007Z

Year of the Dragon
review by Maryom

Today is Chinese New Year and as the upcoming one will be the Year of the Dragon, I thought I'd share one of our daughter's Jackie Morris books with you - Tell Me A Dragon.

Big dragons, small dragons. Ones that fly through the air, ones that swim in the sea. City dragons, country dragons. Icy blue for the Arctic, fiery red for the desert. This book has them all, brought to life in Jackie Morris's inimitable style.

Tell Me A Dragon is not a story book as such but one of magical paintings to en-trance the reader and fire a child's (or adult's) imagination. Encourage your child to interact by imagining their own dragon - would he be fierce or gentle? red, blue, violet with golden spots? gigantic or tiny? - or making up stories about the dragons, and owners, depicted in the book.

A captivating book for all lovers of dragons - whatever their age!

PS My favourite dragon? I'd have to have two - the 'big as a village' cover dragon, 'jade-winged and amber-eyed', daintily choosing a cupcake, and the pale as moonlight 'sparkled with stardust' dragon 'made from the sun and the stars', flying across the moonlit sky.

Maryom's review - 5 stars

Publisher - Francis Lincoln
Genre - picture book

Buy Tell Me a Dragon from Amazon

How To Win Friends and Influence People

2012-01-19T09:30:00.000Z

Perhaps The First Self Help Book
Review by The Mole

This book has been a massive success in so far as it has sold 15million copies since it's first publication in 1936. It's title alone is an enticement to pick it up - who does not want to make more friends and, perhaps, get more from the friendships they already have?

This version has been updated to reflect "the digital age". You might expect that this would cause a drastic reworking and almost obviate the original teaching, but in fact it highlights how, with the internet and other digital social connections, it is fact quicker and easier to destroy all goodwill and friendships than ever before. It stresses, though, that the same rules that applied in 1936, about face to face, letters and phone calls then apply equally apply today for all digital communications as well. In fact the same rules apply whichever form of communication you choose to use. It's not about how and when to use Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn but about how to deal with people. It includes examples of how not to achieve it (where things generally went spectacularly wrong) and how things have been done well. These examples are not from the original publication but are modern events where they exist and are relevant.

I picked this book up expecting all sorts of rules and actions but was very surprised to find that there is one underlying message - be positive and interested in what everyone has to say. Sounds easy? Well, maybe not. If you can be self critical and really want to achieve what the title says then you need to commit a lot of time and effort to read this book - not just once but as often as needed to reinforce your understanding of the many types of encounter you may find yourself in.

Another important fact is that this book works at the micro level (you and your wife, you and the barman, you and the neighbour, etc) as well as at the macro level (a managing director and his company of 10,000 employees). This book is about people and the reader and is a long term project to achieve, not just friends, but with friends comes contentment and happiness.

The Mole highly recommends this book.

Publisher - Simon & Schuster
Genre - Non Fiction, Self help

Buy How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age from Amazon

Fludd by Hilary Mantel

2012-01-18T15:28:00.001Z

A New Broom
review by Maryom

The small parish of Fetherhoughton is about to brought up to date. The Bishop has decided that Father Angwin, the local priest, is too old and set in his ways. that the Church needs to move with the times and catch up with the 1950s and modern ways. Among other measures, the Bishop suggests that maybe a young curate would be of assistance so when mysterious stranger Fludd arrives, all assume that's who he is.

If you thought all Hilary Mantel's novels were as long as Wolf Hall, think again! Fludd is a short humorous tale (just under 200 pages) in some ways reminiscent of Cold Comfort Farm. The enigmatic new curate breezes into the village in the way Flora Poste does, bringing with him a breath of fresh air and tantalising glimpses of the possibilities that exist in the great world outside Fetherhoughton.

In a comparatively small space, Mantel creates amazing 'stay with you' characters - the elderly priest now merely going through the forms of worship, Mother Perpetua who rules the convent with a rod of iron yet flirts with priests, the young nun striving for something more fulfilling than her dreary existence and even, in the very few lines given to her, the nun's 'man-mad' aunt.

I picked this book up through Bookcrossing and it's been sitting waiting on the TBR pile for a while - too long really, I wish I'd read it sooner. I also have An Experiment In Love waiting to be read and after enjoying Fludd so much, I'm tempted to push it up the pile.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - HarperCollins
Genre - adult fiction

Tarzan - The Greystoke Legacy by Andy Briggs

2012-01-17T09:30:00.000Z

100 year old Super Hero
Review by The Mole

First I must hang my head and admit that I have never read Tarzan - the original stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Andy Briggs here has set about updating the stories and making them relevant to today's young readers.

Jane's mother has run off leaving her father, a respected doctor, with a pile of debt and loan sharks on his tail. He has decided to go to Africa, taking Jane with him (kicking and screaming by all accounts!), to take up logging exotic woods and make a fortune. Amidst the unrest and turmoil that is in the jungle, things start to go wrong for Jane but she meets and makes friends with Tarzan. A time of chaos is coming caused by the rebels in the jungle which threatens Tarzan's and Jane's very existence.

It only occurred to me as I really got into this book that ERB, in creating Tarzan, not only created the icon of a perfect character in an idyllic setting but also perhaps the first 'Super Hero'. No man, or beast, could ever succeed in doing half of what Tarzan achieves/achieved, however we never challenge this, instead we cheer him on - if Tarzan thinks it's right to do it then it must be right!Andy Briggs has captured all of that and successfully brought Tarzan to the age of the iPhone - even if there is no signal for it to work!

I have to be honest and say that I found the early part of the book a little 'rigid' and forced, although totally readable. But when the plot picks up, the action and story are delivered with a speed and ferocity that drags you along cheering on the home team (or is it the away team in this case? Read it to find out.)

I did enjoy this book and I'm sure that many younger readers will love this story.

Publisher - Faber Kids
Genre - Children's 9+, Adventure

Buy Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy from Amazon

Secret of The Sands by Sara Sheridan

2012-01-16T09:23:00.000Z

review by Maryom

In 1833 although slavery has recently been abolished in Britain, elsewhere it is still flourishing. Zena, an Abyssinian beauty, is captured and taken to the slave market of Muscat in Arabia where her captors expect to raise a high price for her. Passing through different hands she is given to Lt James Wellstead, a British naval officer involved in mapping the coastline of the Arabian Peninsula and about to embark on an arduous trip into the desert in search of two missing fellow officers. In charge of the rescue party, though, are the two slave traders who captured Zena. Their knowledge of the desert makes them ideal guides but not the best companions.

Secret of the Sands is a book I came across through a Twitter friendship with the author. Initially I wasn't sure that it would be my kind of book as I'm not really a reader of romantic fiction but I decided to borrow it from the library and give it a go. I'm glad I did, finding it to be an exciting adventure story rather than a purely romantic one.
The starting point for the novel was an account of the real life adventures of James Wellstead - maybe not quite as exciting as this fictionalised account but something that lends a good historical backing to the novel.
The telling alternates between the viewpoints of Zena, Wellstead and the 2 missing officers - conjuring up the atmosphere of 19th century Arabia, of bustling towns and sea-ports backing onto the endless, empty desert. A world peopled with a large cast of diverse plausible characters - not all the bad guys are totally bad, and the good ones aren't too good to be true!

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - HarperCollins
Genre - romance, historical fiction

Buy Secret of the Sands from Amazon

India Dark by Kirsty Murray

2012-01-13T09:50:00.001Z

To Darkest India..
review by Maryom

Tilly Sweetrick encourages Poesy Swift to join her as part of Arthur Percival's Lilliputian company of child entertainers - enthralling her with tales of their 2 year tour to America. Although Poesy loves the singing and dancing she finds that, when they set out from Australia on a new tour, things do not live up to her expectations. Financial problems mean the company cannot head straight for the U.S. but must put in a series of performances across the Far East and India to raise money for the rest of the trip. Very few of the company are happy with this and when Percival tries to clamp down on the behaviour of the group, particularly the older girls, he runs the risk of all-out revolt.
Based on real life events, India Dark is an enjoyable, engaging read that pulls the reader in as the story unfolds and life as it is really lived by these teens is revealed. The story is told from two alternating points of view, Poesy's and Tilly's - having Poesy as a newcomer to the company allows the reader to see events through her innocent eyes in contrast to Tilly's more experienced viewpoint. I could almost feel the steamy atmosphere of Indonesia and southern India and the relief as the company headed North.
The only slight disappointment was the lack of a great dramatic finale which the book seemed to have been building to but otherwise a great read.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Templar
Genre - teen, historical fiction

Buy India Dark from Amazon

Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda

2012-01-12T09:30:00.000Z

review by Maryom

Billi SanGreal is a Knight Templar - part of a group dedicated to fighting dark supernatural forces. At the scene of a particularly savage werewolf attack she rescues Vasilisa, a child with special powers, who is in dreadful danger as the Dark Goddess is hunting her. Although the Templars try to protect her, she is snatched away and they, including Billi, must travel to Russia in a desperate attempt to save the girl and the world. In Russia Billi finds more werewolves, untrustworthy allies and love interest in the shape of Ivan...

I had a bit of difficulty getting into the swing of this book - primarily I suspect as it's book 2 of a series and I hadn't read book 1. The reader is rather launched straight in at the deep end and it took me a while to get to grips with the characters. As the story moved from London to the wilds of Russia, I found myself swept up in Billi's struggle - against outside foes and the forces inside herself. The Dark Goddess is a very action-packed, thrilling re-imagining of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as contemporary fighters against dark forces in general - and this time werewolves and the Dark Goddess, Baba Yaga, specifically.

Marom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Puffin
Genre - Teens, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure

Buy Dark Goddess from Amazon

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

2012-01-11T08:21:00.004Z

Classic Sherlock
Review by The Mole

A while ago I blogged about this book's publicity campaign and felt it was a real taster that had me, and I'm sure a great deal more people, looking to finding a copy. Well I found a review copy in my stocking and have now had chance to read it.

"The first official new Sherlock Holmes mystery, written by global best seller Anthony Horowitz" is how Orion Books introduce this book on their website and I would agree that this book is worthy of the title.

An art dealer has a suspicious watcher who he now believes has burgled him and he wants Holmes to investigate and recover a necklace which has monetary but great sentimental value. This investigation opens up a complex and multistranded case that nearly brings the great man down.

I have to say that very early on I knew where The House Of Silk was and felt a little disappointed but the further the story went on and bent and twisted the less important this fact turned out to be. At the end there is the traditional summing up to tie up any loose ends. I had lost track of all the ends that could be loose but they were all there being tied up. At times I had started to wonder how we jumped from one line of investigation to another and I thought "How? Coincidence? Plot device?" but it turned out the answer was simple... Anthony Horowitz hadn't missed a trick and knitted everything together in a totally logical way with no contrived 'cheats'.

Excellently written, plotted and delivered and I believe Arthur Conan Doyle would have been happy to endorse this book into the annals of Sherlock Holmes.

Publisher - Orion Books
Genre - Adult, Fiction,Crime

Buy The House of Silk: The New Sherlock Holmes Novel from Amazon

Seven Years In Tibet by Heinrich Harrer

2012-01-10T09:30:00.000Z

Journey to The Roof of the World
review by Maryom

Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer finds himself caught in British India at the start of WW2 and interned along with other foreign nationals. His determination to escape increases when he is moved to a camp at Dehra Dun in northern India, within sight of the Himalayas. With such a temptation on the horizon, he and a group of fellow climbers make a bid for freedom, travelling on foot over some of the highest mountain passes in the world, heading for the neutral but forbidden country of Tibet.

This is a book I've wanted to read since I first saw the film of the same title starring Brad Pitt. Every time I watch the DVD I say 'I must track down that book' and at last (thanks yet again to the library service) I have.
It's an utterly fascinating and astonishing account of Harrer's journey to and through Tibet, catching a snapshot of a culture soon to be over-run by Chinese invasion of 1950.
The film certainly gave no feeling of the difficulties they encountered, not so much getting into Tibet, but staying there as well, putting more emphasis on Harrer's friendship with the young Dalai Lama. I certainly wasn't aware that the Tibetans tried several times to expel him, that he had run-ins with bandits as well as officials or that most of the seven years had passed before he finally reached Lhasa.
In some ways the book is less personal than the film - for example there's no mention of the wife left behind in Austria or any hint of any friction between Harrer and expedition leader Aufschnaiter as seen in the film - but the reader still gets to know Harrer and share his disappointment when he has to leave Tibet. It's main loss, though, is the stunning scenery (though I discovered the film was shot in the Andes rather than the Himalayas due to political problems) and some photographs would have been nice.

All in all a fascinating real-life adventure book.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Genre - adult non-fiction, autobiography,

Buy Seven Years in Tibet (Paladin Books) from Amazon

The Daily Joke

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000Z

A Laughable Christmas Present
Review by The Mole

"The Daily Joke"? Who can pick a joke book up and read just one? Well, not me and that's for sure!

A Present from my teenage daughter designed to raise a little smile all year round. What it did was create a BIG smile for several days as I kept dipping into it and reading many of them (my favourites) out while she was trying to do other things.

As I kept "dipping in" I kept finding delicious pockets of humour that I had previously missed and so it took several days to finish, however I still keep picking it up for my favourites.

Of the 365 jokes, some are humorous quotes, some old favourites retold and a lot were very new to me. There are just a few I wouldn't read out in front of small children, but I am a bit of a prude.

"Englishman, Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a bar and the barman says...'Is this some kind of a joke?'".

I am intrigued by the 'Pencil Rest' in the corner as this is printed on each page across the centre and so seems totally inappropriate for a pad to leave by the telephone... perhaps a 366th joke?

Purchased from one of the Next stores it appears not to be for sale anywhere now, so if you didn't find one in your stocking then you may be out of luck... maybe I'll share mine with you...

Genre-Adult, Non-Fiction, Humour

Cooking for Christmas

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000Z

Among Maryom's Christmas presents were 2 exciting cook books!

Firstly a "serious" cook book from the proprietor of Britain's largest organic delivery box scheme. Although I've never actually used Abel and Cole for groceries, as a firm believer in growing-my-own veg their thinking mirrors mine - in cooking and eating what is in season rather than importing produce from the far side of the world. The snag to this is that sometimes I find myself stuck in a rut, serving the same old meals over and over again.
Not any more!!
This book is chock-a-block full of easy-sounding recipes, divided by seasons - so no more being lost trying to find something to make with the runner bean or beetroot glut from the allotment or trying to put aubergines or courgettes in the same dish as parsnips or swedes.
A great book for anyone who 'grows-their-own' or who just wants to try to eat more seasonally.

Publisher - Collins
Genre - Non-Fiction,Cookery

Buy The Abel & Cole Cookbook: Easy, seasonal, organic from Amazon

On a slightly more humorous note - a book on baking for the family pet.
A range of fun bakes made with ingredients that are easily found in the kitchen or on the supermarket shelf. Although they are all aimed at dogs they actually look quite appealing to me - although I will avoid the tripe recipes - a taste I have not managed to acquire. Some are vegetarian, some have fish, some have meat - there is even a Christmas cake and a muffin recipe.

Publisher - Parragon Books Ltd
Genre - Non-Fiction, Cookery, Pets

Buy Doggie Biscuits from Amazon

Blast Off by Malachy Doyle and Gill McLean

2012-01-05T09:30:00.000Z

The Final Countdown!
Review by The Mole

When the toys find a spaceship then it becomes necessary to find a way to choose who will be the astronaut and so they set out to find which of them has all the skills required.

Each page is not only brightly and colourfully illustrated but also carries a countdown to the final launch. The selection is done is a sensible way and at each point each toy that drops from the selection does so without disagreement.

The back of the book contains teachers and parents notes to help get as much as possible from the book.

It can, in contrast, just be read as a fun story - and that gets my vote! A lovely book and well executed!

Publisher - QED Publishing
Genre - Children's, Picture Book

Buy Blast Off (Storytime) from Amazon

Samphire Coast by Robert Greenfield

2012-01-03T11:30:00.000Z

More than the book says...
Review by The Mole

"A daringly candid over-the-counter view by the owner of a unique boutique ‘staycation’.
Robert Greenfield a former British fashion designer risks everything for a ‘No Going Back’ adventure that turns his and Michael Bell’s comfy city life upside down; as a dramatic new life beckons the budding hoteliers…After an awe-inspiring renovation of a rundown ancient house, the word quickly spreads and their books are FULL to overflowing. Anecdotes abound of the dreaded hotel inspector, and eye-popping ‘Guests from Hell’ that will have you laughing and gasping at their blatant turgid audacity... A real life Boy’s Own spirited ‘derring-do…’ epic roller coaster ride that will have you crying out for a sequel with these two uber-stylish hosts, and their urbane hippy dog, Barnaby-Boo. Entertaining, and spellbinding; maybe you will be packing your bags and heading for the hauntingly scenic North Norfolk coast…"

I am not sure I agree with the "boy's own" aspect but... This book is not really what that summary says. So what is it?

Well it's like one of those evenings you sit down with friends and start chatting about the traffic on the ring road and look up at the clock and it's 3 am and the last bus went hours ago and you can't for the life of you remember what it was that got you onto the subject of political unrest in third world countries. You're not sure how you got there but you sure as hell enjoyed the journey! The first half of the book criss crosses between the decision to make this massive leap of faith and the events that shaped the author's life leading to him being in the position to make the decision. The second half covers some of the weird and wonderful people and events that happened at Holly Lodge and how 1 group of picnickers brought him to realise where this journey had finally taken him.

Both saddening and uplifting as well as containing many memories of places on the North Norfolk coast, this book is like making a new friend, reading a travel brochure and taking 'life choices' advice and I felt like I had made a new friend in the author afterwards.

An enjoyable and different kind of read.

Publisher - Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers
Genre - Adult, Non-Fiction, Autobiography

Buy Samphire Coast from Amazon

New years resolutions...

2012-01-02T17:11:00.005Z

Really only one and that's to reduce the TBR pile!

They have come from MANY place...

Some from Book Crossing...

Some purchased ....

Some from Freecycle....

Some as prizes....

Happy New Year to Everyone Everywhere

2011-12-31T14:17:00.001Z

May we wish Everyone, everywhere a happy, prosperous and peaceful new year...

Clearly this will only be read by our readers so if you know any non-readers would you be so kind as to pass on our good wishes to them? Thank you.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie

2011-12-30T08:30:00.001Z

Christmas Crime
review by Maryom

Elderly millionaire Simeon Lee decides that for Christmas he should gather round him all his far-flung family, including a couple of estranged sons and an orphaned granddaughter that he's never met before. In front of the assembled family, he then announces his intention to change his will. As this is a 'Poirot' mystery, it doesn't take much imagination to guess what happens next....

Fortunately, the Belgian sleuth is on hand to help track down the culprit.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas is an Agatha Christie mystery full of her stock characters and culprits - the patriarch about to re-distribute his wealth; the solid dependable stay-at-home son; the black sheep of the family; the mysterious foreign beauty; the ex-partner's son who turns up out of the blue. There are almost more reasons for murder than there are characters! Poirot, of course, with his little grey cells, can untangle the dead ends and red herrings, and uncover a man's most hidden secrets in a glance.
It all seems a little dated and sedate in comparison to modern thrillers but still an entertaining read.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - HarperColllins
Genre - crime, whodunnit

Buy Poirot - Hercule Poirot's Christmas from Amazon

The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick

2011-12-29T09:47:00.001Z

Continuing our series of seasonal posts - a children's thriller set in the Dead Days between Christmas and New Year -

Underworld Adventures
review by Maryom

During the Dead Days between Christmas and New Year doors open between our everyday world and the supernatural one that goes unnoticed for the rest of the year. Something is coming from this other world in search of the great stage magician Valerian. Many years ago he made a pact to get what he wanted - and now it's time to pay up! He believes there is a book that will tell him how to avoid his debt - if only he can find it, accompanied by his assistant unnamed street orphan Boy he sets off on a hunt round the frost bound streets and alleys and graveyards of the City.

The Book of Dead Days is an exciting race-against-time adventure set in a sprawling unnamed city somewhere vaguely in Europe and somewhat vaguely located in time. It's a place where magic combines with and contrasts against science; a place of dark alleyways, magnificent domed houses and ghostly catacombs - particularly scary if, like me, you've the slightest fear of confined underground spaces.
A rather younger read than some Marcus Sedgwick novels but still an enthralling read full of atmosphere and threat.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Orion
Genre - children's, fantasy, thriller

Buy The Book of Dead Days from Amazon

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000Z

A chilling, spine-tingling read.
review by Maryom

In the summer of 1937 a British expedition heads north to set up their base at Gruhuken, a remote, uninhabited bay on Spitsbergen where they intend to spend the winter gathering meteorological information. Jack Miller, the only non public school boy, joins them as wireless operator. The original team of 5 is swiftly reduced by fate and as winter sets in the expedition is down to 3.

Arriving at Gruhuken, they find not the pristine arctic wilderness they'd expected but a place scattered with the remains of trappers huts and mining operations. The captain of the ship transporting them there, warns them of the tricks that total darkness plays on the mind, of madness overtaking those that try overwintering in the Arctic and hints that Gruhuken is setting to even more disturbing happenings. All starts well, perfect weather, a rather 'boy's own' adventure but as days shorten to nothing, stranger things begin to happen....

The book is told through the medium of Jack's diary and the reader feels the mounting fear and tension with him. With his permanent chip on the shoulder about class, he doesn't make an attractive hero, though it's his determination to be seen as equal to the other members of the expedition that leaves Jack exposed to the worst of the endless night, alone..

This is wonderful, chilling, spine tingling read, especially for anyone like myself who has problems with total, beyond street-lighting, can't see the hand in front of your face, darkness. The author captures both the unsoiled beauty of the Arctic and the growing menace in Jack's mind. I do wonder, though, whether there would have been more surprise if the book's cover hadn't stated 'a ghost story' - I was rather expecting a ghost to appear sooner or later.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Orion Books
Genre - Adult Fiction - Thriller

Buy Dark Matter from Amazon

Dead of Winter - PJ Parrish - Four *

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000Z

Chilling Crime
Review by The Mole

This book is out of style to my normal reading, but increasingly I am trying something new. From the very beginning I found this to be a compelling read and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, there were times I wanted to say to the 'hero' - Louis - that I had seen something at least a chapter ago and why was he being slow BUT it didn't detract from my enjoyment. We got to the obligatory love scene and I wondered why he bothered - for the publisher? - but later it takes on more significance.

If I coldly analysed the hero he is one of the cleverest and thickest and most compassionate and heartless people you could wish to meet. Yes there are flaws in the main character, but none the less I come back to the fact that I found the book compelling and thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you want a clever 'whodunnit' then maybe this isn't for you. If you want blood and violence that curls your teeth then maybe this is not for you although there is a reasonable body count. If you want to enjoy a compelling read then I would strongly recommend this book.

Publisher - Pocket Books
Genre - Adult, Crime, Thriller

Buy Dead of Winter from Amazon

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000Z

Continuing with our Mid-winter posts....

A Proper Old-fashioned Ghost Story
review by Maryom

Newly orphaned Michael Vyner is invited to spend Christmas with his almost unknown guardian, Sir Stephen, at his remote East Anglian home, Hawton Mere. Sir Stephen turns out to be a reclusive invalid, spending most of his time in his private tower room attended by his sister, and instead of receiving a warm festive welcome Michael is left to amuse himself as best he can. In wandering the dark gloomy passageways of the moated house, he discovers a hidden priest hole, strange noises and apparitions, but Michael soon realises that the ghostly figure he sees isn't intent on harming him but is asking for his help....

A chilling ghost story of the classic "huddle round the fire while the wind howls outside" variety, with all the expected ingredients - the house, isolated by both location and weather; the mysterious guardian; a tragic death; a secret room - and not a vampire or werewolf in sight! Intended for older children/young teens but perfectly chilling for adults. Chris Priestley creates such a feeling of brooding evil and growing menace that even in the middle of summer, I could feel a chill spreading through my bones. (I actually decided to finish reading it in the light of day)

Something I would love to know the answer to, though - was Hawton Mere based on any specific building? As I read the description of a moated house with a priest-hole and tower and twisting staircase, I was sharply reminded of a National Trust property I've visited near King's Lynn, but on a hot Easter weekend with absolutely no sign of ghosts.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Bloomsbury
Genre - Thriller, Supernatural, Ghost Stories, 10-14,Teen

Buy The Dead of Winter from Amazon

The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-24T09:30:00.001Z

Much loved... but are you surprised?
Review by The Mole

OK, this one is 'cheating' but HEY! who could resist this timeless classic on a day that ends with... The Night Before Christmas?

I first remember this story when I was only a wee toddler being read to we children about a thousand years ago by our mother. She would read it once and it would go away for another year and it came to epitomise Christmas, so when we had our first child we found this book (It was new then and had no tooth marks on it!) and I read it to her. That was over 30 years ago and it still comes out each year for a reading. Being honest though, 14 years ago we had our second only child and we also read it a lot to her although her sister still comes over when we read it again.

Who can resist the power of the those reindeer?

Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

Or the friendliness of the man in red..

He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

Yes, cheating though it may be, I love this book and it is steeped in memories. Truly magnificent and this particular version has beautiful illustrations on each page that manage to totally encapsulate the spirit of the poem.

About a thousand stars for this one!!!

The Bomber by Liza Marklund

2011-12-23T10:13:00.001Z

The second in our seasonal series of reviews, The Bomber is set in the week running up to Christmas.

All she wants for Christmas....
review by Maryom

Annika Bengtzon is the newly appointed head of the crime-desk at Stockholm's Evening Post newspaper, stressed out from all sides - pressure from deadlines, hassle from her male colleagues and the everyday chores of family life. Just when she's looking for a quiet week on the run up to Christmas a major story breaks as a massive bomb goes off at the Olympic Stadium, leaving pieces of the victim scattered everywhere. Annika is determined to be first with any news about the killing but her enquiries soon lead her too close to the bomber.

The Bomber is my first Liza Marklund novel and one I thoroughly enjoyed. It's an interesting slant to have the investigation of a murder seen from a journalistic angle - not with Annika playing a Miss Marple type amateur sleuth but merely going about her job and uncovering the victim's private life hidden behind a public façade. There's a lot of well-captured office atmosphere with back-biting and griping from co-workers who wanted her job but the focus is, of course, on who is responsible for the bombing and what is their motivation.
An excellent whodunnit with a totally gripping ending - even though I thought I knew how it would resolve itself.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Corgi/Transworld
Genre - thriller

Buy The Bomber from Amazon

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

2011-12-22T13:07:00.000Z

Starting with the appropriately titled Midwinterblood, from now to New Year we're posting a series of seasonal book reviews - fantasy, crime, ghost stories....

Chilling Tale for Midwinter
review by Maryom

The story starts in the future, 2073, at the height of summer with endless day and no night. Eric Seven has travelled to Blessed Island to investigate the rumours that its inhabitants live forever but no children are born there.
He discovers a beautiful, seemingly idyllic place, without cars or crowds, but menace lurks beneath the postcard prettiness. It's also a place where Eric finds his preconceptions challenged - he can no longer communicate with the world at the touch of a button, the sun doesn't set and he falls in love at first sight with islander Merle. On Blessed Isle, though, things are not straight forward.There's no falling in love and living happily ever after as Eric and Merle find themselves part of a story that has been re-playing itself on the island for over 10 centuries since the king was sacrificed at Midwinter to save his people.

I've been working my way through Marcus Sedgwick's backlist for a while now and this, his most recent, is my favourite to date. Midwinterblood is a haunting, beautifully told story. The opening pages caught my imagination with the eerie, isolated island setting that put me in mind of The Prisoner and The Wickerman and the evolving backwards plot didn't disappoint. Definitely one to read again and again, as I'm sure there are nuances still to be discovered.

Midwinterblood is published as a teen/YA book but I'm sure there are many adults who would be equally mesmerised by it - I certainly was.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Orion
Genre - YA

Buy Midwinterblood from Amazon

Bullies, Bigmouths and So-Called Friends by J Alexander

2011-12-21T09:30:00.000Z

A Bullying Rant
Review by The Mole

During "Anti Bullying Week 2011" someone kindly recommended this book to us but unfortunately it was too late at that time to get a copy, read it and review it for the weekly theme. We have how managed to get hold of a copy and I am very happy we did.

The book is structured in a very 'cartoon' and 'quiz' style format and this gives it the attraction that it can be picked up and put down after just a couple of pages so not demanding a long sit and read but, in fact, encouraging a 'stop and think about that' approach.

This book does not teach you how to physically deal with bullies or "bs, bs and sc fs" as we get to know them, it rather teaches the reader how to appreciate themselves more, develop self-confidence and self-esteem and so stop themselves being the target of bullies.

It is, in my opinion, a must for just about every child so that they can understand more about themselves as well as get on and enjoy life more. But more importantly I feel that parents should give it a read too. A child that is being bullied will probably not talk about it and if parents can understand the symptoms of low-esteem then they can help the child without causing confrontation and talking about it, and after reading this book it becomes apparent to the reader how to help someone to see themselves better, enjoy life more and get more from life in general.

A really good book BUT... I would love to think that it has helped thousands of children but if children read it, the process needs weeks, if not months, of work to make it really happen - and it will happen - but without support will a child keep working on it? Or will they find it's not an instant fix and walk away from the book? Unfortunately I believe they will walk away, so parents... read it, especially if you know your child has picked it up or read it, and support them in any way you can. There are useful websites in the back as well that may assist parent and child.

But I apologise, this is supposed to be a review, not a rant! It is an excellent book and takes a great approach to the issues. I would highly recommend this book to old and young alike.

Publisher - Hodder Children's Books
Genre - Non-Fiction, Children's, Adults

Buy Bullies, Bigmouths and So-called Friends from Amazon

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

2011-12-20T12:10:00.000Z

Caught in the Middle
review by Maryom

Anna is no ordinary child. She was conceived as a designer baby to provide cord tissue that would save the life of her sister Kate, terminally diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. Over the years she has given blood and bone marrow, now aged 13 she is being asked to donate a kidney and Anna feels its time to take a stand against her parents, to take legal action against them for the rights to her own body.

Thought provoking novel raising questions about the morality of 'designer babies' a child conceived merely for the use of its spare parts - but at the same time an immensely readable, moving story of one family's struggle to come to terms with having a terminally ill child. Anna is shown as a caring, loving teenager, caught between the pain and suffering of her sister and the trauma that she must undergo, again, to help. I didn't feel the lawyer's romantic sub-plot was really needed - and perhaps detracted from the main story-line but the only bit I wasn't happy with was the ending which just seemed too convenient and a bit of an easy way out of the dilemma.

I actually read My sister's Keeper soon after Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, a novel with similar themes in which children are replicated solely for use as bodyparts donors and I think it influenced my reading of and response to My Sister's Keeper, making it seem, in comparison, lighter weight.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Hodder
Genre - adult,

Buy My Sister's Keeper from Amazon

The Devil's Ribbon by DE Meredith

2011-12-19T10:25:00.000Z

Victorian Silent Witness
review by Maryom

London in July 1858 is on the verge of a cholera epidemic but the latest corpse brought to the morgue run by forensic scientist Adolphus Hatton didn't die of natural causes. The victim is the first of a series of seemingly unconnected murders - the only link being the leaving of a bright green ribbon on or about the corpse. Inspector grey of Scotland Yard believes this points indisputably to one of Irish Fenian groups, intent on self-rule, who have adopted this as a symbol. Grey anticipates violence, possibly bombings, from them as their campaign for independence heats up. Hatton and his assistant Roumande believe the motive must be something less obvious and more personal. Can their pioneering forensic work lead them to the murderer in time to avoid more victims?

The Devil's Ribbon is an interesting, original concept - a sort of Victorian version of Silent Witness. Hatton and Roumande are portrayed as scientists at the cutting edge of forensics, searching corpses and murder scenes for clues, but also as real people with real lives and weaknesses - in Hatton's case, one for beautiful women! I didn't find the Scotland Yard detective, Grey, and side-kick Tescalini to be as well 'fleshed out' and their relationship certainly puzzled me at times, but this wasn't really detrimental to the story as a whole.
If you're looking for something a little different in crime fiction, The Devil's Ribbon is certainly a book to try. Even if, as I did, you can guess "whodunnit" before the end, it's still a readable, enjoyable story full of historical detail and horror.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Minotaur
Genre - adult, crime/thriller, historical fiction

Buy The Devil's Ribbon from Amazon

The Mole's Christmas reading suggestions...

2011-12-18T08:50:00.001Z

The problem with a list like this is that any you leave out you seem to be 'knocking' in some way, but that is not the case, it's just the list has to be the one's that made the biggest impact on me.

Maryom has made her choice, which is HERE

Starting with children's and getting older as we go

The Fearsome BeastieA book to share with younger readers that is just good fun.

Ralph is not a spy Laugh out load moments with lots of activities too for young apprentice spies.

Lee On the Dark Side of the Moon

Just simple fun for younger readers with lots of laughs.

The Sons of Rissouli Boys own adventure stuff that they won't put down. Peace and quiet on Christmas afternoon?

Moving on to teenagers and beyond...

The Kiss of Death
A bit daft putting this one in really because it's out of print but if you can find a copy...

Philip Ardagh's Book of Howlers, Blunders and Random Mistakery

If you can bear to have your Christmas interrupted by someone piping up "Did you know...?" then include this one - otherwise get it for yourself and ruin everyone else's peace and quiet!

Spider

This is a very powerful story of speed, adrenaline and fallout - see if they can put it down.

Star of Sakova

I have read some fantasy this year but this one sort of 'sticks' with me more than the rest.

And now to just the adults readers...

The Liberation of Celia Kahn

A well told story of growing up.

Hot Dogs under the Dakota

Another one I keep coming back to as I found the story most intriguing.

Night Watcher

We found that we didn't get on with e-books but of the few I have managed to read that way this one was certainly worth reading.

Return to the Olive Farm

And last, but certainly not least, Carol Drinkwater's experiences certainly made me start to question much about the 'organic' labels.

To all those books that I have read and not included - apologies but I had to choose just 10... (Ssshhhh... she hasn't counted them!)

Books for Christmas - Maryom's Choice

2011-12-17T21:00:00.001Z

OK you've probably all got your Christmas shopping sorted but in case you're still looking for last minute stocking fillers read on ......

The Mole has made his choice, which is HERE

For babies, toddlers and upwards -

Grimm's Fairy Tales
by Saviour Pirotta

All children should have a collection of fairy tales. This collection was out favourite many years ago when our youngest was a toddler but it's been re-vamped and re-issued this year.

The Cat and The Fiddle
by Jackie Morris

Another thing all children (and their parents) need - a book of nursery rhymes! I know I've raved before about Jackie Morris's work, but I just love her painting style - and would really like to ride on a cat!

For teens -

if they're into deep, philosophical nihilism or just inclined to think "why bother"
Nothing by Janne Teller

...or spy thrillers...

The Long Reach By Peter Cocks
A fast paced action adventure in London's gangland, a great alternative for anyone who loves the "Young Bond" series

...or if you think they'd like a lighter weight read ....

Lia's Guide To Winning the Lottery by Keren David

Lighter, maybe, but it's still a real conversation starter - after all we've all had that dream of what we'd do if we won the lottery

For Fantasy Lovers -

Bloodstone - book 2 of Gillian Philip's Rebel Angels series. Allegedly a teen/YA book but one that will appeal equally to adults. An emotionally charged, intelligently written fantasy. It's probably better if the recipient's read book1 - Firebrand -, but if they haven't, buy that as well!

For history buffs

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - not a new book, and rather long, but if they haven't read it they still have time before the sequel Bring Up The Bodies is published in Spring

For the thrill seekers -

Before I Go To Sleep - a really creepy debut novel from SJWatson about a woman who starts each day with her memory wiped clean. Of the differing stories she's told to explain her problem, which can she believe?

or for more comedy-thriller

Smokeheads by Doug Johnstone
Four mates go away for a quiet weekend sampling their way through Islay's many malt whiskies. After a brush with the local law, things go rapidly downhill into a nightmare Deliverance style nightmare.

And a slightly unusual recommendation - Don't give one book but a whole year's worth! Peirene Press specialise in short, compelling foreign fiction - generally around 200 pages - and offer a variety of subscription packages - there's sure to be something to suit.

Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

2011-12-16T11:43:00.002Z

Northern Witchcraft
review by Maryom

Harald Guntlieb is a wealthy German student continuing his research into European witch trials in Reykjavik. That is, until his horribly mutilated corpse is discovered propped in a cupboard at the university. The police quickly arrest his drug-dealer friend Hugi but his family are not convinced the killer has been found and engage Icelandic lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir to re-examine the case alongside their company's representative ex-policeman Matthew Reich.
It soon appears that Harald's interest in witchcraft was not solely academic and Thora and Matthew are led on an increasingly grisly trail attempting to discover the events leading to Harald's death.

Another excellent Scandi-crime discovery, full of convolutions and saving the best twists and turns for the end - although as I flicked through before writing this review, I realised that clues for the ending had been there all along but not quite spotted by me!

In the best tradition of fictional detectives, Thora has her own problems at home - mainly centred on her son Gylfi. Last Rituals is the first of a series and I'll be interested to see how he copes with future events and how the relationship between Thora and Matthew develops.

I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more of an Icelandic feel to the story - and, no, I can't quite put my finger on what I mean by that, other than to say that although Thora and Matthew's investigation takes them to various places outside of Reykjavik - such as the Museum of Witchcraft and Sorcery at Holmavik and caves settled by Irish monks - I didn't get a feel for the landscape or atmosphere. Still, this novel is meant to be a crime thriller, not a travel guide!

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Hodder
Genre - adult, crime/thriller,

Buy Last Rituals from Amazon

Whitstable Mum in Custard Shortage: .and Other World Exclusives from Britain's Finest Local Newspapers

2011-12-15T08:47:00.001Z

Remarkable headlines that get you reading
Review by The Mole

Compiled from headlines and articles gathered from small local newspapers around the country, there are bound to be treats in this book that will at least raise a smile with everyone. But these articles are not gaffs gathered surreptitiously but instead with the full co-operation of the paper's editors. They are serious articles that mean something to the locals, but when viewed by people outside the locality they become amusing.

"Village is crime free" - perhaps not something to make the Met proud, but sure to satisfy the village involved. "Boiled egg explodes" - hardly something to make a national headline. The articles are accompanied by the full transcript of the article and you are left with a smile and wondering in what tranquil backwater these items make the headlines. Other items such as "Police called to pull up Drunk's knickers" and "Cows on the run after tractor theft" are presented as only headlines and maybe we don't really want to understand any more anyway? Some though... and I don't want to spoil it for the readers are just outright funny!

A book to pick up, read a couple of headlines, share a few with a room that is trying to watch "White Christmas" for the 20th time before being driven to put the kettle on.

A really entertaining book and maybe difficult to believe.

Maryom described it as:- A whimsical humorous slice of life as seen through local newspapers.

Publisher - Penguin Viking
Genre - Non Fiction, Adult, Humour

Buy Whitstable Mum in Custard Shortage from Amazon

Get Ahead Fred by Daisy Dawes

2011-12-14T09:00:00.000Z

Get Ahead, Get A Hat
Review by The Mole

Fred has an obsession - hats! We are told, in rhyme, about the some of the many hats he has and why he decides to get the biggest hat that he can find for a special occasion. Unfortunately this proves to be an unwise move and we find out why all the cats sleep in hats.

Using models in the style of Postman Pat and many other children's favourites, rather than cartoons, the author has illustrated this tale as well as crafted the verse.

A very easily read book for the early reader and one where they will learn the names of many different types of hats. But putting the vocabulary to one side, it is a fun book with bright and attractive pictures that kids will really enjoy and that's what books must always be about.

Publisher - Maverick Books
Genre - Children's Early Reader

Buy Get Ahead Fred from Amazon

Until Wishes Are Fulfilled By Michael Alexander

2011-12-13T08:45:00.000Z

Seasonal Read
Review by The Mole

Following a car accident, Holly's mums has been in a coma for some weeks and both Holly and her father, Sam, are almost moving in a daze. They are trying to get on with life but apart from being nearly Christmas it's also nearly Holly's birthday as well and Sam needs to get her a present. In his daze, while shopping, he bumps into an old man who points him at the ideal present - but it is rather a special present. Little does Sam know though of the perils he is exposing Holly and her friend Georgina to by buying her this present.

I have to admit to having loved this book and not really understanding the 'why' of it. The story is not all chasing from the bad guys, or all death and mayhem but is sensibly paced and almost genteel with a fair amount of tension and menace thrown in! Amongst the danger and wonders that Holly experiences we enjoy a fair few highs and lows but the lows are not the kind to leave the reader in tears. And as this book is aimed at the younger reader it is not a surprise that it leaves the reader with a warm glow as the last pages turns.

Although aimed, I believe, at the 10+ reader this book would happily suit the 8+ reader age group as well. And I will admit to being above this age group and I really enjoyed it as well!

Publisher - Upfront Publishing
Genre - 8+, fantasy

Buy Until Wishes Are Fulfilled from Amazon

Are We Nearly There Yet? by Ben Hatch

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000Z

Travelling with Kids
review by Maryom

"They were bored, broke, burned out and turning 40. So when Ben and his wife Dinah were approached to write a guidebook about family travel, they embraced the open road....
...featuring deadly puff adders, Billie Piper's pyjamas and a friend of Hitler's, it's a story about love, death, falling out, moving on and growing up, and 8,ooo miles in a Vauxhall Astra."

Although that's the promotional line, I felt it didn't really describe the book. I'd been expecting an hilarious account of the pitfalls of holidaying with tiny children, made worse by the long time - 5 months - spent on the road. But the start of their epic journey coincides with Ben's father falling ill and the account of the family's trip is interspersed with reminiscences exploring their father/son relationship. Interesting and moving, maybe, but not, I felt, "what it says on the tin."
Despite the many testimonials from celebrities about the hilariousness of the book, it didn't really find my funny spot. There were occasional laugh-out-loud moments but it wasn't the constant rib-tickling event I'd expected.

Warning - contains fairly frequent strong language

Maryom's review - 3 stars
Publisher - Summerdale
Genre - Adult, Non Fiction, Autobigraphy

Buy Are We Nearly There Yet? from Amazon

VIII by H M Castor

2011-12-09T13:18:00.001Z

Behind the image of Henry VIII
review by Maryom

We all know about Henry VIII, or think we do - the piggy-eyed chap with the many, many wives, who spent his time chopping off heads. But do any of us stop to wonder how he turned out like that? This is exactly what HM Castor sets out to do in VIII.

Starting with a small boy hiding in the Tower of London from the rebels trying to dislodge his father from the throne, this novel traces the influences on Henry and their possible impact on his character - his father's tenuous hold on the crown, his upbringing as 'spare' rather than 'heir' and his sudden catapulting into prominence upon the death of his brother, Arthur.

The period and characters are brilliantly brought to life in a way never allowed in a non-fiction book. Telling the story in the first person from Henry's point of view lets the reader get behind the politics and power struggles of the time and see Henry as a person - just one who happens to grow up to be king.

An outstandingly readable account of Henry's life - I was hooked from the start. Admittedly it's written for Teens but I'm sure any adult who found Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall just too long and demanding would love it as well.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Templar
Genre - teen, historical fiction

Buy VIII from Amazon

Cynan Jones - Author interview

2011-12-08T09:30:00.000Z

Following on from Maryom's review of Everything I Found On The Beach by Cynan Jones, Cynan has kindly agreed to an interview.

His first novel, The Long Dry, was published in 2006 and went on to win a Society of Authors' Betty Trask Award. It was subsequently translated into French, Italian and Arabic. He was nominated as the Hay Festival Young European Writer for the Scritture Giovani project in '08. His second novel, Everything I Found on the Beach, was published earlier this year.

Short stories have also been published in anthologies and journals, and in 2004 his children's story 'The Piano Player's Hands' was one of the winners of Richard & Judy's Winning Stories - a national TV competition.

In a BBC interview you said that if you hadn't got published in two years then you would have had to get a 'proper' job. What age were you when you set this timetable and at what stage in your life?

I'd made the decision at twenty two that at twenty eight I'd give myself the two years. People make the mistake of believing that because we've talked from a young age we can write. We can't. It takes learning and practice - much like playing the piano or learning to mix paints. So between twenty two and twenty eight I worked as a freelance copywriter in Glasgow. That knocked the writing into shape. I returned to Wales at twenty eight. The Long Dry came out, Hollywood fashion, just as the time was up.

What jobs have you worked at?

I've been a supply teacher, builder's labourer, kitchen porter, freelance copywriter, wine presenter. I've worked in a wine shop. I've worked in an aquarium and animal kingdom, given out leaflets on the street. I've worked as an AD on film sets, and for three years as a tutor in a children's behavioural unit. Among other things.

One of the characters in Everything I Found On The Beach expresses their disgust at the waste in meat processing within the UK and how that waste cannot even be consumed by employees within the factory. Is this waste something you have strong feelings on?

That happens in the book because it (constantly) happens in reality. The strong feelings come against the commercial remits forced on producers, mainly by supermarkets, and the continual artificial setting of prices that dupe people into shopping at them. The system as we have it prevents a small community from being able to sustain itself with the goods it produces locally. Happily, a degree of the meat that would otherwise be wasted does make it out of the door (illegally) but doesn't go to waste.

The processing methods in the meat factory seem to be covered in some detail - is this something you researched or have you actually been involved in some way?

This was researched, but also simply absorbed through spending time around people who work in the abattoirs. You also learn a lot from farmers.

The fisherman seemed to feel, not only a lack of job satisfaction but also a disconnection from life when working in a factory. Do you feel factories are somehow 'evil'?

Once you have to feed towns and cities - which are incapable of feeding themselves - they are a simple, economic imperitive.

The character 'Hold' catches and prepares the fish and we are told a lot of the detail of the processes. Do you fish?

I fish, but I am not in it for the fishing if that makes sense! I set nets, put out pots, and fish from my kayak. But that's about feeding myself and the people near me.

'Hold' also shoots rabbits for the pot. Do you feel we should all source our own meat?

That's not feasible. I feel we should all stop going to supermarkets and instead buy meat from local butchers.

Do you have more novels planned and can you tell us anything about them yet?
The first draft of the next novel is on the desk and I'll work on it after Christmas. It centres on a sheep farm, a man who baits badgers for a living, and the story of an Italian intern sent to work on a West Wales farm during the Second World War. It's called Traces of People.

Our thanks go to Cynan and we wish him every success, not only with his current books, but also his future projects as well - we look forward to seeing them on the shelf.

Lost Christmas by David Logan

2011-12-07T08:23:00.000Z

Magic in Manchester
review by Maryom

Last Christmas, Goose had a happy loving family and the best present ever - a puppy! This Christmas could not be more different - his parents have died in a car accident, his nan is slipping into a bizarre world of her own and now his dog, Mutt, has gone missing. Then on Christmas Eve a mysterious stranger turns up wandering the streets of Manchester. He can't remember his own name, which may or may not be Anthony, but seems to have the answers to everyone's problems. There are many things that need to be fixed though before he can help Goose find Mutt. And can even Anthony help Goose regain all the things he's lost in the past year?

This is another instance when I'm reading the book before I see the film. Adapted by David Logan from the screenplay he co-wrote, due to air this Christmas, Lost Christmas is a wonderful heart warming story that brings the magic of It's A Wonderful Life to modern Manchester. There are many poignant, tearful moments, though, along the way so have the tissues ready. Will there be a happy ending? Well, it is a feel-good Christmas story, so maybe there will.

Lost Christmas is aimed at children but I think will appeal to grown-ups just as much.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Quercus
Genre - 10+

Buy Lost Christmas from Amazon

Lost Souls: The Cube of Asgard by Kevin Oxland

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000Z

Psychic adventures!
Review by The Mole

Spencer keeps having episodes, when he loses his temper, where strange things happen and he blacks out. These episodes are getting worse when he is taunted by a stranger and his dog to enter an old building, a building his grandmother forbids him to enter. Like all young boys such warnings add to the curiosity and with a friend from school, Frankie, they get whisked off to some remote place with no way to return home.

Will this be their undoing and how will what is happening to Spencer help him?

I would start by saying that the early stages of the book are very unlike the latter. During the early part I truly wanted to keep giving the author a swift kick! The reason is he was using plot devices that appear in other books - books that I have read - and when I read a book I want to read something new. So why did I read on and not just throw it to one side? Well there was something behind it that was just his, but in the early part it's not very obvious. When he gets into the swing of story telling, telling his own story, then he tells it well and the plot moves quickly holding your interest and attention and leaves you waiting for book 2. I do hope though that we don't see the errors that I felt existed in Michael Scott's "Nicholas Flamel's" stories.

The books to which I refer have now mostly been published for ten or more years, books that I read to my daughter as a child, so today's young reader may not see the reference but I recommend that when reading this book you should have a rag doll beside you and each time something that reminds you of another book annoys you then stab the doll with a pin! This should help to remind the author to plough his own furrow because he can do a good job when it's all his own.

A most enjoyable story and a different ending, one that came as a surprise to me!

Publisher - Peachstone Publications
Genre - Childen's, Fantasy

Buy Lost Souls: The Cube of Asgard from Amazon

Resistance by Owen Sheers

2011-12-05T13:00:00.003Z

Futile or not?
review by Maryom

One morning in September 1944, a few days after the Germans invade Britain, Sarah Lewis and the other women of the Olchon valley in a remote corner of Wales wake to discover that their men have left sometime during the night. The only clue to their whereabouts is a discarded pamphlet, found in a cowshed, outlining tactics for guerilla warfare. The woman resolve to keep their men's disappearance a secret and to work the farms themselves but the situation changes when a German patrol arrives in the valley on a secret mission. Led by war-weary Captain Albrecht Wolfram, looking for a place to sit out the remainder of the war away from the front line, they take up residence in a deserted house and settle themselves in. Cut off from the war first by location, then by the snowdrifts of a harsh winter, the women are won over by the soldiers' helpfulness and stop seeing them as the enemy. An uneasy alliance is forged, of growing friendship and possible romance, but can it be maintained when the outside 'real' world intrudes?

Set in an alternate World War 2 where, following the collapse of the Russian army and the failure of the Allied D-Day landings, the German army has turned its sights on Britain, Resistance examines the changing relationship between two small groups of people - the female Welsh inhabitants and the male German intruders. Sheers takes us into their hearts and minds, presenting the reader not with two stereotypical groups but individuals with differing attitudes and reactions - from those quick to build new friendships to those opposed to the enemy at all cost. The strength of Sheers' writing comes from his ability to portray moods - of the harsh yet beautiful landscape or of people caught between their emotions and duty - the reader can feel the tension building, the moments when a misplaced word could tip a situation either way.

By placing the story in an unreal past, Sheers underlines its timeless relevance. Is there a right or wrong response in such a situation? Are the soldiers just ordinary men caught up in something beyond their control or a deadly enemy to be opposed to the bitter end?

I tracked Resistance down through the library as I wanted to read it before watching the film. I half expect that many of the subtleties will have been lost - the plot concentrating on the main story-line between Sarah and Albrecht, and the varying reactions of the women being lost. I hope not.

I've read other reviews which have said the ending is ambiguous. I didn't find it so myself.
My only slight criticism would be that I wasn't convinced that anyone would maintain their voluntary isolation for so long - surely a lack of tea, coffee, soap and other essentials would have won out?

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars

Publisher - Faber&Faber

Genre - adult fiction, war

If you've read and enjoyed Resistance, try White Ravens, Owen Sheers' re-imagining of the Welsh folk tale of Branwen daughter of Llyr
Buy Resistance from Amazon

Pack Men by Alan Bissett

2011-12-02T09:00:00.000Z

Not Just For Football Fans
review by Maryom

2008 - Rangers are playing in the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester and hoards of their fans are travelling south to join in the party and watch the match - if not actually in the stadium - then on the next best thing, the huge screens erected around the city centre. Not a situation to end calmly. Among them are old friends Alvin, Frannie and Dolby - and Dolby's young son, Jack - on a mini bus packed with fans from Falkirk, for a lads' day out come reunion.

This has unfortunately been languishing for too long on the TBR pile as I'd picked it up, had a quick glance and dismissed it as a novel about football hooligans - oops, I should take a bit more care before I decide to write something off.

The story centres round Alvin, the only one of the group to leave Falkirk. He's been to university, now lives in Edinburgh and dreams of being a horror writer, how can he fit in with his old mates? From the first page the reader feels him wincing at being surrounded by the sectarianism and pack mentality of the bus's other fans. While he tries to hide his discomfort and blend back in for the day, it becomes apparent that he has a bigger secret that he doesn't want to share with even his closest mates.

Against this compelling story background Alan Bissett explores themes of sectarianism, belonging and how we are defined by class and/or religion. Read it for the surface plot or the thought provoking deeper issues - whichever, it's really enjoyable. Just don't make my mistake and reject it out of hand. Pack Men is not just a book for football fans - I've never watched a game in my life!

Warning - it is an Adult novel and sexually explicit.
Since reading pack Men, I've discovered it's effectively a sequel - the main characters appear in a previous Bissett novel, Boyracer, set about 10 years before. It's obviously not necessary to read this to enjoy Pack Men but I think it's now one to track down and see what additional insights it brings.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Hatchette ScotlandGenre - Adult Fiction

Buy Pack Men from Amazon

Time Traveller Sarah Lacey by Elizabeth Dye

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000Z

Time travel can be addictive!
Review by The Mole

Sarah is frightened of water and is attending special swimming classes, which she dreads, when she is contacted by Anniz, a time traveller, who recruits her to travel to the further past, an area he cannot reach. Sarah expects to see great great historical events but instead is thrown into events that bring her face to face with some of her greatest fears!

This book in the series looks at some of the working conditions and ways children were treated in industry - namely mining. While the author makes it plain how terrible conditions and treatment were she doesn't set out to frighten her target audience of 8+ readers, but simply to ensure that they are horrified without being reduced to tears!

While the book is informative - and that fact must not be ignored - it is not at the expense of a well told story that will be enjoyed by its reader just as a simple fiction book. An extremely good balance of story telling and education for the 8+ readers and one that they will thoroughly enjoy!

Maryon read and enjoyed "Alex McLean - Time Traveller by Morag Ramsey" in the same series.

Publisher - Seven Arches Publishing
Genre - childrens 8+,historical, sci-fi

Buy Sarah Lacey Time Traveller from Amazon

Mrs Darcy Versus The Aliens by Jonathan Pinnock

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000Z

Austen - but not as you know it!
review by Maryom

A couple of years after the ending of Pride and Prejudice, the Darcy's have not yet produced an heir, the Bingleys are falling for every financial scam in the book, Mr Collins is saving fallen women in Whitechapel while his wife hangs out with pot-smoking Lord Byron and Lydia Wickham has been kidnapped by aliens. Wickham is hot on their trail with the help of his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Darcy, for whom the aliens have rather special plans...

As you might have guessed from the title, this is not an entirely serious novel. Certainly not one to compare with Miss Austen's original but it is an amazingly hilarious, laugh-a-minute comic read with references to almost every Pride and Prejudice TV or film adaptation and quick asides of anything from The Fast Show to Women In Love via James Bond.
Oh, and there are aliens - don't forget the aliens - or their squirming tentacles.

Mrs Darcy versus the Aliens is filled to the brim with my sort of humour - lots of in-jokes and obscure TV quotes that I needed to share with anyone who'd listen. I'd like to tell you about all the funny bits but would probably end up reading the book to you.

Not a book I'd recommend to Austen purists but for everyone else it's a 'must read'.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Proxima (Salt Publishing)
Genre - comedy/horror

Buy Mrs Darcy Versus The Aliens (Proxima) from Amazon

Angel Fire by L A Weatherly

2011-11-29T10:13:00.000Z

Another Angelic Read
review by Maryom

Following the dramatic events that ended Angel, Willow and Alex are now on the run, heading south to Mexico where they hope to train a team of Angel Killers and find a way to rid the world of their menace. What neither of them realise is that another half-angel, Seb, is out there - and looking for Willow. When she sees him in a dream Willow feels unaccountably drawn to him. How will boyfriend Alex react to this newcomer? Will there still be a place in Willow's life for a mere mortal? While they struggle with their feelings, Alex and Willow have to focus on the task in hand - to move closer to eliminating Angels forever.

I must admit I was a little daunted when Angel Fire arrived and I saw its 700+ pages but once I'd started reading, I didn't want to stop and finished it in 2-3 days! I even found this more gripping than the first story, Angel, where there was a lot of scene setting and background to fill in. This time Willow and Alex are plunged straight into action with barely time to draw breath before the end of the book, certainly no time for the private moments they're both looking for.
The characters seem more fleshed out this time - the Angels are less 2D bad guys and more individual, more manipulative and devious; the band of Angel Killers are real young people trying to work through their own personal problems while taking on an evil world- dominating force and not at all comfortable about the presence of half-angels in their midst. The main focus though is the lovers' triangle of Willow, Alex and Seb. A hair cut and some dye over a motel bathroom sink, and Willow emerges as a more confident, independent heroine. Alex, on the other hand, lost a lot of my sympathy with his macho attitude towards her.

Angel Fire is an absorbing, nail biting read with the two threads of fighting Angels and the love triangle fitting neatly together to pull the reader along to a cataclysmic ending.

Maryom's review - 5 stars

Publisher - Usborne

Genre - teenage/YA, paranormal

Buy Angel and
Angel Fire: Angel Trilogy, Book 2 from Amazon

Ralph Is Not A Spy by Corinne V. Davies

2011-11-28T08:57:00.001Z

Illustrated by El Ashfield

Maybe, but he's sure lots of fun!!
Review by The Mole

Ralph plays chess. OK, but he plays so well he plays grand masters and beats them! The International Chess Academy want to know how he does it and sets out to kidnap both Ralph and his sister. McBond makes Ralph aware of the plan and so they set out to foil their plans.

I HATE doing this but in 2011 this HAS to be my favourite 7+ book particularly for boys.

Written entirely in verse there is almost 1 laugh per verse and with about 4 verses per page we are talking a serious measure of laughs in this book. But hang on there, hold hard, the laughs are not restricted to the verses! The pictures don't just complement the telling of the story, they add to it with things not said in the words appearing in the pictures and making yet more laughs! The pictures themselves will appeal to the reader but are well detailed with plenty of humour and each one is an important asset to the book.

While a child will almost certainly enjoy reading and joining in, the younger spy would really enjoy having it read to them until the activities come along when they are sure to want to do them for themselves. And be honest, poetry should be read aloud to get the most from it, and I challenge adults to read it without joining in the laughter!

Add to that the number of activities for the young reader to get involved in through the book - cracking codes, designing spy gadgets, choosing aliases etc - and then the activities at the end of the book this book will provide hours of fun for the young spy during holidays.

This really has to be my favourite 7+ book for 2011!

Publisher - Ral Publications

Genre - Children's 7+

Buy Ralph is (not) a Spy from Amazon

Dogs Are Daft by Dave Maclean

2011-11-24T10:00:00.000Z

Cat's - but not as you know them!
Review by Maryom

"Dogs are daft, but they can bite" is one of the 13 keys to leading a good life - if you're a cat.
Dylan the kitten has a happy life with his grandfather and his man, until the old cat dies and Dylan is thrown out on the street. He meets up with new cats who welcome him into their group and life improves again until 'bullies' appear on the scene, intent on having their own way.

A tale of life from the cat's point of view which had me laughing out loud at times - I'm just not sure that its target age reader would find the same things funny. (Though I'm not sure if anybody, adult or child, shares my sense of humour - my family don't!) The cats are all very 'humanised' - they play football, bake cakes, dance to old Max Bygraves records or head-bang to Deep Purple, rather than chase mice and birds.

Part of my reason for accepting this book for review was that I felt it would fit into our anti-bullying week - unfortunately, after reading, I didn't really feel it did. The gang of 'bullies' are more like an army invading and the reaction of Dylan's friends is to 'gear up' and fight back.

Publisher - Nightingale Books

Genre - Children's 9+

Buy Dogs are Daft from Amazon

The Liberation of Celia Kahn by J. David Simons

2011-11-24T09:30:00.000Z

Liberation?
Review by The Mole

It's 1915 and Celia Kahn is a sixteen year old girl living in the Gorbals district of Glasgow. She is Jewish and lives is a small community and never comfortable if she steps outside her known circle and habits. And then a chance meeting with Agnes Calder in a sweet shop changes her life forever. We follow her life over the next years through various struggles and traumas.

I am not sure what I expected from this book but whatever it was, it wasn't what I got. I think I got a great deal more. It's a very powerful story and while there is much history thrown in, the focus remains entirely on Celia and her maturing personality, through turmoil and trauma and knowing what she wants to do, to make an impact on society, but having no idea how she might do it and that anything she tries to do seems to be not enough.

It's a rewarding story to read. Enjoyable is not the right word as some of what she encounters can bring enjoyment to no-one, however it is well worth reading and may leave you choosing something a little light hearted for your next book. But don't be put off! If you may be the weepy kind then grab a tissue and sit down and read, cry and rage and just occasionally, although only occasionally, smile as well.

Publisher - Five Leaves Publications

Genre - Adult literary fiction

Buy The Liberation of Celia Kahn from Amazon

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

2011-11-23T11:14:00.001Z

Toddler Tantrums
review by Maryom

Beckie Brandon (nee Bloomwood) and husband Luke now have a two year old daughter, Minnie - and guess what her favourite game is? Yes, shopping - or more accurately, grabbing everything in the shop and yelling "Miiine". Not, of course, that mum Becky would let her have everything she wants, would she? But after all, she's not buying things for herself and even in a major financial recession with banks closing down and everyone (even Mum and Janice-next-door) having to cut back, who can resist a toddler..
Minnie is worse than your average toddler in other ways - being thrown out of playgroups and banned from Santa's Grottoes, leads Luke to decide it's time for some professional help in the form of Nanny Sue, a 'supernanny' type who claims to be able to sort out all tricky family problems. Meanwhile Becky thinks that the best thing to cheer everyone up in the midst of such gloom and doom is a surprise birthday party for Luke.

This time Becky is discovering the competitive cut-throat world of being a modern mum and the delights of 'pound shops' and bartering in her attempts to make money go just that little bit further. In typical Becky fashion, things don't go totally according to plan but there's lots of laughs on the way to (hopefully) a happy ending.

It's no secret that in between grisly murders and thought-provoking literary fiction I'm a Shopaholic fan and this new addition to the series is a lovely, laugh a minute, escapist read - of course, my toddlers were never anything like Minnie!

Maryom's review - 5 stars

Publisher - Transworld Publishing

Genre - Chick lit

Buy Mini Shopaholic from Amazon

The Four Little Pigs by Kimara Nye

2011-11-22T08:39:00.001Z

A breath of life into a classic story
Review by The Mole

With illustrations by Marcin Bruchnalski.

Tom has a granny who is a witch and when Tom says he doesn't want to hear "The Three Little Pigs" AGAIN then granny adds a twist.

We have all read stories to our little ones for the umpteenth time and felt like deviating from the plot. Perhaps Jack falls from the beanstalk and can't climb up, or Red Riding Hood goes off to the cinema and leaves granny waiting? Well that is what Kimara Nye has done here she has made the story fun for adults again as well as the children. The wolf gets a few new nasty shocks as the pigs become wise to all his moves.

Beautiful pictures paired with simple dialogue that makes it a really fun bedtime reader - with a twist. Come On - we need more of them!

Maryom's comment - A delightful, alternative telling of The Three Little Pigs, one I would have loved to have shared with my toddlers.

Publisher - Maverick Books
Genre - Children's Picture Book

Buy The Four Little Pigs from Amazon

The Long Second by Marshall Buckley

2011-11-21T12:46:00.001Z

What Would You Change?
review by Maryom

Have you ever watched the second hand of a clock really closely? Ever noticed that sometimes it seems to take just a little bit too long to move on? Tony has discovered a remarkable thing, when that second hand takes a little too long to move, he can jump back in time.
Tony's family is wealthy but decidedly dysfunctional - his father is nothing more than a financial crook, his mother lives solely to shop, his elder brother is a total sleaze and his younger sister the stroppy teen to outdo all stroppy teens! The only person to hold them together is Manuela, the mysterious, unswervingly loyal housekeeper that most of the family treat like a doormat.
When his dad's dodgy financial dealings finally catch up with him and the family lose their cushy life and large house, Tony tries to set things right by jumping back in time and scooping a lottery jackpot. Then he realises that it's possible to do other things by nipping back in time - like saving a life - or two.

A very clever idea, though with shades of Groundhog Day about it, and possibly one of the best endings to a novel that I've read but I found the telling of the tale a little uneven - at times it grabbed my attention, at others it dragged. In part this may have been due to reading The Long Second as an e-book on a little net browser - it takes a long while to find the spot you left the book at and the pages don't turn nicely. It all makes for disrupted reading and my appreciation could have suffered as a result.
Despite the excellent ending the story arc seemed rather unfinished leaving many ends trailing. I've since discovered that The Long Second is the first book of a trilogy so perhaps these untidied ends will be dealt with later on.

Buy The Long Second from Amazon - self-published e-book

Black Widow by Jessie Keane

2011-11-18T18:00:00.000Z

London gangs
Review by TheMole

Annie Carter is living in Majorca with her daughter and husband, Max when their home is attacked. Annie is knocked out and comes round to find her daughter and husband are gone, her brother-in-law is killed and his girlfriend left hysterical. Max is head of the Carter family, a London gang involved in clubs and crime. Annie sets out to find her daughter and husband using the families contacts.

I have an admission to make... Dateline 1st September - the day my car had to be MOTed. I took the car to the dealer and had to kill time.. I visited "The Works" and picked this book up and a Robert Rankin for 49p each. I then sat on a wall in the River Gardens and started to read Black Widow. I quickly became engrossed and picked it up at every opportunity after that. (The car passed by the way - in case you are interested?)

I finished the book having enjoyed most of it. No, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed most of it. Was it well plotted with good character development? Sorry, no. I felt at times that I wanted to punch Annie Carter for her attitude and her incompetence and inconsistency. I felt that the ending was nothing like what I had hoped for and was contrived to end the book without adding more pages to the 552 that it enjoyed. So why did I enjoy it? This question bugs me a little and I come to the conclusion that Jessie Keane can tell a story well, even if it's not a very good story. Would I read another Jessie Keane? Well no, I like story telling and good plots to coincide too much. However if I was on a long journey and wanting something to read and one was lying around then I wouldn't be afraid to pick it up.

It says on the front "As good as Martina Cole or your money back" but I have never read Martina Cole and thanks, I won't bother with her books either thank you.

TheMole's review - 2.5 stars
Publisher - Harper Collins
Genre - Adult Crime/Thriller

Buy Black Widow from Amazon

Torn by Cat Clarke

2011-11-18T10:51:00.000Z

Shallow Grave meets Sartre
review by Maryom

On a school outward-bound type trip, Alice and best friend Cass find themselves sharing a cabin with popular but bitchy Tara, emo Rae and the largely ignored Polly. Following a terrifying pot-holing expedition, Tara's meanness reaches new heights and Cass thinks it's time to take her down a peg or two. As things slide from funny to disastrous, Alice finds herself dragged into helping cover up what really occurred.

Torn is another stunning book from Cat Clarke filled with that edgy thought-provoking angst that teens seem to love and which strangely brought back memories of French lessons reading Sartre. Jean Paul had many a hero torn between the cushy option and doing what they knew to be right - and this is where Cat Clarke's heroine Alice finds herself. Should Alice tell all? Does Alice even know all?

The reader is enticed along as Alice's back story is slowly revealed and they come to realise how much the dynamics of the group have changed over the years, how peer pressure and school cliques have shaped the girls' characters and attitudes. This sort of incident is not one to walk away from untouched and I was fascinated by how the girls' characters continued to evolve in unexpected ways - though we aren't talking dead flatmates here, despite the Shallow Grave reference.

Torn is a thought provoking book that proves that not all YA fiction has to be about werewolves and vampires. There's a mystery, quite a lot of romance and important decisions about taking responsibility to be made, as Alice tries to work her way out of the mess.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Quercus
Genre - teenage, YA,

Buy Torn from Amazon

Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000Z

Teenage Parenthood
review by Maryom

Dante is waiting anxiously for his A level results, then he'll be off to university to pursue his dreams of becoming a journalist. Unfortunately that isn't all that arrives on his doorstep that day. His ex-girlfriend Melanie shows up, with a baby she claims is his - and then she sneaks away and leaves Dante literally holding the baby!

So often teenage pregnancy and parenthood are seen as affecting the mother but here we see them from the perspective of a boy suddenly thrust into fatherhood. Dante finds himself in the middle of nappy changing/feeding problems, having to sort out all the bureaucracy of social services, health visitors, doctors, nursery placements etc that accompany a baby these days, while still not certain that this child is actually his. Sometimes his attempts to cope seem laughable (particularly to a parent), sometimes they'll have you near to tears.
I'm a bit curious though about the 'hype' around this book. It's billed as a novel about the effects of teenage parenthood - which it is, but the secondary plot of the problems faced by Dante's gay brother Adam is an equally important issue and somehow seems to have been ignored. Adam is quiet open and happy about his sexual orientation but his school friends find it harder to take and he's on the receiving end of a lot of serious homophobic bullying.
I found myself having a lot more sympathy for Adam than for Dante. Dante, after all, is responsible for the troubles he's landed with - Adam has done nothing to deserve his. Boys Don't Cry is a thought-provoking book that I hope will get teenagers thinking about the choices they make in life and the knock-on effects that they can have.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Random House
Genre - Teen Fiction

Buy Boys Don't Cry from Amazon

Crossing The Line by Gillian Philip * * * * *

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000Z

One year ago, Allie's boyfriend was killed in a knife attack. Her brother, Nick, worries about her - does she really still see and hear Aidan as she claims or is she pretending? and how much did his actions, or lack of them, lead to Aidan's death?

All his life, Nick has felt he has no one to depend on or turn to, particularly with problems. His mother is lost in her job- doling out sympathy and advice for others. His father is lost in his booze. His Grandmother is lost in old age. The only person Nick can depend on is himself - but what if he got things wrong and he's the one who messed everything up?

This is intended as a Young Adult novel but I found it engrossing, moving, funny at times and a little disturbing - these are, after all, fairly normal teenagers trying to cope with school life not drug gangs. The action moves quickly, between 'Then', the lead up to the fatal stabbing, and 'Now' as Nick tries to sort things out and move on, to a nail biting, spooky ending that will leave you wondering.

Would recommend this for adults as well as their teenagers.

Crossing the Line can be be purchased from Amazon

The Mole said...: I have now read this and want to add my experience of reading as a comment rather than a separate review. I found this book truly excellent and easily worthy of the 5 stars Maryom has awarded it. It deals with youth culture and a violent death. I truly abhor violence and this made much of the book disturbing, but it was still compelling and I felt I gained from the reading. I feel I want to avoid the word 'enjoy' though because 'enjoy' is for books that leave you with only a happy glow, whereas here I felt more disturbed by the story than glowing from it. Although I could identify with some of the characters, at school I couldn't truly identify with Nick. I was picked on at school (you were either a bully or bullied - there was no middle ground) until one day I 'lost it' and got close to breaking a kids arm. I was frightened by the loss of control that violence had caused and it reinforced my abhorrence of violence and I never 'lost it' a second time. There are happier themes of teenage love in the story as well, but sadly not everything comes out rosy in those themes either. My one comment - not a criticism, merely a comment - is that it is written in the first person of a 17 year old boy, some of the observations reflect more life experience than I would expect and certainly some of the style comments (girl's hair, clothes etc) are not the kind of thing a man, let alone a boy, would come out with. None of this though detracted from the excellence of the book.

A Million Angels by Kate Maryon

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000Z

Angels and Wishes
Review by Maryom

Jemima has always felt closer to her Dad than her Mum. With him, she's always felt able to talk about anything and everything and know that he will listen. But Dad is a soldier and he's off to Afghanistan. How will Mima fill the gap he leaves behind? Her mum is preoccupied with a baby expected soon, Gran lives in a dream with her wartime memories of her childhood sweetheart lost in the Blitz and best friend Jess delights in relaying all the worst news of what is happening to their father's in Afghanistan. To keep Dad safe, Mima draws a million guardian angels and imagines them winging their way to him but she decides the safest thing is to find a way to bring him home.

A Million Angels is a moving, engrossing, closely observed story of a young girl trying to come to terms with massive upheaval in her life. The reader really feels inside Mima's head, sharing her feelings of loss and loneliness, the futility of trying to explain to others, even when wanting her to stop in her reckless attempts to have her dad brought home. The 'supporting cast' feel equally real - from her pre-occupied, well-meaning but so 'off the mark' Mum to the popular girls at school who make life such a pain.

Maryom's review - 5 stars

Publisher - Harper Collins

Genre - Children's 10+

Buy A MILLION ANGELS from Amazon

Anti-bullying week: Maryom's choices

2011-11-16T18:00:00.002Z

All of my choices are not books about bullying as such but still ones in which it plays an important part. I had wanted to include The Killer's Daughter by Vivian Oldaker but The Mole picked that first!
Be warned there are probably plot spoilers in this post - though not in the individual reviews.

A Million Angels by Kate Maryon - Mima is depressed and lonely since her father has been posted to Afghanistan. First her best friend Jess starts to torment her with ghastly accounts of what may be happening to her dad, then school bully Tory begins to pick on her as well. The mild teasing turns nasty when their parents mistakenly encourage the girls to spend more time together. The story shows how parents too easily pick up the wrong idea and make matters worse, even though they feel they are helping.

Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman behind the main plot of teenage parenthood is a tale of gay teenager Adam coming to terms with being 'different' but bullied for it. He attempts to hide this from his, mainly accepting, family but the reader is aware that things are growing unpleasant for him. The ugliest aspect is that someone is joining in with the bullying in an attempt to hide their own feelings and sexuality.

Torn by Cat Clarke - how NOT to tackle bullying! Tara is the popular, bitchy queen of school, out to belittle and humiliate anyone not in her clique. She wasn't always like this though, so how did she change from nice girl to bully? Also, if you feel you're being bullied, don't go down the route picked by these girls!

The Killer's Daughter by Vivian Oldaker

2011-11-16T09:15:00.000Z

Bullied into the truth
Review by TheMole(Gerry)

This book is very easy reading and would make an excellent holiday book for young girls.

Emma is the grand daughter of a famous movie star who died on the Greek island of Kalos. The trouble is that her father was tried for her grandmother's murder and although found not guilty people don't believe the verdict. Where ever they go they seem to get hounded and ostracised. They have moved to Wessex where Emma starts a new school and it starts all over again.

Emma is year 11 but having to repeat year 10 because of the court case so 16 going on 17 but I found myself comparing her actions and maturity with my 13 year old daughter. I am not sure why I should find that though. Is it that my daughter is mature or is Emma written as less mature? The effect of this is that I can see this book being read and and enjoyed by young teenagers through to the older ones.

It is fast moving and ends up as a whodunnit that develops quite late on. One of it's main early themes is bullying, which seems to be a quite popular theme today. The bullying is portrayed well and I found myself thinking that yes, the teaching staff would do it that way - but are they right?

I did enjoy the book, although at times I wanted to give some (if not most) of the characters a telling off.

Publisher - Andersen Press

Genre - Teenage Girls General Fiction

Anti Bullying Week - The Mole's thoughts and choices

2011-11-16T09:00:00.000Z

Bullying is a crime that has had much publicity of late. That publicity stretches from in the school through to the work place.

Bullying in early life does damage people and that damage will probably never heal throughout adulthood. Sometimes, extremely sadly, the victim's self-esteem and fear may grow to the point where they see no way way forward and suicide is the result.

Victims of bullying may go through adult life always being bullied or with lowered self-esteem and so not realising their their full potential or reap fully the returns from life they would otherwise enjoy and the bully will see victimisation as a way of life and can even end up making it a career choice!

We chose to start the week with New Beginnings by Rebecca Emin because it highlights the effects of bullying on the victim. It tries to address how the victim feels and the spiralling effect but it also endeavours to show that unless the victim does ask for help then no-one can help them.

The next choice was Playground by 50 Cent as it is less usual for a book to reflect on the bully's side of the relationship. In this case it is 'mostly true' and so reflects on how at least one bully came to be so. It has to help to understand both sides of the relationship in bullying - because that is what it is, a relationship.

Both our first two choices reflect on a bully whose family life is severely damaged and need to hit back at life.

Bullying is about power. In it's simplistic form it is nothing more than that and if bullies go unchecked then it becomes their way of life and much of organised crime, including the 'protection' rackets, is a manifestation of this.

Having chosen our first 2 books we have decided to each choose our next 3 to 'complete' the week.

My first is Killer's Daughter by Vivian Oldaker. I have to admit that we both wanted to pick this one so we had to toss a coin. My coin. And I won. This story highlights a few aspects of bullying. The first is the victimisation and intimidation of others brought on by unwarranted rumours. The second is the inability of adults to sometimes acknowledge that there could be acts of bullying going on around them. It also reflects on a bullied person who is not a natural 'victim' but becomes one anyway.

My second choice has to be Crossing The Line by Gillian Phlip. The entire story hinges around a bully who bullies, not because he finds he can take the power, but within his family it is the normal thing to do and he would be less of a person to them if he didn't follow suit.

My third, and final, choice is Black Widow by Jessie Keane as this shows the ultimate in bullying - organised crime with intimidation, violence, protection, murder - entirely about taking and keeping power.

Playground by 50 Cent with Laura Moser

2011-11-15T09:00:00.001Z

"Mostly True"
Review by The Mole

Butterball's parents have split and he is living in the non-fashionable Garden City with his mum rather than in the trendy New York with his dad. He has changed school and only has one friend who one day he turns on and beats up. After this he must see a therapist or be expelled.

We follow the story of Butterball as he goes through therapy but still gets into more trouble and starts to regret some of his past. In fact, regrets much of his past.

A really enjoyable read and well told.

Ok, the telling... At a couple of points it feels like there is a little hero worship involved and wonder if there is something of the co-writer coming through? Something I am not sure about though is the reading age.... Normally a book about a 13/14 year old boy is aimed at 11+ but this book has language (not profanity although 'sh*t' is thrown in liberally through out the book) and concepts that just don't seem right for a young teenager - things that might be learned and understood retrospectively in later life.

Having made those minor comments, it doesn't detract from the fact that this book is 'mostly true' and a heart warming story for it. Clearly the book is not a transcript of the sessions and it is easy to say that as a work of fiction this just would not have happened. It did - and it's important to bear that in mind.

So it's target audience? Well 50 Cent says it's an anti bullying book and this it most certainly is but are bullies likely to read it? Sadly not many will simply because such people tend not to read a great deal because it's not 'cool' but perhaps the name on the front cover may just get some reading it and thinking about it. Or maybe victims or family will and hopefully 50 Cent's intention will be realised. But I wonder how many copies will be bought as presents for fans and go unread?

It is well worth a read and is easily readable.

New Beginnings by Rebecca Emin

2011-11-14T09:28:00.000Z

Why the victim?
Review by The Mole

Sam Hendry has moved up to secondary school but in order to try to give her the best chances her parents have elected to send her to a private school. The effect of this decision is that she has gone up to secondary school without any of her friends and on the first day in school she is on her own. Almost from the moment Molly sets eyes on her she decides that Sam is a victim to be bullied and starts a campaign of intimidation.

Written from the victim's standpoint this book does endeavour to show the true impact of bullying.

It is written in the short staccato sentence structure that one would expect an 11 year old to write in, however both myself and Maryom struggled with the form. After a burst of inspiration Maryom read a passage swapping "she" and "Sam" to "I" and so changing it to first person and this worked a great deal better, however it still did not sit right somehow. It's also important to note, I feel, that bullying also affects parents and so any message on the subject should be universally accessible and that the writing style chosen should not put them off reading it.

Bullying is a problem that is not unique to either gender but unfortunately this book contains girlie fashion tips and music choices that are very likely to turn boys off and miss an important audience for this subject.

In writing this the author highlights the role of reduced esteem that bullying causes and probably causes a spiralling effect on the severity of the intimidation. In reading this I was reminded of a scene from "Crossing Delancey" where Bubba attends a class endeavouring to teach the elderly that if they look like a victim they will be a victim.

This book, despite it's fairytale feel good ending, has a very positive message about a very serious aspect of bullying which the author has shown a very clear indication of understanding deeply, but unfortunately it could have been executed better. A message not to be ignored though.

Publisher - Grimoire Books
Genre - Children's 10+, bullying, Rebecca Emin

Buy New Beginnings from Amazon

Anti Bullying week

2011-11-14T09:00:00.000Z

Anti Bullying Week 2011 - 14th to 18th November

Bullying is an issue that affects many children as victims and some children as bullies. It also affects the parents of both victim and bully alike. Because it may not be possible to know if your child is bullied, as they may not talk about it, it also affects the parents of children who may not be bullied at all.

We see this issue as a very emotive one and so this week we will be looking at books, both old and new, that we see have something to say about bullies or bullying.

We appreciate that adults may also be bullied but this week we are concentrating solely on the aspects of children's involvement.

Sherlock Holmes: The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

2011-11-14T08:00:00.001Z

Hoping to get this one soon
Preview by The Mole

An unusual post for us really because we haven't read the book yet. And yes, it's a sponsored link from which we will get worldly rich, buy a yacht and end up seasick! Choose to click the link or not but I watched the video, read the first 20 pages here and very much regretted not going for the 'wins' I have seen flying around for it. It is being heavily promoted but does the campaign 'sell' this book to me?Firstly Anthony Horowitz turns out that he's not the author I thought he was. I used to be one of the readers who tends to look for authors I liked and took some persuading to try something new, so I have a lot of catching up to do.So I had no idea that Anthony Horowitz created the series Midsomer Murders (don't go there as all visitors either end up dead or are murderers) and Foyle's War - two series I have, at times, enjoyed immensely. He has also produced other TV mini series and written the 13 million worldwide copy selling Alex Rider books. This book appears to be a long held passion of his as an early Conan Doyle fan, coincidentally he was only a little older than I was when I read my first Holmes book.

The synopsis reads

"It is November 1890 and London is gripped by a merciless winter. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are enjoying tea by the fire when an agitated gentleman arrives unannounced at 221B Baker Street. He begs Holmes for help, telling the unnerving story of a scar-faced man with piercing eyes who has stalked him in recent weeks. Intrigued by the man’s tale, Holmes and Watson find themselves drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events, stretching from the gas-lit streets of London to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston. As the pair delve deeper into the case, they stumble across a whispered phrase ‘the House of Silk’: a mysterious entity and foe more deadly than any Holmes has encountered, and a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society itself…"

The video sets the scene in a very Conan Doylesque way and the first 20 pages made me very much thinking "a true Conan Doyle mystery".

This is definitely one on my list for Santa!

Buy The House of Silk: The New Sherlock Holmes Novel from Amazon

The Soldier's Song by Alan Monaghan

2011-11-11T09:30:00.001Z

A true anti war book
Review by The Mole

The story is about Stephen Ryan, a maths student from Dublin and follows his life from the start of the first world war when he volunteers and becomes an officer in a Dublin regiment.

I was warned it would be about family conflict around the Easter Uprising because so many are. It wasn't.

It's a love story that so rings true it is beyond belief. It is about family in conflict during war. It is about stress and trauma on the battlefield. It is about 'bravery' whatever that actually is. It is about social class.

This book was a brilliant book. It was compelling to read as well as easy to read.

The story takes Stephen from conflict to conflict while at the same time building a bond between himself and his younger brother and finds this shy, if not aspergic, individual falling for Lillian, a student at the same university before the war. It exposes Stephen to about every form of shock and trauma that the war could throw at him in an effort to try to get the reader to understand the full horror that a war can create.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough and if it doesn't make the best seller lists for 2010 then there is no justice. Please, Please try this book.

Publisher - Macmillan
Genre - adult, war, fiction

Buy The Soldier's Song from Amazon

Kiss of Death by Peter Beere

2011-11-10T08:30:00.000Z

Do we understand it all?
Review by The Mole

Sadie Ross is all alone. Her mother is dead and her boyfriend has left her. All that she touches seems to shrivel and die. Sadie has the kiss of death... but when she meets Tony, Sadie's Luck seems to change - perhaps life and love have not passed her by...

Until the murders start... is there anyone she can turn to before she becomes the next victim?

It is difficult to say much about this book without giving plot spoilers. It was an easy read but an experience like one I have not had before. Told from Sadie's point of view but it is very difficult to get to understand her - but this is not because it is badly written, but quite the opposite it is very well written but Sadie is a teenager that has had a lot of things happen to her and she is lost, alone and very sad. But is she paranoid as well?

An extremely entertaining book aimed at teenagers but having finished reading I was left wondering "Did that explain it all? Is there more unsaid?".

Unfortunately there aren't many new versions of this around now as it was first published in 1994 and our library service lists it but has lost it (someone ought to return it?). Non the less well worth a read if you can get your hands on a copy.

Publisher - Point Crime - Scholastic
Genre - Teenage, Crime, Thriller

Buy Kiss of Death (Point Crime) from Amazon

Late For Tea at the Deer Palace by Tamara Chalabi

2011-11-09T09:30:00.000Z

"The Lost Dreams of my Iraqi Family"
Review by The Mole

... is described as "The story of Iraq, told from an Iraqi woman's perspective" which is not truly the case. Tamara Chalabi was born in Lebanon into a family in exile from Iraq after the 1958 revolution. But this family was no ordinary family having been a very influential family in Iraq - and Mesopotamia before - for many years and in fact the story starts the history of the family in 1833 with the birth of Ali Chalabi - although the narrative itself starts in 1913.

Because they were one of the most powerful, respected, influential families much of their history intertwines with the history of Iraq, even when in exile.

Tamara has a PhD in history and tells their story quite impartially and in trying to explain the 1958 revolution I actually could see some justification for the revolution - such is her impartiality. The story follows family members from each generation and reflects on their successes, their failings as well as their misfortunes. If the real lives of some of the family were written into novels then the reader would scoff - but these are real events in history and sometimes life IS stranger than fiction. More than just a history of Iraq and her family she also tries to explain the difference between between the various forms of Islam and the plight of such groups as the Kurds through the involvement of her family with these groups.

I found it most fascinating and laden with information. I was amazed with how much Iraqi - and sometimes world - history I gleaned from the reading. Well worth a read for so many reasons, not least of all is because it was 'enjoyable'. Not quite the right word but it's the closest I can come to a word and I came away feeling a lot more informed on the history of Iraq as well as customs surrounding the Islamic faith and just a little of the religion as well.

Publisher - Harper Press
Genre - history, non-fiction, Tamara Chalabi

Buy Late for Tea at the Deer Palace: The Lost Dreams of My Iraqi Family from Amazon

My Swordhand Is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick

2011-11-08T13:00:00.000Z

Proper Old-Fashioned Vampires
review by Maryom

After many years of travelling, constantly moving from one place to another, Peter and his father have settled at last in the village of Chust. Despite it's picturesque setting with meadows and forests, Peter feels it's a place with something dreadful hanging over it. As the villagers prepare for winter - coating their door and window frames with tar and garlic to keep evil at bay - the feeling increases. Then various villagers start to claim that their dead loved ones have returned from their graves to visit them...

My Swordhand Is Singing takes the reader back to a time when vampires were ghastly, disgusting, half-rotten, half-dead creatures risen from their graves, best avoided at all costs - not the handsome, devilishly-dashing, film-star sort played by Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt - and I think I prefer them this way. It's a wonderfully spooky, creepy, shivers down the spine book. The tension mounts slowly with hints of evil lurking in the forest and the reader just *knows* something appalling is going to happen.

I first discovered Marcus Sedgwick through an audiobook of White Crow which I won on Twitter and found seriously scary. So when I found My Swordhand is Singing in my library I picked it up mainly out of curiosity and loved it so much, I've immediately ordered more by the author. Although aimed at teens, they've the right amount of scariness and horror for me.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Orion
Genre - teenage fiction, horror

Buy My Swordhand is Singing from Amazon

And For Your Information by Denise Deegan

2011-11-07T11:33:00.002Z

A Slice of Teenage Life
review by Maryom

Sarah feels that her life is out of control - her parents have separated, her mum is angry all the time, boyfriend Simon pays her no attention, her best friends Alex and Rachel keep secrets from her and have loads more spending money... So when she accidentally discovers the power that shoplifting appears to give her, it feels like a good thing. Can that be right? or is it the way to spin even more out of control? Getting caught may be better for Sarah than she realises. It certainly proves to be life-changing!

To be honest, I'd expected And For Your Information to be just another fairly light-weight teen chick lit/school story - exam stress, bullies and boyfriends, - but realised quite early on that this story was something more than that.
Denise Deegan deals with important issues in an accessible, readable, yet thought-provoking, way. I haven't read the previous novel in the series, but found it easy to slip into the lives and problems of Sarah, Alex and Rachel - and between them they seem to have all the teenage problems in the world. It's not all doom and gloom for them though - there are plenty of laughs and a lot of romance. As the parent of a teenager, I particularly liked the way in which grown-ups were shown to have thoughts and feelings of their own - too often ignored by their teenagers!
An excellent slice-of-teenage-life novel - just be warned, the ending won't leave a dry eye in the house!

I think the cover didn't do the story justice - and could have been responsible for my expectations of it. The Mole actually suggested it looked like a fitness book!

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Hachette Books Ireland
Genre - teenage fiction

Buy And for Your Information: a Novel (Butterfly) from Amazon

Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll

2011-11-04T13:44:00.001Z

Something Strange Stirring in New York City
review by Maryom

On a wet, foggy day Garet James finds herself in an unknown area of New York, desperately seeking somewhere to take shelter from the rain. Something draws her into a strange antiques shop where the owner talks her into doing him a favour and opening an old, soldered shut, silver box. Little does she know, her life will never be the same....

I thought this book started off very well. I was suitably intrigued by the discovery of the silver box, by burglars obviously trying to steal it but somehow when more supernatural beings entered the story, I started to lose interest. I've nothing against vampires, particularly if they're young, rich and handsome, nor the otherworldly beings occupying New York City but somehow they weren't presented in a way to keep my attention. I'm sure a lot of paranormal romance fans will love this book - unfortunately I didn't.

Maryom's review - 3 stars
Publisher - Bantam Books
Genre - paranormal romance,

Buy Black Swan Rising from Amazon

Philip Ardagh's Book of Howlers, Blunders and Random Mistakery

2011-11-03T09:00:00.000Z

No mistake with this one
Review by The Mole

I saw this on sale as I walked past a shop doorway and just felt I had to take a closer look. The first page I read was about some Rossian soldiers during the first world war and rumours that they started. I quickly became convinced I had made a mistake. Having started to read I found it addictive and I had appointments to keep.

This book is, despite the look of it, non-fiction and is a collection of facts gathered from too many sources to contemplate and totally based on fact. But these facts are not ordinary facts. The people involved in many of them would rather you didn't know these facts. Facts from film, radio, TV and many more sources that have caused many people very red faces. But there is one question I would like an answer to... why is it sold as a children's book? It is a while since my 18th birthday (in fact I have long since completed my 3rd 18th birthday) but I still find it entertaining, informative and amusing. I will admit that Mr Ardagh has written it in a style that makes it accessible to children but it does not adopt a condescending attitude that makes adults want to put it down. Well worth a read and if you are embarrassed to buy it for yourself then get it for a son, daughter, grandchild, niece, nephew or some random child on the street - just make sure you've read it before you pass it on.

Publisher - Macmillan Children's
Genre - Non-Fiction

Buy Philip Ardagh's Book of Howlers, Blunders and Random Mistakery from Amazon

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

2011-11-01T15:28:00.002Z

Not So Scary
review by Maryom

Strange things are happening in the MacNeil household - noises in the attic, strange smells, furniture that re-arranges itself.... Then 11 yr old Regan's behaviour changes dramatically. When medical tests can't find a reason, mother Chris decides it's time to call in an exorcist...

Scary? Not really.
I hadn't read The Exorcist before and, perhaps more surprisingly, haven't seen the film, even so I've seen lots of clips of the 'making of' variety which gave me a good idea of what to expect. It's hardly possible for someone of my age to be unaware of The Exorcist's basic plot - though to be honest, I think the title itself actually gives away quite a lot. Therefore when the noises first start in the attic, I knew what they represented and there was no gradual build up of tension as I knew what was coming.
I had expected though that as things moved along, they would get scarier - but I didn't find they did. In retrospect I think it comes down to two things - a) I don't believe in possession - and b) none of the characters seemed particularly afraid. Chris, the mother of the possessed girl is distraught and despairing, but at the same time quite practical in her outlook - If conventional doctors cannot solve her daughter's problems, then she'll get in a priest who can. All the priests seem to approach the concept in a pragmatical 'how to tackle this' frame of mind. It's something unusual but not outside their remit and they even have laid down procedures for it, which they follow. If you watch this film in a cinema then someone in the audience is bound to squeal at the sickening bits; the characters don't - they just get on with tidying up!

Shocking? I wonder if back in the good old days of the '70s Regan's language would have been worthy of note. I can hear this sort of thing from 12 year olds most Saturdays downtown outside MacDonalds - hopefully without the vomiting though.

Considering all the hype around the film, I'd expected something FAR scarier. Maybe if I'd seen the film first, my reaction would be different - who knows?

Maryom's review - 3 stars
Publisher - Corgi
Genre - adult, horror
Buy The Exorcist from Amazon

Publish Post

Halloween Reads - What Frightens You?

2011-10-31T15:23:00.001Z

What frightens you?
By Maryom and The Mole

Because of the season people have been talking about the most frightening book that there is. One such candidate offered recently was "The Exorcist" by William Peter Blatty and when we received a copy in the post Maryom took the opportunity to read it.

She will be reviewing it later this week*, but I don't think we are letting too much out in that she didn't find it at all frightening. One wonders why?

Another candidate has to be "Dark Matter" by Michelle Paver and this one Maryom did find frightening but I also read it and while I did really enjoy it didn't frighten me at all. And maybe we start to see a little of why.

Maryom feels that one book that she read as a child and found frightening was "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" by Alan Garner and the reason was the tunnels.Tunnels have recently reappeared in the form of potholing in "Torn" by Cat Clarke (another review due this week) in which one of the characters is absolutely terrified at the prospect of going down a narrow tunnel. Both these stories play on Maryom's claustrophobia because if a writer does their job properly then the reader really feels they are entering the tunnels and so brings out the fear that the reader already has.

When it came to "Dark Matter" the subject of the fear is two fold:- the total dark and the ghost that lives in it. Maryom is also extremely uncomfortable in total dark while I am quite happy in the dark (and having worked for a large company for 27 years, am used to being kept in it!)

With "The Exorcist" Maryom felt that you needed to believe that "demonic possession" was possible before it would bother you. At one point the child vomits and a big play is made of this in the film (apparently because I haven't seen the film) but it's important to remember that in the early 70's Monty Python was getting laughs from people vomiting.

So what have I found to be a frightening read? Well it has to be "Shadow Bringer" by David Calcutt. We've all heard noises, as children, that we couldn't understand what they were and exactly where they were coming from and, to me, it's the most terrifying thing imaginable.

So what does an author need to do to write a terrifying novel? They need to find something that frightens most people and play on it deftly. Or they must set out to make you terrified of it, which has to be a whole lot more difficult.

*Review of The Exorcist

Frightfully Friendly Ghosties: School of Meanies by Daren King

2011-10-29T09:00:00.001+01:00

Ghostly Fun
review by Maryom

Humphrey Bump doesn't like ghost school but he's soon to discover that 'still-alive' school can be even worse.
His favourite thing is bumping - into people, knocking over things, whatever. When this gets him expelled, no other ghost school will take him, so he's sent to the school for 'still-alives', normal people like you or me. No one really wants him there either - no one wants to be friends, everyone shrieks and runs away despite Humphrey's best efforts to make friends. But the school is plagued by bullies - and the biggest is the headmaster! Can Humphrey - and his bumping- come to the rescue?

School of Meanies is a humorous book with a serious side. It's a tremendously fun read for all with lots of laugh-out-loud one-liners - and, yes, I did keep reading them out to people because they were so funny! Humphrey's ghostly friends and their attempts to help him out are hilarious. At the same time it touches on finding new friends, starting a new school and shows the unacceptability of bullying, whoever it's from.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Quercus
Genre - childrens,
Buy Frightfully Friendly Ghosties: School of Meanies from Amazon

Giles Paley-Phillips author interview

2011-10-28T09:00:00.002+01:00

Today the Giles Paley-Phillips blog tour arrives at Our Book Reviews Online. We have reviewed "The Fearsome Beastie" and "There's a Lion in my Bathroom". Today we are publishing an interview that he found time to give us.

You "neglected your education to pursue a career in music"... are we likely to have heard your music on the radio? Yeah we had a bit of airply back in the day, we got to play a few big events too, like Glastonbury and Essential festivals

You are now performing with Burnthouse. What type of music is it you perform?
Alternative Rock

You now write poetry books. Did you write any of the music you have performed?
Yeah I used to write music and some lyrics, but the band was always a collaboration of all the members, where as this is now me on my own!

With your poems, are there any poets that have influenced you at all?
I'm a huge fan of Shel Silverstein, his work was a huge inspiration for me to start writing in the first place.

Your first book of poetry - Linear Hymns was being sold to raise money for leukaemia research. Would you like to tell us more about your involvement with this charity?
My mum died of Leukaemia when I was 6 and I have been a life long supporter.

You wrote a collection of nonsense poems called "There is a Lion in My Bathroom" with illustrations by Matt Dawson. How involved were you with the choice of illustrator?
I loved Matt's work as soon as I saw it and did ask my publisher for him to be involved.

Where do you draw your inspiration for your poetry?
From lots of different things really, just stuff that pops in there!

You have also produced an illustrated children's story in poetry called "The Fearsome Beastie". The illustrations were by Gabrielle Antonini. Again how was this particular illustrator chosen?
Like most picture books, my publisher looked to pair my work work with the most appropriate illustrator.

You are now a father of 2. Can you tell us how your children are involved in the creative process?
They are always getting stuff read to them, to gauge their interest and to get their thoughts, my eldest is 4 and massively opinionated! and of course I write stuff I hope they will like.

If your children came home, as young teenagers, and said they were going to go on tour with a band - would you support them in their venture or try to prevent them?
I would like to think I would support them in what ever they decide to do when they are older, if it was something they were passionate about then of course I would actively encourage them to pursue their dreams.

What plans do you have for the future?
I have several more picture books coming out on the next couple of years, plus I've recently become a patron for FSW, a family support work charity based in Sussex, so I will be working closely with them to build up awareness and we are working on some very exciting new events over the next two years, so please do watch this space.

Many thanks for Giles' today and we wish him all the best, particularly in his charity work and fundraising efforts.

The Cat and the Fiddle by Jackie Morris

2011-10-27T13:36:00.001+01:00

A Treasury Of Imagination
review by Maryom

Jackie Morris's latest children's book is a collection of nursery rhymes - over 40 of them, picked by the author herself. They range from familiar favourites to the less well known - surrounded by her astounding paintings.

I always get excited when I know there's a new Jackie Morris book about to be published. I absolutely adore her paintings and in a children's book such as this, where the illustrations have greater impact, she gives free range to her imagination.

Each page reveals a world in miniature, peopled by tiny fairy creatures, dressed in shimmering velvets and silks that almost rustle on the page, accompanied by elegant greyhounds and fabulous winged creatures riding on the backs of cats, cockerels or hares, or leading seemingly enormous sheep laden down with balls of wool.

It may be subtitled A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes - but it's a treasury of art and imagination too, one for any child to love forever.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - childrens, nursery rhymes,

You can see the author talking about this book on Youtube

Buy The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes from Amazon

Grimm's Fairy Tales by Saviour Pirotta

2011-10-26T00:15:00.010+01:00

The Return of an Old Favourite
review by Maryom

Much like a golden-oldie record this story collection is having a re-release. We bought it under its old title of The Sleeping Princess, many years ago when our youngest daughter was a toddler and it was in great demand as a bedtime storybook. It's now back in the shops with a new cover and title but the stories remain as enchanting - and frightening - as ever.
Saviour Pirotta retells ten of Grimm's well known folk tales, including favourites such as Rumplestiltskin, Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel, all of which are vividly brought to life by Emma Chichester Clark's lively colourful illustrations. Fairy tales are always in fashion, remaining firm favourites with parents and children alike, despite passing trends.

Our copy was much loved and read, and hopefully this new edition will find loving homes with many more children.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Orchard Books
Genre - childrens, fairy stories

Buy The Orchard Book of Grimm's Fairy Tales from Amazon

Mr Aesop's Story Shop by Bob Hartman

2011-10-25T22:37:00.002+01:00

Aesop retold with a twist
Review by Maryom

Continuing our week of children's books with a retelling of Aesop's fables.

Bob Hartman presents Aesop as a storyteller with a booth set up in the marketplace, telling his tales for all the passers-by to hear. Every story is the traditional story and, of course, has a moral to it - relating here to incidents that occur in the marketplace and neatly summed up at the end of the chapter with the moral. Each moral is as relevant today as it ever was and so these stories still find favour at some point during a child's early learning. The book is illustrated in colour throughout by Jago, who somehow manages to give a Greek feel to the pictures.

Certainly one to think about as the festive season approaches perhaps?

Publisher -Lion Children's
Genre - Children's

Buy Mr. Aesop's Story Shop from Amazon

Green Janine Turns Detective by Brian Tyrer

2011-10-24T09:00:00.001+01:00

Fun Easy Reader Adventure
Review by Maryom

Janine is a different sort of girl - for one thing she's green! In this adventure she is on the trail of amateur burglars, Bob and Bill. With help from the family pet turned sniffer dog and a little magic from her friend Mr Mephista can she find the stolen tiara and return it to the Duchess? I rather suspect she will!

Green Janine Turns Detective is an excellent, quirky adventure which had me laughing out loud. It's not aimed at the absolute beginner but for the slightly more advanced readers - though parents could share it with younger ones. There are black and white cartoon style illustrations by John Bigwood throughout, avoiding the daunting full page of text that can be so off-putting to young readers and at less than 60 pages, split over 4 chapters, it's not a lengthy read.
At the back you'll find various story-related puzzles and activity sheets to be downloaded from the publishers website - aimed at making learning to read fun!

A good first step away from school readers.

Publisher - Seven Arches
Genre - childrens, early reader

Buy Green Janine Turns Detective from Amazon

The Very Picture Of You by Isabel Wolff

2011-10-21T12:44:00.007+01:00

Family Affairs
review by Maryom

Ella Graham is a portrait painter. The way to achieve a stunning likeness in which the character of the subject shines through, she believes, is to get to know them. As she paints, she chats with her sitters and they maybe reveal more than they'd expected to. When her younger newly-engaged sister Chloe asks her to paint fiancé Nate, Ella is dismayed. The little she knows of him is not good, will her opinion change as she gets to know him better? How much of her attitude will be revealed in the portrait? Further turmoil is created for Ells when the father she believed to have abandoned her as a child tries to make contact. As the date for Chloe and Nate's wedding rapidly approaches, should Ella reveal the home-truths she's learned or keep them a secret for everyone's good?
The Very Picture Of You is a gentle romantic story of two sisters and the man who might drive them apart. This plot line is to be honest a little on the predictable side and I actually found myself more engrossed in the emerging family history than in Ella and Nate's changing relationship. The star of the novel is surely Ella's mother - her ability to ignore anything she doesn't wish to talk about and manipulate facts to suit her purpose, make her a middle-class Machiavellian monster. For years she's managed to mislead everyone, including her husband and daughters, but the truth is about to be revealed.
A good 'holiday read' for any fans of romantic fiction.

Maryom's review - 3.5 stars
Publisher - HarperCollins
Genre - Adult, romantic fiction

Buy The Very Picture of You from Amazon

Eating In by Sue Lawrence

2011-10-19T09:00:00.001+01:00

Get Cooking!
review by Maryom

The EdBookFest follow up may be over but we're staying with the Scottish theme just a little while longer with the latest cookery book from popular food writer and previous Masterchef winner Sue Lawrence.

As you can tell from its title it's all about eating in - but not just pulling something out of the freezer and reheating! It's full of (fairly) simple but impressive looking recipes. There's over 100 to choose from- with something for almost every occasion from Anniversary dinner for 2 to feeding the team or having the neighbourhood round for drinks - and all with a Scottish twist.
I found lots of my old favourites in there - such as shortbread and Scottish tablet ( if you're not familiar, it's a sort of superior fudge not readily available outside of Scotland and I've been longing to know how it's made for a long while) - and lots of interesting new twists - serving haggis with nachos or creating a Cullen Skink pie. And if you're not familiar with Cullen Skink.. or Parten Bree .. or Stornoway Black Pudding, there are interesting little snippets of information and history to introduce you to these, and other, traditional Scottish foods.

There are lots of recipes I would like to try but first on the list has to be Crunchie Puds - basically smashed up crunchies in cream - that has to be a 'no skills required' recipe if ever there was one.

At a personal level I would have found it helpful to have had nutritional information included. Whether from life style choice or medical necessity, most people are interested in the fat, calorie, protein composition of a meal and the information would have been really useful.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - HachetteScotland
Genre - Adult, Non-Fiction,Cookery

Buy Eating in from Amazon

Hood Rat by Gavin Knight

2011-10-17T13:43:00.006+01:00

Disturbing Reality
review by Maryom

I first heard of this book when it was being publicised around its launch a few months ago. I decided then that its subject, urban gang violence, wasn't really my kind of thing and ignored it. Having run into Gavin Knight on my Teen's autograph hunt at Edinburgh Book Festival, I thought it only polite to read his book after all * - and was curiously surprised at how interesting it was.
Basically, Hood Rat is a fly-on-the-wall documentary in book form, detailing things the author saw and heard while accompanying various police units in inner-city London, Manchester and Glasgow. The style reads rather like a novel - there's no "commentary" from the author, no "I saw X and asked him about..." - but is in fact non-fiction. Knight takes the reader into the heart of these troubled cities and into the minds of the teenage gangs that terrorise some of their streets, places that fortunately most of us only encounter on TV.

An enjoyable book? Well not really, it's not supposed to be - it's an expose of gang culture. Disturbing, frightening and thought provoking.

* and at this point I should, yet again, give our library service and its free ordering service some well-deserved praise

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Picador Non-Fiction
Genre - Adult Non-Fiction

Buy Hood Rat from Amazon

Fleshmarket by Nicola Morgan

2011-10-16T09:00:00.001+01:00

A Chilling Tale of Old Edinburgh
review by Maryom

Two reasons to include this review here in the EdBookFest follow-ups - a Nicola Morgan novel, set in 19th century Edinburgh. Unfortunately we couldn't attend Nicola's event on writing historical fiction due to other commitments - but I wish we had.

Edinburgh Old Town in the 1820s is an overcrowded place of dingy stinking alleyways and wynds overlooked by skyscraper-tall tenements which block out the light. Disease spreads easily and rapidly through the place and surgeons at the nearby Infirmary try to pioneer new ways to help - often with disastrous consequences for their live guinea pigs. Dr Robert Knox believes advances in caring for people can only be made through a greater understanding of human anatomy - but how can he achieve this with the legal quantity of one corpse a year. Into this gap of supply and demand step Burke and Hare, suppliers of dead bodies, no questions asked...
Robbie and his little sister Essie live in the heart of the poorest part of Old Town, at the top of a crumbling tenement overlooking the open-air abattoir of the Fleshmarket. Since their mother died following an operation things have gone downhill for the family and, as their father's absences increase, Robbie and Essie are left to provide for themselves. Robbie has long held Dr Knox responsible for his mother's death and all the troubles that stemmed from it. When he thinks he's found a way to avenge her death he's only too keen to go along with it...

Fleshmarket is a wonderful mingling of fact and fiction played out against the atmospheric backdrop of Edinburgh Old Town. I was gripped from the very first page by a deeply disturbing opening that probably wasn't best read over lunch! Robbie's hatred of Knox leaves the reader anxious for him as he's drawn further into the nefarious activities of those around him, to the point where to cease his involvement may prove just as dangerous as continuing. In many ways, though, the 'star' of the story is Edinburgh Old Town - it's stinking backstreets brought to life by the author, making it a 'must read' for anyone who's visited the area. The novel also raises questions about medical research and the legal restraints on it, as valid now as then.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - HodderChildrens
Genre - Thriller, Historical, teen

Buy Fleshmarket from Amazon

Keith Charters - Author/Publisher interview

2011-10-15T09:00:00.001+01:00

When in Edinburgh we arranged to meet and share a pizza with Keith Charters. He was very approachable and our teen was delighted that he was not just book orientated but also showed an interest in her music. We are delighted that he managed to find time to be interviewed by us.

You worked in London as a stockbroker before taking up the pen and producing "Lee And The Consul Mutants". What was the inspiration behind Lee and why this particular story subject?
Actually, I ran a sales team involved in what are known as the wholesale financial markets – essentially where banks trade with other banks in financial products. Some, such as foreign exchange, were simple; others, such as credit default swaps, less so.
Did this have anything to do with Lee and the Consul Mutants?
No.

And yet yes – indirectly. By day I was Sales Director. By night I was a would-be author, with all the usual traits: a desk in my bedroom; an irrepressible need to write most evenings despite long hours at work; the same need on planes when I should have been trying to catch up on lost sleep. I started writing psychological thrillers, and they were okay – importantly they improved the more I wrote.
My oldest kids (twins) were aged about 9 at the time the idea for Lee and the Consul Mutants popped into my head. They’d been having a great laugh reading the likes of Michael Lawrence’s The Toilet of Doom. I loved that books were entertaining them in that way and thought I’d try writing a few lines about a boy whose appendix had exploded. Before I’d even finished the first page I knew it was what I should have been doing all along. It was so much fun!

When did you decide to leave stockbrokership and was it to become a writer or a publisher?
I’d already left to give myself some concentrated writing time. A brave/risky/stupid move, of course. I might have come to naught. But it didn’t. Sometimes putting yourself in the position of needing to make something work means you make it work. So I started as an author and at that point had no thought of becoming a publisher.
So how did I end up a publisher too? Well, my first publisher was small and I had a background in business. That meant I learned a lot. And after they’d expressed an interest in signing up Lee Goes For Gold and Lee’s Holiday Showdown (both of which I’d written by the time Lee and the Consul Mutants was published) I thought: could I do what my publisher is doing? And, perhaps because I’d done much of the marketing myself, I decided that I could…with help. Because I didn’t (and still don’t) know it all. But I’d found some great people who knew some of the bits I didn’t know. So we formed a team, each of us with different strengths.

It’s worth saying that from the outset we were focused on building a strong list. The fact that my books – already validated in the market – happened to be on it was incidental. But it was a neat starting point. Now, of course, they’re an increasingly small part of what we publish. I can’t write quickly enough for it to be otherwise!

You formed Strident Publishing in 2005. What was your first publication under this brand?
D A Nelson’s DarkIsle in October 2007. I remember the launch well. I’m sure Dawn does too – she was about 8 months pregnant by then. Helpfully, the book won the 2008 Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children’s Books and promptly sold (mostly to parts of Random House) all around the world in rights deals.

At what point did you decide to move the Lee stories in-house?
From the outset. In fact, we bought back the rights to the first Lee novel to ensure we’d have control over the full series. My original editor also came over. That was important because she was used to telling me when my writing worked and when it didn’t, and she just carried no doing that. It meant we kept objectivity and that was important to me.
Many of the titles you publish are specifically for the 8-12 year old reader and recently you have published books by Emma Barnes, again aimed at that age group, was this reader Strident's original target market?
We originally saw our market as those of school age. Actually, we’ve avoided the 5-6 sector and gone for 7+. And whilst we didn’t expect to publish books for adults, the likes of Gillian Philip’s Firebrand and Bloodstone, and Janne Teller’s Nothing, having taken us there by virtue of their strong crossover appeal.
So, Emma’s novels (How (Not) To Make Bad Children Good and Jessica Haggerthwaite: Witch Dispatcher, both for ages 7+) are very firmly targeted at our core market.

Strident’s "Mission Statement" is 'Strident aims to produce books with a bit of spark; books that give young people a kick out of reading. They will be bold and modern and will cry out to be read and discussed.' How well do you feel Strident is achieving this?
Hopefully very well! In fact, although we have one list, there are two distinct parts to it. Our 7+ titles have a ‘modern classic’ feel – Paul Biegel’s The King of the Copper Mountains and Emma Barnes’s novels. Beyond 9+ the titles become increasingly feisty. Nick Green’s The Cat Kin and Cat’s Paw definitely fit that description and Linda Strachan’s Spider and Dead Boy Talking only take it a step further. Then there’s Janne Teller’s controversial and philosophical Nothing; and finally there’s Gillian Philip’s Firebrand and Bloodstone. I sometimes think the word ‘feisty’ was invented with those last two in mind.
And then come writers like Linda Strachan writing for the teen market, and Gillian Philip's "Bad Faith" and then... The Rebel Angels series. This series has appealed to the adult reader, although mostly the female readers. Did this take you by surprise?
We were delighted that Linda Strachan’s Spider won the 2010 Catalyst Award. Her teen/YA fiction is short, accessible and thought-provoking. We’ve always believed that would be a winning combination.

Then, as you say, along came Gillian’s Rebel Angels series. Now that has taken us to a new part of the market. The series was originally written as YA fiction, but as anyone who’s read Bloodstone will know, they are at least as much adult as YA. In fact we had a dilemma when publishing the first book: should we launch it into the main (i.e. adult) sci-fi fantasy market or into YA? Ideally we’d have gone for both, but retailers’ systems won’t allow that. It has to be listed in one or the other. Gillian had already been building a reputation in YA (she was Carnegie Medal nominated for Crossing The Line, and Bad Faith was very well received) so we eventually opted for that category. However, just to prove the extent of its crossover appeal, Tor in the USA have bought the entire 4-book series for their adult fantasy list, while Ravensburger in Germany are publishing it as a YA title.

Do you now have any intentions of publishing for the adult market?
Well, we didn’t, but we effectively do because of Firebrand, Bloodstone and Nothing. It’s not quite the same as having an adult list, of course. Do we plan one? Not quite yet.

As a keen gardener do you have any plans for horticultural books at all?
‘Keen gardener’. I like that description. It’s an improvement on my wife’s ‘obsessive veg planter’.
Of course, growing plants is like growing stories: you start off with the seed/seed of an idea, ensure it has the ideal growing environment (compost/coffee and cake) and then hope for the best. And there’s also an element of creating something out of nothing about both.
Do we have plans for horticultural books? If the right project (and people) came along we would certainly consider creating a separate imprint.
Would you rather be known as an author or a publisher?
I don’t see it as a choice between the two. Indeed, I would argue that both are essential to what I/we do. I meet a lot of authors because I’m an author myself and that’s been the channel through which many of our titles have come to us. Plus, presenting to young people gives me a keen sense of what they want. That informs our editing and the titles we acquire. And, on the other side, being involved in acquiring and shaping the books of others helps me focus on what I need to do with my own writing. Yes, there’s only one of me (don’t believe any of the claims that I’ve been cloned), but I manage to fit in publishing, presenting, writing (occasionally, and always on trains) and a few other things to boot.
A different – but relevant – question might be: which am I likely to become known for. Again, I hope both, with the answer being dependant upon who’s being asked. I’d hope that those in publishing would know me best for publishing; whereas I’d hope that young people aged 9+ would know me best for my Lee books and lively, humorous author sessions.

Many thanks for finding the time to answer our questions and best wishes for both projects in the future. And if there is an imprint for horticulture please remember - we also review non-fiction.
If you would like to follow Lee then he can be found at leenovels.blogspot.com