Mrs Darcy Versus The Aliens by Jonathan Pinnock

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

Angel Fire by L A Weatherly

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

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+

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Dogs Are Daft by Dave Maclean

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+

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The Liberation of Celia Kahn by J. David Simons

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

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Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

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

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The Four Little Pigs by Kimara Nye

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

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