Today I’m feeling a little bit cross with myself. I have Mark Bowsher staying in with me to tell me about his book and I so wish I had said I’d squeeze in a review as I love the sound of it. Sadly, I just didn’t have time – but there’s always the future! See what you think!

Staying in with Mark Bowsher

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Mark and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I’ve chosen The Boy Who Stole Time. It’s a real slice of escapism that I hope will fill people with excitement in the same way that The Chronicles of Narnia did when I was a child or as an adult reading His Dark Materials. I really wanted to create something dark but with lots of humour (every time I try and write something serious I end up adding lots of jokes!).

(The Boy Who Stole Time sounds wonderful. I really must add it to my TBR.)

What can we expect from an evening in with The Boy Who Stole Time?

Adventure! It’s a fantasy for everyone over the age of 8. I really wanted to keep guessing, for you to feel you’re really there. I used a lot of my own travel experiences in the book, particularly a trip to north Africa. I hope it’ll be something where people can escape into Ilir and be hooked for the evening. People often say to me that they can’t understand how I dreamed up things like the Black Palace, a living, breathing structure made entirely of people, but the truth is that the real world is weirder than you might think! The Black Palace was inspired by a documentary on ants who create similar structures out of their workers. The person in one chapter drawing a picture with a magnifying glass, burning the image onto a piece of wood, is something I actually saw in Morocco. The real world is strange and wonderful beyond what you might imagine.

(I couldn’t agree more Mark. Travel really does broaden the mind and is my favourite thing after books!)

What else have you brought along and why?

I’ve brought the Bob the Builder rucksack I bought in Alice Springs when I went travelling. My rucksack had broken and I was skint. A kids’ rucksack was the cheapest I could find and everywhere I went people asked why I had it. It started conversations when I was travelling all on my own. The Boy Who Stole Time is a book all about travelling so very far from home all on your own and a friendship with a stranger, the razor-tongued young girl-wizard Balthrir, is at the core of the story. I don’t want people to get to the end of the book, sigh and feel like they could never go to a magical world like Ilir. I want them to realise that Ilir is based the real world.  I’d love people to put down the book and feel like they should pack their bag and set off to explore somewhere they’ve always dreamed of going to. There are so many places to visit on our tiny planet and most are far less scary than you might think and everywhere you go you’ll meet amazing people.

Oh yes! I agree completely. I’ve met fantastic people on my travels from Antarctica to Zanzibar and I can’t wait to go travelling again soon. Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me all about The Boy Who Stole Time Mark. I think it sounds absolutely brilliant.

The Boy Who Stole Time

When 12-year-old Krish finds out his mum is dying, he is desperate to give her more time to live. This leads to a deal with a devil-like creature to travel to another realm, Ilir, and collect the Myrthali – the essence of time itself.

Ilir is a tiny desert world where the days are a handful of hours long and there is magic and treachery on every corner. Here Krish is set three impossible challenges by the brutal King Obsendei to win from him the Myrthali. He joins forces with the razor-tongued, young girl-wizard Balthrir, who hopes to free her parents from the Black Palace; a living, breathing structure built entirely out of those subjects who have incurred the wrath of the King.

But as Krish battles these impossible tasks he may be about to learn that there is more than his mother’s life at stake as he gets embroiled in a blood-thirsty fight for power in Ilir that will push his friendship with Balthrir to its limits.

Published by Unbound, The Boy Who Stole Time is available for purchase here.

About Mark Bowsher

Mark is a proudly dyspraxic writer and filmmaker who has made over 100 book promos for a certain publisher named Unbound. He wrote and directed his first full-length play, Not the Story of Me, at 20 and went on to make three shorts which won Best Short awards (plus one Best Screenplay award) at festivals in the UK and the US. The last of these, Only One Person Will Like This Film, was picked by the BFI as one of their ’10 to try’ out of over 300 films at LSFF 2013.

He has written short fiction (The Pitch and I Killed Tristan Metcalf and Here’s How I Did It… ) for Lionsgate’s Fright Club ezine as well as articles for Den of Geek and Cult TV Times.

Since going freelance in 2013 he has created video content for Santander, Pearson, Choice Support, The Big Issue and MyLex as well as music videos (all based on concepts he pitched to the artists) for Nisha Chand, Ekkoes, Good Work Watson, Morgan Crowley and Go-Zilla. He recently wrote and directed the pilot episode for a sitcom based on his previous career in film marketing entitled It’s All Lies. He isn’t married and doesn’t live in Surrey but he did once climb a mountain dressed as Peter Pan.

You can follow Mark on Twitter @MarkBowsherFilm. You’ll also find him on Facebook.

My grateful thanks to the author Fernanda Lazzaro for a copy of her children’s book The Swarm that Swarmed in return for an honest review.

I’m thrilled that Fernanda has allowed me to offer a copy of The Swarm that Swarmed as a giveaway too. You can enter at the bottom of this blog post.

The Swarm that Swarmed is available for purchase through these links.

The Swarm that Swarmed

Join twins Vivian and Fil, along with best friend Tia, on their first day of summer break.

What happens when they discover runaway bees?

See how the threesome get into mischief, not save the day, and learn a few sticky lessons along the way.

My Review of The Swarm that Swarmed

Tia rushes over to her friends’ house on the first day of the holidays.

The Swarm that Swarmed is a lovely children’s book. It is totally appropriate for children in KS1 or 2 as it has so many layers that can be explored on both an educational and enjoyable level. Firstly, it’s an amusing and entertaining story with a clear setting and the type of events that will be familiar and engaging to children such as getting dirty and eating ice-cream. The beautifully presented illustrations add an extra dimension to the story too. The contrast between north American and British English (such as curb and kerb) could also lead to some very interesting discussions about language use if this book were to be read in schools.

I enjoyed meeting the children in the story and Tia in particular is extremely well created with a personality that jumps from the page. I really appreciated the fact that the friends are from different ethnicities so that tolerance and friendship are portrayed very clearly.

In fact, The Swarm that Swarmed has so many worthwhile messages about healthy eating, getting out in the fresh air and not just sitting in front of the television, friendship and nature especially. With bees so precariously surviving at the moment I think The Swarm that Swarmed would encourage and enthuse children to be environmentally aware and responsible. I adored the fact that the children actually go to a library to do some research about the bees and the information they find is another educational aspect to the book. It’s also a very valuable lesson to find that they can’t make the bees behave as they want. We aren’t always successful in life and this is an important aspect to accept.

The Swarm that Swarmed is everything a children’s book should be; it’s educational, entertaining and fun and I really recommend it.

About Fernanda Lazzaro

Fernanda Lazzaro has also worked as a reporter for a local TV station; and as a producer/co-host for a Canadian fitness lifestyle program. Her love of bees began in the concrete jungle of her elementary school yard in Toronto. The only flowers that existed bordered the school fence and there she was, a lonely honey bee going about her business. It captured Fernanda’s attention. She has since become a beekeeper. Fernanda is still fascinated with bugs and how their small existence has a huge importance on our eco-system. ​​​​

You can visit Fernanda’s website for more information.

Giveaway – A copy of The Swarm That Swarmed by Fernanda Lazzaro

For your chance to win a copy of The Swarm that Swarmed by Fernanda Lazzaro, click here.

Giveaway closes at UK midnight on Tuesday 23rd October 2018. Once a random winner has been selected please note that I will not retain your personal details and that the prize will be sent directly from the author so may take a while to arrive!

My enormous thanks to Alison Menzies for inviting me to be part of the launch celebrations for Literary Landscapes by John Sutherland. I’m delighted to be involved having so enjoyed Literary Wonderlands. You can read my review of Literary Wonderlands here.

Today I have a little bit from the book that relates to my favourite author, Thomas Hardy, as well as my review to share.

Literary Landscapes will be published by Modern Books on 25th October 2018 and is available for purchase here.

Literary Landscapes

The anticipated follow-up to the book lovers’ favorite, Literary Wonderlands, Literary Landscapes delves deep into the geography, location, and terrain of our best-loved literary works and looks at how setting and environmental attributes influence storytelling, character, and our emotional response as readers. Fully illustrated with hundreds of full-color images throughout.

Some stories couldn’t happen just anywhere. As is the case with all great literature, the setting, scenery, and landscape are as central to the tale as any character, and just as easily recognized. Literary Landscapes brings together more than 50 literary worlds and examines how their description is intrinsic to the stories that unfold within their borders.

Follow Leopold Bloom’s footsteps around Dublin. Hear the music of the Mississippi River steamboats that set the score for Huckleberry Finn. Experience the rugged bleakness of New Foundland in Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News or the soft Neapolitan breezes in My Brilliant Friend.

The landscapes of enduring fictional characters and literary legends are vividly brought to life, evoking all the sights and sounds of the original works. Literary Landscapes will transport you to the fictions greatest lands and allow you to connect to the story and the author’s intent in a whole new way.

Thomas Hardy’s Wessex

Anyone who knows me well also knows that Thomas Hardy has a special place in my heart, being the first ‘classic’ author I really fell in love with and whose writing prompted my entire adult career. Consequently, I’m delighted to share an image of Hardy’s Wessex from Literary Landscapes and a tiny snippet from the book.

Map of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex, 1912, the fictional setting of all Hardy’s major novels, described by him as ‘a partly-real, partly dream-country’.

The place-word ‘Wessex’ is indivisible from Hardy’s fiction. It is an Anglo-Saxon name for what weather forecasters blandly nowadays call the ‘south-west’, but Hardy exhumed the word and made it entirely his own to describe the place he was born, lived most of his life, and revered.

The Return of the Native, Hardy’s  sixth published novel, is the subject for one of the essays in Literary Landscapes: the Real-Life Settings of the World’s Favourite Fiction. Hardy’s darkly imagined Egdon Heath in Wessex provides a fulcrum for the tragic love story between the ‘native’ Clym Yeobright and the outsider Eustacia Vye.

My Review of Literary Landscapes

Travel the world vicariously through Literary Landscapes.

This is a book that EVERY book lover must have in their life. I adored it. First I went through all the references to the authors I have read, beginning with Thomas Hardy whose writing launched my entire career. Next I read the sections with books based in places I’ve been to, like Natsushiko Kyogoku’s Tokyo, followed by places I have yet to see in real life but are on my wish list such as Joyce’s Dublin and I still had a wonderful tapestry of delights to dip in to after that. The only negative of reading Literary Landscapes I can find is that it can make the reader feel dissatisfied. I wanted to have read every book featured and to have visited every place described and because of the incredible number of entries in the four sections I know I’m never going to see them all. I will just have to indulge in the delights of the pages of Literary Landscapes instead!

I thought the quality of the book was just wonderful. Pages are smooth under the hand, the book is weighty and the illustrations frequently sumptuous so that Literary Landscapes is a delight for art as well as literature lovers. The depth of knowledge, the incredible detail in each section and the cross referencing with contemporary sociology and history all contribute to making Literary Landscapes a real joy to read.

Not only are the entries about literary landscapes, but they are themselves literary; stylishly penned, accessible and intelligent. There really is enough material in Literary Landscapes to keep a book lover entertained, happy and intrigued for several months. I cannot recommend this book highly enough – even if it has increased my TBR pile dramatically!

Literary Landscapes Giveaway

For those of you in the UK who would like the chance to own Literary Landscapes for themselves, there is a change to win a copy. All you need to do is follow @modernbooks and tweet your own favourite #LiteraryLandscape for a chance to win a copy of Literary Landscapes.

This giveaway is independent of Linda’s Book Bag and closes on 31st October 2018.

About John Sutherland

John Sutherland is an English lecturer, emeritus professor, newspaper columnist and author.

Now Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London, John Sutherland began his academic career after graduating from the University of Leicester as an assistant lecturer in Edinburgh in 1964. He specialises in Victorian fiction, 20th century literature, and the history of publishing.

There’s more with these other bloggers:

My grateful thanks to the author Jen E. Lis for copies of her children’s books Up All Night and Babies Have All the Fun in return for an honest review.

Up All Night

The story of a boy stayed up all night because he didn’t want to go to bed – and his misadventures the next day. Full color with fun, humorous illustrations.

Babies Have All The Fun

When Griffin sees how good life is for his baby brother Elwood, he wants to be a baby again. But Griffin soon learns there may be something even more exciting to be than a baby.

You’ll find both books for purchase here in the US and here in the UK.

My Review of Up All Night and Babies Have All the Fun

It can be tough being an older brother!

Firstly, I have to comment on the wonderful illustrations in both these children’s books. There’s a brilliant fusion of naivety through the watercolours used and sophistication in the facial expressions that will appeal to adults and children alike. Nicolle N. Loza is a very talented artist. The pictures really give a vibrancy to the stories.

I think both stories are extremely well pitched to the age group. They are perfect for bedtime stories or for developing readers to read to themselves. Reviewing from a British perspective and thinking about literacy, the American English would need to be explained and explored and could lead to some interesting discussions about language use and development.

I felt quite sorry for Griffin in Babies Have All the Fun when baby brother Elwood receives all the adult attention. Sharing this book with young children where there are new siblings would be a fantastic, non-threatening way to deal with jealousy and to discuss different family roles. It might also serve as a reminder to parents that a new baby can leave existing children feeling vulnerable. There’s some lovely humour in the story too so that reading Babies Have All the Fun is a positive experience.

Up All Night also has that lovely accessible layer of fun and humour as Babies Have All the Fun, when the child in the story is so tired he accidentally tries to write with a carrot on a blackboard, or eats the dog’s dinner for example. However, what I really loved about this particular story is that it serves to illustrate the importance of sleep for children in a way that they can relate to so easily. I can imagine parents using this story with a huge sigh of relief as part of the bedtime training for their own child.

Both Up All Night and Babies Have All the Fun are really lovely books for young children with very cleverly interwoven themes and beautifully illustrated. I really recommend them.

About Jen E. Lis

Jen E. Lis is a mom, pharmacist, and children’s book author. She and her husband graduated from Purdue University College of Pharmacy. Their experience raising their two boys has served as inspiration for their writing. As all parents and caregivers can relate to – never a dull moment with kids! Jen’s books are meant to be fun for families to share.

You can find out more on Facebook and on this website. Jen has just joined Twitter @JEL_Author and I’m sure she’d appreciate a follow!

Despite having studied the Renaissance as part of my degree, I knew almost nothing about  Francesco Bassano, so when I was asked by the team at Bookollective if I would like to be part of the launch celebrations for Julia Grigg’s The Eyes That Look I jumped at the chance.

Published by Unicorn on 1st October 2018, The Eyes That Look is available for purchase here.

The Eyes That Look

We may have eyes that look – but how clearly do we see?

This compelling novel of art and adventure, Julia Grigg’s debut, is set in the feverish creativity of mid-sixteenth century Italy.

Francesco Bassano wants to find out how and why an extraordinary painting was made; the story traces his quest to discover the secrets of the portrait’s past. Francesco’s journey, his coming-of-age, takes him and his questions to Venice, Verona, Maser and Florence. Encountering the High Renaissance’s masters Titian, Veronese and Vasari in the very act of creating and recording the era’s stupendous art and architecture, he is witness to astonishing achievements. Enthralled, he learns of the determination needed for innovation and the sacrifices demanded of an artist if cherished ambition is to become reality.

Little by little he unravels what lies behind the painting, gaining new understanding of love, truth and beauty, and of loyalty, devotion and the unbreakable bond between a master and his dogs. However, in delving deeper, the past’s dark side reveals itself: cruelty, inhumanity and human frailty – and Francesco cannot avoid the experience of bitter betrayal.

A spirited, entertaining fiction drawing on historical facts, The Eyes that Look is multi-sensual in its storytelling, inviting readers to revel in the unrivalled artistic riches of the Italian Renaissance.

My Review of The Eyes That Look

A trip to Venice with his uncle will leave Francesco Bassano questioning many aspects of his life.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked up The Eyes That Look, but I had no idea that I was in for such a feast for the senses. Julia Grigg captures the era perfectly. The quality of detail, particularly of colour, makes The Eyes That Look a vivid and vibrant book. I truly felt myself transported to sixteenth century Italy. I thought using a painting as an inspiration for the narrative was inspired and I am filled with admiration for Julia Grigg’s blending of fact and fiction into what is a compelling and interesting read, beautifully crafted and meticulously researched. The language is flowing and poetic but never over elaborate so that reading The Eyes That Look feels like a high quality experience.

The story of Francesco Bassano’s uncovering of his father’s painting of the dogs is fascinating in itself, but what I enjoyed most was the way in which Francesco himself was created. He’s multi-layered, by no means perfect and all the more human as a result. I was surprised by how emotionally invested I became in his own journey of self-discovery and I think it is the first person approach that creates this effect. He experiences so many emotions that in understanding him I simultaneously, came to understand what life must have been like for so many in his position at such an influential period. Julia Grigg has the knack of bringing time, place, action and character to life so that Francesco is the embodiment of the era without being dry or a pastiche.

I loved the message that what we are looking for might be closer than we first imagine too. The Eyes That Look works on so many levels. It can be enjoyed as a literary, artistic and historically accurate presentation of real times and people, but equally it can be enjoyed as an entertaining and dynamic narrative. I really enjoyed it.

About Julia Grigg

As a journalist, Julia Grigg has written on fashion, food, travel and the arts, subjects in which she retains an abiding interest. Recruited as a writer by UNICEF, she worked for many years as an advocate for children’s issues in some of the world’s most demanding and complex countries.

The Eyes that Look was begun while studying for the Bath Spa University Masters course in Creative Writing. The research, in Italian archives, galleries and churches, allowed her to indulge a lifelong passion for the Renaissance.

Julia is working on her second novel, also set in mid-1500s Venice and Florence, and involving some of the same cast of characters as The Eyes that Look.

Dogs are another passion; she and her husband share their home with a pair of black and tan dachshunds.

You can follow Julia on Twitter @JuliaGrigg and visit her website for more details. There’s more with these other bloggers too:

From time to time a book comes along that has such a fantastic title I simply have to know more. I’ve invited R. A. Dalkey to stay in with me today to tell me about one of his books and I think you’ll see what I mean!

Staying in with R A Dalkey

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Richard. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

The pleasure is all mine! At the bitter old age of 38, nothing excites me more of an evening than a clear diary. Staying in and chattering books is right up there with putting my feet up and watching golf on the television. The only thing that could make it better is discovering a leftover meal in the freezer…ideally a meaty one.

(I’m sure we can find something in the freezer that will do! As for your age – well I’m old enough to be your mother…)

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought Never Drive A Hatchback To Austria (And Other Valuable Life Lessons). To be completely honest,  it was a pretty easy choice to make, since this is my first and only book so far.

(Brilliant title!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Never Drive A Hatchback To Austria (And Other Valuable Life Lessons)?

I really hope you’re going to have a good few laughs and say ‘OMG, I know exactly what he means! That’s happened to me too!’ a lot. You shouldn’t have to do any more thinking than you would if you read Bill Bryson – and hopefully just as much smiling. As with most Bryson books, there’s a lot of travel involved.

(Books and travel just happen to be two of my favourite things!)

But my journey isn’t just the headline one from England to Vienna via various corners of Europe – it’s also a trip through the choppy waters of everyday life. I hope you’ll identify with a lot of the frustrations and madness I encounter along the way. Because if we can’t laugh at something as perplexing as the world we live in, how can we possibly make it through the day?

(Now that’s a philosophy I can subscribe to Richard!)

What else have you brought along and why?

Well, there’s no way I’m sharing that de-frosted meal: I’m pretty selfish when it comes to food. All the more so if it’s one of those Viennese schnitzels. But you can go wild on my Aperol, which I first discovered on my trip to Venice. The ultimate holiday drink was apt reward for sweating our own way through the canals…on a kayak. Just one of the adventures we can read about in my book. Anyone with a chilled disposition is welcome…highly-strung obsessives can stay well away. If we enjoy chapter three together you’ll understand why 😉

Now you have me intrigued I think I’m going to have to read Never Drive A Hatchback To Austria (And Other Valuable Life Lessons). Thanks so much for being here this evening and telling me all about it.

Never Drive A Hatchback To Austria (And Other Valuable Life Lessons)

Life’s funny: one month you’re trying to work out how to buy a second-hand car without getting screwed over by some dodgy con artist, the next you’re plotting your escape from fanatically neurotic housemates. One year you’re living in small-town Oxfordshire, the next you’re a bewildered new citizen of Vienna. In this meandering meditation on the chance happenings, mindless annoyances and general ridiculousness of modern existence, R.A.Dalkey tells the true tale of five homes, three jobs, two very different countries and one superannuated Peugeot 306.

If being a grown-up were as simple as holding down a job, buying a reliable car, finding the home of your dreams and living happily ever after, there’d be no need for this book. But the author’s unorthodox approach and complete failure to accept the world of adulthood was never going to make it that straightforward. Set against the backdrop of his ever-swelling mid-thirties grumpiness and the growing realization that he might never actually become a millionaire, this story follows him and his trusty hatchback from England to Vienna – a journey that takes him to Cyprus and Venice, Slovenia and Surrey, Belgium and Bonn.

Never Drive A Hatchback To Austria (And Other Valuable Life Lessons) is available for purchase through these links.

About R. A. Dalkey

R.A. Dalkey has been editing magazines and writing professionally all his life, and has been published by GQ, Reader’s Digest, The Sunday Times, Australian International Traveller, Reuters and Sports Illustrated, to name just a handful.

You can find him on Goodreads.

I’m genuinely delighted to welcome Anne Fletcher and Jon Teckman to Linda’s Book Bag today. I have had the pleasure of interviewing Jon here and of reviewing his novel, Ordinary Joe here so it’s high time I redressed the balance and had a chat with Anne too!

Staying in with Anne Fletcher and Jon Teckman

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Anne and welcome back Jon. Thank you both for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thank you for inviting us Linda, it’s great to get the chance for us both to stay in with you!

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

Anne: We’ve bought along a book each and it wasn’t until we started to pack them for you that we realised their similar starting points. It hadn’t occurred to us before that we’ve both written books where the central character, Joseph, is desperate to save his family and a journey to the French Riviera becomes a crucial part of that quest.

(Oo. That’s spooky!)

Jon: But that’s where the similarities end! They are very different reads.My novel Ordinary Joe, is the story of a mild-mannered Jewish accountant working in the film industry. He’s an unremarkable man in a very exciting industry who makes a dreadful mistake.

(And having read and thoroughly enjoyed Ordinary Joe, I know ALL about that!)

Anne: My book, From the Mill to Monte Carlo, is non-fiction and it’s the true story of my great, great, great uncle Joseph Hobson Jagger.  He who grew up in great poverty, working in the mills of Victorian Bradford but when his family fell into destitution and was threatened with debtors’ prison he came up with an ingenious scheme to save them.

(He sounds quite a character!)

Jon: We’ve chosen these books because they are very personal to us. Mine draws on my years working in the British film industry..

Anne: And mine is my search for the truth behind a family legend.

Jon: They also happen to be the only books we have written so far!

(Maybe you should co-author a book together…)

What can we expect from an evening in with Ordinary Joe and From the Mill to Monte Carlo?

Jon:  Ordinary Joe is a comedy which tells the story of Joe West and his desperate attempts to avoid the consequences of a stupid, impulsive act that could destroy his life. He is an ordinary, middle aged accountant but it’s this very ordinariness that lures the attention of glamorous movie star, Olivia Finch,who is disillusioned with the fawning attentions and spiritual emptiness of Hollywood. Following a night of unexpected passion Joe realises that all his fantasies may have come true but his life has turned into a nightmare. The book follows him from New York to London to Cannes in his attempts to shake off the obsessive celebrity whilst trying to hide his infidelity from the wife that he is desperate to keep. It’s a black comedy which in some places may, or may not, draw on people I met and situations that I found myself in whilst working in the movies!

(I think you might need to explain a bit more about those people and situations later after this blog post Jon!)

Anne:  Except the infidelity though he assures me! It is a very funny book but also has quite a few challenging themes. It’s caused quite a lot of conversation about Joe’s character and what would be the right thing to do in this situation. We could have a good chat about that Linda!

(I think we could. I’ve read scores and scores of books since Ordinary Joe but I can still remember him VERY clearly.)

My Joseph is quite different. I grew up on his story; my Dad used to tell me it as a child, and after he died I decided to research it properly. What I discovered was an incredible rags to riches story. In his desperation to save his family, Joseph worked out a legal and infallible way to win at roulette, travelled to the Riviera and became the Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo. He returned to Bradford a multi-millionaire.

(Wow! That’s quite a story. I have to read From the Mill to Monte Carlo as soon as I can now!)

I’m not going to tell you how he did it because I don’t want to spoil the book. But it’s a real detective story. For someone who did such an extraordinary thing he left very little trace and so it’s taken me years to track down the truth behind the family story. The book is as much about my search as it is about what Joseph did and I’ve been thrilled in particular by the historian Tracy Borman’s review of it:

‘An utterly compelling and deeply personal account of a working class Victorian man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo. In telling the remarkable story of her ancestor, the author brings to life one of the most transformative periods in British history. Her painstaking research is as fascinating as the tale itself. Not to be missed.’

(My goodness, that’s quite an endorsement!)

Jon: We’ve had quite a few readers say to us that both books would make great movies. Obviously we agree!  We’ve had a bit of fun imagining who we’d cast as our two Josephs. I think Sam West would make the best Joseph Hobson Jagger as he has a Bradford connection (his father Timothy was born there). He wouldn’t be a bad Joe West either although I could also imagine him being played by someone like David Mitchell or Martin Freeman – opposite Scarlet Johansson as Olivia, of course.

(Actually, I think Martin Freeman would be perfect for Joe West…)

What else have you brought along and why?

Anne:  The Riviera is central to both of our books and so I’ve bought along a roulette chip that I won in the casino at Monte Carlo. I played in the very room where my ancestor won his millions which was the most incredible part of the whole writing experience for me.  Of course I didn’t have an infallible winning strategy like he did but at least I won this!

Jon: Well Joe West has quite a large chip on his shoulder so perhaps that would do for me too, although I know you wouldn’t even let me through the door if I wasn’t wearing a pair of Mr Silly socks.  As you know, Linda, they play a significant part in Joe West’s story – everyone else will have to read the book to find out why!

(They will indeed!)

Thank you both for staying in with me this evening. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed hearing about both Joes and wish you every success with Ordinary Joe and From the Mill to Monte Carlo.

From the Mill to Monte Carlo

This is the story of a man who went from Yorkshire mill worker to Monte Carlo millionaire. Amongst the men ‘who broke the bank at Monte Carlo’, Joseph Hobson Jagger is unique. He is the only one known to have devised an infallible and completely legal system to defeat the odds at roulette and win a fortune. But he was not what might be expected. He wasn’t a gentleman or an aristocrat, he wasn’t a professional gambler, he was a Yorkshire textile worker who had laboured in the Victorian mills of Bradford since childhood.

What led a man like this to travel nearly a thousand miles to the exclusive world of the Riviera when most people lived and died within a few miles of where they were born? The trains that took him there were still new and dangerous, he did not speak French and had never left the north of England. His motivation was strong. Joseph, his wife and four children, the youngest of whom was only two, faced a situation so grave that their only escape seemed to be his desperate gamble on the roulette tables of Monte Carlo.

Today Jagger’s legacy is felt in casinos worldwide and yet he is virtually unknown. Anne Fletcher is his great-great-great niece and in this true-life detective story she uncovers how he was able to win a fortune, what happened to his millions and why Jagger should now be regarded as the real ‘man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo’.

From the Mill to Monte Carlo is available for purchase here and directly from the publisher Amberley.

Ordinary Joe

A brilliant, fast-paced comedy about life behind the scenes in the film business, and how to survive when your greatest fantasy comes true and threatens to wreck your perfectly ordinary life.

After the movie, when the credits roll up you might see his name flash past: ‘Joseph West’ and think nothing of it. Not an actor, not a director, Joe is just one of the money men, kept at arms distance from the talent. Until one night in New York the talent comes calling.

Olivia Finch is lit from within, an actress who was born to it but can’t stand the superficiality anymore. Now all she wants is a real conversation with an ordinary guy – and Olivia Finch always gets what she wants. Cue Joe, married, ordinary accountant, Joe.

And then cue a snowball of deception, acting and confusion that puts Joe in the limelight, his marriage in trouble and a dead body on the ground in this hilarious caper.

Published by Borough Press, Ordinary Joe is available for purchase through the links here.

About Anne Fletcher

Anne Fletcher read history at Oxford University. She has a successful career in heritage and has worked at some of the most exciting historic sites in the country including Hampton Court Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Bletchley Park and Tower Bridge. She is the great-great-great niece of Joseph Hobson Jagger, ‘the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo’ and the subject of her first book From the Mill to Monte Carlo. Her search for his story started with only a photograph, a newspaper article and the lyrics of the famous song. She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband Jon and their sons Joseph and Matthew.

You can follow Anne on Twitter @Annecfletcher.

About Jon Teckman

He served as an advisor on film policy to both Conservative and Labour governments before becoming Chief Executive of the British Film Institute in 1999. He now lives in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire with his wife Anne and sons Joseph and Matthew. Ordinary Joe is his first novel.

You can follow Jon on Twitter @Jontwothreefour.

Now, my husband has always said I have a spooky ability to know what he’s thinking or about to say so it gives me great pleasure to welcome Terje G. Simonsen to Linda’s Book Bag today as I think he may be able to enlighten why!

Staying in with Terje G. Simonsen

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Terje. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thanks a lot for inviting me, Linda—it is truly a pleasure!

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I have chosen to bring with me my latest book, Our Secret Powers—A Short History of (Nearly) Everything Paranormal. Many people are fascinated with the paranormal—just look at the enormous interest for books as Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings, and also for series as The Magicians etc. But in spite of people’s interest, they often do not know all that much about the paranormal—what is real and what is purely fantasy. So I thought I wanted to give some perspectives on this!

(Sounds like I’m going to be in for a very interesting evening Terje.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Our Secret Powers?

Well, you could expect to find out you probably are a bit more paranormally gifted than you hitherto have thought! For example, have you ever experienced that some day you start thinking of a friend that you haven’t heard from in a very long time—say, weeks, or even months or years. And just some hours later, you get a call or a message from just this person? Many would ascribe such an occurrence to mere coincidence—which it, of course, could be. But there have, in fact, been conducted studies both at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, and the University of Freiburg, Germany, that suggest this can be down to telepathy rather than coincidence!

(Gosh! That’s interesting. Could you tell me a little more about how they went about their research?)

Sure—let’t enter the world of parapsychology! Researchers have a volunteer make an agreement with four of his/her good friends (emotional connection in important). These four people are in separate houses with telephones, but NB no individual answering tones! A researcher contacts one of the four friends and tells him/her to call the volunteer. The volunteer will now—before answering the call—make a guess as to who is calling. A research assistant who is with the volunteer writes down the guess. Then the volunteer picks up the phone to check who is actually calling. As there are four friends who may call we should expect the volunteer to guess correctly one out of four times, meaning 25  percent of the cases. But what turns out is the volunteer on average will guess correctly much more often, typically in about 40 percent of the cases!

Oo! That’s fascinating! So presumably there needs to be some kind of telepathy for the volunteer to be able to predict so accurately? Does that mean we all have the potential to communicate telepathically then, if these were just ‘ordinary’ people?

Correct! That’s what I said earlier: You are more paranormally gifted than you thought!

(Hmm. I might have to try that out!)

What else have you brought along and why?

Should I perhaps tell you one of the stories that made me start diving into this fascinating field?

(Yes, please do!)

Well, I had an upcoming date, and out of curiosity I got the idea to call an old man, a Norwegian psychic, who I knew had impressed a journalist in Norway’s perhaps most serious newspaper The Evening Post. So I called him, and in addition to commenting on the date itself, he said: “…and then I can tell you that this woman is 1.64 m tall!” I went to the date, and during the evening I couldn’t keep myself from asking: “By the way: how tall are you?” She answered: ” 1.64 m”. I was floored. It could of course have been a lucky guess, but when I called him back to say I was impressed, he floored me again by—right off the bat and without the possibility to consult Google maps—describing the coloring of my house-front, which is by no means obvious, as there are two different colors. So this experience, together with a lot of others, sparked of the process that resulted in Our Secret Powers!

Thanks so much for staying in with me Terje, to tell me about Our Secret Powers—A Short History of (Nearly) Everything Paranormal. I’ve always thought our minds can do more than we suspect and it has been a fascinating evening.

Our Secret Powers—A Short History of (Nearly) Everything Paranormal

Is the paranormal normal?

Many readers will be surprised when learning that reputable scientists, among them several Nobel laureates, have claimed that telepathy is a reality. Their curiosity will increase when reading that Cleopatra’s lost palace and Richard III’s burial place were recovered by means of clairvoyance. And some will think it to be science fiction when finding out about Stargate–the espionage program where the American military and CIA engaged in the development of psychic spies!

Simonsen, a Norwegian historian of ideas, introduces an array of entertaining paranormal tales from history, archaeology, anthropology and psychology, and presents scientific research that has provided fascinating results. He argues that the stories we hear about telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition ought not to be dismissed as superstition

In step with spiritual and occult traditions, the author suggests that consciousness is not limited to our own head. Rather he thinks that all humans (and perhaps all living beings) are linked together in a “Mental Internet.’ Via this network we may exchange ‘telepathic emails’ with friends and family and make clairvoyant ‘downloads’ of information. Thus perhaps what we usually call ‘supernatural’ is completely natural but little understood communications via this Mental Internet?

Our Secret Powers gives us an engaging, entertaining and informative analysis of a controversial subject and would make an excellent travel companion.

Our Secret Powers—A Short History of (Nearly) Everything Paranormal is available for purchase here.

There is also a YouTube clip introducing the book you may wish to see here.

About Terje G. Simonsen

Terje G. Simonsen is a Norwegian author and Historian of Ideas, PhD, specializing in the esoteric and occult. Since childhood Terje has been fascinated by paranormal phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition and healing.

He taught introductory courses on central Western philosophical and literary works at the Institute of History of Ideas, University of Oslo. Today Terje works as a freelance writer.

He is also an avid salsa dancer, amateur pianist and chess player.

You can follow Terje on Twitter @terjesim1 and find him on Facebook.

As a change from new books and those languishing on my TBR I’m delighted to have actually read my U3A book group choice again this month! This time it’s The Lie by Helen Dunmore.

The Lie was published by Windmill, a Penguin imprint, in May 2014 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

The Lie

Set during and just after the First World War, The Lie is an enthralling, heart-wrenching novel of love, memory and devastating loss by one of the UK’s most acclaimed storytellers.

Cornwall, 1920, early spring.

A young man stands on a headland, looking out to sea. He is back from the war, homeless and without family.

Behind him lie the mud, barbed-wire entanglements and terror of the trenches. Behind him is also the most intense relationship of his life.

Daniel has survived, but the horror and passion of the past seem more real than the quiet fields around him.

He is about to step into the unknown. But will he ever be able to escape the terrible, unforeseen consequences of a lie?

My Review of The Lie

Daniel is back in Cornwall after the First World War but its consequences still resonate in his life.

The Lie is a glorious book. It is exquisite storytelling at its best because the reader is compelled to live every moment with Daniel as a result of the fabulous and almost ethereal prose. Helen Dunmore is not afraid to present the realities of the stench of death and decay, or the beauty of a bunch of violets, for example, so that reading The Lie becomes a truly immersive experience. The author’s use of language is poetic at times and always perfectly attuned to the needs of the narrative. Not a syllable is out of place or wasted. I found Helen Dunmore’s appeal to the senses so vivid and astute that I felt Daniel’s experiences with him and felt I was staring into his very soul as he struggled to come to terms with his perceived guilt.

The plot is wonderful, hinging on one spoken lie early on but encompassing so many more, from the oblique and generic letters sent to those whose loved ones had died in the conflict to the difficulty in accepting the sensuality between Dan and Frederick. Self-deception, identity and love and a desire to do the right thing are all wrapped within untruths, near or half truths making for a mesmerising read.

The Lie rings with all kinds of emotion just under the surface, from passion to hatred, so that I found it a very intense and beautiful book. The way in which Dan’s experiences come back to haunt him, quite literally, made me intensely sad and moved me considerably.

On the surface, the plot of The Lie is actually relatively simple, but this is no ordinary book and I feel reading it once has only allowed me to skim the surface of its nuances. I loved the balance between the army training aspects at the beginning of chapters and how they reflected the events within those chapters. Dan’s mental state writhes through the more prosaic elements so that reading The Lie feels all the more effective and affecting.

I really loved The Lie. I cannot believe it is my first Helen Dunmore book and I feel the world has lost a writer of the utmost skill and talent in her early death. I thought The Lie was wonderful.

About Helen Dunmore

Helen Dunmore was an award-winning novelist, children’s author and poet who will be remembered for the depth and breadth of her fiction. Rich and intricate, yet narrated with a deceptive simplicity that made all of her work accessible and heartfelt, her writing stood out for the fluidity and lyricism of her prose, and her extraordinary ability to capture the presence of the past.

Her first novel, Zennor in Darkness, explored the events which led D. H. Lawrence to be expelled from Cornwall on suspicion of spying, and won the McKitterick Prize. Her third novel, A Spell of Winter, won the inaugural Orange Prize for Fiction in 1996, and she went on to become a Sunday Times bestseller with The Siege, which was described by Antony Beevor as a ‘world-class novel’ and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel of the Year and the Orange Prize. Published in 2010, her eleventh novel, The Betrayal, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, and The Lie in 2014 was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and the 2015 RSL Ondaatje Prize.

Her final novel, Birdcage Walk, deals with legacy and recognition – what writers, especially women writers, can expect to leave behind them – and was described by the Observer as ‘the finest novel Helen Dunmore has written’.

Helen was known to be an inspirational and generous author, championing emerging voices and other established authors. She also gave a large amount of her time to supporting literature, independent bookshops all over the UK, and arts organisations across the world. She died in June 2017.

There is more information on Helen’s website.

When this lovely invitation to join Quercus Books’ Word of Mouth evening arrived I was delighted to have been invited. Little did I realise what a fabulous evening it would be. As well as meeting up with several blogger friends and publicists from Quercus and MacLehose whom I already knew, I got to meet others and to chat with both Sonia Velton and Beth O’Leary about their debut books and I went home with an absolutely bulging goody bag of wonderful forthcoming books.

There were interactive displays showcasing the books as well as nibbles and lots to drink, making for a brilliant evening.

I even added a special lucky dip book from the shelves which turned out to be Retribution Road by Antonin Varenne that you can buy here:

Although I couldn’t carry them all, much as I would have liked to, let me tell you a little bit about the wonderful books coming in the near future that I was so lucky to bring home with me:

Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton

When Esther Thorel, the wife of a Huguenot silk-weaver, rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel she thinks she is doing God’s will. Sara is not convinced being a maid is better than being a whore, but the chance to escape her grasping ‘madam’ is too good to refuse.

Inside the Thorel’s tall house in Spitalfields, where the strange cadence of the looms fills the attic, the two women forge an uneasy relationship. The physical intimacies of washing and dressing belie the reality: Sara despises her mistress’s blindness to the hypocrisy of her household, while Esther is too wrapped up in her own secrets to see Sara as anything more than another charitable cause.

It is silk that has Esther so distracted. For years she has painted her own designs, dreaming that one day her husband will weave them into reality. When he laughs at her ambition, she unwittingly sets in motion events that will change the fate of the whole Thorel household and set the scene for a devastating day of reckoning between her and Sara.

The price of a piece of silk may prove more than either is able to pay.

Blackberry and Wild Rose is available for pre-order here.

The Lemon Tree Hotel by Rosanna Ley

In the beautiful village of Vernazza, the Mazzone family have transformed an old convent overlooking the glamorous Italian Riviera into the elegant Lemon Tree Hotel. For Chiara, her daughter Elene and her granddaughter Isabella, the running of their hotel is the driving force in their lives.

One day, two unexpected guests check in. The first, Dante, is a face from Chiara’s past, but what exactly happened between them all those years ago, Elene wonders. Meanwhile, Isabella is preoccupied with the second guest, a mysterious young man who seems to know a lot about the history of the old convent and the people who live there. Isabella is determined to find out his true intentions and discover the secret past of The Lemon Tree Hotel.

The Lemon Tree Hotel is available for pre-order here.

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

A captivating and magical story set in 1930s Malaysia about a dancehall girl and an orphan boy who are brought together by a series of unexplained deaths and an old Chinese superstition about men who turn into tigers.

They say a tiger that devours too many humans can take the form of a man and walk amongst us…

In 1930s colonial Malaya, a dissolute British doctor receives a surprise gift of an eleven-year-old Chinese houseboy. Sent as a bequest from an old friend, young Ren has a mission: to find his dead master’s severed finger and reunite it with his body. Ren has forty-nine days, or else his master’s soul will roam the earth forever.

Ji Lin, an apprentice dressmaker, moonlights as a dancehall girl to pay her mother’s debts. One night, Ji Lin’s dance partner leaves her with a gruesome souvenir that leads her on a crooked, dark trail.

As time runs out for Ren’s mission, a series of unexplained deaths occur amid rumours of tigers who turn into men. In their journey to keep a promise and discover the truth, Ren and Ji Lin’s paths will cross in ways they will never forget.

Captivating and lushly written, The Night Tiger explores the rich world of servants and masters, ancient superstition and modern ambition, sibling rivalry and unexpected love. Woven through with Chinese folklore and a tantalizing mystery, this novel is a page-turner of the highest order.

The Night Tiger is available for pre-order here.

The Dollmaker by Nina Allan

INFORMATION WANTED ON THE LIFE AND WORK OF DOLLMAKER EWA CHAPLIN AND/OR FRIENDSHIP, CORRESPONDENCE. PLEASE REPLY TO: BRAMBER WINTERS.

Stitch by perfect stitch, Andrew Garvie makes exquisite dolls in the finest antique style. Like him, they are diminutive, but graceful, unique and with surprising depths. Perhaps that’s why he answers the enigmatic personal ad in his collector’s magazine.

Letter by letter, Bramber Winters reveals more of her strange, sheltered life in an institution on Bodmin Moor, and the terrible events that put her there as a child. Andrew knows what it is to be trapped; and as they knit closer together, he weaves a curious plan to rescue her.

On his journey through the old towns of England he reads the fairytales of Ewa Chaplin – potent, eldritch stories which, like her lifelike dolls, pluck at the edges of reality and thread their way into his mind. When Andrew and Bramber meet at last, they will have a choice – to remain alone with their painful pasts or break free and, unlike their dolls, come to life.

A love story of two very real, unusual people, The Dollmaker is also a novel rich with wonders: Andrew’s quest and Bramber’s letters unspool around the dark fables that give our familiar world an uncanny edge. It is this touch of magic that, like the blink of a doll’s eyes, tricks our own . . .

The Dollmaker is available for pre-order here.

Our Child of the Stars by Stephen Cox

A lost child, the family who try to protect him and the secret that refuses to stay hidden . . .

Molly and Gene Myers were happy, until tragedy blighted their hopes of children. During the years of darkness and despair, they each put their marriage in jeopardy, but now they are starting to rebuild their fragile bond.

This is the year of Woodstock and the moon landings; war is raging in Vietnam and the superpowers are threatening each other with annihilation.

Then the Meteor crashes into Amber Grove, devastating the small New England town – and changing their lives for ever. Molly, a nurse, caught up in the thick of the disaster, is given care of a desperately ill patient rescued from the wreckage: a sick boy with a remarkable appearance, an orphan who needs a mother.

And soon the whole world will be looking for him.

Cory’s arrival has changed everything. And the Myers will do anything to keep him safe.

A remarkable story of warmth, tenacity and generosity of spirit, set against the backdrop of a fast-changing, terrifying decade.

Our Child of the Stars is available for pre-order here.

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

A gripping contemporary Gothic thriller from the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway mysteries: Susan Hill meets Gone Girl and Disclaimer.

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to tales of murder. As a literature teacher specialising in the Gothic writer R.M. Holland, she teaches a short course on them every year. Then Clare’s life and work collide tragically when one of her colleagues is found dead, a line from an R.M. Holland story by her body. The investigating police detective is convinced the writer’s works somehow hold the key to the case.

Not knowing who to trust, and afraid that the killer is someone she knows, Clare confides her darkest suspicions and fears about the case to her journal. Then one day she notices some other writing in the diary. Writing that isn’t hers…

The Stranger Diaries is available for pre-order here.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met…

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly-imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…

The Flatshare is available for pre-order here.

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward

Maddie and Ian’s romance began when he was serving in the British Army and she was a travel writer visiting her best friend Jo in Europe. Now sixteen years later, married with a beautiful son, Charlie, they are living the perfect suburban life in Middle America.

But when an accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian’s PTSD; her concerns for the safety of their young son Charlie; and the couple’s tangled and tumultuous past with Jo.

From the Balkans to England, Iraq to Manhattan, and finally to an ordinary family home in Kansas, the years of love and fear, adventure and suspicion culminate in The Day of the Killing, when a frantic 911 call summons the police to the scene of shocking crime.

But what in this beautiful home has gone so terribly bad?

Beautiful Bad is available for pre-order here.

Dirty Little Secrets by Jo Spain

Death stalked the Vale.
In every corner, every whisper.
They just didn’t know it yet.

Six neighbours, six secrets, six reasons to want Olive Collins dead.

In the exclusive gated community of Withered Vale, people’s lives appear as perfect as their beautifully manicured lawns. Money, success, privilege – the residents have it all. Life is good.

There’s just one problem.

Olive Collins’ dead body has been rotting inside number four for the last three months. Her neighbours say they’re shocked at the discovery but nobody thought to check on her when she vanished from sight.

The police start to ask questions and the seemingly flawless facade begins to crack. Because, when it comes to Olive’s neighbours, it seems each of them has something to hide, something to lose and everything to gain from her death.

Dirty Little Secrets is available for pre-order here.

I’d just like to thank everyone at Quercus for inviting me to such a wonderful evening, from the authors to those serving the nibbles and drinks. I’m so looking forward to reading these fabulous books over the next few months. My godness Quercus – you’ve got some stunning books coming…