I’ve been lucky enough to read and review three of Peta Lemon’s children’s books so I was delighted when she sent me her latest, Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret, in return for an honest review.

You’ll find my review of Peta’s Timmy on the Toilet here, The Fed-Up Cow here and The Bins of Cotteridge Down here.

Published by Quirky Picture Press on 14th January 2020, Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret is available for purchase here.

Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret

Farmer Haystack makes a scarecrow to rid his farm of pesky birds and make lots of lovely money.

When all the birds disappear in a day the farmer is delighted and becomes rich beyond his wildest dreams.

But the scarecrow is hiding a BIG BAD secret.  What will happen when the farmer finds out the real reason all the birds have gone?

Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret is a bright and colourful, rhyming picture book that appeals to boys as well as girls.  It is longer than standard picture books (42 pages) and so suitable for slightly older children, suggested age 5-7 years.

My Review of Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret

The farmer wants the birds scared away because they are eating all his crops.

Once again Peta Lemon has created a super children’s book. As always with a Peta Lemon book, the illustrations bring the text of Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret to life perfectly. Maria Dasic Todoric’s pictures are a delight and help less confident independent readers comprehend the text more easily.

There’s so much to enjoy in the story with echoes of Alice in Wonderland as Scarecrow grows huge having eaten all the food, and Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret affords plenty of discussion about greed, sharing and being kind. I thought the underpinning message of learning from our mistakes and not being afraid to admit we are wrong was such a good idea. There’s humour and a lovely exploration of friendship too, with a clear theme around the environment so that Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret would be brilliant for home or classroom discussion. Similarly, I loved the lesson that material items do not necessarily make us happy and that nature needs protecting instead. I could see this story being translated into a fabulous school play if ever circumstances allow it again.

As I have come to expect from Peta Lemon’s children’s books, rhyme and rhythm are deftly used so that spelling patterns are clear, and there is a super balance of familiar and new vocabulary to meet the needs of any ability. Words like ‘abundance’ will add to a child’s lexicon, but other more familiar words will enable less strong readers to access the story independently.

Scarecrow’s Big Bad Secret is a vibrant, entertaining book that children – even those as old as me – will love!

About Peta Lemon

Peta Lemon is the author of beautifully illustrated children’s picture books, published under the imprint Quirky Picture Press.

Her books are always funny, written in rhyme and illustrated by Maria Dasic Todoric.

You can find Peta on Facebook.

Having loved Singapore on the occasions I have been fortunate to go there, I am delighted to welcome Isobel Scharen to the blog today because not only was Isobel born in Singapore, her book is based there. My thanks to Kim at Publishing Push for putting us in touch with one another. We all need to travel vicariously in these strange times so let’s see what Isobel told me when she stayed in with me:

Staying in with Isobel Scharen

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

Hello. Thanks so much for inviting me to share this evening with you.

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

I’ve brought along A Better Life, my debut novel that was published earlier this year.

Congratulations on your debut. What can we expect from an evening in with A Better Life?

What has struck me most is how varied readers’ reaction to the book have been, some of which I did not anticipate.

Many have loved it for the story of Ada and her struggles – dealing with her internment by the Japanese, separation from her daughter, the loss of her husband, her move to New Zealand which turns out not to be the haven of peace she might have imagined.

Some praised the sense of place I tried to create, particularly those who had a connection with wartime Singapore.

Others commented on the challenges of Ada’s mixed race marriage and single-handedly bringing up a mixed race daughter.

All have been engrossed by the love stories that underpin both halves of the book.

I think A Better Life sounds fabulous. You must be really delighted with those reactions. I hope to fit it in to my TBR very soon.

What else have you brought along and why?

This is an interesting question! I’ve brought two things for this evening. First is this beautiful Maori Tiki. My early years in New Zealand shaped my life. I was always interested in Maori culture and love these beautiful carved objects. It’s why I want to incorporate one in my book cover design.

Ah. I wondered about the significance of that image. 

I’ve also brought a picture of a curry feast. When I was young my family constantly told me of the wonderful food they used to eat in Singapore. I have always wanted my food to taste divine and look colourful!

I can vouch for the food in Singapore Isobel!

After I moved to Europe and went on holiday in some of the (then) poorer parts of Europe, it was often hard to find good food to eat. I would often try to stave off hunger pangs by conjuring up vivid images of Singaporean food. I enjoyed writing about food in the book!

Any guest who loves their food is always welcome here Isobel. Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about A Better Life. Let me give blog readers more details:

A Better Life

Ada, a young Englishwoman in early-1940s Singapore, is about to be married to Michael, a well-educated Anglo-Indian from a wealthy family. She dreams of a life of security and fulfilment.

Instead, when the Japanese invade, her family struggle to cope under occupation, while she is interned in Changi gaol. Separated from her baby daughter and her beloved Michael, who is torn between loyalty to his family and duty to his country, she needs all her will-power to survive.

After the war, Ada must decide how best to protect her child. She leaves Singapore in search of a better life only to experience prejudice and unkindness. But her journey will also bring compassion and hope.

This moving and engaging story is an insightful depiction of people deeply affected by the horrors of war, a mother’s bond with her child, and the momentous challenge of rebuilding one’s life in peace-time. A challenge which requires, above all, self-belief, the capacity to forgive, and the courage to love again.

A Better Life is available for purchase here.

About Isobel Scharen

Isobel Scharen was born in Singapore, where she was adopted by a mixed-race couple. She was educated in New Zealand before settling in England. She now divides her time between London and Bristol. A Better Life is her first novel.

You’ll find Isobel on Facebook.

A little while ago I was thrilled to help reveal the debut novel Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café by my lovely friend Annette Hannah and I’m even more delighted that Annette has agreed to stay in with me on publication day to tell me more about it. Normally we get together for a drink in a pub or for afternoon tea in person so it seems slightly odd to be meeting virtually today!

As well as staying in with Annette, I’m delighted to share my review of her debut too!

Staying in with Annette Hannah

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Annette. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. I’m so excited you’re here.

Hi Linda! Thank you so much for having me on your lovely blog, it seems very apt that we should be staying in at the moment seeing as we aren’t allowed to go anywhere and I can’t think of anyone nicer to be staying in with.

That’s lovely of you Annette. I’ve really missed seeing you in person of late. Now, I’m sure I know, but tell readers which book you’ve decided to bring with you this evening.

I’ve decided to bring along my debut novel, Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café which is being published today, I have written three other books, one of which you’ve already read but this is the one I’m leading with.

Happy publication day! I love your writing Annette. I’m thrilled for you and huge congratulations on Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café. What can we expect from an evening in with Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café?

The book is set in the fictional market town of Bramblewood and was inspired by the dilapidated old signal box near where I live. I remember the days when a man would work in there and I’ve always had a fascination with it. About fifteen years ago it became automated and they boarded the building up. Ever since then as I’ve watched it fall into disrepair, I’ve often thought it would make a wonderfully unique café. Strangely enough I painted the signal box grey in my book and not long after that the real one was painted grey after years of not being touched. Yet nobody could have possibly known. Maybe it could sense something was coming up and wanted to look its best.

Oh, that’s a co-incidence.

So that’s where the idea came from, my main character Lucy came to me as a wedding planner and I thought the signal box would make a perfect wedding venue. Jackson, Lucy’s eight-year-old son and his dog Baxter get up to quite a bit of mischief much to the dismay of Dominic, the gorgeous hunk that Lucy had a childhood crush on many years before.

In the book Lucy has a wonderful close relationship with her grandad and they have lots of laughs together, for this I drew on my own relationship with my Grandad as he was a great friend to me. I received my contract on what would have been my Grandad’s 100^th birthday so that makes this book extra special.

My goodness. There are several spooky co-incidences here! I know your Grandad would be so proud of you.

I think my readers so far have enjoyed the different generations that are represented in the book, I have some friends who are much older than me and I think sometimes the older generation are written off but they still have the same feelings and sense of humour as they’ve always had and are great company. There are two love stories in the book, but I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll leave it there.

Having read Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café, being one of those ‘older’ readers, I can vouch for what you’ve just said. I’ll be sharing my thoughts in my review in a while!

What else have you brought and why have you brought it?

The other thing I’ve decided to bring along, which should come as no surprise to you Linda, is a delicious Bramblewood afternoon tea.

Ha! I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t. I think it’s my turn to treat you next time we meet in person…

Firstly we will have delicious sandwiches made by Lucy at the Signal Box Café, then we will move onto mouth watering homemade sausage rolls in golden flaky pastry and cranberry and raisin scones both made by Rosie who is the owner of Serendipity, the long boat café. These will be followed by a selection of cupcake kisses, which are tiny cupcakes in a whole variety of wonderful flavours, made by Lucy’s friend Camilla. I will also be bringing some peppermint tea which is my favourite tipple at the moment.

You always choose peppermint tea. As usual I’ll have builders tea with mine! Thank you so much for staying in with me Annette and congratulations again on Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café.

Thank you so much for inviting me to stay in with you Linda. It’s been such a pleasure and I’m really looking forward to when we can meet up again in real life. I hope you enjoy your trip back to Bramblewood.

I’m looking forward to seeing you again in real life very soon too hopefully. In the mean time, I’ll tell readers a little bit about Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café, before sharing my review:

Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe

Here comes the bride…

Lucy Woods has always dreamed of running her very own wedding venue. After moving her eight-year-old son to the countryside she’s surprised to find the perfect location and her best friend, Abbie, eager to help make that dream a reality! Too bad Abbie’s older brother Dominic isn’t keen on Lucy or their big idea!

As a divorce lawyer Dominic doesn’t believe in love at first sight or wedding vows, he’s seen them broken more times than he can count. But when Lucy arrives back in town, his hardened heart begins to crack.

Making her dream come true is a huge undertaking, but Lucy knows that The Signal Box Café is her chance to finally make something of her life. If only the irritating (and oh-so-gorgeous) Dom didn’t make her imagine wearing a white dress and walking down the aisle…

Can Lucy and Dominic find a way to each other this summer or will the wedding bells chime for another couple?

Published by Orion imprint Dash today, 6th July 2020, Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

My Review of Wedding Bells at The Signal Box Cafe

With her grandfather Dougie temporarily in a care home, Lucy steps in to look after his railway cottage and cat.

Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe is an absolute belter of a book and a perfect example of its genre. I loved it. I was apprehensive about reading it, but I needn’t have worried because I thought it was wonderful – heart-warming, funny, sensitive and touching. Annette Hannah has somehow managed to blend all the elements I would expect in romantic comedy and somehow come up with something greater than the sum of its parts, so that it was a joy to read.

The setting is delightful with just enough detail to bring it alive without burdening the reader. I could picture the signal box cafe so clearly in my mind’s eye and I thought the descriptions of wedding related items like flowers and dresses were so evocative and romantic. Never mind Lucy being a wedding planner, I think Annette Hannah could easily turn her hand to arranging weddings too! Her descriptions meant I was there at the Signal Box Cafe as events unfolded and I frequently felt hungry after the wonderfully realistic images of food.

The plot in Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe is fast paced and enormously entertaining. The balance between more emotional and serious or romantic aspects, alongside the more comic passages involving Dougie and Violet, is so well attuned and had the effect of making me shed a tear and laugh aloud. I loved the inclusion of older characters who are given equal status with the younger Lucy, Dom and Jackson et al because all too frequently older people are sidelined in romantic fiction. Here they add depth and texture to the story in a really satisfying manner. I loved meeting every one of them.

I thought the themes were so skilfully included in Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe. Family and love, identity and belonging, independence and loyalty, marriage and relationships, jealousy and duplicity all bring the narrative alive so that I cared about what happened to the characters here.

And what characters they are. I’m not fond of children in general, never mind in fiction, but Jackson is a delight and utterly believable. Indeed, every character is vivid and real so that I would love to hear more about them in future books. It’s such a treat when I read a book and feel I’m dipping into the real lives of other people and that’s exactly what Annette Hannah has achieved here.  Who wouldn’t be attracted to Dominic? I thought Lucy was a superb example of a modern woman; insecure and vulnerable at times and yet strong and determined to make her own way in the world. I was desperate for her to have a happy ending but you’ll need to read Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe for yourself to see if she gets one!

I thought Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe was glorious and I loved it. I put the entire day on hold to read it and finished the book with a contented sigh and a slight moistness in my eye. Annette Hannah had transported me away from the cares of a world in pandemic to one of love, family, happiness and understanding. Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Cafe was an absolute tonic to read and I really recommend it. It’s gorgeous.

About Annette Hannah

Annette Hannah is a Liver Bird who relocated to leafy Hertfordshire in the 80’s and now lives near a river with her husband, two of their three grown up children and a crazy black cocker spaniel. She writes romantic comedies in settings inspired by the beautiful countryside around her and always with a nod to her hometown. As an avid reader she became a book blogger and eventually realised her dream to become an author in 2020.

She loves long walks along the river, travelling to far flung places, the odd glass of Pinot Blush and spending time with her friends and family.

You can find out more by visiting Annette’s blog or website and following her on Twitter @AnnetteHannah.

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I have been a fan of Lesley Pearse’s writing for years but I can’t believe it’s almost two years since I last featured her on Linda’s Book Bag here when we were celebrating 25 of her books in 25 years! That’s too big a gap and I’m delighted to be part of this blog tour for Lesley’s latest book Liar by sharing my review today. My thanks to Megan at EDPR for inviting me to participate.

Published by Michael Joseph on 26th June 2020, Liar is available for purchase through the links here.

Liar

In a Shepherd’s Bush bedsit, Amelia White dreams of being a reporter. The closest she’s come is selling advertising in the local paper.

Until the fateful day she stumbles on a truly shocking scoop.

Round the corner from her home, she discovers the body of a murder victim, dumped among the rubbish. When the police and reporters descend, Amelia is horrified at the assumptions made and lies soon to be spread about this poor young woman.

Determined to protect the victim from these smears and help her grieving family, she convinces her paper’s editor to allow her to take up her pen and tell the true story.

But when another body is found and the police investigation stalls, Amelia – uncovering new witnesses and suspects in her search for clues – discovers that she may be the only one with any chance of learning the truth and stopping more killings.

If only she can work out who the liar is . . .

My Review of Liar

Amelia’s life is about to take an exciting turn!

Picking up a book by Lesley Pearse is always a pleasure because I know I’m going to have an entertaining story with interesting characters. Liar is another of those books and I enjoyed it.

There’s a good, twisting plot to Liar that begins in dramatic fashion to hook the reader straight away. I did have to suspend belief a little when following Amelia’s exploits as she investigates murders in her locality, but I think that probably says more about my own lack of bravery in comparison and it certainly didn’t spoil my engagement with the narrative. Indeed, I think Liar would make an excellent Sunday night television series because there are carefully placed dramatic points balanced well by the romantic element of the story, making something for any reader in Lesley Pearse’s customary accessible style.

One aspect that I found incredibly evocative was the sense of the era Lesley Pearse creates. Through reference to real events, the music, clothes and especially the social attitudes there is a definite sense of the time in Liar. I found this aspect surprisingly thought-provoking too as it made me wonder just how much attitudes and lives have really changed.

I thought Amelia was a super heroine. She’s feisty as well as vulnerable and can hold her own even when events conspire against her. She has a level of humanity that is a pleasure to read and yet she isn’t too good to be true. In fact I was occasionally surprised at some of her language! It’s tricky to say too much about the other characters because they are so tightly bound into the plot and I don’t want to spoil the story but let’s just say there is an engaging and compelling cast to get to know.

However, for me, although I was entertained by the narrative it was the themes of Liar that I enjoyed most. Love and relationships, social attitudes and upbringing, policing and wealth and so on, mingle through the prose so that Liar is almost a social study. Reading Liar made me think carefully about what home and safety really mean.

I thought Liar was a great beach style read. I was delighted to lose myself between its pages and very much enjoyed it.

About Lesley Pearse

Lesley Pearse was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. When she grew up she worked her way through many jobs – from corsetry sales in Cooks of St. Pauls (featured in Dead to Me), to bunny girl to nanny; from gift shop owner to dressmaker – finally finding her true vocation when she became a published author age 49. Since then Lesley has become an internationally bestselling author, with over 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

A true storyteller and a master of gripping storylines, there is no set formula for a Lesley Pearse novel although strong heroines and difficult circumstances are pervasive. Whether historical adventures such as Gypsy or Never Look Back or the passionately emotive Trust Me, Lesley is inspired by stories of courage and adversity and often gives voice to women lost in history. She is passionate about her research and her stories have taken her far and wide; from Alaska to the Crimea. Lesley now lives just outside Torquay in Devon where she loves to spend time walking on the beach with her grandchildren and dogs.

A fantastic speaker and committed and passionate fundraiser for the NSPCC, Lesley is a much sought after guest at literary lunches, library events and festivals up and down the country. Lesley was also selected as the first Ambassador for National Libraries Day in 2014.

You can follow Lesley on Twitter @LesleyPearse, and find her on Facebook.

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My enormous thanks to Peyton Stableford at Agora Books for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Monstrous Souls by Rebecca Kelly. I’m delighted to share my review today.

Monstrous Souls is was published by Agora on 25th June and is available for purchase here.

Monstrous Souls

What if you knew the truth but couldn’t remember?

Over a decade ago, Heidi was the victim of a brutal attack that left her hospitalised, her younger sister missing, and her best friend dead. But Heidi doesn’t remember any of that. She’s lived her life since then with little memory of her friends and family and no recollection of the crime.

Now, it’s all starting to come back.

As Heidi begins retracing the events that lead to the assault, she is forced to confront the pain and guilt she’s long kept buried. But Heidi isn’t the only one digging up the past, and the closer she gets to remembering the truth, the more danger she’s in.

When the truth is worse than fiction, is the past worth reliving?

An addictive thriller about a case gone cold and the dangers lurking on our doorsteps, Monstrous Souls will have you gripped to the very end.

My Review of Monstrous Souls

Heidi’s memory is beginning to return.

I can’t in all honesty say I enjoyed reading Monstrous Souls because it has such dark themes that are so authentically and convincingly conveyed by Rebecca Kelly that I feel highly disturbed and affected by my reading. Monstrous Souls is an important book that transcends entertainment into an incisive and uncomfortable commentary on life for so many children.

The plot of Monstrous Souls is an absolute cracker because the reader is able to uncover the truth at the same time as Heidi, making it a very personal narrative. There’s a brilliantly depicted sense of menace and threat so that I felt quite tense as I read. This darkness and atmosphere is enhanced further by the very vivid descriptions of setting, particularly the beautiful natural images that contrast so well with the more restrained descriptions of violence and abuse. What Rebecca Kelly does so well is to suggest rather than provide all the darker details so that the reader’s imagination runs riot. I thought this technique was excellent.

The cover image represents the themes of the book perfectly. People, places and events are altered by refracted memory and duplicity. Characters have their lives and their identities reassembled by others more powerful in the same way the photograph of the cover appears sliced and manipulated. The themes of Monstrous Souls are not easy ones. Emotional and sexual abuse, control, loyalty, friendship and corruption weave like poison ivy through the plot and they are particularly unsettling because Rebecca Kelly presents then so convincingly. I have finished Monstrous Souls feeling real grief for many of the characters because their stories felt so genuine to me.

I may have felt uncomfortable with the content and themes of Monstrous Souls but I am so glad I have read it. It is, one one level, a cracking crime thriller, but I feel Rebecca Kelly has provided such an understanding of the human psyche too that it is more important a book than an entertaining story. I will be thinking about it for a very long time. I thought it was brilliant.

About Rebecca Kelly

Rebecca Kelly was brought up with books but denied the pleasure of a television. Although she hated this at the time, she now considers it to have contributed to a life-long passion for reading and writing.

After a misspent education, Rebecca had a variety of jobs. She’s spent the last years raising her children but has lately returned to her first love – writing.

Rebecca lives in the UK with her husband and youngest son and an over-enthusiastic black Labrador, who gives her writing tips.

You can follow Rebecca on Twitter @RKellyAuthor1.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

It always frustrates me when people tell me they can’t contemplate a book with Christmas in the title before December. For me it’s a bit like saying I can’t read a book set in a country I don’t live in, or that I can’t read crime thrillers because I’m law abiding. Therefore I’m delighted to participate in sharing the details for Alex Pine’s The Christmas Killer as I think it looks a corker of a book.

You can follow all the Twitter excitement about The Christmas Killer with by using the hashtag #ChristmasInJuly!

Lets’s find out what’s in store for us:

The Christmas Killer

I love the natural world and whilst my wildlife holidays to far flung places are on hold it has been a real pleasure to discover wildlife through my reading instead. My grateful thanks to Alison Menzies at Elliot and Thompson for sending me a copy of Into the Tangled Bank by Lev Parikian in return for an honest review.

Into the Tangled Bank will be published by Elliot and Thompson on 9th July 2020 and is available for pre-order through these links.

Into the Tangled Bank

Lev Parikian is on a journey to discover the quirks, habits and foibles of how the British experience nature. Open a window, hear the birds calling and join him.

It’s often said that the British are a nation of nature lovers; but what does that really mean? For some it’s watching racer snakes chase iguanas on TV as David Attenborough narrates, a visit to the zoo to convene with the chimps; for others it’s a far-too-ambitious clamber up a mountain, the thrilling spectacle of a rare bird in flight.

Lev Parikian sets out to explore the many, and particular, ways that he, and we, experience the natural world beginning face down on the pavement outside his home, then moving outwards to garden, local patch, wildlife reserve, craggy coastline and as far afield as the dark hills of Skye. He visits the haunts of famous nature lovers reaching back to the likes of Charles Darwin, Etta Lemon, Gavin Maxwell, John Clare and Emma Turner to examine their insatiable curiosity and follow in their footsteps.

And everywhere he meets not only nature, but nature lovers of all varieties: ramblers, dog-walkers, photographers; loving couples, striding singles, families; kite-flyers, den-builders, grass-loungers; young whippersnappers, old codgers, middle-aged ne’er-do-wells; beginners, specialists, all-rounders; or just people out for a stroll in the sun.

Warm, humorous and full of telling detail, Into the Tangled Bank puts the idiosyncrasies of how we are in nature under the microscope. And in doing so, it reveals how our collective relationship with nature has changed over the centuries, what our actions mean for nature and what being a nature lover in Britain might mean today.

My review of Into the Tangled Bank

One man’s foray into the world of British nature.

I genuinely think Into the Tangled Bank should be put on prescription for anyone suffering depression or loneliness because it is an absolute tonic of a book that creates happiness in the very soul of the reader. I adored it. My strength of emotional reaction comes partly because it made me feel closer to my much missed Dad. He would have loved every word of Into the Tangled Bank. Dad introduced me to the natural world and he’d have delighted in this book as much as I have. I especially enjoyed the When Nature Changes chapter because John Clare’s Helpston is the next village along from where I live in one direction and Northborough is the next along in another. Reading Into the Tangled Bank gave me a personal, human connection of the kind we all need in these uncertain times.

Into the Tangled Bank is enormously enlightening. I learnt all kinds of facts, not just about wildlife, but people from history, places and  so on – quite frequently through the hugely entertaining footnotes. I think my poor husband wished I’d shut up as I kept reading snippets of information out to him that I’d found unusual, that resonated with me or that I felt described him, never mind Lev Parikian, with absolute precision. I felt I got to know the author as an individual too – and I liked him very much. His frustrations with other humans like ‘Massive Lens Guy’, his conversational style, his self-awareness and his absolutely brilliant writing made me wish I could meet him in real life and chat with him about the book.

Lev Parikian’s writing style is, quite frankly, sublime. It’s beautiful and poetic. It’s realistic and dramatic. He has the ability to convey as much meaning in a two word paragraph as he does in longer sections. It’s engaging and I hadn’t been prepared for how funny it is too. Again the footnotes come into play here where his wry observations, direct appeals to the reader and asides are fabulous. I must confess that I know little about cricket, and the Interlude is less in keeping with the other chapters in Into the Tangled Bank, but I laughed until I wept reading its ending, despite the stark description of the state of the planet.

Into the Tangled Bank is the perfect antidote to the ills of the world because it’s funny, enlightening and very entertaining. It would make a glorious present for any nature lover because it brings alive the world in which we live. It would appeal to any observer of humanity as Lev Parikian’s observations are pithy and insightful and he manages to articulate exactly what so many of us think and feel. Into the Tangled Bank is a glorious book. Don’t miss it.

About Lev Parikian

Lev Parikian is a writer, birdwatcher and conductor. His book Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? was published by Unbound in 2018. He lives in West London with his family, who are getting used to his increasing enthusiasm for nature. As a birdwatcher, his most prized sightings are a golden oriole in the Alpujarras and a black redstart at Dungeness Power Station.

For more information, follow Lev on Twitter @LevParikian or visit his website.

Now, I wasn’t going to read The Miseducation of Evie Epworth yet because I am inundated with books for blog tours. I had invited Matson Taylor to stay in with me to chat about the book instead. However, I thought I’d have a quick look at the first page, got hooked and read the whole book before I knew where I was! Consequently, not only am I staying in with Matson today, but I have a review for you too.

Staying in with Matson Taylor

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Matson. Thanks so much for staying in with me. I rather think I know, but which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along my first novel: The Miseducation of Evie Epworth. It’s my only novel so far but I hope in a couple of years I’ll be bringing along a follow up!

I hope so too. Congratulations on this debut Matson. I’ve just read The Miseducation of Evie Epworth and loved it. I can’t wait to see what happens in her life next.

What can we expect from an evening in with The Miseducation of Evie Epworth?

People have been saying how much the book has made them laugh so I think you can expect to get through quite a few tissues! There’ll be lots of tears of laughter and some tears of sorrow too. I wanted the book to be fun but at the same deal with some quite emotional topics, to have a heart as well as raise a smile.

Evie certainly does all those things Matson. I loved it.

You can also expect to meet some very strong female characters – a product, I think, of my Yorkshire upbringing (we’re taught at a very early age who’s the boss!). And food. You should expect lots of food. It’s everywhere in the book – there are even some recipes…

Oh there are. And those women…

What else have you brought with you and why have you brought it?

Well, I’ve mentioned the food already (which, of course, I’ll bring along – I’m a dab hand at all the recipes now after lots of testing) so I’d like to bring another two things along.

One is a dog… any dog! I love dogs. There are a couple of dogs in the book and I really enjoyed writing about them – one of them, Sadie, is based on a real dog and writing about her brought back some lovely memories. The other thing I’d like to bring along is a book about the sixties – the music, the fashion, the films, the tv shows… The book is set in 1962 in a little village in Yorkshire and you can feel what we understand as the 60s getting stronger as the story unfolds. This was one of the key things I wanted to explore in the book – how the sixties didn’t actually start on January 1st 1960 – there was a strange hinterland for a couple of years where the decade still clung on to the 1950s, at least culturally. I like the idea of exploring how a decade ‘grows up’ and finds its identity (just as when we’re growing up there’s a period between being a child and being an adult – and that’s why Evie is 16 1/2 – she’s bang smack in the middle of that age at which we’re trying to work out our own identity).

I couldn’t agree more, Matson. And being a child of the 60s myself I found the era very evocative. Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about The Miseducation of Evie Epworth. Before I share my review, let me give blog readers all the details.

The Miseducation of Evie Epworth

July, 1962

Sixteen year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she become?

The fastest milk bottle-delivery girl in East Yorkshire, Evie is tall as a tree and hot as the desert sand. She dreams of an independent life lived under the bright lights of London (or Leeds). The two posters of Adam Faith on her bedroom wall (‘brooding Adam’ and ‘sophisticated Adam’) offer wise counsel about a future beyond rural East Yorkshire. Her role models are Charlotte Bronte, Shirley MacLaine and the Queen. But, before she can decide on a career, she must first deal with the malign presence of her future step-mother, the manipulative and money-grubbing Christine.

If Evie can rescue her bereaved father, Arthur, from Christine’s pink and over-perfumed clutches, and save the farmhouse from being sold off then maybe she can move on with her own life and finally work out exactly who it is she is meant to be.

Moving, inventive and richly comic, The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is the most joyful debut novel of the year and the best thing to have come out of Yorkshire since Wensleydale cheese.

The Miseducation of Evie Epworth will be published by Simon and Schuster imprint Scribner on 23rd July 2020 and is available for pre-order through the links here.

My review of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth

Evie isn’t sure who or what she wants to become.

It was a real joy to meet Evie Epworth and to travel back in time to the 1960s. There’s a wonderful authentic feel of the era that not only creates an enjoyment in reading The Miseducation of Evie Epworth but rekindled so many of my own memories that it added an extra layer of magic – and there is even a touch of real magic in the story. Matson Taylor uses music and fashion, television and a vivid depiction of life in a small Yorkshire village so that it is like stepping aboard a time machine and being transported back in time. I loved the Yorkshireness of the narrative too which comes through brilliant dialogue and attitude, and brings everything from the prosaic to the magical in a blend of humour and emotion. I finished reading The Miseducation of Evie Epworth feeling I had had incredible fun. Very few books make me laugh aloud but this one did frequently and I loved it. I may even have shed a small tear too.

Evie herself is a glorious character. Her exploration of identity is what so many of us will have experienced and can relate to, because her narrative voice rings out from the page. As the book came to a close I was completely satisfied by its resolution for Evie, but simultaneously desperate to know what happens next in her life.

The other characters are an eclectic bunch of vivid and varied personalities. I thought the way Matson Taylor brought in Evie’s mother gave her a real presence and the scenes set in the past add a layer of mystery to the read. However, it is Christine who so ignited my reader response. She is utterly awful. I wanted to climb into the pages of the book and do her physical harm! I think it speaks for the quality of Matson Taylor’s writing that he was able to engender such a response.

Indeed, the writing is brilliant. The structure of the novel, the use of upper case letters in unusual places, the variety of sentence length and naturalistic dialogue, the realistic and often surprisingly poetic description all add up to a fabulous read. I even loved the tiny illustrations. There’s a smashing balance of humour and pathos in The Miseducation of Evie Epworth that makes it all the more effective. I thoroughly enjoyed considering the themes of friendship and enmity, love and dislike, education and practicality and so on that are woven through a thoroughly entertaining story. There’s also a strong moral sense behind the writing too that I felt added a layer of depth I wasn’t expecting. To say more would spoil the plot but this is a book to revel in on many levels!

I loved Matson Taylor’s The Miseducation of Evie Epworth because I believed completely in Evie and her life. I was diverted from the cares of the world and taken back to the era of my youth just brilliantly. It was a real joy to read The Miseducation of Evie Epworth and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

About Matson Taylor

Matson Taylor grew up in Yorkshire (the flat part not the Brontë part). He comes from farming stock and spent an idyllic childhood surrounded by horses, cows, bicycles, and cheap ice-cream. His father, a York City and Halifax Town footballer, has never forgiven him for getting on the school rugby team but not getting anywhere near the school football team.

Matson now lives in London, where he is a design historian and academic writing tutor at the V&A, Imperial College and the Royal College of Art. Previously, he talked his way into various jobs at universities and museums around the world; he has also worked on Camden Market, appeared in an Italian TV commercial and been a pronunciation coach for Catalan opera singers. He gets back to Yorkshire as much as possible, mainly to see family and friends but also to get a reasonably-priced haircut.

He has always loved telling stories and, after writing academically about beaded flapper dresses and World War 2 glow-in-the-dark fascinators, he decided to enrol on the Faber Academy ‘Writing A Novel’ course. The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is his first novel.

For more information, follow Matson on Twitter @matson_taylor_ or visit his website. You’ll also find him on Instagram.

Anyone who knows me also knows I am a passionate cat lover so when Ben Cameron at Cameron Publicity asked if I’d like a copy of If Cats Could Talk … Would They Cry? in return for an honest review I couldn’t resist.

If Cats Could Talk … Would They Cry? is available for purchase here.

If Cats Could Talk … Would They Cry?

On the morning of the 17th, after a particularly sleepful night, Julie Galles woke up to find herself transformed into a cat. Still half asleep, she watched a set of ginger and white paws stretch out on the beige duvet cover and felt every inch of her body yearning for a good scratch. She yawned and shook her head, a set of gray whiskers flickering in the corners of her eyes. Overcome by a sudden tedious thought, she took a gander around the room, followed by a relieved exhale on the note that nothing else had changed. Her little studio apartment was the same she had left it the night before…

If Cats Could Talk… Would They Cry? introduces Julie Galles. An introvert in an extrovert’s world, Julie is stuck in a rut – until the day she wakes up as a cat. Can a feline perspective help her to reconnect with humanity?

A modern ‘Metamorphosis’ that speaks to the themes of our time – isolation, identity, and desperation for connection. Magical realism with an off-beat charm.

Beautifully illustrated with playful vignettes by Spanish artist Félix Diaz de Escauriaza.

My Review of If Cats Could Talk… Would They Cry?

I’m not entirely certain how to review If Cats Could Talk… Would They Cry? because I found it a really curious read. I’m not sure if I fully understood all its meanings it , but I found it curiously hypnotic so that I had to read it in one sitting.

On one level Anatoli Scholz has produced an entertaining, straightforward narrative (if that can be said of a story where an adult protagonist becomes a cat over night) set within quite traditional boundaries of time, one day, and place, Paris, that is resolved highly satisfactorily. But saying that is to do an injustice to a novella packed with symbolism, allegory and meaning. I found it fascinating. I also thought the illustrations were wonderful because they convey considerable meaning and emotion in their simplicity.

It is Julie’s transformation into a cat that helps the reader develop a clear picture of what she is like as a person. Her emotional distance from meaningful relationships, her attitude to her father, mother and sister, her habitual workaday life are all very prosaic and familiar and yet there is a poignancy that generates real empathy. She needs this curious metamorphosis to understand herself and those around her. I found this a moving aspect of If Cats Could Talk… Would They Cry?.

I thoroughly enjoyed the feline elements of If Cats Could Talk… Would They Cry? too because, as a passionate cat lover, they felt highly authentic to me. Julie’s heightened senses illustrate just what we frequently miss in our daily lives so that not only is this Julie’s story, but it is one from which we can all learn.

If Cats Could Talk… Would They Cry? is an unusual novella. I suspect my reading has only scratched the surface of its possibilities. The symbolism is intelligent and engaging and I think each reader will bring their own interpretation and understanding. For example, I have no idea if the tunnels of the catacombs were intended to represent rebirth, but that’s what they signified to me. To say too much more about plot and action and my interpretations would spoil the read for others, but it is highly thought provoking.

I found If Cats Could Talk… Would They Cry? intriguing. It won’t suit all readers but I’d strongly recommend reading it for yourself to find the answer to the title!

About Anatoli Scholz

Born in Moscow, Anatoli Scholz was raised and educated all over the western hemisphere, including the US, Germany, and France. When he was growing up his parents received donations from Doctors Without Borders. Now he writes stories about gaps in our societal membrane.

For more information, visit Anatoli’s website or find him on Facebook.