My enormous thanks to the author of Footnotes: A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers, Peter Fiennes, for offering me a copy of the book in return for an honest review, and to Margot Weale at Oneworld publishers for making sure Footnotes got to me!

Published by Oneworld on 5th September 2019, Footnotes is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

Footnotes: A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers

In each walk, a scene. In each journey, a story. To tread any well-travelled path is to step upon layers of history and to add to them. What was seen by yesterday’s rambler? Who were they? What was their Britain?

Peter Fiennes follows in the footsteps of writers, spiritualists, economists, farmers, churchmen and artists, from the eleventh century to the twentieth. Traversing past and present, he searches for signs of what his absent guides once saw and, through their words, opens up a new way of seeing what is there today. Footnotes is full of wonders and wanders, old stories and fresh connections, worn roads and wild places. It is a mesmerising quest to picture these isles anew.

Fiennes’s fellow travellers include Enid Blyton (Isle of Purbeck, Swanage, Weymouth); Wilkie Collins (Cornwall, Plymouth, Land’s End, Looe, St Ives); Ithell Colquhoun (Lamorna Cove); Celia Fiennes (Glastonbury, Wells, Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, Hereford); Gerald of Wales (Hereford, Hay on Wye, Newport, Cardiff, St Davids, Snowdonia); Somerville & Ross (north Wales); JB Priestley & Beryl Bainbridge (Stoke, Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool, Bradford, Newcastle, York, Hull); Charles Dickens (Lake District, Doncaster, London); Johnson & Boswell (Edinburgh, Skye, Aberdeen).

My Review of Footnotes: A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers

One man’s personal journey in the footsteps of twelve writers.

I opened Footnotes with some trepidation as I feared I might be about to read a worthy, but rather dry and self-conscious tome that I felt I ‘ought’ to enjoy. Not a bit of it; I was completely wrong. Peter Fiennes has a lively and witty style that made me smile often and brought me both fun and entertainment as well as considerable detail and new information. I loved the quality of the prose. The variety of sentence length seemed perfectly attuned to the effect Peter Fiennes was creating at any given time and the beauty of descriptions is matched by a humour and level of observation I thoroughly enjoyed.

It may have helped that Footnotes opens begins with Enid Blyton, whom I grew up with and whose The Ship of Adventure was the first book I read completely independently as a child in the 1960s, but I found Peter Fiennes not only transported me to my personal past, he gave me superb descriptions of the British landscape through his frequently poetic style. His depiction of what Gerald of Wales might find in modern day Cardiff, for example, is a veritable cornucopia for the senses with everything from music to vaping illustrated perfectly. In Footnotes the reader can find social history, geography, poetry, prose and considerable drama in the lives of the authors explored.

Although I treally enjoyed finding out more about the authors featured, even more I liked discovering Peter Fiennes through his own writing. There’s a real sense of a man who cares about his environment, our history and those who have, or will, pass through it. I appreciated his humour and his ability to make quite bold statements about life with sometimes quite informal language, so that reading Footnotes gave me much to ponder after I’d finished reading it.

Footnotes is a smashing read because it encompasses so many genres in one book. Part travelogue, part history, part memoir, part guidebook, part literary catalogue, it’s accessible, entertaining and erudite. Footnotes would make a super gift for any book lover.

About Peter Fiennes

Peter Fiennes is the author of To War with God, a moving account of his grandfather’s service in WWI and of Oak and Ash and Thorn (Oneworld) a Guardian Best Nature Book of the Year. As a publisher for Time Out, he published their city guides, as well as books about Britain’s countryside and seaside. He lives in Wandsworth, south-west London.

To find out more you can visit Peter’s website and follow him on Twitter @pfiennes.

Last year I reviewed Sam Bunch’s excellent Collecting Conversations in a post you can read here. I enjoyed Collecting Conversations so much that when Sam asked if I’d like a copy of her latest book, Menopause – A Hot Topic, in exchange for an honest review, I jumped at the chance.

Menopause – A Hot Topic is available for purchase here.

Menopause A Hot Topic

Menopause – A Hot Topic is a humorous account of Sam sharing her own confusion and angst about the mystifying subject.

She’s very honest in telling you that you wont be dymystified but you will at least think, ‘Thank God I’m not alone’.

Sam has asked over 50 women to join in the conversation. They too give you their real, honest accounts of the madness that is the menopause. It’s the perfect gift for the menopausal women in your life.

My review of Menopause – A Hot Topic

A collection of thoughts and experiences based on the menopause.

Menopause – A Hot Topic is a little cracker of a book. Diminutive in size it’s perfect for slipping into a pocket or handbag and dipping into during those moments when the menopause is launching an attack on your body, mind and emotions so that you realise you’re not alone or a murderous psychopath!

Aside from some random tearfulness, brittle nails and some osteo-arthritis in my joints, the menopause has really bothered me but I just loved Sam Bunch’s book. I had no idea that it was going to be so funny. I laughed aloud at her thoughts and attitudes to her own experiences and genuinely feel that Menopause – A Hot Topic should be compulsory reading for any woman going through the menopause and for any individual who happens to be living or working with her at the time. Never mind this being ‘perfect gift for the menopausal women in your life’, all men need to read it too. I truly felt that reading Sam Bunch’s comments I was simply listening to a friend chat with me over a cup of tea. Her style is natural, engaging and so entertaining.

Similarly, I found the comments from the women Sam has interviewed absolutely fascinating. I empathised, sympathised and found so much that made me realise perhaps I haven’t escaped the menopause quite as unscathed as I thought.  In amongst all the personal experiences, however, are real gems of advice, tips and reassurances. I also really liked the illustrations and the space at the end of the book for personal reflection.

Menopause – A Hot Topic is a corker. I’d defy any woman of a certain age not to find something between its covers that makes them think, ‘YES! That’s it exactly’ being reassured and comforted in the process. I loved it!

About Sam Bunch

Sam Bunch grew up under the watchful eye of Pendle Hill in Lancashire. She moved to London in 1987 and has been there ever since. She lives with her husband and 3 children – two of which are at University. She is as a Complimentary therapist and more recently author of her first book Collecting Conversations.

You can find Sam on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @indepthchat. For more information about Sam and her books, please visit her website.

My enormous thanks to author Jay Vincent for sending me a copy of his children’s book The Orangutan Who Sang in return for an honest review. The illustrator for The Orangutan Who Sang is Stew Wright.

The Orangutan Who Sang is part of a series and these are the details:

It’s so hard for parents to speak to the tiny people in their life about a specific topic which may be troubling them… so this is the first book in a series designed for children (3-8) to have fun whilst subconsciously also addressing something that may be on their mind. These stories and illustrations are not only beautifully written but have a subtle moral message that will make hearts sing.

Look out for: I’m A Horse Of Course -In a world that’s grim and dark, can Poppet work out who she really is and why she’s different? Perhaps a special friend will help her on the way and she can bring colour, magic and sparkle to the world.

The Shark Who Barked – everyone knows that all sharks go “chomp” … well that is except for this special shark. He goes `woof ‘! Can he save his reef from the giant creatures who’ve come up from the deep and maybe have some giggles on the way?

The Orangutan Who Sang was published by Meze on October 14th 2019 and is available for purchase in all good bookshops, online and directly from the publisher here.

The Orangutan Who Sang

Olly is a shy but funky Orangutan, who has an incredible voice and loves to sing but can’t control his nerves enough to get any words out.

After falling from his perch in his favourite tree, Olly is so embarrassed, he leaves his friends and seeks sanctuary in the jungle. But will Olly discover something on his adventure that means he’s finally able to overcome his fears and do what he was born to do… sing?

My Review of The Orangutan Who Sang

Olly has been embarrassed and now he can’t sing in front of his friends.

The Orangutan Who Sang is simply charming.

Firstly, it’s the perfect size and length of story to share with a class of young children or at bedtime, but more importantly The Orangutan Who Sang has a valuable message about self-confidence, friendship and belonging that will resonate with any child. Poor Olly represents any one of us, young or old, who has suffered shyness or embarrassment and his experience gives an ideal opportunity to talk about experiences and feelings in a safe and impartial way so that children can come to realise they are not the only ones who may be afraid, shy or unhappy. With the positive ending, The Orangutan Who Sang provides hope to children too.

I thought both the rhyme scheme and the rhythm of the narrative worked incredibly well and I really liked the onomatopoeic elements so that there are several opportunities for children to learn about language, especially as a couple of the words are more challenging so that vocabulary is extended. The manner with which children are addressed with questions throughout the story, and in the set of twelve at the end of the book, involves them directly, making The Orangutan Who Sang educational and fun, especially as numeracy is woven in too through the counting.

I thoroughly appreciated the link between humans and the animals at the end of the book because I think it affords a brilliant chance to consider the relationship between humans and the natural world in real life.

I must also say how wonderful Stew Wright’s illustrations are as they complement the story flawlessly. I think the expressions on Olly’s face would give lots of chance to talk about feelings.

The Orangutan Who Sang is a super children’s book.

About Jay Vincent

As a father trying to navigate the pitfalls of parenthood, James (Jay) Vincent wrote these books originally as some fun stories to help his daughter through her first years at school, but they soon became a passion. As a child who had his fair share of trauma at school himself, it was only when they were read aloud to a pre school group did he realise he had a natural ability to write and bring magical worlds to life.

You can follow Jay on Twitter @JKidsauthor.

That’s it! I can’t wait any longer. I’ve been waiting for four months and I HAVE to share my review of Catherine Isaac’s Messy Wonderful Us otherwise I might just spontaneously combust.

I adored Catherine Isaac’s You, Me, Everything which I reviewed here and was delighted to chat with her about that book on Linda’s Book Bag in a post you can read here. Consequently, when I found a proof copy of her latest book Messy, Wonderful Us in my goody bag at a Simon and Schuster blogger evening I was thrilled. You can see what happened at that evening here. Today I’m delighted to share my review of Messy, Wonderful Us.

Messy Wonderful Us will be released by Simon and Schuster in ebook on 28^th November 2019 and in paperback on 5^th March 202 and is available for pre-order through these links.

Messy, Wonderful Us

One morning in early summer, a man and woman wait to board a flight to Italy.

Allie has lived a careful, focused existence. But now she has unexpectedly taken leave from her job as an academic research scientist to fly to a place she only recently heard about in a letter. Her father, Joe, doesn’t know the reason for her trip, and Allie can’t bring herself to tell him that she’s flying to Italy to unpick the truth about what her mother did all those years ago.

Beside her is her best friend since schooldays, Ed. He has just shocked everyone with a sudden separation from his wife, Julia. Allie hopes that a break will help him open up.

But the secrets that emerge as the sun beats down on Lake Garda and Liguria don’t merely concern her family’s tangled past. And the two friends are forced to confront questions about their own life-long relationship that are impossible to resolve.

The dazzling new novel from Richard & Judy book club author Catherine Isaac, Messy, Wonderful Us is a story about the transforming power of love, as one woman journeys to uncover the past and reshape her future.

My Review of Messy, Wonderful Us

Cystic Fibrosis researcher Allie is on a professional quest; but a personal one may just be as important to her.

Now, when I read You, Me, Everything by Catherine Isaac I thought it was fantastic and as a result I approached reading Messy, Wonderful Us with some trepidation. I was afraid I’d be disappointed. I am quite prepared to admit I was a complete idiot. Messy, Wonderful Us is sensationally good and I am going to find it hard to conjure up the superlatives I need to express my absolute enjoyment and engagement with this brilliant book.

The plot is so adroitly constructed that I was desperate to know the outcomes but simultaneously I didn’t want the book to end because I found it so moving and affecting. I was so immersed in the narrative that I’m sure I believed myself to be Allie herself, rather than someone reading about a fictional character. Messy, Wonderful Us is a book that has touched my soul and left an indelible mark. There are surprises along the way in the story that I found utterly captivating, but for me the greatest enjoyment came through Catherine Isaac’s sublime characterisation. Allie, Ed and Peggy all broke my heart at some point in the reading.

One of the elements I also really enjoyed was the sense of a quest. Allie is looking for details about her own background at the same time as working towards a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. The level of information about the research process is perfectly balanced, giving just enough to captivate the reader without bogging them down in excessive detail. This is such wonderful writing. Similarly, the quality of description for the Italian settings in particular is flawless. Every sense is catered for so that there’s a cinematic feel to the narrative and making me desperate to visit the same places as Allie and Ed. A further concept of quest comes through Ed’s need to assess his marriage and future in a sub plot that thrums with desire, guilt and responsibility. There are other themes I’d love to comment upon, but to do so would spoil the story. Let’s just say the painting of a social history is wonderful too.

Messy, Wonderful Us is exactly my kind of book. It’s emotional. It’s brilliantly researched. It’s a fabulous story. It’s simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting. I rather think I might now be a little bit in love with Catherine Isaac and her writing. I cannot recommend Messy, Wonderful Us highly enough. I adored it.

About Catherine Isaac

Catherine Isaac was born in Liverpool, England. She studied History at the University of Liverpool, then Journalism at Glasgow Caledonian University, before beginning her career as trainee reporter at the Liverpool Echo.

She rose to the position of Editor of the Liverpool Daily Post and wrote her first book, Bridesmaids, while on maternity leave, under the pseudonym Jane Costello. Her nine subsequent novels were all Sunday Times best-sellers in the UK.

You Me Everything was her first book writing as Catherine Isaac.

She lives in Liverpool with her husband Mark and three sons. In her spare time she likes to run, walk up mountains in the Lake District and win at pub quizzes, though the latter rarely happens.

You can visit Catherine’s website for more information and follow her on Twitter @CatherineIsaac_. You’ll also find Catherine on Facebook.

Thanks to friend and fellow blogger Shell Baker for the invitation to take part, I’m absolutely delighted to be participating in the cover reveal for another charity book here on Linda’s Book Bag today. When Stars Will Shine is an anthology of Christmas themed short stories complied by lovely Emma Mitchell who has provided a short note to accompany this cover reveal:

A Note From Emma Mitchell:

As the blurb tells us, When Stars Will Shine is a multi-genre collection of Christmas themed short stories complied to raise money for our armed forces and every penny made from the sales of both the digital and paperback copies will be donated to the charity.

Working closely with Kate Noble at Noble Owl Proofreading and Amanda Ni Odhrain from Let’s Get Booked, I’ve been able to pick the best of the submissions to bring you a thrilling book which is perfect for dipping into at lunchtime or snuggling up with on a cold winter’s night. I have been completely blown away by the support we’ve received from the writing and blogging community, especially the authors who submitted stories and Shell Baker from Baker’s Not So Secret Blog, who has organised the cover reveal and blog tour.

When Stars Will Shine is available for pre-order now and will be published on 9 December 2019.

There isn’t anyone in the country who hasn’t benefited from the sacrifices our troops, past and present, have made for us and they all deserve our thanks.

Let me tell you more about the book:

When Stars Will Shine

When Stars Will Shine is a collection of short stories from some of your favourite authors who have joined forces to bring you a Christmas read with a twist.

With true war stories that will break your heart, gritty Christmas crimes that will shake you to your core, and heart-warming tales of love lost, gained, and found, When Stars Will Shine has something for everyone. And with every penny being sent to support our heroes, you can rest assured that you’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.

From authors such as Louise Jensen, Graham Smith, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Rob Ashman, Val Portelli, and Alex Kane, you are in for one heck of a ride!

When Stars Will Shine will be released on 9th December 2019 and is available for pre-order here.

I can’t wait to read When Stars Will Shine so do please come back to Linda’s Book Bag on 22nd December when I will be sharing my review.

I love attending events to hear about new books coming along so when this fabulous invitation dropped into my inbox from the lovely Alainna at Orion I was thrilled. Despite my train being delayed 40 minutes, as soon as I walked in to Drink, Shop, Do and was greeted by author Cathy Bramley I knew I was going to have a wonderful time.

In fact, I must apologise for not thanking the Orion team sooner for a brilliant evening on Wednesday. I was giving a talk to a local group on blogging yesterday, before attending a charity event with TV gardener Adam Frost in the evening so I didn’t get chance to write up my thanks.

I picked up my glass of Prosecco, had a chat with a couple of Orion’s lovely team and wandered to see what fantastic books were coming up. What a feast for the eyes!

The first item I collected was the catalogue of releases coming from January – July 2020 and I cannot believe what a wonderful set of books awaits us. With everything from fiction to non-fiction, young adult to adult, Sci-Fi and Fantasy to Women’s Fiction, there is something for every reader in the Orion Publishing Group. If you’d like to look for yourself, the catalogue can be found here.

It was so interesting to hear different publicists enthusing and recommending books and to chat with new to me authors as well as catch up with Veronica Henry, Cathy Bramley and Helen Rolfe amongst others.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend for as long as I’d have liked because of the earlier train delay, but I was thrilled to come away with a lovely goody bag and several wonderful books.

The books I have added to mt TBR include:

For Emily by Katherine Slee

A little dedication goes a long way.
That’s why Catriona Robinson, the country’s favourite children’s author, always dedicated her books to those who touched her life the most – not least Emily, her reclusive granddaughter.

Emily never thought too much about these dedications. But when Catriona dies unexpectedly, each one becomes a cryptic clue in a breadcrumb trail that apparently leads to her lost, unpublished manuscript.

It’s a mystery only Emily can solve. But to do so she will have to walk in her grandmother’s footsteps, into the wider world she’s spent her whole life hiding away from . . .

Published on 5th September 2019, For Emily is available for purchase here.

The Family Gift by Cathy Kelly

Freya Abalone has a big, messy, wonderful family, a fantastic career, and a new house.

But that’s on the outside.

On the inside, she’s got Mildred – the name she’s given to that nagging inner critic who tells us all we’re not good enough.

And now Freya’s beloved blended family is under threat. Dan’s first wife Elisa, the glamorous, manipulative woman who happily abandoned her daughter to Freya and Dan’s care and left the country, has elbowed her way back into their lives.

But Freya knows that when life gives you lemons, you throw them right back.

Can Freya put her family – and herself – back together? Find out in Cathy Kelly’s warmest, wisest and funniest book yet…

Published yesterday, 17th October 2019, The Family Gift is available for purchase through these links.

Christmas at the Beach Hut by Veronica Henry

Everyone adores Christmas . . .

Especially Lizzy Kingham. But this year, she is feeling unloved and under-appreciated by her family. The present-buying, decorating and food shopping have all been left to her. So she wonders … what would happen if she ran away and left them to it?

Lizzy heads to her favourite place: a beach hut on the golden sands of Everdene. There she meets an unlikely collection of new friends, all running away from something. But the spirit of Christmas gets under Lizzy’s skin: soon the fairy lights are twinkling and the scent of mulled wine mingles with the sea air.

Back at Pepperpot Cottage, her family are desperate to find her. For Christmas isn’t Christmas without Lizzy. Can they track her down in time and convince her she means the world to them, every day of the year?

Christmas at the Beach Hut will be published on 15th November and is available for pre-order here.

Would Like To Meet by Rachel Winters

Long-suffering assistant Evie Summers will lose her job unless she can convince her film agency’s biggest and most difficult client, Ezra Chester, to finish the script for a Hollywood romcom. The catch? He hasn’t started writing it.

Suffering from ‘writer’s block,’ he will only put pen to paper if singleton Evie can prove to him that you can fall in love like they do in the movies. Forget internet dating, Evie can only meet a man the way that Sally met Harry, or Hugh Grant meets anyone. Cue her entering into one ridiculous romcom scenario after another. But can life ever be like the movies?

Of course, real life is never that straightforward . . .

Out under this cover in ebook on 26th November 2019 and paperback on 30th April 2020, Would Like To Meet is available here.

The Matchmaker by Catriona Innes

For Caitlin Carter, love means business.

She’s taken matchmaking back to basics. There is no swiping left. No creepy location tracker. Definitely no unsolicited pics of areas of the anatomy no one wants to see. She’s made dating great again: personal, patient… and profitable. Her startup is going from strength to strength, with clients wanting to find the love she has with her own husband Harry, and she even has celebrities wanting to use her services…

Caitlin is living the perfect life.

Except it’s all a perfect lie. And Caitlin doesn’t know how long she can keep it up.

In an era of social media and dating apps, when we have never been more connected yet more isolated, The Matchmaker is a story about love, loss and loneliness, and learning to accept your reality.

Published by Orion imprint Trapeze on 28th November 2019, The Matchmaker is available for pre-order here.

The River Home by Hannah Richell

The river can take you home. The river can take you under…

In their ramshackle Somerset home, its gardens running down to the river, the Sorrells have gathered for a last-minute wedding.

Lucy is desperate to reunite her fractured family. Eve is fighting to keep her perfect life together. Their father hovers at the edge of events with his second wife. Their mother, Kit, a famous author whose stories have run dry, still seethes with resentment towards her youngest child. And Margot, who left home eight years ago under a black cloud, is forced to come face to face with her darkness…

As the family come together for a week of celebration and confrontation, their relationships are stretched to breaking point. Can you ever heal the wounds of the past? Or will it always rise up to haunt you – like the echoes of a summer’s night, like the relentless flow of a river…

The River Home will be published on 19th March 2020 and is available for pre-order through these links (and if my proof is anything to go by that cover will be a stunner!)

A Patchwork Family by Cathy Bramley

Love, friendship and family come in all different shapes and sizes…

Gina has been going with the flow for years – she’d rather have an easy life than face any conflict. She runs her childminding business from her cottage at the edge of The Evergreens, a charming Victorian house and home to three octogenarians who have far too much fun for their age.

But when The Evergreens is put up for sale, Gina and the other residents face losing their home. To protect her business and save her elderly friends from eviction, Gina must make a stand and fight for the first time in her life.

As Gina’s ideas for saving The Evergreens get bigger and bolder, she starts to believe it might just be possible. The only thing is, does she believe in herself?

Also published on 19th March 2020, A Patchwork Family is available for pre-order here.

Like A House on Fire by Caroline Hulse

I don’t even have a ‘to be revealed cover’ for this one yet so I’m including Caroline’s previous book, The Adults available through these links!

George and Stella’s marriage is over. They can’t decide exactly when that happened (Was it the coke can? Or that comment about Jurassic Park?), but they both agree that it has.

A couple of months after the separation, Stella’s mother, Margaret “The Force of Nature” Foy sends out invites for her murder mystery anniversary party – with George on the invite list. Stella hasn’t told her parents about the divorce, she couldn’t bring herself to. And with her father’s business shutting down, Margaret’s recent cancer diagnosis, and some very odd behaviour from her older sister Helen, now is clearly not a good time.

All they have to do is make it through the day without their secret being discovered. And in doing so, they may find each other again – or see their past and future both go up in flames…

Like A House on Fire will be published on 30th April and is available for pre-order here.

I’m well aware what a privilege it is to be invited to these events and I know how lucky I am to attend. Once again, I’d like to thank the Orion team for inviting me and I hope Linda’s Book Bag readers find some lovely new reads through this post.

Last year, when Miss Moonshine’s Emporium of Happy Endings was published I was lucky enough to ask each of the authors involved in the anthology a question which they answered here! Sadly, I didn’t have chance to read the book and with all the glowing reviews from my fellow bloggers I was very disappointed not to have done so.

When author Helena Fairfax got in touch about a brand new collection of stories, Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium and asked if she could send me a copy I jumped at the chance finally to meet Miss Moonshine in person and am thrilled to share my review today.

Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium is available for purchase here where you’ll also find more details about the authors.

Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium

There’s something magical about Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium, and at Christmas she brings an added sparkle to the inhabitants of the pretty Yorkshire town of Haven Bridge. Customers who step over her threshold find an eccentric collection of gifts, but Miss Moonshine has a rare knack for providing exactly what they need: a strange Advent calendar whose doors give a glimpse of a happy ending; a vintage typewriter that types a ghostly message from Christmas past; a mirror in a silver case that reflects the person you’d like to be.

Step inside Miss Moonshine’s quirky shop, and the thing you need most for Christmas will be right there, waiting for you…

Nine romantic novelists from Yorkshire and Lancashire, including best-selling and award-winning authors, have joined together to create this collection of uplifting festive stories guaranteed to warm your heart. This intriguing mix of historical and contemporary romances will make you laugh, cry, and believe in the magic of Christmas.

My Review

of

Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium

Nine short stories involving Miss Moonshine’s Emporium.

I loved every moment of my time in Haven Bridge with Miss Moonshine. My only complaint is that I had the overwhelming urge to eat mince pies throughout!

This is such a delightful collection of stories. Not one of them is less than perfectly written. I couldn’t believe how brilliantly the stories have unity with the setting of Haven Bridge, Miss Moonshine, her quirky clothes, Napoleon the dog and with romance at their heart and yet they retain an individual authorial style too, so that there is a tale for every reader’s tastes; there’s modern and historical eras, there is laughter and there are tears, there’s family, relationships, love and loss, birth and death so that whilst Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium can be read purely for heartwarming entertainment and sheer escapism, there is a wonderful depth too.

The characters in all of the stories instantly appeal because they have the same hopes, fears and problems as we all have, making them relatable and endearing. Miss Moonshine is the star throughout, however, in all her incarnations. I found her 1912 persona particularly touching because she is obviously fully aware of the events about to unfold just a short while later. The manner with which she understands just what those visiting her emporium need in their lives adds the perfect sparkle of magic to the stories making them wonderfully festive.

The quality of storytelling is so good. Each of these talented authors has crafted a narrative that draws in the reader and gives them a satisfying and diverting reading experience that is simply marvellous.

I absolutely adored this collection. It kept calling to me when I wasn’t reading it. I wanted to know who I’d meet in the next story and what Miss Moonshine might achieve. Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium brought me sheer joy as a reader. It lifted my spirits, entertained me royally and transported me out of my own world to that of Haven Bridge simply flawlessly. Magical, gladdening and beautifully crafted, I can’t recommend Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium highly enough. It really is a wonderful collection.

The Authors on the Edge

The Authors on the Edge are Mary Jayne Baker, Sophie Claire, Jacqui Cooper, Helena Fairfax, Kate Field, Melinda Hammond, Marie Laval, Helen Pollard and Angela Wren.

When Lefki got in touch and asked if I might be prepared to review some of Cicada‘s children’s books I wasn’t expecting a lovely bundle to arrive so quickly. I’m delighted to be reviewing a selection today.

You can find out all about Cicada Books here and their books are available from Amazon and most book sellers.

I’d like to mention the overall quality of the books I was sent before reviewing each of them because they are presented on high quality paper with robust covers that make them a pleasure to handle. I can see them lasting a considerable time even with repeated use.

Iced Out Written by C K Smouha and Illustrated by Isabella Bunnell

The story of a walrus and a narwhal, who, with the help of a beluga, discover that being different can be cool!

Wilfred Walrus and Neville Narwhal are the only kids in Miss Blubber’s class who are not seals. Life is tough being the odd ones out – lunchtimes and football matches and school photos all present challenges to the two outliers. And they don t even like each other very much!

When Betty Beluga joins the class, everything changes. Betty is smart and independent and amazing at football. As a friendship forms, Betty helps the two boys to recognise that being different isn’t always a bad thing!

A warm, funny tale about friendship and fitting in that school-aged children are sure to identify with. Isabella Bunnell’s joyous watercolour illustrations are complemented by luxuriant packaging.

Iced Out is available for purchase here.

My Review of Iced Out

Iced Out is a heartwarming tale that illustrates perfectly that a child does not have to be like everyone else, especially through Betty Beluga who is a feisty independent female equally happy in her own company as well as with others.

Iced Out would be an excellent book to share with children who are not fitting in at school, or to use with classes of younger children to explore how attitudes towards others might affect them. It was so rewarding to have unusual creatures featured through the beluga whale, walrus and narwhal as a change from the domestic animals that so often feature in children’s books. This could be a fantastic opportunity to research then environment and more unusual animals.

I’d have liked entirely lower case letters for speech and the title if Iced Out were to be used with emergent writers to model conventions, but there is a clear distinction between narrative and speech so that the grammatical aspects could be investigated too, making Iced Out educationally useful, especially when looking at the alliterative names too.

The pictures are simply drawn in a style that appeals to younger children and they illustrate the narrative perfectly. I thought it was inspired to keep to a reduced palette so that there is unity throughout.

I definitely recommend taking a trip to Miss Blubber’s School for Arctic Mammals!

The Inner Child Written and Illustrated by Henry Blackshaw

Dear Kids, Did you know that all adults have a child inside them? They try to hide them by pretending to be busy and stressed all the time, but as you know, it’s impossible to keep children hidden. Sometimes they just have to come out and PLAY!

This is a delightful little book that will appeal to adults and children equally, explaining why adults behave in the strange ways that they do, and how important it is to preserve the place of playfulness and joy inside all of us.

The Inner Child is available for purchase here.

My Review of The Inner Child

The message behind The Inner Child is glorious and one we’d all do well to remember whatever our age. Henry Blackshaw explores how who we are as a child affects who we become as an adult and whilst the book helps children understand how adults think and feel, it reminds adults to allow their playfulness and childlike qualities to emerge too. This premise is especially well supported by the fabulous illustrations that literally show the inner child inside.

I thoroughly appreciated the range of gender and ethnicity presented as well as the fact that children are shown that adults have hopes, fears and desires just like children do.

I do prefer lower case writing in children’s books but I liked the handwritten quality of the text because I think children will be able to relate to it.

The Inner Child is a helpful and entertaining book for use with children of all ages!

A Million Dots Written and Illustrated by by Sven Völker

A stunning graphic visualisation of numbers, in which the number on each page is doubled, going from 1 to 1 million in 44 pages.

We start with a single tree; 1. As we turn the page, we are presented with a sum doubling the number on the page before it: 1+1 = 2; 2+2 = 4; 4+4 = 8. In this way, we reach a million (actually 1,048,576) within 44 pages.

Each sum is brought to life with a simple graphic illustration in the distinctive style of Sven Völker. The dots form the back of a ladybird, the bubbles in a cup of soda and the water in a swimming pool. On each page, a single neon dot illustrates what one means in the context of the sum.

Gloriously simple in its concept and execution, this is a book that will bring mathematics alive to parents as well as children and will also make a stunning gift book.

A Million Dots is available for purchase here.

My Review of A Million Dots

My goodness, what a clever book. A Million Dots is a perfect book to support both literacy and numeracy as well as create a sense of wonder. Doubling a number is the focus, but as the numbers grow the illustrations alongside them are perfectly presented to include the appropriate number of dots. I loved the way the numbers are represented visually through the images, numerically through the numbers and linguistically through the words so that A Million Dots helps make concrete what can be a very abstract concept in learning.

I actually gasped aloud with a smile at the end of the book when I found ‘one million. forty-eight thousand, five hundred and seventy six’ dots over a pull out page.

For such a simple concept, A Million Dots is beautifully and effectively presented and although this is a book for children, I think it would be a lovely gift to any adult interested in numbers too.

Don’t Hug the Pug Written by Robin Jacobs

and Illustrated by Matthew Hodson

A simple story told in comic-book form about a baby that does a lot of hugging…. with one caveat!

Baby likes to cuddle. Grown-Up lets him cuddle the rug, the jug, the bug and the slug. But DON’T HUG THE PUG!
Why not? What’s wrong with the pug….? A hilarious and deceptively simple story that will have little ones shrieking with laughter.

The combination of speech bubbles, rhymes, very short sentences and a stinky twist makes this a perfect book for both the pre-school audience and early readers.

Don’t Hug the Pug is available for purchase here.

My Review of Don’t Hug the Pug

Whatever you do, don’t hug the pug!

Don’t Hug the Pug is a perfect children’s book. The humour of the reason why we shouldn’t hug the pug will appeal to all, making this a really fun book to share with young children.

What is so good about this book is the simplicity with which language is developed and extended through the -ug rhyme scheme so that children could emulate the story with other rhymes, building their vocabulary. This gradual collection of rhyming words helps both spelling and reading highly effectively.

Smashing pastel illustrations help bring the story to life and each noun from the rhyme is repeated in the pictures so that children can match them as the book is shared, reinforcing spelling.

I think Don’t Hug the Pug is brilliant.

My enormous thanks to Isabelle Kenyon for sending me a copy of Planet in Peril: An Anthology For Our Time in return for an honest review. I knew that I would be in for something rather special with this book as I have featured Isabelle and Fly on the Wall before. You’ll find my reviews of other Fly On The Wall books here.

What is so wonderful about Planet in Peril: An Anthology For Our Time is that Isabelle is keen to get the book into as many libraries as possible and to work with schools on the issues raised. You can find out more here. I shall be donating my copy of the book to my local library later.

Out on 1st December 2019, Planet in Peril: An Anthology For Our Time is available for purchase in all formats here with a library donation scheme and currently in hardback only on Amazon. The paperback release is being delayed on Amazon because the hardback is FSC certified paper and Fly on the Wall want to ensure the project is as ethical as possible. 20% of profits will go to WWF and The Climate Coalition.

Planet in Peril: An Anthology For Our Time

When the sciences and the arts begin to work together, a powerful force is created. This anthology was founded upon the belief that words have the power to change. Through poetry, photography and art, creatives across the globe, from the age of 8 to 80, have united to express the urgency of global warming, facing the facts but never losing hope.

My Review of Planet in Peril: An Anthology For Our Time

A book of photography and verse with some factual passages that raise awareness of ecological issues.

Initially I thought the cover image of Planet in Peril was rather dark, but when I read the book and considered its message I realised it is utterly perfect. Wildlife is disappearing, becoming indistinct, if not extinct, and this shadowy cover encompasses that message absolutely. With the world reflected in its eye, this big cat is desperately hiding from the devastation we are wreaking on the planet.

Planet in Peril is a wonderful, wonderful book. Whilst its underlying principle may be sobering and stark, the way in which our desperate need to do something about climate change is presented is stunning. I found some of the factual passages saddening and would definitely say that reading Planet in Peril has given me cause to look at my lifestyle and see where I can make changes, but I finished this anthology with an overwhelming feeling of hope. We can do something.

I think this comes from the inclusion of wonderful writing from children and young adults in the section entitled Our Future. Ten year old Freya Wilson’s repetitive Don’t Forget was one of my favourite poems because her message is simple and impactful.

Aside from the important message in Planet in Peril, there is so much more to enjoy too. The quality of the poetry is gorgeous. Style, structure, vocabulary and image thrum with vitality across the anthology. I loved the lack of punctuation in poems like Anne Casey’s where once she danced, for example, as it illustrated to me the unraveling of the world’s natural resources with no means to stop it in the way the lines are never end-stopped. There’s beauty and creativity in the poems that is a joy to read. I also loved the explanations of how some of the poetry came to be written and I enjoyed the biographies at the end of the book too because they brought home to me that these are the words and feelings of real people so that I felt a genuine connection. With links to websites, Planet in Peril also affords the opportunity for the reader to find out more.

With many wonderful photographs from Emily Gellard, other artists also contribute so that Planet in Peril is a feast for the eyes too. Many images brought back memories for me such as the glacier in Antarctica or the image of a monkey trying to eat plastic in Bali’s Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest as I’ve seen both for myself.

In a sense Planet in Peril ought to be ‘worthy’ because of the message behind it, but instead it is beautiful, moving and affecting. It would make a sensational gift for any animal or nature lover. I thought it was wonderful.

About Isabelle Kenyon

Isabelle Kenyon is a poet, blogger and book reviewer. Her poems have published online for Bewildering Stories and as a Micro Chapbook for Origami Poetry Press. Isabelle has also featured in poetry anthologies such as Anti Heroin Chic, Literary Yard, the Inkyneedles anthology, Poetry Rivals, and the Great British Write Off. Isabelle has won awards and commendations from The Wirral festival of Music, Speech and Drama,the Festival of Firsts, the Langwith Scott Award for Art and Drama and the Visit Newark Poetry competition.

You can follow Isabelle on Twitter @kenyon_isabelle and visit her website. You’ll also find her on Facebook.

Although I’m supposed to be avoiding blog tours this year in order to reduce my mountainous TBR, when Tracy Fenton got in touch about W.C. Ryan’s latest book A House of Ghosts, I snapped up the opportunity to participate because I know what a fabulous writer William Ryan is. I reviewed his novel The Constant Soldier here and it was one of my books of the year in 2016. I’m thrilled to share my review of A House of Ghosts today.

A House of Ghosts is published by Zaffre and is available for purchase in all the usual places including here.

A House of Ghosts

Winter 1917. As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England, everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives.

At Blackwater Abbey, on an island off the Devon coast, Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons who were lost in the conflict. But as his guests begin to arrive, it gradually becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends on the island, the guests will find themselves trapped. Soon one of their number will die.

For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one . . .

An unrelentingly gripping mystery packed with twists and turns, A House of Ghosts is the perfect chilling read this winter.

My Review of A House of Ghosts

A weekend house party will have surprising consequences for all participants!

A House of Ghosts is a delicious read. I loved every moment of immersing myself in this wonderfully atmospheric, ghostly tale of espionage, betrayal and, quite surprisingly, romance.

What W. C Ryan has managed to do in A House of Ghosts is to write with complete authenticity for the era, especially through the direct speech, within the traditional unifying parameters of time, place and action and yet craft a narrative that is completely enthralling to a modern reader. I thought this skill was astounding. I loved the manner with which humour provides dramatic relief and the way W.C. Ryan presents the most unusual elements with an almost casual tone so that they are believable to even the most sceptical reader. Kate’s private thoughts in particular add an extra dimension that is so satisfying. The themes explored such as grief, spiritualism, patriotism, PTSD and revenge mean that there is something for every reader here. The short chapters make the book race along and each has an ending that simply refuses to allow the reader to stop. So many surprises await discovery that it’s exciting and surprising too.

The setting is just perfect for the narrative, especially when coupled with the pathetic fallacy of the weather so that much of the novel feels quite visual. I think A House of Ghosts would make the most amazing film. Blackwater Abbey’s passages and cellars, the lighthouse and the storm all create a creepiness that draws on readers’ knowledge of other traditions to intensify the mystery of the story.

In amongst the fast pace and captivating setting are vivid and compelling characters. Kate’s feistiness is so engaging and I can’t wait to read more about her and Donovan in any future books. With A House of Ghosts I truly felt as if I were watching the people first hand and observing them rather than reading about them.

I found W.C. Ryan’s A House of Ghosts thoroughly entertaining and engaging as well as elegantly written. I thought it was brilliant and cannot recommend it highly enough.

About W.C. Ryan

William Ryan is the Irish author of five novels, including the Captain Korolev series set in 1930s Moscow. They have been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Irish Fiction Award, the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, the Endeavour Historical Gold Crown and the Crime Writer Association’s Steel, Historical and New Blood Daggers. His latest novel, A House of Ghosts, set in 1917, has been described as ‘an atmospheric, hugely entertaining mystery that offers all the pleasures of a classic ghost story – with an appealing dash of romance’.

William lives in London with his wife and son and is a licensed mudlarker and keen cyclist. Not both at the same time.

You can follow William Ryan on Twitter @WilliamRyan_, find him on Facebook  and visit William’s website. All William Ryan’s books are available here.