Changes

<metadesc>Book review siteExpert, with books full book reviews from most walks of literary life; fiction, biographynon-fiction, crime, cookery and children's books & self-published books plus author interviews and & top tens.</metadesc><h1 id="mf-title">The Bookbag</h1>Hello from The Bookbag, a site featuring books from all the many walks of literary life - [[:Category:Fiction|fiction]], [[:Category:Biography|biography]], [[:Category:Crime|crime]], [[:Category:Cookery|cookery]] and anything else that takes our fancy. At Bookbag Towers the bookbag sits at the side of the desk. It's the bag we take to the library and the bookshop. Sometimes it holds the latest releases, but at other times there'll be old favourites, books for the children, books for the home. They're sometimes our own books or books from the local library. They're often books sent to us by publishers and we promise to tell you exactly what we think about them. You might not want to read through a full review, so we'll give you a quick review which summarises what we felt about the book and tells you whether or not we think you should buy or borrow it. There are also lots of [[:Category:Interviews|author interviews]], and all sorts of [[:Category:Lists|top tens]] - all of which you can find on our [[features]] page. If you're stuck for something to read, check out the [[Book Recommendations|recommendations]] page.

Reviews by readers from all the many walks of literary life. With author interviews, features and top tens. You'll be sure to find something you'll want to read here. Dig in! Find us on [[File:facebook.gif|link=https://www.facebook.com/TheBookbagCoUk|alt=Facebook]] [https://www.facebook.com/TheBookbagCoUk '''Facebook'''], [[File:twitter.gif|link=http://twitter.com/TheBookbag|alt=Follow us on Twitter]] [http://twitter.com/TheBookbag '''Twitter'''], [[File:instagram_classic_logo.png|link=https://www.instagram.com/thebookbag.co.uk/|alt=Follow us on Instagram]] [https://www.instagram.com/thebookbag.co.uk/ '''Instagram'''] and [[File:LinkedIn.png|link=https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-bookbag-1b12a264/|alt=LinkedIn]] There are currently '''{{PAGESINCATEGORY:Reviews}}''' [[:Category:Reviews|reviews ]] at TheBookbag.

==Reviews of the The Best New Books==

'''Read [[Forthcoming Publications|reviews of books about to be published]].{{Frontpage|class-"wikitable" cellpaddingauthor="15" <!-- INSERT NEW REVIEWS BELOW HERE-->Tom Percival<!-- Hajaj -->|title=The Wrong Shoes|-rating=5| stylegenre="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Confident Readers[[image:1786073943.jpg|linksummary=http://wwwWill's life is difficult, in a multitude of ways.amazon.co.uk/dp/1786073943/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Water Thief by Claire Hajaj]]=== [[image:4star He is bullied because he has 'the wrong shoes', he has the wrong shoes because his dad can't work and doesn't have enough money for even the most basic of things like food, and his dad can't work because he lost his job at the college, was working a cash-in-hand job on a building site and had an accident.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]] Throw into that mix the fact that his mum and dad are separated, [[:Category:Literary Fiction|Literary Fiction]] Nick and Will's life seems bleak in every direction. And yet, he still has a tiny amount of hope. He is in good at art, and clings to the middle moments of wedding preparations joy when he decides to leave his fiancée behind in London and take up is drawing, that feel like a post in some un-named west African country providing engineering support for light at the building end of a children's hospitallong, dark tunnel. He has no idea what he is getting himself into. [[The Water Thief by Claire Hajaj|Full Review]]|isbn=1398527122}}{{Frontpage<!-- Peter Lovesey -->|author=Sylvie Cathrall|-title=A Letter to the Luminous Deep| stylerating="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"5|genre=Science Fiction[[image:0751570672.jpg|linksummary=http://wwwThere are few greater joys than a book which lives up to a compelling premise.amazonAnd this is one of them.co.uk/dp/0751570672/ref|isbn=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]0356522776}}{{Frontpage|isbn=0008517061| styletitle="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Death in a Lonely Place|author=Stig Abell|rating=4|genre=Crime|summary=[[Beau Death (Peter Diamond Mystery) by Peter Lovesey]]=== [[image:4Former Metropolitan Police detective, Jake Johnson, has settled into his rustic life at Little Sky.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]] Children love wrecking balls There’s perhaps a little uncertainty about the future of his life with his vet girlfriend, so the young lad wasn't going to pass Livia and her daughter Diana, as moving in together would mean a lot of compromise: does Jake give up the opportunity his off-grid and relaxing life to watch one hit a building through one of those very tempting holes move in fencing which you find around building sites. with Livia or does Livia move to Little Sky despite her reservations about whether or not this is the future she wants for herself and her daughter? The problem was that when For the dust settled a skeleton, sitting moment they’re enjoying life in an armchair the present and clad in clothes which looked to be a few hundred years old, was visible in putting the future on the loft of the half-demolished buildingback burner. }}{{Frontpage|isbn=1786482126|title=The lad's father ceased his explanations about kinetic energy and hurried Janus Stone (Dr Ruth Galloway)|author=Elly Griffiths|rating=4.5|genre=Crime|summary=Builders were demolishing an old house in Norwich - the boy away. Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond site was not so lucky. Viewing going to hold seventy-five 'luxury' apartments - when they discovered the corpse from bones of a cherry picker, an unfortunate adjustment to the controls left him eye to, er, eye socket with the corpse and the picture was caught by child beneath a press photographerdoorway. It There was too good not to go viralno skull. Was this a ritual killing or murder? Inevitably, Dr Ruth Galloway finds herself working with DCI Harry Nelson. It's difficult as Ruth knows, but Nelson doesn't, that she is pregnant with his child as a result of the one night they spent together some three months ago. Her condition will be obvious before long, not least because Ruth is prone to sudden bouts of sickness. [[Beau Death (Peter Diamond Mystery) by Peter Lovesey|Full Review]] <!-- Webber -->|-}}{{Frontpage|isbn=0008551324| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"The Devil You Know (D S Max Craigie)|author=Neil Lancaster[[image:1406369055|rating=4.jpg5|linkgenre=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1406369055/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Crime| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber]]=== [[image:4starIt's unusual for anyone from the Hardie family to approach the police. Neither side likes or has any respect for the other.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens|Teens]] Though itBut Davie Hardie is struggling in prison and he's been 5 years since Mika died, Reiko still sees prepared to tell the police where the ghost body of her sister every daya missing person is buried and who was responsible for her death. This person, forever 14. It's something that brings her comforthe promises, but also a constant reminder that she has is someone big and it will be worth the police doing what he wants. And what he wants is to be transferred to make up for being one when there should have been two. She has an open prison to shine bright enough for both serve the remainder of them. When she befriends outsider Seth, he presents her with his sentence and to get an escapeearly parole date. From her family, her friends Not much to ask, the grief and loss that continue to scar them all. Seth is instantly smitten with her. After all, who wouldnit? The new Deputy Police Constable doesn't fall for gorgeous, popular Reiko Smith-Mori? But while think so and she falls in love with 's even prepared to do the escape other thing that he represents Hardie demanded - make certain that DS Max Craigie and anyone who works with him is kept well away from her grief, itwhat's not so clear that she's falling in love with himhappening. [[Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber|Full Review]]}}<!-- Gourlay -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=0008405026| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"A Stranger in the Family (Maeve Kerrigan 11)|author=Jane Casey[[image:1788450175.jpg|linkrating=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788450175/ref5|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Crime| stylesummary="verticalIt's sixteen years since nine-align: top; textyear-align: left;"| ===[[Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay]]=== [[image:4old Rosalie Marshall disappeared from her bed one summer night.5star She was never found and the investigation ground to a halt.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]] Samkad is living high up in Now, her mother, Helena, and her father are dead in their bed. Initially, it looks like a straightforward murder/suicide but there's something about the mountainous Philippine jungle just as positioning of the nineteenth century turns to the twentieth. But Samkad has no idea about any of bodies that. He has never met anyone from outside his own small tribe makes DS Maeve Kerrigan and his thoughts are focused on becoming a manher boss DI Josh Derwent suspicious. He What looked as though it was going to be an open-and-shut case is now a complex double murder. Kerrigan is convinced that the explanation lies in Rosalie's desperate for the Elders to permit him to join the ranks of the warriors who protect his tribe from their headhunting enemies, even though he knows it will mean leaving his childhood friend Little Luki behinddisappearance: others (such as Derwent's boss, Una Burt) are less convinced. [[Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay|Full Review]]}}<!-- Rajaniemi -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=0571379877| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"The Kellerby Code|author=Jonny Sweet[[image:1473203287.jpg|linkrating=http://www3.amazon.co.uk/dp/1473203287/ref5|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Crime| stylesummary="verticalEdward Jevons is a working-align: top; textclass young man, obsessed with his upper-align: left;"|===[[Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi]]=== [[image:4starclass friends, Robert and Stanza.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Dystopian Fiction|Dystopian Fiction]] Robert's a theatre director. He's also self-obsessed, [[:Category:Science Fiction|Science Fiction]]demanding, [[:Category:Paranormal|Paranormal]] Imagine a world in which death was no longer something handsome and entitled and uses Edward to fear but something to aspire to. After discovery of the afterlife, the British Empire run errands for him. Edward has extended its reach into Summerland, the Big Smoke for the recently deceased. In 1938 the British Empire is caught up been in a race against Soviet spies and dealing love with a mole buried deep in the heart of Summerland. When Rachel White, an ambitious SIS agent, becomes suspicious about the potential rogue agent, she must decide how far she is willing to go Stanza since their university days - and he's drunkenly confided how much she is willing to risk he feels to uncover the truthRobert. Most men in Robert's position would stay away from Stanza or tell Edward that a relationship had begun between them but he's not like most men: Edward is left to stumble upon the two of them kissing in a dark passageway. [[Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi|Full Review]]}}<!-- K D Knight -->{{Frontpage|author=Jo Callaghan|-title=Leave No Trace| stylerating="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"4|genre=Crime[[image:1986586898.jpg|linksummary=http://www.amazonWhen a man is found crucified on the top of a hill in Nuneaton, DCS Kat Frank finds herself assigned to the case alongside her sidekick, the AI detective Lock.co It's their first live case together, having previously been very successful with several cold cases.uk/dp/1986586898/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Going To The Last: Short Stories About Horse Racing by K D Knight]]=== [[image:4 But when there is a second body found crucified a few days later, Kat is suddenly struggling with a potential serial killer and a very high profile case that draws a lot of unwanted attention to their AI Future Policing project.5star.jpg Will they be able to solve the case in time, or will Kat find herself taken off the case and, potentially, out of a career?|linkisbn=Category:139851120X}}{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short StoriesFrontpage|isbn=1399613073|title=Moral Injuries|author=Christie Watson|Short Stories]]rating=4.5|genre=ThrillersIn |summary=Olivia, Laura and Anjali met on the opening story first day of medical school and their friendship would keep them inseparable for a man whose wife has deserted him visits Sandown with little money, but comes away with cash in his pocket - and his wifequarter of a century. In ''A Grey Day'' an owner struggles with the problem of whether or not Olivia is ruthlessly ambitious, which is a bonus when you aim to run his horse in the Gold Cup when the ground be a cardiothoracic surgeon. Laura is against hima perfectionist and a trauma doctor. My favourite was ''The Story Anjali is the free spirit of H'', the story of Foinavongroup and she becomes a GP. H is depicted as When we first meet them they're at a kind horse who only wanted drug and alcohol-fuelled party and it's going to please peopleend in tragedy. After changing hands on various occasions he came to We don't know who suffered the yard of John Kempton. H (tragedy or Foinavon) was entered in the Grand National and considered a no-hoperconsequences. In one of Twenty-five years later there will be an eerily similar event that will impact the most dramatic runnings of the race, a pile up occured at the 23rd fencethree friends. FoinavonThis time, it's their teenage children who had been many lengths adrift, cleared the fence and galloped to the line, winning the race at odds of 100/1are involved. [[Going To The Last: Short Stories About Horse Racing by K D Knight|Full Review]] <!-- Kermani -->}}{{Frontpage|-isbn=0241636604| styletitle="widthThe Trading Game: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"A Confession|author=Gary Stevenson[[image:1785899953.jpg|linkrating=http://www4.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785899953/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] 5| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Autobiography| summary===[[The Frog Who Was Blue by Faiz Kermani]]=== [[If you were to bring up an image:4starof a city banker in your mind, you're unlikely to think of someone like Gary Stevenson.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]] ''Biriwita A hoodie and jeans replaces the pin-stripe suit and his background is the blue frog longs to be accepted at Croak CollegeEast End, the most famous where he was familiar with violence, poverty and injustice. There was no posh public school for frogs in Malawi, on his CV - but he had been to the other students all turn their backs on himLondon School of Economics. He Stevenson is just too different!'' Biriwita hails from Lake Ticklewater. Many creatures find bright - extremely bright - and he has a home there, including frogsfacility with numbers which most of us can only envy. For some reason He also realised that nobody can remember, all the Lake Ticklewater frogs are bluemost rich people expect poor people to be stupid. They think nothing of it. So It was his ability at what was, essentially, when Biriwita wins a place at Croak Collegecard game which got him an internship with Citibank. Eventually, the first Ticklewater frog to manage such this turned into permanent employment as a feat, he is filled with excitement and his only worry is how much he will miss his friends and familytrader. [[The Frog Who Was Blue by Faiz Kermani|Full Review]]}}{{Frontpage<!-- Singer -->|isbn=1035021803|-title=The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder| styleauthor="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|C L Miller[[image:1444944525.jpg|linkrating=http://www3.amazon.co.uk/dp/1444944525/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] 5| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|Crime ===[[The Survival Game by Nicky Singer]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens|Teens]], [[:Category:Dystopian Fiction|Dystopian Fiction]]  Mhairi Anne Bain is fourteen It's twenty years old and is on her way home since Freya Lockwood has been back to the Isle of ArranEnglish country village where she grew up. But Mhairi She's world has been ravaged by climate change and the mass movement back now because of people and it is one defined by bordersa request for help from her beloved aunt, checkpoints and soldiers with gunsCarole. Mhairi has made it across Africa Freya's former mentor and onto a plane to Heathrow - which Carole's close friend, Arthur Crockleford, is more than can be said for Muma dead and Papa. She's even made it out of the detention centre at circumstances seem suspicious, to say the airportleast. And during this journey Arthur was the reason why Freya had not been back to the village: Arthur, she feels, let her down badly. Even though they were in business together as antique hunters, Mhairi she has learned that you can't rely on anyone else and you can't allow anyone else to rely on you..not felt able to be near the man or pursue the profession she loved. [[The Survival Game by Nicky Singer|Full Review]]After the split, she worked in a cafe, met and married James (on the rebound from the love of her life, who was murdered) and Freya and James have now divorced.}}<!-- Mazolla -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=AllTomorrowsFutureCover| styletitle="widthAll Tomorrow's Futures: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Fictions that Disrupt|author=Benjamin Greenaway and Stephen Oram (Editors)[[image:1472234782.jpg|linkrating=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472234782/ref5|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Science Fiction| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Story Keeper by Anna Mazzola]]=== [[image:5star''Opening up new ways of thinking about the shape of things to come.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]], [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]], [[:Category:Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]] Audrey, a complex mix of flights of fancy and seriousness, wanting, needing, to be more than what everyone expects of her, escapes from the straightjacket of her home. Where every action, every thought, every yearning is controlled by her father, who only once in his life threw caution to the wind and married way beneath him for love. Now a widower and remarried, he has rigorously returned to upholding what is right, what is proper, the bastion of doing what is expected. [[The Story Keeper by Anna Mazzola|Full Review]] <!-- Jones -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1473680409.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1473680409/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Four by Andy Jones]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]] Friends are nice, and couple friends are doubly nice, giving you like minded people to spend time with. A pair of pairs, or a couple of couples. Married couple Sally and Al have known Mike for ages – Sally from university, Al through work. His new girlfriend Faye completes their foursome and though she doesn't have their shared history, she's a lot of fun – a bit younger than the rest of them, an actress and so on. [[Four by Andy Jones|Full Review]] <!-- Blake -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1409177122.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1409177122/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[An Italian Summer by Fanny Blake]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Women's Fiction|Women's Fiction]] Set against the backdrop of Rome and Naples, ten very different people meet on a small 'Taste of Italy' sightseeing trip. This is a story of family, friendships and relationships – my favourite. However, it was a departure from the usual formulaic chicklit I normally read focused on sassy independent female characters in their twenties or thirties. Here the characters are middle-aged with children in their twenties and rather than looking for love they are facing different life challenges of maintaining love, empty nest syndrome, and the loss of loved ones. Essentially it is a story of breaking out and new beginnings. [[An Italian Summer by Fanny Blake|Full Review]] <!-- J P Delaney --> |-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:178747240X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178747240X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Believe Me by J P Delaney]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]], [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]] Claire Wright wanted to be an actress, but she was penniless and living in New York. She might have had a scholarship to cover her school fees, but she still had to find the money to live in one of the most expensive cities in the world. There was a solution, although it didn't provide a regular income: she became a decoy for a firm of divorce lawyers. The job was to trap straying husbands and tape them as they propositioned her. There were rules though: she couldn't hit on them directly - they had to proposition her. There was no intention to trap the innocent. [[Believe Me by J P Delaney|Full Review]] <!-- Laura Solomon -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:9386897296.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9386897296/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Hell's Unveiling by Laura Solomon]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]], [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]], [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]] A little while ago I really enjoyed [[Marsha's Deal by Laura Solomon|Marsha's Deal]] and I was delighted by the opportunity to read the sequel, ''Hell's Unveiling''. It's probably not much of a spoiler to say that Marsha bested the devil in ''Marsha's Deal'', but the devil is not one to take defeat lying down. He's out to wage war on Planet Earth and particularly on Marsha (who's thought of as a 'goody two shoes' in Hell). Although a strong person, she's vulnerable where her foster children are concerned. Daniel is framed for a crime he didn't commit and sent to juvenile detention and refused permission to return to live with Marsha. Then, of course there are all the other children who are not only targeted, but - worst of all - subverted to the devil's evil ends. He's out to prey on their fears and weaknesses and as with many foster children, their self esteem is very fragile. This is no small-scale operation, either - the devil has set up a training complex on earth, complete with an elevator to Hell. [[Hell's Unveiling by Laura Solomon|Full Review]] <!-- Tjia -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1787198790.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1787198790/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[A Necessary Murder by M J Tjia]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime (Historical)|Crime (Historical)]] It's 1863 and a little girl has been found murdered at the family home in Stoke Newington. A few days later and a few miles across London, a man is found dead in a similar way outside the opulent townhouse of Heloise Chancey, courtesan and part-time detective. Could they be connected? And what, if anything, does either of them have to do with Heloise's maid, Amah Li Leen, and the troubling events in her past which are threatening to resurface?[[A Necessary Murder by M J Tjia|Full Review]] <!-- Fitch -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1910593508.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910593508/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Apollo by Matt Fitch, Chris Baker and Mike Collins]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:History|History]], [[:Category:Popular Science|Popular Science]] This incredible graphic novel is a love letter to the Moon landings and the passion for the subject drips off every Apollo by Matt Fitch, Chris Baker and Mike Collins. This is a story we know well and because of this the authors take a few narrative shortcuts knowing that we can fill in the blanks. These shortcuts are the only downside to the book. If you've ever read a comic book adaptation of a film you will be familiar with the slight feeling that there are scenes missing and that dialogue has been trimmed. This is a graphic novel that could easily have been three times as long and still felt too short. [[Apollo by Matt Fitch, Chris Baker and Mike Collins|Full Review]]  <!-- Setchfield -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1785657097.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785657097/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The War in the Dark by Nick Setchfield]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]], [[:Category:Science Fiction|Science Fiction]] Europe – 1963. The world is used to the constant tensions between the West and Russia, with the Cold War a seemingly never ending threat in the lives of everyday people. What they don't know however, is that the real cold war is fought on the borders of this world, far from prying eyes at the edges of the light. British Intelligence agent Christopher Winter is forced to flee London when an assassination attempt goes horribly wrong, and is forced into a tense, unwelcome alliance with the lethal Karina Lazarova. As the threats rise, Christopher finds himself caught in a quest for centuries old hidden knowledge – an occult secret that will give instant supremacy to whichever nation possesses it. Racing against the enemy, Christopher is taken from ruins in Bavaria through to the haunted Hungarian border, all in search of something unholy – born of the power of white fire and black glass. It's a world of treachery, blood and magic. A world at war in the dark. [[The War in the Dark by Nick Setchfield|Full Review]] <!-- Lewis -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1781128286.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781128286/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Run Wild by Gill Lewis]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Dyslexia Friendly|Dyslexia Friendly]], [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]] Meet Izzy and Asha. Bullied away from the local attempt at a skatepark, they find a huge waste ground in the shadow of a derelict gasometer to practise on, which they duly do, even though they have to drag Izzy's younger brother with them. The following day they all want to return, as does the brother's schoolfriend, despite – and of course because of – there being a huge wolf living in the site. Can the children survive living in the urban wilderness, alongside such obvious dangers? [[Run Wild by Gill Lewis|Full Review]] <!-- C M Taylor -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:0715653377.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0715653377/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Staying On by C M Taylor]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]] Tony Metcalfe is a Yorkshireman through and through and being honest, Yorkshire's where he'd really like to be. You suspect that Scarborough would be perfect, but he's living in a mountain village just beyond the Costa Verde and running a pub. The Viva Espagñe isn't flourishing: Tony would really like to sell it and return to the UK, what with the uncertainty of Brexit and everything, but there are a couple of problems. First off, his wife - Laney - refuses to go back to the UK. She'd have you believe that she's not well, but there's a backstory there that's not being talked about. Then there's the pub, which isn't doing well enough to sell. In fact Tony's cleaning the swimming pools of expats who have left Spain and returned home, in order to make a bit of money to try and make ends at least come in sight of each other, even if they never meet. [[Staying On by C M Taylor|Full Review]] <!-- Darnton --> |-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1847159486.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1847159486/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|''

I've heard it said that 'technology' is what happens after you're eighteen. Well, I must confess that there have been more than a few decades of technology in my lifetime. I've kept up reasonably well with what's advantageous to me but I'm left with the feeling that it's all getting away from me. Some of it is - frankly - quite frightening. Of course, I could research the possibilities and the probabilities and end up down rabbit holes without really understanding whether I'm reading someone who knows what they're talking about or the latest conspiracy theorist. I needed people I knew I could trust and who could deliver information in a way I could understand.}}{{Frontpage|author=Sunny Singh|title=Hotel Arcadia|rating=[[3.5|genre=Thrillers |summary=The Hotel Arcadia is a luxury hotel in an unnamed city that has suddenly been violently taken over by a terrorist group. Hiding from the terrorists who are rampaging through, killing everyone on site, there is Sam, a wartime photographer and Abhi, the hotel manager. As Abhi continues to try to care remotely for the residents who are still alive in the hotel, he forms a bond with Sam who refuses to be cowed by events, and keeps on venturing out of her room to try to capture what's happened through her photography. Although they only ever talk over the phone, their friendship grows as Abhi tries to help her keep safe and they both wait to see if they will be rescued before they are discovered by the terrorists.|isbn=086154742X}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1529153298|title=The List of Suspicious Things|author=Jennie Godfrey|rating=5|genre=General Fiction|summary=It's 1979 and Margaret Thatcher is Prime Minister. (A woman? I mean, honestly...) She's not what's worrying Miv's family, though. Women have been disappearing. Well, they've been murdered, but to have 'disappeared' doesn't sound quite so frightening. Miv's upset because she's overheard that her father wants to move the family 'Down South'. When you're from Yorkshire, Down South is a frightening, foreign place, best avoided. For Miv, the move would mean leaving her best friend, Sharon, and she'll do anything to prevent that. She's not worried about the dangers or that her Mum's stopped talking - to anyone.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1398524085|title=Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?|author=Nicci French|rating=5|genre=Crime|summary=Charlotte Salter was expected at her husband's fiftieth birthday party but never turned up. Her children, sons Niall, Paul and Ollie and her daughter, Etty. are all worried but - strangely - her husband, Alec, is not. Shortly afterwards, Etty and Greg, find the body of Greg's father, Duncan Ackerley, in the river. It was an easy assumption for the police to make that Duncan had murdered Charlie and then committed suicide when he couldn't stand the guilt. The Truth About Lies Salter children are not convinced but there's little else they can do but get on with their lives and wonder about what really happened.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1035906708|title=Diva|author=Daisy Goodwin|rating=4.5|genre=General Fiction|summary=We tend to think of Maria Callas as Greek, but she was born to Greek parents in Manhattan, New York, in December 1923 and only moved to Athens when she was thirteen. Her original surname was Kalogeropoulos but her father changed it to 'Callas' to make it more manageable in the States. When she was back in Athens - supposedly so that she could get appropriate training for her voice - she was raised under the Nazi occupation by Tracy Darnton]]a mother who mercilessly exploited her and made no secret of her preference for her elder sister, Jackie.}}{{Frontpage|author=Christopher Edge|title=Black Hole Cinema Club|rating=4|genre=Confident Readers|summary=Lucas and his friends are all booked in for a movie marathon at their local cinema, a place that has the nickname of 'The Black Hole'. All big movie fans, they're looking forward to lots of exciting films, and many, many snacks! However, as the movie starts, they very quickly realise that something about this new film format is very different, and they are swept up into an adventure they couldn't even imagine. But as they lurch from one film genre to the next, can they figure out what on earth is going on? Will they ever get back to the cinema, and to their real lives?|isbn=1839942738}}{{Frontpage|author=Rachel Greenlaw|title=Compass and Blade|rating=3.5|genre=Teens|summary=''I can hear the song of the sea. The call of the deep, the answering beat in my heart.''

[[image:4starRosevear, a remote and partially forgotten island, survives on luring ships into the rocks and plundering the wrecks.jpgMira, like her mother before her, is one of the seven who swim out to survey the ruins – rescuing any survivors and any treasure that lies within. But when the Council Watch lays a trap to end the wrecking, they capture the island's leader and Mira's father. Desperate to save him from death, Mira makes a bargain with a wreck survivor who is as charming as he is secretive and with only coordinates to guide her, she sets off in search of a family secret that lies buried deep in the sea. With only nine days to unearth what might save her father, as her journey takes her from the watched streets of foreign islands to the heart of the smuggler's territory, Mira must be determined to stop at nothing to save the future of her home and the ones she holds most dear.|linkisbn=Category:0008664730}}{{Frontpage|author=James Sherwood Metts|title=Planet Storyland|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers|summary= Things have been a bit sticky for the Earthlings. AI and automation have been proceeding apace, often replacing jobs they're paid to do and other tasks that took time to accomplish. Just as they were beginning to get used to all this technological change and starting to think of other, new ways to spend time, along came an awful pandemic. Life was pretty much shut down and, along with it, all the many daily social interactions on which they depend so heavily.|isbn=1736128426}}{{Frontpage|author=Matthew Tree|title=We'll Never Know|rating=4.5|genre=Literary Fiction|summary= Timothy Wyndham wants nothing more than to be different from his father, a drunk and chronic underachiever whose dreams of being exceptional at any of his artistic passions all failed miserably and who had endless crises of self confidence. So Tim applied himself to his studies, cultivated his abilities rather than his daydreams and set himself high but achievable ambitions.|isbn= B0CVFXPGP8}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens{{Frontpage|author=A G Slatter|title=The Briar Book of the Dead|rating=5|genre=Fantasy|Teens]] summary='' There's a part of me that wants to keep this just to myself for however long I can. This secret magic of my own, all mine, at last. I just want to enjoy it for a while.''

Jess is in Within a remote mountain pass, far away from the world, lies Silverton; a meeting with Dr Harrisontown under the protection of the Briar's, a family of witches who protect the school counsellortown and the wider world from the Darklands. Dr Harrison Though she has always wished for magic, Ellie Briar is hoping the first non-witch to help Jess be born into her family for generations and as such since she was young, her training as a steward revolved around letters and administration rather than spells and potions. When her grandmother suddenly dies, Ellie's cousin Audra becomes the Briar Witch, the town's leader, and Ellie takes her place beside her. As challenges come her way left, right and centre, Ellie uncovers the rare ability to terms communicate with the death dead, putting her at the heart of a maelstrom of her room-matechaos. Reeling from one family secret to another, Ellie must decide who to trust and determine what to do as the Briar witches' legacy, everything they have sacrificed to survive, Hannais under threat. But |isbn=1803364548}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1529900360|title=The Ghost Orchid|author=Jonathan Kellerman|rating=4|genre=Crime|summary=It hadn't been Lt Milo Sturgis's fault that Alex Delaware had been badly injured but hefelt responsible and even after Alex recovered, Sturgis was reluctant to ask for his help on difficult cases. His assertions that there were only open-and-shut cases which didn't need the help of a psychologist only worked for a while. Finally, it was Robin, Delaware's not having much successpartner, largely because Jess has no intention of telling him how who nudged Milo into asking for help again. She knew that the involvement was something that the man she feelsloved needed. Instead The next case did look simple, she feigns though. Two lovers were murdered in the swimming pool of a grief remote property in Bel Air. He was the heir to an Italian shoe empire and she does is married to an extremely rich man and it's not feel the Italian. But which of them was the primary target?}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1529395224|title=Letting the Cat Out of the Bag: The Secret Life of a Vet|author=Sion Rowlands|rating=3.5|genre=Animals and Wildlife|summary=Siôn Rowlands fell into veterinary science accidentally. His father was a GP and Rowlands didn't want to follow in his footsteps, particularly when he considered the strain that being on-call put on his father's life. When he was seventeen he took the opportunity of doing work experience with a family friend who was a vet and was convinced this was the job for him. Before long, he was at Liverpool University. It hadn't - as with so many students - been his dream since he was a child. If anything, he'd wanted to be a professional footballer.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=0861541774|title=A Nye of Pheasants|author=Steve Burrows|rating=4|genre=Crime|summary=DCI Domenic Jejeune's close friend and former colleague, Danny Maik, has taken a short holiday in Singapore to meet up with an old ally, Guy Trueman. Maik was involved in a street brawl - he would later maintain that he was facing a man armed with a knife - and he killed a Ghurka. Initially, he faced a charge of manslaughter but evidence came to light that suggested that he might have planned to murder the man. Now he could be facing the death penalty. Domenic Jejeune can do nothing to help as any interference from another police force could provoke a diplomatic incident and wouldn't help Danny at all.}}{{Frontpage|author=Alexander McCall Smith|title=The Perfect Passion Company|rating=4.5|genre=General Fiction|summary=The Perfect Passion Company is satisfied a dating agency in Edinburgh, run by Ness and operating as an alternative to all the online apps in providing a more personal, tailored service. Ness has asked her younger cousin Katie if she gets could come and look after the business, as Ness is planning to take a trip to Canada to get away for a while. Katie is coming out of a break up with a bad boyfriend, and so jumps at the chance to come home to Edinburgh. And so begins this new story from Alexander McCall Smith, bringing us to an Edinburgh we already love, thanks to 44 Scotland Street and the Isabel Dalhousie novels, but with some new characters who quickly begin to charm. Katie has no experience in running a business, or in match-making, but Ness has full confidence in her abilities, and there as quickly as possible's always her very helpful (and rather handsome) neighbour, William, to lend a hand…|isbn=1846976596}}{{Frontpage|isbn=0811771741|title=InstaKnits for Baby|author=Melissa Leapman|rating=4|genre=Crafts|summary=Melissa Leapman's ''InstaKnits for Baby'' gives us a collection of knits from toys to blankets. Some will be quick knits - others are of the 'long, cosy afternoons in front of the fire' variety. [[ The Truth About Lies projects are divided by Tracy Darntonthe time they'll take to complete - less than five hours, five to ten hours, ten to twenty hours and more than twenty hours. All the projects are attractive, modern and useable. I perhaps show my age when I wonder about 'social-media-worthy projects' but that's me being picky.}}{{Frontpage|Full Review]]author=Dean Koontz|title=The Bad Weather Friend|rating=4.5|genre=Paranormal|summary=Benny is having a terrifically bad day. He loses his job, he loses his fiancee, and his house gets trashed. Oh, and someone has delivered a really weird, disturbing coffin-sized object to his home, and it's possible that whoever or whatever was inside is the thing that has trashed his house! The thing is, Benny is the very last person to deserve all this bad luck. He is a nice person. A really nice person. So fortunately for Benny it turns out that the delivery to his house is a new friend, a bad weather friend called Spike, who has been sent to help him since Benny is clearly under attack from nefarious forces for being a good person. Spike is going to take care of Benny, and will certainly take care of Benny's enemies, if he, Benny, and Harper (a waitress slash Private Investigator who finds herself roped into Benny's wild adventure) can figure out who exactly they are.|isbn=1662500491}}{{Frontpage|author=Adam Stower|title=Murray and Bun|rating=4.5|genre=Confident Readers |summary=Murray is supposed to be a humble, tidy and friendly cat, one who is able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, well, whatever takes his fancy next of the two. But he's a bad magician's cat, so his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the catflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the regular back garden, but into a world of frightening adventure and whiffs. This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is expected – well, one much bigger than Murray was, to be honest, but he's turned up and he'll have to do…|isbn=0008561249}}{{Frontpage|isbn=B0C47LV1PC|title=Fragility|author=Mosby Woods|rating=4|genre=Literary Fiction|summary= Can you make a ''Yo birthing person'' joke? And if you could, is the question should you make it? Or is the question if you did, would it land? The catch is that the answer for both could well be.... no.

<!-- DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->''Fragility'' is set as the city of Portland, Oregon, cautiously begins to emerge from the restrictions imposed during the covid pandemic}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1529431735|title=The Winter Visitor|author=James Henry|rating=4|genre=Crime|}summary=It's February 1991 and Essex is bitingly cold, which made Bruce Hopkins' return all the more surprising. He'd been exiled on the Costa del Sol as a wanted drug smuggler for a decade. The return has come about because he's had a letter from his ex-wife, saying that she's ill and hasn't long to live. It's hard to feel any sympathy when Hopkins is abducted, stripped to his underwear and sent to a watery grave in the boot of a stolen Ford Sierra. Is it a warning from a Spanish gang or a problem closer to home?