|summary=Dora and Luka meet and become firm friends. In normal situations one might add ''and a whole lot more'' to that sentence, but Dora and Luka are in Kindergarten, which makes their intense relationship hard to define. As they grow into adults, however, it becomes obvious that there is something between them and no matter how much they, or their circumstances, try to fight this it is there and is not going to fade away. Dora’s parents move her across the continent, careers develop and flourish, out of nowhere they are enveloped by family lives, but still there is an invisible bond that draws them back to one another.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0701186941</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Andrew Webb
|title=Food Britannia
|rating=4
|genre=Cookery
|summary=I've always suspected that British food gained its dreadful reputation after the end of World War II. Rationing lasted for many years and the sort of food which you could buy in the average hotel or restaurant was pretty poor. An image like that sticks: we might have Stilton cheese, Scottish raspberries, Welsh lamb and a host of other wonderful foodstuffs but still we are thought of as the people who eat the food of a post-war boarding house. Andrew Webb is a food journalist and photographer - and he's set out to prove that there's a wealth of regional food, traditional recipes and passionate producers just waiting to be found.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847946232</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Asa Bailey
|title=The Vampire of Highgate
|rating=3.5
|genre=Teens
|summary=Kathy Bilic can barely remember the sister she was separated from when they were tiny. An ocean lies between them – she’s been adopted by an American couple and Amber is living in London. When she hears that Amber has gone missing, though, and receives a mysterious package, she flies to London to see if she can help to find her sister.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444903519</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Eamon Duffy
|title=Saints, Sacrilege and Sedition
|rating=4
|genre=History
|summary=In the introduction to this book Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity at Cambridge History, points out that all too often historians have written about the English Reformation from strongly polarised views. Taking two extreme examples, he cites one which states that the people of England, formerly happy medieval Catholics, were forced by King Henry to abandon their religion, and England was never merry again, alongside another which speaks of the English being oppressed by corrupt churchmen until King Henry gave them the Protestant nation for which they longed. On the following page, he suggests that it had long been an axiom of historical writing that the success of the Reformation in England was an inevitable consequence of the dysfunction and unpopularity of late medieval Catholicism. Such remarks were evidently made by writers with an axe to grind.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1441181172</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Jean Sprackland
|title=Strands: A Year of Discoveries on the Beach
|rating=4.5
|genre=Travel
|summary=Sprackland is a poet, and a good one. At least I assume she's a good poet – I rarely read poetry these days. Her first collection was shortlisted for the Forward Prize, her second was shortlisted for the T S Eliot Prize and the Whitbread Poetry Award and her third won the 2007 Costa Poetry Award. Unless all of the panels harbour the same judges, that's a lot of people thinking this is someone special.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0224087452</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Chris Higgins
|title=The Secrets Club: Alice in the Spotlight
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=This is a cheerful, feel-good story which nonetheless manages to capture exactly that feeling of anxiety and self-doubt that people experience when going into a new situation. Moving to secondary school in particular is a huge change (which Alice's school does not seem to have managed as efficiently as many real-life schools do these days) and it's a time when even the most confident of children must wonder, in the depths of their hearts, if they will find new friends. Alice in particular is so used to being in the shadow of her loud, cheerful, pretty sister that she spends half the book fretting about whether the other three members of the Gang of Four really like her or not. After all, half the class seemed to fall asleep when she gave a talk about the environment, and even Lissa, Tash and Dani admit she did go on a bit.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>014133522X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Gerry Wells
|title=Kicking the Hornets' Nest
|rating=4.5
|genre=Short Stories
|summary=WWII books about the RAF and the Navy are quite common. Books about Special Operations Executive and similar organisations proliferate. Stories about the army are fewer and try as I might I really couldn't think of one which was other than incidentally about tank crew, so when the opportunity came I ''had'' to read 'Kicking the Hornets' Nest' particularly as it's written by an author who crewed a Sherman tank in Operation Overlord, back in June 1944. I had just a couple of nagging doubts. It's a book of short stories. Would I find it easy to pick up - and out down again? The big worry was whether or not this was going to be a macho action story, which wouldn't really be my cup of tea at all.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780881568</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Alissa Walser and Jamie Bulloch (translator)
|title=Mesmerized
|rating=4
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=Celebrated scientist (at least in his own mind) Franz Anton Mesmer is called upon to cure the blindness of 18 year old piano virtuoso and courtier's daughter Marie Theresia Paradis. Despite the unease of her parents, Mesmer installs Marie into his 'magnetic hospital' where, alongside his other patients, she settles in to a regime of treatment, including free access to Mesmer's beloved piano. Mesmer is the Paradis' last resort and so they're happy to pay for success but they come to realise that the final cost may not be entirely financial and he realises that the result may not be beneficial to all parties.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857051008</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Louise Douglas
|title=The Secrets Between Us
|rating=5
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=Sarah and Alexander meet at a time when both are looking for a fresh start following the demise of their previous relationships. She is vulnerable, he is needy, and together they can support each other. Sarah is quickly employed as a live in housekeeper in his sprawling home, and moves south from Manchester to join Alex and his young son Jamie. Life in a small village takes some getting used to, especially given what has happened. Genevieve, Alex’s popular, pretty and wealthy wife, has disappeared. Some say of her own accord, others are sure something sinister has happened to her, but in any event she has not been heard from since she left town and the locals are suspicious of Sarah’s motives. In their eyes she is moving in on the man who rightly belongs to the town sweetheart, taking over the role of mothering Jamie, and generally weaselling her way in to become the lady of the house before Genevieve’s bed is even cold. Protestations that she is simply an employee, not a lover, fall on deaf ears, and with Genevieve’s family being the most prominent in town, it’s hard to get anyone to be on Sarah and Alexander’s side when accusations start flying.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0552777331</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Mary Hoffman
|title=City of Swords (Stravaganza)
|rating=4
|genre=Teens
|summary=Laura's unhappiness is hidden away where no-one can see it. But she does have a release. She knows cutting herself is wrong, but the relief it provides is addictive. But Laura's secretive life is upturned by the discovery that she is a Stravagante - a person who can travel through time and space. Transported to sixteenth century Fortezza, she finds herself in the middle of a bitter battle for succession to the city's dukedom. The Stravaganti are supporting Princess Lucia but Laura also meets Ludo, the pretender, and is immediately drawn to him. And at home in Barnsbury, Laura's life is changing too, now she is a part of the time-travelling community.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408800500</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Victoria Eveleigh
|title=A Stallion Called Midnight
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Jenny lived on Lundy with her father who was a farmer on the south of the island. It was an idyllic life: everyone knew and helped everyone else and it was rather like living in a big extended family. This was important to Jenny as her mother had died in a cliff fall when she was just five. Jenny had a secret though. Wild ponies roamed freely on the island and the stallion, Midnight, was considered to be the wildest of them all, but he liked and trusted Jenny and allowed her to ride on his back. Midnight has a dreadful reputation and Jenny dreaded what would happen when she had to leave the island and go away to school.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444005529</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=John Lucas
|title=Turf
|rating=4
|genre=Teens
|summary=
Fifteen-year-old Jay is a member of the Blake Street Boyz gang. He and his best friend Milk spend their time selling drugs, marking their turf and dreaming about graduating from the gang's Youngers to its Olders. And in a world where something as insignificant as the choice of a chocolate bar can mean the difference between respect and contempt, it's not surprising that Jay treads very carefully. Every choice, no matter how small, is a statement. So when he is finally given the chance of joining the Olders, he can't afford to mess it up. But the task is murder. And suddenly there are no choices left...
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0370332342</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Judy Bartkowiak
|title=Be a Happier Parent with NLP
|rating=4
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=Babies, unlike new cars, don't come with a manual. There are always plenty of people, each with their own unique advice, happy to stick an oar in on whatever parenting issues you're facing, but I have often found as a mum that I'm left confused and floundering, wondering which piece of conflicting advice is least likely to permanently damage my little ones! I've watched Supernanny. I've read about how to have a contented baby. So seeing this book, with such a nice, positive title, I had to give it a go!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>144411056X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Mark Devine
|title=Dragon of Life Book 2 Minor Gods
|rating=3.5
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=Luke and Martha have been apart for some time as Luke's been in Valparaiso where one of the hotels which he sold to a consortium of employees has been having problems. When they meet again it's in Seattle, but they're on their way to the Far East in the hope of starting a new life free from the attentions of the FBI which they so tired of in the [[Dragon of Life Book 1: Raining Truth by Mark Devine|first book]] in the series. They had perhaps hoped that life would be simpler - but this is Luke Whittaker we're talking about and 'simple' is just never going to happen.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>B008674NNO</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Caroline Lawrence
|title=The P K Pinkerton Mysteries: The Case of the Good-looking Corpse
|rating=5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=PK is a skilled tracker with a keen eye and an excellent sense of smell. But he does suffer from a few disadvantages. Firstly, his Thorn: he has trouble understanding the expressions he sees on people's faces. Secondly, his Foible: he gets what his foster-mother used to call the Mulligrubs, going into a trance and rocking back and forth when things upset him. Thirdly, his Secret, which he is at great pains to conceal from everyone. And lastly, his Eccentricity: he loves to collect things. In this, the second book in the series, he begins to collect different kinds of tobacco.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444001701</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Timothy Radcliffe
|title=Take the Plunge
|rating=4
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=There appears to be more Christian literature around than ever before at the moment. I don't know whether this is a response to Richard Dawkins' ''The God Delusion'', which has meant that Christian writers and publishers have increased their outputs, or because I'm noticing it more. Timothy Radcliffe's ''Take the Plunge'' is taking a more or less opposite view to that of Dawkins, exploring the importance of baptism in everyday life and arguing that there is no aspect of life that cannot be touched if you are baptised and therefore living with faith.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1441118489</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Cathy Farr
|title=Moon Crossing
|rating=4
|genre=Fantasy
|summary=
Wil Calloway returns to Saran in the most unwelcome of circumstances. Tally, Lady Elanor's young sister, has been abducted by the evil Lord Rexmoore in an attempt to find the whereabouts of the Legacy. Tally doesn't know it, but that won't save her. So Wil has come to rejoin his Fellmen friends and mount a rescue mission. But it's not going to be easy. Gisella and Mortimer aren't talking. Seth is as accident-prone as ever. And Leon and his father are still deeply suspicious about Wil's part in Giles's death during the last Moon Chase.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781485151</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Nikita Lalwani
|title=The Village
|rating=4.5
|genre=Literary Fiction
|summary=A BBC film crew is sent to India to make a documentary about an Indian prison with a difference. There are no walls, the prisoners hold down jobs and their families live with them as a condition of acceptance. In fact, to all intents and purposes, it seems like an ordinary village which is all the more unusual when you consider that they all share the same crime category; all the prisoners have been convicted of murder. The programme makers (20-something British-born, Indian director Ray, ruthless producer Serena and ex-convict-turned-presenter, Nathan) are expecting an eventful shoot and, in return, the inhabitants are expecting a film unit exhibiting the standards for which the BBC has become world famous. Both parties will be sorely disappointed.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0670917087</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Julia Jones and Claudia Myatt
|title=Strong Winds Trilogy: Ghosting Home
|rating=4.5
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=We first met Donny Walker in [[Strong Winds Trilogy: The Salt-Stained Book by Julia Jones and Claudia Myatt|The Salt-Stained Book]] as he and his mother Skye left their home on the outskirts of Leeds and headed off to the Suffolk coast. When his deaf-and-mute mother had a breakdown fourteen-year-old Donny was taken into care and the only good thing in his life was that he was introduced (almost accidentally) to sailing. He was a natural. The worst parts of his life were that he wasn't allowed to see his mother and no matter what he did he seemed to keep running foul of Social Services and a certain police inspector. Something was going on, but could Donny and his new friends work out what it was? And would his great Aunt, known as Golden Dragon, be able to help him when she arrived in her boat ''Strong Winds''?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1899262067</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Paul Winter
|title=Defeating Hitler: Whitehall's Top Secret Report on Why Hitler Lost the War
|rating=4
|genre=History
|summary=Just how and why did Hitler lose the Second World War? The message in [[Fatherland by Robert Harris]] is that he spent too much effort killing Jews to concentrate on anything else. Remarkably, this look at more explicit reasons for the end of the Third Reich barely mentions the Holocaust. What we have is ''Some Weaknesses in German Strategy and Organisation 1933-1945'' - a document drawn up by what would now have to be called Whitehall Mandarins, written during a year of war and a year of peace, that itemises for those with enough security clearance just what Hitler's chain of command was, and what his thinking was for each theatre of the War. It was never Top Secret, but was classified for thirty years and has spent about as long waiting for this hardback version.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1441196358</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Cherie Priest
|title=Eden Moore - Wings to the Kingdom
|rating=4.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=Dead soldiers from the American Civil War have been seen wandering around the Chickamauga National Park in Georgia, site of a notable Confederate victory in 1863. They don't speak, just point forlornly as locals turn and flee in the opposite direction. Eden Moore would rather ignore it completely, especially as show business psychics Tripp and Diana Marshall have already started investigating, complete with camera crew and full entourage. However, eventually her curiosity (and her friends' unstinting nagging) gets to her and she agrees to trespass after dark, quickly discovering that the gesticulating dead are a minor problem compared to the reason they've awoken.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857687735</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Anne Holt
|title=The Blind Goddess
|rating=3.5
|genre=Crime
|summary=Here is a rum do - a Nordic crime, and the launch episode of a currently successful series, that has sat untranslated for almost twenty years? What's more, when you start reading you may think the main character the author would choose to use as her principal heroine in future books should not be Hanne Wilhemsen, the too-good-to-be-true lipstick lesbian policewoman, but commercial lawyer Karen Borg, who is thrust into a world of criminal proceedings when a man who has clearly murdered another demands her and only her as the outlet of his truth. Is this a wise move from him - and just what is the game afoot, and who are the other main players?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857897055</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Siri Hustvedt
|title=Living, Thinking, Looking
|rating=4
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary='Living, Thinking, Looking' is a collection of essays by Siri Hustvedt which, she claims, are linked by an abiding curiosity about what it means to be human. In these essays she examines who we are and how we got that way.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444732633</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Angela Mitchell and Sarah Horne
|title=The Jelly That Wouldn't Wobble
|rating=5
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Everyone knows that jellies are supposed to wobble but what will happen when a particularly stubborn jelly refuses to do any such thing? To make matters worse, this is the jelly that has been specially prepared for Princess Lolly's 89th birthday party. As she is the sort of princess who likes to get her own way this poses a bit of a problem. So desperate is she for her jelly to wobble though, she offers a reward of a thousand and one chocolate sovereigns for anyone who can come up with a solution. Lots of suggestions are made including prodding it with a walking stick and scaring it. However, it is the youngest guest at the party who eventually comes up with an idea that works but I'll leave you to guess what it might be!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184886079X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Laura Solomon
|title=Hilary and David
|rating=3.5
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=Hilary, a single mother of two troublesome boys meets David, an elderly writer with problems of his own, through Facebook. It’s an odd beginning – they have a mutual friend, so one adds the other, and then they start chatting quite spontaneously – but sets the scene well for their atypical relationship. Hilary’s in New Zealand, David’s in London. They are many decades apart in age but are clearly both quite lonely and looking for someone to talk to. So, with the vague anonymity of social networking on their side, they reach out to one another.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>9881993296</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Lionel Shriver
|title=The New Republic
|rating=3
|genre=Literary Fiction
|summary=
Lionel Shriver adds a beard-shaped appendage to Southern Portugal in The New Republic and immediately has it fighting for independence, taking a wry look at terrorism as well as the ethics of the international press corps. After a series of international terrorism acts, the Os Soldados Ousados De Barba, or the SOB for short, have gone quiet at the same time as charismatic journalist Barrington Sadler has vanished without a trace. Insecure former lawyer Edgar Kellogg steps into Barrington's post: Kellogg on the hunt for serial killers, as it were.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007459807</amazonuk>
}}
