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...mind body-connection as Richard helps you understand the mechanics behind the fundamental areas of your life! ...ationship dynamics how they differ with each person you meet; and explains the importance of healing practices such as yoga, meditation & therapies.

|summary=Yet another colouring book with an adult audience in mind, but one that offers more scope for DIY activity to make it more of a perso ...up, here I'm mentioning this volume because it allegedly would change your mind.

|title=Theory of Mind ...ary= Part love story, part thriller, and part psychology study, "Theory of Mind" takes in apes, romance, autism and robots, but binds them together with an

...there could be an even better way. One such method to consider outside of the CBD creams and drops is that of [https://senseicbdoil.com/cbd-spray CBD spr '''How does a CBD nasal spray differ to other CBD products?'''

...here once was. But yes, she doesn’t really have much time for the past and the people from it. ...k into Lizzie’s life. She fell out of it about the same time she fell down the stairs at work. Smash, she went. Splat. It wasn’t pretty and it resulted

|title=How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like |sort=How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like

|title=Why We Think the Things we Think: Philosophy in a Nutshell ...how ideas are formed'' was the highest science, although that sounds like the psychology that I did indeed study. Still, study it many people do – and

|title=Warduff and the Corncob Caper ...at she, and all the other farm animals, are on the menu! Can Warduff save the day?

|title=Eye Benders: The Science of Seeing and Believing ...art and a whole lot of fun in a book that adults may well enjoy as much as the children.

...om – this is an exploration of Shakespeare around the world, and considers the global and cultural reach of a man who never once left England… ...are – a man who never once left England, which has made him an icon across the globe? Travelling across four continents, six countries and 400 years, ''Wo

|title=The Music Instinct: How Music Works and Why We Can't Do without it |sort=Music Instinct: How Music Works and Why We Can't Do without it

|title=How to Win: The Argument, the Pitch, the Job, the Race |summary=Business Psychologist Dr Rob Yeung discusses ways to get ahead in the workplace in this self-help manual packed with useful tips, real-life exper

...st is a deep, dark mixture of fiction whose literary riches may well elude the reader. ...orks to be the more interesting places to turn. Opening these pages, from the pen of such an esteemed pro, came with no small sense of anticipation.

...my Heart Used to Beat'' is a journey through age, war, love, and the human mind. Haunting, moving and yet more proof of Faulks immense talent. ...anity and raises the question – is life comprised of events themselves, or the way in which an individual chooses to remember them?

...uctions also pay attention to ''small'' investors who have decided to join the art. Especially for them, inexpensive lots are exhibited with starting pric Factors that affect the value of an art piece:

|title=How to Be Happy (or at least less sad): A Creative Workbook ...gentle, non-preachy way to look at the good things in life. And, yes - it works.

...lacing old and familiar negative thoughts and messages with positive ones. The book is clear, well written and supportive, and is highly recommended. ...a CD of hypnotic suggestions which reinforce the messages and exercises in the book.

|summary=Not a prescriptive 'how to run your business' book, but an easy-to-read series of short articles an ...apter numbers (you pick from the menu) and it's not even necessary to read the book in any particular order.

...ements of the Sherlock Holmes stories and you may be surprised how well it works. ...mes? A genius eccentric whose mind works on a different plain, or perhaps the more obvious option is that he was a Warlock? Surely his ability to see wh

|summary=Brilliant state-of-the-nation novel from Sebastian Faulks. I loved it. ...ooks with the Queen. Looping all these people together is a Tube driver on the Circle Line.

|title=The Book of Disquiet ...st masterpiece. A collection of random musings of a fiercely contemplative mind rather than a novel, it is best treated as you would a book of poetry to be

...hink. Beware though - you'll have a job getting the characters out of your mind! Highly recommended. ...ly problem though. His appointment wasn't universally welcomed and some of the feminist Fellows (if that doesn't sound like a contradiction in terms) woul

|title=Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight: A Young Man's Voice From the Silence of Autism ...is daily struggles and unique perspective on the world in this sequel to ''The Reason I Jump.''

...de takes us on a whistle-stop tour of 30 ingenious inventions that changed the world. ...things work or how things are made. It seems that the minute I have found the answer to one of his questions, another has formulated inside his head to r

|title=Beneath the World, A Sea ...and fears. Ben becomes fascinated by the Duendes, but the closer he gets, the more he begins to unravel, with terrifying results...

...ing that goes beyond language, and with our favourite variety of language: the one that makes books. Why not [mailto:sue@thebookbag.co.uk tell us] about y |title=How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die

|title=Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious |summary=Hunches, gut feelings, intuition. From how a baseball player catches a ball to why incest is wrong to why people do or

...a steroid test. Troy isn't exactly Mickey's favourite person, but he knows the team won't play so well without him, so when Troy asks Mickey for help to p ...the agenda of the mysterious 'Bat Lady', leader of the Abeona Shelter and the only person besides Mickey who believes his father could still be alive...

...ount of the relationship between words and pictures in books in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries, and is recommended. From childhood, we start by looking at the pictures in books and these images often remain with us for a long time, pa

|title=The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature ..."instant classic" was ever justifiably applied, it should be applied to ''The Stuff of Thought''.

|title=Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much ...ed me up short: there was definitely something wrong here - and then I had the opportunity to listen to an audio download of ''Busy'' and I knew that it w

...ntentious issues of medical ethics in works of fiction, does the same with the matter of organ donation in this book. ..., the situation of this mother quite successfully conveys just how complex the ethics of organ donation are.

|summary=You should always look on the bright side of life. Pom and Pim do. ...day things start off well, but bad luck comes their way. Can they look on the bright side of every situation, even when they feel tripped up time and tim

|summary=The mundane order of the life of a surburban wife is turned upside down by her determination to prot ...s. Inés takes charge of the ensuing trouble in her usual capable way, with the full confidence of someone who is always in control. But in trying to prote

|title=Lost Magic: The Very Best of Brian Moses ...t a lot of people will have a definite favourite from these pages, even if the author himself cannot decide…

''Give me the pink one,'' replies Mr Penguin<br> ''No, you can not have a doughnut. I have changed my mind.''

...ection of all kinds of letters by the Amarican writer Kurt Vonnegut, whose works of fiction are often categorised as science fiction. ...mely death, these letters enable readers to understand the workings of the mind behind classics such as ''Slaughterhouse-5'' and ''Cat's Cradle''.

...the point. It's a story of a family, well-crafted, deep-rooted, and worth the read. ...te girl is raped by a black man, a hobo from the last train through town. The townsfolk are up in arms.

|title=Dead in the Water (A Kate Shugak Investigation) ...er, but like the other two books which I've read two decades have not aged the story and they're darned good reads.

|title=Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little ...Christopher Johnson is here to take you by the hand and guide you through the basics of ''writing small''.

...e actual task of writing. To help you achieve the first effect rather than the latter, here are three crucial questions to ask yourself when deciding whic '''1. What do I need the most help with?'''

|title=The Genius and the Goddess |sort=Genius and the Goddess

...running for her life, but is seven seconds enough of a head start to keep the government off her tail? ...r is not over, and as she falls into the hands of the Agents, she realises the real price of freedom.

|title=The Last of the Greenwoods |sort=Last of the Greenwoods

|title=The Currency of Paper ...lenging, but worth the effort. Alex Kovacs popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Alex Kovacs|chat to us]].

...in the Inspector Banks series is fresh and intriguing. It has a twist at the end which I didn't see coming. Recommended. ...ondon for north Yorkshire? The sixteen-year-old decodes that she could be the local heroine and sets off to investigate for herself.

|title= In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon |summary=The book that took the literary world into the courthouse – all the while intending to provide many more cases for us to read in return.

...n't tell you is that they only have children for their own entertainment – the little tykes can be hilariously funny. One fun area is when a baby starts ...m at Nosy Crow have deliberately made a sturdy book that will survive even the most troublesome of tiny hands.

...s don't believe him. This is cute book but we had a few reservations about the methods. ...this case, Little Hog has a solution. He makes a bold sign and hangs it on the tree. ''HOGS HAT HUGS!'' it reads. And that’s that.

...er, and everyone would love a book, love a book, love a book about Kipper. The 10 episode DVD is a great bonus in this 21st anniversary edition. ...e a dog like Kipper. Now we're treated to a 21-year anniversary edition of the original book, complete with a 10 episode DVD.

|title=One Hundred Names For Love: A Stroke, a Marriage, and the Language of Healing |summary=An unsentimental look how the knowledge which a wife had of the way in which her husband's brain worked helped to lagely restore his power

...vestigator and his dog solve a mystery. Narrated by the dog - and yes, it works. ...suspenseful than Agatha Christie's relatively tame works. But the pun in the book's title suggested that there might be an element of humour, so I succu

|title=How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth |summary=A How To guide for something you probably don't know How To do. As useful as it is entertaining.

...he Mexican workers who came each year for the harvest and those members of the Butler family who came Ireland - some to grow fruit and others to become li ...and love affairs which might or might not be the same thing - and loss, of how place affects us and makes us who we are, or highlights who we are not.

...ale or unoriginal. Highly recommended. Mick O'Hare was kind enough to be [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Mick O'Hare|interviewed by Bookbag]]. ...any more, then do yourself a favour and pick up the latest collection from the New Scientist's [http://www.last-word.com/ Last Word column].

...f you want to impress people with stunning handmade jewellery then this is the book for you. ...to me. I also wanted a book which I could use when I got more advanced at the jewellery-making skills. This fitted my needs perfectly.

|title=Foxy Tales - The Cunning Plan ...s and absurd adventures should be a hit. The engaging illustrations add to the book’s appeal.

|title=The Pleasure of Thinking: A Journey Through the Sideways Leaps of Ideas |sort=Pleasure of Thinking: A Journey Through the Sideways Leaps of Ideas, The

...Creative and fun activity projects for curious kids who want to understand how things work. ...ger scientist in mind, so there is a focus on the fun aspect, with many of the projects involving toys.

...ink between aroma, food, flavour and emotion with recipes to appeal to all the senses. ...the food – which gave a dish its flavour. It's the overall experience of the food. Sybil Kapoor wants me to think differently.

...the subject and is written to some extent with the informed specialist in mind. ...acets of opera in its development over the centuries, and its relevance to the modern world. While he does not intend to write a history as such, he has

...uctions. Miller is considered one of the finest science fiction writers of the 1950s, and in ''Dark Benediction'', fourteen of this author's best short st ...' and its tale of civilization's demise, there are smaller and more subtle works focusing on one or two characters. This range fits well together without se

|title=The Chippendale Factor ...ut the rogues of the antiques trade takes a little getting into but repays the effort.

...t that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. Nicole, known as Nick, and younger sister Da ...to her, climbing out of her window and running through the woods. Forever the sensible sister, Nick starts working at a local theme park, while Dara hide

...elf in world affairs and private lives in this highly recommended story of the power of love. ...reputation Pierre proposes. In doing so he alienates his grandfather and the wealthy Renaudins. Pierre and Agnes' marriage and its consequences would re

...e natural sciences, the Earth and the place of humans on the planet and in the world in general. How much popular interest can be generated by the presentation of the supercontinent cycle? Certainly enough for a magazine article, a chapter in

|title=The Pale House Devil ...o keep them going. But when a young woman called Tilda hires them to kill the 'something' that appears to be haunting a wealthy gentleman's house they fi

|title=The Boy Who Killed Demons ...miles with those behind the sofa moments of foreboding; a kind of darker [[The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend|Adrian Mole]] aged 15-and-a-ha

|title=The Khazar Codex ...ci Code'' and there is a mystery to solve, but there's far more depth in ''The Khazar Codex''.

...and riveting depth of feeling for her characters. With a touch of mystery, the paranormal, and unexpected shots of humour, and who could ask for more? ...help of Queenie Malone, caring, and gregarious, Tilda begins to pick apart the tricky and uncertain relationship she had with her sometimes cruel and dist

...t wants to be involved in the first but isn't bothered about the second. How's DI Kelly Porter going to cope? ...cond woman was stabbed to death a few hours later. Keira Bradley lived on the Beacon estate and Ormond's view seemed to be that anyone living there shoul

|title=The Naked Don't Fear the Water |sort=Naked Don't Fear the Water

|title=The Indies Enterprise ...s quietly understated fictional account of the most momentous discovery of the Americas shows his range of talent and insight.

...e for a youngster thinking about growing their own fruit, veg or flowers. The use of pots means that they can go ahead and get their wellies on in any si ...l show them how to create their own fruit, veg and flower garden no matter how small a space they have to work with.

|title=The Snow Queen ...for his life, but soon found her way to start a miraculous journey to find the truth behind his disappearance and behaviour…

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Danaan Elderhill ...to our lives with her book [[The Magic Book of Cookery by Danaan Elderhill|The Magic Book of Cookery]]. We had quite a few questions for her when she pop

|summary=A new take on the old ''there must be something in the water'' adage, welcome to Candor where subliminal messages in music help yo The children of Candor know how to behave and the children of Candor stick to those rules:

|title=The Trading Game: A Confession |summary=A warts-and-all look at the trading floor of a major bank in the last decade.

|title=Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman ...raftsman and reflects on how creative work with one's hands contributes to mind/body wholeness.

...f results from this sterling short story writer, which does not always hit the bulls-eye but certainly shows great variety. ...what might be remaining ahead – but you soon discover that not only do all the pieces here have titles that are unadorned place names, but they all concer

|title= Branding Only Works On Cattle ...yped way; it provides incisive observations about what the Internet did to the purchasing process; it champions measurable goals for well focused campaign

|title=Joe and the Race to Rescue |summary=The final book in this excellent trilogy is the best yet. and we have to shout ''HURRAH!'' when we see a horse book for bo

|title=The Boy at the Top of the Mountain |sort=Boy at the Top of the Mountain

...ng. So much of it, in fact, you cannot remember any of it, and wonder what the book was ever designed to do. ...oint of view of the experience, and created my current sense of it for me. The other two options I remember considering, I have since forgotten.

...orrific death, then it's suspense all the way till the end. It's also how the ''ellipsis'' of daily life can have drastic consequences. ...many, many questions that his immediate family struggle to answer. But as the story progresses we discover that secrets have been kept for a long time.

...in the Pyrenees taken over by a young English couple. The author lives in the Pyrenees and definitely knows what she's talking about. ...er people in Fogas who don't see what's happening in quite the same way as the mayor.

...ary=Disappointing on many levels, I did like the protagonist, and wouldn’t mind reading about him again, perhaps in a better sequel. ...staying alive. Is this actually the murderer? Why is he crawling out of the woodwork now? And can Hodges stop him from killing again?

|title=In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind ...ons on the future of neuroscience as well as an excellent insight into how the science is done. Highly recommended.

|title=The One Safe Place |sort=One Safe Place, The

...e in. 'Sand' is a masterclass in dystopian world building by an author at the peak of his powers. ...‘Wool’ trilogy under his belt and following this up was always going to be the difficult second album syndrome. Well, be prepared to be sucked quickly in

|title=The Short Giraffe |sort=Short Giraffe, The

...explores the origin story of the murderous Charlotte dolls. Creeptastic to the max and a fantastic addition to Stripes's Red Eye horror series. ''Charlotte says... don't open the door.''

|title=The Wind's Twelve Quarters and The Compass Rose |sort=Wind's Twelve Quarters and The Compass Rose

...agging along for the fun of it, and he finds himself getting shushed along the way each time he shouts out 'hello birdy!' ...with him...and then there are LOTS of birdies with him! His friends with the nets begin to get ready to try and catch one, but a rather larger bird is c

|title=The Tower |sort=Tower, The

...d when you think about what you want to do with your life, but it's one of the more interesting and fulfilling ones. Bookshops offer more than just books; ...portunity to work with people from all walks of life and to help them find the books they're looking for. There are many interesting [https://uk.jooble.or

|title=The Welsh Girl ...hemes are lightly sprinkled across an excellently told story, however, and the whole is just a charm – and highly recommended.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Nigel McClea ...hope is there for my readers? I still get a lump in my throat when I read the death of Harry.

|summary=Author Deric Longden tells of how he and his wife coped with her illness, which would now be diagnosed as ME. ...this book thinking it was about Diana, Princess of Wales, but upon reading the back cover, I decided to give it a go anyway.

|title=The Hidden ...historian and author Mary Chamberlain takes the reader to the dark days of the Channel Islands under German Occupation, and tells a hugely moving tale of

...you feel better about yourself and to 'think yourself thin'. Don't borrow the book - buy it. You will need your own copy. ...absolutely astounded by the effects of reading this book and listening to the hypnosis tracks. I had never tried anything like this before and was even a

...ind of thing you would expect to see as the basis for a novel, but that is the background against which Jonathan Gash's ''Bad Girl Magdalene'' is set. ...t and ended the night by ending her life; an event which was covered up by the nuns.

|title=Angel's Fury and the Easter Egg Giveaway ===Angel's Fury and the Easter Egg Giveaway===

|title=The Cat with a Really Big Head ...substantial enough to make you love them, but at least will remind you of the author's macabre sense of life.

...fying second book in a dystopian series. The overall arc advances well and the episodic side is nicely tied up. I'll be reading book 3! ...side. And when we say poisoned, we mean it. A bioweapons accident had left the air toxic in different ways to different people, depending on their blood g

...santly surprised. Recommended. Simon Pont popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Simon Pont|chat to us]]. ...n chronological order, with some of it going back to before he met Sarah - the girl he didn't really want, but struggles to get over.

...re troubled secret in the house. Yes, if you know Jane Eyre then you know the rest – but if you don't, for whatever reason, this is a wonderful book to ...ginal and slathers it on. Which raises things to note in this edition for the young reader.

...re quite critical of his literary output since they heard on the grapevine how well Jilly Cooper's cats live. ...e of achieving if his other half did not insist on him 'doing his bit' for the family income.

...ness leaders might - and should - engage in learning plans of their own at the workplace. ...task at work, who panicked as ''she did not know which theory to apply''. The theory of common sense, I'd have suggested.

...ld have made me replace it hurriedly on the shelf. I wasn't enthralled by the blurb, either: 'disturbing themes', '.. ...t myself in for when I picked up this book, which I had agreed to read for The Bookbag.

...imon likes boys. But Simon also likes girls. Well, a girl anyway. Hold on, how did that happen? ...is own boss, with his own ideas. Like the one where he always thought that the song should have been ''When A Man Loves Another Man'' although I'm not sur

|title=The Truth About Lies ...a girl with a stupendous memory on the run from an abusive researcher. But how far can memory really be trusted? Super, tense, read.

...ets you answer the question in the title...though you might not approve of the result. William popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us about [[William Po ...two tasks to the first two because they let you show what you can do, and how you would approach a task, rather than just making you prattle off a prepar

...no matter how bad my luck is supposed to become if I don't. But I wonder how many of us would react if a spam E-Mail actually was a matter of life and d ...ned on eleven occasions and each time proof of the murder has been sent to the police soon after. But when Laura Sharpe goes missing and an E-Mail follow

...(at both the will and eating Shakespeare out of house and home) William's mind meanders, regaling Francis with stories and opinions from a life well-lived ...e, but presents us with a fictionalised history that is accessible to even the adults for whom Shakespeare is synonymous with past scholarly boredom and w

|title=How To Write Really Badly ...n't without challenge. It's the twin story of the new kid on the block and the kid with an undiscovered disability. There's nothing of which to disapprove

|title=I Can See in the Dark |summary=It's all in the complex and convincing lead character here, as the events of his confession don't amount to a full hill of beans – more like

...the lives off-page that many of our most famous authors leaked into their works. ...re he found his metier – and fame with TV adaptations– with comedies about the social and sexual lives of academe) he's teaching about and around writing.

...ith the title words, ''I love you Father Christmas'' and works through why the gentleman in question rocks: ...life with a mummy and daddy who love him and do fun things with him. But, the plea remains: can he have some presents, pretty please?

...viet Russia where he escaped by killing over 40 men. Does that sound like the type of man you want to hire as a Private Investigator? Check out his bloo ...collaborations and you may be glad to know that it is almost as insane as the movie.

|title=Letters to Lovecraft : Eighteen Whispers to the Darkness ...few flaws in this collection, but the snappy approach of many authors and the rampant variety make this a worthwhile purchase.

|title=The Sex Diaries |sort=Sex Diaries, The

|title=Books that Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History ...ey's departure, makes life even easier, given ''that'' subtitle. I'm sure the more bibliophilic are already sold, and there is little influence I can bea

|title=The Real-Town Murders ...st people have plugged into The Shrine, Alma has decided to solve crime in the Real World. Join her in this science fiction/crime mash-up that has some g

|summary=A gentle, soothing book for bedtime. It will help to remove the frustrations that parents often feel when they have a baby who can't get to ...tle wavelets falling onto a sandy beach and you have the sound perfectly. The mermaids join in - ''la lou, la lay...'' And for a moment it seems to have

|title= Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain ...on dyslexia. It suffers, however, from the author at times talking down to the reader, and from far too many references to Socrates

...it really drives the story forward. Agatha is ambushed by a strange man at the train station; she is given a proposition that confuses her and secretly in ...s a powerful hold on her; he knows exactly who she is, where she lives and how to hurt those she loves. He is an imposing figure, an authoritative man who

|title=The Iron Man ...th new, stylised illustrations. You may or may not like the pictures, but the story is, as it always was, superb.

...woman in the advert is talking to him. Excellent plotting and a twist in the tale which I ''really'' didn't see coming. ...er menu, but it wasn't the message which caught Bobby's attention. It was the woman. She seemed to be looking directly at him and he could have sworn th

...ing social networking and adoption, taking too narrow a viewpoint, despite the important points being made. There's plenty of useful information here, but ...ok contact from birth parents, which have had massive knock-on effects for the adopted children.

...But ... has he been promoted beyond his capabilities? There are those in the bank who think so, particularly when things start to go badly wrong. He wa ...very close to home, that it must be someone within the bank. Then there's the tragic story of what's been happening in Yemen and it's one which reaches b

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Wes Stuart |summary=Luke enjoyed the combination of compellingly-written science fiction which blends themes of

|title= How to Get a Celeb's Body: Discover the Secrets of the Stars with Your Own Personal Trainer ...nd sport work. We did not need Elise Lindsay to tell us that, which is why the book leaves a bad impression.

...e selections from the Royal town's press itself make a great eye-opener to the complaints and complainants of Kent. ...ow to hang the Union Flag correctly. And a bus shelter was installed near the War Memorial – who knew such a thing would have been a priority in 1943?

|title=Black Lung Captain: Tales of the Ketty Jay ...ollick through this world of aircraft-borne pirates and their duplicity in the sight of treasure.

|summary=Good for toddlers who are a little nervous about the approaching birth of a new sibling! Hegley the pony is excited. His mummy is having a baby! His friends, however, don't

...heir kin from trolls. Little trolling will be done in this book's regard, mind, for it's great daft fun. ...bit 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.

|title=The End of Growth ...the current world economic model is. It's a bit too cheery, but you'll get the message.

...to stop them from starving? Well, no, not where her mother is concerned – the very idea of a female shooting things, when they could be preparing for a l ...table. But it just ain't gonna happen. Until finally she takes the bull by the horns, and starts to show her true worth, to her world, to her disintereste

|title=The Dying Minutes ...elated, they both set off a stream of events that might ultimately lead to the mystery being solved.

...etter for her husband asking him to remarry after her death and giving him the names of three women. ...ought would make a good wife for him. Winter Adams was the chef who owned the café on blossom Street, Leanne Lancaster had been Hannah's nurse, but who

|title=1Q84: The Complete Trilogy |summary=The slow pace of Murakami's beautiful and delicate mixture of love story and al

...ions are exchanged, ideas discussed, and recommendations found. But though the growth of book review sites is promising for readers, a saturated market al ...tips that might help. As an avid reader of book reviews, I’ve noticed that the ones that stay with me usually follow these three guidelines.

...rformance piece to try to sort out, and just the day to day traumas of all the challenges her body continues to throw at her to navigate. So even though ...and sarcastic. She thinks a lot of herself, and is very selfish, but she works really, really hard, and I just wanted things to turn out okay for her.

...been published for our favourite dishes, tries them out and comes up with the best. An absolute gem. ...ome. There's a reason for that: roast chicken followed by apple crumble ''works'' and providing that you don't have a vegetarian or a vegan at table, it's

|summary=A somewhat wasted opportunity to provide a real insight into the actress who really did become a Princess. ...race of Monaco. It is an analysis of her film career: a consideration of the "Hollywood years".

...he author’s lived experience & recognising that we are all different: what works for one won’t work for all. ...ting them randomly, so there is a predisposition towards expecting to like the book, even if it doesn't always turn out that way'' ] – but also because

...hnologies in human history. It comes with so many benefits, from improving the efficiency of simple, basic tasks to helping to solve advanced problems by ...o understand what AI is so you get a better grasp on how modern technology works.

|title=The Sea Sisters |sort=Sea Sisters, The

|title=C.S. Lewis: The Boy Who Chronicled Narnia ...interested in a quick look at the man who created Narnia it might be just the thing, but it omits large areas of Lewis' interest and applies modern thera

|title=The Quest for the Time Bird |sort=Quest for the Time Bird

|title=Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece |summary= The multi-talented Stephen Fry turns his hand to retelling the Greek Myths. Enchanting stories told with considerable skill, this is a col

|title=The Day the Screens Went Blank |sort=Day the Screens Went Blank

...ed about Shari Low's last book, [[The Motherhood Walk of Fame by Shari Low|The Motherhood Walk of Fame]], but if it's possible, I loved this new one even ...not too far from each other, Roxy in hip and happening London and Ginny in the boring 'burbs with both their mums, back where they grew up.

|title=The Little Book of Prison |summary=A survival guide to prison - a bit on the brief side but entertaining and easy to read.

|title= Hitler's Private Library: The Books That Shaped His Life ...of books, now mostly in two major libraries in the United States, showing how they reflected his interests and reinforced his prejudices.

...er offering her a place at the university of her dreams... but has no idea how her father will survive without her there to look after him. ...stake. Unfortunately, the neighbours are on a farm some distance away, and the two families have been feuding for many years.

|summary=A well-written and very readable crime thriller which works well as a standalone depite being part of a series. Recommended. ...rations for the exhibition, to be presented in the large wine cellar under the old schoolhouse. Not everyone is sure that it's suitable though...

...orough account based on his wide experience of statistics and education of the current plight of our schools. His experience as a classroom teacher and le ...t have asked, ''Cui bono'', to whose benefit? Professor Mortimore outlines the positive alternatives suggested by international comparisons especially wit

|title=The Great Big Book of Families |sort=Great Big Book of Families, The

...exploration needed by each of the friends to understand their own place in the world. Full of wise nuggets; an absorbing read which will please lovers of ...on, sure-footed, delicate and subtly questioning how we see ourselves and how we connect with others.

|summary=''Pattern'' stands head-and-shoulders above the present fantasy scene, and is well worth picking up if you've already read ...reasingly nightmarish situations. Now, in K.J. Parker's latest offering in the Scavenger trilogy, ''Pattern'', he's being offered a new start in a childho

|title=Unleashed 2: Mind Over Matter |summary=Some of Ms Sparkes's typically great writing, but the place this has in a huge ten-book undertaking means this is definitely not

|title=Splinter the Silence ...omen to suicide. A rational plot, but one that somehow doesn’t live up to the premis’s potential. Neither dark nor deep enough.

...the genocide in Rwanda. As thought-provoking as it is horrifying, it shows the strength of individuals when faced with suffering. ...man who has fled from the genocide and civil war in Burundi (just south of the equator in East Central Africa, bordering Rwanda). He escapes to New York,

|summary=A unique examination on how the intuitive creations of novelists, painters and poets have anticipated intri ...termed the ''Two Cultures''. He wishes to accord respect to the truths and the intuitive discoveries, especially of modernist writers and painters.

|summary=More of the same for boys who prefer footie to reading. The series isn't losing focus or strength and this is one time when rinse and r ''James has a difficult choice to make - will he remain onside or kick the ball into touch for good?''

|title=The Accidental Prime Minister ...ntertaining aspects which sadly falls short of the considerable promise of the superb title and original idea.

...lp Little Bunny have a proper wash in this lovely board book that asks you the reader to help out at every stage. ...so will prevent them touching anything wet. A book that teaches a toddler how bathtime is meant to be may just help your nightly routine, but also greatl

...And Jewel feels very alone. Simultaneously sad and lovely, this is one of the best middle grade books we have read in a long time. '''Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2016: Younger Fiction'''

...ving on the streets, Ethan remembers nothing about his life at home before the abduction. ...the abduction, has no clue what’s going on, not yet having been told about the missing older brother she’d never met. As personalities collide it’s cl

...amusing variant on the vampire novel, but one too far removed for fans of the genre to fall in love with. ...things – hiding in plain sight, as the older ones can bear sunlight, with the help of darkened glasses. It might just come down to one eager young man t

...e else dies? This is a fun book, well-written, although the plot stretches the imagination too far at times. ...'t have an alibi. Can Maxwell and his partner, DS Jacquie Carpenter, solve the mystery before more people die? And will Henry Hall let him investigate in

|title=The Fortunes of Grace Hammer ...e of London. The reader is taken on a journey of love and revenge through the eyes of enigmatic Grace Hammer, one of its residents.

|title=The Sunlight on the Garden: A Family in Love, War and Madness |sort=Sunlight on the Garden

|title=The Moon Spun Round: W. B. Yeats for Children ...never thought of as being responsible for such a volume. And therein lies the problem.

...brought up on a poor council estate in NW London try to make their way in the world - can they overcome their backgrounds or will is always drag them bac ...control of their destiny and ability to rise out of their upbringing, and how chance encounters can bring you back to your past with a bump.

...one of her daughter has dropped out and is now begging on a street corner. The book is well-written and is recommended by Bookbag. ...it interesting and original in style... but didn't feel very involved with the characters.

|summary=If you pull a city of Ancient Romans through to the 21st century, there's going to be trouble, but if you get Daniel Godfrey to ...opportunity to turn down. Anyway, that's what he tells himself to combat the repercussions of saying no.

...nt of suspense and more red herrings than have any right to be swimming in the Thames. ...Lacey had fought hard against whatever traumas lie in her past to get into the police force, and harder still to get into plain clothes. A couple of year

|title=The First Wife ...erly delighted that my initial eagerness to read this one was sustained to the very last page.

|title=The Perfect Stranger ...early years with his family, to Butlins, the Korean war and his world with the love of his life. I couldn't put it down.

...er's, and 300 Conversations Along the TransAmerica Bike Trail that Capture the Soul of America ...er's, and 300 Conversations Along the TransAmerica Bike Trail that Capture the Soul of America

|title=How to Speak Spook (and Stay Alive) ...ts and wrap-around shades take you away to experiment on you. (And if it's the wall thing, girls will assume you're spying on them when they get changed f

...d of the bond between a dog and a human which will leave you unable to put the book down. Highly recommended. ...sland off the coast of Maine where she took a job as an animal warden. On the basis that you don't have to say that you're a widow until you're ready, sh

|title=Across the Pond |summary=A look at life on both sides of the pond, this pits Brits against Yanks with interesting results.

|title=The Story of Britain ...1066 onwards which will enchant younger readers but also offer older ones the chance to refresh their memories.

|title=The Blue Notebook |summary=The fictional diary of 15-year-old Butuk, sold by her family in rural India int

...he pleasure of reading one of the great police procedural series around at the moment? ...ransacked and every indication was that it had been done by someone (or on the order of someone) who knew her. Normally Commander Welland would have been

...endless. Every time I open one of his novels, I wonder when he will find the limits of his inventiveness and it's never that time. ''Artemis'' is no ex ...ounds quite simple put like this, but Palmer's strength has always been in the detail with which he fleshes out a relatively simple idea and he's certainl

|summary= Fun at the beach until the weather intervenes. A typical British summer, then! ...ime at the beach for Kipper and Tiger in this magical book about living in the moment because it might be over before you know it.

|title=The End of the Day |sort=End of the Day

'''Longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013''' ...of the hope that his mother will return. But even if she does return, just how much longer can he keep their dysfunctional family together?

...written some of his characters, stating that: '...he has not in his nonage the satisfaction of knowing that his guesses at life are true.' Despite the initial negative reaction to the story, it was eventually published in serial form in a socialist magazine a

|title=The Watch ...ound them in Afghanistan, showing us what happens before the results reach the news.

|title=Look Me In The Eye ...h, yes - and he built those legendary fire-breathing guitars for KISS too. The book is highly recommended.

|title=MetaWars: The Fight for the Future |summary=Forgive the slightly derivative elements to this adventure, and let the action and energy sink in - it provides a powerfully creative ride.

...slow opening, but I wouldn't be surprised if you felt a little cheated by the ending. ..., they must now plunge back in to thwart an attempt at world domination by the corrupt House of Spirits.

...he socially awkward, alienated John Coetzee of the book really the same as the author, only he will know. ...of this compilation is the change in style and focus of the third book in the series.

|title=The Lost Child ...girl. We may smile at her child-like misunderstandings but we pick up on the well-observed, underlying problems that she misses. It may be a bit of a s

...ter some rather traumatic events in their lives. As if that isn't enough - the barge has to go to Holland. Recommended as a good holiday read. ...d was rather surprised when Jo wasn't understanding when he explained that the new woman looked just like Jo did when she was younger.

|title=Slinging the Bling (Diary of a Chav) |summary=The diary of 16 year old Shiraz, this is a dubiously worded book with a surpris

|title=Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century ...brary or bookshop), the influences which have brought it to that state and the outlook. This might sound rather dry but, trust me, it's not. It wasn't a

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To David Windle ...indle]] Jill wants a potato superhero. There was a lot to talk about when the author popped into Bookbag Towers.

|title=The Doomsday Machine: Another Astounding Adventure of Horatio Lyle ...ting and rollicking little adventure. Not the clearest of introductions to the series imaginable, but recommended for at least a look.

|title=The Last Life of Lori Mills ...inds her constructed reality hit by a malevolent spirit from the depths of the servers. Crafted? You will find it so. "Mine!" you'll declare, too, as t

|title=Madame Bovary of the Suburbs |summary=A perfect evocation of domestic monotony – with all the good and the bad that reading about such things can entail.

|title=The Dark-Blue Winter Overcoat and other stories from the North |sort=Dark-Blue Winter Overcoat and other stories from the North

|title=To Kill For (The Killing Machine) ...ritish-Para Joe is back after ''To Die For'' with revenge more than on his mind. A gritty London gangland story that's a bit formulaic in places but packe

|title=The Goddess and the Thief |sort=Goddess and the Thief

|title=The Tar Man |summary=The second volume in a trilogy, this is a glorious and sumptuous mix of histori

...y his own admission, but enough to generate a deeper understanding of both the man and his work. ...project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind.'' ''In these pages, I've tried to do this.''

|title=The Interrogative Mood ...be a novel, but without any preconditions. How far he succeeds is down to the individual reader. But I thought I'd give it a go.

|title= You Can Be Thin: The Ultimate Programme to End Dieting... Forever ...instead making you think differently about food and yourself. And yes, it works.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Stephen Mark Norman ...ed that there was more to the book than met the eye and we couldn't refuse the opportunity to ask him a few questions.

|summary= A warm story, written in the first- person, about secrets, a special shell and a special young girl. An |publisher=The O'Brien Press

...obsession - can she escape, can she survive? One may not necessarily imply the other. ...ved not only taking on his killer, the gangster Roy Kemp - but doing it on the Krays' manor. Somehow, she got away with it and life is settling down.

|title= Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality ...dge, while presenting intimate and insightful portraits of people who made the science. Highly recommended.

...conversation with her parents since she went to a coffee shop or walked on the beach. Sent down when she was still a teenager, she’s been incarcerated f ...cause Toni wasn't the one who murdered Nicole. She's done the time but not the crime, and while she wants to keep her head down and do anything to stay ou

...Mongolia, North and South Korea. Expect to be kept in the dark as much as the characters are with regard to plot development. ...rea, so he undoubtedly knows his subject. His previous books have featured the North Korean Inspector O, and while he gets another outing here, this time

...ollows them through their lives to find out what keeps them going, despite the pressures that modern Chinese politics are causing. ...iticised for their bourgeois past and forced to work in different parts of the country?

|title=Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure ...concerning a prized stolen statue, child slavery, and murder – but who is the culprit behind it all?

...g up in 1920s and 30s Austria. A charming story with more lurking beneath the surface for those who like to delve. ...Austria and Germany of the 1920s makes way for the Austria and Germany of the 1930s.

...ng a killing. Join him in a wonderful pulp fiction adventure that has all the guns, gals and gambling that an assassin could wish for. ...stay a little longer. Is it the blackmail, the attractive young women, or the sense of revenge?

...akes you right through to the nineteen-nineties and will have you glued to the page. It's highly recommended here at Bookbag Towers. ...des to stay on in Ireland rather than return to her home in San Francisco. The story is not just about what Jo discovers of her family history, but what s

...on turns abusive and Ogadinma must finally find a way to free herself from the patriarchal bonds to whom society has shackled her. |publisher= The Indigo Press

...ks little is happening before dropping the clutch and accelerating towards the finish. ...and [[No Escape by N J Cooper]]. This, allied with Jennifer Hillier using the same title as my favourite Radiohead song, put me in an anticipatory mood f

|summary=It's deliberately intended to start a discussion about the press - and is a brilliant antidote to over-indulgence in Leveson. You ''r ...headlines when other less important news had? I needed to know more about the press. I particularly needed to know if increased regulation - which seems

|title=Sea Monsters: The Lore and Legacy of Olaus Magnus's Marine Map ...creator, Olaus Magnus, followed it up years later with a commentary of all the sea creatures he drew on it, but Magnus has waited centuries for this delic

|title=The Listener |sort=Listener, The

|title=The Garnett Girls ...which gripped me from the first page. It's an exhilarating exploration of the meaning of 'home' and 'family'. Highly recommended.

|summary= A wonderful, comforting book that takes the convoluted lives of many members of a family and combines them to beautiful ...s life can be, there are some ties that will always bind you. In this case the tie is called Bart, and whatever else is happening, if he returns then ever

...be developing a will of their own. It's an unusual approach but one that works well and is strangely enjoyable. Definitely recommended. ...as charmed, admiring of the way in which it was done and rather sorry when the book ended.

|title=The Princess and the Christmas Rescue |sort=Princess and the Christmas Rescue

|title=Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights ...A blockbuster of an academic text that is sure to become the authority on the subject.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Antony Wootten Again ...he Grubby Feather Gang]] Sue couldn't get the characters out of her mind. The book had given her a lot to think about and she had quite a few questions f

...aining book which while not pulling any punches, still manages to generate the feeling that there is a way forward. ...e’s writing has two attributes which I can almost guarantee will keep even the non-scientific reading.

|title=The Green Road ...erlinked short stories, but because the author is Anne Enright, that makes the book something rather special. Highly recommended.

...y=Gorgeous flavoursome food, but it's for the experienced cook rather than the novice. ...es has a classical background (working in a Michelin starred restaurant by the time he was seventeen and time in France to hone his skills) but his busine

|title=Give Me The Child |summary= A five star thriller, this will keep you on the edge of your toes trying to work out who is good, who is bad, and who is ou

|summary=The third of Belinda Bauer's excellent Exmoor-set crime books. Can be read as a ...initially more concerned with how his new hair transplant is taking until the crimes escalate to a full scale serial abduction case.

...eal to everyone – a very specific sense of humour is required – along with the ability to accept you won’t necessarily understand a fair chunk of what y ...u discover 300 pages later the setting’s sole purpose might just be to get the Leith police joke to work.

...vel resists any neat summing up: it's more than a medical drama, more than the story of twin brothers, and very highly recommended indeed. ...hijackings and even war. Yet within the walls of Missing every day brings the normal complications in life – rickets, fistula, starvation, love.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To C G Metts |summary=Rebecca thought that there was a a fun ''Sex and the City'' or ''Ya-Ya Sisterhood'' vibe to [[Waltzing in Vienna by C G Metts|Wa

|title= The Spire ...y telling that will have you devouring the pages to find out how the story works out. With two crimes to solve and a love story to boot, this is an engaging

...essed life, this book delves deeper to try to discover the triggers behind the author's disturbing obsession with what passes her lips. ...n a thriving industry. '' Eating Myself'' is a book which jumps right into the middle of these topics with a look at one particular writer's own bizarre r

|title=The Messenger Bird ...But the hours are ticking by, there are people determined to stop him, and the clues he encounters lead to mysteries kept hidden since World War Two.

|summary= Emotional, gripping and honest, ''The Original Ginny Moon'' is one of a kind. ...turn frustrated, infuriated, and perplexed. As Gloria returns to her life, the reader follows Ginny on a journey filled with danger and discovery, in her

|summary=Stunning third entry into what is arguably the best current ongoing teen series. Beautifully written with world-building t ...mming up how terrible things are is to note that Mrs Lincoln may be one of the good guys now…

|title=What the Nanny Saw ...to bust as the credit crunch hits and the family are directly effected by the fall of Lehman Brothers. An easy, fun read, with plenty of seriousness thr

|title=The Thief ...combination of thrill and a demonstration of the tricks of the trade, it's the closest many of us will get to this covert profession this side of legality

...lso lead to a fair amount of hand-wringing and second-guessing. After all, how can you convey what a revelation it was without stooping to inarticulate gu Still, the pressure of doing justice to a great read pales before the anxiety that runs up your spine when you have to review a flawed one. Wheth

|title=The Witchfinder's Sister ...cinating view of 17th-century life, superstition and fear of that knock on the door. Well researched, well written, well recommended!

|title= Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare ...of-the-nation report into the fluxility that makes it so remarkably rich. The book is a success, and brightens up what could have been a dry, academic to

...n a series of flashbacks, but it pays dividends. The writing is superb and the plot is a real page-turner. ...he sees something which she finds so upsetting that she immediately boards the train back to Kings Cross. Within hours she is hit by a car in London traff

...haracter you either identify with or love to hate and no depth whatsoever. The best in completely pretension-less entertainment. Sophie Kinsella is undoubtedly one of the queens of chick-lit, and deservedly so. Her Shopaholic cycle is extremely p

...rce of constant fascination to anyone interested in French literature, and the birth of alternative youth culture. Duffy's dramatic fictional biography ex ...teenth century and won. So Duffy's fictional account, based closely around the actual facts of Rimbaud's life, was bound to be an exciting and furious, an

|title=The C-Word ...tephen Fry|Stephen Fry]], among others) and a book offer followed. This is the result.

|title= Handel: The Man and His Music ...Germany though he spent most of his life in England, best remembered for 'The Messiah'.

|title=The Undomestic Goddess ...an easy, light-hearted read then you could do worse than to borrow it from the library.

...elies on big print and glossy photos to fill space and the chapters follow the television series rather than any logical arrangement. Borrow if you must, ...ctions that I was not to make any noise or let anyone see me. My memory of the day is of acute boredom.

|title=The White Shadow |sort=White Shadow, The

...erous actions, is haunting, poignant, and, at times, chilling. The tale of how four teenagers quickly cope with a series of frightening events in a very a Then something dreadful happened. Five weeks later, Daniel was dead, and the gang of friends who had been adjusting to life as heroes were responsible.

|title=Little House In The Big Woods |summary=Little House In The Big Woods is the first in the famous series of pioneer books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. They are de

|title=The Perfect Mother ...lling and unusual in its theme this book will keep you gripped right up to the end.

...I wouldn't be surprised to see in a future book. Cautiously recommended - the heist is not Rankin's natural home. ...only when Mike involves Chib Calloway, his contemporary at school and now the local crime boss, that he realises this isn't going to be quite as straight

|website=http://www.holsmale.wix.com/the-write-girl2 ...mmer, her enemies are still out there in force. And, sad to say, sometimes the worst one of all is Harriet herself.

...ble science-fiction novel that examines the issues of time and identity in the far future. It is the 879th Millennium, in a time when humans have spread out across the galaxy; learned to cheat time, in a way, in order to live for many millenni

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Katy Birchall |summary=Jim enjoyed [[The It Girl by Katy Birchall|The It Girl]] and he had quite a few questions for author [[:Category:Katy Birc

|title=In The Rooms ...ith Shone's ability to make me laugh out loud and at the very beginning of the novel too. A very good sign of delights to come, I thought.

|title=The Time Traveller's Almanac |sort=Time Traveller's Almanac, The

|title=The Shining Girls |sort=Shining Girls, The

...dyslexia you might turn here for insight into that condition in vain, but the author's formative years are presented with humour and much anecdotal colou ...ed existence post-war leads to Mr Strange needing a few nudges to get into the academic world, at which he ultimately excels – even with a strong case o

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Mark Lingane, Again ...here is neither rhyme nor riesling to the readers, you can’t pick them. In the end there is only one reader. And that is me. First and foremost, I have to

|title= The True Deceiver ...th, honour, friendship and self-interest blur in an intriguing tale set in the northern wastes as only Jansson can depict them. Wide open spaces focus liv

|title=The Argentine Kidnapping ...he rent and his wife has had enough of him. But life takes a real turn for the worse when he is accused of planning to hold-up a big money poker game and

...ister from a career singing for, and otherwise servicing, the gangsters at the titular theme park in this thriller-styled entertainment. ...n the course he is, his dreams of the bribes he can pocket when working in the Ministry for Construction, his wishes he'd get back with his ex and his sco

|title=Elementary: The Ghost Line ...ular US series is surprisingly well written and may surprise a few fans of the classic adventures.

|title=The Design of Future Things ...any educated readers with some interest in design, how things do work and how they should.

..., to make a book that kind of bludgeons you with the differences it has to the norm. ...e or anything or anywhen might be? And what might any slight imbalance in the universes mean?

...danger and intrigue make this a memorable, evocative read that will sweep the reader away to exotic climes. ...t. Born of love, in a time of danger and desperation, the fragment will be the catalyst that changes Kate's life forever.

...got here. However, I’d caution against reading this as an introduction to the character, Child is much stronger in long form narrative where he can play ...short stories about my favourite latter-day, American-style, Robin Hood by the name of ''Jack Reacher''.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Antony Wootten ...Can't be Friends with Dragons by Antony Wootten]] was the perfect book for the child who struggles with childhood and can't seem to do anything right. It

...plot solid enough to keep you reading, but the writing doesn't live up to the hype. ...ong) strives truly hard to be worthy of the Dear Leader. She has learned the hard way, what happens if someone somewhere for some obscure reason decides

|title=The Storied Life of A J Fikry |sort=Storied Life of A J Fikry, The

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Sadie S Forsythe |summary=Jill enjoyed [[The Weeping Empress by Sadie S Forsythe|The Weeping Empress]] finding it enjoyably direct with a satisfying plot. It w

|title=The Children of Húrin ...y revisits. That it is also beautifully illustrated is splendid bonus. Buy the book - one reading will not be enough.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag talks to Savita Kalhan ...iller with a really important message about 'stranger danger'. We leapt at the opportunity to interview her.

...pletely successfully opens out to be a history story of World War Two, and works on all fronts. (Much like its subject.) ...two references. But that lifetime, as packed and varied as it was, is in the pages of this ever-interesting and swiftly-devoured book.

|title=The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time ...inning as a whodunnit, Curious Incident transforms into a powerful work on the family and on fitting in. Bookbag thinks it's a tour de force.

'''Longlisted for the [[Orange Prize for Fiction 2012]]''' ...paper-cum-envelope things we used to use to write to foreign pen-pals when the notion of befriending a person you'd never met in a foreign country still s

|title=The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want ...ld our response change if the birdsong woke us from an exhausted sleep but the aircraft was taking off to jet us on a long awaited holiday?

|title=The Trip to Echo Spring: Why Writers Drink |sort=Trip to Echo Spring: Why Writers Drink, The

|title=Seven Kings: Books of the Shaper: Volume 2 ...r the Reborn aren't as dead as everyone supposes them to be. (You'd think the clue would be in Gammir's name wouldn't you?)

...on to criticise Stalin and is credited with helping to lead to the fall of the Soviet Union – which isn't bad for a short novel. It floored me when I wa ...h I have recently tried to re-read and found tedious beyond belief, but at the time I found gripping and darkly sexy, and Jackie Collins (brilliantly plot

|title=The Northern Clemency |summary=A gigantic book offers great depths to the details and interactions of some neighbouring families, in 1970s and 1980s

|title=The Curiosity ...njoyable light summer read that raises a few questions about the ideas and the media that governs our lives seasoned with some poignant, chaste romance.

...Slightly mixed, but with the three best stories so good they're each worth the cover price alone, this is a brilliant Christmas present! ...duce a perfect Christmas present here with twelve short stories set around the holidays.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Rosie Best ...ink I'd use 'nerd' - by which I mean the modern, proud, geek-shall-inherit-the-earth definition of nerd which encompasses people from all walks of life, w

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Penelope Evans ...r]]. It's a page turning story of a woman's struggle to come to terms with the changes in her life – perfect to devour on a slightly chilly, spooky even

|summary=Yorkshire, 1909, the world of steam trains - it's just a pity that this thriller does not engage ...a countryside halt with the train snowbound. However he ends up staying at the stop for much longer, when a corpse is brought to his attention.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Olga Kokshagina and Allen Alexander ...wished that she had a good business idea of her own so that she could use the book. Perhaps that was what she was talking about when Olga and Allen popp

...fe of the past, John Lanchester sets his wonderfully entertaining state of the nation book around Pepys Road. With a huge cast of characters, he looks at ...t as well as the young African football star who is renting a property and the rich banker and his horrific, Ab-fab style wife and their various nannies.

|title=Discover the Savage World ...d bits of science, history, geography and more in a fun annual series from the Discovery Channel.

...arriage of justice in Alabama in the 1930s that echoed through America for the next forty years. Capturing time and place perfectly, an uncomfortable sto ''That is how the Scottsboro case began…with a white foot on my black hand''

...d'' so the choice is yours. Benedict Jacka popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Benedict Jacka|chat to us]]. ...ed friend Luna has fallen in love with someone other than Alex and... yes, the downward spiral has just taken another turn.

...eceives a message from his wife Emma...who died on a mission to Phobos all the way back in 2004. As it slowly dawns on him that their timelines don't matc ...e is the one who makes most of the decisions and the different sections of the book refer to ‘her’ not ‘him’.

...h of which will already be very familiar to any reader with an interest in the history of this period. ...nes as Fred is an officer and billeted comfortably at times. There is also the delight of a death narrowly missed and simple scenes of camaraderie.

|title=At The Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being and Apricot Cocktails ...to seriously consider existentialism, wrapped in a delicious biography of the people who devised it as a way not just of thinking but of living.

...tle and reflective meander through the byeways of Britain from Cornwall to the Scottish Borders ...ially most of the later ones have (at best) been inspiration enough to get the boots on, but rarely more than once or twice. So many unfinished plans.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Arthur Plotnik ...abulous book which flies in the face of mediocrity. We ''had'' to chat to the author.

...tion of Alice's husband as she describes his fixation with his bicycle and how her and their three children have taken a back seat to his 'finding himself ...s but works with as part-owner of a pet food business, Alice signs up to ''The Guardian's'' soulmates dating page where she meets Anna, an older woman who

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To David Croydon ...sale. We've thought long and hard about finding just one word to describe the book but we really can't do better than 'scurrilous'. You're best not sugg

...is worth a read if not a purchase. Bookbag recommends that you look along the library shelves. ...led me to suspect. I was promised a story of Cora's mother muscling in on the new baby, complete with a string of cinema first-night fantasies.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Julia Green ...ia Green]] - an engaging story of coming to terms with grief. We jumped at the chance to ask her some questions about her work.

|title=The Castaways ...and family play in our lives, and how innocent actions or words can change the course of history forever.

...ter than it actually is – always the mark of a great story. There is also the promise of more to come, which is a welcoming prospect. ...(Crossroads) by Kate Elliott|Shadow Gate]] was one such and, as a result, the sheer size of ''Path of Revenge'' was off putting.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Matthew Tree ...n Matthew Tree popped ino Bookbag Towers she had quite a few questions for the author.

|title=The Spider Truces ...and's loss of his wife. Together, father and son muddle their way through the rest of their lives, as best they can.

|title=The Hidden Fires ...rms, revisit the work of Nan Shepherd and revisit your own connection with the natural world around you. Well observed, beautifully written, grounded in

...atic licence needed to make it work. It is one that will keep you turning the pages. ...find it: a wedding dress, an old heirloom piece by the look of it, and in the hem, stitched in there, tiny bones. Human bones.

|title=The Kenana Handbook of Sudan: A Reference Resource and Travel Guide ...to be sat and read. Detailed and intriguing, but sometimes heavy going for the non-specialist.

|title=The Girl On The Stairs |sort= Girl On The Stairs

...top form, but that's still more entertaining than many younger writers at the top of their game. ...ways. But while taking those ingredients might seem a very welcome thing, the end result suffers in comparison.

|title=The Past ...Their interactions, past and present, skirt the edges of tragedy and show the secrets and psychological intricacies any family harbours.

|title=The Canon ...Anybody else should borrow it first, or have a pre-purchase trial read as the style is a dazzling mixture of acrobatic analogies, arty allusions and clev

...award winning novel of such power that the compulsion to read it builds as the narrative progresses. Three separate stories connected by two diverse coun ...control to leave Africa and settle in France with her husband Rudy. Then the final section belongs to Khady, widowed after three years of marriage and s

|summary=An inventive and adorable story of friendship told from the point of view of a child. And, oh yes, he's imaginary. ...uld go off on his own without Max, which allows for midnight excursions to the gas station and hospital and police station where there’s yet more to obs

...guide to the pioneers of joke collections, and some musings on what makes the topic of humour so worthwhile. A short snappy joke, but one in need of a b ...ed allusions to other creatures from the jungle, with horrid proboscises – the black male.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Cat Clarke Again |summary=Jim loved [[A Kiss In The Dark by Cat Clarke]] and he had quite a few questions for Cat when she popp

...d gentle story. Would especially appeal to girls aged between 3-5. Bear in mind that it's very much geared for Christmas, which limits its year-round appea ...ver artwork is beautiful – in wintry pastel shades which appear throughout the book, it's lush with tactile, sparkly snow which is eminently stroke-able.

...postulations. All in all, a lighter touch would have served the story and the characters far better. ...dense pseudo-scientific-explicatory-strangle-weed. And didn't live up to the promise.

|title=The Ascendant Stars ...isaged and robustly executed battle for the future of sentience throughout the galaxies.

|title=The Management Myth: Debunking Modern Business Philosophy ...nsights that many a CEO should take note of, but maybe a bit too heavy for the general reader.

|title=The Question Book ..., the questionnaire-fillers and the graph-makers among us. Possibly one of the best and simplest tools of auto-analysis, this is a must for any committed

...at some will touch, move or delight, whilst others leave you switching off the light and opting for an early night instead. Too broad a scope, with an ad ...ertain who Clodia was – she may have been Clodia Celer, licentious wife of the praetor Metellus, but equally she may not. Whoever she was Gaius Catullus

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Marc Nash |summary=We really enjoyed the collection of [[52FF by Marc Nash|flash fiction]] by Marc Nash and it was a

|title=The Life You Longed For ...ck...and then she's accused of Munchauasen's by Proxy. A powerful story of the meaning of love and faith, trust and betrayal...loss, grief, protection and

...but it's aimed at someone with little experince of Indian food. It covers the basics, a good selection of recipes and then gives menus complete with timi ...ich don't? If you have, this third book from Manju Malhi will provide all the answers.

|title=The Naked Ape: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition ...ce. This is a book every human needs to read but sadly only those who know how to think will understand.

...we'll tell you about what we've been reading at Bookbag and any news from the site. We promise never to pass your details on to anyone else. In fact... w ...t some reading time in anyway, didn't you? Which summer book did you enjoy the most?

...oic inspirational teacher genre. A fresh approach to the language adds to the other reasons this book is recommended. ...in this book – culminating in the language divide Tony finds when he joins the local sink school fresh from teaching college.

...lengthy junior read could well give much more than countless textbooks on the Nazi camp system. ...of ''The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz'' in full ignorance of the original, adult version.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To A K Hill ...essed by [[A Mediocre Man by A K Hill|A Mediocre Man]] and particularly by the way that it touched on so much which is wrong with our world without ever b

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To David Barrie ...t novel, [[Wasp-Waisted by David Barrie|Wasp-Waisted]] and couldn't resist the opportunity to ask him a few questions.

|title= We Danced All Night: A Social History of Britain Between the Wars ...r first incarnation. Splendidly detailed, but spun with humour that makes the whole not just a fascinating re-look at a time we thought we knew, but a to

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Anthony Bidulka ...characters he felt he could invest in. He had quite a few questions when the author popped into Bookbag Towers.

|title=The Games We Played ...provoke hours of after dinner conversation - both reminiscing and putting the modern world to rights. Definitely a Christmas stocking-filler book - one t

|title=The Lovely Bones ...-written story. Bookbag advises that you borrow the book as you might find the sentimentality a bit too much.

|title=Stripped: The Bare Reality of Lap Dancing |summary=A very imbalanced look at the phenomenon of, and drudgery involved in, lapdancing, from a feminist viewpo

...ruth with the usual amount of murder, mayhem and sinister characters along the way. Wide open landscapes, silent townsfolk and a secret that goes a lot de ...this vast mid-west expanse of wheat fields would be terribly visible from the air.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Simon Pont ...the by Simon Pont|Remember to Breathe]] Sue wondered if it was going to be the sort of book she would enjoy, but she loved it and had quite a few question

...or of [[Adventure Island: The Mystery of the Whistling Caves by Helen Moss|the Adventure Island series]] popped into Bookbag Towers and she was obviously ...or of [[Adventure Island: The Mystery of the Whistling Caves by Helen Moss|the Adventure Island series]] popped into Bookbag Towers and she was obviously

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Gerry Wells |summary=We were very impressed by Gerry Wells' [[Kicking the Hornets' Nest by Gerry Wells|book of short stories]] based on his experienc

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Justin Huggler |summary=Ani was ''very'' impressed when she read [[Burden of the Desert by Justin Huggler]] and there was a great deal to discuss when he po

...we'll tell you about what we've been reading at Bookbag and any news from the site. We promise never to pass your details on to anyone else. In fact... w Hi, hello and how the devil are you, fellow Bookbaggers?

...of this and can suspend critical faculties. Writing is even worse than in 'The Da Vinci Code', though! ...an Brown that has been re-issued due to the phenomenal popularity of the ''The Da Vinci Code'' and it is a blatant, mercenary and seemingly successful att

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Terry Murphy ...and we were very taken by his hero, Eddie Greene. When Terry popped into the office we had a few questions for him.

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Ian Stewart ...sures by Ian Stewart|Hoard of Mathematical Treasures]] and couldn't resist the opportunity to ask him a few questions. We're delighted we did, as his answ

|title= Ghost Train to the Eastern Star ...he Indian subcontinent and wider Asia, in search of the changes wrought in the intervening time: in places and in himself.

|title=Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist ...y for the full hardback price. Liz Kessler popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Liz Kessler|chat to us]].

...om the time that children are nicely reading on their own right through to the point where they're looking at books for teens. we think we've got somethi ...lephant stating that Erica Perkins had a Legal Right to him didn't explain how she was going to be able to feed him.

...we'll tell you about what we've been reading at Bookbag and any news from the site. We promise never to pass your details on to anyone else. In fact... w ...enjoying some autumnal colours? Kicking through some leaves? Splashing in the odd puddle or two? If so, enjoy!

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To A R Yoba ...eene]] is a exciting crime crossing Italy and France and ending up back in the USA. We managed to catch Abdul as he popped into Bookbag Towers - and we h

We've been very impressed by the quality of books for tweens in 2014 and Jill struggled to reduce her select ...s. And, if you'll forgive the sudden descent into street-speak, that's not the way these five young Urban Outlaws roll.

|title= James Donald Talks To Bookbag About The Death Of Norman Breyfogle ...finest story tellers you've never heard of, who died in September 2018 at the age of 58.

...ew: Bookbag Talks To Gerry Brown, Andrew Kakabadse and Filipe Morais about The Independent Director in Society ...nce and what to do]] and she had several points she wanted to discuss with the authors when they popped into Bookbag Towers.

...at you) and dropping it in the kerbside bin. Yes, I could go searching on the internet - and get conflicting advice - but what I needed was a recycling b |title=Britannica's Word of the Day

|title=The Rainbow Magic Treasury ...n in a sparkly, glittery, girly setting. The baddies are not too scary and the endings are happy, so beware because your daughter might make you buy them

...beginning of her voyage of discovery of Chinese cookery and in particular the cuisine of her beloved Sichuan. By turns delightful and disturbing, it is a ...hors d'oeuvre in Hong Kong. Her description of this first encounter with the Chinese delicacy is rich with words like filthy, revolting, nightmarish, tr

|title=The Return of the Thin Man |sort=Return of the Thin Man, The

|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Guy Booth |summary=Sue realised that [[The Arthur Moreau Story by Guy Booth|The Arthur Moreau Story]] by Guy Booth could be read on two levels - and that b

|title=The Ice Cream Girls ...ly convincing psychological whodunnit with the ice melting unexpectedly at the end.

...and the individual category winners on 6 January: they each won £5,000. The overall winner (who will receive £30,000) was announced on 28 January. |title=The Shock of the Fall

...e Nazis about the radio? And what other secrets have been kept throughout the occupation? ...ve her sister, and perhaps herself and her relationship with her father at the same time?

Reviews by readers from all the many walks of literary life. With author interviews, features and top tens. ...'''Instagram'''] and [[File:LinkedIn.png|link=https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-bookbag-1b12a264/|alt=LinkedIn]]