WISHING YOU A BLESSED SAMHAIN AKA YOU SPENT HOW MUCH ON COSTUMES FOR PUSS & POOCH?

May the ancestors deliver blessings on you and yours 

May the new year bear great fruits for you 

May your granted wishes be as many as the seeds in a pomegranate

May the slide into darkness bring you light 

May the memories of what has been keep you strong for what is to be 

May this Samhain cleanse your heart, your soul, your mind 

Blessed Samhain to all, and a magical night.

- A Samhain poem.

Shared on FaceBook by a friend, the author is unknown.

After Christmas the second most commercially successful in America. Yes, you, my friends across the pond, are to blame for Halloween ..... or are you?

I suppose the clue is in the words commercially successful. According to one site it is expected that some $7.4 billion will be spent this year, $350 million alone on Halloween costumes for pets. With those of us in The UK (where incidentally Halloween is now the 3rd highest spending festival after Christmas and Easter) spending what is estimated to be a measly £315 million.

Not always this way though. According to several sites, this one included, there is little history of masks or indeed costumes before 1900 (no, not even Spiderman or indeed Frozen's Elsa which are proving amongst this years favourite costumes). The earliest known reference of 'begging' on Halloween in English speaking North America seemingly not being until 1915 though it wasn't until 1934 that it became common practice, the earliest known use of the term 'trick or treat' not appearing in print in a national publication until 1939. 

Trick or Treat of course having its origins with the Celts who, believing the souls of the dead (not all of them friendly spirits) roamed the streets at night, left out gifts both to pacify the evil as well as ensuring plentiful crops the next year.

It was the ninth century that saw the custom of Souling (a practice encouraged by the church as a way of replacing the ancient pagan tradition) in which Christians walked from village to village begging for 'Soul Cakes'. The idea being the more cakes you received, the more prayers you would say on behalf of the dead relatives of the people you received the cakes from.

QUICK SHORTBREAD SOUL CAKES.

1 stick softened butter

4 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

Cream together the butter and sugar. Using a sieve add the flour and mix until smooth.

Dividing the dough into two parts, shape each half into a flat circle approximately half an inch thick, place them on an ungreased baking tray. 

Poking lines with the tines of a folk, mark eight separate wedges in each cake.

Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown at 350 degrees. 

So, not entirely to blame for Halloween, I think it fair to say Samhain - depending on your tradition starting at sunset tonight (strictly speaking Samhain's Eve) and continuing on until sunset tomorrow (November 1st) or, if you should wish to celebrate the ancient Celtic way, for three consecutive days - is safe with today's pagans for whom it is an opportunity to honour the God & Goddess, the harvest and those who came before, both human and animal. 

OR .....
To those in the southern hemisphere, a blessed Beltaine. 

Sources: The Atlantic,  Wales OnLine,  The Daily Mail

- Starring Mr T as the mad scientist and yours truly as the bride.
 Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

STAR OF THE SEA.

STAR OF THE SEA by JOSEPH O'CONNOR.

SOURCE: A re-read off our shelves.

BACK COVER BLURB: In the bitter winter of 1847, from an Ireland torn by injustice and natural disaster, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York.

On board are hundreds of fleeing refugees. Among them are a maidservant with a devastating secret, bankrupt Lord Meredith and his family, an aspiring novelist, a maker of revolutionary ballads, all braving the Atlantic in search of a new home. All are connected more deeply than they can possibly know. But a camouflaged killer is stalking the decks, hungry for the vengeance that will bring absolution.

The twenty-six-day journey will see many lives end, others begin afresh. In a spellbinding story of tragedy and healing, the further the ship sails towards the Promised Land, the more her passengers seem moored to a past which will never let them go.

FIRST SENTENCE {Prologue: The Monster}: All night long he would walk the ship, from bow to stern, from dusk until quarterlight, that sticklight limping man from Connemara with the drooping shoulders and ash-coloured clothes.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 87}: Reading, to Elizabeth Costello, was an indication of decency. Her husband considered it a waste of time.

MY THOUGHTS: Last read 12 years ago, whilst presumably I enjoyed it enough at the time to give it shelf space, alas this time it is destined for a charity shop.

To begin with, difficult, literally physically difficult to read. Whilst I can't speak of later editions this 2002 issue has incredibly small and faint print.

Expecting a book set on board a ship? Whilst certain chapters are indeed dedicated to events on-board for the vast part the novel is a sequence of passenger biographies written as flashbacks.

Using several different methods of story telling - part captain's log, part epistolic, part newspaper articles, part quotes, part historical documentation - whilst a work of fiction much of the novel read as if factual. Not a bad thing per sa but combined with what at times read like a collection of novellas within the novel I felt the book too busy.

Difficult to rate as whilst for me there is little to recommend the book as a whole there are however several of the novellas (if I can describe them as such) contained within that were OK, some of them even giving a bit of light relief to what was otherwise a thoroughly depressing if arguably realistic read given the period in which is set.

THE GROUND WILL CATCH YOU.

THE GROUND WILL CATCH YOU by DAVID POWNING.

SOURCE: Received for review from the author.

BACK COVER BLURB: Steve Hollis despises what he has become, the existence he has settled for.

He is leading the wrong life and dreaming of missed opportunities, following an act of revenge he cannot forget.

One person can put him back on the right path, another will lead him further astray.

But when tragedy strikes and danger slips out of the shadows, recrimination follows swiftly. As the days pass and the pressure mounts, there is only one question that Hollis must find an answer to ....

Is there a way back?

FIRST SENTENCE {Part 1: Acceptance - Chapter 1}: I dream of falling.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 98}: The power of those children was seemingly without limit, like in some weird horror film.

MY THOUGHTS: A bit like one of those movie trailers which doesn't really tell you a lot (if anything) about the film, reading the synopsis of this debut novel really does not do justice to the story awaiting you.

Perhaps not the best choice of reading material for those wanting an action packed read but for those who enjoy character led books. Well, lets just say you are if for a treat.

A wonderfully insightful and thought provoking read into how relationships can change you ..... both for the better and the worse. The dynamics between the trios that were Steve, his girlfriend, Emily, and physiotherapist, Alex and that of Steve, his friend, Judo Sensei, Jack, and troubled teen martial arts prodigy, Cyan, really were fascinating.

The Ground Will Catch You explores so many issues of the modern age (bullying, friendship, disability, jealousy, displaced youth, the list goes on) largely through the eyes and psyche of Steve Hollis. Arguably some of them mundane, everyday issues and yet, tremendously compelling, the author brings them, along with the characters, to life in such a way as to make for a read that once started I got so caught up in as to find almost impossible to put down.

THE RUBY SLIPPERS.

THE RUBY SLIPPERS by KEIR ALEXANDER.

SOURCE: A Reader's Group Read.

BACK COVER BLURB: Old Rosa the bag lady shuffles along the streets of New York, stinking, silent and shunned.

After she suffers a terrible accident, her nephew Michael is called upon to visit her squalid apartment and from in amongst her reeking piles of junk, he unearths something that hints at a Rosa he can barely imagine: an original pair of the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.

The slippers soon become an irresistible beacon to the misplaced hopes and darkest desires of friends, family and foe. But who will stop to learn the remarkable story behind Rosa's 'Ruby Millions'?

FIRST SENTENCE {Chapter One}: She stinks.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 185}: 'Ah well .....' he says finally, and seeing no sign of anything in the petrified face, raises his hand, gives a little wiggle of his fingers, as if saying goodbye to a child, and walks away, leaving the emptiness of her there upon the bed.

MY THOUGHTS: A book I don't particularly want to review. A book I'd much prefer to give you a copy of so that you too could discover the literary gem that is The Ruby Slippers. 

Our October 2014 Reader's Group read, of all of the many books we have read this is only the third one that I've wanted a copy of for our shelves.

With a big (and I mean that in every sense of the word) cast of seemingly random characters who each have their own part to play in this debut novel,
the story traverses between Latvia at the start of WWII to present day America. Not always a feat an author manages to pull off without losing the reader but Keir Alexander does so with much aplomb. Rosa's tale from a free-spirited young woman, dresser to Miss Judy Garland, possessor of THE ruby slippers to 'stinking bag lady' (largely revealed to us bit by bit through notes she kept) though not perhaps as prominent as it might have been the linchpin on which the whole book hinges.

Full of pathos and yet also moments of unbridled happiness. A modern parable that proves there really is no place like home, this has to be one of, if not my favourite read of the year so far.

25 ROSES.

25 ROSES by STEPHANIE FARIS.

SOURCE: Received for review from the author. 25 Roses is due to be released January (February in the UK) 2015. An Advanced Reading Copy all quotes were published with the permission of the author.

BACK COVER BLURB: Mia Hartley has always lived in the shadow of her perfect older sister, Kellie, who can do no wrong. And even though Mia has her own BFF's, she feels overshadowed by the super-popular girls at school, a clique led by queen bee Kaylee Hopper.

Mia finally has a chance to get noticed when it comes time for the student council chocolate rose sale. Every year students buy roses for their crushes and friends, and the grade that sells the most roses wins bragging rights and a fun prize. And every year the same group of people gets most of the roses, making everyone else feel left out. However, Mia is in charge of selling the roses this year for the seventh grade - and things are going to change.

With a little creativity, Mia makes sure the kids who usually leave empty-handed suddenly find themselves the object of someone's affection. Soon the school is buzzing with newfound crush statuses - and people finally notice Mia. But her plans start to unravel when she realises that being a secret Cupid is a lot more complicated than she'd ever imagined. Can Mia manage to match hearts and not break them - and find the perfect way to shine?
~ Contains spoiler hi-light to view.

FIRST SENTENCE {Chapter One} To: Stanton Middle School 
From: Mia Hartley 
This place could use a real-life Cupid.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 34}: This was Dad, the guy who had told us we couldn't start dating until we were thirty-eight. I was starting to think he might get his wish. With me, anyway.

MY THOUGHTS: Though not a novel that I got into straight away I did find myself slowly but surely engrossed in the life of Mia, BFF, Ashleigh, and BMFF (Best Male Friend Forever if like me you are older than the nine to thirteen year old for which the book is marketed), Alex. I admit I did have my concerns that here was a book predominately aimed at an American audience but with its themes of friendship, sibling rivalry, fitting in and first crushes 25 Roses is also a very universal story.

A lively and innocent tale of discovery and realisations. I'm so pleased that rather than a vacuous story of beautiful/popular girl gets their boy that sent out all of the wrong messages here was a tale of 'average' girls, girls with 'baggy clothes and hair with a bad case of the frizzies', standing out because of their new found confidence all brought about by one girl doing what she thought was the right thing.

With a fun cover that is neither too grown-up nor too childish, characters that I'm sure many will relate to/aspire to be and a plot which includes a bit of a mystery - just who is placing those roses and messages in Mia's locker? -  I'm sure this will prove a hit with many young readers.

THE BINDING CHAIR.

THE BINDING CHAIR {Also published as The Binding Chair: A Visit From The Foot Emancipation Society} by KATHRYN HARRISON.

SOURCE: A re-read off our shelves.

BACK COVER BLURB: The magical tale of a young orphan's adventures after she flees rural China for turn-of-the-century Shanghai.
- Read more here.

FIRST SENTENCE {Apprenticeship}: The gatepost, stuccoed pink to match the villa, bore a glazed tile painted with a blue number, the same as that in the advertisement.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 41}: She'd learn never to move her skirt while sitting, never to move her legs while lying down, and never to wash her feet in the same basin as her face - otherwise she would be reborn as a pig.

MY THOUGHTS: Last read a number of years ago I decided to re-read this in order to decide whether or not I wanted to keep it/ pass it on/donate it to a charity shop.

Sadly not a novel I enjoyed second time around. I don't know whether my tastes have changed since I last read it or that at the time we had plenty of shelf space and I wasn't so strict with myself as to only keep books I knew I'd re-read at some point in time.

Whilst at heart a story of China The Binding Chair isn't written by a Chinese author. Not that this usually matters, after all how many paranormal novels are written by vampires, werewolves or the like? Its just that I felt the author did not write with authority or for that matter much conviction.

Not so much a confusing read as what I'd describe as a fragmented one. I'm afraid the to-ing and fro-ing between decades and cities not to mention main characters, May, and her niece/surrogate child, Alice, made for a disjointed story. 

A story of obsessions, of what it is to be beautiful, of the sometimes perverse nature of man's desire - the author makes a great (and very graphic) deal of how erotically enticing May's English husband (and her Chinese father before him) found her (and her mother's) bound feet - whilst the book does go some way in exploring the cost to women I'm afraid for me much was eclipsed by the fact that at times it felt as if the author relied too heavily on shock tactics where none were needed.

FROM SLEEPING ONES TO POLKADOT ONESIE WEARING ONES BY WAY OF AGGRESSIVE MOPPING ONES IN A MONDAY MEDIA 'CRIME' SPECIAL.

WARNING: Whilst I endeavour to keep Media Monday fairly family friendly I feel it only right to let you know that some of the articles featured do contain links to articles that may contain more adult material. TT
 'Goldilocks burglar asleep in elderly couple's bed'. An retired Burnley couple returned from holiday to find what has been described as the most domesticated burglar imaginable asleep in their bed. Alarmed to find three bowls of porridge a pasta dinner prepared in the kitchen and a tub half full of bubbles in the bathroom the pair discovered the thief snoozing under the covers. 

The news from across the pond and my favourite articles of the week ..... 'Man arrested for taking cleaner's mop and aggressively mopping hotel floor'. A 30 year old US man has been arrested when after spotting a hotel employee he thought was doing a poor job of cleaning the floor he grabbed the mop and becoming aggressive mopped over the employee's shoes several times.

'Cock-a-doodle-to-do! Noisy cockerel slapped with ASBO after crowing complaints'. A noisy cockerel has been slapped with an ASBO (Anti Social Behaviour Order generally given to a person who has been found to have been engaged in anti-social behaviour) following his disturbing a sleepy Peak District village.

 'Inflatable crocodile sparks police scare'. Plymouth police and wildlife experts from Dartmoor zoo were called to reports of an escaped 3ft crocodile in a women's back garden - only to find it was an inflatable toy.

'Cannabis-eating sheep get high as kite after munching £4,000 worth of drugs'. By the time she had realised what she thought were bags of rubbish were in fact bags of the Class B drug a Surrey farmer's sheep had munched their way through £4,000 of the illegal plant.

'Police hunt thieves pictured in polkadot onesie and red leggings armed with a spade and lightsabre'. In a FaceBook post British Transport Police police officers admit it's a rarity thieves are pictured in such bizarre attire but nonetheless believe their clothing to be crucial identifying features.

MY BUCKET LIST.

Bucket List: A list of things to do before you die 

- Urban Dictionary

Or as I prefer to think of it ...

A number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime - Oxford Dictionaries.

Hosted by Sherry Ellis over at Mama Diaries today I'm delighted to be participating in .....

Milk a goat. Don't ask, its just something I'd always wanted to do. 

Have my hair restyled. Not a biggie but given the fact that up until my mid-teens I could sit on my hair (I can still see my mam sat there crying as the hairdresser made that first cut), that I'm indecisive, and am too lazy would rather take time out to read than style my hair (a major thing in deciding on a cut) it was a big thing to me. 

Two done. In no particular order, six to go .....

Plan my tattoo. (Notice I don't write get a tattoo). A big fan of what Mr T thinks of as trashy tv (Big Brother, Storage Hunters, Lizard Lick Towing to name but three) my latest discovery is Tattoos After Dark. Love them or loathe them I defy anyone to watch this show and not see tattoos such as this four wise monkeys tattoo as works of art, the skin the canvas.

Go Paint-balling. I know reliant on crutches/Madge (my trusty electric wheelchair) as I am this doesn't sound like the best of ideas BUT here is what I have in mind. I'd be the only one with a paint gun, everyone would stand still making my hitting them much more likely. Funnily enough not something either Mr T or any of our friends are up for though I can't for the life of me think why not.

Live in a hobbit hole just like Bilbo Baggins. Of all the things on my list the least likely to happen but, hey, I can dream. 

Visit our local coast more often. Only a 20 or so minute metro ride away, I love Sunday afternoons spent with Mr T at Tynemouth with its dramatic coast, amazing priory and castle and great week-end market which sees lots of books on offer, followed by fish n chips (eaten al fresco of course) and a trundle along the coast to Whitley Bay.


Tynemouth Priory. Copyright: Urszula Piotrowska.

To start BEE (BookExpo England). Of course we have literary festivals here in England, indeed we have the Durham Book Festival (a ten minute train ride away) every October but it seems to me that none, no, not even the Hay Festival, can compare to BEA (BookExpo America) and as I'm not likely to ever get there I've decided the thing to do is to bring it to the UK. 

Visit Neuschwanstein Castle. As a girl I loved fairy tales and whilst the whole princess kissing a frog who turned into prince never really appealed, the places did. Oh, to run down those stairs, loosing my glass slipper as I did so (sighs), to be locked in that tower room, letting down my long golden hair, to be eating lumps out of the gingerbread house, to visit granny in her woodland abode - its hardly any wonder that the castle on which it is said Cinderella's castle is modelled features on my Bucket List.

Well, that's me done. How does your Bucket List look? Be sure to stop over and take a look at what's on Sherry's list. 

A TALE OF ONE WOMANS SPAM.

From business proposals {2} to proposals of a very different kind. I've been offered everything from Viagra {4} which lets face it I'm probably going to need if I accept any of the half dozen or so beautiful, single, Russian girls {5} awaiting my introduction, not to mention 'Natie' who apparently is in need of a strong, virile man {2} or Web35 in search of man {1}.  

I've been made offers of car insurance {6}. Something I'm probably in need of more than most given my alcohol problem. Not that there aren't people out there, people who can help with rehab {2}/detox {1} in much the same way as there are those reaching out to help me with my incontinence {8} or for that matter my ADHD symptoms {7} or, indeed, my gambling addiction {1} made much worse by all those casinos offering 'red carpet treatment' {3}. 

That's of course presuming I care to take someone up on their kind offer of low income social housing {2} complete with a free economic, environmentally friendly boiler .... if I'm eligible {4} and my $6 fashion jumper {1} doesn't do the job and keep me warm. Not that I'll be needing any of this given the number of credit cards I'm entitled to {6}. Oh, that and the fact that I've decided that cheap flights {2} out of the country are a viable option, something made all the more tempting by the offer of seats with more leg room {3}.

And that my friends is my spam box today.

WINTER SONG.

WINTER SONG by COLIN HARVEY.

SOURCE: Ex-library stock. 

THE BOOK {According to amazon.co.uk}: The planet had fallen off the map. Lost on an unknown and forgotten planet, scientist Karl Allman discovers himself haunted by an ancient race. The descendants of earlier colonists have reverted to a savage tribal culture of sacrifice, pillage and violence. When Karl falls in love with an outcast girl, he has only one goal: escape. But escape is a distant dream on this nightmare planet.

FIRST SENTENCE {Chapter One: Karl}: Karl was dreaming of his clone-wife, far away on distant Avalon, when the plasma bolt slammed into Ship's engines.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 86}: The sagas never mention laundry, she thought. As they lifted the first of the steaming cloths from the pail to the lip of the wringer she said to lighten the mood, "You never hear of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue wrestling with washing."

MY THOUGHTS: Whilst not a big reader of sci-fi novels (that's Mr T's department) I nevertheless do indulge every now and then and admit to being curious about this one given that I'd heard the planet on which our protagonist finds himself has similarities with a Viking settlement.

Perhaps more for those who enjoy their books full of 'world building' of which the author does a fairly decent job. For those readers who, like myself, are into characters, well, let's just say I found this element of the book somewhat .... unadventurous? The fact that the author spent so much time driving home certain ideas (women as little more than baby-factories, Bera, an unwed mother, a slut, the grim conditions in which Karl found himself and so on) mundane. And as for the dialogue? Awkward, amateurish and unconvincing to say the least.

Still, interesting in that as far as this genre goes I'm used to reading of planets and societies far advanced to our own and in this Winter Song is quite different. Whilst the starship from which Karl ejects is obviously technologically superior, Karl himself biologically and technologically enhanced, the planet, indeed not without its similarities to Viking society albeit with a bit of a space-age twist, on which he finds himself can scarcely be described as such.

MIRACLES OF LIFE.

MIRACLES OF LIFE by JG BALLARD.

SOURCE: Free with a newspaper.

THE BOOK {According to the back cover}: J.G. Ballard has been, for over fifty years, one of the country's most significant writers. Beginning with the events that inspired his classic novel, Empire Of The Sun, in this revelatory autobiography he charts the course of his astonishing life.

Miracles Of Life takes us from the vibrant surroundings of pre-war Shanghai, to the deprivations and unexpected freedoms of Lunghua Camp, to Ballard's arrival in a devastated Britain. Ballard recounts his first attempts at fiction and his part in the social and artistic revolutions of the 60's. He describes his friendships with figures as diverse as Kingsley Amiss, Michael Moorcock and Eduardo Paolozzi alongside recollections of his domestic life in Shepperton - raising three children as a single father following the unexpected and premature death of his wife.

FIRST SENTENCE {Part One: Chapter One - Shanghai Arrival (1930)}: I was born in Shanghai General Hospital on 15 November 1930, after a difficult delivery that my mother, who was slightly built and slim-hipped, liked to describe to me in later years, as if this revealed something about the larger thoughtlessness of the world.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 191}: I received an advance of $1000, which seemed a fortune. I celebrated by moving from the 3/6 (three shillings and sixpence) lunch menu at the Swan pub in Knightsbridge to the 4/6 menu, an extravagance that alarmed the waitress, to whom I had proudly shown a photograph of my three children.

MY THOUGHTS: Whilst not a big fan of memoirs/autobiographies in general I did enjoy Empire Of The Sun and so had a passing interest in this author.

The child of British parents living in Shanghai, JG (James 'Jim') Ballard spent his formative years incarcerated in a Japanese prisoner of war camp which having read this obviously informed much of his 1984 novel.

Essentially chronicling his experiences between 1930 and 2007. Whilst  for myself, having read Empire Of The Sun, there was very little new to learn of his war time experiences which formed the vast part of Miracles Of Life, there were several things - his friendship with authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kingsley Amis and, of more interest to me, how his experiences informed the upbringing of his daughters - to be learnt about his older self.

A modest yet somehow intense account of a life well lived and I feel the fitting memoir of a man who we learnt in the latter pages of the book had been diagnosed with a cancer that had spread to his bones.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS by CHARLIE LOVETT.

SOURCE: Received for review from Alma Books. 

THE BOOK {According to the back cover}: Book lover and Jane Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has barely started her new job as an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure publication: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their enquiry draws Sophie into a web of mystery surrounding the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice, with ultimately dangerous consequences.

In a narrative that alternates between Sophie's quest, which also sees her dealing with several love interests on the way, and the young Jane Austen's touching friendship with the ageing cleric Richard Mansfield. Charlie Lovett - who first delighted readers with his bestselling debut The Bookman's Tale - weaves a romantic, suspenseful and compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.

FIRST SENTENCE {Steventon, Hampshire, 1796}: Fond as she was of solitary walks, Jane had been wandering rather linger than she intended, her mind occupied not so much with the story she had lately been reading as with one she hoped soon to be writing.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 26}: The walls were lined with books from floor to ceiling. Stacks of books stood neatly arranged on every horizontal surface - tables, window sills, even the top of an unplugged television.

MY THOUGHTS: Another great novel, a must read for all those who love books, fine libraries, and mysteries revolving around rare books. Doing for Jane Austen what the author's debut novel did for Shakespeare, whilst I enjoyed The Bookman's Tale First Impressions is in a league of its own.

An intelligent read, masterfully rendered - there is none of your typical re-workings/sequels/prequels here - that chapter by chapter alternates between the late eighteenth/mid nineteenth century and the tale of Jane Austen and her elderly gentleman friend, the Rev Mansfield (yes, that Rev Mansfield), and that of the very much twenty first century Sophie Collingwood. 

OK, so there were bits of the book that were a bit far fetched and, personally not to my taste, there were some that were epistolary in nature but given the relationship between Sophie, her beloved uncle Bertram and their shared adoration of books, the descriptions of early book publishing, and the intrigue surrounding the publication that connects the two halves of the story together this really was a bibliophile's dream.

THE BOOK OF BEASTS {HOLLOW EARTH #3}

THE BOOK OF BEASTS by JOHN & CAROL E BARROWMAN.

SOURCE: An amazon.co.uk purchase.

THE BOOK {ACCORDING TO THE BACK COVER}: 'It won't be long now.
Death will come soon enough ...'

Twelve-year-old twins Matt and Emily Calder may be divided by time, but they are united in their mission to close Hollow Earth before the monsters inside can destroy their world. The key to success lies with their dazzling Animere talents: they can draw things into life and travel in time through art. But there are monsters outside Hollow Earth as well, intent on taking control of the beasts for themselves. And their own father is the worst monster of all ...

Even when you travel in time, time has a habit of running out.

FIRST SENTENCE {Part One: Chapter One - Scotland, September 1848}: Duncan Fox stood on the craggy hillside of Era Mina, squinting against the late summer sun  drenching the Isle of Bute and Aran in a golden light. 

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 30}: Henrietta put her hand on the man's shoulder, sensing instantly that he was hungry and annoyed about waiting in yet another queue. She gently pushed a series of images into his mind - scones topped with jam and clotted cream, steaming cups of tea. His wife blinked a couple of times as Henrietta filled her mind with a fog of confusion.

MY THOUGHTS: After Hollow Earth and Bone Quill we have The Book of Beasts, the final book in the trilogy. A trilogy that it has to be said is definitely one of those that needs to be read in order.

An OK read with what I felt to be a fitting end to an enjoyable enough series. Whilst the end of the trilogy I did feel that there is some scope for further adventures ... or was that just wishful thinking?

Geared towards 'tweenagers' (perhaps even younger, more confident readers) and upwards, one of the things I loved about all three books was that they should appeal to both boys and girls. Filled with just enough peril to suit a generation renowned for their love of computerised games (for such is the style of much of the action) without being too graphic so why my reservations? 

With short and snappy chapters anywhere between just over a page to almost four pages long the story traversed 'present day London', 'present day Edinburgh', 'fourteen years earlier', as well as a 'present day' and 'Middle Age' Auchinmurn Isle. 

Arguably not the strongest book in the series. Slightly confusing at times - it got even more so when at one point the novel saw several different events all occurring on the Middle Ages Auchinmurn Isle. I could well imagine younger readers getting lost off and felt that combined with the shorter chapters it meant that the narrative didn't flow as well as it might otherwise have done.

And why the addition of such a wonderful character as Henrietta (the arch-villain's mother and Matt and Emily's grandmother) who is capable of bending the minds of 'lesser mortals' at such a late stage?

Still, an innovative read - I certainly hadn't come across Animares before. Well worth keeping a look out for if you are into mystical beasts and the like.

BRINGING UP MIKE.

BRINGING UP MIKE by MARK DUNCAN.

SOURCE: Read and reviewed on behalf of the author.

THE BOOK ACCORDING TO THE BACK COVER: A teen prodigy makes drastic changes to his life and attends high school incognito with Mike, an artificial intelligence. His plans take an unexpected turn when he buys a neglected former racehorse. To achieve his goals, he must change everything about himself.

FIRST SENTENCE {August}: Joe rode his bicycle along Beef Hollow Road

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 267}: "The God-fearing fundamentalists of the town were convinced that anyone with tattoos and piercings had the mark of Satan, was possessed, a prostitute, and probably had hepatitis C. They made my life a living hell."

MY THOUGHTS: OK, so first to tell you what this novel isn't. 

Despite what I felt was an awfully outdated cover it isn't a dated read but rather a very contemporary account of life as a modern slightly geeky, socially awkward teenager. Nor, despite it featuring a main character of Artificial Intelligence, would I describe it as a sci-fiction/fantasy read - rather disappointingly 'Mike' does not feature as often as I'd have liked and especially not in the earlier chapters. Bringing Up Mike is more a gentle coming of age story that actually isn't a story so much as a interwoven collection of events that occur when a teen prodigy finds himself, the guest of Martha and George, a newcomer at the local high school.

A book that you'll probably appreciate if you are after lots of morsels of information on subjects as diverse as the American school system and moving like a zombie to Civil War re-enactments and barbecue competitions and everything in between. A book that you'll doubtlessly love if you are into horses. For myself what I really enjoyed about the story and would liked to have read more of was Joe finding himself, the one-up-manship between himself and the almost pantomime like villain, Sly, and, more than anything else, Mike's questioning life and in particular his role in it (his pondering 'Am I a pet? Am I a slave' was one of the most moving things I've read in a while).

Overall an extremely thought provoking read for the young adult audience (and older) that will have you considering several moral/ethical dilemmas. Personally whilst I wasn't in awe of all the incidental information that came as part-and-parcel of the novel I do feel that Joe and Mike have a lot of mileage left in them, that this is only the beginning.

IT'S A 'WHAT'S IN A NAME? 2014' WRAP./THE BUCKET LIST.

Well, that's another Reading Challenge, my sixteenth, completed.

An annual event that I've taken part in since 2012, this is the seventh outing for the What's In A Name Challenge.

Created by a blogger called Annie, the previous two challenges I have taken part in have been hosted by Beth Fish Reads who passed the gauntlet to Charlie over at The Worm Hole this year.

Thanks to Charlie for all her hard work in organising the 2014 challenge. I've really enjoyed the categories of ...

• A reference to time: Once Upon A Timepiece. The first book I read for the challenge. Whilst not usually a fan of short stories, with a title like this it was perfect for this category and as it turned out captured my imagination in a huge way.
• A position of royalty: The Women Of The Cousins' War: The Duchess, The Queen And The King's Mother. Not content with one position of royalty I had to go with three for this, the third book read. The only work of non-fiction, the book fills in some of the gaps in the story of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort.
• A number written in letters: The Hallowed Ones. The fourth and, by far, my favourite read. In fact this is one of my top reads of the year. A story of vampires, real vampires of the kind that fear daylight and garlic, as well as the supernatural aspect I was delighted the story concentrated equally on the 'Plain' folk.
• A forename or names: Amity And Sorrow. The second book and least favourite read of this years challenge. Attracted by what remains one of my favourite covers of 2014, several positive blog reviews and the promise of a novel about two young girls escape from a polygamous cult, I'm afraid I was highly disappointed with this one.
• A type of element of weather: Mysteries of Ravenstorm Island #1: The Lost Children. Another book perfect for the challenge. The last book read, it was either this debut novel which turned out to be a wonderfully enchanting read or The Wind In The Willows which, lets face it, though a timeless classic I've read it countless times before. 

And so onto my next 'challenge' ...

For more information and to sign up click here.

CONSOLAMENTUM: REVIEW AND BOOK TOUR.

Having toured with The Grip Of God and then Solomon's Bride, books one and two in The Tiger And The Dove series, today I'm pleased to be back on the road again with .....

CONSOLAMENTUM by REBECCA HAZEL.

SOURCE: Received for review from the author as part of a Book Tour. My thanks to Rebecca who very kindly sent me a paper copy of the book and to Michelle over at The True Book Addict (and other sites) for all her help. 

THE BOOK (According to the back cover}: In the finale of Sofia's story, both dramatic and poignant, her dreams of home are shattered when her on family betrays her. Raising her child on her own, mourning the loss of her beloved knight, and building a trading empire, she seeks safe haven for her child and herself. Her quest takes her from Antioch to Constantinople to Venice. A surprise reunion to Venice leads her to France where she runs afoul of the newly established Holy Inquisition, possibly the greatest challenge she has yet faced. Can a woman so marked by oppression, betrayal, and danger ever find her safe haven, much less genuine happiness?
 - Contains spoilers, hi-light text to read. TT

FIRST SENTENCE {Summer to Winter Anno Domini 1249}: A sea of lies indeed - of lies and deceit.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 172}: I no longer even knew why I thought anyone was innocent. Prhaps we were all so corrupt that we should every one of us be wiped from the face of the earth! Then I would look at Anna or Cecilia or Gilles or little Sofia, or I would think of any of the children I knew or had helped, and my heart rebelled at such hard thoughts.

MY THOUGHTS: Putting aside the fact that Rebecca Hazel has an wonderful way of penning individuals who touch your very heart what I most admire is the diversity. That whether mayor or secondary characters, family, friend or foe, a warrior or a eunuch they are all so well and, I feel, lovingly created.

Then of course there are the places, the cultures, the belief systems. All authoritatively written, combined with such memorable characters they make for a truly imaginative read.

The third book in the The Tiger And The Dove trilogy. Despite the letter writing which forms part of the story - no matter how well done and, there is no getting away from it, the author does the letters well, correspondence between characters just isn't a favourite way of storytelling for me - Consolamentum does not disappoint as we follow the further adventures of Sofia as she faces yet more challenges.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Hazell is a an award winning artist, author and educator. She has written, illustrated and published four non-fiction children’s books, created best selling educational filmstrips, designed educational craft kits for children and even created award winning needlepoint canvases. She is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, and she holds an honours BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz in Russian and Chinese history.

Rebecca lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1988 she and her family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in 2006 she and her husband moved to Vancouver Island. They live near their two adult children in the beautiful Cowichan Valley.

VISIT REBECCA:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook

For my reviews of The Grip Of God (part one in the series) click here, for Solomon's Bride (part two) here and, for a guest post with Rebecca Hazel, here. 

Available both in paperback and Kindle versions and through your local bookstore by special order. 

Visit other blogs on the tour for reviews, guest posts, excerpts and giveaways!