All Book Reviews on M&C

Monday 13 February 2012

• Book Review: A Silence of Mockingbirds

  If indeed, it “takes a village to raise a child” then it follows that a community can, through a series of mistakes made for a variety of reasons, fail to protect its youngest members with tragic consequences. This is what happened to three-year-old Corvallis, Oregon resident, Karly Sheehan. Shortly after...
  

• Book Review: Gemstone Settings

  

  If you are ready to take your metal smithing and gem setting to the next level, check out the latest release by Young, author of The Workbench Guide to Jewelry Techniques. This comprehensive volume walks readers through developing design ideas, establishing a...
  

• Book Review: Under a Vampire Moon

  

  Her soon to be womanizing ex-husband has dragged Carolyn Connor through hell; her shattered, disillusioned heart now well protected against any temptation to fall in love again. Although she does not really feel up to it, Carolyn agrees to go on...
  

• Book Review: Wanted: Undead or Alive

  

  Ironically, Phineas McKinney, known as the Love Doctor amongst the fanged community, has enabled several of his warrior buddies to win the girl of their dreams while he sits on the sidelines single and lonely. Brynley Jones, a werewolf princess has made no bones about her feelings regarding vampires...
  

Tuesday 07 February 2012

• Book Review: Conversations with Opa

  

  Albert, a thoughtful, well educated eighty-year-old grandfather shares his considerable insightful knowledge with Quintana, his inquisitive granddaughter. These constructed conversations plumb the width of humanity’s knowledge from the Big Bang to...

• Book Review: 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True

  

  This absolute “must read” will, sadly be missed by those who would most benefit from a healthy dose of skepticism as Harrison examines a broad range of topics that a surprising number of people believe in. Bible codes, the predictions of Nostradamus and angels to visitations by...
  

• Book Review: Almost Everything

  

  Growing up is difficult enough but for sixteen year old Anastaija Parker, being half witch, half vampire brings more then her share of problems. Especially as Ana is a banished vampire princess attempting to distance herself from musician and former love interest Nikolai, who just happens to be a vampire slayer...
  

Monday 06 February 2012

• Rivers of London – Book Review

  

  Fantasy fiction with a difference.  No swords and sorcery - just a slightly alternative universe.  Peter Grant has just served his probation period in the Metropolitan Police and his sole concern is to avoid being put on the dreaded Case Progression Unit. 

• Dragonborn – Book Review

  

  Sam is just half way through his apprenticeship as a wizard, when his master dies unexpectedly.  Powerful wizards arrive at the cottage and Sam cannot prove that he was an apprentice.  Running away becomes his only option, accompanied by his only friend, a young dragon called Starback. 

• Flood Justice – Book Review

  

  An unusual mix of graphic novel with text based story that has all the humor and unusual qualities that are common to Mogzilla books. 

• The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group – Book Review

  

  Tobias Vandevelde goes to sleep in his own bed only to wake up in hospital being told that he was found unconscious in a zoo pen among dingoes.  Just what has happened to him?  Tobias doesn't know - he cannot remember anything.  His prank loving friends are equally surprised. 

• Inheritance – Book Review

  

  At last, the final volume in the saga of Eragon, bringing the war against Galboratrix to an end.  There are plenty of battles and fighting as the alliance nears their prey - what does surprise me is that Galboratrix does fight back as much as he could. There are few surprises as the story nears its climax. 

• Beowuff and the Horrid Hen – Book Review

  

  A very different slant on the Beowulf saga!  Viking dog Beowuff prefers a quiet life, avoiding heroics wherever possible.  Unfortunately, trouble seems to be attracted to him. 

• Nazis on the Run – Book Review

  

  How did so many prominent Nazis manage to escape capture at the end of the Second World War?  Where did they go to? Why was South America so accommodating to them?

• Mercy – Book Review

  

  Having read this book, it is easy to see why the author has been described as Denmark's king of crime fiction.  It is not easy reading, you need concentration and patience but it is worth it. 

• The Teutonic Knights – Book Review

  

  Most people have heard of the Knights of St John and the Templars - far fewer are aware of the existence of the Teutonic Knights.  Their battles were far less glamorous and less well known.  Their activities were concentrated in the Baltic rather than the Middle East; and have received little attention.

• How to Paint Flowers in Acrylics – Book Review

  

  The bright, durable pigments present in acrylic paints have become the one of the most flexible and versatile types of paint available to the modern artist.  It can be used like oils, water colours or even impasto. This makes it particularly ideal when painting flowers, creating an almost three dimensional quality. 

• The Hand that Trembles – Book Review

  

  When Sven-Arne Persson suddenly walks out of a business meeting and disappears, he leaves behind many unanswered questions.  Many years later, an old friend is convinced he has seen Persson in Bangalore, India.  Is there any truth in the sighting? 

Saturday 04 February 2012

• The Pocket Guide to Royal Scandals – Book Review

  

  Definitely entertaining - this is a side of royal history that most monarchs would prefer to forget! Modern disasters such as the Charles and Diana saga or the many sayings of the Duke of Hazard(better known as Prince Philip) are backed up by lots of historical examples from across the world.

• The Haunting of Charity Delafield – Book Review

  A delightful, entertaining story about a girl who has grown up in a house isolated from all other children. She lives an extremely restricted life, forbidden from exploring the house, speaking to strangers or even going beyond the tall iron gates at the entrance.

Wednesday 25 January 2012

• Book Review: The Bungalow

  

  Best friends Anne Calloway and Kitty Morgan went to nursing school together despite the misgivings of their families and as World War II escalates, wondered how best to put their new skills to work. Growing up in a well-to-do, society conscience family, Anne was expected to marry the...
  

• Book Review: A Lethal Inheritance

  

  When the administrator of yet another high school informed Victoria Costello that her seventeen year old son Alex was not to come back, followed by Alex running her car into a fence for no apparent reason, she had little choice but face facts. Especially as those facts included a diagnosis of paranoid...
  

• Book Review: Julia's Child

  

  Julia Bailey bet a goodly portion of the family nest egg on the success of Julia’s Child, her start-up company that offered organic, wholesomely, prepared food for toddlers. Using recipes developed for her own two toddlers and marketed with catchy names like Gentle Lentil and Its Not Easy Being...
  

Tuesday 24 January 2012

• Ray Harryhausen’s Fantasy Scrapbook – Book Review

  

  Ray Harryhausen is a master of special effects and a pioneer of stop motion animation. His work is legendary, involving films like Clash of the Titans, Gullivers Travels and One Million Years BC.  This book contains details of many of the artifacts created for films over the past forty or so years. 

Tuesday 17 January 2012

• Book Review: The Rook

  

  Waking up in a London park drenched by a downpour and the ground littered with bodies all of whom are wearing latex gloves, an amnesiac woman discovers two letters in her coat pocket along with an epi-pen. One of the strange letters explains how the body she currently inhabits was once owned by...
  

• Book Review: Deadly Powers

  

  Lions, tigers and bears oh my, plus giant snakes, birds, reptiles and creatures of our imaginations have all played a major role in human evolution as demonstrated by this fascinating book that examines the role predators have played in shaping large portions of our psyches. Trout draws readers into...
  

• Book Review: Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess

  

  The incredibly handsome but not-too-bright Devereux Lyminster who goes by the name of Blotto and his bright, beautiful sister Lady Honoria Lyminster, better known as Twinks have been conscripted by their mother the Dowager Duchess of Tawcester to attend a weekend...
  

• Book Review: Raven Cursed

  

  As head of security for an upcoming summit between the Master of the City and a master vampire seeking permission to establish his own territory, skinwalker Jane Yellowrock has left the crowded streets of New Orleans for the “quiet” countryside of Asheville, North Carolina. Shortly after her arrival, werewolves attacked a...
  

• Book Review: The Mortal Bone

  

  Fans of the Hunter Kiss series will enjoy the additional background information about the bonds between Maxine Kiss and the living tattoos she affectionately refers to as “the boys”. Peeling off her skin at sunset, the five little demons are actually the feared...
  

Tuesday 10 January 2012

• Book Review: Left Hand Magic

  

  Looking for affordable housing drove metal sculptor Tate Eresby to seek an apartment in Golgotham, a segment of the Big Apple occupied by Kymerans, a magic wielding race as well as all manner of other non-human species. After a newspaper spread drew attention to Golgotham, trendy thrill seekers began...
  

• Book Review: Dragonswood

  

  The inhabitants of Wilde Island are in an uproar after the death of King Pendragon, especially as Arden, the eldest prince and heir to the throne is off on a Crusade. Ruling in the Prince’s absence, Lord Sackmoore has imposed higher taxes on the populace and unleashed Lady Adela, the royal witch hunter to seek...
  

Tuesday 03 January 2012

• Book Review: Dust of the Damned

  

  In order to win the historic battle of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln engaged the services of the Hell’s Angels, a European gang of werewolves that were supposed to return home after the dirty work had been done. Instead, they scattered throughout the American southwest wreaking havoc on...
  

• Book Review: The Girl With the Crooked Nose

  

  Newly released in paperback, this compelling though not strictly factual account of Frank Bender’s forensic reconstruction work jumps between his early days learning the craft and his involvement in a mass murder investigation in Mexico. A successful advertising photographer, Frank stumbled onto...
  

• Book Review: Fangbone: Third Grade Barbarian

  

  The only one willing to leave an upcoming battle and hide the Big Toe of Drool, an evil sorcerer attempting to kill all the clans, is young Fangbone. Although he’s just a boy, Fangbone insists he is a warrior and ready for the challenge of keeping the Big Toe safe in a...
  

Thursday 22 December 2011

• Book Review: The Big Book of Drawing

  

  This stunning book is nothing less then a comprehensive drawing course that will appeal to beginner and expert alike as it explores all aspects of the subject. The first eight chapters introduce prospective artists to thinking about shapes, how to...
  

Tuesday 20 December 2011

• Book Review: Planesrunner

  

  McDonald’s exciting new young adult series sets off on a merry chase when fourteen year old Everett Singh’s divorced dad was snatched, bicycle and all off a busy London street while on the way to a lecture. Everett, who was waiting for his father had the presence of mind to snap a couple...

• Book Review: The Drop

  

  LAPD detective Harry Bosch is back and working the cold case unit with his partner David Chu. New DNA evidence has surfaced in blood found on the victim of a rape and murder that took place in 1989 which would be great news except for the fact that...
  

• Book Review: What Makes Your Brain Happy

  

  DiSalvo’s latest, engaging look at the workings of the brain explains how certain behaviors that have evolved to keep us safe can frequently sabotage us. This is because everyone’s brain is wired to quickly recognize patterns, often where none...
  

• Book Review: The Immortalists

  

  When his daughter Susie was diagnosed with the rare genetic disorder known as progeria, brilliant research biologist Dr. Richard Draman strayed from his promising career and devoted himself to finding a cure. Progeria causes its young victims to prematurely age so quickly that most victims don’t...
  

Tuesday 13 December 2011

• Book Review: Red-Robed Priestess

  

  Cunningham’s fourth title of The Maeve Chronicles brings the series to a satisfying conclusion as Maeve, also known as the Celtic Mary Magdalen, returns to her native homeland in the British Isles. It has been forty years since her firstborn daughter was wrenched...
  

• Book Review: Toys for Boys Set

  

  This totally revised second edition pays homage to a host of technological wonders, dynamite automobiles and boats, fancy bling and opulent big boy toys the likes of which most of us can scarcely imagine. The first chapter, Miniature Machines dives into a presentation of amazing...
  

• Book Review: Ecstasy Untamed

  

  Although Hawke, a Feral Warrior has been freed from the spirit trap that held him captive, the resulting separation from his animal will doom him to a slow death. Hawke’s once solid control is gone and the life-sustaining spirit bond was melting away when...

• Book Review: Dreaming Awake

  

  When overly sheltered Theia Alderson first responded to burning young man who fell from the sky onto the lawn one night, she never could have imagined how that would change her well-ordered life. In the halls of her high school, Theia immediately recognizes the new boy, Haden Black as the...
  

• Book Review: Dragon Fate

  

  Three dragon siblings separated shortly after their hatching have faced innumerable challenges on their troubled journey to adulthood. With very different temperaments, strengths and weaknesses, AuRon, Wistala and RuGaard fought and lost battles that cost...
  

Monday 12 December 2011

• Ham, Pickles & Jam – Book Review

  

  With more and more people seeking to rediscover the lost skills of cooking, this book is to be recommended.  It shows how to get the best out of your store cupboard, cooking the basic items that don't cost a lot but are filling, nutritious and well-loved such as cheese straws, pastry, gingerbread and homemade yogurt. 

• Small Green Roofs – Book Review

  

  With so many environmental problems pressing on the world around us, green roofs are a simple answer to a lot of issues.  They can help prevent water loss, reduce the risk of flooding and reduce heat loss. 

• Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses – Book Review

  

  The Wars of the Roses encompassed many of the most bloody confrontations of the Medieval period such as the Battle of Tewkesbury.  What led to this massive outpouring of conflict?  Edward IV was very much the most effective general of the whole period and died, undefeated in battle. 

• The History of Britain and Ireland (The Definitive Visual Guide) – Book Review

  

  Extremely visual and packed with lots of interesting information; this is a snapshot across over 2,000 years of British and Irish history.  It is full of unexpected snippets of information which are not taught in schools.

• Armies of Death – Book Review

  

  Fighting fantasy gamers will not be disappointed by this offering from Ian Livingstone.  It is a welcome reissue of a book that has been out of publication for too long.  Agglax the Shadow Demon is creating an army of warriors to conquer Allansia. 

• A Bespoke Murder – Book Review

  

  Set in the early years of the First World War, the sinking of the Lusitania has caused anti-German hysteria to reach new levels.  Attacks on people of German ancestry have become common - just because of their background.  Yet Inspector Marmion is convinced that the attack on Jacob Stein's tailoring business has deeper implications. 

• The Double Edged Sword – Book Review

  

  Abandoned on the steps of the Old Bailey as a baby, Finmere Tingewick Smith has had an interesting childhood. 

• The Sweeney – Book Review

  

  Better known as The Sweeney, Scotland Yard's Flying Squad has had a tumultuous history.  Formed after the First World War, it quickly appreciated the value of high speed cars.  Taking on the might of the Racetrack gangs, armed robbers and smash and grab raiders; the Squad had considerable success from the very beginning.

• Pocket Guide to Pubs and Their Histories – Book Review

  

  Aficianados of British pubs and beer culture will undoubtedly enjoy this lively exploration of the history of pubs.

• The Mapping of Love and Death – Book Review

  

  American cartographer Michael Clifton has just discovered a rich source of oil and purchased the site.  Hearing that war has been declared, he feels compelled to cross the Atlantic to serve in the British army.  Inevitably, this leads to his death. 

• Pirate King – Book Review

  

  Definitely not for the Sherlock Holmes purists!  Sherlock Holmes' wife, Mary Russell, reluctantly finds herself shanghaied into investigating the criminal activities surrounding Randolph Fflytte's film studio.

• Isandlwana – Book Review

  

  In 1879, a cataclysmic event took place.  The mighty British army was destroyed by King Cetshwayo's Zulu warriors.  It was a sobering event for an all-conquering army which, until then, had not faced any major resistance from native people. 

• Hero of Rome – Book Review

  

  Anticipating an early return to Rome, the plans of Tribune Gaius Valerius Verrens are thrown into confusion when he is ordered to Colonia.  What seems like an easy posting among the veteran legionaries who have taken up residence in a new territory turns into a nightmare when warrior queen Boudicca rises in revolt.

• Draw Portraits – Book Review

  

  Portraying the human face is difficult for any artist.  Trying to get a lifelike impression, and to capture expressions is not easy. Renate Klein has set out to help artists of any standard improve their portrait technique. 

• Fashions in Eyeglasses – Book Review

  

  People have worn spectacles since the middle ages, and styles have varied considerably.  Variations in use and appearance have been dictated as much by style and social status as by the need to improve eyesight. 

• Draw Animals – Book Review

  

  No two animals even from the same species are identical, their expressions can vary from second to second.  So how do you draw it? Anyone who has ever tried to do this knows just how difficult a task it is.  Anja Dahl has set out to try and help. 

Wednesday 07 December 2011

• Book Review: Cult Eyewear

  

  As shown by exquisitely worked carved filigree patterned glasses, created in 1663 by Melchior Schelkie, designer eyewear has been around for a very long time. With its forward regarding imitations, a 1933 catalog of frames clearly demonstrates that even then, forgeries and...
  

• Book Review: Silversmithing for Jewelry Makers

  

  This comprehensive guide to silversmithing introduces jewelry makers to an awesome variety of techniques that will make their work stand out. Whether your interest is wireworking and basic soldering or more challenging work such as casting, texturing...
  

• Book Review: City Fashion Berlin

  The City Fashion series focuses their attention on the newly emerged sense of high style that has replaced the ubiquitous T-shirts with an edgy, trendy look that frequently challenges preconceived notions of garment design. The first chapter “Amazing Fashion” clearly captures that feel as...

Monday 05 December 2011

• The Hammer Vault – Book Review

  

  Filled with behind-the-scenes information, pictures and details, The Hammer Vault by Marcus Hearn is a must own release for any fan of the legendary Hammer Film studio or horror movie junkie.

Wednesday 30 November 2011

• Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens – Book Review

  

  Water is becoming a more restricted commodity.  It is not automatically available to everyone at all times of the year - periods of drought are all too common.  As a result, plants have to be chosen much more carefully.

• From Trash to Treasure Papermaking – Book Review

  

  Every household generates loads of scrap paper and just throwing it away only adds to landfill problems.  Recycling has become imperative to modern day society.  This book is a treasure trove of ideas as to how to recycle paper and turn it into something special. 

• Bloodlines – Book Review

  

  Keira Jameson knows she is different, possessing a gift passed down through generations of her family.  She hears voices and has strange dreams.  Convinced that there are others like her, she sets out with her best friend Lily to try to find her ancestors. 

• Scotland Yard’s Ghost Squad – Book Review

  

  At the end of the Second World War, practically everything was rationed.  It was an age of austerity and inevitably - criminal opportunity.  The black market boomed as thieves broke into warehouses, hi-jacked lorries, stole, recycled and forged ration coupons.  The police seemed powerless to stop them. 

• The Fleece & Fibre Sourcebook – Book Review

  

  How do you identify one wool from another? And what can you do with it? Robson and Ekarius have created a unique photographic encyclopedia of over 200 animals and the fibres they produce.

• How to Draw and Paint Science Fiction Art – Book Review

  

  Ever wanted to create your own science fiction landscapes, cityscapes and characters?  Then this is the book for you.  Both inspirational and practical, it is good hands on tool providing lots of ideas, tips and techniques.

• How to Draw Exotic Flowers - Book Review

  

  A useful introduction to drawing exotic flowers following   step by step instructions.  A wide range of flowers are included such as Orchids, Amaryllis, Passionflower, Oriental Poppies, Hibiscus, Camellia, Peony and Agapanthus. 

• Country Landscapes in Watercolour – Book Review

  

  Many people would love to paint but find it very hard to draw - which immediately leads to poor results and diminishing confidence.  This book offers a way of overcoming those problems. 

• He Who Dared and Died – Book Review

  

  Since its formation within the dark days of the Second World War, the SAS has become legendary. The successful release of the hostages from a London embassy was televised worldwide.  It is a unit which has been almost constantly involved in every conflict and terrorist situation possible.  But how did it start? 

• The Killer's Art – Book Review

  

  Outwardly very successful, art dealer Egon Wallin seems to have all that he desires.  A successful show with a new artist sets the cash tills rolling.  Next morning, Wallin is found dead, hanging from the top of a very large gate in the port city of Visby.  As Inspector Knutas begins to investigate, Egon's secrets begin to surface. 

• The Accidental Adventurer – Book Review

  

  Participating in a reality TV show led Ben Fogle into a totally new career. He became an adventurer cum TV presenter attempting incredibly dangerous escapades.  How this came about together with tales of his adventures makes riveting reading.

• Book Review: The Panama Laugh

  

  A hard driven pace, laughing zombies, mercenaries, crime lords and an amnesiac, what’s not to like! Six weeks after the zombie apocalypse swept the world, Dante “Frosty” Bogart finds himself naked in the jungle with no memory of how he got there or indeed, anything from the previous five years...
  

• Book Review: A Pinch of Love

  

  Widowed for over a year after her husband met with an accident while on a relief mission to hurricane ravaged New Orleans, Rose Ellen, better known as Zell still struggles with the loss. Her closest companion is a retired greyhound named Ahab. Although she wears Nick’s apron daily, Zell doesn’t...
  

• Book Review: Bang! How We Came to Be

  

  At long last, there is a beautifully illustrated children’s book explaining how the world and everything on it came to be that is based on science instead of religious pabulum. Yet for all the solid science, this easily understood book loses not an iota of wonder as it...
  

• Book Review: Death of a Kingfisher

  

  Scotland’s favorite constable, Hamish Macbeth is smitten by the lovely Mary Leinster who is pumping some much-needed revenue into the local village economy by marketing a beautiful piece of woodland property. By changing the name of Buchan’s Wood to “The Fairy Glen” coupled with professionally done...
  

• Book Review: Within the Flames

  Dirk & Steele operative Eddie has just begun to regain the hard won control over his pyrokinetic abilities, control that was stripped away during his last assignment. Shaken and barely able to keep his inner fires contained, Eddie is sent to New York in order to locate and protect a gifted young woman who is the target of a...
  

• Book Review: Pharmacology

  

  Shortly after discovering her father was dying of cancer, Sarah Striker moved forward with her plans to relocate to San Francisco to pursue a career in writing and hopefully, make enough money to send home to help pay for mounting medical bills. Sarah moves into a large house populated by an eclectic bunch of...
  

Friday 18 November 2011

• Book Review: Supervolcano Eruption

  

  Yellowstone National Park to create an image of what could potentially happen should the caldera that fuels the spectacular sights familiar to tourists around the world, suddenly erupt in what is known as a supervolcano. Looking to escape the misery of his wife leaving him for a younger man and the stress...
  

• Book Review: The Third Section

  

  Third in this outstanding historical fantasy series, the story picks up thirty years after Thirteen Years Later with Aleksei Danilov’s children taking up the story. Dmitry Danilov, a Colonel in the Russian army is busy facing off against both French and British forces but they may prove the least of his problems as a far more sinister foe reappears....
  

• Book Review: Fenrir

  

  Second of the excellent Craw series, Lachlan continues his unusual historical fantasy liberally laced with Nordic myths as Gods, clothed as regular humans walk the earth. Paris is under siege by several different Viking armies and only the delivery of Count Eudes’s sister...
  

Thursday 17 November 2011

• 'Dead Letters: The Very Best Grateful Dead Fan Mail' one to give this Holiday season

  

  A book to own and gift this Christmas season is 'Dead Letters: The Very Best Grateful Dead Fan Mail.'

Saturday 12 November 2011

• Book Review: The Whisperer

  

  Officer Mila Vasquez has built a solid reputation for finding lost or abducted children, a reputation that put her on a chilling collision course with several pedophiles, a couple of serial killers and a specter from the past. Mila is called into an extensive investigation following the grisly discovery of six severed left arms...

• Book Review: Supernatural

  Tying in with the hit CW network show Supernatural, monster hunter Bobby Singer finds himself in deep trouble following an assignment in Ashland, Wisconsin that has made Swiss cheese of his memory…and it’s progressive. Bobby cannot even remember where his car is and has no memory of...
  

• Book Review: The Twilight of Lake Woebegotten

  

  If you’re in the mood for an amusing read then look no further then Geillor’s delightful parody targeting both the popular Twilight series and Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon. After a sequence of unfortunate and rather questionable events, it was decided Bonnie Grayduck should leave her mother’s home in Santa Cruz, CA to finish high school in quiet Lake Woebegotten, Minnesota where...
  

• Book Review: Hell & Gone

  

  Swierczynski follows Fun & Games with more surprising, action packed adventures of ex-policeman Charlie Hardie who has a propensity for getting hip deep into trouble. After all, who else could survive a shootout only to be captured, drugged and hauled off to a secret facility where he is...
  

• Book Review: Blacklight

  

  Other then knowing his birthday, Buck Carlsbad is missing all memories from before the age of six when his parents were murdered. Growing up at the Institution, Buck pulled his first mark from a night orderly and discovered his calling. Not only is Buck capable of ingesting and...
  

Thursday 03 November 2011

• Book Review: How to Become a Really Good Pain

  

  This book is just what anyone interested in becoming a critical thinker needs to set them on the path of understanding the basis of other’s arguments and what questions to ask in order to spot faulty reasons for the things they believe. Begin by answering five key questions...

• Book Review: Say You'll Be Mine

  All her life, California winery owner Isabel Gallego’s has done what was expected of her. Now well into her forties, Isabel is determined not to become George Bailey of “It’s a Wonderful Life”, always putting the needs or expectations of others first. Instead, she has decided to sell Gallengos Wines and begin a new life far from...

• Book Review: Fate's Edge

  Just when Audrey Callahan gets a legitimate job offer doing something she enjoys, her conman father makes an unwelcome appearance in her home, disrupting all her plans of leading what passes for a normal life in the Edge. Once again, Audrey’s drug addicted older brother is in need of rehab and despite an ugly family history...

• Book Review: The Bride Wore Black Leather

  

  In the heart of London lurks the Nightside, a place where it is always dark, gods walk the street and the impossible happens on a routine basis. Years ago, John Taylor found himself in that strange part of town then managed to build a business for finding things and a reputation for trouble. Now, as the newly appointed Walker...

• Book Review: Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me

  

  Called a memoir of sorts because he might have embellished or misremembered past events, Cron presents a warm, personal account of growing up with an alcoholic father who maintained a secret life working for the CIA. When Cron was a very young boy the family hobnobbed with...

• Book Review: Down These Strange Streets

  

  Urban fantasy fans are sure to enjoy this latest compilation of sixteen short stories by several leading authors of the genre. Most, like Charlaine Harris’s “Death by Dahlia” pick up threads from ongoing series so it is helpful to have some familiarity with their previous work. “The Bleeding Shadow” by Joe Lansdale is a satisfying, stand alone little horror story about a struggling blues musician who signed away...

• Book Review: The Restoration Game

  

  Red headed Lucy Stone, a game designer with her own startup company is hired by a clandestine organization to develop a fantasy video game based upon the Krassnia culture and history. The only problem is, the Russian country of Krassnia doesn’t exist anymore and Lucy’s mom..

• Book Review: Sexiest Vampire Alive

  

  After a video went viral, the vampire population has been forced to do damage control. In order to get an agreement with the US government declare the video a hoax, Gregori Holstein must wine and dine the President’s daughters including reclusive Abigail Tucker. As a young vampire Gregori, frequently taunted by remarks like a “bottle-fed baby” because he has only partaken of...
  

• Book Review: Fury

  

  In the little town of Ascension, Maine two high school students discover decisions have serious consequences. Football player Chase Singer and popular Emily Winters, Em for short, are about to run afoul of the Furies, three beautiful vengeful wraiths who like nothing better then making people pay...
  

Monday 24 October 2011

• Book Review: Winging It

  

  Being a teenager is never easy but it’s especially difficult for Zoë Sorensson as she anxiously awaits coming into her full powers as the new Pyr Wyvern while keeping her identity as a dragon shape shifter a secret from her best friend Meagan. To top that off, Zoë’s parents have just separated, possibly for good...

• Book Review: Mafia: the Glamour of Crime

  

  The glitter, glamour and harsh violence of the real Mafia life is expertly blended with Hollywood’s many renditions in this outstanding collection of photographs augmented by interesting commentary. From the clever, bullet hole riddled cover to the play on words as illustrated by...

• Book Review: Fox & Phoenix

  

  Spirit animal companions, ghost dragons, magic and a kingdom in crisis make for a fun young adult action adventure read. Kai Zou was a street rat with his own gang of kids eking out a living in Long City before he began working as an apprentice at his mother’s tutoring shop. Now, missing the camaraderie of...

• Book Review: Horse Sayings

  

  Horses are special as anyone who has ever been fortunate enough to spend time around them can attest to and that is the basis of this charming collection of equine art and old witticisms. The eight chapters encompass everything from the bond riders share with their mounts to...

• Book Review: Down to the Bone

  

  Robson wraps up her highly inventive, often convoluted Quantum Gravity series with this complex tale that brings all the different elements of the story together in a satisfactory conclusion. The boundaries between worlds have grown so perilously thin that it is possible to end up in...

• Book Review: The Bite Before Christmas

  

  Just in time for holiday reading, these novellas from Lynsay Sands and Jeaniene Frost, two top paranormal romance authors, are sure to please fans of the Argeneau and Night Huntress series. From Sands comes “The Gift,” a sweet tale that brings together Katricia Argeneau, an ancient vampire beauty who has taken to..

• Book Review: The Tears of the Sun

  There have been several strong books in this series and unfortunately, this isn’t one of them. Instead of a strong plot driving Stirling’s post-change world forward, book eight of the Novel of Change series is more like a short story collection that...

Monday 10 October 2011

• Book Review: The Well -Spoken Woman

  

  As founder and president of Positive Communications, Jahnke has worked with women from around the globe teaching effective methods of being heard in a predominately male oriented corporate world where women are all too frequently viewed as less effective communicators...

• Book Review: Street Food

  

  From an assortment of beverages to a collection of fried, steamed or baked goodies and sweet treats, this celebration of street food spans the globe while providing interesting background information about the food’s region of origin and fascinating local traditions. The dizzying array of distinctive...

• Book Review: Goodie One Shoes

  

  One doesn’t have to be shoe obsessed to enjoy this undemanding mystery set in a trendy Manhattan shoe store. Following the breakup of her marriage after discovering husband Larry in bed with another woman, Emily Levine decided to make a new start by doing what she loved and sell shoes. Although they are not yet divorced...

• Book Review: Shelter Puppies

  

  For anyone who has ever brought home a new puppy, safely wrapped inside their shirt or jacket, this collection of heartwarming, heart-rending photos will bring back fond memories. Kloth, a lifelong dog lover, author and photographer has done a wonderful job of capturing the beguiling...

• Book Review: Red Phoenix

  First published in 2007, Chan’s recently re-released second book of the Dark Heaven’s series picks up the story of doomed lovers Emma Donahoe, a gifted nanny and John Chen who is actually the powerful Dark Lord of the North. Thanks to John’s decision to remain on...

Thursday 22 September 2011

• Book Review: Blood Harvest

  

  For the most part, the small seaside town of Black Stone Bay has moved on from the horrific events that took place Halloween night five years ago thanks to ancient vampire Jason Soulis. Jason enjoys wiling away eternity by setting up little “experiments” designed to create new varieties of...

• Book Review: Dead Mann Walking

  

  Wrongly convicted and subsequently executed for his wife’s murder, Hessius Mann was brought back to “life” after further evidence came to light, overturning the verdict. Thanks to researchers at ChemBet, a radical invigoration procedure or RIP made it possible to bring back the dead, only problem is, not everyone wants...

• Book Review: All Yours

  When Ines realized the intimate part of her marriage had evaporated she suspected her husband Ernesto was cheating, a suspicion confirmed when she found a smeared lipstick heart on love note tucked into his briefcase. Following her husband one fateful evening, Ines witnessed a confrontation between Ernesto and his...

• Book Review: Dark Predator

  

  Within moments of his lifemate’s death, Zacarias’s father turned vampire thus forcing the eldest of five brothers to kill him. At that moment, Zacarias De La Cruz realized there was something broken about him but continued to hang on until each of his younger brothers were safely settled with a...

• Book Review: Frail

  

  Zombies had been around for ages but in limited, easily controlled numbers, then gradually more and more dead were crawling out of their graves as zombies. As zombie numbers increased, communities began installing fences, warning systems and safe houses to protect their...

• Book Review: Children of Paranoia

  

  Joe, a twenty-five year old soldier serving on the front lines of a covert war that stretches beyond memory, has always thought of himself as moral man fighting on the side of all that is good and righteous. He follows the rules which means no killing of children under the age of eighteen or...

Wednesday 14 September 2011

• Book Review: Mercury Rises

  

  Picking up the story immediately after Mercury Falls, this funny, unconventional fantasy finds Christine Temetri, an unemployed reporter trotting off with a relief organization bound for Africa. Still recovering from...

• Book Review: White Tiger

  Originally released in 2006, this unusual blend of Chinese deities, the Tao, martial arts and romance is set in modern day Hong Kong where Australian born Emma takes a job as a live-in nanny for Simone, a sweet tempered four-year-old girl. With Leo, a huge body guard/driver and mysterious people coming and going at all hours...

• Book Review: Last Breath

  

  Book eleven of the popular Morganville Vampire series won’t disappoint as it opens with Eve working on wedding plans to her vampire lover, Michael. Morganville residents, vampire and human alike are less then thrilled at this improbable marriage and despite numerous warnings...

• Book Review: Culinaria Germany

  

  Take an armchair tour of the sights, history and tastes, especially tastes of Germany through the lushly illustrated pages of this comprehensive gastronomic celebration. With more then 1,400 photos, the authors do an outstanding job of documenting the fare and food culture of Germany’s sixteen states, frequently following...

• Book Review: Fabulous Finds

  

  Expert art, furniture and furnishings appraiser Lee Drexler shares her often-amusing experiences and discoveries made over the last thirty-five years in this entertaining, educational book. Drexler still gets a thrill when she uncovers a rare treasure for her clients as illustrated in...

• Book Review: Sins of the Angels

  

  With the city coping with a serial killer who, after carving his victims open leaves them carefully posed, the last thing homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis wants to do is train a rookie partner. Especially Jacob Trent who appears to have little grasp of proper police procedures, oozes attitude and worse, Jarvis swears she has seen...

• Book Review: The Burning

  

  Detective Constable Maeve Kerrington keenly feels the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle discrimination that comes with being a female officer of Irish descent in the London office. As a serial killer stalks the night, murdering and burning women in a gruesome crime spree...

Monday 12 September 2011

• Review: Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? What it Means to be Black Now by Touré

  

  Disclaimers are dubious ways to begin book reviews, but I think I should make a few things clear at the outset. I am a rather prolific Twitterer. In fact I was invited to share my thoughts on this book through that social media platform.

Tuesday 06 September 2011

• Book Review: Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts

  

  Coming from a family of gifted brainiacs and oddballs, Keats Sedlak considers herself the only sane member of the family but considering she has stayed with the same steady boyfriend from the time she was fifteen years old, that assertion might be...

• Book Review: Leonard Maltin's 2012 Movie Guide

  

  From Aaron Loves Angela to Zu Warriors, this comprehensive movie guide is everything moviegoers and DVD junkies have come to expect from world famous critic, Leonard Maltin. Each entry includes the release date, availability, ratings from 4-star to BOMB...

• Book Review: Isle of Night

  

  Growing up in an abusive home and with only faint memories of her mother, Annelise Drew was counting on her brains for a way out and with early graduation from high school, she thought getting into college a semester early would be it. A minor technicality compounded by...

• Book Review: Summer Storm

  Known as the four-leaf clover, high school aged best friends Annie, Steffi, Roger and Justin grew up together and felt like they knew everything there was to know about each other. Annie’s cousin Gina and her uncle had just moved in with...

Tuesday 30 August 2011

• Book Review: Drink Deep

  

  It’s been two months since that fateful night when Ethan, head of Chicago’s Cadogan House, took a stake to the heart. Like all the members of Cadogan House, Sentinel Merit is still struggling to come to terms with his loss though because of their on/off romantic entanglements she is haunted by...

• Book Review: Wolf at the Door

  

  Taking place just after Undead and Undermined, Davidson’s newest title combines the Wyndham Werewolves and Undead series. Rachel an accountant, a Wyndham werewolf and cousin to Michael the Pack leader is sent to Minnesota to stay abreast of...

• Book Review: Seasoned

  

  Mix a pitcher of pina coladas, find a comfortable shady hammock and ride along on tropical cruises around the Mediterranean and Caribbean aboard a luxury yacht. Victoria shares her adventures and misadventures working as chef on the charter yacht captained by...

• Book Review: One Salt Sea

  

  As the new Countess of Goldengreen, October Daye better known as Toby just got roped into taking on the responsibility of training Quentin as a squire. With Toby’s tendency to get into trouble with assorted powerful members of the fae community, she is justifiably concerned about...

• Book Review: Downpour

  

  After small town private investigator Harper Blaine died for two minutes, her life was irrevocably changed because that experience gave her the ability to be a Greywalker capable of moving between realms. Unfortunately, Harper has died more then once and the last time it happened, her powers were...

• Book Review: The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Three

  

  Filled with zombies, werewolves and assorted end of the world scenarios, Nightshade’s Volume Three horror collection features everything readers would expect along with some interesting surprises and twists. With “The Revel” and “City of the Dog,” John Lagan wrote what might be considered the two best...

Tuesday 23 August 2011

• Book Review: Repeat It Today With Tears

  

  First published in the UK, this disturbing novel plumbs the depths of obsession and taboo. All her life, sixteen-year-old Susanna yearned for the father she’d never known. Her distant, abrupt mother has no time or interest in such nonsense so Susanna knew little about her father beyond a treasured...

• Book Review: A Single Shot

  

  John Moon has had a difficult life starting from when his father lost the family farm to bank foreclosure leaving him with a pitiful couple of acres to scratch out a living on. His wife, tired of him being unable to hold a job for longer then a couple months at a time, packed up with...

• Book Review: Ready Player One

  The date is 2044 and the majority of earth’s citizens live in poverty with hunger gnawing at their bellies and no prospects for a brighter future. 1980’s obsessed game designer James Halliday provided an outlet through his interactive game, OASIS. People worldwide work, play and live within OASIS which has evolved through...

• Book Review: Ghost Story

  After taking a bullet to the chest and left dead in Lake Michigan, fans of the Dresden Files could be excused for assuming that wizard Harry Dresden’s many adventures are over and they would be wrong. Harry is picked up by a version of an afterlife police force who inform him...

• Book Review: Beneath Blossom Rain

  

  For those unfamiliar with the Snowman Trek, it is a grueling two hundred sixteen mile hike over eleven Himalayan passes in the remote country of Bhutan. In 2007, Kevin Grange found himself confronting some serious life issues and felt a group trek through...

• Book Review: Blood Ties

  Sunny McDonald fervently wishes for a normal life doing all the typical things an average teenager does. Too bad she won’t get that wish because as a fairy princess who happens to be the girlfriend of Magnus, the Blood Coven vampire leader...

• Book Review: Undead and Undermined

  

  Sadly, book ten of the Undead series might be more accurately titled Undead and Unremarkable as Betsy, Queen of the vampires continues blundering through time. Once again, Betsy awakes as a corpse, this time naked with a toe-tag and only...

• Book Review: One Grave at a Time

  Cat and Bones want nothing more then to enjoy some quiet together time but thanks in part to her unusual attraction for ghosts, that simply isn’t in the cards for them. Fabian, a ghost has requested Cat’s assistance in destroying the ghost of witch...

Monday 15 August 2011

• Book Review: Atlas of the Great Plains

  

  Lacking the drama of coastlines and magnificence of mountain ranges, the Great Plains rarely get the attention they deserve considering the amount of land encompassed within its loosely defined borders. Stretching from Texas into Canada, the Great Plains has a rich...

• Book Review: The Sookie Stackhouse Companion

  

  Can’t get enough of Sookie Stackhouse, then grab a copy of this comprehensive guide filled with a complete rundown on her many adventures and so much more. The book opens with "Small-Town Wedding," a new novella about the upcoming marriage between...

• Book Review: Delayed Justice

  

  Every police department across the country has a collection of cold cases, some ice cold but thanks to advances in the forensic sciences and the sheer dogged determination of dedicated investigators, more then a few of these cases are resolved, providing families with much needed...

• Book Review: Water to Burn

  

  As head of the San Francisco branch of an agency so secret few organizations know of its existence, Nola O’Grady monitors outbreaks of Chaos and generally keeps tabs on the weird. Nola has been assigned a “bodyguard” who is none other then her boyfriend Ari Nathan, an Israeli Interpol agent intent upon...

• Book Review: Someone Else's Twin

  

  Delia and Begona are identical twins born January 18, 1973 in Spain’s Canary Islands and due to a tragic mistake by hospital staff, Delia was switched with an unrelated baby. The families involved never knew of the error until years later when two cases of mistaken identity led to...

• Book Review: Spellbound

  When Savannah, a witch investigating a series of murders made the fervent offer to trade her powers to have the outcome of her investigation turn out differently at the end of Waking the Witch, she could hardly guess the outcome of that wish. Savannah didn’t realize she lost...

• Book Review: Joyful Cooking

  

  After suffering debilitating pain from a mysterious illness, Feldman began doing serious research that led her to discovering a different approach to food and cooking which allowed her to begin living pain free. Basing much of her approach on the results of a hair analysis to determine...

Saturday 06 August 2011

• Book Review: Ten Years on the Rock Pile

  

  For those of us who grew up in northern New England, it is common knowledge that Mt. Washington’s 6,288-foot summit is home to the worst ground level winds ever recorded on the planet. With maximum recorded wind speeds of 231 miles per hour, it follows that...

• Book Review: Lure of the Wicked

  After Naomi West’s latest assignment for the Holy Order, her loyalty has come under scrutiny despite all her previous hard work and impressive record. As a result, Naomi’s latest assignment isn’t out on the streets where she is most comfortable, instead she is ensconced within...

• Book Review: The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities

  

  Although Thackery Lambshead frequently insisted he was not a collector, today he would certainly though perhaps wrongly, be classified as a hoarder. No matter the size, if an item caught his fancy then it found a place in the cabinet. The drawings, writings and photographs...

• Book Review: Wicked Autumn

  

  On the surface, the backcountry English town of Nether Monkslip appears quiet and unremarkable, not the sort of place for a diabolically sinister murder. Head of the Women’s Institute of Nether Monkslip, Wanda Batton-Smythe is a force to be reckoned with. Unhappy in her marriage...

• Book Review: Tassy Morgan's Bluff

  

  After the dissolution of a disastrous marriage, painter Tassy Morgan sought refuge in the little seaside town of San Andreas, California. Tassy could not possibly have imagined the uproar her humble old beach house was going to stir up as it became the focus of...

Wednesday 03 August 2011

• The 2nd Norfolk Regiment from Le Paradis to Kohima – Book Review

  

  This is the story of just one regiment during the Second World War - the 2nd Norfolk.  It makes fascinating reading telling of the life of new recruits living in the Brittania Barracks, Norwich in the run up to war. 

• Neversuch House – Book Review

  

  Neversuch House is unusual. It is where the Haliburt family and their servants have lived for generations - and hardly anyone has ever left it.  The house and grounds supply everything anyone needs, apart from occasional deliveries from the world outside.

• Flowers in Watercolour – Book Review

  

  This is definitely a really good introduction to painting flowers.  Trying to get the right shades, and impression of a flower can be hard but with Wendy Tait's instructions you can really achieve this. 

• Coastal Landscapes in Watercolour – Book Review

  

  A good beginners guide to the subject, enabling total beginners to create a satisfying picture. The tracings allow accurate drawings to be created which are then filled in with watercolor paint according to the step by step instructions. 

• The Shaman’s Secret – Book Review

  

  Another in the Kit Salter children's adventure series.  Having been poisoned by her enemies, the Baker Brothers, Kit has been trapped in a coma.  Her friends are determined to save her.  Hearing of a mysterious inventor whose cures involve electric shocks, they set sail for America.

• Now You See Me – Book Review

  

  Lacey Flint is a detective constable in the Metropolitan Police who has been more involved with theft and rape cases than homicides.  After visiting a witness on a tough South London estate, she is horrified to find a woman by her car who has been fatally stabbed.

Saturday 30 July 2011

• Book Review: Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day

  

  This delightfully demented collection of stories is rather like taking a walk through the looking glass, you just never know where you’ll end up. Whether it’s an octopus living in a big city apartment building or a man who goes on an adventure with a mountain taking a walk beneath the sea, you can expect...

• Book Review: Vision Impossible

  

  Book nine of the Psychic Eye Mystery series delivers a smooth, fast-paced read full of double agents and surprises. When the one and only prototype of a specially equipped U.S. military drone goes missing, psychic Abby Cooper’s abilities are demanded by top ranking government officials to...

• Book Review: Eclipse Four

  

  This fourth anthology loosely based on some facet of time or space features several enjoyable surprises as illustrated by the first story about an interesting bet in “Slow as a Bullet” by Andy Duncan. Damien Broderick’s “The Beancounter’s Cat” is a fascinating tale including a...

• Book Review: Grave Dance

  

  After the Blood Moon at the end of Grave Witch, Alex Craft took some much needed downtime and is ready to get back to work but quickly learns to be careful what you ask for as she suddenly has a very full dance card. In what is proving to be her most difficult case yet, Alex must discover who is responsible for...

• Book Review: The Clockwork Rocket

  

  Egan takes the typical sci-fi space epic in a new direction with a universe in which normal laws of physics as we understand them simply don’t apply. Light doesn’t travel at a constant speed, instead, its velocity is dependant on its wavelength and it generates energy. In a fair approximation of spontantious...

• Book Review: The Fire King

  

  Soria, a member of the clandestine organization Dirk & Steel was still coming to terms with losing her dominant arm a year ago and the dissolving of her relationship with Roland, the organization’s main contact when summoned back to headquarters. With the unique ability to understand any language, Soria is sent to...

Wednesday 27 July 2011

• Mozart’s Last Aria – Book Review

  

  Was Mozart poisoned?  He certainly died very suddenly at the height of his fame.  There are rumors of infidelity, bankruptcy and murder.  His sister, Nannerl, is not convinced - until she starts to look more closely at what her brother has left behind.

• Vietnam Infantry Tactics - Book Review

  

  Vietnam is one of those wars which was highly important at the time, but has suffered from a poor image and lack of interest ever since.  Yet as this book shows, there is much to be learned from that war.  Rottman writes from experience.  He served in Vietnam as a member of the Special Forces. 

• Death in August – Book Review

  

  It's August 1963. Inspector Bordelli suffering from the searing heat of Florence and wishing he too could flee the city for the coast. Despite the heat, crime is minimal.  Then a wealthy widow is found dead apparently from an asthma attack.

Thursday 14 July 2011

• Book Review: The Consuming Instinct

  

  According to the book jacket, this book demonstrates how most acts of consumption can be mapped onto the four Darwinian drives of survival, reproduction, kin selection and reciprocal altruism. What the jacket does not say is just how entertaining, enlightening and informative this book is as Saad reveals the reasons behind...

• Book Review: Designer Apartments

  

  Whether you are an interior decorator, architect, a student of design or just looking for inspiration before doing some renovation, there is something for everyone in this comprehensive collection of beautifully photographed apartments. The book is divided into several chapters including New Buildings, Renovations, Lofts...

• Book Review: Feast

  

  In a genre crowded with tired paranormal creatures, Destefano takes traits from vampires, fae and werewolves to create a race known as the Darklings who feed on human dreams, sometimes to the point of killing the dreamer. After discovering her husband carrying on an affair with her best friend...

• Book Review: The Books of Elsewhere, Vol. 2: Spellbound

  This enchanting story picks up shortly after the conclusion of The Shadows in which young Olive and her mathematician parents moved into a spooky old house that the neighbors considered haunted and maybe cursed. It’s no wonder the house got a bad reputation as it appeared that all who lived there were certifiably crazy...

• Book Review: The Left Hand of God

  

  As an orphan, Thomas Cale finds himself in the care of the Redeemers, a dark religious group who value strict penitence reinforced by torturous punishments but aren’t above indulging in pedophilia. The Redeemers are not taking in unwanted children out of kindness but with the not so hidden agenda of...

Thursday 07 July 2011

• Book Review: Hilter in the Crosshairs

  

  Ira Teen Palm was just an average Joe with strong musical talent when he marched off to war against the Germans but bolstered by his love for sweetheart Helen and a deep-seated faith in God, became so much more. Rising to the rank of second lieutenant, Palm took part in a previously unknown...

• Book Review: Shock Value

  

  Most horror movie aficionados can rattle off the names of the top directors of the genre but know little about the early days of this relative upstart of the movie industry. This fascinating book explains how the likes of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Roman Polanski and a host of others succeeded in...

• Book Review: The Wreckage

  

  This taut, fast-paced financial thriller set in London and Iraq ties together a host of well-developed characters, each with a believable personal history. Iraqi-American Luca Tarracini has been investigating a string of bank bombings working on the premise that they were not acts of terrorism but rather cover-ups for...

• Book Review: Shadowflame

  

  As a new vampire Miranda has a lot to adjust to, not just a changed existence but also as the new Queen of the South married to David Solomon, Prime of the South there are layers of politics she doesn’t begin to understand. Although Miranda realizes...

Tuesday 28 June 2011

• Book Review: Dead Iron

  Monk combines a gritty western with gear-driven Steampunk, shapeshifters and magic for her latest series starring Cedar Hunt, a man cursed with lycanthropy by a Pawnee god. Carrying a load of guilt for the death of his brother Will, Cedar is a hunter and his latest quest is a small boy kidnapped from his bed in...

• Book Review: My Life As a White Trash Zombie

  

  When Angel Crawford awoke in the hospital emergency room, she was confused by her wound-free appearance as she continued to remember flashes of a horrible car accident complete with shattering glass and blood, a lot of blood. Not surprisingly, Angel’s blood tests came back positive for...

• Book Review: Home Improvement Undead Edition

  

  Most everyone knows how frustrating and nerve racking a home or office renovation can be, but what happens when you throw in a touch of the paranormal into that already stressful endeavor? That is the question editors Harris and Kelner presented to some of best selling authors in the paranormal genre and the result is this fun...

• Book Review: A Shot in the Dark

  

  Jesse James Dawson is more then a mild mannered husband and the father of a lovely little girl, he is a champion who fights for those humans stupid enough to bargain with demons. Jesse places his life on the line every time he faces off against a demon for a human’s soul. It’s difficult work that takes a...

• Book Review: English Ruins

  

  England’s long history has resulted in a fascinating array of abandoned structures dotting the countryside and now, thanks to the expertise of photographer Paul Barker and historian Jeremy Musson, these buildings are accessible to the armchair traveler. A color-coded map next to the index allows readers to immediately...

• Book Review: Flying Blind

  

  This offshoot of Cooke’s paranormal romance series Dragonfire will appeal to tweens and teens as fifteen-year-old Zoë Sorensson desperately hopes to grow into her powers as the Pyr Wyvern and hopefully get a set of boobs as well. Despite showing great promise as an infant...

• Book Review: For Heaven's Eyes Only

  

  Green makes liberal use of James Bond references in his fifth book of the Secret Histories series that finds Eddie Drood and his witchy lover Molly Metcalf pitted against a deadly foe bent upon taking over all humanity. After one of their own members killed the Drood clan Matriarch...

• Book Review: Dancing With Bears

  

  Darger and Surplus are dyed in the wool conmen looking out for themselves and turning a profit whenever, wherever possible which is why they finagled their way into a caravan bound for the Duke of Muscovy in Russia. Sir Blackthorpe Ravenscarin de Plus Prescieux, better known as...

Tuesday 21 June 2011

• Book Review: Tracking the Man-Beasts

  

  From Yeti to Sasquatch, vampires to chupacabras, assorted man-beasts have seemingly been around since mankind began telling scary stories around the campfire but what kind of solid evidence is available to document their existence? In addition, given the lack of scientifically valid evidence can the existence of...

• Book Review: A Stranger Like You

  

  Although marketed as a thriller, this compelling, unvarnished portrayal of Hollywood is actually a deep, thoughtful study as it delves deep into the psychology of the main characters. After would-be screenwriter Hugh Waters latest work is rejected by Hollywood producer Hedda Chase, he leaves his New Jersey home with...

• Book Review: Real Vampires Don't Wear a Size Six

  

  Glory St. Claire is finding her life as a vampire no walk in the park. Ever since her longtime boyfriend and creator Jeremy Blade found out Glory made love to shifter and former bodyguard Rafael Valdez, their on/off relationship has hit an all time low. The fact that Glory was possessed by a demon...

• Book Review: The Ridge

  Koryta’s latest offering serves up an interesting supernatural thriller that invites readers to suspend belief and simply enjoy an entertaining read. Along Kentucky’s landlocked Blade Ridge, a lighthouse is the last thing folks expect to find yet to the chagrin of neighbors...

• Book Review: Missing Persons

  

  If opposites attract then high school sweethearts, Kate Conway and her husband Frank prove that after fifteen years of marriage, that attraction can wear thin. Absorbed in her job as a freelance television producer specializing in true crime stories, Kate is a master at manipulating...

• Book Review: Hunt the Moon

  

  Fifth of the Cassandra Palmer series comes on strong with plenty of action as Cassie begins growing into her potential. While Cassie awaits her official coronation as Pythia, she is under constant guard and taking instruction in self-defense with the threat of attack ever present. When it comes...

Tuesday 07 June 2011

• Book Review: Portraits of the Prairie

  

  The lovely, soft-edged watercolors of Richard Schilling pair up splendidly with the prose of Willa Cather who had a rare appreciation for the prairie grasslands of America’s Midwest. From observing Herefords grazing a sunflower dappled...

• Book Review: Handcrafted Wire Findings

  

  After spending hours creating a beautiful jewelry piece why simply slap on whatever commercial finding you can locate when, with a little help from this book, you can custom build just the right finishing detail. Using what is referred to as fine silver wire allows the hobbyist to...

• Book Review: Simple Ways

  Norris presents another gentle call to practicing mindfulness in our everyday lives with this sweet collection of musings, meditations and considerations for the heart. Divided into four chapters, readers are encouraged to become more aware of their bodies, dwellings and...

• Book Review: The Reluctant Vampire

  

  Over two years later, Harper remains locked in the grip of overwhelming guilt over after the death of the woman who was to be his mate after failing to survive her turning. Convinced he has lost his one shot at ever having a life mate, Harper finds his life turned...

• Book Review: Haven

  

  Shepherd’s fourth and final book of the A Trial of Blood and Steel series does an excellent job of wrapping up an intense political and moral fantasy epic. Filled with ambiguity and battles ranging from all out warfare to one-on-one swordsmanship, the action driven pace is...

• Book Review: A Council of Shadows

  

  Adrian Breze is one of the Shadowspawn, a race humanity considers mythical as they are capable shape shifting, using powerful magic and drinking blood but in truth, centuries earlier they ruled mankind. Now the Council of Shadows is preparing to...

Monday 06 June 2011

• The Hanging Shed – Book Review

  

  It's 1946 and Douglas Brodie is struggling to come to terms with life on Civvie Street while trying to scratch a living as a freelance journalist.  Then comes the call from Glasgow.  An old childhood friend is facing the gallows but says he is innocent. 

• The Battle of Britain – Book Review

  This has to be one of the most exhaustive, encyclopedic books on the Battle of Britain that has ever been written.  It is definitely comprehensive, covering every possible aspect of the battle. 

• How to Draw Graffiti Style – Book Review

  

  Walking through any town or city, it is hard to avoid seeing graffiti.  Traditionally, it is regarded as something undesirable, to be removed as quickly as possible.  Yet there are artists who turned graffiti art into something special, something very different. 

• How to Draw and Paint Vampires – Book Review

  

  From Dracula to Buffy and Twilight - vampires are definitely popular.  Dark, gothic style novels are much in demand as are pictures in this genre. 

• Britain’s War Machine – Book Review

  

  David Edgerton is no stranger to controversy - many of his previous books have offered ground breaking slants on old subjects.  This is no exception. 

• The Making of the British Landscape – Book Review

  

  The landscape we see today is the result of centuries of use.  It is forever changing and reading the landscape highlights the history that has gone before.  Francis Pryor is an expert in this activity, and this book is a fascinating introduction to the subject. 

• David Bellamy's Complete Guide to Watercolour Painting – Book Review

  

  This is definitely a guide to watercolor painting that no artist can afford to be without. It is absolutely packed with information and advice.  David Bellamy is a skilled water colorist in his own right, and the book is full of examples of his work. 

• Roses in Watercolour – Book Review

  

  Many people admire flowers and would love to draw them - but lack the skills and knowledge to do so.  This book offers a simple, straightforward answer. If you can trace, you can create a picture.  Five step by step demonstrations are included showing how to create a selection of rose designs from basic tracings. 

Tuesday 31 May 2011

• Norton – Book Review

  

  A charming real life story for children which is based on the adventures of a cat who traveled the world.  Peter Gethers hates cats - until he meets Norton.  Within a very short time, the duo are inseparable. 

• The Secret Crown – Book Review

  

  Action packed, exciting and a thoroughly enjoyable plot all combine to create a really good read.  When a series of crates are discovered in a former Nazi bunker containing documents stamped with a black swan - the insignia of the nineteenth century king Ludwig of Bavaria, questions soon start to be asked. 

• The Little Book of the Pasty – Book Review

  

  Cornish Pasties are legendary, and are based on a traditional recipe now hundreds of years old.  The concept now spans continents following the emigration of Cornish people worldwide. 

• Prisoner of the Inquisition – Book Review

  

  Set in sixteenth century Spain; this is the story of Zarita - a girl who has lived a life of wealth and privilege; only to find it all collapse around her.  From being the pampered only daughter of the town's magistrate, she finds herself living in a convent, unwanted by her new stepmother. 

• Deadlock – Book Review

  

  Ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock has been hired to keep a deadly killer alive in prison. Out of 3,500 prisoners; 3,499 of them want to see Harris dead.   Frank 'Reaper' Harris is a white supremacist who has offered to grass on his colleagues.  But nothing is quite as it seems. 

• Book Review: Working Stiff

  

  After her hitch in the army ended, Bryn Davis returned stateside from Baghdad determined to build a decent life for herself. As being around bodies no longer bothered her, working at the upscale Fairview Mortuary in La Jolla, California seemed an ideal job. Bryn’s first full day at work results in discovering...

• Book Review: Kiss of Snow

  

  Tenth of the Psy-Changeling series centers on Hawke, alpha of the SnowDancer wolf pack and his romance with powerful the Cardinal X-Psy Sienna Lauren while building up to a battle between the Changelings and the Psy Council looking to make an example of them. Hawke believes he has forever lost his chance of having a...

• Book Review: The Rich and the Dead

  

  Edited by Nelson DeMille, this diabolical collection of murder mysteries by some of the best authors in the genre centers around the filthy rich and what they will do to stay on top and what others will due to topple them. Several stories such as “Happine$$” by Twist Phelan and David Morrell’s “The Controller” are interpretations of...

• Book Review: Bloodline

  

  After a brief hiatus Billingham is back and better then ever with this gripping tale of a frightening murderer targeting the children of an earlier serial killer’s victims. Fifteen years ago the now deceased killer Raymond Garvey terrified London residents with a series of horrible murders and it appears...

• Book Review: Spellcast

  Maggie Graham went home for a quiet soak in the tub after being fired only to have the bathroom ceiling collapse on her. In definite need a some time away from Brooklyn’s bustle, Maggie decides a weekend at a Vermont Bed and Breakfast would suit perfectly. Maggie ends up auditioning at the...

• Book Review: Shadow Raiders

  

  First of a new series, this book gets off to a slow start as the world of Aeronne with its warring kingdoms of Rosia and Freya are developed and then picks up the pace nicely. Despite generations of warfare, the two countries show no signs of deescalating the...

• Book Review: Soft Apocalypse

  McIntosh’s debut novel takes a different, likely more realistic view of the apocalypse set around the Savannah, Georgia countryside during the 2020’s to 2030’s. Instead of a major catastrophic event causing the crash of civilization, this tale describes society’s meltdown due to unrestricted use of resources, a forty percent unemployment rate, bioengineered...

Friday 27 May 2011

• Scorpia Rising – Book Review

  

  This is an incredible final story in the Alex Rider series.  It pulls together themes and villains from several earlier books, reuniting old foes keen to have their revenge on the teenage hero. 

• Exposed – Book Review

  Trainee journalist Annika Bengtzon has gained a summer placement on Sweden's biggest tabloid newspaper.  Desperate to prove her worth, she follows up a tip from a call line about the discovery of a young woman's body in a cemetery.  The result is more than she could ever have expected. 

• How to Draw Supernatural Style – Book Review

  

  If you want to draw zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghosts or goblins but never known how to do so - this is the book for you. Full of easy to follow steps and guidelines, it shows how to a variety of characters.

• How to Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture – Book Review

  

  Stunning is the only word to describe this book.  The illustrations are positively out of this world and are guaranteed to inspire generations of artists.  Rob Alexander has set out to show how to draw buildings from a variety of architectural styles - and then transform them in a fantasy landscape. 

Monday 23 May 2011

• Book Review: Let Us Water the Flowers

  

  This emotionally charged memoir recounts the author’s experiences as a political prisoner of Iran between 1984 and 1989, a time when such prisoners were being secretly executed by the thousands. In the face of inhuman torture and brutal interrogation techniques...

• Book Review: Hit List

  

  Longstanding fans of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series will rejoice to see that she has returned to what she does best, hunt vampires. Following a series of disturbing murders in Washington, Anita teams up with Edward in their official capacity as U.S. Marshals to hunt the killer or killers responsible for slaughtered...

• Book Review: Among the Departed

  

  Moonlight Smith, better known as Molly is a Trafalgar, British Columbia constable. Fifteen years ago Brian, the father of her best friend Nicky Nowak, disappeared without a trace while the rest of the family was attending church. As Molly and her boyfriend Adam Tocek of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are enjoying an...

• Book Review: Phoenix Rising

  

  Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences field agent Eliza Braun operates under the credo that every job, no matter how large or small, can be effectively dealt with by the use of dynamite. While rescuing kidnapped archivist Wellington Books, Braun may have overestimated the amount of...

• Book Review: Seamus the Sheltie to the Rescue!

  

  This charming collection of children’s stories centers around the adventures of Seamus, an intelligent, very articulate Shetland sheepdog. Each story deals with an important issue like bullying, being different or treating innocent...

Tuesday 17 May 2011

• Book Review: Who Will Care When You're Not There?

  

  Responsible pet owners frequently overlook the importance of planning for the care of their animal companions should something happen to them. Lining up pet sitting services while on vacation or recovering from surgery is quite different but no less important then setting up long term care. There are plenty of court cases that show how easy...

• Book Review: The Lost Fleet

  

  For those familiar with the Lost Fleet series, Dreadnaught is the logical follow-up to previous titles despite Campbell’s assertion that this is the start of a new saga. Captain John Geary, better known as Black Jack Geary, has emerged from a hundred years of cryogenic sleep to assume command and bring the Alliance Fleet...

• Book Review: Waltzing with the Enemy

  

  These moving, heartfelt memoirs by a Holocaust survivor and her daughter not only tell of survival in the face of incredible odds but also of understanding. Rasia Kliot was seventeen when the Germans marched into Vilnius, Poland forever changing her life. Thanks to the fair skin, blond hair and...

• Book Review: Eternal Kiss

  

  The Eternal Order of vampires who make no secret of abusing their power to maintain complete control has artificially forced one of three brothers, Nicholas Roman into early vampire maturity or morpho. After receiving the marks of his maturity including the mating marks, the Order charges...

• Book Review: Unnatural Issue

  

  Twenty-year-old Susanne Whitestone has lived at Whitestone Manor since her premature birth without ever seeing her embittered father Richard who became a recluse after his wife’s death in childbirth. Raised by the servants, Susanne who is an Earth Master...

Monday 09 May 2011

• Book Review: A Long Silence

  

  Throughout most of her life, Sabina de Werth Neu who was born in Germany in 1941 was ashamed and embarrassed by her past and being German. In this very personal memoir, Sabina revisits and comes to terms with her heritage and often traumatic past. As her mother struggled to provide for...

• Book Review: Dead Reckoning

  

  It’s a good thing business has been slow at Merlotte’s what with a firebombing followed by an attack by four big thugs, the problem is discovering who is responsible and there is no shortage of suspects. Since the two-natured, better known as were’s came out, Sam Merlotte let it be known that he is one and now there is no shortage of...

• Book Review: Always the Vampire

  

  Cesca Marinelli is not only a vampire princess, she is the maid of honor for her best friend Maggie’s Victorian wedding and nothing is going to prevent the big event from going off without a hitch though hopefully, without wearing a bustle. However, there is a sinister magical construct known as the Void that is infecting supernatural...

• Book Review: Contemporary Houses

  This stunning visual feast with commentary delivered in four languages, presents a sampling of spectacularly designed houses from around the world. With broad swaths of concrete, glass and steel, most of the architecture runs toward the ultramodern whether the setting is in the middle of a big city or perched on...

• Book Review: Magic Slays

  

  Things have been tough for Kate Daniels after she left the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid and with Pack assistance, started her own business. The Order has been hard at work on a smear campaign against Kate and being mated to Curran the Beast Lord means residents of this alternate Atlanta are terrified of...

• Book Review: Hard Bitten

  

  Since that fateful night when she was attacked on a Chicago college campus and turned into a vampire by Ethan, the sexy ruler of Cadogan House in order to save her, Merit’s life has not been the same. Shortly after being turned, Ethan appointed Merit to the post of Sentinel. Then the shapeshifters revealed...

• Book Review: Wire Art Jewelry Workshop

  

  Artist and teacher Miller puts her considerable expertise into this excellent, step-by-step instructional on basic wireworking techniques that is certain to get beginners off to a good start while refining the skills of intermediate artisans. Beginning with a comprehensive introduction to the necessary...

• Book Review: You Can't Outsource Weight Loss

  

  Instead of wasting money on mail order meals, useless pills or other dubious offers that do little more then separate the overweight from their money, the author advocates taking charge of your eating habits once and for all. Retired navel pilot Boullianne received a serious wakeup call after the premature death of his...

Thursday 21 April 2011

• Book Review: Metal Style

  

  If the thought of reorganizing precious workspace then purchasing the necessary tools and equipment to solder and do creative torch work sends you into a tailspin then explore the possibilities of cold joining as demonstrated in Dougherty’s new book. Using common tools, wire, a bit of sheet metal and assorted...

• Book Review: WWW: Wonder

  

  Sawyer’s final installment of the WWW trilogy finds Caitlin Decter, the previously blind sixteen-year-old math whiz who first discovered and bonded with an artificial intelligence known as Webmind, making a dramatic public announcement revealing Webmind’s presence. Evolved from the Internet, Webmind is seen as...

• Book Review: Alien in the Family

  

  With the countdown to Kitty Kat and Jeff Martini’s wedding closing in on the six-week mark, they are finding planning the prefect interspecies event becoming increasingly more complicated. Kitty is human and Jeff is one of the hunky males from Alpha Centauri charged with keeping visiting...

• Book Review: The Fifth Witness

  

  LA lawyer Mickey Haller continues conducting business out of the back of his Lincoln Town car while taking advantage of the foreclosure crisis by working on cases of homeowners about to lose everything in the fourth Lincoln Lawyer thriller. With so many cases, the legal system is just...

• Book Review: Rockin'

  

  For the uninitiated, rockabilly is a way of life for those smitten by the rough, raw, unsanitized-for-the-masses American born music of the early 1950’s. Rockabilly is a mindset that encompasses dress, dance moves, hairstyles and cars, especially custom hot...

• Book Review: Almost Final Curtain

  With her pale complexion and mismatched eyes, Anastasija Parker knew trying out for the high school production of My Fair Lady was a long shot but then, that really is the least of her problems. Her unusual heritage as half-witch, half vampire and a...

• Book Review: Sherry & Narcotics

  

  This superbly written, gritty story centers around online editor Mary and the gradual train wreak she makes of her life through drug addiction and poor relationship choices while living and working in England. Sparse, taut prose makes...

• Book Review: Under Heaven

  

  Kay’s latest sweeping alternative historical novel, newly released in paperback, leaves Europe and focuses instead on Kitan, a land that combines elements of Tang Dynasty China and Mongolia. Shen Tai is the middle son of Shen Gao, a distinguished General who died in battle along with forty thousand other...

• Book Review: Savage Nature

  

  Struggling wildlife photographer and licensed guide Saria Boudreaux knows the Louisiana bayou and its inhabitants like few others. The discovery of three bodies in the swamp, each killed by the suffocating bite of a big cat, a leopard, has Saria worried that one of her shapeshifting brothers could be...

Thursday 14 April 2011

• Book Review: The End of Everything

  

  Thirteen year old Lizzie Hood and Evie Verver are best friends and poised as they are on the cusp of adolescence are coping with their changing bodies, boys harsh teasing and the insidious knowledge that life is about to become a lot more complicated. As part of a broken home, Lizzie has long been envious of...

• Book Review: Marie Cuire A Biography

  

  During late 1800’s, early 1900’s women were generally considered intellectually, emotional and physically inferior, hardly worth educating beyond the high school level. Through sheer determination and incredible, single-minded hard...

• Book Review: Abstract Graffiti

  

  Graffiti, vandalism, tagging or street art, whatever you choose to call it, this is arguably the most controversial current art form going and its impact spans the globe. Through photos, artist interviews, interviews with...

• Book Review: The Scar-Crow Men

  

  Book two of the Swords of Albion series finds Will Swyfte, a spy, swordsman, scholar and general scoundrel facing his darkest hours with nary an ally watching his back. As the scourge of Black Death ravages the English countryside, Queen Elizabeth inexplicitly remains...

• Book Review: Immortal With a Kiss

  

  As a Dhampir, Emma Andrews was literally born to be a vampire hunter but lacking the necessary knowledge to be an effective warrior, she went to a monastery in Copenhagen for further studies. While there, her good friend Sebastian Dulwich wrote about a situation at the...

• Book Review: Vampire Mine

  

  To the consternation of his friends, with the approach of his five hundredth birthday Connor has gotten increasingly crankier and more withdrawn. Carrying the crushing guilt of past deeds, Connor believes himself damned and sees no way to...

Thursday 07 April 2011

• Book Review: The Lucy Man

  

  This engaging biography about Don Johanson, one of the most famous paleoanthropologists of all time will inspire young people to pursue their natural interest in fossils while educating them about humanity’s extensive family tree. Although Dr. Johanson rocked the scientific community with...

• Book Review: Lover Unleashed

  

  Fans looking for another stellar entry to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series will be disappointed by this contrived, stiff feeling story that supposedly is about Vishous’s twin sister and Chosen, Payne and a brilliant human surgeon, Dr. Manuel Manello. A severe spinal injury left Payne paralyzed, her only hope for a normal life lies with...

• Book Review: Dolci di Love

  

  When Lily Turner, a top executive for Heigelmann’s, a major Manhattan based company first discovered a photo stuck in her husband’s golf shoe she didn’t know what to feel. Childless and apparently barren, Lily had wanted nothing more then to be able to hold a...

• Book Review: The Taint of Midas

  

  World traveler, scholar and sometime detective with high connections, Hermes Diaktoros was dismayed to return to his beloved home on the Greek island of Arcadia just in time to discover his long time friend Gabrilis Kaloyeros dead on the roadside. A victim of a hit and run accident, Gabrilis was left in the bushes to...

• Book Review: Coffee Talk

  

  From the young shepherd who observed his goats strange behavior to modern day Starbucks, Satin follows coffee’s history from its discovery in the Ethiopian highlands to its eventual place as the world’s most popular hot cup. Recognizing coffee’s ability to sharpen mental functions and improve...

Wednesday 06 April 2011

• Tomorrow – Book Review

  

  A group of Australian teenagers decide to go on one last camp before their school holidays end. They head off for an isolated hillside destination.  When they come back, their world has changed.  Families have disappeared, there is no power, no radio, livestock is dead or dying. 

• Arcadia Falls – Book Review

  

  When the death of her husband reveals major financial problems, Meg Rosenthal is forced to give up her life as a wealthy East Coast housewife and seek a job at a rural private school teaching folklore and literature.  Her teenage daughter is not happy and takes out her resentment on Meg. 

• A Market for Murder – Book Review

  

  A lightweight 'cozy' crime novel, with a theme that is a bit dated nowadays. A peaceful West Country village is shattered when a bomb explodes in the local supermarket. A few days later, a stallholder is killed having been shot with a cross bow during a farmer's market.  Karen Slocombe witnesses both events. 

• How To Draw and Paint Dragons – Book Review

  

  If you love drawing dragons, this is the book for you.  Tom Kidd not only provides templates and ideas on Dragon style, but gives hints on how to make them authentic. 

• Napoleon’s Pyramids – Book Review

  

  The year is 1798.  Adventurer Ethan Gage wins a medallion in a card game only to find himself in prison, accused of murder.  He manages to escape by choosing to accompany Napoleon Bonaparte on a mission to conquer Egypt.  But Gage's enemies are not far behind.  They are determined to get hold of the medallion. 

• The Seal King Murders – Book Review

  

  Set in Victorian times in the far north of Scotland; Constable Faro is returning to Orkney with plans to investigate the death of an ex-colleague's relative.  Dave Claydon had been a champion swimmer - yet had drowned in mysterious circumstances.  Was this an accident or not?

• Belle’s Song - Book Review

  

  Belle lives near to the Tabard Inn in Southwark.  Meeting a group of pilgrims about to set off en route to St Thomas A Becket's shrine in Canterbury; Belle decides to join them in hope of a miracle - that her father will walk again.  It is a journey that has unforeseen consequences. 

• Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Watercolour Flowers – Book Review

  

  A 'how to' guide on painting flowers in the style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Very practical with five easy to follow projects; this will prove a valuable addition to the shelves of any keen botanical painter. 

• Star Trek: Enterprise: The Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wing – Book Review

  

  The Kobyashi Maru has been lost and Captain Jonathan Archer is trying to deal with the guilt he feels from having not been able to save her, and also with the seemingly endless threats to planets that form the new Coalition. 

• Vintage Jewelry Design: Classics to Collect and Wear – Book Review

  

  This lovely well illustrated volume will delight both the vintage jewelry collector and the novice with stunning photographs and useful information.  It is also of value to designers, art students and jewelry makers for a wealth of ideas from the past that can be incorporated into modern creations. 

Thursday 31 March 2011

• Review: Aladdin Legacy Of The Lost Graphic Novel

  

  Novel Synopsis: From the mystical city of Shambhalla to the ends of the earth comes a tale of magic, mystery and the motivations of power.

• Book Review: Blood of the Wicked

  After the big quake redrew the maps, people were looking for a scapegoat and thanks to the government and church; witches fit the bill and gave rise to the Holy Order charged with finding and killing all witches. Ever since Jessie Leigh and her younger brother Caleb watched their mother’s...

• Book Review: Revolution World

  

  What do you get when you combine nerdy romance with fire breathing cows set against a backdrop of revolution opposing an out of control government, a delightful if zany satire packed with twists and laughs. Around Ambrosia Springs...

• Book Review: The Search for Spirituality

  

  King, professor emerita of theology and religious studies at the University of Bristol does an excellent job of presenting spirituality on a global scale. She starts by defining spirituality and how different cultures and languages embrace...

• Book Review: Haunt Me Still

  In her follow-up to Interred with Their Bones, Carrell looks to add an unusual twist to Shakespeare’s Macbeth by the supposed addition of ritual magic written into the original script. When the reclusive, slightly eccentric Lady Nairn approached Kate Stanley with a job directing...

• Book Review: The Popes of Avignon

  

  Newly released in paperback, Mullins presents an invaluable guide to Church history from 1308 to 1378. Increasing political pressures compounded by fear of hostile Roman mobs drove Pope Clement V to Avignon, a small French community of...

• Book Review: Presidential Leadership

  

  Ragone examines what he considers the fifteen most significant presidential decisions, decisions that frequently went against the advice of staff and advisors. George Washington’s squelching of the whiskey rebellion, Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of...

• Book Review: I, Monster

  

  Reading these chilling accounts from a sampling of the worst, most deviant killers, sometimes shown in their own handwriting, will leave true crime fans with a lingering sense of being tainted somehow. High profile serial killers such as Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, David Parker Ray and...

Monday 21 March 2011

• Book Review: How Dare You Say How Dare Me!

  Comedian Pat Cooper’s entertaining memoir opens with recollections of his Italian family headed by a strict, no-nonsense father who fully expected his son to become a bricklayer. He began pursuing his passion by doing impersonations on the side and when happenstance opened a place on the...

• Book Review: Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook

  

  Those lucky enough to live close to New York’s Clinton St. Baking Company know the sublime joy of sinking their teeth into a fresh, crunchy topped muffin or a stack of ethereal hot pancakes liberally drizzled with maple butter. Now thankfully, everyone can enjoy these treats and...

• Book Review: The Band That Played On

  

  Most everyone familiar with the story of the Titanic’s sinking has heard about the selfless action of the band members who continued to play throughout the catastrophe, calming terrified passengers and crew at the expense of their own lives. Until now, little has been known about those brave...

• Book Review: Bite Club

  

  Morganville, Texas is just your average college town, average that is except for the fact it is ruled by vampires who share an uneasy coexistence with its human residents. Claire Danvers is more then a bright, perceptive college student, she is a Friend of one of Morganville’s founder vampires and works for a demented...

• Book Review: Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King's Daughter

  Set in England during the 1920’s, this delightful bit of fluff features the mentally challenged but good natured Devereux Lyminster, better known as Blotto although he doesn’t drink and his dishy looking, intellectually gifted sister Lady Honoria who prefers the name Twinks. They cause their mother...

• Book Review: Thirteen Years Later

  Before there were sparkling, angst driven, noble vampire teen idols these creatures of the night were deadly predators and thankfully, Kent has returned them to their proper place in this ambitious series. Set in 1825, Russian agent Aleksei Danilov who had defeated a group of vampires thirteen years earlier has...

• Book Review: The Wise Man's Fear

  

  Rothfuss’s sweeping follow-up to The Name of the Wind released in 2007 is well worth the long wait as it continues Kvothe’s life story as he recounts it to Chronicler. Although Kvothe appears to be nothing more then a simple, soft-spoken innkeeper, he has led a remarkable...

Tuesday 15 March 2011

• Book Review: The Cloud Roads

  

  An orphan with no clear memories of his family or people, Moon hides his ability to shapeshift into a grand winged creature because the form reminds the tribes of an evil race known as the Fell. Moon’s world is populated by a variety of...

• Book Review: The Lust for Blood

  

  While much has been written about the minds and deeds of serial killers and other violent offenders, little attention has been given to the reasons for why the average person is drawn, sometimes almost against their will and certainly their better judgment to scenes of...

• Book Review: North American Wildland Plants

  

  Fine, painstakingly drawn illustrations coupled with detailed captions and written descriptions encapsulating the prominent characteristics of each plant make this an invaluable field guide for anyone interested in identifying wildland plants. The two hundred plants featured...

• Book Review: The Bone Yard

  

  In charge of the Tennessee forensic research facility known as the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Brockton reluctantly leaves his work to assist visiting Florida forensic analyst, Angie St. Claire in her quest to ferret out the truth behind her sister’s alleged...

• Book Review: Dark Prince Author's Cut Special Edition

  

  With one hundred pages of new material, Feehan’s latest release of Dark Prince is to the Dark series, what special “director’s cuts” are to the movie business. Mikhail Dubrinsky, Prince of the Carpathian race has held out against the darkness for so long he is on the verge of...

Friday 11 March 2011

• Streetlife – Book Review

  

  This is an unusual approach to twentieth century history, looking at a world most people take for granted: the way ordinary people thought and acted on the streets, in community areas, bars and clubs.

• Drop Zone Terminal Velocity – Book Review

  

  Teenager Ethan Blake is a skydiver as well as being part of a top secret covert operations unit.  Homeless teenagers are turning up battered and beaten up.  Is it organized crime or something more?  Ethan is chosen to go undercover on this dangerous mission. 

• Falling Glass – Book Review

  

  Down on his luck and struggling to make a honest living, Killian is forced to return to his old career as an enforcer, collecting debts and finding people who would prefer to stay hidden.  Richard Coulter, a prominent Irish businessman and owner of a budget airline is hunting for his ex wife and their two children who have gone missing. 

• War Since 1900 – Book Review

  

  This is the perfect book for anyone who is interested in modern military history.  Extremely thorough and detailed, it covers all the major wars and campaigns that have taken place in the past 110 years from the Boers to Afghanistan.

• Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle De Borchgrave – Book Review

  

  Paper is one of the most fragile of all materials and it is hard to imagine that the complex creations of Isabelle De Borchgrave are actually nothing more than paper.  Elizabethan gowns, Renaissance finery and Fortuny pleats are just some of the stunning paper dresses created in her atelier. 

• Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Second Edition – Book Review

  

  Author Joseph McBride wrote his first edition on Steven Spielberg in 1997.  The subjects of McBride’s other books, John Ford and Frank Capra (both acclaimed books and also being reprinted by the publisher of this new edition), careers had stalled since they had both gone on to that great backlot in the sky. 

Wednesday 09 March 2011

• MGM: Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot – Book Review

  

  That capsule review from the legendary Clint Eastwood basically says it all.  At one time MGM studios roared with life and its backlot was abuzz with activity and all the Hollywood stars that shone in the sky tread there. 

Monday 07 March 2011

• Book Review: House, M.D. vs. Reality

  

  Whether you can’t get enough of the hit television series House or are interested in how the show compares to real doctors and staff, Holtz’s new book fills the bill. Using examples from a number of episodes, the author looks at the real world cases that provided inspiration...

• Book Review: Power Dressing

  

  When it comes to power dressing men have it easy, simply slap on a suit and tie and they’re good to go. Women on the other hand, are scrutinized and judged from hairdo to shoes, everything is fair game and open to speculation. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for example has been criticized for...

• Book Review: Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing

  Talented clothing designer and seamstress Scarlet Santana decided to give up a promising engineering career in favor of following her dream of success in haute couture. It was a move her family strongly disapproved of, especially as Scarlet’s demanding...

• Book Review: Death's Sweet Embrace

  When weresnow leopard Kathryn Jordan, better known as Kit, was banished from her pride, she had to leave her twin daughters and her lover behind, a cruel measure that forced her to survive any way she could in a world where shapeshifters and humans live more or less in harmony. Her past was reawakened when...

Saturday 05 March 2011

• Book Review: Fallin' Up by Taboo - Keep It on the Positive

  

  A good biography is like a first long, good hang-out with someone you know you want to be friends with; it is revealing, compelling, endearing and trust building.

Sunday 27 February 2011

• Book Review: River Marked

  

  After surviving a “surprise” wedding, coyote shifter and VW mechanic Mercy and her werewolf mate Adam, Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack, headed to the peace and quiet of Washington’s Columbia River Gorge area. With unrestricted access to a closed campground and a lovely new camp trailer, the newlyweds were enjoying...

• Book Review: Pale Demon

  

  Rachel Morgan is finding life difficult since she has been condemned and shunned for performing black magic. In hopes of clearing her name and reputation, to say nothing of her business, Rachel is to appear before the annual witch’s conference taking place in three days. While Rachel never expected...

• Book Review: Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts

  

  Successful internet PR specialist Rachel Fielding’s life has just fallen apart. After ten years as “the other woman”, Rachel has broken up with her lover, quit her job and lost use of her fashionable London flat. On top of that, Rachel’s Aunt Dot has recently died and left her with...

• Book Review: Death of a Chimney Sweep

  Return to the quiet, quaint hamlets of northern Scotland as Hamish Macbeth brings his own interpretation to what was considered an open and shut murder case. In the tiny Highlands village of Drim, Pete Ray has provided the necessary service of chimney sweep for years...

• Book Review: One of Our Thursdays is Missing

  

  A witty, pun-filled stroll through the literary world awaits readers within the latest installment to the Thursday Next series that finds Bookworld remade and the heroine attempting to live a decent life while avoiding the grim sentence of being remaindered. A longstanding border dispute between...

• Book Review: Falling Under

  

  Seventeen-year-old Theia Alderson has spent her entire, overly sheltered and structured life trying to be invisible. For the most part, she lives trying to please her distant, cold father. That quiet existence changes one night with the arrival of a burning man on the front lawn. Now Theia’s nights are spent in...

• Book Review: Daybreak Zero

  

  Ten months ago the mysterious force known as Daybreak launched an all out assault on the human race through a series of fusion bomb attacks and the release of petroleum eating nanoswarms that resulted in the death of billions. Now the world is a different place, old technologies have been resurrected while...

• Book Review: Accidentally Catty

  

  After a nasty turn of events in the big city, forty-one year old veterinarian Katie Woods felt it necessary to relocate her practice to a small town in upstate New York where the locals barely tolerate her. Katie’s life takes a turn for the weird after receiving a scratch while treating a wounded...

Wednesday 23 February 2011

• Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History – Book Review

  

  We take plants for granted - but they have had a major influence on our lives.  In this book, Bill Laws looks at fifty plants which have truly changed the course of history - from cotton to tea, wheat to grapes.  The less well known are also covered such as hops, ginger, tulips, sugarcane, black pepper and indigo. 

• Bury Your Dead – Book Review

  

  Chief Inspector Gamache is asked to help investigate the murder of a man in the English Library of Quebec.  In doing so, it brings up a long dead mystery as to where the founder of Quebec was actually buried.  Can Gamache solve the two mysteries?

• The Serpent Pool – Book Review

  

  Sidelined into investigating cold cases, DCI Hannah Scarlett is seeking to discover the truth behind an apparent suicide in the Serpent Pool.  It seems an unlikely way in which Bethany would have committed suicide since she was frightened of water.

• Handbook of Watercolour – Book Review

  

  This is a book for beginners and advanced artists alike.  If you want to know how to paint watercolors - this is the place to start.  Step by step instructions demonstrate how to paint buildings, scenes, flowers, skies, seas and wintery scenes. 

• Celtic Alphabets – Book Review

  

  Another very practical and extremely useful book by Judy Balchin.  It is a book that will delight artists and craftspeople alike as it contains eleven alphabets using different styles of Celtic lettering.  Some are very simple outlines, while others incorporate integral designs, heads and animals. 

• Celtic Fantasy in Watercolour – Book Review

  

  Practical and inspirational are the only words that can be used to describe this fascinating book.  Celtic mythology has wide appeal, but it can be very complex and difficult to draw.

• Venice in Watercolour – Book Review

  

  The glories of Venice have inspired painters for centuries, but not everyone can get there.  Joe Dowden has created a series of step by step projects which are ideal for competent artists. 

• Designs from the Book of Kells – Book Review

  

  The ninth century Book of Kells is a masterpiece of medieval Celtic art, a collection of complex spiral designs, interlaced patterns and images both religious and fantastical. Angels, birds, animals are linked in stunning lined designs. 

Monday 21 February 2011

• Book Review: The Cholesterol Delusion

  

  If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with either high cholesterol or heart disease then run, don’t walk to your nearest bookseller and request a copy of this title. With thirty-two years experience in private practice and a Fellowship in Cardiology, Dr. Curtis presents a well-reasoned, persuasive argument that far from being the boogeyman, cholesterol plays essential roles in...

• Book Review: The King of the Crags

  

  Picking up the story shortly after The Adamantine Palace leaves off, this dark fantasy finds Prince Jehal’s plans falling neatly into place with one minor exception; he has been unable to locate Snow, the missing white dragon. The dragons, long kept under human control through the use of drugs and abusive...

• Book Review: Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree

  

  Between keeping two active young boys in line, maintaining her household and taking care of her wealthy father-in-law, William Willis, Sr., Lori Shepherd is about run off her feet. A newcomer to the small town of Finch, Willis Sr. recognized the potential of Fairworth, a decrepit old...

• Book Review: Uprising: Vampire Federation

  

  Tired of insipid vampire characters oozing angst and pining for their human lover, then check out this unabashedly dark, gory celebration of the dark side of these paranormal characters. Detective Inspector Joel Solomon had his young life torn apart by the gruesome murder of his family, a tragedy that left deep...

• Book Review: March in Country

  While Knight’s ninth entry to the Vampire Earth series is better then the previous three, it fails to propel the story forward in any meaningful way which is unfortunate as the premise holds the potential for so much more. Major David Valentine and the Kurian are in a race to...

• Book Review: Hunger Untamed

  

  Ever since Ariana, Queen of the Ilinas severed her mating bond with Kougar over a millennia ago, the Feral Warrior has been an emotional and functional cripple trying to defend his people. Then unaccountably, Ariana’s second, Melisande showed up with news that...

Thursday 17 February 2011

• Book Review: Play Dead

  

  This complex fourth book of the Dog Days series finds San Francisco magic enforcer Mason along with his dog Lou, a magical familiar known as an Ifrit, taking a job tracking the whereabouts of a missing woman. She is suspected of stealing an ancient magical...

• Book Review: Home for a Spell

  

  Stony Mill, Indiana resident and sometime witch Maggie O’Neill, facing a protracted healing process after breaking her ankle, temporarily moved in with boyfriend and wizard Marcus Quinn. Disturbed by Marcus’s decision to postpone his college plans in order to care for her, Maggie sets off to find...

• Book Review: Separate Beds

  

  The shaky economy plunges a dysfunctional London family into controlled chaos threatening to tear them apart in Buchan’s latest offering that delves into the ties that bind a family together. Annie Nicholson and her husband Tom, wrapped in their careers...

• Book Review: Cowboy Angels

  

  McAuley has taken the well-used concept of doorways to alternative, parallel worlds and added some fresh, inventive twists. When physicists at a lab stumble upon the ability to create Turing gates, the United States government quickly takes control of the technology and launches on a long campaign of...

• Book Review: Soul Mirror

  

  Picking up the story four years after The Spirit Lens, twenty-two year old Anne de Vernase is desperately trying to rebuild her shattered life after her father was found guilty of treason. Anna’s mother has gone insane, her little brother is imprisoned and her younger sister has died while studying magic at college. Anna isn’t even allowed through...

• Book Review: The Cypress House

  

  World War I veteran Arlen Wagner has a most unusual gift, he can see who is going to die before it happens and while this ability has caused him plenty of problems, it has also saved his life from time to time. Traveling by train with his friend Paul Brickhill to...

Monday 07 February 2011

• Fighting Fantasy – Forest of Doom – Book Review

  

  First published back in the 1980's, this book has long been out of print.  A welcome reissue of the Fighting Fantasy series has led to its return -and the introduction of the gaming concept to a whole new generation of readers. 

• The Wichenford Court Murder – Book Review

  

  A murder at Wichenford Court mirrors a murder that took place a couple of centuries earlier in exactly the same spot. The victim was not exactly popular and the suspects are all too numerous. Inspector Wickfield and his assistant, Sergeant Holbrook have the task of trying to untangle the various strands. 

• Brainjack – Book Review

  

  Sam Wilson is a teenage computer hacker.  His aim is to hack the White House but in doing so, he lets loose a dangerous virus which infects millions of people. It is cybercrime with a difference - computers steal people's brains and turn them into attackers.

• A Shortcut to Paradise – Book Review

  

  Best selling writer Marina Dolç is found murdered in the Ritz Hotel, Barcelona on the night she wins a major literary prize.  The trophy has been used to batter her to death.  Disgruntled runner up Amadeau Cabestany is immediately arrested.

• Mountains and Moorlands in Colour – Book Review

  

  A well known watercolorist, David Bellamy looks at how to paint a very specialist subject - mountains and moorlands. 

• Painting Watercolour Landscapes the Easy Way – Book Review

  

  Watercolor painting looks easy until you try it.  Terry Harrison has set out to actually make it easy, giving simple easy to understand instructions which even the most novice artist can follow. 

• The Aegean Prophecy – Book Review

  

  A monk is murdered in the middle of the town square of Patmos during the Holy Week celebrations.  Chief Inspector Kaldis, head of the Greek Police Special Crimes Division, and his sidekick Yianni Kouros are called in to investigate only to find that the body has been removed to the monastery ready for burial and the crime scene non-existent. 

Thursday 03 February 2011

• Book Review: The Postmistress

  

  The lives of three women; Iris James postmistress of Franklin, Massachusetts, Emma Trask, just married to the town’s doctor Will Fitch and radio reporter Frankie Bard are intertwined in this uneven story set in the early 1940’s. Frankie chaffing at taking direction from...

• Book Review: Unknown

  Martin Harris was warned he might suffer some memory problems after the accident that left him in a coma for three days, though nothing could have prepared him for a world suddenly turned inside out. When Martin returned home, his wife Liz didn’t recognize him and worse, another...

• Book Review: Angel of Vengeance

  As a vampire, Mick Angel is a private investigator with a difference and a personal agenda. He seeks justice for the little guys who get the short end of the LA judicial system and operates by a strict moral code that includes not harming women, children or...

• Book Review: Nella Last in the 1950's

  

  The third volume of Nella’s personal diaries set in post WWII Britain continues her insightful observations of everyday life at the dawn of the nuclear age. With the end of the war, shipyards were scaling back production and Nella’s husband Will was forced into retirement, a decision that left him...

• Book Review: Naming the Bones

  

  When Professor Murray Watson was a teenager, he had the good fortune of picking up a slim volume of poetry by Archie Lunan who drowned thirty years ago. The strength of Archie’s prose struck a chord that remained one of the few constants in Dr. Murray’s unremarkable life. Just prior to...

• Book Review: The Griffin's Flight

  

  The Griffin’s Flight picks up Arren Cardockson’s story shortly after The Dark Griffin where, with the help of Skandar a black griffin, Arren wreaked his revenge on those who orchestrated his fall and destroyed a city. During the course of those actions, Arren plunged to his death...

Tuesday 25 January 2011

• Book Review: Of Truth and Beasts

  

  Wynn Hygeorht of the Guild of Sagecraft returned from her perilous journey to obtain the ancient texts known as the Forgotten History only to have the Guild confiscate both the documents and her personal journals. Though Wynn’s journals were returned, the Guild denied her any chance of...

• Book Review: The Devotion of Suspect X

  

  First published in Japanese in 2005, this cunning cat-and-mouse mystery continues the adventures of physics professor and part-time detective Manabu Yukawa, also known as Detective Galileo by the local police. Ex-hostess and working mom Yasuko Hanaoka just wants to be left alone to quietly...

• Book Review: Of Blood & Honey

  

  Set during the violence of 1970’s Ireland, Liam’s mother, Kathleen Kelly kept the identity of his father Bran, a closely guarded secret and for good reason. Bran was Fey and currently occupied with an on-going battle outside the human realm against The Fallen led by bloodthirsty Redcap. The battle occasionally spilled over on...

• Book Review: Across the Universe

  

  First of an inventive new young adult series, this complex sci-fi is certain to spawn a new generation of science fiction buffs. Amy decided to join her parents aboard the gargantuan spaceship Godspeed in a cryogenic state to be reawakened on a new world three centuries in the...

• Book Review: License to Ensorcell

  

  Part of an ultra secret U.S. government organization charged with paranormal investigations and monitoring Chaos, Nola O’Grady has recently relocated back to her home city of San Francisco where she hopes to keep work separate from family. Used to working alone through an anonymous handler, Nola is unpleasantly surprised to learn...

Monday 24 January 2011

• The Anatomy of Ghosts – Book Review

  

  The year is 1786 and publisher John Holdsworth is definitely down on his luck.  His son has died in an accident, his wife committed suicide, his business has collapsed and he has lost his home. 

• The Soul Collectors – Book Review

  

  Don't read this book at bedtime!  As a child, Charlie Rizzo was abducted. Now he is back and holding his family hostage.  He demands to meet Darby McCormick, a police officer who investigated his abduction.

• A Year Without Autumn – Book Review

  Jenni Green and her family are on holiday at a time share resort where they go every year.  So is Jenni's best friend Autumn.  On her way to meet Autumn, Jenni gets into a lift. When she reaches the ground she finds she has been transported one year forward in time - and that tragedy has struck.

• On the Blue Comet – Book Review

  

  An ingenious storyline which is definitely different to traditional time travel stories.  The 1929 Crash means that Oscar Ogilvee has to go and live with his aunt, while his father seeks work in California.  All their cherished model trains have to be sold to provide much needed cash. 

• Revenger – Book Review

  

  Rory Clements is a real find - his first book, Martyr, was good - this second installment equally promising. Set in Elizabethan England, it uses characters which could have existed alongside those which actually did, creating a seamless picture of a world which could well have existed. 

• The Double Life of Cora Parry – Book Review

  

  Left at the gates of the workshouse after her guardians die, Cora Parry is determined to survive in her own way.  With few resources beyond her own wit, Cora finds herself caught up in London's underworld. 

• According to Bella – Book Review

  

  Local reporter Bella Smart stumbles across a dead body.  Journalistic instincts come to the fore - if she can find the murderer first, then it will give her a scoop and definitely improve her career prospects.

• The Silver Locomotive Mystery – Book Review

  

  Another outing for the much loved railway detective. Inspector Robert Colbeck and his trusty sidekick, Sergeant Victor Leeming are called in to investigate a murder at the railway hotel in Cardiff. 

Wednesday 19 January 2011

• Book Review: Fated

  

  Fate, better known these days as Fabio Delucci has become disillusioned with his job, a never-ending repetition of the Fate Generator program responsible for the misfortunes and screwups that plague humanity. It doesn’t help that he reports directly to Jerry, aka God who has noticed a definite decline in...

• Book Review: Hex Bound

  

  Lily is coming to terms with her parents dumping her at Chicago’s St. Sophia’s School for Girls while they trotted off to Europe on sabbatical and beginning to wonder about what exactly they are doing that is so secret in book two of the Dark Elite series. At the same time, she is adjusting to being an Adept with the ability to use...

• Book Review: Halfway Hexed

  

  Ever since Tammy Jo Trask first manifested magical abilities just a few short months ago, her life has not been the same. For one thing, Tammy’s spells nearly always go awry for another; her use of magic has not gone unnoticed by the World Association of Magic, WAM. The president of WAM is due to arrive in Tammy’s hometown of Duvall, Texas just as her nemesis Jenna...

• Book Review: Diet-Free for Life

  

  Ferguson lays out a sound, commonsense approach to maintaining healthy eating habits based on balancing proteins and carbohydrates to maximize the glycemic index while weaning readers off compulsive scale watching. Personal fitness trainers have long advocated proper...

• Book Review: Mercy Blade

  While Jane Yellowrock and her newly acquired love interest Rick were enjoying some quiet bonding time in the Appalachians, werecats made a dramatic coming out appearance on CNN followed shortly thereafter by werewolves. As preternatural creatures come out of the closet, Jane’s life gets ever more complicated...

• Book Review: Late Eclipses

  

  Immediately after half-breed fae October Daye received an unprecedented title from the Summerlands Queen, Lily a dear friend and Lady of the Tea Gardens takes ill. As an Undine, Lily should be impervious to any illness yet her life is clearly, impossibly ebbing away. Daye pledges to keep...

• Book Review: Night School

  

  Picking up the tale of identical twins Sunny and Rayne McDonald immediately after Bad Blood, the girls are confronted with the unwelcome revelation that they are fairy princesses. Worse, following the assassination of the Queen of the Light Court, the fairies want Sunny...

Tuesday 11 January 2011

• Horrid Henry Rocks – Book Review

  

  Under 8's love Horrid Henry.  He is a Just William for the modern age.  Chaos always follows in his well-meaning way.

• Philippa Fisher and the Stone Fairy’s Promise – Book Review

  

  A delightful story which will both enchant and amuse.  Philippa is looking forward to spending New Year with her new friend Robyn but plans go awry when fairy godsister Daisy arrives. 

• Explorers: Tales of Endurance and Exploration (Royal Geographical Society) – Book Review

  

  Stunning - there is no other word to describe this book.  The illustrations and archive material are out of this world.  This is the story of explorers through history; it spans cultures, galaxies and historical periods.

• Spies of the First World War: Under Cover for King and Kaiser – Book Review

  

  As long as there have been conflicting nations, there have been spies.  Yet in the First World War, spying reached new heights and awareness of their activities became much more widely known.  Tales of Mata Hari, Lawrence of Arabia and Edith Cavell have become legendary. 

Monday 10 January 2011

• Frozen to Death – Book Review

  

  McFadyen is definitely a mystery writer to watch.  Each book has got better and better. Set in rural Lancashire, heavy snows have been forecast.  Detective Inspector Steve Carmichael and his wife have been invited to a Valentine's Day dinner party by Caroline Lovelace, the presenter of a TV chat show. 

• Battleground – Book Review

  

  Teenager Ben Tracey was quite simply in the wrong place at the wrong time - and his world has been turned upside down.  Captured and held hostage in Afghanistan, he is caught up in events beyond his control amid one of the most dangerous battle zones in the world. 

• Fallen – Book Review

  A story which spans life and time.  Teenager Luce has had a difficult few years, moving from school to school.  Her latest school is certainly different - within minutes of arriving her mobile phone is taken away deemed to be a 'prohibited material'. 

• The Mourning Emporium – Book Review

  

  Venice is in peril.  Benjamin Tiepolo has returned and his evil magic is affecting seas and countries worldwide. Even London has been drawn into the conflict of good and evil.  Teo, the Undrowned Child and Renzo, the Studious Son of Venetian prophecy have the task of trying to save the situation.

• The Book of Bastards – Book Review

  

  Wikileaks are quite mild compared with the secrets that have been hidden away in the US archives for the past few centuries.

• The Gardens of English Heritage – Book Review

  

  Superb photography characterizes this study of the magnificent parks and gardens owned by English Heritage.  It is a book that will be treasured by gardeners and historians alike. The range of gardens within the care of English Heritage is enormous.

• The Island – Book Review

  

  Kel Boon has made a quiet life for himself in the sleepy village of Pavmouth Breaks, forming a relationship with trainee witch Namior. 

• Drop Zone – Book Review

  

  Perfect reading for teenage boys, with plenty of adventure and excitement to keep their attention.  Andy McNabb has kept up his reputation for action packed stories.  Ethan Blake sees a man jump from a block of flats - and with seconds to spare, open a parachute. 

• Dead Man’s Cove – Book Review

  

  Laura Martin loves books - especially stories about ace-detective, Matt Walker.  Books have become her escape from a world of orphanages and foster homes.  Then the news comes that an unknown uncle has been discovered, and she is to go to live with him in Cornwall.  Laura is convinced that at last she will have adventures of her own. 

• Clockwork Angel – Book Review

  

  A brilliant fantasy novel.  It is the reign of Queen Victoria, and orphaned Tessa Grey arrives in London in search of her brother.  She met by the terrifying Mrs Black and Mrs Dark - and her world is turned upside down.  Forced to develop shape-shifting skills she never knew she had; she takes on the roles of people who have died. 

• The Cheshire Ring – Book Review

  

  A bank robbery by a gang of crooks sparks off a chase around the Cheshire Ring canal system.  The crooks have stowed the proceeds aboard a narrowboat - but before they can do anything about it, the boat is hired by an elderly gent planning a holiday.

• A Buffalope’s Tale – Book Review

  

  Anyone who has read any of Philip Caveney's Sebastian Darke tales cannot fail to be curious about Max, the Buffalope. 

Sunday 09 January 2011

• Book Review: The Bards of Bone Plain

  

  Phelan Cle just wanted an easy topic for his final paper that would allow him to graduate from the school on the hill so he chose the Bone Plain. The Bone Plain with its three trials, three terrors and three treasures had been thoroughly researched and written about for ages so Phelan didn’t expect any...

• Book Review: Nocturne

  

  After attending her friend’s ski wedding in Steamboat Springs, CO Nicole Whitcomb narrowly misses becoming buried in an avalanche only to skid off the road on a mountain pass during an intense blizzard. Reclusive Michael Tyler witnesses the accident and although he values...

• Book Review: Portmanteau A-Z

  

  While the dictionary may describe a portmanteau as a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms, what it doesn’t tell you is how much fun and how pervasive they are. Everyone is familiar with the combination of...

• Book Review: Twelve

  This slow moving vampire horror story set in Russia during the Napoleonic war juxtaposes the horrors of battle with the even greater evil wrought by the twelve Wallachians known as the Oprichniki. Originally enlisted to assist in keeping the French at bay, the Twelve have a reputation for...

• Book Review: The Attenbury Emeralds

  

  Walsh does an excellent job recreating the original Dorothy Sayers characters in this follow-up to A Presumption of Death that dumps Lord Peter Wimsey back into the middle of the same Attenbury emeralds that launched his detective career in 1921. While recovering from the aftereffects of...

• Book Review: Demon Underground

  

  Allay is one of those rare demons that started life as a human but absorbing the essence of a demon forever changed her. Now working as a bartender on New York City’s Lower East Side, Allay uses the bar as a means of feeding off patrons’ emotional pain. It is not a one-sided arrangement as Allay manages to...

• Book Review: The Wolf Age

  Enge’s third swashbuckling fantasy in the Morlock Ambrosius series is set in and around the werewolf city of Wuruyaaria with enough battles, blood and mayhem to satisfy. After orchestrating a riot within the werewolf prison...

Sunday 02 January 2011

• Book Review: American Cookery

  America is a country rich in cultural diversity and in few places is this more evident then in the food we enjoy. This latest edition of the 1972 release is a joy to read as the country of origin and how the recipe evolved plus Beard’s personal observations add humor and a sense of history to what is sure to become a treasured classic...

• Book Review: A Knitting Wrapsody

  

  One the heels of two books featuring innovative crochet shawls and wraps, Omdahl presents her first knit book with eighteen scarves, wraps, shawls and skirts focusing on designs meant to be wrapped or tied. While that may be Omdahl’s stated focus, these fresh patterns feature some unusual design elements that make them...

• Book Review: Echo

  

  Book five of the series is set on the planet of Rimway eight thousand years in the future, antiquity dealer Alex Benedict and his assistant Chase Kolpath deal in the assorted flotsam of ancient human civilizations. When Benedict is put on the trail of a curious stone tablet incised in an indecipherable language, he begins...

• Book Review: Judging Edward Teller

  

  Anyone interested in learning more about Edward Teller, dubbed the Father of the H-Bomb and one of the most influential scientists of his time will enjoy this absorbing, thoroughly researched biography. Hungarian scientist and an acquaintance of Teller, Hargittai sifted through a vast collection of...

• Book Review: Sapphique

  

  Fisher picks up her imaginative young adult series shortly after Incarceron leaves off when Finn aided by Claudia, escaped the self aware, ever changing, formerly escape-proof prison. Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is convinced Finn is destined to rule by her side when she...

• Book Review: This Side of the Grave

  

  New vampire Cat Crawfield and her handsome husband Bones are called upon to look into the recent disappearances of vampires who lack the protection of a master. They soon discover ghouls are behind those deaths and worse, Cat’s nemesis Apollyon is behind the growing tensions between...

Monday 27 December 2010

• Book Review: The Prince of Mist

  

  Thirteen-year-old Max Carver and his siblings are less then enthusiastic about their father’s decision to uproot the family from the city and relocate to a quiet seaside community. It is 1943 and even the illusion of escaping the worst affects of war is worth the insecurity of moving and starting over. However, who could have foreseen the evil biding...

• Book Review: Family Dinner

  

  Today’s busy schedules finds family members going in all directions with little time to connect with each other resulting in children and parents feeling isolated and stressed. David advocates the importance of establishing the daily routine of sharing at least one meal together and using that precious time to...

• Book Review: A Hard Day's Knight

  

  Private investigator John Taylor is more comfortable in Nightside, a secret community in the heart of London where Gods walk the streets and any pleasure or pain can be purchased for a price. The story picks up shortly after The Good, the Bad and the Uncanny that saw Taylor killing Walker, Nightside’s voice of the Authorities who had been grooming Taylor as...

• Book Review: Outsourced

  

  Unemployed software designer Dan Wilson knows his wife is struggling to hold their finances together but it’s a losing battle. Thanks to a genetic roll of the dice, Dan is going blind and without insurance to help with expenses, there is no hope of...

• Book Review: Did Not Survive

  

  Former zookeeper, Littlewood allows readers a rare peek at the inner workings of a small municipal zoo while creating an absorbing murder mystery. When Iris Oakley arrived at Vancouver, Washington’s Finley Memorial Zoo early one morning her attention was drawn to the elephant barn where she discovered...

• Book Review: Of Masques & Martyrs

  

  Vampires walk the earth and have divided themselves into two main factions, the peace loving shadows who follow Peter Octavian and regard many humans as friends and those who follow the bloodthirsty Hannibal. Talented blues singer Nikki Wydra was looking to make her way in...

• Book Review: Right Hand Magic

  

  When the noise of creating kinetic sculptures from auto parts invalidates her lease, Tate begins looking at cheaper alternative accommodations including a cheap apartment in Golgotham, New York’s supernatural ghetto. Much larger on the inside then the modest exterior hints at, Tate is delighted to take up residence in...

• Book Review: The Dark Griffin

  

  A slow moving new series opens as Northerner and Master of Trade Arren Cardockson, companioned with his griffin Eluna thwart a smuggling operation that includes a griffin chick. To pay off a debt incurred during that operation Arren accepts the job of capturing a wild...

Saturday 18 December 2010

• Book Review: Pump Six

  Becigalupi’s outstanding debut collection of ten short stories explores the darker side of progress and humanity’s future with inventive, thought provoking twists that exemplify quality science fiction. The title story “Pump Six” tells of a future when society relies on old...

• Book Review: A Tale Dark and Grimm

  

  Forget the cloyingly sweet fairy tales you grew up with and prepare to enjoy them more in the spirit of their original authors as Gidwitz adds a delightfully dark, humorous voice to childhood standbys. Hansel and Gretel are the common thread binding nine tales together into a cohesive story filled with plenty of blood and...

• Book Review: The Last Hieroglyph

  

  Encompassing all his work in chronological order from “The Dark Age” and “The Dart of Rasasfa” this is the last of five compellations of Clark Ashton Smith’s short stories and a genuine treat. Born in Long Valley, California on January 13, 1893 Smith began writing at an early age and although he considered himself a poet, it is his visionary, absorbing short stories that brought him...

• Book Review: 1000 Sacred Places

  

  From the dawn of humanity, human beings have seen the sacred in mountains, lakes, boulder fields, caves and elsewhere. This compendium of one thousand sacred places provides the armchair traveler as well as the jet-setting globetrotter with a broad range of natural and manmade sites encompassing...

• Book Review: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

  

  Still reeling from their last adventure that resulted in their pickup truck being blown up, bumbling amateur detectives Skip Moore and his roommate James Lessor finally receive their private investigator licenses from the Florida State Agricultural Department no less. Now they can officially hang...

• Book Review: Hollywood Hills

  Wambaugh’s loosely constructed police procedural revisits all the characters from his popular Hollywood series and introduces several more in this light mystery centered around an art theft. Surfer cops Flotsam and Jetsam, wantabe actor “Hollywood Nate” and others work through the daily grind, trying to...

• Book Review: Tales From the Yoga Studio

  

  Lee, a gifted yoga instructor and her talented, conceited husband are facing several potentially life changing decisions as they decide how to respond to a lucrative offer by a Los Angeles based company intent upon buying out smaller mom and pop style studios. This comes at the same time Lee is adjusting to...

Saturday 04 December 2010

• Book Review: Fashion

  

  Seeling presents readers with stunning visual feast of fashion spanning one hundred fifty years beginning around 1860 when Paris based, English designer Charles Frederick Worth had the brilliant idea of placing signature labels into every garment he designed thus revolutionizing...

• Book Review: Black Wings

  

  Madeline Black possessed plenty of magical abilities including being able to sprout enormous black wings when required. Those abilities didn’t guarantee her a fat wallet so Maddy was hardly in a position to quibble when handsome renter, Gabriel Angeloscuro agreed to...

• Book Review: Suck On This Year

  

  Stuck on a holiday gift, need a little stocking stuffer, look no further then this LYAO hilarious collection of the year’s best quips from Leary’s many Tweets on Twitter. Politicians, the Pope, Hollywood notables and assorted special studies take the brunt of Leary’s wit though anything...

• Book Review: The Cardinal's Blades

  

  Set in an alternate Paris during the 1630’s the minister of France; Cardinal Richelieu has his hands full keeping abreast of the many plots against King Louis XIII both from without and within the country. Particularly troubling is the growing strength of...

• Book Review: The Greyfriar

  

  After the 1870 worldwide vampire upheaval, those humans who had the wherewithal to relocate to the equatorial climes did so as the heat proved to be a vampire deterrent. Those unlucky humans who remained behind were typically regarded as little more then cattle and most became...

• Book Review: Sand Sharks

  

  Maron’s character driven fifteenth in the Deborah Knott mystery series finds Deborah adjusting to her changed circumstances as a new wife and stepmother. She had been looking forward to taking part in a conference for North Carolina judges being held at beautiful Wrightsville Beach so discovering...

Saturday 27 November 2010

• Book Review: In the Dark of Dreams

  

  Twelve-year-old Jenny, tired of the adults around her sadly proclaiming what a shame it is that she was just ordinary, escaped to one of her favorite spots on the beach near her grandparent’s home to discover a boy no older then herself. With a tail where legs should be, Jenny comforted the terrified boy for...

Monday 22 November 2010

• Lost Horizons beneath the Hollywood Sign – Book Review

  

  David Del Valle compares Hollywood to the mythical city of Shangri-La, not that Hollywood isn’t just as mystical, in that the envisioned Hollywood is a lie to those who hope of stardom that represents a false ideal. 

• Book Review: Out of Shadows

  

  After the death of her mother, college professor Clara Fitzgerald comes to realize she has been supporting her fiancé Anthony’s career as a research scientist at the expense of her own. With his work on a developing anti-cancer drug, Anthony is not only gaining prestige but also becoming obsessed with...

• Book Review: No Passengers Beyond This Point

  

  Choldenko’s inventive new book opens as fourteen-year-old India, her eleven-year-old brother Finn and six-year-old sister, Mouse have their world torn apart with the news that despite their mom’s best efforts, they have lost their home. Worse, as a schoolteacher looking to continue work, their mom must remain behind until...

• Book Review: Hungry For You

  

  Cale Valens is one of the Argeneau clan’s eldest, so old that he can no longer tolerate being around humans because the mere smell of food is nauseating. So when Mortimer’s mate Sam helps her sister, Alex Willan by insisting Cale is a renowned chef, he is understandably upset...

• Book Review: The Topkapi Secret

  

  Mohammed Atareek is convinced the Topkapi Codex held at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace Museum will prove his conviction that the modern day Koran is very different from the original text. Unfortunately, Atareek has been unable to gain permission to research the...

• Book Review: Magic at the Gate

  

  Allie Beckstrom has never gotten along with her father and unfortunately, even death hasn’t changed his determination to make her do his bidding. After a magical battle separated Zayvion’s soul from his body leaving it an empty husk, Allie with her gargoyle companion Stone went through...

Saturday 13 November 2010

• Book Review: Being Polite to Hitler

  

  Fifty-four year old Agnes Scofield comes to the realization that she is tired of being a grade school teacher, tired of always doing what is expected of her, tired of rooting for a losing baseball team and just plain tired. Washburn, Ohio is so much the picture perfect ideal of...

• Book Review: Equinox

  

  Falconry, relationships, mid-life crisis and a deeply rooted appreciation for the natural world come together in this personal account that details the training of an exceptional peregrine. As O’Brien nears his fiftieth birthday he becomes seriously conflicted between...

• Book Review: Spinning the Law

  

  Like it or not, the law is subject to public and political manipulation through the media and the court of public opinion yet, as Coffey eloquently demonstrates, this is not a new phenomenon. Since the time of Socrates, the media frequently played a huge role in manipulating...

• Book Review: Faery Tale

  

  In a spectacular leap of faith, Signe Pike and her amazingly supportive fiancé Eric left their Manhattan careers and relocate in Charleston, N.C. prior to her extensive journey in search of magic. Beginning with a terrifying encounter with an angry red-eyed...

• Book Review: The Sugar Mother

  

  Middle-aged professor of literature Edwin Page elected to remain behind while his wife Cecilia, an obstetrician went abroad for sabbatical, agreeing to meet in England for the Holidays. More comfortable with his books then adventure, Edwin’s life takes an unexpected...

Monday 01 November 2010

• Book Review: The Reversal

  

  Connelly serves up a winner in this riveting story that brings together LAPD detective Harry Bosch and his half brother, criminal defense attorney Michael Haller during the retrial of Jason Jessup who has spent the last twenty-four years in San Quentin for the murder of a young girl. Throughout his incarceration...

• Book Review: Path of the Sun

  

  Mercenary Partners Dhulyn Wolfshead and Parno Lionsmane have returned to Lesonika’s Mercenary House to hear the Senior Brother’s decision regarding charges of kidnapping and murder against them. Although cleared of the charges, honor dictates that Dhulyn and Parno serve as escorts to...

• Book Review: Kosher By Design Teens

  

  Fishbein adds to her popular Kosher by Design series with this tasty recipe collection geared toward teens and college students though they will appeal to busy cooks of all ages. Fresh, simple ingredients and uncluttered preparation techniques form the basis of 100 recipes with flavors from a variety of cuisines...

• Book Review: And Then There Was One

  

  Gussin takes parents worst nightmares of child abduction and turns it into a tight, attention-grabbing thriller with some unusual twists starting with the use of triplets. Nine-year-old identical triplets Sammie, Alex and Jackie Monroe along with their cousin trot off to see a movie at...

• Book Review: Fly By Wire

  

  When the brand new fly-by-wire CargoAir C-500 crashes in France while on what should have been a routine flight to Houston, National Safety Board Investigator and retired fighter pilot Frank “Jammer” Davis is on the first response team. As Davis begins digging for answers...

• Book Review: Troubled Waters

  

  For ten years, since the age of thirteen, Zoe Ardelay has lived in exile with her father who was banished from the royal court after serving as an advisor to King Vernon in Shinn’s excellent new exercise in world building. Welce is kept in balance by five...

• Book Review: Justice in June

  After a failed engagement to one of the lawyers at the firm where she worked, Miami defense attorney Mary Magruder Katz decided to set up her own law office. What promised to be just another Monday was quickly transformed by...

• Book Review: Crave

  

  Ward’s second of the Fallen Angels series finds angel Jim Heron coming to the assistance of black ops solder Isaac Rothe who nearly killed a man during an underground fighter bout. Rothe’s arrest draws the unwanted interest of his former commander along with that of a demon...

Sunday 24 October 2010

• Book Review: Ghost Town

  

  Book nine of the popular Morganville Vampire series is the first to be published in hardcover and appropriately enough, features a strong, straightforward storyline featuring the residents of the Glass House facing a different kind of antagonist...

• Book Review: The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten

  

  This grand romp parodies the very popular National Public Radio program by Garrison Keillor. Set in a small Minnesota town where all the women are brave, the men pure of heart, each child more unique then the last, residents suddenly find themselves having to deal with...

• Book Review: Memories of Envy

  

  Thanks to human Wade Shelfield, Eleisha Clevon’s psychic abilities were wakened enabling the vampire to live according to the old laws and feed without killing her prey. Now Eleisha is attempting to contact the few vampires that escaped Julian’s earlier killing spree and bring them to...

• Book Review: Trance

  

  Ashlyn Greenfield and her older sister Kyra share an unusual, frequently debilitating gift that allows them to see separate snippets of the future. The sisters know that a tingling at the back of the neck heralds an approaching trance during which...

• Book Review: Sacred Sites

  

  Lavishly illustrated with black and white photography reminiscent of Ansel Adams, author Susan Suntree presents a lyrical, wise celebration of Southern California’s long history starting four billion years ago when the continents rose from the sea floor. With particular emphasis on...

• Book Review: Bad Penny Blues

  

  Set in London during the early 1960’s, this murder mystery loosely based on the real life Jack the Stripper murders, opens with Police Constable Pete Bradley’s discovery of young woman’s body on the bank of the Thames. She had been working as a prostitute and was...

• Book Review: In Harms Way

  

  Set in Sun Valley, Idaho, Pearson’s latest thriller opens with Sheriff Walt Fleming’s girlfriend, Fiona Kenshaw dramatically rescuing a drowning child, an action that garnered unwanted media attention. Meanwhile, in Seattle, Washington...

Wednesday 20 October 2010

• Merlin The Last Dragonlord – Book Review

  

  Anyone who has watched Merlin on TV, will recognize this story. Set in a time when Arthur is still a prince and Merlin, an unrecognized wizard; it is the tale of a deep enchantment falling on Camelot sending all of its people to sleep. 

• Bats Sing, Mice Giggle – Book Review

  

  Subtitled the Surprising Science of Animals Inner Lives, this is no ordinary book about animal behavior.  Based on scientific research it reveals lots of insights into the life of animals. 

• Lillia’s Diary – Book Review

  

  Who was Lillia Monroe?  Certainly, she was not all that she seemed to be.  When Lillia is found dead in a Lancashire lake, Inspector Steve Carmichael has to decide whether it was murder or accident. 

• The Spooks Bestiary – Book Review

  

  This is the perfect gift for anyone who loves the Wardstone Chronicle Spook stories.  From the stunning cover design with its spooky pictures, antique leather look with clasps, this is a book to treasure. 

• Entanglement – Book Review

  

  Henryk Telak is found dead with a roasting spit stuck in his eye.  It is a somewhat unusual death - and even State Prosecutor Teodor Szacki gets interested.  Szacki had been suffering from boredom, but Telak's death changes that. 

• The Rising – Book Review

  

  Drugs and paramilitaries mix together in this crime story set in Ireland.  Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin is summoned to a burning barn where he find the murdered remains of a local drug dealer. 

• A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities – Book Review

  

  The Romans are better known than any other ancient Western society. But what we know is sometimes bizarre. McKeown has used his extensive knowledge of Roman life to create this collection "A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities."

• Haywired – Book Review

  

  It starts off as an ordinary day in the village of Little Wainsford - until Ludgwig Von Guggenstein and his inventor father are blamed for a fatal accident.  Soon Ludwig is on the run, fighting for survival in a world gone mad. 

Monday 11 October 2010

• Book Review: Side Jobs

  Fans of The Dresden Files will rejoice in this first ever complete collection of Harry Dresden short stories, even better, some have never appeared in print before. Opening with the very first Harry Dresden story and Butcher’s first venture in writing short fiction, “A Restoration of Faith” is a charming albeit rough...

• Book Review: Masques

  

  Bestselling author Briggs begins a new series by rewriting her very first novel in preparation for the upcoming sequel Wolfsbane due for release in November. After forsaking her birthright in favor of living life on her own terms, Aralorn worked as a mercenary spy answerable to...

• Book Review: New York at Night

  

  Anyone who has flown into a major metropolitan area at night has witnessed firsthand the amazing transformation sundown brings to a big city. Almost magically, darkness hides the squalor and garbage piles while turning frustratingly gridlocked traffic into elegant lines of...

• Book Review: Dust City

  

  It is tough being the son of the big bad wolf as Henry Whelp can attest to, especially growing up at the St. Remus Home for Wayward Youth on the fringes of Dust City. Everyone expects him to turn out like his father who is incarcerated for the gruesome double murder of Little Red Riding Hood and her...

• Book Review: Coronets and Steel

  

  Disenchanted Los Angeles graduate student Kim Murray has been growing increasingly restless and encouraged by her tightlipped grandmother, departs for Europe in hopes of learning about the family history. Beginning in Paris, Kim...

• Book Review: The Double Cross

  

  Award winning quilter Susanne Hendrick was thrilled to be the instructor for a weeklong quilting retreat held in a B&B in the small Adirondack town of Winston. Susanne’s first venture into being a paid instructor drew the support of...

• Book Review: Grave Witch

  

  Private investigator and grave witch Alex Craft finds herself flat broke with no new clients beating a way to her door so when estranged sister Casey calls with a job, Alex puts aside numerous reservations and goes to work. After successfully raising the first shade ever to take the witness stand, Alex becomes the focus of...

Sunday 10 October 2010

• Book Review: Trio: A Corpus Christi Trilogy

  

  Caram first began this trilogy in 1991 with Dear Corpus Christi, while at an artist retreat. The second title, Rena: A Late Journey was inspired by a visit to Corpus Christi thirty years later that revealed a changed...

Friday 01 October 2010

• Death on the Marais – Book Review

  

  Brilliant - you just cannot put it down. Set in the early 1960's, Inspector Rocco has been moved from Paris to a rural village in northern France as part of a nationwide reorganization. 

Thursday 30 September 2010

• Debt of Dishonour – Book Review

  

  Mary Andrea Clarke's work just gets better and better.  I really like this feisty heroine who takes on the dual roles of highwayman plus society lady. 

• Dark Water – Book Review

  

  Dark and gritty, this is a crime novel not to be missed.  Having read this one, I immediately searched out Caro Ramsay's other novels featuring DI Anderson and DS Costello. 

Saturday 25 September 2010

• Book Review: The Curious World of Bugs

  

  If denizens of the insect world send you screaming “Yuck” and grabbing the nearest can of Raid then this engrossing book will serve to enlighten and though it might not change your mind, should provide a greater appreciation for bugs. Learn about suicidal potato..

• Book Review: A Pack of Dogs

  

  Anyone who has ever enjoyed the companionship of a good dog will delight in this compilation of excerpts that celebrate their nature, temperament and inner lives. Penned by such notables as Virginia Woolf, John Galsworthy, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Arthur Conan Doyle, these pieces delve into...

• Book Review: No Place To Die

  

  Forty-three year old Beverly Thompson’s life was violently torn apart when she came home to discover an armed man waiting for her in the garage. After shooting her husband in the chest at point blank range, the intruder then kills Beverly’s dog before rendering her unconscious. She awakes into a...

• Book Review: The Dervish House

  

  This dark, sometimes haltingly paced tale set in 2027 Istanbul will remind readers why they fell in love with science fiction in the first place. While riding the packed tram to work one day, Necdet couldn’t help but notice the striking young woman with red highlighted hair who touched..

• Book Review: Eternal Hunger

  Years ago, Alexander Roman and his two brothers escaped the confines of the harsh, overbearing control of the Eternal Order who govern the actions of pureblood vampires worldwide. With the disturbing activities of Ethan Dare, a powerful Impure vampire, the Order forces Alexander to undergo the painful...

• Book Review: The Holy Thief

  

  Set in 1936 while the Soviet Union is weathering the turbulent early years of Stalinist rule, the tortured and murdered body of a suspected smuggler, an American nun is discovered in a church graveyard. Given the atmosphere of the time, it is hardly surprising when...

• Book Review: Last to Die

  

  While mourning the death her father, Lancaster, Maryland detective Dani Cole is recalled to duty when Rosie McNamara, a former hooker is found murdered. Dani, who takes the idea of civic duty seriously by lending a hand to the down and out, had assisted Rosie in rebuilding...

• Book Review: Wrong

  

  While listening to contradictory reports about health, business and a host of other topics have you ever wondered if the so-called experts have a clue about what’s really going on? Freedman wrote this book to demonstrate how..

Monday 20 September 2010

• Horror Movie Freak – Book Review

  

  With the gorehounds favorite holiday right around the corner, Don Sumner’s ‘Horror Movie Freak’ arrives just in time to be that perfect Halloween treat. A guide to essential horror pics, it will make an informative and fun read for horror film newbs and time-honored ‘horror movie freaks’ alike.

Thursday 16 September 2010

• Book Review: Yuck

  

  As omnivores, humans can and frequently do, eat some amazing and disgusting things as illustrated in this entertaining stroll through more then a hundred of the most unusual foodstuffs you are likely to encounter. Most of these colorfully presented “delicacies” vividly demonstrate how...

• Book Review: Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits

  This collection of five engaging short stories with the common theme of the elemental spirit of fire opens with an unusual tale of a young woman with a love of trees who stumbles upon a young boy’s unusual secret in Dickinson’s “Phoenix.” McKinley serves up a nicely done story that centers on...

• Book Review: Virgins? What Virgins?

  

  Eighteen of Ibn Warraq’s stimulating essays are presented in this thought provoking volume that dares examine the Islamic religion without the veneer of being politically correct. Perhaps the most insightful points Warraq raises is the mistaken impression many people entertain regarding...

• Book Review: Fubarnomics

  

  Beginning with the controversial viewpoint that America needs to drop the politically correct veneer and grow a large enough pair of gonads to make difficult choices, Wright takes aim at special interests groups, pork barrel politics, colleges and self absorbed, inefficient institutions. From health insurance to...

• Book Review: Chosen

  As the first anniversary of the attack that turned her into a vampire draws near, Anna Strong is still trying to cope with balancing her changed status while working with a human partner and maintaining family ties. It’s not easy, especially as Anna is developing new abilities that include being able to detect...

• Book Review: The Capital Game

  

  Haig’s newest thriller opens as an American solder serving in Iraq is killed by an IED while traveling in an unarmored vehicle setting the tone for the importance of a new polymer product under development by Arvan Chemicals, a small, struggling company. When applied to a vehicle, this amazing polymer has...

Sunday 05 September 2010

• Book Review: The Sacred White Turkey

  

  This engaging tale opens Easter morning as twelve-year-old Stella, a Lakota girl living with her grandmother Hazel, responds to a knock at the door revealing an amazing, very rare white turkey. Stella firmly believes the turkey is wakan, Lakota for something unexplainable though frequently used to mean...

• Book Review: The Weaver's Idea Book

  

  Many weavers begin with a simple rigid heddle loom and quickly move on to a multiple harness loom discounting the former as being too basic. With this comprehensive guide, Patrick has challenged that misconception by demonstrating the versatility of this humble loom. Starting with the design possibilities of...

• Book Review: Bad Juju

  Gritty, sexy and psychotically twisted, this collection of pulp fiction is as entertaining as they come. Several are set in tropical climes lending an exotic feel while even the more mundane settings are steeped in double-dealings, corrupt officials and...

• Book Review: Dust

  

  Turner turns the typical zombie tale around by telling the story from a zombie’s point of view and it’s not pretty. Fifteen year old Jessie died in a car wreak and for reasons unknown, rose from her grave as a zombie. She joins a local gang of zombies who have banded together for hunting and safety and there, learns...

• Book Review: A Wild Light

  

  In celebration of Maxine Kiss’s birthday, her ancient body-hopping grandfather baked up an assortment of pies and goodies for the small gathering of friends and the tattoo demon guardians who are bonded to her. After enjoying such a pleasant night the horror of awakening the next morning covered with blood beside...

• Book Review: The Loving Dead

  

  A group of twenty-something coworkers at the local Trader Joes in Oakland, California got together for a typical Saturday night party when one of the guests suddenly morphs into a zombie. Completely out of their depth on how to handle such a problem, the partiers simply leave the woman tied...

Wednesday 25 August 2010

• Book Review: Revenant

  

  As the child of an angel and touched by the Archer in the Abysmal plane, twenty-something Zoë Martinique was still coming to terms with her changing abilities as a Wraith. Not only can Zoë navigate the astral plane, she is now capable of bringing her body with her; a rare talent and a secret...

• Book Review: Fear

  

  Edited by the father of scary children’s stories, Stine presents this delightfully chilling collection of thirteen short tales featuring more then just vampires. From Stine comes a series of twists on an initiation challenge that leaves readers guessing, did he or didn’t he...

• Book Review: Doubleweave

  

  Jennifer Moore’s years of weaving experience demystifies doubleweave with her clearly written descriptions. Cross-section illustrations show how each weft throw interlaces with the warp layers thus making this versatile fabric accessible to even novice weavers. Starting with the basics of...

Tuesday 24 August 2010

• Book Review: Breaking of Eggs

  

  Prosaic and stodgy, sixty-one year old Feliks Zhukovski is a solitary man maintaining an apartment in Paris who spends most of his time making the same travel circuit throughout Eastern Europe. As the author of a self published, decidedly leftist travel guide, Feliks never felt the need to...

• Book Review: Crochet So Fine

  

  During the past several years, crochet has undergone a dramatic change for the better as illustrated by this collection of twenty contemporary designs from kicky hats to breathtakingly lacey shawls. Using an assortment of lighter gauge yarns, these garments have the drape usually associated with knitwear as seen in...

• Book Review: Afterlife

  

  Set in New Orleans in the not to distant future, this interesting mix of science fiction and mystery looks at the possible ramifications of being able to clone new bodies as our originals succumb to disease, accidents or old age. As with all new technologies, there are problems and this is no exception. Those who choose...

• Book Review: An Artificial Night

  

  As a changeling knight of the Duke of Shadowed Hills, October Daye better known as Toby by her friends, moves between the human and fae world doing the bidding of her Lord. Her life is fraught with dangers yet little could have prepared Toby for the heartache of seeing loved ones attempt to cope with...

Friday 20 August 2010

• Jealousy – Book Review

  

  Another in the Strange Angels series - and it lives up to the reputation of the earlier novels.  If anything, the series is getting stronger. 

• Armouron: Prisoner on Kasteesh – Book Review

  

  Set in a future universe, the Armouron are an elite group of warriors which include five young knights in training.  They are hidden away in a gladiatorial school run by the Corporation which rules most of the universe.  Armouron are the natural opponents of the Corporation, challenging it ethics and ideas. 

Thursday 19 August 2010

• Scent of a Killer – Book Review

  

  A chilling story of murder set in modern day London.  Headless, handless bodies of men tortured to death are found in a London side street.  Other bodies soon follow.  Why are they being killed in this way? What are the links between them? 

• Dragon’s Domain – Book Review

  

  This book is rightly described as the 'ultimate dragon painting workshop'. It covers absolutely everything you ever wanted to know about painting dragons. No matter whether your inclination is towards humorous dragons, fierce dragons, eastern or western dragons; the answers will be found in this book. 

• Dragonart Evolution: How to Draw Everything Dragon – Book Review

  

  If you are a fantasy artist - or someone who wants to draw fantasy - this is definitely the book for you.  Peffer has created a fantastic book showing just how to draw dragons whether you want hot headed or wie and wonderful beasts.

Wednesday 04 August 2010

• Book Review: Almost to Die For

  

  Hallaway throws her expertise into the popular teen vampire genre with an original twist that adds witches and vampire servitude to the mix. Just prior to her sixteenth birthday, Anastasija Parker faces initiation into the Coven, a challenge she just knows is going to go badly...

• Book Review: Gifted

  

  Knitters and crocheters typically enjoy creating items for loved ones but with busy schedules, it’s not always possible to find the time to make large items like sweaters or afghans. That’s where this collection of playful designs shines with an assortment of cute, quick patterns that look more complex then...

• Book Review: Dracula, My Love

  

  Best selling author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen enters the vampire genre with this retelling of Stoker’s horror tale told from the perspective of Mina Harker. Years into her marriage to Jonathan, Mina continues to be tormented by memories of...

• Book Review: Einstein's Watch

  

  Touted as the “unofficial record of a year’s most ownable things” this slim volume lives up to the billing as it showcases the ordinary, like the Black Canary Barbie which sold for $40 along with a host of more eclectic items. These range from a pair of...

• Book Review: Pray for Dawn

  

  Told from vampire hunter Danaus’s point of view, the fourth book of the Dark Days series finds the ancient warrior questioning everything he has believed about the nightwalkers. As his feelings for the nightwalker Mira become more complex, Danaus cannot decide if...

• Book Review: The Messenger of Athens

  

  Zouroudi’s first in a series of seven titles uses two parts travelogue to every one-part mystery, for a snail-paced tale set in the Greek island of Thiminos. When Irini Asimakopoulos’s body was discovered at the base of a sea cliff, the local police force is encouraged with...

Tuesday 27 July 2010

• Book Review: Shelter Cats

  

  With an estimated three to four million cats and dogs being destroyed annually in the United States, Kloth was moved by their plight and determined to do something to help. In addition to donating his time and expertise to photographing shelter cats...

• Book Review: Born to Bite

  

  Sands’ latest installment of the Argeneau/Rogue immortal hunter series features Lucian’s brother Armand, a hunky farmer with three wives who died under suspicious circumstances. Lucian’s enforcer Eshe has been sent to Armand’s quiet farm, supposedly to stay safe from the reach of a rogue vampire though her real mission is to uncover...

• Book Review: Damned if She Does, Damned If She Doesn't

  

  Through personal experience coauthors Cronin and Fine realized the gender gap was not only alive but also thriving within the American workplace. Despite reaching equality in other facets of society, women are still consistently paid less money and promoted less often then their male counterparts doing...

• Book Review: Pray for Silence

  

  In the small Ohio town of Painters Mill police chief, Kate Burkholder never dreamt she would be faced with investigating the brutal murder of an Amish family. The parents and their five children were found bound, some of them bearing signs of torture and..

• Book Review: Private

  

  War hero and owner of Private Investigative, Jack Morgan has headhunted to best staff money can buy and is well equipped to handle most any challenge with the notable exception of his twin brother Tom. From early childhood the brothers were pitted against each other by their sadistic...

• Book Review: Waking the Witch

  

  After five years working as executive assistant, twenty-one year old Savannah Levine is eager to prove herself to her coworkers at Portland based Cortex-Winterbourne Investigations by cracking her first solo case. Teaming up with half-demon...

• Book Review: Fortuna

  

  Bored, frustrated computer graduate student Jason Lind chaffing at the constraints of Stanford crafts a new persona as Father Allesandro de Scala in the online role-playing game Fortuna. There, Jason finds the adventure so lacking in real life (RL) and begins spending...

Tuesday 20 July 2010

• The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Seance for a Vampire – Book Review

  

  Fred Saberhagen adds another title to his adventures of that creature of the night – Dracula.  He brought two titans of Victorian literature together in 1978 with the Holmes-Dracula File and even has them related as cousins (shades of Philip Jose Farmer’s Wold Newton Family in which many famous literary characters are related). 

Thursday 15 July 2010

• The Edible Garden: How to Have Your Garden and Eat It – Book Review

  

  Most people do not have large gardens or have access to a vegetable plot. Despite this they want to keep their garden nice and grow their own food.  Combining the two is not easy - but Alys Fowler gives lots of useful ideas on how this can be achieved. 

• Sylvie and the Songman – Book Review

  

  Imagine a world without bird song or any animal noises; where song has disappeared.  For Sylvie Bartram this is just what happened one day as she was about to have her summer holiday. 

• Churchill's Children: The Evacuee Experience in Wartime Britain – Book Review

  

  Books about WW2 evacuees are common - what makes this volume unusual and definitely worth reading, is the fact that it puts the whole saga in perspective. 

• Night of the Necromancer (Fighting Fantasy) – Book Review

  

  Game players will rejoice to see this new volume in the Fighting Fantasy series.  The fertile imaginations of Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone have come up with yet another complex and demanding game book idea involving a visit to the Lands of the Dead. 

• The Smart One – Book Review

  

  I approached this book with some curiosity as it seemed too outlandish to be true.  How could a second hand Smart car survive the Cannonball Run - Europe's most grueling road race covering 3,000 miles   from Brighton to Lisbon via Barcelona and Vichy in just five days? 

• Witch Breed – Book Review

  

  This is one of the most gripping tales I have read for a long time.  It is the fourth installment of Paul Rector's journey into the dark heart of London in his bid to defeat the dreaded King Lud. 

• Paradise Red – Book Review

  

  Star crossed lovers caught up in a period of twisted religious hatreds immediately provide the key elements for a good story. 

Wednesday 07 July 2010

• Book Review: Muscogee Daughter

  

  This engrossing story chronicles the early years of Susan Supernaw as she worked to become Miss Oklahoma of 1971 and went on to compete in the Miss America pageant. While growing up a Muscogee-Creek and Munsee Native American, Susan experienced poverty, the ravages of alcoholism and...

• Book Review: City of Veils

  

  Set in the conservative city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this complex mystery opens with the discovery of a brutally tortured and murdered young woman washed up on the beach. Detective Osama Ibrahim who is struggling to create a name for himself while coming to terms with his wife’s...

• Book Review: But They Didn't Read Me My Rights!

  

  This fascinating look at the vagaries of the American legal system is both informative and highly entertaining as the coauthors take a quick look at everything from Miranda rights to becoming a lawyer. The question and answer format provides enough information to be useful without...

• Book Review: Magic Bleeds

  

  As a Knight of Merciful Aid, Kate Daniels has to deal with a host of shapeshifters, necromancers, vampires and creatures straight out of legends. Nursing a severely bruised heart after being stood up on a special date by none other then Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta, Kate is trying to put the failed...

• Book Review: The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows

  

  Right from the start, eleven-year-old Olive McMartin just knew there was something strange about the old mansion her math whiz parents moved into on Linden Street. There was the mysterious death of Ms. McMartin for a start and then there were those odd paintings that looked as though the subjects had just...

• Book Review: Red Hot Fury

  

  As a Fury, Marissa Holloway is sworn to avenging wrongs while protecting mortals and the arcane races from themselves and each other. Working as head of Magical Investigations with the Boston police department, Riss responded to an early morning call to discover the body of a dead...

Tuesday 06 July 2010

• Vanished Ocean: How Tethys Reshaped the World – Book Review

  

  Unless you are a geologist this is not an easy read, but it is extremely interesting.  It is the story of a lost ocean, only now recorded by the presence of the Caspian Sea and the massive oil deposits in the Middle East and Central Asia.  The Tethys ocean spanned four fifths of the earth and was the home to untold numbers of dinosaurs. 

• Death Line (Bev Morriss 7) – Book Review

  

  Another outing for Birmingham Detective Sergeant Bev Morriss  - and she is having to cope without her guv.  Detective Superintendent Bill Byford is awaiting the outcome of an internal inquiry.  A young boy is found dead on a piece of waste ground.  Finding his killer becomes priority. 

• Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #6: Ghost Hunter – Book Review

  

  This is the final volume in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series.  Set in a long vanished world after the last Ice Age, but before the advent of farming; Torak is faced with the challenge of leaving the Forest and seeking the lair of Eostra the Eagle Mage within the Mountain of Ghosts. 

• Wyrmeweald: Returner's Wealth (Wyrmeweald Trilogy) – Book Review

  

  This is the start of a new series of books from this duo, better known for their Edge Chronicles series.  It is a slightly colder, less comical creation focusing on a land of wyrmes preyed on by two legs (humans) who want to use them for entertainment, money making, and the many products that can be made out of dead wyrmes.

• Badfellas – Book Review

  

  An American family move into a villa in Cholong-sur-Avre in Normandy.  The children attend the local school and the father tells everyone that he is writing a history of the D Day landings.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

• SSSS: Snake Art & Allegory – Book Review

  

  You like them, fear them or hate them - but you cannot be indifferent to snakes.  Snakes are an essential part of mythology and mystery worldwide, playing a role in every culture.

Tuesday 29 June 2010

• Book Review: Undead and Unfinished

  

  Steadfastly attempting to forget the events that resulted in the deaths of roommates Antonia, a werewolf and her lover Garret, Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor is facing yet another dreadful Thanksgiving holiday. Betsy’s half sister Laura is facing a personal crisis of her own as she keeps blacking out...

• Book Review: New England Knits: Timeless Knitwear with a Modern Twist

  

  Inspired by the New England countryside where they reside, designers MacDonald and LaBarre present a new collection of comfortable, contemporary knitwear with a traditional touch. The three themes encompass Around the Town, Fall on the Farm and Along the Coast, each with an assortment of pullovers and cardigans meant to layer as...

• Book Review: Ghost of a Chance

  

  With their teams of experts, the London based Carnacki Institute is well equipped to deal with paranormal boogies from simple lost ghosts haunting parking lots to more hostile creatures. Operatives Melody Chambers, JC Chance and Happy Jack Palmer make up one such team and while allegedly not one of the Institute’s best, they have a decent...

• Book Review: Twice Bitten

  

  Merit became a vampire after an attacker left her for dead. Master vampire and head of Cadogan House, Ethan Sullivan saved Merit by turning her then appointing the newbie to the position of House Sentinel. As Merit learns her duties and adapts to life as a vampire, she must also deal with...

• Book Review: Dragon Haven

  

  Book two of The Rain Wilds Chronicles completes the saga about a generation of fifteen deformed, endangered dragons led by Mercor, a wise golden and Sintara, a beautiful silvery queen as they continue searching for their mystical homelands where they stand a chance of rebuilding the species...

Sunday 20 June 2010

• Book Review: The Last Leaf

  As the owner of a historical document firm, Lutz knows history is more then a dusty recitation of past events, it is also about people. By searching out and interviewing the last known survivors of key events in the twentieth century, Lutz adds the rapidly disappearing human experience and perspective of thirty-nine ordinary...

• Book Review: Queen of Shadows

  

  Accomplished guitarist Miranda Gray discovered her strange psychic capabilities quite by accident when she picked up the instrument and simply began playing. While performing at a bar gig one night Miranda realized her real gift was the ability to manipulate the audience’s reaction to...

• Book Review: Super Human

  

  The Helotry, a secret organization spearheaded by a shadow leader capable of mutating viruses is aided by Slaughter, a psychotic killer who really enjoys her work. Together with a personal army, they seek to restore Krodin, an ancient ruler and first super human...

• Book Review: Touching Darkness

  

  Gifted with the ability to locate lost items and people, Nicholas Braden came on board with a government program run by the iron-willed Darkwell who kept a tight rein on every facet of his employees’ lives. After being contacted by the Rogues, Darkwell’s sworn enemies, Nicholas has begun...

• Book Review: Shadow's Son

  

  Assassin for hire Caim has made a reputation for himself in the politically rife city of Othir. Caim’s latest job appeared to be a straightforward, uncomplicated kill but the situation quickly deteriorating leaving him caught in the midst of a dark plot that could  forever change the...

• Book Review: Petrador

  Beginning right where Sasha left off, book two in A Trial of Blood & Steel continues Sasha’s story as her sister Alythia is getting married into the noble house of Halmady. Meant to cement a peace agreement, the marriage triggers an escalating power struggle among the other noble houses with the help of a conniving archbishop...

• Book Review: From Hell With Love

  

  Although paranormal investigator Eddie Drood was unofficial head of an ancient, extremely powerful extended family, he preferred working in the field to dealing with entangled politics. Eddie’s latest job seemed straightforward enough, go to an auction in Los Angles scheduled to...

• Book Review: Bullet

  

  The European based Vampire Council seeks to maintain its control and status quo by destroying the increasingly powerful triumvirate of master vampire Jean-Claude, his human servant and necromancer Anita Blake and Richard Zeeman, werewolf leader of the local pack. As if that isn’t disturbing enough, the Mother of All Darkness is...

• Book Review: The Alzheimer's Solution

  

  With the Baby Boomer generation aging, the expected rise in Alzheimer cases will place a significant strain on both the medical system and families. Additionally, there is the cost of long-term care and treatment, both financially and in terms of strain on family and caregivers...

Wednesday 09 June 2010

• Death Watch – Book Review

  

  I first encountered Jim Kelly's work via his Ely based journalist detective Philip Dryden and was really impressed.  The stories were well crafted, full of invention and imagination yet with that touch of reality that made it seem as though they could really happen. 

• The Arsenic Century – Book Review

  

  This is definitely not the sort of book you want to read around meal time; but it definitely makes intriguing reading.  It makes ideal reading matter for anyone interested in social or crime history, plus would be history/mystery writers.

• Book Review: Do-Over

  

  Remember the most embarrassing moments of your childhood; ever wish you could go back for a “do-over” with the advantage of your adult knowledge and experience? With the assistance of understanding school personnel, parents and a host of others, that is just what Hemley managed to do. At forty-eight...

• Book Review: Happiness

  

  A thirty-nine year old author suffering writer’s block and a twenty-nine year old college graduate meet one night while having drinks at a local watering hole. Despite both being married, they met regularly for increasingly more adventurous sex including participating in orgies, sadism, drugs...

• Book Review: I Am Equus

  

  Drawing insights and inspiration from her personal experience with horses, particularly the headstrong Gerry, Anwar concludes that horses are frequently mistreated at the hands of often well intended humans who don’t understand their needs go beyond adequate food, water and shelter. Anwar asserts that horses all require a...

• Book Review: The World is Still Your Litter Box

  

  From the popular scheming feline author of The World is Your Litter Box comes another hilarious take on proper human care and training. Quasi thoughtfully includes instructions for special circumstances like expressing your displeasure when humans leave you alone, what to do when...

• Book Review: Honeymoon of the Dead

  

  After a prolonged courtship and plenty of pre-marriage snafus the big day happened, vampire Sebastian and witch Garnet Lacey are finally married and ready to enjoy their honeymoon…what could go wrong...

Tuesday 08 June 2010

• Fighting Fantasy: House of Hell/Eye of the Dragon – Book Review

  

  A welcome re-issue of these fantastic gamebooks which will appeal to those who already know the style, as well as an introduction to newcomers. 

• Siege – Book Review

  

  Set in 1453, this book is a fictional account of the fall of Constantinople and the demise of the Eastern Roman Empire.

• The Prince of Mist – Book Review

  

  Fascinating.  Worried by the experiences of the war,  Max Carver's father decides to move his family to a small town on the coast.  For 13 year old Max, it becomes a journey into mystery.  Just outside the garden are some strange statues - and if he looked a little closely, the statues seemed to move. 

Monday 07 June 2010

• Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer! – Book Review

  

  Internet film critic Vern’s latest collection of reviews, Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!: Writings on Bruce Willis, Badass Cinema and Other Important Topics, sees the author’s unique take on the action genre, and several other films you wouldn’t expect to find in a collection that features the Brian Bosworth classic Stone Cold.

Wednesday 02 June 2010

• Firefly: Still Flying – Book Review

  

  For fans of the short-lived series, Firefly still lives on. It is the little show that could. It will never die, the characters live in our hearts. A new book about the show, the characters, and behind the scenes info (many antidotes delightfully funny) give fans more.

Tuesday 25 May 2010

• Book Review: The Exodus Quest

  From the author of The Alexander Cipher comes another suspenseful, action packed adventure featuring archeologist Daniel Knox and partner Gaille Bonnard in a race with a fanatical Christian group and corrupt law officials. It all starts with a chance encounter at the marketplace where a...

• Book Review: WWW:Watch

  

  Born blind, mathematical wiz kid Caitlin Decter was fifteen when she received an experimental implant designed to give her sight. What the implant did was to provide Caitlin with the unprecedented ability to see a worldwide web presence she dubbed Webmind. As Webmind learns...

• Book Review: Revenge Served Cold

  

  While in college Kathy Spence made a fateful decision that years later, would come back to haunt her. Happily to married law professor Elliot, Kathy suffers bouts of depression at her inability to have a baby. For his part, Elliot is supportive of Kathy but is perfectly content with...

• Book Review: Kiss of Death

  

  The Glass House Gang of the popular Morganville Vampires series has obtained the unattainable in the form of passes allowing Claire, Shane and Eve to accompany Michael to Dallas where he hopes to broker a significant music contract. Their thrill at finally getting a temporarily escape from the confines of Morganville was tempered by...

• Book Review: The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer

  When the author was reluctantly roped into adopting two small Labrador puppies, he had no idea the sort of journey of discovery the B Brothers would launch him on. As an attorney just starting his own business, Doug felt the daily pressures of having a staff depending upon him...

• Book Review: Permission Slips

  

  Stand-up comic and co-host of The View, Shepherd expands upon her triumphs and tragedies in this combination memoir/self-help book that shows women how liberating it can be to give themselves a permission slip not to be perfect. From her early experiences with boys...

Tuesday 11 May 2010

• Kill for Me – Book Review

  

  Karen Rose's books only get better each time.  She is brilliant at creating complex, spellbinding, irresistible books which are compulsive reading.  Kill for Me is the sequel to her earlier book Scream for Me and tells the story of Susannah Vartanian. 

• Vermonia Call of the Winged Panther – Book Review

  

  Another installment in the Battle for Vermonia manga series.  The evil Lord Uro's soldiers have imprisoned Mel and her friends - Naomi, Doug and Jim - are intent on freeing her in order to continue their journey to fulfil the prophecy of the four warriors and save Vermonia. 

• Monster Republic – Book Review

  

  This is definitely a book for teenage boys - it's gruesome, action packed and full of modern technology.  Cameron Reilly is on a school trip to a nuclear power plant when it explodes.   When he wakes it is to a nightmare existence. 

• The Broken Token – Book Review

  

  A brilliant debut mystery set in eighteenth century Leeds.  Richard Nottingham, Constable discovers his former housemaid turned prostitute murdered gruesomely murdered along with her client. 

• Needle in a Haystack – Book Review

  

  Set in Argentina during the time of the dictators; Superintendent Lascano has a difficult role to play.  One wrong move and he could find himself on the wrong end of a bullet from his own masters.

• Crossing Over – Book Review

  

  An unusual fantasy linking the land of the living with the land of the dead.  Roger is keen to keep his secret skill hidden for fear of being burned as a witch. Whenever he is severely injured, Roger crosses over to the land of the dead and can talk to the newly dead. 

• Eon Rise of the Dragoneye – Book Review

  

  Is Eon ready to become a Dragoneye?  Testing has begun for the next apprentice Rat Dragon - but surprises are in store.  Instead of serving the Rat, Eon awakens the long lost Mirror Dragon and quickly becomes a pawn in a battle for power. 

• Pride & Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls – Book Review

  

  Jane Austen purists should immediately look away - this is no gentle story!  Indeed, anything less like a traditional Jane Austen novel I have yet to see.  Yet having said that, this book has its own undoubted attraction.  You cannot help wanting to read it just out of sheer curiosity - and once you start, it becomes quite enthralling. 

• Book Review: Iron Butterflies

  

  Think gender discrimination is a thing of the past; this thoughtful book will have you rethinking that assertion as the roles and value of women throughout the world are thoroughly examined. The women interviewed all shared stories of continued challenges and hardships such as Ada Aharoni who grew up in...

• Book Review: Ark

  

  With the world’s population facing extinction due to the Earth’s vast underground reserves of water bubbling up from the mantle to the surface, scientists, the military and private billionaires back a desperate plan to build spaceships. Ark One and Ark Three will each be capable of transporting about...

• Book Review: Sculptural Metal Clay Jewelry: Techniques and Explorations

  

  Beginning with proper clay handling; paying particular attention to proper safety precautions, McKinnon then reviews the simple tools and techniques she uses to create original textured settings, rings, jewelry making components, boxes and more. As demonstrated by the lovely...

• Book Review: Wild Fire

  

  Special ops team member Connor Vega has returned to his beloved home in the Amazon jungle and while he reveles in being back, keenly feels the soul-deep call of his mate Isabeau Chandler. Years earlier Connor had to make the difficult choice between his duty to the team and Isabeau, a decision that resulted in her believing he betrayed her...

Wednesday 28 April 2010

• My Brother Charlie - Book Review

  

  The children’s book My Brother Charlie is a lesson in love. It is beautifully written and illustrated and its message will almost make you cry. At the same time, it will uplift you for its message is the power of life. It is an instant classic, in my humble opinion.

Thursday 22 April 2010

• Book Review: The Bride Collector

  

  The FBI is tracking a chilling serial killer loose in the Denver area who is capturing, drugging and killing beautiful young woman before artfully arranging and gluing them naked to the walls of abandoned buildings. Each woman was drained of blood by drilling through...

• Book Review: Art ot the Middle East

  

  Resplendently illustrated with over four-hundred-fifty color photographs from two-hundred artists, grouped by general themes like Portraiture and the Body, this impressive volume compiled by art scholar Eigner covers the wide diversity of contemporary...

• Book Review: The Poacher's Son

  

  Maine game warden Mike Bowditch was having problems, his job cost him a longtime girlfriend, paid so little he was perpetually broke and seemed a never-ending string of poachers and stupid tourists. After virtual silence for two years Mike’s father...

Wednesday 14 April 2010

• Book Review: Books Do Furnish a Room

  

  Whether heaped in untidy piles, artfully stacked along a wall or tastefully arranged on custom-built shelves, books can define and warm a room while saying a great deal about the occupants. Geddes-Brown’s newest work is a lavishly illustrated celebration of books and how to use them to...

• Book Review: New Architecture in Japan

  

  Japanese architecture often challenges convention even as it gives the occasional nod to history and tradition as aptly shown in this broad-scoped photographic collection displaying established names like Kisho Kurakawa as well as up and coming architects. Styles range from the strict ordered lines of...

• Book Review: Shocking Cases from Dr. Henry Lee's Forensic Files

  

  Drs. Henry Lee and Jerry Labriola present four major criminal cases from across America before going on to Lee’s work in Bosnia and Croatia, each is chilling because they are true. The vicious murder of unarmed restaurant employees dubbed the Brown’s Chicken Massacre went unsolved...

• Book Review: Love in the Air

  

  A chance encounter on an airplane with Gerry Kincaid, a handsome stranger leads pottery artist Elyse Bearden to start reevaluating her marriage in earnest. She has been vaguely unhappy for a long time, her husband Phil is a great father but seems indifferent to...

Friday 02 April 2010

• Book Review: Dog Boy

  

  Suspend disbelief for a few hours and prepare for an absorbing trip into Moscow’s grimy underbelly where the destitute rummage through garbage dumps to eke out an existence and mothers sell their babies. Into this environment comes Romochka, a four-year-old boy abandoned during...

• Book Review: The Semantics of Murder

  

  Loosely based on the unsolved 1971 murder of gay UCLA Professor Robert Montague, this taut thriller follows psychoanalyst Dr. Jay Hamilton who recently relocated from LA to London. Not only is Dr. Hamilton revered by his patients, as J. Merritt he is the successful author of several books based upon...

• Book Review: The Favorite Child

  

  During her thirty years as a clinical psychologist, Libby treated a number of famous clients, observed the dynamics of countless families and drew some insightful conclusions regarding the long-term effects of being the favorite child and to a lesser degree, the roles played by siblings. Drawing examples from...

• Book Review: Thursday Night Widows

  

  Recently translated into English, this new release by an Argentinean author opens with a gruesome bang as three bodies lie unnoticed at the bottom of a swimming pool in the upscale Cascade Heights neighborhood. Safely ensconced in their gated community...

• Book Review: Men and Dogs

  

  At thirty-five Hannah still has flashbacks of fishing trips with her father Buzz just before he mysteriously disappeared forever. Although officially ruled dead, Hannah cannot shake the feeling there must be more, that maybe her father wasn’t really drowned at sea...

Tuesday 30 March 2010

• Book Review: Next

  

  A snap decision finds underappreciated publishing editor Kevin Quinn on a plane bound for a job interview in Austin, Texas. Seated on the plane next to him is Kelly, an attractive young woman more interested in reading then idol conversation. Kevin becomes more then a little obsessed by...

Sunday 07 March 2010

• Dying to be Famous - Book Review

  

  An entertaining mystery ideal for teenagers and older children.  Poppy Fields is not really keen on acting - but when the opportunity comes to audition for parts in a performance of The Wizard of Oz at her local theatre, she willingly takes part.  After all, it does mean time off school. 

• The Soldier: A History of Courage, Sacrifice and Brotherhood – Book Review

  

  Subtitled A history of courage, sacrifice and brotherhood; at first this appears to be a glorification of war and the soldier's work.  But it is more than that.  Darren Moore has dared to look at the basic questions of morality and responsibility for war from the soldier's point of view. 

• The Secrets of Codes – Book Review

  

  One of the most fascinating non-fiction books I have come across for a long time.  Informative, detailed yet never so heavy in content that it is overwhelming or gets boring to read. 

• Two of the Deadliest – Book Review

  

  Major crimes are inevitably caused by one of the seven deadly sins. This collection of short stories selects just two of those sins - lust and greed.  None of the stories have been published before. 

Tuesday 23 February 2010

• Book Review: Ox-Tales

  

  Ox-Tales is a series of four books of short stories, each loosely themed as Water, Fire, Earth and Air with proceeds going to support the charitable works of Oxfam. British and Irish authors donated new or work in progress to Oxfam’s worthy cause with the result being a set of diverse...

• Book Review: A Brief Life

  The increasing popularity of Latin American books led to the re-release of La Vida Breve originally published in 1950. Brausen’s wife has been seriously ill with breast cancer and there is little expectation that she will ever recover. After taking care of her for so long, Brausen suffers...

• Book Review: Rules of '48

  

  Cady’s chronicling gift is evident in his last book as he immerses readers in the Deep South during the summer of 1948. It was a different time as residents of Louisville, Kentucky struggled to come to terms with issues of race and religious intolerance three years after the conclusion of WW II. Fear and suspicion sweep...

• Book Review: Totally Twisted

  

  The plethora of beautiful handmade glass beads on the market challenges artists to use them to best advantage. Toward this end, Kerry Bogert has compiled twenty-five jewelry designs that combine the creative possibilities of colored wire with the art glass of eight beadmakers. These straightforward, contemporary...

Tuesday 16 February 2010

• Book Review: See How Much I Love You

  

  Teenage lovers Montse and Santiago come from totally different backgrounds. Raised in a middle class family, Montse is educated with a bright future ahead of her. Dirt poor, uneducated with few prospects open to him, Santiago joins the military to escape painful memories of their breakup. Santiago becomes one of the few...

Monday 25 January 2010

• Book Review: The Wife's Tale

  

  The night before her 25th wedding anniversary, three hundred pound Mary Gooch lies in bed pondering her life and the whereabouts of her husband Jimmy, a handsome furniture deliveryman who wishes to travel outside of small town Leaford, Canada. Mary’s world has long been defined by her size...

• Book Review: Waking Up in the Land of Glitter

  

  Spoiled and indulged by her parents and friends, Star Esteban’s latest antic have served her a much needed reality check. A spray-painting prank gone wrong cost Star her long-suffering boyfriend and brought an end to her parent’s patience. Vague aspirations of creating high art must give way to the realities of...

• Book Review: The Superstress Solution

  

  As businesses scale back personnel demanding more of fewer staff and a tightening economy forcing parents to spend longer hours at the workplace while attempting to balance the needs of child rearing, family and community it’s no wonder the effects of superstress are running rampant. The mental and physical toll of...

Thursday 14 January 2010

• Book Review: A Jew Must Die

  

  More frightening because it is based on a true story, Chessex’s chilling tale set in the early 1940’2 portraits the brutal murder of a Jewish businessman. As the inhabitants of a small Swiss town face economic hardship and the uncertainty of war, a handful of Nazis supporters fan...

• Book Review: Death of a Valentine

  

  Scottish police sergeant and confirmed bachelor Hamish Macbeth faces the biggest challenge of his life, he is about to be married to his inept Constable Josie McSween. The murder of highland beauty Annie Fleming via a letter bomb puts Hamish on a twisted path of drugs, deception and multiple murders as he discovers...

• Book Review: Enchanted Adornments

  

  Jewelers looking to expand their horizons will find much to enjoy in Thornton’s new book that combines metal clay, resin, wirework, beads and more to create twenty multimedia projects. In addition to step-by-step instructions, each design includes a charming, fanciful story and watercolors giving readers the sense of flipping through...

Friday 08 January 2010

• Book Review: Felting Fashion

  

  While the materials necessary to create felt are simple, the results are endlessly fascinating as demonstrated in this stunning collection of garment designs that utilize a variety of felting techniques. The designs are fresh, funky and the general schematics are enough to point artists in the right direction...