Publication date: 2007-02-22
RRP: £13.99
Price: £6.99
Review Jacky Daydream (BBC Audio) / BBC Audiobooks Ltd:
Creator: Tom Sellwood
Publication date: 2006-12-04
RRP: £64.57
Price: £66.56
Review The Pale Horseman / BBC Audiobooks:The Pale Horseman is the second book in Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest sequence, and this highly experienced author will be well aware of the pitfalls awaiting the creator of any second book in a series - particularly when its predecessor, The Last Kingdom, was so enthusiastically received. The fact that Cornwell's Sharpe books are so beloved (for their immense colour and vivid recreation of a very lively period of history) was not a guarantee that this latest venture for the author would succeed. But succeed it did, and The Last Kingdom conjured an era of Vikings and massacres, with a brilliantly drawn (and complex) King Alfred at the centre of the narrative. So - does Cornwell bring off this second book with equal panache? No need for suspense - The Pale Horseman is just as exhilarating a recreation of an age of heroes as its predecessor, delivered with the brio that is the author's trademark. Uhtred was born in Northumbria but rais! ed as a Viking. Married to a Saxon, he has achieved fame as a doughty warrior. But the more reflective Alfred has problems with the aggressive, self-serving manner of his young friend. An alliance, though, is necessary: these two are the sole remnants of those who commanded Wessex, after ill-judged bargains have destroyed the union. The Vikings now reign over most of England, and Alfred and his company are obliged to hide in the swampy netherland of Athelney, trying to regain the support they once enjoyed. Uhtred cannot shake off his Viking training, but finds himself acquiring an admiration for Alfred, who he comes to sense is a great man. [+]As the narrative progresses, the conflict between the two men must be resolved before bloody battles will change the fate of England. One expects the heroic endeavours of Bernard Cornwell's novels to be dispatched with panache, but there is another element which his admirers rely on: the conflict between his strongly drawn characters,! exemplified here by the two proud leaders. It'll take a while! before this new sequence achieves the immense popularity of the Sharpe novels, but the auguries are good. -Barry Forshaw.
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2005-07-18
Dewey code: 813
RRP: £17.99
Price: £12.02
Review The Return of Sherlock Holmes: v. 1 (BBC Audio) / BBC Audiobooks Ltd:
Edition: Unabridged
Publication date: 1999-12-31
RRP: £39.50
Price: £63.81
Review As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning / ISIS Audio Books:
Creator: David Timson
Publication date: 2007-08-02
RRP: £14.99
Price: £8.55
Review Runemarks / Random House Children's Books:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 1999-10-07
Dewey code: 823.914
RRP: £6.99
Price: £2.38
Review The Invisible Worm / Headline Review:
Creator: Nigel Planer
Edition: Abridged Ed
Publication date: 1999-02-09
Price: £9.99
Review Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog / Penguin Audiobooks:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2006-03-27
RRP: £7.00
Price: £4.69
Review The Suitcase Kid (BBC Audio) / BBC Audiobooks Ltd:Lesley Dunlop reads The Suitcase Kid in this unabridged three-cassette pack. Although there are many children's books about divorce, few move beyond bland therapeutic preaching into the realm of well-told stories. This one does. A hard look at joint-custody life, The Suitcase Kid follows Andrea West and her tiny stuffed rabbit, Radish, through the painful adjustment of being a kid with divorced parents. She must leave the home she loves with the mulberry tree in the front yard, and deal with parents who still fight, step parents, step siblings, two different bedrooms (neither of which is really hers), loneliness, and an acute longing for the past. Her grades sink. Her friends drift away. And she's not quite sure how to fix any of it. Wisely, Jacqueline Wilson doesn't offer instant solutions; rather, she chronicles Andrea's journey to the beginning of equilibrium in her new life. Things will never be the way they were, but, as the book suggests, they'll get better over time. [+]And because it's well written and honest, The Suitcase Kid will appeal to any child who enjoys realistic fiction, not just those who "need" to read a book about divorce. (The publisher recommends the The Suitcase Kid for ages 8-12, but it could well appeal to children who are a couple of years younger or older. ) Running time is three hours five minutes. -Susan Harrison Although there are many children's books about divorce, few move beyond bland therapeutic preaching into the realm of well-told stories. This one does. A hard look at joint-custody life, The Suitcase Kid follows Andrea West and her tiny stuffed rabbit, Radish, through the painful adjustment of being a kid with divorced parents. She must leave the home she loves with the mulberry tree in the front yard, and deal with parents who still fight, step parents, step siblings, two different bedrooms (neither of which is really hers), loneliness, and an acute longing for the past. Her grades sink. Her friends drift away. And she's not quite sure how to fix any of it. Wisely, Jacqueline Wilson doesn't offer instant solutions; rather, she chronicles Andy's journey to the beginning of equilibrium in her new life. Things will never be the way they were, but, as the book suggests, they'll get better over time. And because it's well written and honest, The Suitcase Kid will appeal to any child who enjoys realistic fiction, not just those who "need" to read a book about divorce. (The publisher recommends the The Suitcase Kid for ages 8-12, but it could easily serve kids who are a couple of years younger or older. ).
Publication date: 2002-05-07
Dewey code: 811
Price: £9.00
Review Spike's Poems: Knees, Fleas, Hidden Elephants and Other Poems (BBC Radio Collection) / BBC Audiobooks Ltd:
Creator: Elizabeth McGovern
Edition: Re-issue
Publication date: 2006-04
Dewey code: 813.4
RRP: £19.96
Price: £11.96
Review A Portrait of a Lady (Classic Literature with Classical Music) / Naxos AudioBooks:
Creator: James Frain
Edition: Abridged Ed
Publication date: 2002-09-02
Dewey code: 813
RRP: £13.99
Price: £1.75
Review Man and Wife / HarperCollins Audio:Man and Wife, the sequel to Tony Parsons' bestselling debut Man and Boy, follows the marital and parental misadventures of Harry Silver, a mawkish North London television producer. Harry has remarried. Second wife, Cyd, and her feisty daughter, Peggy, provide him and his Phantom Menace obsessed son, Pat, with a family. Harry's luck couldn't be better. His television show, Fish on Friday, is a hit and Cyd's posh catering company, Food Glorious Food, is thriving. However, Harry is not the only one starting again. His ex-wife Gina has also remarried. Her partner Richard (who must be the only thirtysomething male on the planet who hates Star Wars) is Pat's "new father. " When the couple announce they are moving to America-taking Pat with them-Harry reacts, in time-honoured fashion, by attacking Richard. Separated from his son by the Atlantic and struggling as Peggy's stepfather, Harry begins to yearn for a good old-fashioned "normal, family life"-the kind his lovely old mum and dear departed dad enjoyed. [+]Rather surprisingly, he decides that Kazumi, an attractive Japanese photographer friend of Gina's, could be the answer to his prayers. Male frailty and the perils of modern parenting are Parsons' forte, but Man and Wife, although occasionally touching, is overburdened by plot twists, unlikely conceits and whiffs of reactionary sentimentality. Parsons' fans are unlikely to be disappointed but, to indulge in a vaguely pertinent comparison, this follow up is definitely more Attack of the Clones than The Empire Strikes Back. -Travis Elborough, Amazon. com.
Creator: Neville Jason
Edition: Abridged
Publication date: 1996-07
Dewey code: 813
RRP: £13.99
Price: £6.94
Review Within a Budding Grove: Pt. 1 (Modern classics) / Naxos AudioBooks:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 1999-05-06
Dewey code: 823.914
RRP: £7.99
Price: £2.55
Review Two Moons / Headline Review:
Publication date: 2002-12-05
Dewey code: 813
RRP: £14.99
Price: £6.92
Review On Green Dolphin Street / Random House Audiobooks:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2005-07-18
Dewey code: 813
RRP: £17.99
Price: £10.79
Review The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: v. 3 (BBC Audio) / BBC Audiobooks Ltd:
Creator: Peter Marinker
Edition: Abridged
Publication date: 2006-08
Dewey code: 813.3
RRP: £13.99
Price: £9.10
Review The House of the Seven Gables (Classic Drama S.) / Naxos AudioBooks:
Authors
- Jack B.Du Brul
- Clive Cussler
Publication date: 2006-07-01
RRP: £53.50
Price: £55.49
Review Dark Watch / ISIS Audio Books:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2005-07-18
Dewey code: 813
RRP: £17.99
Price: £11.79
Review The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: v. 1 (BBC Audio) / BBC Audiobooks Ltd:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2005-07-18
Dewey code: 813
RRP: £17.99
Price: £10.78
Review The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: v. 2 (BBC Audio) / BBC Audiobooks Ltd:
Publication date: 2001-02-01
Dewey code: 813
RRP: £14.99
Price: £1.49
Review Turning Thirty / Hodder & Stoughton Ltd:Mike Gayle's previous novels My Legendary Girlfriend and Mr Commitment have already wittily chronicled living and loving among the twentysomethings at the end of the 20th century. As time marches on, Gayle's latest novel Turning Thirty deals with what happens when his characters reach that most dreaded of moments-the big three-o. Matt Beckford is reaching that time of life. At the age of 29 he thinks he has answered those two crucial questions you ask yourself as a teenager: "What am I going to do with my life?" and "Will I ever get a girlfriend?" Living as a computer expert in New York with the lovely Elaine, Matt thinks he's cracked life. But then both he and Elaine suddenly realise that their relationship isn't working. They split up amicably, realising that "biology is telling us there's no point in crying over spilt milk", and Matt heads back to his friends and parents in Birmingham. As his 30th birthday looms, Matt meets Ginny Pascoe, an old flame, or more accurately "a girl who was also a friend who I sometimes snogged", and things get more complicated as he realises that he's falling for Ginny-again. The transatlantic love triangle that develops between Matt, Ginny and Elaine is funny and refreshing, and lacks the usual angst you would expect from such a situation. As Matt enjoys the nostalgia of going out with old friends and loves, he also realises he needs to sort out his life, as 30 beckons. Turning Thirty is another sharp, funny and astute offering from Gayle, that won't disappoint his growing army of fans. [+](This review refers to the hardcover edition of this title. ) -Jerry Brotton Mike Gayle's previous novels My Legendary Girlfriend and Mr Commitment have already wittily chronicled living and loving amongst the twentysomethings at the end of the 20th century. As time marches on, Gayle's latest novel Turning Thirty deals with what happens when his characters reach that most dreaded of moments- the big three-o. Matt Beckford is reaching that time of life. At the age of 29 he thinks he has answered those two crucial questions you ask yourself as a teenager: "What am I going to do with my life?" and "Will I ever get a girlfriend?" Living as a computer expert in New York with the lovely Elaine, Matt thinks he's cracked life. But then both he and Elaine suddenly realise that their relationship isn't working. They split up amicably, realising that "biology is telling us there's no point in crying over spilt milk", and Matt heads back to his friends and parents in Birmingham. As his thirtieth birthday looms, Matt meets Ginny Pascoe, an old flame, or more accurately "a girl who was also a friend who I sometimes snogged", and things get more complicated as he realises that he's falling for Ginny-again. The transatlantic love triangle that develops between Matt, Ginny and Elaine is funny and refreshing, and lacks the usual angst you would expect from such a situation. As Matt enjoys the nostalgia of going out with old friends and loves, he also realises he needs to sort out his life, as 30 beckons. Turning Thirty is another sharp, funny and astute offering from Gayle, that won't disappoint his growing army of fans. -Jerry Brotton.
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Models & Brands:
Jacky Daydream (BBC Audio), The Pale Horseman, The Return of Sherlock Holmes: v. 1 (BBC Audio), As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, Runemarks, The Invisible Worm, Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog, The Suitcase Kid (BBC Audio), Spike's Poems: Knees, Fleas, Hidden Elephants and Other Poems (BBC Radio Collection), A Portrait of a Lady (Classic Literature with Classical Music), Man and Wife, Within a Budding Grove: Pt. 1 (Modern classics), Two Moons, On Green Dolphin Street, The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: v. 3 (BBC Audio), The House of the Seven Gables (Classic Drama S.), Dark Watch, The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: v. 1 (BBC Audio), The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: v. 2 (BBC Audio), Turning Thirty |
