October 2022 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Book Review: Witchstorm by Tim Tilley

**Information about the Book**
**Title:** Witchstorm
**Authors:** Tim Tilley
**Publisher:** Usborne
**Release Date:** 29^th September 2022
**Genre:** MG (8 – 12 year olds)

Summary

Join a hunt for lost witch treasure, in an enchanting adventure story of storms, spells, and the magic of the natural world, from bestselling and award-winning Tim Tilley.

Will believes in witches and the stories he’s grown up with – of mythical storm-lions, disappearing villages, and secret songs. Most of all, he believes the tales of magical treasure hidden in the Fens centuries ago. Treasure that he has to find, to solve the mystery of his Ma’s disappearance.

Then, in the eye of a storm, a witch arrives. She holds the key to finding the lost treasure – a powerful magical object that can summon storms. But someone else is searching for it too. If it falls into the wrong hands, Will’s beloved home could be destroyed, and with it, his chances of ever finding his ma.
Join Will on an epic quest filled with riddles, ruined towers, cloud cities and broomstick chases, on a journey to save everything he loves before time runs out.

Extract Post: The Adventure of Ozchickychop and his White Teapot, by Jane Aistrop

**Information about the Book**
**Title:** The Adventures of Ozchickychop and his White Teapot
**Authors:** Jane Aistrop
**Publisher:** Clink Street Publishing
**Release Date:** 6^th October 2022
**Genre:** MG (5 – 8 year olds)

Summary

Children, open up this book and you will find a magical tale about two brothers who discover a magical world.

This story is about the brothers embarking on rescue missions and learning just how important words are, not just in story books but also in real life too.

Kindness, caring and love shines throughout this story to save Ozchickychop and the land of Nede.

Read on to become part of their adventures.

Review: Salamati, by Hamed Allahyari, with Dani Valent

Title Details
ISBN:9781911668565 | Murdoch Books
Hardcover | Embargo 13 October 2022
RRP £25.00

A heart-warming story of resilience and Persian culinary culture with mouth-watering recipes that are simple, flexible and full of flavour.

In Iran Hamed was a chef and restaurateur but he was also frequently in trouble with the religious police. When a crisis of faith imperilled his life, Hamed was forced to flee to Australia by boat with his pregnant girlfriend for his own safety. They travelled to Indonesia and then to Australia where they were detained for five months, shortly after their release their daughter was born.

It was natural for Hamed to gravitate towards food after his perilous escape and journey to Australia. His first dream was to find work: without English or local experience, that was hard enough. His next ambition was to open a business: his heartfelt cafe and restaurant SalamaTea launched in 2019. As soon as he could, Hamed employed fellow refugees and asylum seekers at SalamaTea, giving them the work experience that he found so hard to come by himself.

In Salamati Hamed melds Persian culinary culture and an understanding of
different flavours to create recipes that are truly his – and now ours – to share. Hamed’s food is anchored in tradition but with recipes which are accessible to all, celebratory and appealing. With every swipe of warm lavash through herbed adami dip, every bite of braised lamb with dried lime and saffron rice, Hamed shines a light on his Persian past as he continues to build an optimistic future.

Packed with beautiful recipes and gorgeous photography throughout, Salamati is full of authentic and accessible dishes:
• Ghahve Khunee Omelette (Street Food Tomato Omelette)
• Halim Bademjan (Lamb, Lentil and Eggplant Casserole)
• Fesenjun (Walnut and Pomegranate Chicken Stew)
• Sabzi Polow Ba Mahi (Fish with Herb Pilaf)
• Khoresh Bamieh (Slow-cooked Beef and Okra)
• Lubia Polow (Green Bean Pilaf)
• Persian Love cake
• Bastani Sonnati (Persian Ice Cream)
Wherever you live and whatever your background, you are invited to join the feast.

Non-Fiction TBR Pile Review: A Short History of Fantasy, by Farah Mendlesohn & Edward James

296 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2009 by
Middlesex University Press
ISBN 9781904750680 (ISBN10: 1904750680)

Blurb

A history of the fantasy form, this work traces the genre from the earliest years with The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey through to the origins of modern fantasy in the 20th century with such acclaimed writers as Terry Pratchett and J. K. Rowling. An exploration of the great variety of fiction published under the heading “fantasy,” this engaging study seeks to explain its continuing and ever-growing popularity.

My Review

I bought myself this book because I am interested in fantasy as a genre. I have been reading fantasy seriously for almost thirty years, and I have joked that I learnt to be human by reading fantasy. I’ve learnt a lot about why people do what they do by reading fantasy. I am interested in the history and theory of the genre because I want to know why it is so popular, yet so disdained by the literary establishment*.

This book covers the development of fantasy as a genre up to 2008. It goes into detail in some areas but not in others. They cover Pratchett and Tolkien, of course, but also children’s fantasy and the cross-over between fantasy and sci fi. It is a comfortable balance between the popular and the academic.

I have only one problem with this book: I keep buying books. Oh, and it needs updating to 2022. Lots has happened in the last 14 years.

*Snobbery, the answer is snobbery.

Review: Anisha, Accidental Detective Fright Night, by Serena Patel, Illustrated by Emma McCann

**Information about the Book**
**Title:** Anisha, Accidental Detective: Fright Night
**Authors:** Serena Patel
**Illustrator:** Emma McCann
**Publisher:** Usborne
**Release Date:** 15^th September 2022
**Genre:** MG (7-11 year olds)

Summary

There’s a spooky mystery at school, in the sixth hilarious case in the award-winning Anisha, Accidental Detective series!

It’s Halloween and everyone is excited about the school disco. It’s a bit much for me – all that dressing-up and dancing. I’d rather cosy up with a good book, but Milo, Mindy and Manny are all super excited.

Or at least, they were excited, until all these strange things started happening – messages appearing on the whiteboard, lights flickering on and off, books flying off the library shelves… Some of the other kids have been whispering that the school is haunted, but Mr Graft says that if the spooky mischief doesn’t stop, then the disco will be cancelled.

Looks like a mission for me, Anisha, accidental ghost detective!

Blog Tour Calendar: Witchstorm by Tim Tilley

Blog tour calendar: Anisha, Accidental Detective: Fright Night. by Serena Patel

Blog tour calendar: The Adventures of Ozchickychop and his White Teapot, by Jane Aistrop

Review: I Don’t Talk To Dead Bodies, by Dr Rhona Morrison

ISBN: 9781912300785
Price: £12.99
Publication Date: 28th July 2022
Print Book, eBook and
Audiobook

Synopsis
Prepare to be intrigued, amazed and astonished as you join Dr Rhona Morrison on an often funny, and at times downright bizarre, thought-provoking and eye-opening rollercoaster ride through some of the most curious encounters of her career as a leading forensic psychiatrist.

Delve into the minds of real people, whose actions may shock and stun you, but whose stories have the power to challenge your assumptions and the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

Travel directly into their living rooms and see behind the closed doors of
hospitals, prisons and court rooms. Lift the lid on Dr Morrison’s jaw-dropping experiences with murderers, stalkers and other dangerous offenders as she attempts to make sense of some highly unusual situations.

Discover the true stories of the inspiring human beings who are bravely learning to live with major mental illness. I Don’t Talk to Dead Bodies shines a powerful, emotional and surprisingly moving spotlight on the fascinating life of a forensic psychiatrist and the people she works with. It goes beyond the sensationalist headlines to show you just what happens in a world where mental illness occasionally makes good people do bad things.

Review: The Grove, by Ben Dark

7th April 2022 | £16.99 | Mitchell Beazley

Recent times have seen a renewed interest in urban nature, as can be witnessed in the work of amateur botanists, identifying wildflowers and chalking their names on pavements.
In The Grove the award-winning writer and head gardener, Ben Dark, reveals the remarkable secrets of 20 commonly found cultivated plants – including the rose, buddleja and the tulip – observed in the front gardens of a typical London street on daily walks over the course of a year. We discover how each species found its way into our gardens, the cast of characters who played their part in its story and what each one tells us about our national obsession with gardening and the urge to cultivate our own patch of nature.

‘Every species in this book was seen from one pavement over twelve months and there is little here that could not be found on any road in any town, but they recount stories of such weirdness, drama, passion and humour that, once discovered, familiar neighbourhoods will be changed forever.’

The Grove is about so much more than a single street, or indeed the plants found in its 19 ½ front gardens. It’s a glorious piece of urban nature writing and a skilful blend of horticultural history, personal narrative and an exploration of why gardens and gardening matter.