Author Archives: R Cawkwell

Hi I'm Rosemarie and I like to write. I write short stories and longer fiction, poetry and occasionally articles. I'm working on quite a few things at the minute and wouldn't mind one day actually getting published in print.

Review: 21% Monster – Ice Giant, by P.J. Canning

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Usborne Publishing Ltd (5 Jan. 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1474984428
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1474984423
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 – 13 years

Genetically-modified teens try to bring down the organisation that made them, in this second action-packed installment in the 21% Monster series. The girl put her hands on her hips, cocked her head and answered: ‘My name is Aurora María Ash-Valero and I’m here to kick your butt!” Since Darren Devlin and Marek Masters joined forces, there has only been one thing on their minds – taking down XSP, the secret organisation that transformed them into genetically-modified superhumans. Even with 21% monster Darren’s incredible strength, and 19% alien Marek’s super intelligence, XSP is more than a match for them. But what if there was another survivor of XSP’s experiments? A tall, tough, athletic teen girl able to withstand sub-zero temperatures and track potential predators? A girl who’s 17% sabre-tooth polar bear, and out for revenge. Two’s company, but Three IS UNSTOPPABLE in this high-octane adventure, 21% Monster: Ice Giant.

Continue reading “Review: 21% Monster – Ice Giant, by P.J. Canning”

Rosemarie’s Best Books of 2022

Not necessarily published in 2022, but read in 2022. I have a large TBR pile.

Blog tour books – Fiction

Blog Tour Books – Non-Fiction

Blog Tour Books – Children’s Books

TBR Pile Books – Fiction

TBR Pile – Non-Fiction

I’m on Mastodon now

Mastodon

Since Twitter is blooming as a hellscape, I’ve decided to shift at least a little bit to Mastodon. I’m on the neurodifferent.me server for neurodivergent people. My handle is BetterDragons over there. I don’t know how useful it’ll be but there’s no harm in giving it a go.

Also, I’m writing this at 3.35am because Ezzie is poorly and I can’t sleep from worrying about her. She’s at the vets in less than twelve hours, but I’m still anxious. She’s currently resting against my leg and far too cold. She’s barely eaten for two weeks, has lost weight, and is struggling to walk. Her dodgy hips have been playing her up recently but something has changed because she’s struggling to walk, and she’s just finished a season, which is why she hasn’t eaten much for two weeks. Her seasons are sometimes upsetting for her, but it’s never been this bad before, and the combination of her hips and the season, and cold weather, seem to have really knocked her out.

TBR Review: All I Want For Christmas Is Yarn, by indsey Newns

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (27 Oct. 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0008558639
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008558635

Crochet yourself into the Christmas spirit with these 30 gorgeous patterns for decorations, festive outerwear and personal gifts. 

Deck the halls with boughs made of yarn! Just grab your hook and get cracking, and you’ll have Christmas decorations and gifts sorted for many years to come.
Patterns include:


• A super chunky wreath
• Tasselled baubles
• Boho stocking
• Reusable crackers
• Festive amigurumi
• FA LA LA bunting


And many, many more…

My Review

If you order from Lottie & Albert, Lindsey Newns signs the books, but they’re sold out at the moment. If you order from Amazon it’s a couple of quid cheaper. I think my sister got my copy from Amazon.

I got this book for Christmas and sat and read it in an hour or so. There are a couple of projects I recognise. The reindeer amigurumi was November’s Curate Crochet Box. He’s hanging on my Christmas tree right now. Having made one of the projects, I can say that the instructions are easy to follow, with the stitches explained in a clear glossary.

The photography of the finished projects is lovely. It’s a lovely little pattern book and I recommend it for crocheters, even if you’re relatively new to the craft.

TBR Review: The Unadulterated Cat – The Amazing Maurice Edition, by Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
ISBN: 9781399608688

From the cat-fanatical literary phenomenon Sir Terry Pratchett, via the unquestionable wisdom of his fictional feline creation Maurice, herein is contained everything you’ll ever need to know to identify the real, unadulterated cat! Rediscover Sir Terry’s 1989 guide to separating Real Cats from the riff raff – now featuring artwork from the creative minds behind the Amazing Maurice film and a new intro by Rhianna Pratchett!

As more and more of us settle for those boring mass-produced cats the Ad Men and influencers sell us – the filtered felines that purr into their gold-plated food bowls with unruffled fur and without a ‘blep’ in sight – the Campaign for Real Cats sets out to help us to recognise a true, unadulterated cat when we see one!

For example: real cats have ears that look like they’ve been trimmed with pinking shears; real cats never wear flea collars…or appear on Christmas cards… or chase anything with a bell in it; real cats do eat quiche. And giblets. And butter. And anything else left on the table, if they think they can get away with it. Real cats can hear a fridge door opening two rooms away…

Featuring fifty illustrations and artwork from the creative minds behind the Amazing Maurice film, plus introduction by Rhianna Pratchett rediscover Sir Terry’s wit and wisdom from the original edition and re-educate yourself on how to separate Real Cats from the riff raff!

Buy here or here.

My Review

This is not a Discworld book. Terry Pratchett was a cat collector, or he was collected by a lot of cats. He clearly had strong opinions on what made a ‘real cat’ and he’s bloody hilarious doing it. There are anecdotes about Houdini cats who get into and out of locked bungalows, where cats can come from, and the Schrodinger travelling cat hypothesis. That last one does make sense. Where do all the random cats come from?

This edition has illustrations from the new Amazing Maurice animated film, rather than the original illustrations. They’re not bad. I haven’t seen the film or the original illustrations so I can’t make comparisons. I loved Rhianna Pratchett’s introduction, it is full of love for her father and their clowder of cats over the years. Some of the names they had are hilarious.

If you love STPs work, then you might want to pick up this book.

TBR Review: Into the Riverlands, by Nghi Vo

  • Hardcover, 100 pages
  • Published October 25th 2022 by Tordotcom
  • ISBN: 1250851424 (ISBN13: 9781250851420)
  • Edition Language: English
  • Series: The Singing Hills Cycle #3

Wandering cleric Chih of the Singing Hills travels to the riverlands to record tales of the notorious near-immortal martial artists who haunt the region. On the road to Betony Docks, they fall in with a pair of young women far from home, and an older couple who are more than they seem. As Chih runs headlong into an ancient feud, they find themselves far more entangled in the history of the riverlands than they ever expected to be.

Accompanied by Almost Brilliant, a talking bird with an indelible memory, Chih confronts old legends and new dangers alike as they learn that every story—beautiful, ugly, kind, or cruel—bears more than one face.

The Singing Hills Cycle

The Empress of Salt and Fortune
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
Into the Riverlands

The novellas of The Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entry point. 

My Review

I’ve been waiting for this book to come out. It’s Chih’s next adventure and I wanted to know what they would get up to. I adore Almost Brilliant, they’re funny and sharp. In this novella, Chih and Almost Brilliant fall in with a couple of young women on the road and a middle aged couple. They are legends and legends in the making, and it is Chih’s job to write down their stories.

Vo’s novellas are always a joy to read, as we explore the world they’ve built around Chih and their adventures, through multiple eyes with the mediation of Chih and Almost Brilliant. This book is short but immersive. It takes you into a world of magic, legends and mammoths, based on a version of Chinese history, into a world where heroes from the stories live and breathe, fight and love.

Review: 21% Monster, by P.J. Canning

  • Paperback
  • £7.99
  • Age 10+
  • ISBN: 9781474984416
  • Publication Date: July 2022

Genetically-modified teens try to bring down the organisation that made them.

Fun, fast-paced, high-octane action adventure, 21% Monster is a perfect page-turning new series for fans of Alex Rider, Percy Jackson and the MCU generation. When Darren Devlin is arrested for destroying his school with his bare hands, it’s not just the police who are after him. Enter Marek Masters, 14 years old, 19% alien, and the most intelligent, most wanted “almost human” alive. Marek is here to tell Darren the truth – he is 21% monster, and together they must take down the secret organisation that created them. Darren and Marek are wanted, powerful and dangerous. And now it’s payback time. 

Continue reading “Review: 21% Monster, by P.J. Canning”