Book Reviews – Page 50 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Review: ‘Bird Therapy’, by Joe Harkness

Blurb

‘I can’t remember the last book I read that I could say with absolute assurance would save lives. But this one will.’ Chris Packham

When Joe Harkness suffered a breakdown in 2013, he tried all the things his doctor recommended: medication helped, counselling was enlightening, and mindfulness grounded him. But nothing came close to nature, particularly birds. How had he never noticed such beauty before? Soon, every avian encounter took him one step closer to accepting who he is.

The positive change in Joe’s wellbeing was so profound that he started a blog to record his experience. Three years later he has become a spokesperson for the benefits of birdwatching, spreading the word everywhere from Radio 4 to Downing Street.

In this groundbreaking book filled with practical advice, Joe explains the impact that birdwatching had on his life, and invites the reader to discover these extraordinary effects for themselves.

Review: ‘The Silver Sting’, by Angela Dandy

**Book information**
**Publication Date** 30th April 2019
**Publisher** SilverWood Books
**ISBN** 978-1-78132-843-9
**RRP** £9.99

Blurb
It has been thirteen years since the elderly residents of Magnolia Court were scammed out of a comfortable retirement by an unscrupulous developer who took their money and ran. A twist of fate leads Gabby, Uncle Max and Aunt Hetty’s niece, to uncover the developer’s whereabouts. Pointed in the right direction by Gabby, the residents draw on their life skills to overcome one obstacle after another in order to recover what is theirs by right.
No one should underestimate the tenacity and ingenuity of this charming and endearing bunch of senior citizens. Age and infirmity are set aside as they set out on their quest to seek retribution.

Review: ‘The Prison Doctor’, by Dr Amanda Brown

The Prison Doctor Paperback by — **ISBN:** 9780008311445
**Imprint:** HQ
**On Sale:** 2019-06-13
**Format:** Paperback
Purchase Link

Blurb
Horrifying, heartbreaking and eye-opening, these are the stories, the patients and the cases that have characterised a career spent behind bars.
Savage beatings, dirty protests, drug addiction, depression and prisoners desperate to turn their lives around, Dr Amanda Brown has seen it all.
The no-holds-barred memoirs of a GP who went from working at a quiet suburban practice to treating the country’s most dangerous criminals – first in young offenders’ institutions, then at the notorious Wormwood Scrubs and finally at Europe’s largest women-only prison in Europe, Bronzefield.
A doctor devoted to caring for those most of us would rather forget

Review: ‘Wolves At The Door’, by Gunnar Staalesen

Blurb
One dark January night a car drives at high speed towards PI Varg Veum, and comes very close to killing him. Veum is certain this is no accident, following so soon after the deaths of two jailed men who were convicted for their participation in a case of child pornography and sexual assault … crimes that Veum himself once stood wrongly accused of committing.

While the guilty men were apparently killed accidentally, Varg suspects that there is something more sinister at play … and that he’s on the death list of someone still at large.

Fearing for his life, Veum begins to investigate the old case, interviewing the victims of abuse and delving deeper into the brutal crimes, with shocking results. The wolves are no longer in the dark … they are at his door. And they want vengeance.

Review: ‘This Queer Angel’, by Elaine M. Chambers

Publication Date: 7th March 2019
Price: £10.99
I.S.B.N.: 9781912618385
Format: Paperback

Blurb
The incredible true story of one woman’s campaign for equality in the armed forces.

A revealing memoir, laying open the cruel truth behind the longstanding ban on LGBT+ personnel serving openly in H.M. Forces. Discover the human cost of being deemed a criminal in the institutions protecting fellow citizens’ hard-won freedoms.
The first book covering recent military history, written from a lesbian perspective.

June 2019 Blog Tours

June’s blog tour reviews are all courtesy of Anne Cater, who runs Random Things Blog Tours and is Orenda Publishing blog tour organiser.

Review: ‘The Comedy Club Mystery’, by Peter Bertram

**Amazon:** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comedy-Club-Mystery-Chronicle-adventure/dp/1096270986
**Publisher:** Independently published
**Publication Date:** 3rd May 2019
**ISBN-13:** 978-1096270980

BLURB
The Comedy Club Mystery: A Crampton of the Chronicle comic crime adventure
Murder has never been such fun…
When theatrical agent Daniel Bernstein sues the Evening Chronicle for libel, crime reporter Colin Crampton is called in to sort out the problem.But trouble escalates when Bernstein turns up murdered. Colin discovers that any of five comedians competing for the chance to appear on a top TV show could be behind the killing.As Colin and his feisty girlfriend Shirley Goldsmith investigate, they encounter a cast of colourful characters – identical twin gangsters, an Irishman who lives underground, and a failed magician’s assistant.And it’s not long before their own lives are in peril as they battle to crack a code that will lead to a fortune. Join Colin and Shirley for a rollercoaster of an adventure in Swinging Sixties England – where the laughs are never far from the action.

Publication Day Review: ‘The Lost Shrine’, by Nicola Ford

With bonus review: ‘The Hidden Bones’, by Nicola Ford

Late last year I bothered Allison & Busby for review copies of some of there books, and I’ve been trying to work out how to fit them into the blog ever since. Well, today is publication day for The Lost Shrine, thus I have decided to do a joint review post in celebration.

Nicola Ford is the pen name of archaeologist Dr Nick Snashall, who is National Trust Archaeologist for the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. She has a two book deal with the publisher and I hope she’ll get another because the Hills & Barbrook series has only just started getting wind in its sails.

On to the reviews. The Hidden Bones is only getting a short review because I want to focus on The Lost Shrine.

Review: ‘White Gold’, by David Barker

Blurb
VENGEANCE ALWAYS HAS A PRICE
Sim Atkins, Overseas Division agent, returns to Earth, having saved the Moon base from a deadly terrorist plot (see Rose Gold). All Sim can think about is finding the criminals responsible.
But his fury and lust for revenge are put on hold when a nuclear warhead is stolen by Terra Former leader Matthias Larsson. Can Sim and his colleagues track down the terrorist cell and disarm the device in time?
White Gold is the gripping finale in the compellingly original Gaia Trilogy, page-turning thrillers that provoke as well as excite.

Children’s Book Review: ‘The Dream of the Tortoise’, by Nyako Nakar

**Release Date:** 30^th April 2019
**Genre:** Picture Book
**Page Count:** 36
**Publisher:** Clink Street Publishing
**Goodreads Link:** https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45360211-the-dream-of-the-tortoise
**Amazon Link:** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Tortoise-Nyako-Nakar-ebook/dp/B07QP2GB4C

Summary:

This is the story of a tortoise with very big dreams.