Book Reviews – Page 58 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

First Bonus Review of November: ‘The Murder That Defeated Whitechapel’s Sherlock Holmes: At Mrs Ridgley’s Corner’, by Paul Stickler

The Murder that Defeated Whitechapel's Sherlock Holmes Published By: Pend and Sword

Publication Date: 16th April 2018

ISBN: 9781526733856

Format: Paperback

Price: £14.99

Blurb

In 1919, when a shopkeeper and her dog were found dead in Hitchin, Hertfordshire with brutal head injuries, there followed an extraordinary catalogue of events and a local police investigation which concluded that both had died as a result of a tragic accident. A second investigation by Scotland Yard led to the arrest of an Irish war veteran, but the outcome was far from conclusive.

Written from the perspective of the main characters involved and drawing on original and newly-discovered material, this book exposes the frailties of county policing just after the First World War and how it led to fundamental changes in methods of murder investigations.

Offering a unique balance of story-telling and analysis, the book raises a number of unanswered questions. These are dealt with in the final chapter by the author’s commentary drawing upon his expertise.

Continue reading “First Bonus Review of November: ‘The Murder That Defeated Whitechapel’s Sherlock Holmes: At Mrs Ridgley’s Corner’, by Paul Stickler”

Review: ‘Nessie’s Husband’, by Sibel Beadle

Publication Date: 31^st October 2018

Published By: Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd

Format: Picture Book

I.S.B.N.: 9781786233394

Price: £6.99

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witchy-Travel-Tales-Nessies-Husband/dp/1786233398/

Blurb

Miranda’s daughter, Mimi, is half-cat half-human. Mimi wants to become invisible and hopes that Nessie can teach her how to become invisible and hide from her classmates. The story takes, Mimi accompanied by her witch mother and sisters, to a magical trip across Scotland where the family ends up rediscovering themselves and finding Nessie’s husband.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Nessie’s Husband’, by Sibel Beadle”

Review: ‘Reprobation’, by Catherine Fearns

Blurb

Are you one of the elect?

Dr. Helen Hope is a lecturer in eschatology – the study of death, judgement, and the destiny of humankind. She is also a Calvinist nun, her life devoted to atoning for a secret crime.

When a body is found crucified on a Liverpool beach, she forms an unlikely alliance with suspect Mikko Kristensen, lead guitarist in death metal band Total Depravity. Together, they go on the trail of a rogue geneticist who they believe holds the key – not just to the murder, but to something much darker.

Also on the trail is cynical Scouse detective Darren Swift. In his first murder case, he must confront his own lack of faith as a series of horrific crimes drag the city of two cathedrals to the gates of hell.

Science meets religious belief in this gripping murder mystery.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Reprobation’, by Catherine Fearns”

Book Spotlight: ‘Jackson Saves An Owl’, by Darren Garwood and Carl Osbourne

Today I’d like to share with you a book that Faye Rogers (who usually contacts me about Clink Street books, but this is one of her independent PR jobs) told me about. I haven’t got time this month to review it, unfortunately, but I thought I’d share it with you all. As you can see, I’m part of a blog tour with several other bookbloggers sharing this book. Most of them will have reviews if you’d like to see what they think.

Information about the book

Title: Jackson Saves an Owl

Author: Darren Garwood

Illustrator: Carl Osborne

Release Date: 1^st September 2018

Genre: Picture Book

Publisher: Untold Books

Summary:

Jackson Superhero might not be a real name, but it is a story about a real boy, and as the name suggests, Jackson is far from ordinary. By day, a rare disease limits his ability to move freely, but at night he is far from grounded. When the sleeping hours come around, and weightlessness takes over, Jackson takes to the skies. He knows what it means to need the support of others, which is why when he hears a call for help, he is quickly there to lend a hand.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42141736-jackson-saves-an-owl

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jackson-Saves-Owl-Superhero/dp/8799506262/

Author Information

Darren Garwood is the father of Jackson, a real boy living with a rare and terminal illness called Krabbe disease. Darren came up with the Jackson Superhero series because as Jackson can’t move during the day, Darren wanted to help him dream at night, when he was free to be anything he wanted to be. Jackson Saves an owl is written in lively, fantastic rhyme, and is the first in the Jackson Superhero series.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacksons_smile

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacksongarwoodsmile

Review: ‘Sex Drive’, by Stephanie Theobald

Publication Date: 18th October 2018

Published by: Unbound

I.S.B.N.: 978-1-78352-681-9

Format: Hardback

Price: £16.99

Blurb

Arriving in New York with a failing relationship and a body she felt out of touch with, Stephanie Theobald set off on a 3,497 mile trip across America to re-build her orgasm from the ground up. What started as a quest for the ultimate auto-erotic experience became a fantastic voyage into her own body.

She takes us from ‘body sex’ classes with the legendary feminist Betty Dodson to an interview with the former US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, who was fired for suggesting that masturbation should be talked about in schools. Along the way, we are immersed in a weird, countercultural America of marijuana farms and ‘ecosexual sexologists’.

Sex Drive is a memoir about desire and pleasure, merging sexuality and spirituality,
eighteenth-century porn and enlightenment philosophy. A new sexual revolution has begun – and this time round, it’s all about the women.

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Review: ‘Redneck’s Revenge’, by Joan Livingston

Published By: CreateSpace

Publication Date: 31st July 2018

I.S.B.N.: 978-1724560483

Format: Kindle and Paperback

Price: £1.99 (Kindle), £6.99 (Paperback)

Blurb

Her next case. She’s in it for good.

Isabel Long is in a funk months after solving her first case. Her relationship with the Rooster Bar’s owner is over. Then the cops say she must work for a licensed P.I. before working solo.

Encouraged by her ‘Watson’ — her 92-year-old mother — Isabel snaps out of it by hooking up with a P.I. and finding a new case.

The official ruling is Chet Waters, an ornery so-and-so, was passed out when his house caught fire. His daughter, who inherited the junkyard, believes he was murdered. Topping the list of suspects are dangerous drug-dealing brothers, a rival junkyard owner, and an ex-husband.

Could the man’s death simply be a case of redneck’s revenge? Isabel is about to find out.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Redneck’s Revenge’, by Joan Livingston”

Book Review: ‘Spectrum Women’, edited by Barb Cook and Dr. Michelle Garnett

38884913

Publication Date: August 21st 2018

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

ISBN: 9781785924347

Format: Paperback

Price: £13.16 (amazon.co.uk)

Blurb

Barb Cook and 14 other autistic women describe life from a female autistic perspective, and present empowering, helpful and supportive insights from their personal experience for fellow autistic women. Michelle Garnett’s comments validate and expand the experiences described from a clinician’s perspective, and provide extensive recommendations.

Autistic advocates including Liane Holliday Willey, Anita Lesko, Jeanette Purkis, Artemisia and Samantha Craft offer their personal guidance on significant issues that particularly affect women, as well as those that are more general to autism. Contributors cover issues including growing up, identity, diversity, parenting, independence and self-care amongst many others. With great contributions from exceptional women, this is a truly well-rounded collection of knowledge and sage advice for any woman with autism.

My Review

I think I’m slightly in love with this book. I treat myself to it in August, a few days after publication and read it swiftly. I’ve been keeping it to myself ever since (except to review on Good Reads) because I’m selfish and it is fantastic! I keep meaning to lend it to my sisters to try to help them understand, but it’s not leaving my house, sorry. It’s too insightful and useful.

This book is a gripping insight into being a woman on the spectrum, as well as excellent advice for women on the spectrum. I found some of the chapters more helpful than others, from a personal point of view, but I think it’ll be useful to any woman or girl on the spectrum, to understand themself and some direction in the world around them.

If you’re an autistic woman, or parenting an autistic girl, go and read this book!

Review: ‘Dog Care At Home’, by Gina Harding

Published By: PawLife

Publication Date:

3rd September 2018

Format: Kindle

Price: £3.79

Blurb

DOG CARE AT HOME gives you the information you need to have a happy and healthy dog no matter what your dog’s current stage in life, in just 10 minutes a day. Over 200 hours of research including interviews with veterinarians and fellow dog owners around the world,

Dog Care at Home is the all-in-one book to have at home, with six veterinarians that have contributed to this ultimate guide, rest assured you are in reliable hands.

Inside you will discover:

– Choosing the right breed
– The basic steps of raising a puppy
– What vaccinations are for and why your dog needs them
– Travelling with your dog
– How to perform CPR on your dog
– Health and hygiene including dental care
– Choosing the right veterinarian
– When it’s time to say goodbye
– And much more!

PawLife’s Dog Care at Home is the answer for all your dog parenting needs in one comprehensive guide that ensures your dog lives a long, healthy and happy life.

Purchase from Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dog-Care-Home-Ultimate-Healthy-ebook/dp/B07HGR9ZNF

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Last review of September: ‘The Hedge Druid’s Craft’, by Joanna van der Hoeven

Pagan Portals - The Hedge Druid's Craft Published by: Moon Books

Publication date: 29th June 2018

I.S.B.N.: 978-1-78535-796-1

Format: Paperback

Price: £6.99

Blurb

The Hedge Druid’s Craft blends the traditions of Wicca, Witchcraft and Druidry into a spiritual path that uses the techniques of “hedge riding” to travel between the worlds, bringing back wisdom and enchantment into our everyday lives. It is about working with boundaries, with a foot in either world, living around the edges and working with liminal times and places. For those whose paths meander and often overlap, and those who would not be constrained nor confined by labels, yet who seek some definition, this book is for you. If you are interested in Witchcraft, Wicca or Druidry, this book will sing to your soul.

Continue reading “Last review of September: ‘The Hedge Druid’s Craft’, by Joanna van der Hoeven”

Review: ‘Survive’, by Stephen Llewelyn

Survive

Published By: Clink Street Publishing

Publication Date: 18th September 2018

Format: Paperback

I.S.B.N.: 9781912562039

Price: £10.99

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41643888-survive

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Survive-Stephen-Llewelyn/dp/1912562030

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/gyTWR6iC3rc

Audio Clip: https://youtu.be/4F7NL9Pq_1I

Blurb

A young man and his mother fight to leave tragedy behind. Striving for a new life on Mars has cost Tim and Patricia everything, but as even their future is taken from them, their past is just beginning.

Earth: population 50 billion. Pollution, crime and scarcity are out of our control. Instantaneous travel provides hope for the terraforming of another world.

A terrorist attack. An explosion at the event horizon of a wormhole. A murder. A trail of clues, misinformation and sabotage. Nothing is as it seems as an old enemy returns from the shadows. 100 years from now, the 100 souls aboard the USS New World are thrown back 100 million years to the deadly Cretaceous Period. From there, an epic fight to save humanity begins; but first, they must survive.

A multi-national, eclectic crew; among them the good, the not so good and the no damned good at all. Loss, courage, genius and sheer bloody-mindedness bind them. NASA Captain, James Douglas, and his first officer, Jill Baines, expected a taxi run to Mars. Now they must escape a fearsome Mapusaurus pack, survive natural disasters, brutal discoveries and treachery.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Survive’, by Stephen Llewelyn”