Book review – Page 19 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Review: The Jaguar Path, by Anna Stephens

Second chunky new fantasy in two days, I’m spoiling you all!

THE JAGUAR PATH
│16 FEBRUARY 2023│
HB │ EB │EA
Anna Stephens

Book Two of the new epic fantasy trilogy by the acclaimed author of GODBLIND.

The Empire of Songs reigns supreme. Across all the lands of Ixachipan, its hypnotic, magical music sounds. Those who battled against the Empire have been enslaved and dispersed, taken far from their friends and their homes.

In the Singing City, Xessa must fight for the entertainment of her captors. Lilla and thousands of warriors are trained to serve as weapons for their enemies. And Tayan is trapped at the heart of the Empire’s power and magic, where the ruthless Enet’s ambition is ever growing.

Each of them harbours a secret hope, waiting for a chance to strike at the Empire from within.

But first they must overcome their own desires. Power can seduce as well as crush. And, in exchange for their loyalty, the Empire promises much.

Review: No More Fairy Tales, anthology edited by D.A. Baden

No More Fairy Tales: Stories to Save the Planet

A collection of inspiring, funny, dark, mysterious, tragic, romantic, dramatic, upbeat and fantastical short stories. These 24 stories are written by a variety of authors, with the aim to inspire readers with positive visions of what a sustainable society might look like and how we might get there.

The stories are diverse in style, ranging from whodunnits to sci-fi, romance to family drama, comedy to tragedy, and cover a range of solution types from high-tech to nature-based solutions, to more systemic aspects relating to our culture and political economy.

Purchase Links

No More Fairy Tales

Audiobook Review: The Dying Season, by Rachel Amphlett

The Dying Season(Detective Kay Hunter crime thriller series Book 12)

Imprint:                      Saxon Publishing
Publication date:       12 February 2023
Availability:               Worldwide
ISBN eBook:             978-1915231-12-3
ISBN paperback:      978-1915231-10-9
ISBN large print:       978-1915231-11-6
ISBN audiobook:       978-1915231-13-0

When a man is shot at point blank range outside an isolated country pub, Kay Hunter is thrust into one of the most dangerous cases of her career.

As personal and political disputes threaten to undermine her efforts to track down the killer, Kay’s investigation is complicated further when her superiors elect to coordinate the subsequent manhunt themselves.

Uncovering a covert trade in outlawed weapons and faced with witnesses too scared to talk, Kay will have to do everything in her power to stop the killer and prevent another tragedy.

Except this time, one of her team is in the direct line of fire…

The Dying Season is the 12th book in the Detective Kay Hunter series by USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett, and perfect for readers who love fast-paced crime thrillers.

Review: Pagan Portals – 21st Century Fairy, by Morgan Daimler

Format: 104 pages, Paperback

Published: February 1, 2023 by Moon Books

ISBN: 9781803410463 (ISBN10: 1803410469)
https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-21st-century-fairy

Blurb

When people think of fairies they often picture beings who dwell in the wilderness, solidly anchored in the past. Yet the truth is that fairies are as present and active in the world today as ever, found as easily in cities as they are in wild places. 21st Century Fairy explores fairy beliefs and encounters in the modern world, framed by folklore, modern fiction and personal experience, to show readers the possibilities that are out there. Learn whether fairies evolve and what a modern city in the fairy world might be like. Be open to the possibility of tech fairies existing alongside fairies in nature and learn how they interact with human technology. Much like the human world, the fairy world is stunningly diverse and constantly changing. 21st Century Fairy is a guide to seekers who want a modern context for these ancient beings.

Review: Out Of The Blue, by Robert Tregoning and Stef Murphy

**Information about the Book**
**Title:** Out of the Blue
**Author:** Robert Tregoning
**Illustrator:** Stef Murphy
**Publisher:** Bloomsbury Publishing
**Release Date:** 2^nd February 2023
**Genre:** Picture Book

Blurb

ONLY BLUE ALLOWED, by Blue government demand. Anything that isn’t blue, by colour law, is banned.

In a very blue house on a very blue street, sits a little boy who feels as blue as the world around him. For this little boy has a BIG secret: he loves the colour yellow.

In a world where only one colour is allowed, will he be brave enough to tell his dad? And will they be able to defy the rules and create a world where EVERY colour is welcome?

One boy and his dad are about to come OUT OF THE BLUE and into life in technicolour!

A stunning celebration of being yourself and living in ALL the colours of the rainbow, from debut author Robert Tregoning and rising star illustrator Stef Murphy. Championing difference, diversity and pride, this gloriously illustrated picture book is perfect for fans of Perfectly Norman, Grandad’s Camper and Julian Is a Mermaid.

Review: Trouble, by Katja Ivar

PUB DATE: January 19, 2023
MARKET: Nordic Noir
BINDING: Paperback B-Format
PRICE: £9.99
EXTENT: 224 pages
ISBN: 9781913394-776

The third in the series featuring Hella Mauzer, to follow on the success of Evil Things and Deep as Death.
A Nordic Noir of the first-order set in Helsinki in 1953. A dark political thriller at the heart of the Cold War; a novel about ruthless ambition and betrayal, but also about the challenges of being a single professional woman in post-war Europe.

Helsinki, June 1953, at the heart of the Cold War. Hella, now a reluctant private investigator, has been asked by her former boss at the Helsinki murder squad to do a background check on a member of the Finnish secret services. Not the type of job Hella was hoping for, but she accepts it on the
condition that she is given access to the files concerning the roadside death of her father in 1942, at a time when Finland joined forces with Nazi Germany in its attack against the Soviet Union. German troops were sent to Finland, the Gestapo arrived in Helsinki and German influence on local
government was strong, including demands for the deportation of local Jews.

Colonel Mauzer, his wife and other family members were killed by a truck in a hit and run incident. An accident, file closed, they said. But not for Hella, whose unwelcome investigation leads to some who would prefer to see her stopped dead in her tracks.

TBR Pile Review:The Train Happy Journal: 30 days to kick start your intuitive movement journey, by Tally Rye

Format: 112 pages, Paperback

Published: December 2, 2021 by Pavilion Books

ISBN: 9781911682257 (ISBN10: 1911682253)

Blurb

Personal Trainer and Broadcaster Tally Rye is one of the key figures in the global intuitive fitness movement.

In her first book, Train Happy she encouraged us to change the way we think about exercise, teaching readers to approach movement with a mindset of self-care rather than self-punishment and in doing so to rediscover the joy in eating and moving more mindfully.

In The Train Happy Journal, Tally builds upon the core principles of intuitive movement from self-care, body acceptance and body positivity to intuitive eating with interactive exercises and journal prompts to help readers reflect upon their relationship with fitness, think about how it has been influenced by Diet Culture and ultimately get them feeling good about moving their body.

The journal is interwoven with colourful illustration and expert advice as well as inspiring quotes and testimonies from a cross section of representational voices – with room for the reader to document the inner work intrinsic to a successful intuitive movement journey.

My Review

I’ve read through this journal and I’m working through it with reference to my current exercise plan and also in reference to my past exercise routines. I like the pages looking at why I exercise and the thoughts I have around it. I am finding it useful. The book recaps some of the material in Train Happy, in less detail. I preferred this journal to the main book; I think it is more useful.

TBR Pile Review: “You Just Need To Lose Weight” and 19 other myths about fat people, by Aubrey Gordon

Format: 224 pages, Paperback

Published: January 10, 2023 by Beacon Press

ISBN: 9780807006474 (ISBN10: 0807006475)

Language: English

Blurb

The co-host of the Maintenance Phase podcast and creator of Your Fat Friend equips you with the facts to debunk common anti-fat myths and with tools to take action for fat justice

The pushback that shows up in conversations about fat justice takes exceedingly predicable form. Losing weight is easy—calories in, calories out. Fat people are unhealthy. We’re in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Fat acceptance “glorifies obesity.” The BMI is an objective measure of size and health. Yet, these myths are as readily debunked as they are pervasive.

In “You Just Need to Lose Weight,” Aubrey Gordon equips readers with the facts and figures to reframe myths about fatness in order to dismantle the anti-fat bias ingrained in how we think about and treat fat people. Bringing her dozen years of community organizing and training to bear, Gordon shares the rhetorical approaches she and other organizers employ to not only counter these pernicious myths, but to dismantle the anti-fat bias that so often underpin them.

As conversations about fat acceptance and fat justice continue to grow, “You Just Need to Lose Weight” will be essential to ensure that those conversations are informed, effective, and grounded in both research and history.

Review: Different, Not Less, by Chloe Hayden

Title Details
ISBN: 9781922616180 | Murdoch Books
Paperback | Embargo 5th January 2023
RRP £14.99

An empowering guide to celebrating and supporting neurodivergence from Netflix’s Heartbreak High star and disability advocate, Chloé Hayden.
Growing up, Chloé Hayden felt like she’d crash-landed on an alien planet where nothing made sense. Eye contact? Small talk? And why are you people so touch oriented? None of it made sense.

Chloé desperately wished to be part of the fairy tales she so dearly loved. A world in which the lead is considered a hero because of their differences, rather than excluded and pushed aside for them.

She moved between 10 schools in 8 years, struggling to become a person she believed society would accept. After years of being ‘weird, quirky, Chloé’ she was eventually diagnosed with autism and ADHD. It was only after a life-changing group of allies showed her that different did not mean less that she learned to celebrate her true voice and find her happily ever after.

Different, Not Less is a moving, at times funny story of how it feels to be
neurodivergent as well as a practical guide, with insights on how autism and ADHD present differently in females, advice for living with meltdowns and shutdowns, tips for finding supportive relationships, communities and workplaces and much more.

Whether you’re neurodivergent or supporting those who are, Different, Not Less will inspire you to create a more inclusive world where everyone feels like they belong.

Review: Kindness for Koalas, by Zanna Davidson, Illustrated by Ged Adamson

When Mala the Koala stomps into the forest, feeling very crummy, a little mouse suggests Mala will soon feel better if she starts to be kind. But how? wonders Mala. Soon she’s sharing her lunch with some emu chicks, helping a baby bat and comforting her friend, Wombat – discovering, on her way, that kindness really is what makes the world go round. This easy-to-read rhyming story, with gentle humour and gorgeous artwork, is a perfect introduction to kindness.

Extent: 32 pages
Dimensions: 250 x 224mm
Hardback
ISBN: 9781474998574
Key Stage: EYFS, KS1
Publication Date: January 2023