Badger the Mystical Mutt

Badger the Mystical Mutt is a special dog. A very special dog indeed. He is magical, though his magic doesn't always work out in quite the way Badger intends.

Badger is aided in his magical shenanigans by his red and white spotted neckerchief which is very magical indeed. And is known as chief.

Badger has a thing about towers of freshly buttered toasted bread (EDITOR: I am warming to Badger already, I have a thing about towers of freshly buttered toasted bread, too!) and helping other people with his magic.

The book begins with some prose that is rather magical in itself: "It was a quarter past midsummer."

Pet Idol has come to the town in which Badger lives. And the favourite to be the winner is Hamish, who is a floppy-eared spaniel. But this brings attention to the lane and this is attention that is most unwelcome to Top Dog, who is the leader of a gang of stray dogs. They blame Hamish for the fact that the Dog Catcher is hunting them down.

And then, Badger the Mystical Mutt steps in to save the day. Can Badger and his uncertain magic save Hamish from Top Dog and his gang? Can he help ensure that Hamish becomes Pet Idol?

But what is the significance of the crystal cave and what they see inside it? What is the meaning of the scruffy toy unicorn? Can the dogs be saved from the Dog Catcher?

This book is very well written and it is filled with magical, wild events and will be ideal for parents to read with their children. It is MUST HAVE Christmas present. It is a moving and joyful story and did warm the heart of this cynical old journalist. Was there a slight tear of joy towards the end of the book? Maybe this old, cynical journalist is younger at heart than he realised and not nearly as cynical as he thought!

This book is written by Lyn McNichol and Laura Cameron Jackson and is published by the Lunicorn Press in paperback at £5.99. (An extremely low price for such a fantastic book to my mind, but then, what do I know?!) The ISBN is 978-0-9569640-0-7. This book can be ordered through the That's Books Amazon Shop.

 You can find out more at www.badgerthemysticalmutt.com

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You can find out more at www.badgerthemysticalmutt.com

Historical Tweets

What if Tweets had been available to our ancestors? What if famous people of long ago had been able to send messages of no more than 140 characters?

Alan Beard and Alec McNayr took this wild and somewhat wacky proposition and have turned it into a hilarious and sometimes eye-opening book which will make a fantastic Chirstmas stocking filler!  

What would Plato have had to say in 140 characters or less? Merlin? Henry VIII? Gandhi? Shakespeare? Billy the Kid? Oscar Wilde? Albert Einstein? Marie Curie? Marilyn Monroe?

Sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, sometimes both, this will keep the recipient chuckling or LOLing for many happy hours!

It is published by Summersdale at £9.99 in hardback and the ISBN is 978 1 84953 232 7.

Available from the That's Books Amazon Store at a discounted price.

1,000,000 Free e-books every single month

In the beginning the internet was free: information was available for all at the click of the mouse.

Over the past ten years quality information has become increasingly expensive with surfers being asked to 'join up', 'subscribe' or pay a one-off fee to find what used to be free.

Now, to reverse that trend need2know books have launched the big book giveaway with one million e-books covering more than 100 titles free every month.

Ian Walton, need2know publisher says "we launched the initiative for two main reasons: the altruistic one; to make the information free to those who cannot afford to buy the printed book and the commercial one, to build 'brand awareness' in the people that can".

In the first two days over 1000 books were downloaded, the most popular titles so far are: Bullying - a parents guide; Asthma - the essential guide and Applying to university.

Ian also added, "Whilst most publishers are working on web sites to SELL e-books we have spent a lot of time and money building a site to give the books away.

With the diversity of subjects in the need2know range covering health, education, social and leisure issues there is a book that can be helpful to everybody.

The plan is to make www.bigbookgiveaway.com a permanent part of need2knows future marketing strategy.

Elisabeth Sladen Autobiography Released

When Elisabeth Sladen first appeared as plucky journalist Sarah Jane Smith in the 1973 Doctor Who story The Time Warrior, little did she know the character would become one of the most enduring and fondly remembered of the series' long history.

The years that followed saw Elisabeth traverse time and space alongside classic Doctors Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, whilst a generation of children crouched behind the sofa, terrified but transfixed as their tea-time heroine found herself menaced by Daleks, dinosaurs, Cybermen, Egyptian mummies, actors in green Bubble Wrap and even the Loch Ness Monster. By the time she quit the TARDIS in 1976, making front-page news, Elisabeth had become one of the most familiar faces of a TV golden age.

But you don't just walk away from Doctor Who. Elisabeth was asked to reprise her role many times, appearing in anniversary specials, an marginally successful 1981 spin-off with robotic sidekick K-9, radio plays, and for the BBC's Children in Need.

She also toured the weird, wide and wonderful world of Doctor Who fandom and became one of the series' all-time favourite companions. So when TV wunderkind Russell T Davies approached her to come back again, this time to a show backed by multi-million-pound budgets and garlanded with critical plaudits, how could she refuse?

This warm and witty autobiography, completed only months before Elisabeth died in April 2011, tells her remarkable story, from humble beginnings in post-war Liverpool, through an acclaimed theatrical career working alongside stage luminaries such as Alan Ayckbourn, to Coronation Street, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and the furthest reaches of the Universe.

A unique insider's view of the world's longest-running science fiction series, and of British television yesterday and today, Elisabeth's memoir is funny, ridiculous, insightful and entertaining and a fitting tribute to a woman who will be sadly missed by millions.

Elisabeth Sladen played Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. She also appeared in Coronation Street, Z-Cars and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em among others, and enjoyed a long, successful and very happy career in the theatre. She died in April 2011.

Elisabeth Sladen: the autobiography is published by Aurum Pressat £18.99 
www.aurumpress.co.uk

Rabbitwood

If you travel beyond the seven mountains, traverse through many enchanted valleys, make your way over or around a variety of lakes and rivers, you will, eventually, find yourself on the very edge of a large, ancient woodland.

Here, you will find Rabbitwood. Which is the home of the oldest rabbit family in the entire world.

It is the Hobblestones. Tobbit of Hobblestone is the eldest member of the clan. And Tobbit has a very special desire, he wishes to ride like the wind through the very forest itself, even as swiftly as the humans do on their mighty horses!

Whilst he is searching for a suitable steed, he meets and befriends a tiny fox. But foxes and rabbits can never be friends! Surely their natural instincts will take over? Or must that always be the way?

Read this beautiful book to discover for yourself!

An ideal Christmas present as it is perfect for reading to the little ones and has some splendid illustrations. It is published by Far, Far Away Books at £12.99. www.farfarawaybooks.com

That's Entertainment News: Ray Harryhausen's Fantasy Scrapbook

That's Entertainment News: Ray Harryhausen's Fantasy Scrapbook: Ray Harryhausen is one of the most innovative and influential film animators in the history of the medium, responsible for such classic film...

A Decade Of Stock Market Turmoil - And How To Profit From It

A Decade of Stockmarket Turmoil 2000 - 2010 And How to Profit From it by Robert Skepper
The causes and consequences of an unprecedented financial crisis that took capitalism to the brink of collapse.

The decade 2000-2010 has arguably been the most turbulent stock market period since trading began. Three crashes and an implosion of global economies on a monumental scale - and all in the blink of an eye in historical terms.

Many questions arise from this unprecedented crisis, not least of which is how and, more importantly, why capitalism was taken to the brink at a time of relative political stability, major technological advancement and economic buoyancy. In short, how, having been dealt such a favourable hand, did we (in the West) so nearly blow it?

This book examines the financial and political context of this decade of turmoil, seeking out the fault lines and tracing the causes and consequences. At the same time it analyses some of the key principles of sound financial investment, which if adhered to should enable the prudent investor to ride the wave and even come out on top.

R.B. Skepper graduated in history from Trinity College, Cambridge. He was a member of the British Olympic ski team that competed in the 1960 Winter Olympics. He started his City career with Buckmaster and Moore in the early 1960s, but then went to work abroad for five years.

From 1973 to 1985 he worked in the farming industry and then returned to the City, where he works as an associate of Brewin Dolphin, a leading private client brokers. He specialises in private client discretionary management, and personal/business pension schemes. He is married and lives in Suffolk.

Historical, financial and political examination of the most turbulent decade in stock market history
Financial analysis and advice from a seasoned expert, including a breakdown of the underlying permanent principles of sound investment

Month by month scrutiny of the unfolding drama as it happened (with a contemporary perspective to gauge the relative accuracy of the original diagnosis)

£13.99 Hardback

978-1-84624-687-6 234 x 156 mm

www.bookguild.co.uk