Ball of Confusion

Ian Black's novel, A Ball of Confusion, consider the flipside, tells this reader that Ian Black is a literary force to be reckoned with.

The novel uses the theme of births as the starting point to explore how the lives of different people can be so dramatically diametrical.

The novel starts with Millennium Jones, aged 16, who, upon witnessing the carnage wrought on 9/11, wonders how anyone could commit such an act.

Just over a decade later and Jones is working as an American foreign correspondent in London.

She meets two men, one, George, a loveable man, a tramp, who killed the man who was attacking and abusing his mother, the other, Hazma, a university graduate who, one might suppose, had it all, until his family died in the bombing of Baghad. And who now is wanting to use death and destruction as his pathway to heaven.

Millie Jones carefully observes both men as they become friendly toward each other as they acknowledge the hurts and miseries of their childhoods that had brought them both to equally unpleasant, but utterly different, bad places within their lives.

But exactly what could go wrong with two people rendered unstable by their different, but both flawed, but in different ways, upbringings?

  

But what of others who do not have such twisted upbringings who use other people as if they were puppets?

What of the innocents who become emeshed in their machinations as they try to make sense of the ball of confusion that is now our world?

The book is a thought-provoking an original work which is pacy and punchy and extremely topical.

It is published by Matador and is worth every penny of its £9.99 price or £1.99 as an Ebook, both available from the That's Books and Entertainment book shop. 

A Set of Lies

Author Carolyn McCrae takes the reader on a stunning "What if..." journey into European history.

When Napoleon had become a captive of the British after his defeat at Warterloo, the victorious Britons and the alliance partners were at a quandary of what to do with the former ruler of much of mainland Europe.

A number of options were under serious consideration including trial and punishment, perhaps even involving the death penalty and exile.

Everyone knows that, ultimately, it was decided to banish the former emperor into exile on the remote island of St Helana, in the Southern Atlantic. So far to the south that it is a tropical island.

And there, in relative comfort, he lived out the rest of his life.

But, speculates Carolyn McRae in he her exceptionally well-written and evocative novel, what if that wasn't what happened?

What if the decision had been taken to, in effect, hide Napoleon in plain view?

What if the British Secret Service had convinced Napoleon to work with them, to be replaced by a double agent?

What if he had actually lived out a fairly comfortable life in England, protected by the British government?

In the novel the secret only becomes known some 200 years later when the secret and partially encrypted diaries of the man given the task of masterminding this bold and highly audacious scheme accidentally came to light.

According to Carolyn McRae the idea came to her when she and her husband were dining in a restaurant in the Naval town of Southampton. They were aware that Napoleon Parterre had been held on the Royal Navy vessel Bellerophon in Southampton harbour whilst the politicians in London debated and argued over what should be done with the beaten former emperor.

She said: "I started thinking about the options they had, parole, trial and imprisonment, or trail and execution, assassination or trial and exile.

"It was difficult to see how exile was the best option. We talked about how useful Napoleon would have been to the secret services and how wasted their opportunity was, which is where my story begins!"

The story works on several levels as a brilliant addition to the popular "What if..." genre of historical novels, but it skilfully interweaves a variety of sub-plots concerning the unfairness of the laws of inheritance, and how, 200 years later, a monstrous plot was brought to the light of day, a plot which would... but to reveal what happened next would risk spoiling your enjoyment of this well-researched and very well written book.

It is near 450 pages in length and at £9.99 will make an ideal holiday read. It is published by Matador on 28 June and is also available as an e-book at £4.49.

It is available from the "That's Books and Entertainment" bookshop which is powered by Amazon and available to the right of this review.

Bean outstrips rivals in ebay.co.uk period drama ranking

eBay.co.uk has sold over 3,500 Poldark related items including books and DVDs as fans geared up for the series finale, recently.

But is Sharpe, Lady Chatterley and Game of Thrones star Sean Bean who tops eBay.co.uk’s handsome hero sales with shoppers snapping up disks and box sets of his swashbuckling exploits.

Despite his brooding portrayal of Ross Poldark, Aidan Turner comes fifth in a top ten ranking of period drama actor sales, outstripped by actors including Bean and Pride and Prejudice actor Colin Firth, twenty years after THE famous lake scene.

www,eBay.co.uk (value of sales) relating to period drama stars:

1. Sean Bean
2. Colin Firth
3. Laurence Olivier
4. Ralph Fiennes
5. Aidan Turner
6. James McAvoy
7. Michael Fassbender
8. Hugh Grant
9. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
10. Jeremy Piven            

Good Neighbours an epic tale of myth,magic, history and more

Good Neighbours, by Beth Hersant, is an epic tale of myth,magic, history and more. Much more.

It tells a story starting with the birth of an ancient tribe's medicine man, Myrddin.

Using the wonderful storytelling abilities of Beth Hersant it tells the story of the people, of our story, in a way, but in a way that is simply breathtaking in its intent and its scope.

It takes its readers on an incredible and truly epical journey telling the story of how we, as a people, began to be.

It deftly intertwines myth, religious thought, history and folklore to tell a story that spans an astonishingly vast range of time, from the Stoneage of 7,000BC, right through to our modern times.

It is like no other novel I have ever read, it's a fantasy novel, yet it is so much more than that.

Even though it is a novel it will help you to understand the how and why things have happened throughout the turbulent history of our island races, reflected in the myths of our island peoples.

I can heartily recommend this book.

I's 458 pages in length and costs £10.99, it is published in paperback by Matador.

The ISBN number is ISBN 978-1-78462-225-1.

Royal British Legion encourages celebrations for VE Day 70

The Royal British Legion and Her Majesty’s Government is calling on everyone to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) with a weekend of celebrations from the 8-10 May.   Local communities are being asked to come together and place the Second World War generation at the heart of the party.

Communities across the UK are being encouraged to organise or take part in celebrations which recognise and salute an extraordinary generation who played such an important part in our history. The Legion is working in partnership with the Government to mark the anniversary and hopes that community halls, public spaces and homes will be decked with bunting and playing music to recreate the celebrations of 70 years ago.

Below, The Royal British Legion shares some top tips and ideas for hosting a VE Day celebration:

1)      Organise a 1940s style tea dance, decorated with bunting and encourage vintage dress

2)      Organise a community singalong of wartime songs to take everyone back to the era

3)      Eat for Victory! Use ration recipes to create the food for your celebration: www.veday.org.uk has lots of recipes on offer

4)      Invite local face painters to paint Union flags on children’s (and adults!) faces

5)      Hold a fancy dress competition with 1940s theme

6)      Have a go at trying to recreate some hairstyles from the 1940s

Community celebrations will reflect the national events taking place in London where Second World War veterans are invited to attend as the nation’s VIPs.  On Sunday 10 May, there will a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, followed by a parade from the Abbey to Horse Guards Parade and into St James’s Park, where the Legion will host a lunch reception for the veterans.

Veterans such as Eric Goldrein will experience the VE Day celebration on UK soil that he never had.  Eric, 94, from Hale Village, Liverpool, served with the Royal Artillery during the Second World War and was in Italy when the news came through that the war in Europe was over.

“We celebrated in a field, the Signallers set up speakers playing music and the locals came out and joined in too, happy that the war was finally over. I heard about the street parties back home and I’m looking forward to being part of these 70th Anniversary celebrations.”

Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson CB CVO, National President of The Royal British Legion, said: “We are honoured to play our part in helping the nation mark 70 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe. The Legion has a responsibility to help the memories of those of who have fought and died in our nation’s Armed Forces live on for future generations. The commemoration of this conflict, still in living memory, gives us the opportunity to salute the Second World War generation.

“We hope all communities will use the VE Day 70 commemorations to thank them and celebrate the role they played in our nation’s history.”

If you don’t plan on organising an event yourself, you can find out what is happening in your local area at www.veday.org.uk or on local government websites www.gov.uk/veday70 .  The Legion’s microsite will also contain ideas and tips on event planning with décor and recipe inspiration.

It Always Rains on Sundays

It Always Rains on Sundays is a new novel by Roger Johnson.

It's a amusing read that has the ability to make you laugh. A lot.

Colin Quirke is 40, he is a poetry lover and works as a librarian.

He has been happily wed to Cynthia for 13 years, they have two children and everything is wonderful at their home in swanky De Lacey Street.

That's Roger's take on his marriage. But if you were to ask Cynthia, she would have a different opinion. For Cynthia is bored. Dangerously bored.

A new couple move in to the house next door, Eddie and Avril, who have a motto that "life is for living!" and this involves hosting wild, noisy parties.

Avril decides to take Cynthia under her wing and the two women begin enjoying girlie nights out on the town.

But then, Eddie finds out that life is for living only until the moment you get killed in an unfortunate micro-light mishap.

Cynthia decides to help Avril get through her pain by taking her over the Atlantic to Miami.

But then along comes a chap called Kevin Ranker who is a bit of a Lothario with a reputation for wrecking marriages.

Will Cyn and Col go their separate ways? Does Colin even care? After all, love amongst the stacks could beckon with the new librarian colleague. Plus there's the delightful Alison at the local Poetry Society.

What on earth will happen next?

It's published by Matador, is a jolly good read of over 600 pages and is £8.99 in paperback.

ISBN 978 1 78462 1 803

And as an E-book at £2.99

ISBN 978 1 78462 8 383

www.troubador.co.uk

Ultimate Justice by Trevor Stubbs

In his latest novel, Ultimate Justice, author Terry Stubbs continues to bring his readers the stories of his characters from his first novel, the Kicking Tree, another White Gates adventure.

You will rejoin Jack, Jalli, Momori and Matlida. How are their children doing as they grow up and progress through life on the planet Joh?

Where will they travel as they leave their planet and, once more, traverse the great universe to visit undiscovered, new worlds via the mysterious portals, the White Gates?

Follow them as they embark upon remarkable journeys where they will meet people for the very first time. And some who they will meet again.

But each journey is more than just a journey. for they are being employed by a higher power who wishes their visits to bring hope and succour to these people.

Trevor Stubbs has an interesting philosophy of life: "I hate injustice and oppression, especially against the weak and the vulnerable and want to speak out."

Trevor uses his undoubted skills as a master storyteller and a magical weaver of tales to bring about such justice.

Ultimate Justice is published by Matador in paperback at £8.99.

The ISBN is 978-1-78462-212-1.

www.troubador.co.uk/matador.