Know Your Onions

Know Your Onions by Allan Goodbrand is the kind of book that I like and which are always good to find in your Christmas stocking.

It is described as a "light-hearted look at popular idioms and sayings" and that is exactly what this book is.

If you always wondered why a hat trick is called a hat trick, why a red herring means something that distracts us from our goal, why our bacon is saved, why your timbers might be shivered, what the Whole Nine Yards is, why we go from pillar to post, why it is a dime a dozen, who was Bob and whose uncle was he and what is a Dog Day of Summer?

Allan gives explanations for each phrase in  the book and offers alternative explanations to the origin of a saying referenced to in  the book should there be multiple explanations for the origins  of a phrase or saying.

The book is written in an amusing, conversational tone and is ideal for either reading straight through or for dipping into multiple times after Christmas dinner and before the Queen's Christmas speech.

This book is an ideal Christmas present for people of any and all ages and is published at £9,99 by the Book Guild. It is available through the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, links to which are to be found on the righthand side of this review.

In Fidelity

In Fidelity is a new novel by Jack Wilson, it covers a period from the 1950s to the late 1970s.

In it we meet Christine, an attractive and vivacious wife and mother who is greatly loved by her children and, of course, by her husband, Dick.

Unfortunately Christine falls victim to a cancer that attacks and ravages her beautiful face.

It steals her good looks from her when the surgeons who worked to save her life had to remove her left jaw and part of her mouth.

Dick no longer finds her attractive. He falls for the temptations of the wife of a friend, a very close friend, and Dick takes the coward’s way out by fleeing from his family and his old life by leaving home to teach law in Africa.

He then meets an attractive woman who, like Dick, has also fled from her own past life.

But secrets have a nasty tendency to turn up when they are least expected. And past actions always seem to come back to haunt one, often with a terrible price to pay.

This novel is very well written and thoughtful book that contains some rather painful glimpses into the lives of ordinary people when they react to extraordinary events, or, sometimes, when they fail to react to them in quite the way that perhaps they should.

It is published by Matador at £10.99 and is available via the That’s Books and Entertainments bookshop, to the right of this review.

It will make an ideal Christmas present for the reader who likes their novels thoughtful and with meaning.

Dear Clementina

Dear Clementina is a new book by Colin Burke, with first rate illustrations by W. H. Mather.

It's a book that all dog lovers -and even, dare I suggest this?- people who do not have such a deep affinity toward our canine compatriots, will absolutely adore.

It tells the tail (sorry! Tale!) of the friendship of two charming and enchanting Border Terrier puppies after they have a chance meeting as 12 week-olds in a park in Manchester.

It examines their friendship through the medium of the spirited and loving letters that Stanley writes to Clementia.

It explores their relationship and the relationships of the humans that surround them, of the imposition of things that vets do to poor, unsuspecting doggies, of pestilential cats, of the things that a dog just has to do, as Clementia and her friend Stanley grow up through their first year.

The story behind the book is equally enchanting.

Colin received an email from a sympathetic friend who was enquiring how Stanley had coped with having the snip?

Instead of addressing the reply to his friend, Colin decided to write the letter as a reply from Stanley to his friend's own Border Terrier puppy, Clementina.

And from that beginning, grew the book: "Dear Clementina."

At £9.99 from Matador, it's  sure to be a fantastic Christmas present for dog lovers, and those who love humorous books) of all ages.

It's available via the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, to the right of this review on the site.

A Scrapbook for Summer

A Scrapbook for Summer is an incredibly moving tale written by Alan Flitcroft.

It was inspired by his 2013 experience of taking part in the annual Shine Walk which is organised to raise money for the charity, Cancer Research UK.

He was participating in it for a young girl who was recovering from Cancer.

He realised that the Shine Walk, which is a marathon walk that takes place overnight, taking the participants past the most iconic landmarks of London, would make a very good basis for a novel.

A Scrapbook for Summer follows Ben as he participates in the Shine Walk, having taken the decision to take the place in the walk left vacant by the death of his free-spirited girlfriend, Summer, who was taken away from Ben by the cancer that had taken over her body.

Ben sees this as one last thing that he can do for Summer.

It begins as sad evening, but as it progresses through the 26 miles, it transforms into something beautiful when he meets fellow walker Annie who encourages him to participate, using the scrapbook of London's rich history that Summer had encouraged him to keep.

As they progress through the long walk, passing the many iconic sites of the capital city of England, many thoughts and memories, some good, some bad, flood through Ben's mind.

There were secrets from Summer's past life that Ben felt guilty about, even though they were not his responsibility. Secrets that split them apart yet, paradoxically, bring them back together at the end of Summer's life.

And after the 26 mile walk, Ben feels, at last, able to continue with his life.

This is a remarkably human romantic novel, filled with joy, pathos and the promise of new beginnings.

It is published by Matador at £8.99 and will make an excellent Christmas gift for the readers in your life who like cerebral romantic novels.

It is, of course, available for purchase through the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, to be found to the right of this book review.

Emily and her Pharaoh The Stone of Life

Emily and her Pharaoh The Stone of Life is a new novel by Ian Thomas.

It is the continued story of a glamorous young supermodel called Emily. Whilst her life as a model on the catwalks is very fulfilling and extremely busy, it takes second place to her main mission in life, saving the world.

To this end Emily has taken to travelling through time with an ancient whale who goes by the name of Pharaoh.

Pharaoh wants to help Emily show humanity how they must save the marine environment before it is too late.

Emily is scheduled to participate in a catwalk fashion show in Rio, but the wily old whale has different ideas for Emily. He takes Emily on a wild adventure and a potentially dangerous journey through time where she must survive the horrifically blood thirsty rituals of the ancient Mexicans, but also outfox the ruthless Spanish conquistadores in their greed for gold.

Can she complete her mission? Will this be the last time that Emily and her whale friend will work together?

Read this remarkable book to find out!

It's a great Christmas present for the young readers within your family and at £12.99 for the hardback version, it will not break the bank.

This is the third book in a trilogy of stories about Emily and Pharaoh her whale companion.

It is published by The Book Guild and, as with all books reviewed at That's Books and Entertainment, it is available to purchase via the online bookshop, the portal to which is to the right hand side of this book review.

Future Sense

Future Sense is an interesting study by Malcolm Parlett, Ph.D. of the enormous global challenges that face everyone to day.

It is, in effect, "his manifesto for changing the world, one person at a time."

He points out that humankind seems unable to face the challenges that face humanity today.

It is his belief that, because of the growing modern interconnectivity between peoples that we can change the world by changing ourselves.

He raises the concern that whilst there are a large number of books that call for a "fundamental change of consciousness to survive long term" that, paradoxically, having identified the problems that the authors offer no suggestions as to how this might be altered for the benefit of the human race.

Almost as if a doctor might say to someone: "You are ill!" But then fail to offer a diagnosis or to provide short term medical prescriptions or a long term treatment regime.

However, based on his considerable experience as a practicing psychologist, Dr Parlett makes some suggestions as to how everyone can become "a more empowered world citizenm making a unique personal contribution" What he describes as: "a step for themselves and a step for the benefit of the world at the same time."

The book covers these concepts in five distinct sections

1) Handling Situations
2) Relating to others
3) Living more fully in our bodies
4) Discovering more about ourselves
5) Experimenting with discernment

He points out how all five must be interlinked in order for them to be effective.

This is an interesting and an important book published by Matador at £12.50.

It will be available via the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop to the right of this review.

Killing Time

Killing Time is a new crime and mystery novel from the pen of author Ian McFadyen.

A local newspaper journalist receives a text message that contains the taunting claim that the person who is responsible for sending them the text message is also responsible for something a lot more serious. Two local murders.

Detective Inspector Steve Carmichael wonders about the test message and what its contents portend.

Did the text message originate from the mind of a sick and very unpleasant hoaxer? Or did it originate from the mind of a far more sick and even more unpleasant serial killer who is lurking within the normally sleepy Lancashire hamlet of Hasslebury?

After all, the likelihood of the two deaths being murders and linked together is an incongruous proposition.

An unknown tramp mown down by a speeding car? An artist struck and killed by a train? How or why could they be classed as murders, as they were both seemingly totally unconnected tragic, but accidental deaths?

But when a third corpse is discovered, Detective Inspector Carmichael realises that a cunning, intelligent and malevolent mind might, in reality, be orchestrating the deaths.

What link was there with Betty the Hedgehog Lady? And what did Dennis, the handsome RSPCA man know, if anything?

Where the murders unrelated? Or was there a link that Detective Inspector Carmichael would have to dig deep to discover?

There a plenty of twists and turns in the plot to keep the average mystery fan turning the pages and at a very modest £8.99 from The BookGuild this latest in the series of novels featuring the irritable but loveable Detective Inspector Carmichael it will make a splendid Christmas present for the crime and mystery lovers in your family. Or why not treat yourself to a copy?

You can buy it via the That's Books and Entertainment book shop which you will find to the right of this review.