Roseita and the Beast

Roseita and the Beast is a delightfully quirky thrilling book by someone who has decided to use the nom de plume of Ann Onymouse.

It is Ann's novelistic  début and it tells the story of a very privileged young girl called Roseita Fortesque.

Although she is only five years of age, she has some pretty firm ideas and convictions. And on of those is that dogs are destined to be loved as pets and not as the next meal.

Which is why, when she visits a bazaar she takes the decision to free the dog in the Kiruma bazaar as it was waiting to be sold for the table.

The Kirumese thought the dog had escaped and bitten her in passing. They never suspected the truth.

She loves that dog. Which is unfortunate as the Kirumese people believe that the existence of the dog will bring about the ruination of their nation.

She is also in love with the boy next door. His name is Hamish Martlett. Hamish is a boy with a mystery in his past life.

They combine forces to continue, in secret, to feed the dog.

But the consequences of their kindness might well turn out to be be staggering for all concerned. With far reaching implications down through the years.

The father of Hamish Martlett, Greg Martlett, suborns, by threats and bribery, a Kirumese man in to becoming the implacable nemesis of Roseita, sworn to kill her.

Down through the years of her life, Roseita is tracked and traced, fleeing from country to country, always trying to evade his murderous clutches.

She longs to once again find Hamish. But what is the tragic secret of Hamish? Why does Greg Martlett hate Roseita?

And what significance does the dog have throughout the years?

The book costs £7.99 and is published by Matador and is available through the That's Books and Entertainment online bookshop, which is to be found on the right hand side of this review.

Whatever Next?

Whatever Next is a memoir by Tony Porter.

Tony Porter's name will be best known to those who keenly follow the world of fashion, especially British fashion.

Indeed, Tony Porter was one of a select group of people who were at the forefront of organising British Fashion Week 40 years ago.

Tony Porter has lived a life that is rich and varied.

Ill-health dogged his young life, but he did not allow this to hold him back.

He began his foray into the world of work by selling paint for the British chemical giant, ICI.

ICI sent him to represent the firm in Nigeria. He married his fiancée Beatrice and they produced three children.

The Biafran war  commenced eight years later and ICI decided to bring Tony and his family home.

He decided that he needed a change and, as this was during the era of the swinging '60s, he went ot work in sales for the famous Biba fashion house.

As a result he met the stars of the day like Marianne Faithful, Cilla Black, Mia Farrowand Brigitte Bardot.

Eventually Tony departed from Biba and launched his own PR business specialising in the world of fashion in the heart of the West End of London.

It was then that Tony helped launch the group that would launch British (now London) Fashion Week.

Together he and Beatrice grew their PR company so that it prospered and became one of the top agencies in its field.

They bought a yacht (as you do) and then bought Burg Island, which is off the coast of Devon. (As you would like to do, but probably will not!)

They spent a considerable amount of time restoring the wonderful Art Deco hotel on the island, they took the decision to sell the hotel and island on.

And now Tony is concentrating on his new career as a writer.

Whatever next is a well-written, fascinating and compelling book that allows the reader to take a look back into the British fashion world.it is also illustrated throughout with interesting and evocative photographs.

The book, published by Matador, is available through the That's Books and Entertainment online bookshop at £9.99 and is ideal for anyone who wants to know what it was like back then.

Street Lamps Casting Pools of light on an adventurous life

Street Lamps Casting Pools of light on an adventurous life is a book by Peter Cruttwell.

It isn't an autobiography, insists Mr Cruttwell, although it seems to me to be one of the most erudite and interesting autobiographies that I have read in recent times.

Mr Cruttwell seems to claim to be an ordinary person. Well, whilst that may be true, he has certainly lived through some extraordinary adventures.

He begins his book with an interesting diversion about his family tree and the origins of the name. Her seemed intrigued that, as well as an array of the professional classes, including academics, medical men, the clergy, lawyers, academics and publishers there were also several butchers down through the years.

His book is written in a highly engaging and humorous style. In fact the essential basic humour of Peter Cruttwell is never far away, even when he is describing events that are far from humorous. It is, I think, a good example of the British ability to take things seriously without necessarily treating them seriously.

A little bit like the adverts for the insurance company of several years ago who promised "not to make a drama out of a crisis." But I digress.

In his 452 page book he covers a bewildering array of topics, written in such a way that one seems to be peering over his shoulder as he writes a highly personal memoir.

Surviving the blitz, working as an intelligent agent in the USSR, buying a Boeing 737, becoming a miner in the Amazon, meeting a number of people who were minor or major celebrities, working as a tutor to Liza Minnelli, being accused of murder in Kosovo, the citizenship for becoming an American citizen and a brief and utterly bizarre meeting with Teddy Kennedy on a plane. And another meeting on a plane with a ruptured appendix. His own.

This book is published by Matador at £18.99. (£24.99 in hardback) You can, as ever with books that are reviewed here, buy it via our very own That's Books and Entertainment online bookshop.

I am asking you to please buy a copy of this book as it is the best autobiographical book I have read in, well, in forever!

Glory the Lion Cub and the Dunnos

Glory the Lion Cub and the Dunnos is a new book for children by author Marianne Parry and illustrated by Dave Hill.

The tells children the stories of Glory, who is a lion cub, Magnus who is an elephant and Benedict who is a bear.

Glory is a very inquisitive little lion cub. And he wants to know why he can't have patterned fur like the cheetahs, the zebras and the snakes who he knows?

He asks them there names and he is astonished to find out that they all have the same name! How can this be? Why are they all called "Dunno?"

His friend Magnus the young elephant has decided that he wants to pursue a career in medicine and wants to become Doctor Magnus.

Whenever he meets animals who are inured or sickly he attempts to help them as best he can by copying techniques that had observed other animals using, previously.

However, when he sees a young cow elephant, Magnus swiftly abandons his burgeoning career in medicine. He wants to become a grown up male elephant, instead!

Another of Glory's friends is an American Brown Bear, who is called Benedict. Benedict sees a telephone pole and and hears the humming of the wires. He mistakes this humming noise for the buzzing of bees, so quite naturally climbs up the pole in order to find the bees and eat some honey.

But he hears a voice from the wires. And he communicates with... but ot find out who he speaks to, you will have to read this very fun book.

It is published by Matador and is available for £6.99 from the That's Books and Entertainment online book shop, to be found to the right of this review, along with thousands of other books, DVDs, etc.

The Tinker Spy

The Tinker Spy is a new story written by Marianne Parry and with a cover illustration by Andy Unitt.

The story relates how Solo overhears two men who are planning a robbery. But not only are these two rogues planning a robbery, they are also planning on leaving a series of fake clues which would point toward a Gypsy called Silas to be unfairly and unjustly named as the robber.

Solo and his brother Jacko enlist the assistance of their father, Felice, who is, himself, of Gypsy blood, to track Silas down and to warn him to keep well away from the village.

Felice decides that he will don the disguise of a simple Tinker so that he can travel from village to village without raising any suspicions as to his true mission to find Silas and take the opportunity to warn him of the nefarious plans of the evil duo.

In the meantime Solo and Jacko are working together to discover the exact location of the house where it is intended the robbery will take place and, of equal importance, the exact time when  it is intended to take place.

But as they have the assistance of their friend a Police Constable called Pip, to help hem, so they'll be totally safe from the ruthless robbers. Well, they will be safe. Won't they?

To learn if the boys will be able to escape without injury and if Felice ever is able to race Silas, you will have to buy this delightful piece of juvenile crime fiction which is published by Matador at £8.99.

You'll be able to purchase it and thousands of books like it, plus DVDs, toys, etc., through the That's Books and Entertainment online bookshop, which you will find to the right hand side of this book review.

Sheepy and the Riddle of the Occurrence

Sheepy and the Riddle of the Occurrence is a new book for children -and their parents and grandparents!- which has been written by Henrietta Williams.

20 years ago Henrietta's eldest son was doodling. And one of the creatures he doodled was a sheep.

Almost immediately Henrietta's fertile imagination created the entire world that Sheepy inhabited.

Nothing happened with Sheepy for a couple of decades until Sheepy was being turned into some images by professional illustrator Richard Berner.

Henrietta was entranced by the illustrations that Richard was creating but she said: "I wanted to try and make Sheepy so much more than an image on a T-shirt! I never intended to write a book!"

She noticed that, as Richard's illustrations progressed, that a whole mysterious world was being created that featured Sheepy and his friends, so, eventually, the idea of a book was born.

And so we are introduced into the magical and mysterious world of Sheepy and his friends.

Meet Sheepy, Mouse, Sox, Bob and Martha. There's a mystery to be unravelled and riddles to be solved as this admittedly unlikely band of heroic figures work to solve the puzzling Riddle of the Occurrence.

There's a whole range of equally interesting creatures who our intrepid gang will meet. Such as Twewdle Twitchers, Wizzles and Tree Stompers. And Mr Shouty. And the Chief. And... Well, to find out more, you'll have to read the book.

Like most good books for children this is multi-levelled.

Yes, it's a fantastic adventure for children to read, but there's so much more to it than that.

Young readers will see and learn about a variety of important concepts and ideas such as friendship, teamwork and loyalty.

The story is Henrietta's début book. It is to be hoped this will be the first of many equally inspired books.

The illustrations by Richard Berner are evocative of the best d.rawings of the late 1960, but with a new contemporary millennial vibe to them.

It is published in hardback by Matador at £12.99 and will make a great book for children to share with the adults in their lives, should they wish to.

It is due for publication on March 28th and will be available through the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, which you will find to the right-hand side of this book review, along with thousands of other books, DVDs, etc.

www.worldofsheepy.com.

Chuckle Verse. Poems by Lizzy Wade

Chuckle Verse is a collection of poems by Lizzy Wade.

Poetry can be difficult to write. And also sometimes difficult to read.

This judgement cannot be laid at the feet of Lizzy Wade.

The only thing that can be laid at the feet of poetess Lizzy Wade are a collection of accolades.

For Lizzy's poetry is always amusing and, if not merely amusing, downright bloody hilarious!

And often makes you, the lucky reader (trust me, if you take the time to purchase Lizzy's book you will be very lucky!) say: "Well blow me down! I thought that kind of stuff happened only to me?"

Such as this extract from one of her poems called Trying to see my GP

"I try to make an appointment
To see my own GP
But the battle-axe I encounter
Gives me the third degree"

She has a wit that shines a million candle power light into all sorts of nooks and crannies of everyday life.

From Doctor's receptionists to botox, from sexism to the problems of allowing men to barbecue, from from the confusion engendered by cricket to driving lessons, from boozing vicars to shopaholics and the problems of being a doctor to blind dates and the horrors of having a hot gran, all human life is here.

Each poem has a witty and pithy coloured illustration which perfectly matches the relevant poem.

If you spend your £7.99 on this excellent book of poems (it's from Matador) you will laugh and you'll live a little better, too, as these poems will remind you of truths you already knew or teach you things you should already have known but which you might have been away from school when that particular lesson was taught. (EDITOR: That's why I never came to grips with quadratic equations, apparently)

This book is promoted on the basis that all women will be able to relate to this book, in some way.

I have some hopefully welcome news for Lizzy and the staff at Matador. I think all men can relate to this book in some way, too!

Of course it is purchasable from the That's Books bookshop, which is to the righthand side of this book review, along with many other books of poems from Lord Byron to his newest and most distinguished rival, Lizzy Wade.