Derek the Flying Dodo

Derek the Flying Dodo is a delightful and colourfully illustrated story for young children ages five to seven (and their folks) from Mauritius-born author, Vanee Apoolingum.

Everyone is fully aware that Dodos cannot fly. But that doesn't stop one particular young Dodo, a Dodo called Derek, from yearning to fly. In fact, it's all he ever dreamed of.

One day, Derek sees a shooting star and he makes a wish and the magic of the shooting star enables Derek's dream of being able to fly come true.

He meets a young boy called Aaron and, together, they both set off to explore the world, see new things, visit new places and have fun together.

There's an important lesson in the book from the author. "Dodo"n't let your dreams go extinct."

It's an utterly charming book and will be ideal for parents and children to read together and to look at the colourful illustrations.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

Hopefully we will see more book from this author in the near future.

Beyond the Cattle Arch

Beyond the Cattle Arch is an interesting novel as it is a mystery, which is also a romance, but also a science fiction novel.

It's the summer, two years after the ending of World War Two and John Harper and his girlfriend Jill are driving toward the coastal town of Brighton to participate in lectures at Brighton Art College.

Without any warning a mysterious cloud of blackness rolls in from the English Channel and envelops them.

It is a gravity field and Jill finds herself alone, thrust back 60 years to the year 1887.

Confused, frightened and utterly alone, Jill realises that she must try, somehow, to make a new life for herself in the midst of Victorian England.

Desperate to return to her own time, Jill must cope with living in a more formal and stricter society, mindful of the fact that should she let slip the truth of from whence she had come she risked incarceration in one of the lunatic asylums.

A wife of a local church minister befriends her and she manages to struggle to retain her sanity.

Eventually Jill meets a landowner called Mr Gregson. He is handsome and not without financial means and, despite the fact that Mr Gregson wants her hand in marriage, she cannot help feeling increasingly drawn to him.

When she finally accepts that she is forever trapped in a time before her own, has no way of effecting a return to 1947 and of being reunited with John, she decides to accede to his proposal of marriage.

But suddenly, when she has apparently accepted her destiny, the opportunity to return to 1947 and John, her first love, comes her way.

What does she do? Stay in the Victorian era and marry Mr Gregson? Or make the return to 1947 and a possible life with John?

It's a moving novel and a very compelling and intelligent use of the time traveller theme.

It's published by Matador at £8.99. (Note: by ordering direct there is a saving of £1.00 https://www.troubador.co.uk.)

Charlotte Stone and the Children of the Nymet

Charlotte Stone and the Children of the Nymet is a new fantasy adventure novel aimed at children from the pen of author Tasha O'Neill.

Unbeknown to her, young Charlotte Stone is a living legend in the world of Syluria. That's only to be expected, as Syluria is a secret, hidden world. 

The people of the Great Sylurian forest are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the "flame-haired girl from beyond the Dreamtime" because they know that she is their only hope of being saved from utter annihilation and extinction as a race.

Under the guidance of The Morrigan and with the special assistance of Tar'el who is a young "Tree Weaver" ond the help of the Fey civil servant by the name of Luned, Charlotte must work to save the lives of an entire race of people.

However, no great task is ever truly simple or easy and before she can even begin her monumental task she has to seek out and recruit the assistance of the Vorla. But this is complicated by the fact that not only are the Vorla scary, they are also totally indifferent. And there's also the fact that the Morrigan keeps on trying to bring assistance, which often proves to be less-than-helpful in its outcome.

However there's also the fact that she has to make certain that the Health and Safety department of Brackenheath-on-Sea is thwarted in their attempts to remove the Nymet Tree.

But who or what can she trust? Has she caused the deaths of her parents? Can she save the people of the Great Sylurian forest?

This book is intended for children, but I fear many of them will have to tussle with their parents or other older relatives before they can read this book!

It's part of a series and costs £8.99 and is published by Matador.

The Society Game

The Society Game is a debut from pilot turned author, H. Lanfermeijer.

It's the first part of a planned series and it takes a close examination of the more dysfunctional and less salubrious aspects of our society.

What happens when someone is utterly obsessed by the concept of leading an image-driven life?

We see the action in the novel from the perspective of Olivia Hopkins, she is referred to as "the wife" and the reader is quickly taken into her life, looking at all the intimate details, seeing not only what she sees but also taking a peek into the workings of her mind, seeing things that the other people in her life have no clue about.

Olivia plays the society game, a husband she loves (for his credit card) lovers and as the author points out: "The devil walks amongst us."

The novel, perhaps worryingly, is based on true events, triggered by one of her neighbours murdering her husband.

It's an interesting and compelling novel.

It's published by Matador at £10.99.

You can learn more at www.thesocietygame.com.

The Fourth Victim

In The Fourth Victim, a new crime novel by John Mead, we are introduced to Detective Sergeant Julie Lukula.

Sergeant Lukula is facing a problem. Inspector Matthew Merry has decided to ascribe the murder of a young female jogger to being that of a mugging gone.

But Julie is not convinced. She believes that the victim was targeted by a killer. There have been three deaths, two families have suffered grievous losses and one murder team who are dealing with what could be an unknown number of murderers.

Set in a modern Whitechapel that, although it is subject to improvements and gentrification, there's still a seedy underside, drug dealers, prostitution and murders.

Julie does not think that there's any danger of her inspector setting the murder team alight. But was she correct in her judgment of him? After all, he had made it as far as an Inspector.

And the case, or cases, were far more complex than the police could have realised.

Who were the killers? Why did there seem to be so many of them? What were their motives? And what was the role of the therapist, Dr Hassan? What did she know? Anything? Or was she in the dark, too?

And what, exactly, did Julie have to hide? And were other members of the team compromised, too?

This is a highly complex, yet very credible crime thriller from established crime writer John Mead, author of The Hanging Women.

The Fourth Victim is published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and will  probably find its way into luggage for the Summer holidays.

Legend of the Lost

Legend of the Lost is a new magical adventure tale from debut children's author Ian P. Buckingham.

The story begins in a very ordinary way. As all good stories do. Holly and Lucy Savage are on holiday at Mermaid Cottage in a pretty Cornish fishing village.

As they explore their surroundings the two girls discover a Moonstone with magical powers. And it reveals wonderful things to them but also about them.

The family find themselves on a journey through Ashridge Forest, as they proceed on their journey quest they discover amazing powers and artefacts that are imbued with magical powers.

With the help of these powerful artefacts they learn of the past of their own family and find themselves in a world of fairies, changelings and magical beings.

But they find that not everyone or everything they meet on their journey is very friendly. In fact, there are some who are downright hostile to the family and who wish them harm.

And they find themselves pitched into a war with evil forces. But they must reach ruinous Castle of the Black Prince, where they will join a battle against dark forces.

But what is it about their family that makes them so unique. Will they learn the truth of their family history?

This book is published by The Book Guild and costs £7.99.

The Holy Longing

The Holy Longing is a debut collection of poems form actress and poet Vera Graziadei.

Wow. Just absolutely... wow! I just went for an invigorating, yet also relaxing, swim in a warm sea made up entirely of words, thoughts, ideas and emotions.

Vera's poems are unique. They compel, they learn, yet they also teach at the same time. By accident instead of "teach" I typed "reach." And yet I quickly realised that this was no mistake, for the poems of this remarkable person also "reach", too. They reach forward and upward, but also backward, as well.

There's love, pain loss, humility, grace, passion, spirit and spirituality in these poems.

In these poems you will learn, live and love.

There's not one style of poetry in this remarkable collection, not one form or format. Which helps to make the collection of poems come alive with crackling vibrancy.

It's published by Matador at £8.99. If you only ever buy one book of poetry in your life, please let this be that one book of poems. You'll not regret your decision. Honestly.