Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
Sunday, 23 February 2020
Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Mother Love
Margret is a loving mother to three adult children. Life wasn't always easy as they had, whilst growing up, had to develop coping skills to deal with the constant flashes of anger from Margaret.
But what caused these moments of anger? It wasn't the children, though they had to cope with her rages. Margaret's problem is that she is being crushed by the weight of a family secret.
Her daughter Caroline serves the role of a peacekeeper. She moves into married life and becomes a mother in her own right.
Her son Matthew strives to become independent and self-reliant, carving out a successful career in botany, enjoying life in his organic smallholding, with his family and friends gathered in close to him.
There's Chloe, a very talented violinist and the favourite of her mother. However, this favouritism comes with no small price for Chloe, as she finds it impossible to flee from Margaret's influence as her own life seems to deteriorate.
However, Margaret's actions seems to become even stranger and downright bizarre, causing even more worry to her children. All of whom had been damaged by their mother, to a greater or lesser extent.
But what does any of it matter, so long a her secret is protected at almost any cost?
Elizabeth Brown largely tells the story through the medium of family letters and journal entries.
By the time I had finished the last page, I knew all of the family members very well. But I think I had learned to hate Margaret only part way through. The sub title: a blessing or a curse? is most appropriate.
This is a very moving novel which is a very worth debut.
It's published by Matador at £8.99.
The Breaking Storm
It follows from the first novel, Gathering Clouds, telling how Killcaid, the ambitious and ruthless overseer at the Nethergate Tobacco Plantation in Kentucky, tightens his control over the community as he continues his evil vendetta against the slave called Matthew, which actually foments a rebellion, no matter how limited it was in scope.
In the next part of the story we travel to New York, home to profiteers and the exploiters of both sides of the Civil War, without any thought to the likely consequences of their actions.
The slave community are stirred by the notion that freedom from their enslavement might be on its way.
However, the times are also riven with romance, passions that run high and the thirst for revenge are interleaved with unexpected moments of hope and compassion.
The scope of the novel leaves the confines of the Continental disunited States and takes in the action on the island of Nassau, known for its hedonism and wild lifestyles.
But there's a blockade operated by the US Navy (those wicked Yankees) that must be breached if they are to have any chance of success and victory.
It's another highly readable novel in the series by Sandhurst-educated former army officer and school master Derek H. Skinner.
It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.
13 Ancient Things that don't make sense in History
His book will make you think. He raises some very interesting points about history which tends to challenge things that we think we know.
For example, how could a boat be found atop of a hill in Britain that was found to be 10,000 years old, when this dating showed that the boat was made 7,000 years before they were even invented?
How can it be when, at a time sea levels are apparently rising, Roman ports have been found miles away from the coast?
And how could there be gigantic prehistoric canals constructed to technical standards that were even superior to Victorian engineering?
How can it be that the dragon myths are shared the world over, by civilisations that had no contact with each other?
Could ancient monuments really have been constructed with nothing more than antler picks?
If Columbus was the first European to find the Americas, how come there are artefacts and bones indicating that other Europeans actually arrived 10,000 years before him?
If Troy was located in Turkey, why did it take Jason 10 whole years to get back home to Greece?
What about the world's oldest and greatest civilisation? Where was it? What happened to it? Learn about its surprising location on page 81 of this intriguing book.
And what secrets did our ancient British forbears know about our weather?
All these and even more puzzling and bizarre facts are to be found within this amazing book.
It's illustrated by Annette Jones with editorial support by Luke Holliday.
Published by the ABC Publishing Group, this book will challenge what you think you know about history, but in a logical, compelling fashion.
It costs £20.35, though is available from Amazon at £14.99 or £5.30 in Kindle format.
Got a history buff in your family? Then this is the ideal gift for them.
Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Ray Barra A Life in Ballet
It relates how Barra was a principal dancer for John Cranko and Kenneth MacMillan in Stuttgart, and how he was fundamental in defining the role of the male dancer in modern terms, bringing a manliness to the role of the male dancer.
Victor Hughes takes his readers on an extraordinary journey through the professional life of Barra, dancer, ballet master and choreographer.
He covers his early days with the San Francisco Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre and then onto Europe, in Germany and Spain and Greece as he worked as an international presence in the world of ballet as he worked as a freelance dancer.
The biography also covers a great deal about Barra's private life, including his time when he was drafted into the US Army and served in the Korean War and how he came to learn of the existence of Japanese ballet. And how he was asked to perform dancing to entertain other troops and that he had given dance workshops, too, during his military years.
Victor Hughes (a dancer himself, as well as a writer) has extensively interviewed Ray Barra and this is obvious as the book gives a detailed account of his life, his homosexuality and his relationships with other dancers and people from outside the world of ballet.
The book is also well illustrated with a wide range of photographs
As Ray Barra is now nearing his 90th birthday this will become an important work in the world of ballet.
It's published by The Book Guild at £12.99.
Vis-Ability
When she was 13 she required the fitting of a prosthetic eye and she had to deal with problems and issues with her remaining eye, having to cope with terrible, chronic pain resulting from a genetic eye condition.
Vicki relates the problems and difficulties she suffered as she grew up, coping with her pain and the problems she met with at school.
However, Vicki also writes about someone who has a sight impairment can be helped to cope with the situation, and what options are available to them and their family members.
Vicki has been a patient at Moorfields Eye Hospital since she was four years old and has spent the last decade working there as a Play Leader in the Richard Desmond Children's Eye Centre.
If you, or someone you know, has vision problems, then you really need to make sure they get a copy of this book. And it is printed in a format that is helpful for those with a "vision impairment."
It should also be in every optician, every eye department and doctor's surgery throughout the UK, in my opinion.
It's published by Matador at £10.99.
PEP Talk
There's positivity and empowerment aplenty in this amazing book, that draws upon proven psychotherapy techniques that the readers of the book can work through at their own pace so that they can boost and improve their positive mental health performance.
You'll be taken through personal life examples in a lighthearted and humorous fashion.
The author shows us how our beliefs our habits and how we behave in life can have impacts upon our well-being and mental health. And our physical health, too, for that matter.
You'll learn why being silly is not a daft idea, how to cope with certain awkward people who we will meet throughout our life (that's in chapter nine) the difference between a Placebo and a Nocebo, how negative notions can be implanted and how they can be dealt with, the tricky matter of attentional bias and much, more besides.
It's not only informative it's a darn good read and at a mere £9.99, you really cannot afford to not buy a copy.
PEP Talk is published by The Book Guild.
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