Fatal Tears. The Journeys of Rupert Windfield by Stuart Fifield

Rupert Windfield is young, he is an Egyptologist but then he decided to escape from his family and even his career.

Soon he has thrown it all over for a somewhat dubious career as a tour guide on a Nile paddle steamer.

The Great War (still yet to gain the title First World War) was now a memory and, once again, wealthy were in Egypt once again, thronging to look at the remains of one of antiquities' former great civilisations.

At first, the trip is normal. Or as normal as one can expect with a varied collection of the indolent, the ignorant and the prejudiced all in the mobile hothouse that was a Nile paddle steamer.

But soon, young Winfield realises that not is all that it seems on this journey. Some of the guests have secrets, some seem to be more than they might appear at first glimpse.

Accidents start to happen. But why? What is happening? Why is it happening?

This thriller ranges through time and space amongst various locations in Africa and beyond. Stuart Fifield spent time growing up in Uganda and Kenya, where his father was a civil servant. He later lived in the Seychelles and South Africa and he was able to use his experiences as a foundation stone for his novel.

It is published in hardback at £17.99 by the Book Guild. The ISBN is 978 1 84624 872 6.

Viking Ventures by Barbara Robertson

Viking Ventures is a fictional story written by Barbara Robertson for children aged nine and upwards.

Although the book is fictional you should be aware that the historical details are very accurate as Barbara Robertson is no slouch when it comes to undertaking meticulous and detailed research for her books.

Harriet, Jake and Matthew are spending the summer holidays with their grandmother who lives in the seaside resort of Ormsthorpe.

But one storm-tossed night, under the light of a full moon, something extraordinary happens. The three siblings are magically transported back to the days of the Vikings!

They meet Olaf and Sigrid who teach them all about the ways of the Vikings.

They sorrowfully tell Jake and Matthew how their own dear children have been kidnapped during a raid and enslaved by the terrifying raiders.

And they ask their new-found friends to help rescue the children. But first, they must devise a cunning stratagem to effect the rescue.

We follow the children as they disguise themselves as Vikings, board a Viking Longship and embark on a perilous and potentially deadly secret mission to rescue the children!

The story is very well told, the author is a qualified and experienced teacher, which has certainly helped the book to become the excellent work that it is. But Barbara Robertson is also a storyteller in the ancient traditional of storytelling, which shines forth in this enchanting book.

It's a book that parents and teachers can read to children (please keep in mind that Viking history is part of the National Curriculum) or that children will be delighted to read for themselves.

There are also some evocative and excellent pencil drawings by Michael Avery.

It is a hardback book costing £9.99, published by Book Guild Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84624-873-3.

Editor: The end of the book leaves open the opportunity for the three children to enjoy further adventures in history. Here's hoping they will arrive on the bookshelves sooner, rather than later!



  

Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion

The Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion, by Andrew Delhunty and Shelia Dignen is a reference work that really should grace the shelves of anyone with a passion for, or a professional relationship, with words and language.

Allusions are a colourful way of illustrating points, of getting ideas across and of expanding on the use of our language.

But that allusion that everyone draws on so readily? Where does it come from? Who first coined it as an allusion? Who wrote it or said it in the first place?

This A to Z work is a masterful effort to show the who, why and what of allusions that are often common currency, linguistically speaking, but the origins of which may be uncertain or unknown.

In this brilliantly written and well-researched reference work you will find out all you need to know and some stuff that although you might not have needed to know, you will be better off for knowing!

At £10.99 this Oxford University Press book is a modestly priced ticket to allow you to gain entry to the wonderful world of allusion!

And you will find out that all is not as it seems! For example, "Naughty but Nice" was not originated in the 1970s as part of a campaign to promote cream cakes. Although it was certainly used in this campaign, its real origin was as the title of a music hall song published in 1871!

ISBN 978-0-19-956746-1.

A Dreadful Murder. The Mysterious Death of Caroline Luard

This book, The Mysterious Death of Caroline Luard, is by top selling and award winning crime novelist Minette Walters.

However, this book is different to her fictional offerings, as it is the true story of how the callous, brutal murder of an innocent woman caused the community of Ightham to become embroiled in a vile hate campaign against the husband of the victim, Major-General Charles Luard, who, according to vicious rumours,  had callously slain his wife and then played the part of the grieving husband.

How the case remained one of the unsolved (even to this day, 105 years later)  murder cases on the records of Kent Constabulary.

Walters goes back to the basics of the case and examines the statements of the witnesses who were interviewed by the police.

Walters explains why she believes that Charles Luard was innocent of the crime, but she does indicate that she feels the police were wrong to blame a passing vagrant criminal for the murder, she believes that the murder was committed by someone who was local and, probably known to Caroline Luard.

However, Walters explains her reasoning and points out that the tragedy of Mrs Luard's death were to have further, equally tragic outcomes.

The book is part of the innovative Quick Reads series and costs £1.00. To learn more about this series of book you can visit www.quickreads.org.uk.

That book on Amazon you want to buy. Is it new?

Recently I searched for a certain paperback book on Amazon.co.uk and found what I wanted at £5.96. It was to be part of a Birthday present and I almost had it giftwapped by Amazon but forgot to order this service, having the book delivered to me, instead.

It was a good job that I did not have it giftwrapped because when the book arrived it was in a very poor state with the spine suffering from damage and the photographic section in the middle on the point of detaching itself.

To make matters worse, even though I'd paid £5.96 for the book, on the cover of the book  was a charity shop sticker with the price of £1.50!

I complained and got a refund, which is being processed now, but it has made me wary of ordering further books from Amazon.co.uk.

Damask Rose

DAMASK ROSE is a well written, encyclopaedic book by rose enthusiast and herbalist Stuart FitzSimons which combines all the romance, sensuality and drama that surrounds one of the world's best loved plants.

In this 127 page book Stuart tells everything you could want to know about this beautiful plant including its romantic history, extensive and much prized cosmetic uses as well as the historical and medicinal properties. Also included is a chapter on horticulture which contains a section on troubleshooting to help gardeners solve their rose growing problems and a list of the top UK rose nurseries to help them locate the perfect plant. Full colour photographs illustrating the beauty and colour of each rose are shown throughout and links are also included so the reader can access additional on-line information throughout the web.

The book is available either as a down load or can purchased pre-loaded onto an illustrated, credit card size memory stick making it as easy to read as it is to store -- just flip the stick and plug into the USB port of any computer wherever you are.

DAMASK ROSE is a perfect present for either the gardener in your life or those who are just hard to please. It’s size also makes it easy to slip into a greetings card without adding to the cost of postage which makes it an ideal gift

DAMASK ROSE by Stuart FitzSimons retails at £12.97 and is available from www.plantasmagorical.com and local garden centres.

Watch out, watch out: The Body Collector’s about!

Charlie Stench the Body Collector collects bodies: the heads he turns into floating skulls with all the powers of evil (except that in the case of Boris the skull something went wrong and he did not turn out evil at all). Boris loves the wicked witch Griselda (who treats him mean and keeps him keen) but as fans of Frank Hinks’ ‘Ramion Collection’ will know Boris longs to have his body back. After saving Griselda from the mini-skulls Boris persuades her to visit the Body Collector, but when Griselda finds the boys (Julius, Alexander and Benjamin) amongst the dead nothing works out as they expect.

Can the warrior cat Snuggle protect the boys from THE BODY COLLECTOR who wants their bodies for his collection and Griselda who as always wants to eat them?!

This is the 15th story in the Ramion collection and arguably the most controversial.

A mix of dry humour and adventure ‘The Body Collector’ delivers boyish delight of muddy hands and ghostly globs, but adults will find a deeper message within its pages, a reminder of parental love, making ‘The Body Collector a unique bedtime story for adults and children alike.

Robin Stuart-Clark Readers’ Forum Book Club says of ‘THE BODY COLLECTOR’,
“The irrepressible Frank Hinks strikes again in his latest book, The Body Collector.
Number 15 in the Ramion Series Collection, The Body Collector is as fresh and funny and exciting as Book 1, The Land of Lost Hair.
Here Boris the Skull is allowed his own flight of fancy: to find his body. Told in simple, no-nonsense, take-it-or-leave it language, Boris’ quest is a story demanding giggles and guffaws.
I wonder if I should have a duvet day and read the whole series from start to finish?”
Robin Stuart-Clark www.bookblurb.co.za

The illustrations are better and brighter and funnier than ever – whether as vignettes or as full page images which break the boundaries of spine and integrate with the text without losing readability. Boys and fathers who remember being boys will love the latest Ramon story by Frank Hinks ‘The Body Collector’
‘THE BODY COLLECTOR’ stands alone. Love it or hate it you will not forget it.
Ramion rises again in October 2012 - hooray!!
www.ramion-books.com

The Body Collector

Before Boris the skull rescues Griselda from the mini-skulls (who want to eat her) he gets her to promise that she will give him back his body. But she keeps her fingers crossed (so the promise does not count) and arranges with the Body Collector to have Boris reconditioned (he is not evil enough). However, when Griselda and Boris visit Charlie Stench the Body Collector nothing works out as they intended.


ISBN 9780954704674
Series: Ramion
Title: The Body Collector
Published 15 October 2012
Key ages 7/8
Description: Classic fantasy adventure about the Body Collector and a skull who wants his body back.
Series description: Fantasy adventures about three boys, a witch, a cat and the magical land of Ramion
Hard back
Price: 12.99

*SPECIAL OFFER!
2 for 1 price deal on THE BLIZZARD WIZARD & THE BODY COLLECTOR.
MRP for each book £12.99. Special offer price, buy THE BLIZZARD WIZARD & THE BODY COLLECTOR together for £12.98.
Free delivery
Offer & buying information only available from http://www.perronetpress.com/special-offer
This is a one month exclusive offer only available through Gazelle-book services.
The special offer will be available from 15 October to 15 November. Offer ends 15th November*
www.gazellebookservices.co.uk

Media Contact: Jacqui MacCarthy: jacqui@d-image.co.uk Tel +44 (0)1628 522982
Orders and distribution: Gazelle Distribution: Tel +44 (0) 1524 68765; Fax +44 (0) 1524 63232; E-mail sales@gazellebooks.co.uk
www.ramion-books.com
Ramion children’s book collection titles below:-

Paperback

Ramion
The Land of Lost Hair
The Vicar’s Chickens
The Crystal Key
Creatures of the Forest
Realm of Ramion
The Dim, Daft Dwarves
The Bands of Evil
The Magic Magpie
The Cruel Count
Swords of Ramion
The Seven Stones of Iliana
The Black Marchesa
Gary the Frog Prince
The Embodiment of Evil

Hardback

The Kingdom of the Deep
The Blizzard Wizard
The Body Collector
The Embodiment of Evil