A Stone Called Fred

A Stone Called Fred is a debut novel from author Sheila Locke, which is aimed at children and young adults.

Teenager Jack Watts is prone to jump to conclusions far, far too quickly.

One morning he finds something on the kitchen table of his family home which Jack decides looks like an explosive device of some kind.

Jack warns the rest of the family about his discovery. But the device isn't, after all, an explosive device. However, it is an object of considerable mystery that propels Jack into a world of unexpected adventures and a considerable amount of trouble.

Joe, Jack's neighbour who lives downstairs, is more prone to be sceptical about the whole story. He appears to have been proven correct, for the "explosive device" turns out to be a common stone, often found in gardens or on the beach.

However, Jack thinks differently. After all, didn't he, later that same day, have some strange experiences with an unusual visitor who Jack decided to name "Fred"?

Fiona is Jack's girlfriend who is a journalist. When she returns home from an assignment she becomes impressed by the apparent power that the stone exudes and she decides to convince the others that it would be an awfully good idea to spy on members of the Royal Family at a theatrical event. However, things do not go according to her cunning plan.

Eventually Jack and Fred travel backward through time and end up in the early 20th century.

This is a very well-written book and will be a must have for many Christmas stockings this year.

Apparently it took author S. M. Locke 12 years to write this book from when she first had the idea. It is to be hoped that he second book, and other subsequent books, do not take 12 years to finish because she has a unique and very readable style.

It is published by Matador at £7.99.

The Kung Fu Diaries the Life and Times of a Dragon Master (1920 - 2001)

The Kung Fu Diaries the Life and Times of a Dragon Master (1920 - 2001) is a book that will be of great interest to all serious students of the martial arts and Eastern philosophies.

It is based on the life story of the Dragon Master and was written by a most trusted student.

Not long before his death the Dragon Master of the ancient art of Shaolin Chan Kung Fu entrusted an archive of his private papers to the safekeeping of a most trusted and favoured student.

He left instructions with his student that he should use the papers to write a full account of his life and of the ideals and aims of the art that he had devoted his whole life to.

However, the student is shocked to learn that within the papers are diaries that contain personal information that shock and appal the student, he learns that the Dragon Master had an obsession that call the principles that he claimed to adhere to during his life into extreme doubt.

Can the student square the circle? Can he find a way to come to terms with the apparent inconsistency and contradictions between the ideals of the Dragon Master and the reality of what he actually did with his life, or at least the part of his life which he kept secret?

The book is written by Patrick Grant and whether or not it is a total fiction or based on the notes from the student it is a highly compelling read.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

An Ordinary Life...?

An Ordinary Life...? is an inspirational and uplifting memoir from Andrew Michael Doig.

Andrew is a spiritual healing medium and, through his book, he hopes to allow others to look into the world of spiritualism.

Andrew has visited many spiritualist centres throughout Britain and also in Sweden.

As a result he has participated in hundreds of seances and in many different groups.

He reveals how he made his first steps into spiritualism, how he was able to witness things that would defy so-called rational explanation, from mediumship to becoming involved in what he describes as rescue work.

He has developed his own skills such as clairvoyance and clairsentience and also enjoyed allowing spirits to use him to create psychic artworks.

It is a fascinating book and will make a superb Christmas gift for someone who is interested in spiritual matters.

It is published by Matador at £12.99.

Gathering Clouds

Gathering Clouds is the first part of the Nethergate Trilogy, which explores a tale of slavery and the American Civil War.

The Nethergate tobacco plantation is prepared for troubles as the rumbling threat of civil war becomes an ever present danger.

We meet a cast of disparate characters. There is Silas Killcaid, the Chief Overseer of slaves. He has a position of dominance at Nethergate, due to a combination of cruelty and cunning.

Due to the death of one master and the murder of another Killcaid increases his grip on the plantation, but even he cannot control the forces that threaten his position of power.

There's also the problem of the slave called Matthew Styles. He has a strong will and he is not the kind of man to accept his status as a slave. This earns him the hatred of Killcaid.

But new alliances are made and new relationships forged against the backdrop of the imminent civil war.

And when the civil war does come, Nethergate becomes a very dangerous place to be, with rebellion and murder.

Who will win? Killcaid or Styles?

Readers will be eager for the second parts of this trilogy.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and will make a great Christmas present.

English From Afar

In English From Afar experienced tutor and trainer Bruce Peterson, a graduate of the University of Wales, provides a fun and entertaining book that explores the various methods that readers can employ to learn English as a second language.

It is Bruce's contention that learning English is of vital importance because, internationally, English is the de facto language for international business contracts, international contract law and international contract arbitration.

Bruce also states that, after a couple of decades of living and working in Malaysia, he came to realise that a major problem is not the words that are used but in making meaning and sincerity clear.

He believes passionately that getting one's meaning over is of much greater importance than the words that are actually used.

In his book he explains that "sorry could you repeat that?" is the most important question any learner can be asked and should be nothing to be afraid of.

The book focuses on how one can make learning English as a second language a fun task. Whilst also striving to put the English language in context to give the reader a genuine insight into the complex and, sometimes, odd people that British people can be.

He points out in his book that there is no need for the teaching of languages to be the boring, painful trial that they so often are. And shows ways that teaching langues (in this case, specifically ESOL) can be made something that will be fun and, as pain free as possible.

This book will be of great value to any teacher of ESOL, any ESOL student and also ot any teacher or lecturer of English, because there is much of general value in this book.

It is published bu Matador at £12.99 and should be bought as library stock by any organisation that teaches English.

And it will make a great stocking filler for this Christmas.

Tales From an Old Hack

Tales From an Old Hack is a wonderful autobiography from journalist Barbara Fisher.

A teacher from Birmingham, she decided to change her career to that of a full time journalist in West London.

How did she make the transition from a teacher to a journalist? She had worked as a teacher in Ealing for a number of years, but she had written a weekly schools' page for the Uxbridge Gazette. An editor liked her work and suggested that she consider entering the world of journalism. Which she did. (Reviewer's note: A similar incident happened to your reviewer, which is why I made the switch to journalism, too.) 

Barbara spent the next couple of decades writing for the paper, eventually becoming Chief Reporter before becoming Deputy News Editor.

The book is a whirlwind of a read, taking in the mundane points of local newspaper journalism, but also covering weightier matters such as the death of Princess Diana, and with her photographer colleague, faced the wrath of the ever fickle British public.

There were other incidents including meeting Nelson Mandela, covering hostage situations, being thrown in at the deep end on her first week, by being tasked to find a front page story, no pressure, then?

There were human interest stories, meeting with some great characters (such as Screaming Lord Sutch) learning all about the vagaries of the new data protection laws, coping with people who had just received devastating news, receiving hairstyles from celebrity hairdressers, dealing with alleged spies.

It's a very good read from a highly skilled writer and it was a real pleasure to read. (However, as a fellow hack journalist and fellow Brummie, I may well be a little bit biased!) 

However, this book is a fantastic autobiography (complete with some relevant illustrations) and it is published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

It'll make a great Christmas present for the readers in your life.

Loving

Loving is a new collection of poems from Suffolk-based author Heather Goddin.

The poems in this collection are all about the many different facets of love.

There's romantic love, love which is tinged by tragedy, of loss, of the mundane, the different and the quirky and poems of joy and of healing.

Although all from the same poet, the poems are in a range of vastly different voices, from poems of love lost, love found, love regained or not regained.

At £8.99 (published by Matador) this is an ideal introduction to the world of poetry and poems and it will make a very good Christmas stocking filler.