The Pleasure of Reading

The Pleasure of Reading Novels and their Writers and Readers is an interesting book. Having just completed a BA (Honours) degree course in Creative and Professional Writing I found it especially fascinating. In fact, I could have made great use of this book which is written by Eric Macfarlane had it been published a year or two earlier!

In his book Eric Macfarlane examines the situations that help people to become dedicated readers and also looks at the ways parents and teachers can encourage the love of stories in children.

He is critical of the traditional methods of studying literature that, he points out, deter many children from considering reading as something to be done for pleasure or relaxation.

Through his book the author examines the interests and passions that are the motivating forces for novelists and the varied topics they decide to write about, the types of stories that they decide to tell, the different themes they decide to explore, plus the skills with which they deal with plots, characters and settings.

He gives particular attention to the role of the novelist as a protester against injustice, persecution and the abuse of power.

His first gift of a book was The Digger Gnome Earns a Pippity Pebble, (a prize from Miss Falkner, owner of one of the country's last surviving Dame Schools).

He later earned copies of R. M. Balantyne's The Young Fur Traders, james Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. However, the latter books were not enjoyed by the young Eric Macfarlane and when, as a student, he had to make his way through Robinson Crusoe as a set text and realised that it was somewhat turgid and that his youthful inability to do more than look at the illustrations was not, actually, his fault!

He speaks of his home life with the small number of books that they owned, of the deliciously politically incorrect comics that he and his friends shared (The Beano, Dandy) and more serious publications such as the Adventure, Wizard, Hotspur and Rover, all published by D. C. Thompsons.

He provides commentary on the novels and writings of Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad, Vikram Seth, Sue Miller, Anne Tyler, Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, Charles Dickens, Barbara Pym and many others.

As the book is fully indexed and cited, although it has a thoroughly readable style it will serve very well as an academic text and should be on  the list of recommended books for all creative writing and literature classes at every school, college and university in the land.

And it will make a most welcome gift for any student studying literature and creative writing.

It's published on July 28th by Matador at £8.99.

Destination and Destiny

In Destination and Destiny we meet Tom and Clotilde.

Tom has spent the vast majority of his working life working for NGOs in Africa. In fact he was working in Rwanda when the genocide took place.

His partner, Clotilde, decides to embark on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela with a parish group from Melbourne, Australia.

The group was a little dysfunctional but well-meaning although perhaps a little self-indulgent?

The couple had enjoyed a less than conventional relationship, but even though they spent more time apart than together, their relationship held fast and firm. In fact, was that part of the key to their success?

When they were apart they constantly corresponded with each other, sharing all that there was to share.

The book takes a backward look at the lives of these two people, of their friends and family members and the people who they met and worked with, and allows them to use the telescope of memory to look back and learn about an extraordinary couple who really loved each other but also loved other people, too.

It's a very moving romance novel by Rosalyn Taylor.

Published by The Book Guild at £8.99 it will be safe in many suitcases this summer.

The Good Priest

The Good Priest is a debut novel from author Tina Beattie.

Father John is parish priest of Our Lady of Sorrows in Westonville.

He lives an orderly and peaceful life, but all of this is virtually destroyed when, on one Ash Wednesday, a stranger walkies into the church, enters the confessional box.

What the stranger confesses to Father John is so horrific that it shatters his life.

Old memories of abuse from his past bubble up to the surface and he realises that what he thought to have been forgiven and forgotten many years since, might actually still be powerful, dark forces.

Murders are being committed. Could these be linked to the stranger's appearances in the confessional box?

And is the man really a stranger? Or could he be the cardinal who had abused John whilst he had been in Rome, many years ago?

But surely the cardinal had died during the horrendous 9/11 attacks? But what if he hadn't? What if he was here, now, tormenting Father John in his own church?

Or is he a ghostly apparition, like the young girl, Sarah, who has been a protecting presence in his life? Or is he something more sinister? Something far more evil and insidious?

This is a stunning debut novel. I think that Tina Beattie will be a potent force to reckon with in the field of detective and mystery and thriller fiction.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

What's THAT Doing There?

Apparently What's THAT Doing There? a new book from David Willers and Cate Caruth is intended as a book for children. I'm sorry, but no child is getting my copy of What's THAT Doing There? until I have finished reading it!

This is the true (or trueish) story of a very special and utterly elegant ginger cat known as Garfy, but officially given the more splendid name of Garfield Abercrombie Reginald Fergusson.

Garfy is pretty much the King Cat of all he surveys, but especially the meadow over the road from the house he shares with his manservant called David.

The meadow had, when Garfy was a kitten, been the location of a factory, but it had long ago been knocked down and nature had taken over the site, giving Garfy his own personal meadow.

Until some humans (how rude of them!) decided to build Paterson's Superstore on Garfy's meadow.

Garfy sized up the situation and realised that as he could not beat them (climbing up onto a JCB had only slowed matters down by a few brief moments) he would join them.

He decided to claim the store for his very own self and this is what he did. In fact, he was their first customer and quickly became a celebrity cat in the city of Ely, in Cambridgeshire.

But it wasn't all catnip, treats and naps for Garfy. The manager wasn't too keen on having a resident top cat at his store and there was the somewhat unpleasant incident with a tough looking black cat called Tyson who was somewhat of a usurper and thought that Garfy's full name was Carpark Abnormal Regient Furball. And who had decided to insert himself in Garfy's very own shop and to take it over!

But Tyson was a vicious street fighting cat. Could Garfy survive against the bigger, tougher and younger cat?

But all was not lost! Garfy's friends, Isabella and Morgan asked their Uncle Bruno to see if he could help Garfy. And, of course, Uncle Bruno not only could help Garfy, he did help him!

After he was able to see off Tyson the thuggish cat, Garfy developed a love of going on trips in cars and there was also the matter of the portrait of Garfy by a famous artist. But would success spoil Garfy?

This is an utterly charming fictionalised account of the life of Garfy, Ely's most famous cat, who has a Facebook following of in excess of 5,000 people from all over Ely and the rest of the world.

He has had his portrait painted by artist Rob Martin, has his own special seat at a petrol station, often hangs out on the sofa at Virgin Travel near to the local Sainsbury's.

The illustrations in the book are by artist Ginny Phillips, the book is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Best buy two copies, one for you and one for your child.

Mind Over Terror

In his book Mind Over Terror 3 Weeks, 2 Cities, 1 Mission Psychotherapist, Resilience Consultant and Psych-trauma trainer Dov Benyaacov-Kurtzman takes a look at three significantly traumatic events which impacted two British cities.

In his book he takes his readers with him on a startling mission, a mission to radically change the way we approach mental health issues when dealing with survivors of psychological shock and trauma in Britain.

Dov points out that for weeks after the bombing of the MEN Arena in his home town of Manchester he felt himself to be on constant "high alert" catching sleep whenever he could, living in trepidation that something else might be just around the corner.

As a result of his thinking he decided to continue his work on dealing with trauma and to change the way we approach mental health when dealing with people who have survived psychological shock and trauma.

The book looks at issues such as terrorism, personal development, military experience, major fire incidents, disasters and more besides.

Training methods are explained and it offers First Aid Cognitive Training.

If you are a police office, a medic (doctor, nurse, psychologist, psychiatrist, administrator, etc)  a charity worker, employed in local or national government, councillor, MP, etc., then you simply must have a copy of this book.

It is published by Matador at £14.99.

Killing Widows

Killing Widows is a debut novel from Clive Birch.

It is inspired by real life events that took place during the tumultuous times of the Spanish Civil War.

French student Natascha is studying at the Salamanca University, and her grandmother ask as favour of her. Could she please try to learn the truth of what happened to her English friend Joan who had been happily married to a Spaniard before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

At first Natascha is a little reluctant to get involved but as the investigation progresses she finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into uncovering the last tragic months of Joan's life in the beautiful village of Santo Domigo.

However, Natascha finds that her efforts are thwarted to some extent by the fact that the local populace seems unwilling to speak about the times of the Spanish Civil War.

But Natascha is determined to learn all she can, even at the risk of her own life.

The truth, however, was a dark stain on not only the village but on all of Spain. A time when Franco's African Army swept northwards with squads who raped and murdered without mercy, pity or reason.

It was no wonder some did not want to remember, or chose to forget.

It's an emotionally charge novel looking at the dreadful plight of ordinary people during a dreadful time period in Spanish history.

It is published by Matador at £9.99.

Of Crime and Humanity

Set against the backdrop of the Burmese revolution, Of Crime and Humanity by Ma'On Shan is a political thriller that you will be talking about for time to come.Her mother is killed by a landmine whilst she was fleeing from soldiers, a young Burmese woman joins a resistance group that is based on the border between Burma and Thailand.

However, the group follows the pragmatic teachings of Aung San Suu Kyi, know throughout Burma as the Lady.

Aung San Suu Kyi was praised round the world as the person who liberated Burma. But her fall from  grace has caused many people to question if she really was the Lady who rescued Burma.

Ma'O Shan uses Of Crime and Humanity to offer education and enlightenment as to the truth of what happened by telling the adventures of the Burmese girl.

The story is a story of how those apparently dedicated to protecting the people actually use violence, rape, intimidation and enslavement just because they can, how seemingly ordinary people attempt to fight back to regain their humanity.

It is published by Matador at £12.99.