Hats of Faith - Medeia Cohan

This book is a beautifully illustrated introduction to the shared custom of head covering.  Using accurate terminology, phonetic pronunciations and bright imagery, Hats of Faith helps educate and prepare young children for our culturally diverse modern world.

A beautifully drawn and colourful book which celebrates a number of cultures from around the world and the hats that they where as part of their religious beliefs. The cultures included are: Sikh, Muslim, Rastafarian, Orthodox Jews, African Christian and Muslim. Each page is a simple hand drawn picture of a member of each faith wearing their hat. The words are short and to the point, with the name of the hat (written in words and also phonetically) and who wears it. 

This is the ideal book for any classroom or library to have, being the perfect starting point for a conversation about religions of the world and how we are unique. It is a board book which will withstand both toddlers and pre school children and is perfect for a book to share to storytime, or during circle time to begin a discussion.

Thank you to the Ben Cameron from Cameron Publicity and Marketing Ltd for sending me this book on behalf of the publishers, Shade Publishing, in return for an honest review.

Game of Thrones House Lannister Lion

Join the noble houses of Westeros and proudly wear or display the official Game of Thrones House Lannister Lion 3D Mask & Wall Mount series. This fabulous full size 3D mask, designed by the amazing Steve Wintercroft, uses the official house sigil and is easily assembled to create a stunning full-head mask. You can then assemble the wall mount and display it proudly on the wall as a glorious trophy. They say a Lannister always pays their debts - show you do the same with this fantastic mount, perfect for any Game of Thrones fan's home. 
  

Publisher: Carlton Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781780977799         

The first thing I should say is that I am not a Games of Thrones fan, I have never watched an episode or read a book. However when I was asked to review this book I jumped at the chance to review this book to find out more about the television series and to make the mask.

The book is made up of all the pieces needed to create a fantastic 3D mask which can be wall mounted using the back page as a mount. The mask is made using strong card and each piece is pre-scored and fantastically coloured. There is an introductory page which explains all things to do with construction. The mask is easy to construct, with each pre-scored fold being matched to its corresponding number and there being one tab marked for gluing and one non-gluing tab which ensures that all glued tabs are on the inside of the mask. It is all really well planned and the pieces all push easily out of the pages, but are all well secured into the book until needed. The pieces are all clearly numbered and labelled and the tabs are large enough to easily glue and attach to each other. The book comes in a stylish slipcase which gives that extra special expensive feel and is a great way of ensuring all pieces are kept together until needed.

The finished mask looks fantastic and it would look great on a wall for all die-hard Games of Thrones fans. 

There is also a house family tree and information about the family within the book giving fans extra details about their favourite houses within the series.

This would make a great gift for any Games of Thrones fans this Christmas time, either as a book and kit for them to make - all that needs to be added is strong glue (I would recommend a PVA glue rather than a glue stick) or as a pre-made model.

Thank you to the publishers, Carlton Books for sending me the book to review in return for an honest review.

The Periodic Table Book - A visual encyclopedia of the elements (DK Books)

The Periodic Table Book is the perfect visual guide to the chemical elements that make up our world.
This eye-catching encyclopedia takes children on a visual tour of the 118 chemical elements of the periodic table, from argon to zinc. It explores the naturally occurring elements, as well as the man-made ones, and explains their properties and atomic structures.
Using more than 1,000 full-colour photographs, The Periodic Table Book shows the many natural forms of each element, as well as a wide range of both everyday and unexpected objects in which it is found, making each element relevant for the child's world.

DK Books are a go to publisher for anyone with school age children, They are jam packed full of useful information on a range of subjects and contain those nuggets of information that will add that little something to a piece of homework and make it top of the pile. Their books are always really well put together, full of pages jam packed full of information which is displayed using a range of presentation methods which capture a child's attention and encourages them to research further.
When my children have homework research projects they always head straight to the internet and say they will 'Google it' however if I have a DK book on the topic, they will look at it and often use the information within to add to their project.
The book begins with a comprehensible introduction to what are elements, inside an atom before introducing the periodic table and then on to reactions and their uses. The rest of the book includes double page spreads on many of the elements and smaller sections on the rarer elements. It categorises the elements into their groups and talks about the common properties. Each element is included and has sections on their forms and uses. Their are really interesting facts about the element and it is all written in child friendly language which future scientists will love to read and learn about.
This is the perfect gift for any little scientists and would make a great addition to any science shelf or reference shelf or in a science laboratory or school library. As ever a brilliant book from DK Books.

I received this book from the Amazon Vine Programme in return for an honest review

13 1/2 Incredible Things you need to know about everything

T

his myth-busting visual encyclopedia will amaze kids with 13 things they need to know about every topic they love and one "half fact" that dispels a common misconception or half-truth.
Extraordinary images and irresistible fact snippets on each topic spread--from space to gemstones to the food we eat--make learning fun, but it's the "131/2" fact that kids will be most eager to know. Does cracking your knuckles really cause arthritis? Do ligers really exist? Are scorpions really deadly to humans? The answers to these questions and many others are revealed and will have kids digging for even more information behind the truths.
A perfect gift for curious young minds, 131/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything will stimulate the imagination of young readers, satisfy their thirst for knowledge, and allow them to look at the universe from a new perspective as they explore a wide variety of topics and discover the truth.

DK Books are a go to publisher for anyone with school age children, They are jam packed full of useful information on a range of subjects and contain those nuggets of information that will add that little something to a piece of homework and make it top of the pile. Their books are always really well put together, full of pages jam packed full of information which is displayed using a range of presentation methods which capture a child's attention and encourages them to research further.
When my children have homework research projects they always head straight to the internet and say they will 'Google it' however if I have a DK book on the topic, they will look at it and often use the information within to add to their project.
This book is entitled 13 1/2 incredible things you need to know about ...... and that 1/2 thing is just what I mean as the added bonus you get from DK Books! The book covers a wide range of topics covering science, geography, history, technology, English and just about every school subject. Each topic has a full double page spread and contain 13 1/2 interesting and useful facts that children will want to know about the topic. The facts are not always the need to know facts, or the facts which can easily be found on the internet when doing a search, but facts which would take a more indepth search into the project.
Each double page spread is full of colour and pictures, not dominated by the words and will capture a child's attention within minutes.
I strongly recommend this book as a must for a reference shelf either at home or in a school library and is great for children and adults alike to learn more about the topics that interest them. It would be a great gift to give to a child this Christmas time.
I received this book through the Amazon Vine programme.

Blog Tour - The Little Bakery on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry

Today I am pleased to welcome Ellen Berry to my blog to celebrate the publication of her new book, The Little Bakery on Rosemary Lane, where we are invited to return to Rosemary Lane in Burley Bridge.

Prepare to fall in love with beautiful village of Burley Bridge.

Growing up in a Yorkshire village, Roxanne Cartwright couldn’t wait to escape and make her place in the world. Now, thirty years later, she’s a fashion editor living a glamorous life of perennial singlehood in London – or so it seems to her sister Della. But when Roxanne finds her career under threat, she feels herself pulled back to the quiet village she’d been so desperate to leave.

As Roxanne reacquaints herself with life on Rosemary Lane, she slowly makes a surprising discovery: the people who live in Burley Bridge are, well, just people – different from the fashion set she’s used to, but kind and even interesting. Michael, a single dad trying to make a go of a small bakery, particularly so. Little by little, cupcake by cupcake, Roxanne and Michael fall into an unexpected friendship.
Could there be a life for Roxanne after all, in the place she’s spent years trying to escape?

Ellen Berry and the publishers, Avon, Harper Collins, have been really kind and given me a sneak peek extract from the book .....

Roxanne murmured in agreement, once again visualising the chilled glass of wine she would soon be clutching at Sean’s party. Usually she was happy to work late, but she was now experiencing a strong desire to escape from the building as soon as possible. ‘Everyone hires people they know,’ she said, trying to remain professional rather than letting rip with how she really felt. ‘Cathy brought me in, remember? We’d worked together before too. It’s natural to want people you trust.’

‘Yes, but that’s because you’re the best,’ Serena declared, ‘and this is different. Tina’s pages are a mess, more like a tatty old catalogue than proper fashion – and come on, we’ve all heard what she’s like to work with. She’s had her assistants and interns in tears. No one seems to last there more than a couple of months . . .’

‘I’ve heard all that too,’ Roxanne remarked, touched by her friends’ loyalty, ‘but we haven’t actually worked with her ourselves. We should just keep an open mind . . .’

‘Oh, stop being so reasonable!’ Serena exclaimed. ‘If it was me, I’d be having a complete meltdown.’

Roxanne forced a brave smile, pulling out her topknot and shaking her hair loose to signify that they had given the matter of Tina’s imminent arrival quite enough of their attention for now. ‘Don’t worry,’ she remarked dryly, ‘I’m saving that for Sean’s party so as many people as possible are there to witness it.’

And now she was extracting her make-up pouch from her bag, plus the original 60s black dress she had earmarked to wear tonight, and which was ideal for this kind of office-to-party scenario as it simply didn’t crease, even after being scrunched in the bottom of a shoulder bag.

She turned to Kate and Serena, who were still looking mournful in the wake of the day’s news. ‘Come on, you two,’ Roxanne said briskly. ‘Let’s get ready and off to this party. Anyone would think we weren’t desperate for a drink.’

I really enjoyed this book because I love authors who create their own settings and through a series of books, the readers are invited to visit and meet new characters within the village. Ellen has created a lovely village, Burley Bridge, and our first visit introduced her to The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane and this again plays a big part in this new book where we meet a rather dishy, newly separated, bakery owner, who along with his two teenage children and dog, are a great addition to the village, opening a bakery and encouraging lots of new visitors to the village.

Roxanne is a great character, who had moved away from the village to work in London, at one of the top fashion magazines. She has carved out a career for herself and is renowned as one of the best stylists, creating superb fashion shoots, however as her bosses look to modernise the magazine she is unsure if her position is safe. I think that this is a very relevant subject with many magazines looking at their online presence and also how their readers shopping habits are changing.

Burley Bridge sounds like a great place to live or visit and I am really enjoying this series of books. They are a great easy read, but I love that a cast of characters are building throughout the books, and even though the books can be read as standalone novels, they are great as a series.

I am already looking forward to book three, which I am hoping will continue where this one finished, the door has been left open for Roxanne to continue to live in Burley Bridge and maybe return to her roots - but will it be with the hunky baker, Michael?

Thank you to the publishers, Avon Books, and the author, Ellen Berry, for sending me the book to review and inviting me onto the blog tour.

Blog Tour - The Beachside Christmas by Karen Clarke

Today I am pleased to welcome Karen Clarke to my blog to celebrate the launch of her new novel, The Beachside Christmas, which is again set in the fictional seaside town of Shipley. This is the third book in the series and we, the readers, again meet up with some of the favourite characters from The Beachside Sweet Shop and The Beachside Flower Stall. 

Snow is falling and there’s romance in the air. Curl up for a cosy Christmas by the fire at Seaview Cottage…

When thirty-year-old Lily Ambrose’s latest relationship ends in disaster, she remembers happy childhood holidays in the seaside town of Shipley and decides it’s the perfect place for a fresh start.

But when Lily arrives, the town’s spirits are as low as her own: the local celebrity due to turn on the Christmas lights has gone on a cruise instead. Keen to prove herself, she calls in a favour and secures gorgeous reality star Ollie. 

Lily’s neighbours are initially thrilled, but Ollie is as uncontrollable as he is good-looking. He can’t remember the town’s name, calls the Christmas decorations tacky, and manages to offend everyone. And whilst handsome but stubborn cameraman Craig tries to help, even he can’t stop Ollie’s madcap plans to stage a romance with Lily…

Will Lily be able to keep Ollie under control and bring the Christmas cheer back to Shipley – and find herself a real kiss under the mistletoe?

An addictive, heart-warming and uplifting read about friendship, romance, and Christmas spirit. Perfect for fans of Phillipa Ashley, Cathy Bramley and Debbie Johnson.

I really enjoyed this book - it is one of those books that will have the reader laughing out loud one minute and then feeling sorry or upset for a character later in the same paragraph.  I really like Karen's writing style, the book is an easy read, has small chapters which make it great to pick up during a spare five minutes and in a town similar to many places we may have visited one summer in years gone by. The residents all know one another and have built their own alliances when it comes to town business.  

Lily returns to Shipley following a relationship breakdown and, when invited to her neighbours, is introduced to the Christmas Lights committee who are planning this year's event and are looking for a celebrity to do the grand switch on. Lily believes that she can help and offers to fill the space, her friend owns a management agency and she has a reality star on her books who needs to raise his profile and this seems the perfect job for him to do just that. However, as readers can probably guess this does not go smoothly and a number of residents are upset but following a surprising event will the residents of Shipley think of Lily as one of their own or will she have to move away following the lights switch on.

This is the perfect book to get readers in the mood for Christmas - Christmas lights switch on events are a big events in many towns and the Christmas cheer is spread throughout the book.

Thank you to the publishers, Bookouture, for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. I am already looking forward to my next visit to Shipley. 

Blog Tour - The Worse Case Scenario Cookery Club by Chrissie Manby

Today I am pleased to welcome Chrissie Manby to my blog to celebrate the publication of her new paperback, The Worse Case Scenario. Firstly I must apologise because this should have been posted yesterday, however computer problems have made it a day late. Chrissie has visited lots of blogs and readers can check out the blogs below to follow the tour in its entirety.

Chrissie has joined me on the blog and discusses her 'annus  horribilis’ and how she has written her way back to happiness .........

I don’t mind telling you that the last twelve months have been among the worst of my life.  Scrap that.  Not ‘among’ the worst.  They have been the worst, full stop (touches wood and hopes I won’t need to add ‘so far’).

Anyway, the year I like to call my ‘annus fucking horribilis’ began with the sudden death of my father last August.  The fall out from that, along with a variety of crises that were already brewing, combined to make the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 one constant round of grief, despair and disappointment.  Of staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, heart pounding, brain full of anxiety.  Of pulling the duvet over my head in the mornings, as I whined ‘do I really have to face another day?’

Yep.  I was fantastic company. And boy was it showing in my writing. 

I started working on The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club just after Dad died.  The book’s due date was the end of March 2017.  Midway through February 2017, I read through what I’d done thus far and realised I’d accidentally written a tragedy.  All three of my main characters were recently bereaved, as I was.  None of them were able to move forward.  They talked and cried and sobbed and occasionally considered suicide. Meanwhile, Hodder had commissioned a book cover featuring a bunting-covered cake stall and a waggy-looking dog.

The disconnect between what I was writing and what was expected of me was immediately and glaringly obvious.  For another two weeks, I tried to make my story fit the cover.  It wasn’t happening.  On March 10^th, the day after what would have been Dad’s birthday, I scrapped the whole damn thing.  It’s written in my diary for the day.  Just four words. ‘Made decision about novel’.

It was possibly the craziest thing I’ve ever done.  I was setting aside pretty much a whole book to start again with less than a month before my deadline.  Deciding against telling my agent or my editor what was going on (in fact, I told only one person, fellow writing nutjob Michele Gorman), I made myself a timetable.  Three weeks.  Roughly four thousand words a day.  If I could hit those targets, I should be able to do it. It was madness. But I wouldn’t be the first to try.

I took Anthony Trollope, the Victorian novelist, as my inspiration.  Trollope was a writing machine, fitting in three hours before breakfast every day.  Each of those three hours was broken down into fifteen minute sections with a target of two hundred and fifty words for every quarter of an hour. Insane but, as it turned out, not impossible.

Trollope and Michele (another high speed writer) gave me the encouragement I needed.  I started the second version of The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club on March 12^th. On the morning I began again, I had a little cry. Actually, it was a big cry. Then I pulled on my big girl pants and got cracking. 

Luckily, the first draft of WCSCC wasn’t completely wasted.  There were sections I was able to salvage.  The cooking scenes and recipes remained the same.  I also retained my three main characters though I changed their back stories.  Liz’s husband didn’t die this time.  He merely left her for a health food blogger. That immediately opened up the possibility of jokes about quinoa (I was desperate after all).

As I wrote, I channelled some of my zanier heroines from novels past, such as Lizzie Jordan and Ashleigh from Getting Over Mr Right. As I dropped my attempts at ‘heartfelt’ and went instead for ‘flat-out bonkers’, the words began to flow. And something inside me began to change too.

My writing schedule was lunatic but it gave me no time to dwell on the sadness in my little corner of the world.  My waking hours were devoted to coming up with funny scenarios. My sleeping hours were no longer interrupted by those middle of the night dread fests.  I was too fricking tired for that.  My days were just writing and writing and writing.  And finally, once again, finding the energy to laugh at my own jokes (which is apparently one of my worst habits).  My crazy gamble was bringing me back to life.       

I handed in the second draft of The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club bang on my deadline. Then I took a very long nap.

I don’t know if WCSCC is my best book but it’s certainly the one I love the best right now.  Those months I spent writing the first draft weren’t wasted.  In retrospect I can see that I was working through my grief in those pages.  But I am extremely thankful for the joy writing Liz, Bella, John and the Waggy Weight Loss Club gang brought back into my life.  And to Anthony Trollope and Michele Gorman for inspiring me to pull my socks up and get on with it. Four thousand words a day? No problem.

Thank you Chrissie for joining me on my blog. Loosing a parent is definitely one of the largest things that can happen in a person's life and it takes a long time to come to terms with. I remember when my dad died suddenly, he was only 52, and it hit me for six. I hope that you are starting to come to terms with your loss and remember all the happy times you spent together.

The Worse Case Scenario Cookery Club is a great read, I really enjoyed all the characters and the storyline is believable and a really enjoyable book. The cooking scenes are fantastic and the food sounds mouthwatering.

Thank you to Chrissie Manby and her publishers, Hodder, for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

Blog Tour - 99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter

Today I am really pleased to welcome Elisabeth Carpenter to my blog with her debut novel, 99 Red Balloons.

 Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?When eight-year-old Grace goes missing from a sweetshop on the way home from school, her mother Emma is plunged into a nightmare. Her family rallies around, but as the police hunt begins, cracks begin to emerge. What are the secret emails sent between Emma's husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is Emma really as innocent as she seems? Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees Grace's picture in the newspaper. It's a photograph that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl - the first girl who disappeared... This is a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist that will take your breath away. 

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers 
ISBN: 9780008223519 

I really enjoyed this book, it is one of those that grabs the readers attention from page one and although it is a difficult subject, the abduction of a young girl, it kept my attention to the very last word. It is really well written and I found myself going through the raft of feelings along with the mother, grandmother and extended family and I was kept guessing to the very end where the twist was that last surprise that made it an exciting book to read.

 I definitely recommend this book to all my blog readers. The author, Elisabeth Carpenter, has told me a little more about the setting for 99 Red Balloons and her ties to the country too. Enjoy ...........

I lived in Germany as a child but, unlike my character in 99 Red Balloons, I have nothing but great memories of living there. My dad was in the air force and was stationed at RAF Wildenrath between 1982 and January 1985. This was the time Nena’s song was all over the radio stations. In the German version, however, it’s ‘99 Luft Ballons’ which means ‘99 Air Balloons’. We used to sing the chorus in German, not really knowing anything about the song itself.

Living on a British base felt safe as a child. We weren’t, however, sheltered from German culture. On Sundays, everything closed – shops shut from 2pm on a Saturday and didn’t open until Monday morning (supermarkets were totally different to UK supermarkets at that time, with non-food products being sold). Washing was not permitted to be hung out to dry on a Sunday and no one washed their cars. This meant family time was valued with get-togethers and barbeques.

Because Germany is so central in Europe, I took for granted the ability to visit other countries so easily. I thought it was something everyone did. We travelled to Holland, Belgium and Austria by car.

The weather was more extreme than in the UK: baking hot summers when we could visit the open-air swimming baths, while we could be knee-deep in snow in the winter. This meant we could take our sledges to the hill at the side of the house and give our parents some peace.

At school, we were permitted to wear what we wanted, though a uniform was available. The idea was that we lived a regimented life being part of the military, so – at school at least – everything was relaxed. We made bread from scratch, and butter from passing round a jar of full fat milk to shake.

My experiences in Germany were the opposite to those of my character in 99 Red Balloons. When this posting came to an end, we were quite pragmatic about leaving. Most RAF children are used to moving around, making new friends quickly. Before this we had lived in Scotland, so I had no memory of ever having lived in England. I remember one of my parents’ friends giving me and my brother a pound note each to take with us.

When I came to England, however, my feelings were similar to those of the child in 99 Red Balloons. Most of the other children in my new class had been there since the start of their education. For my first day at school I wore a burgundy dress with a satin bow while everyone else was in their uniforms.

I’d love to go back to Germany, to travel down the River Rhine, to eat frites with mayonnaise squeezed from giant tubes, and re-visit places I remember. I will always have fond memories of Germany – but that might not be the case for the little girl in 99 Red Balloons …

Thank you Elisabeth Carpenter and Avon Books for inviting me to take part in the blog tour. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to hearing more about future books by Elisabeth.