Love Music, Love Food: The Rock Star Cookbook by Patrice de Villiers

This collection of portraits has been created in the name of Teenage Cancer Trust and predominantly features those artists who have supported the charity over the years, whether taking part in the annual Royal Albert Hall shows, visiting wards, donating a multitude of gifts from signed amps to signed sunglasses or getting involved in projects such as Love Music Love Food. Artists new to the charity have become involved with the project and their relationship with Teenage Cancer Trust started here at Love Music Love Food. It's a great testament to Teenage Cancer Trust that these artists feel passionately about supporting the charity to the point that they'll be smothered in Marmite, have their knees nibbled by sheep, cuddle chickens or get pelted with Dayglo cupcakes to help make a difference. We salute and thank you for being a part of this project. Dig in to the food that makes the stars shine - starring Brett Anderson, Johnny Borrell, Buzzcocks, Biffy Clyro, Roger Daltrey CBE, Brandon Flowers, Noel Gallagher, Ellie Goulding, Professor Green, Mick Hucknall, Kelly Jones, Alex Kapranos, Kasabian, Juliette Lewis, Madness, Mani, Brian May, Paul Oakenfold, Sir Cliff Richard, Francis Rossi OBE, Siouxsie Sioux, Sugababes, Tinie Tempah, Bullet For My Valentine, White Lies, We Are Scientists, Paul Weller, Rob Zombie & many more.


This is a beautiful coffee table book, full of interviews with stunning photographs and interviews of musicians, along with recipes which have been personalised for each major artist included within the book. The book has been compiled in support of The Teenage Cancer Trust.


This book is beautiful in many ways: it is a beautiful book to flick through and look only at the photographs. Photographs are by Patrice de Villiers who has taken photographs of over 60 musicians with their favorite foods. I love the photograph of Noel Gallagher with his Yorkshire Tea and also Brian May with Grapefruits. It is also a great book to pop in and out of for the interviews by Andrew Harrison which are all concerned with food - childhood favorites along with childhood memories of food their parents and grandparents made for them. Each musician also has a recipe by Sarah Muir which includes their favorite ingredient or is a twist on their favorite meal. There are some further stunning photographs of some of the food. 


I would recommend this as a perfect coffee table book, a book to be picked up and dipped into whenever. It would make a perfect gift for a music and food fan. A great book which supports a brilliant charity. There is a broad selection of musicians included; both modern and classic music stars.


Thank you to Quadrille for sending me the book to review.

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

It is 1947, and Evie and Martin Mitchell have just arrived in the Indian village of Masoorla with their five-year-old son. But cracks soon appear in their marriage as Evie struggles to adapt to her new life, and Martin fails to bury unbearable wartime memories. When Evie finds a collection of letters, concealed deep in the brickwork of their rented bungalow, so begins an investigation that consumes her, allowing her to escape to another world, a hundred years earlier, and to the extraordinary friendship of two very different young women. And as Evie's fascination with her Victorian discoveries deepens, she unearths powerful secrets. But at what cost to her present, already fragile existence?


I have received this book as my first choice in the Transworld Book Club Reading Challenge.


There are two parts to this book; the first being the story of Evie, Martin and Billy Mitchell,1947 -,, who have moved to India with Martin's university work; and that of Felicity and Adela, 1844 -, two friends who lived in England and were sent to India to find a husband. The two stories become intertwined when Evie discovers some letters in their new home, hidden in the kitchen, between Felicity and Adela, and Evie begins to discover more and more about their life one hundred years previous as she discovers more diaries and letters around her home. 


I initially found it difficult to get into the book but by the time I was a quarter of the way into the book I was hooked and hardly moved over the weekend while I devoured the remainder. I found it very interesting as a look at Indian history with much of the story recalling both daily life in India and also the time of partition.  It also has alot about peoples perspectives and how mixed race relationships and unmarried mothers are perceived throughout the world in both India and England.


The writing style is excellent, with the story being told in the first person, from Evie's perspective, along with extracts from letters and diaries between Adela and Felicity, as well as third person when writing about Adela and Felicity's story. The author must have done loads of research when writing this book, there is so much fact and when the story reaches the Indian village and describes the bazaar, I could almost smell the air, it was so descriptive.
The two stories are both interesting and how Elle Newmark has intertwined them throughout the book is beautiful. There is a natural progression through the book and the ending is both beautiful and satisfying.


I was saddened to hear the Elle Newmark, the author, died in July 2011, after a long illness. The writing world has lost a great author. I am off to find her first book now.


Thank you to Transworld for sending me this book to review as part of the Transworld Book Club Reading Challenge.

Stitch Head by Guy Bass

In the maze-like dungeons of Castle Grotteskew, the frightfully insane Professor Erasmus conducts his bizarre experiments on living things. His very first creation has long been forgotten - a small, almost-human creature, known only as Stitch Head. Poor Stitch Head has spent years vying for attention amongst a menagerie of freakish monsters. When a travelling circus ringmaster, Fulbert Freakfinder, promises to make him a star, Stitch Head wonders whether there is another life for him. But first he has to catch the professor's latest creation - a monstrous three-armed creature that's just smashed its way to freedom..


I was first introduced to Guy Bass when I was given Secret Santa, Agent of X.M.A.S to review. I loved that book and was eagerly waiting to see what he would be releasing next.


Stitch Head is a 'cute' little creation, created by the professor, Mad Professor Erasmis, who lives in Castle Grotteskew and spends his days, and nights, creating creatures, each one more scary and obscure than the one before. Stitch head was his first creation and spends his days calming each of the new creations down with his potions, to prevent harm from the new creations. Professor Erasmis looses interest in each creation as soon as he has breathed life into each creation. 


The book is well written and has some loose similarities to Frankenstein, however this one is definitely suitable, and aimed at, children. As I previously said, Stitch head is cute and likable, however, he is forgotten by the professor as soon as he is created, the professor is immediately always looking for someone better, he is never satisfied with what he has at the present moment. I think that this is an important message within the book, that people should remember the friends they have, and not just discard them when someone, who appears to be better, comes along.


As i have said, the story is excellent, however the book is as much about the pictures and the layout as the words. The book has a striking black cover, with the spotlight on Stitch head who looks so scared and alone. As you turn each page, which themselves look to be part of an old book, with the shaded edges and the look of creased pages, you are drawn to the pictures, showing the creations of Professor Erasmis and their obscure features.  There are many pictures in silhouette, adding to the darkness of the story.


The book is split into chapters, each chapter having its own front page, with mad musings or poems hinting at the content of the chapter. They encouraged me to read just one more chapter before putting the book down! 


I think this book will be very popular, perfect for children who enjoy the world of dragons, monsters and ghosts and ghouls. A great, well written book which has the complete package, with the look of the book and excellent illustrations which complement the story perfectly.


Thank you to Stripes Publishing for sending me the book to review.

Middle School, The Worst Years of my Life - James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he's got an ace plan for the best year ever, if he can pull it off. With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class - 5,000 points! Running in the hallway - 10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm - 50,000 points! But when Rafe's game starts to catch up with him, he'll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he's finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he's been avoiding.


I never realised, before receiving this book to review, that James Patterson wrote children's/young adult books. When I think about James Patterson, I think the Alex Cross series, however a little research has found that Patterson is actually a very popular author of books for both adults and children and is very keen to get children reading.


This book is a stand alone book and is about Rafe, a young boy about to start middle school, sixth grade, and is not looking forward to it. On his first morning, in assembly, he is introduced to 'The Hills Village Middle School Code of Conduct' and he begins his plan of how to break as many of the rules he can break in the year. 


The book is full of illustrations which tell the story as well as the words. They are full of details and brilliantly drawn. 


The story will appeal to boys, although it is american and follows the american school system, it is still a story they will enjoy. Full of mischief and fun, however there is a more serious side, family problems and growing up.


I would recommend it to boys of about 9+.


Thank you to Michael at The School Run for sending me the book to review.

Mince It! (The Australian Women's Weekly)

Minced meat has always been popular, but most people do have a limited repertoire of recipes! Here are 100 recipes to show how you can create delicious and inventive food from one of the cheapest cuts of meat. There are chicken and turkey mince recipes for pies, curries, tacos, stir-fries and pasta. The beef mince chapter includes some of the classics - bolognese sauce, meatloaf, meatballs and cannelloni, as well as some inspired recipes for pizza, dumplings and bakes. Pork and veal mince has a wonderful rich flavour and lamb mince can be used to evoke the fragrant food of Greece and the Middle East. In every chapter there is a special feature on sausages, along with a page of moreish burger and wrap recipes.


On opening the book, the first thing i noticed was that inside the front (and back) cover are two very informative pages. There was a section called 'know your potatoes' with pictures and short descriptions of fourteen different types of potatoes: what they looked like, what they are good for etc. Another section was entitled 'Knife Skills: choosing the right knife for the job' - pictures and descriptions of the different knifes most commonly included in a knife block. The last section on both the front and back covers were photographs of some of the main ingredients used in the recipes and also descriptions, which parts can be eaten, how you would be likely to buy them (jarred, tinned, fresh etc). I thought these were very useful pages, and would love to see them included in other recipe books. However, this is an Australian book and I think that some of the names of ingredients are different down under, and while many of them have a few names given, some may not be available in the UK. There is also a half page of conversion charts; oven temps; liquid measures; length measures and dry measures.


The book is dedicated to minced meat and the book gives recipes for chicken and turkey; beef and sausage; lamb; and pork and veal. The pictures jump out of the page, full of bright colours, beautiful looking food and there are some recipes I would love to try: turkey and cranberry meatloaf to name a few. However, there are some I have no idea about:arancini with tomato and balsamic sauce or lamb spanakopita. 


There are cold meals, curry, pasta meals, pastry pies etc, something for any taste or occasion. However, I was unsure as to many of the ingredients or flavours featured in the recipes.


The book as a recipe book is one which looks very easy to use. Each recipe has a colour photograph ( most recipes have one page dedicated to it, however at the end of each chapter there are two pages which have three recipes per page, these recipes are very easy and simple). There is a clear ingredient list for each recipe and the recipe is split into clear, manageable steps (3-6 steps). At the end of each recipe there is details prep and cooking time (combined) and average servings. There are also nutritional count per serving (total fat. saturated fat, calories, carbohydrates, protein and fibre. This is very useful and a definite plus to this book - more cook books should include this information!


I like the book as a template for recipe books - great layout, useful nutritional values per recipe, photographs for each recipe, clear layout of recipes etc however I am unsure of how much I would use this book for its recipes. This is my personal opinion and I will admit that I am not adventurous with cooking or new tastes, however I think that is a book that you need to look at before you buy it for the recipes that are included, to see if they are to an individual buyers taste.


Thank you to the publishers, Octopus Publishing, for sending me the book to review.

Dorothy Koomson Blog Tour

Dorothy Koomson's latest book, The Woman He Loved Before, was released in paperback last Thursday (4 August 2011) and I am delighted to be asked to take part in the blog tour (complete tour can be seen here) set up by the publishers, Little Brown.  I reviewed this book when it was released in hardback, and my review is here.

I, along with many other readers, was first introduced to your books via the Richard and Judy Book club, where My Best Friends Girl was included in the list. Were you surprised by the surge in sales following this and the republishing of your back catalogue?

It was a HUGE honour to have my book included as a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2006. I never really expected that to happen. To be honest, the biggest surprise was that thousands of people had been buying my book and that it’d been in the top 30 even before it was included as a Summer Read! Everything from then onwards was an amazingly wonderful bonus. It was nice to see The Cupid Effect and The Chocolate Run re-jacketed and sent out into the world again. It was like my first-born children finally being given some nice new shoes to go to school in having done without for years, if that makes sense?

Your last two books, ‘The Ice Cream Girls’ and ‘The Woman he Loved Before’ seem to have a slightly different writing style. The Ice Cream Girls is a book of intrigue, a whodunit style book and The Woman he Loved Before was another book of intrigue. Both books have a twist at the end, which the reader is not expecting. Was this a conscious change to your books or did it just happen when writing it.

The Ice Cream Girls and The Woman He Loved Before are natural progressions in my writing, I think, there wasn’t a conscious decision to change the types of stories I tell. I’m now writing what I’ve decided to call ‘Emotional Thrillers’ in that there is a crime element to the book but the main focus is on the relationships and emotions in the book rather than the crime. It was necessary for there to be a crime in The Ice Cream Girls to tell the story, and also in The Woman He Loved Before, so I suppose on some level I must have known that I wanted to write emotionally-driven crime stories. I do like watching a good crime drama myself, but I’m not a fan of how women are very often gratuitously brutalised on them. I hope my stories redress the balance by making the victims of the crime human whether they are male or female.

I read ‘The Woman he Loved Before’ when it was released in hardback and I think this is your best book so far. When you started writing the book, did you know how it was going to end, or did it just happen during the writing process?

I usually have a vague idea of how my books are going to end, but that often changes in the telling of the story when research tells me something is going to be impossible or the characters do strange things that change the story and the ending. With The Woman He Loved Before, I knew what was going to happen, although how it happened changed because the characters didn’t do what I had planned for them to do. As I got to know Libby, Jack and Eve, the things I thought were going to happen were just unrealistic for who they’d become.

Looking back at your previous books, you have covered some hard hitting and emotive subjects. How do you choose what subject to cover in your books and how do you go about researching the subject – do you research both sides of the subject (e.g. the domestic violence covered in The Ice Cream Girls, did you speak to both victims and the perpetrator?)?

I researched both sides of the subject in that the survivors of domestic violence almost universally have the same types of stories to tell. It’s actually very unsettling to realise that those who commit domestic violence – physical, emotional and sexual – all seem to do the same things, say the same things, and believe the same things. The abused people almost always say the same things about what they endured. The stories may be different, but the underlying behaviours and treatment are almost identical.

My final question is to ask about your next book. How are you getting on with it? Can you give us any clues as to the subject covered in the book, or any general clues?

I’ve got the basic premise of the story but I haven’t really got to the major storyline, yet, so sorry, you’ll have to bear with me while I try to work it out.

Thank you so much Dorothy for being my first author interview and good luck with the paperback release of The Woman he Loved Before. I am sure it will be soaring high up the charts very quickly.

Thanks for the interview, it was very interesting. Dorothy x

Thank you Dorothy for the interview and I know I will be looking forward to finding out more about your next novel when they are released!

I hope you all enjoyed the first author interview on my blog and I would be interested to know if my followers would like to see more of these on my blog in the future. Please let me know via the comments feature.

Always on my Mind by Colette Caddle

Old flames, new temptations ...With only a few weeks to go until her Dublin wedding, Molly Jackson is happily anticipating married life with Declan, her boyfriend of four years. Her sister Laura has all the arrangements firmly in hand, from the designer dresses to the prestigious venue; and if Molly would have been happier with something a little more low-key, she can hardly complain. She's got everything she ever wanted: her perfect job, as an agony aunt for online magazine Teenage Kix; Declan, the love of her life; and, in Belle, Oliver, Rory and Laura, a loving and warm, if slightly eccentric family. Then Declan drops his bombshell: he has to go abroad, on business. The wedding must be postponed. Hurt, and reeling from the shock, Molly is seeing Declan off at the airport when she bumps into Luke Fortune. Luke, her childhood sweetheart, left the country when they were both eighteen. It's been almost twelve years, and Molly thought she had moved on. But, seeing Luke again, she realises that she has a window of opportunity, while Declan is away, to put a few of the ghosts in her past to rest.


This is the first book I have read by Colette Caddle, an Irish author and as I love other Irish chicklit author I was pleased to have been asked to review this book to see if she followed the trend of excellent irish chick lit authors like: Marian Keyes, Cecelia Aherne and Sinead Moriaty, and I am pleased to say she follows the trend!


The main character in the book is Molly,  who is getting ready to marry her fiance, Declan in a few weeks. However, Declan is offered a new job and has to go on a training course in Japan for ten weeks - during which they are supposed to be getting married. The wedding is postponed, however when Molly takes Declan to the airport she spots Luke, her first boyfriend whose parents moved him to France following the death of his twin sister, Ruth, before they could talk about their relationship and come to terms with Ruths death. Although Molly and Declan don't talk at the airport, it reminds Molly of her feelings for Luke and after some detective work finds that Luke will be back in Ireland later in the month, where Molly decides to 'bump' into him and see if the feelings are still there.


Molly's family, mother, father, brother Rory and sister Laura, all play a big part in the book. They are a close family, meeting each Sunday for brunch, however they all have their own issues to cope with too. Laura, her sister, is a mother of twins, and is facing difficulties in her marriage and when temptation is given when she accompanies Molly to try and find Luke, what will she decide to do.


Molly's best friend, Ellen is also heavily pregnant and as her due date grows nearer she considers contacting the baby's father, a drug addict who has promised to get clean but doesn't know she is pregnant.


The story also looks at the relationships of Laura's twins, Ash and Adam, with their friends and family.


We do not learn about the whole story between Luke and Molly until the end of the but it is beautifully written and shows the full effect it had on both families, as well as the long term effects for all.


The book was well written and although there were many characters, the author remained focused on the story line of Molly and Declan, their postponed wedding and how it affects everyone. 


There were regularly new problems introduced into the story, which keeps the book interesting and I really enjoyed exploring each of the family members and their own lives, as well as their part within the family.


I enjoyed the book and it would make a great summer read, lazing in the garden or on a beach somewhere. 


Thank you to the publishers, Simon and Schuster, for sending me the book to review.