Review: Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish

Author Cliff McNish is my Featured Author for April.

With its fabulous autumnal fantasy cover, what did I expect when Savannah Grey landed in my hands?

Well, to be honest, something of the standard fantasy fare of teen girl uses ‘powers’ to battle evil monster, with boy thrown in for that touch of romance teens girls seemingly always need, and no doubt including a rival, though being a McNish novel, there may be a plot twist or two.

What did I get?

A highly original, very different, urban horror fantasy.

Savannah is fifteen and an orphan. She is settled with her foster parents and has her best friend Nina life is fine except for a nagging sore throat and the feeling that things are changing. Persuaded to go to a party by Nina, she meets Reece, a boy with a scar on his neck, and there is an instant attraction. When she reacts badly at a hospital appointment, and a look at her throat shows something very wrong, Savannah is scared and worried. Whatever it is its not natural, she producing strange noises and energy and yet she is very protective of whatever it is. As other strange things happen, like birds and the winds behaving oddly, Savannah turns to Reece and we discover that he has the same affliction but the injury that left him scarred appears to have damaged whatever it is in his throat.

In the midst of this we meet the Ocrassa. Arriving on earth millions of years ago, the Ocrassa has survived using its unique abilities to adapt and assimilate; evolving over many millennia. The Ocrassa’s savage desire is to take and assimilate everything around it and use Savannah to achieve its aim; the teenager’s realisation that nature has chosen them for a purpose; and Savannah’s realisation that her throat is a weapon that she must control and master without knowing why. At the pint where you believe the story is heading towards the inevitable show-down between the two, McNish gives a monstrous twist to the tale.

In the best traditions of the horror genre, McNish takes the much used theme of good versus evil but he asked himself the question:

“To kill a monster, do you have to become one?”

There’s no make-up or clothes or drop dead gorgeous boys and bitchy girls to stress and angst over. Fascinating and intense, Savannah Grey mixes horror with elements of fantasy and science fiction to create a novel that is as darkly appealing as it is intelligent and sharply written. Brilliant!

David Almond Wins!

Twice winner of the Whitbread Children’s Book Award, author David Almond has been announced as the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Describing Almond as “a creator of magical realism for children", the jury of children's literature experts praised his "unique voice" and said "his use of language is sophisticated and reaches across the ages." In a statement, the ten international members said that Almond "captures his young readers' imagination and motivates them to read, think and be critical".
When told, the author responded with astonishment at his win. "Good god, that's absolutely brilliant…It's amazing. I didn't think I'd win but you never know”

The prize for illustrators was awarded to Jutta Bauer from Germany. The jury highlighted her "philosophical approach, originality, creativity as well as her ability to communicate with young readers", and described her as "a powerful narrator who blends real life with legend through her pictures".

Some of David Almond's books:

When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain. Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature - part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital. But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes forever . . .


Erin, January and Mouse live in a children's home, Whitegates. They often dream of escape, and frequently journey into the outside world. Running away is something they know all about. But this time January builds a raft, and the three of them head precariously down river. Towards the Black Middens. This time they might never come back. When they stumble across a disused factory and its strange inhabitants - Grampa and Heaven Eyes - they wonder if they'll even have the choice. Heaven Eyes is the girl who should have drowned at sea. The mysterious girl desperately searching for her family, hoping that these three might be the family she has lost. She has a secret history only Grampa knows. And does he trust these three invaders enough to tell them? Erin feels a sisterly responsibility for Heaven Eyes, Mouse longs to belong anywhere and anyhow, but January thinks Grampa's a murderer. Whatever happens, all three have a part to play. .


A long hot summer; a wild boy; an abandoned baby; an act of violence
Every summer Liam and Max roam the wild countryside of Northumberland – but this year things are different. One hot summer’s day a jackdaw leads the two boys into an ancient farm house where they find a baby, wrapped in a blanket, with a scribbled note pinned to it: PLESE LOOK AFTER HER RITE. THIS IS A CHILDE OF GOD, and so begins Jackdaw Summer. A summer when friendships are tested, a summer when lines between good and bad are blurred, and a summer that Liam will never forget ...


Kit has just moved to Stoneygate with his family, to live with his ageing grandfather who is gradually succumbing to Alzheimer's Disease. Stoneygate is an insular place, scarred by its mining history - by the danger and death it has brought them. Where the coal mine used to be there is now a wilderness.
Here Kit meets Askew, a surly and threatening figure who masterminds the game called Death, a frightening ritual of hypnotism; and Kit makes friends with Allie, the clever school troublemaker. As Kit struggles to adjust to his new life and the gradual failing of his beloved grandfather, these two friendships pull him towards a terrifying resolution. Haunted by ghosts of the past, Kit must confront death and - ultimately - life.

Some of Jutta Bauer's work:

This little boy's grandpa tells him stories whenever he visits. He tells how nothing ever seemed to hurt him. Every morning as a boy, he would run past the big statue of an angel on his way to school, and bullies, buses, high trees, deep lakes - none could touch him. Even through war, hunger and unemployment, and all the strange things life threw at him, Grandpa's angel - though never specifically mentioned - is always at his shoulder, looking out for him.



There is always a story in moving house and this family has several to tell. From Uncle's hat to Aunty's violin, follow our family as they embark on an incredible adventure to find that elusive place called home.

Favourite Books 3: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

I read this book back in 1970s, and it had the most profund effect on me. Part memoir, part philosophy, the story of a motorcycle trip drives the book forward, while its personal, emotional stamp gives us a helpful insight into practical application of what Pirsig is theorising.

I find it impossible to talk about this book without talking about the life of its author, Robert Pirsig. He was a child protégé, scoring an IQ of 170 at the age of 9 and studying chemistry at university at 15. He lost faith with science, served with the Army in Korea and afterwards studied philosophy. He constantly pursued truth and meaning but by his thirties he was falling apart. Pirsig spent three days sitting cross-legged in his room where he either achieved enlightenment or went insane, depending on your point of view. In an extremely rare interview some years ago, he suggests,

“It was a contest, I believe, between these ideas I had and what I see as the cultural immune system. When somebody goes outside the cultural norms, the culture has to protect itself.”

He was treated at a mental institution but after leaving things got worse. Eventually a court had him committed and he underwent comprehensive shock therapy. Despite the severity of this, he was able to keep some hold on his former self, and knowing he would be locked away if he told anyone he was an enlightened Zen disciple, he wrote a book about a motorcycle trip he made with his son, using that to get across his ideas. Although published in 1974, the narrative takes place in 1968, and Pirsig uses "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" to illustrate classical and romantic ways of thinking and that they can co-exist in harmony; a combination that can potentially bring a higher quality of life.

At one point he writes,

“What I am is a heretic who's recanted and thereby in everyone's eyes saved his soul. Everyone's eyes but one, who knows deep down inside that all he has saved is his skin.”

It is an awe-inspiring examination on how we live and how we can live better. 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' is intensely thought provoking and insightful; it will change the way you think about yourself and your life. As Pirsig tells us, the motorcycle we’re working on is ourselves, so do yourself a favour get a copy of this book and read it. Buy it, borrow it, beg it but get one and read it.

On another note, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is (or was) in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling book rejected by the largest number of publishers – one hundred and twenty one (121).

Shortlist for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2010

The shortlist for the 2010 awards have been announced by IBBY (the International Board on Books for Young People),

The authors are:

David Almond (UK)
Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros (Brazil)
Louis Jensen (Denmark)
Ahmad Reza Ahmadi (Iran)
Lennart Hellsing (Sweden)

The illustrators are:

Carll Cneut (Belgium)
Roger Mello (Brazil)
Svjetlan Junakovic (Croatia)
Jutta Bauer (Germany)
Etienne Delessert (Switzerland)

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is considered one of the most prestigious in international children’s literature and is given every two years to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made lasting contributions to children's literature.

The 2008 Jurg Schubiger won the Author Award and Roberto Innocenti won the Illustrators Award. Previous winners have included authors Eleanor Farjeon, Astrid Lingren, Scott O'Dell and Aidan Chambers, and illustrators Maurice Sendak, Robert Ingpen, Anthony Browne, and Quentin Blake.

The 2010 winners will be announced on Tuesday 23rd March at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Review: E2 by Matt Beaumont

I haven’t read Matt Beaumont’s previous novel, E, so I wasn’t sure if that would make reading E2 difficult. It didn’t, so you can read this book, and enjoy it for the genius it is.

To a small dash of political spin and verbal thuggery and a sprinkle of shallow self-absorption and image obsession (think Ugly Betty and The Thick of It), add a bowlful of clever writing, razor sharp humour, and precise comic timing, and you have E2, a 21st century, electronic-age satire.

For the full review, please go to Beat online magazine.

Come along to the next Firestation Bookswap.

Review: Further Adventures of a Grumpy Old Rock Star by Rick Wakeman

I was lucky enough to secure an event with Rick Wakeman before Christmas and I have to say I was somewhat over excited at the prospect of meeting him. I'm a long time fan of YES, and Rick is not only a great musician and composer in his own right, but also legendary for his 'antics'. Meeting him was going to be interesting. The event was being held in the Firestation Arts Centre, and as Rick was promoting his latest book, it was only fair that I read and review it for our local online magazine Beat.

Rick's book, Further Adventures of a Grumpy Old Rock Star, is a second volume of tall tales and stories from his interesting life. Here is an extract from my review...

...If you buy this book expecting a conventional biography, then you’ll be disappointed. Rick’s autobiography Say Yes! was published back in 1985 but so far hasn’t been updated. Further Adventures takes a less conventional approach, following the same format as his previous book, Grumpy Old Rock Star, re-telling various incidents and episodes from Rick’s sixty odd years of colourful and eventful living. Originally a trained classical musician, Rick is now one of the legends of British Progressive Rock, as well as a world famous composer and solo artist. He has toured the world many times over and, as he would be the first to admit, tired to drink it dry in the process, so he has a vast catalogue of mishaps and misdemeanours to draw from...

...Imagine meeting up with an old friend after many years and being regaled with stories of what they’ve been up to all this time. Reading Rick’s reminiscences is like sitting in the pub with a mate who tells a great yarn exceptionally well. Written in an easy, relaxed style, these hilarious reminiscences about life on the road as a working musician, will make the grumpiest grump smile...

For the full review go to Beat.

I had a great time chatting to Rick before the event, and he entertained the audience brilliantly. Afterwards, signing his books, he had time to talk to his fans, something certain other authors would do well to note. Everyone waited patiently, knowing that when their turn came, Rick would give the same time to them, chatting, answering questions, having his photo taken. It was a fun evening in great company. I hope he'll come to WIndsor again.

Favourite Books 1 : Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

I was going to write about my favourite books of 2009, but inbetween the new books I have read recently, I have been re-reading some of my favourites. Its comfortable, like visiting old friends, and so I thought I'd share my reviews of those books before I give you my favourites of 2009. First on the list is:

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

In 1893, Vera Brittain was born into a comfortable, middle-class family, leading a privileged but restricted life. Like many women of her generation, she had to fight for some kind of independence, while it was a matter of course for Edward, her much loved younger brother, to leave ome and go to university. When war broke out in 1914, Vera was caught up in the prevailing mood and encouraged Edward to join up, but she later admitted that at the time, she felt it an interruption and an inconvenience. No-one could have predicted the devastating and long-lasting impact the war would have on their lives.

Vera’s life was one filled with struggle and loss. From her fight to gain a university education, through her training as a VAD and then nursing the wounded of both sides in a war that took her fiancé, brother and numerous friends, to the re-building of her life and her world after the war; Vera Brittain was and is an inspiration. Her harrowing experiences haunted and informed the rest of her life.

So many books are written about war from the fighting man's point of view, if nothing else this shows us war from a very different perspective; from a woman who not only lived through it, but witnessed it, experiencing both love and loss. I defy anyone to read this book and not be moved. I am not ashamed to say that even now, more than 25 years after the first time I read it, certain parts still bring tears to my eyes.

The writing style is of another time, obviously; occasionally difficult to our modern ‘ear’ but elegant and effective. The latter chapters, after the war and Vera completes her education, are less powerful but it is an intensely personal and revealing view of the lives of women at the start of the twentieth century, and of the impact of the First World War on their lives.

If 'Testament of Youth' isn't compulsory reading on the curriculum, it should be.

Cursed Second Novels

So having found the ten spectacular second novels, it was inevitable there'd be the opposite, and here it is - the ten cursed ones.

Authors include Irvine Welsh, Charlotte Bronte, Norman Mailer, and Donna Tartt.

Again some have links to reviews or extracts. There's a link to the original 1974 Times review of Joseph Heller's second novel, Something Happened.
Click HERE to read it.

Such fun. :)

Spectacular Second Books

Happily surfing and I found this. The Times Online have come up with what they think are ten spectacular second novels. It includes Charled Dickens' Oliver Twist:

Published in serial form after The Pickwick Papers but, composed simultaneously to it, and then - once Pickwick was complete - at the same time as Nicholas Nickleby

Click HERE to read an extract from The Times in January 1837.

Other authors include Doris Lessing, Tracy Chevalier, Evelyn Waugh and Yann Martel. Some of the ten have links to extracts and reviews.

New Books

I've had several books and proofs sent to me recently so I have a wonderfully busy reading schedule ahead of me. Given the weather today (lots of lovely snow) I am looking forward to curling up on the sofa and devouring the books after work.

In the meantime, I've started reading Matt Beaumont's E2 as he is one of the author's at the next bookswap (21st Jan), and Cliff McNish's Savanna Grey, a teen novel.

The pile includes a couple of teen/children's books written by authors best known for their adult fiction - I'm keen to see how they've fared.

Reviews as soon as possible.

Girl, Aloud by Emily Gale

I pulled the proof out of the box and thought wearily, ‘Not another one.’ With its hot pink and shiny silver cover, clearly this was going to be another teen girl, boy trouble, best mates fall out, average book I’ve seen a hundred times before, full of nothing more than angst, lip gloss and lurve.

Who was it that said you should never judge a book by its cover?

I couldn’t put this down.

Kass Kennedy has much to contend with in her odd, slightly dysfunctional family. She has a father who suffers with a disorder akin to bipolar or manic-depression. He believes his daughter is highly talented, and is always pushing her into things she doesn’t want to do. Her mother and brother don’t seem to want to deal with the difficulties caused by her father’s mental health problems, so when her Dad breaks the news that he has entered Kass for an X Factor audition without her knowledge, her life feels like its gone into freefall.

So begins a desperate crisis for Kass who can’t sing but can’t persuade her father of the fact; is frantically trying to balance her own needs with those of her family and best friends with whom she has fallen out; has a real life boy-dilemma to deal with; and in the middle of it all has dreams about Simon Cowell!

Emily Gale deals with some very difficult and complex topics with a sparkling mix of wit, humour, and intelligence. The characters have real depth, and while the story themes may not be new, their telling is original, and the story is moving and hilarious in just the right quantities. Girl, Aloud gives far more than perhaps it's bright pink, shiny cover promises, delivering on all fronts. Fabulous!

I hope Emily thinks about a follow up, telling us what happens to Kass, her family and friends next. I'm sure Kass's Dad has an armoury of ideas to frustrate, irritate and annoy her.

Review: The Secret - Byrne

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

I picked this up to see what the fuss was all about and hoped it might be insightful in some way. I'm still no wiser as to why anyone would part with hard cash for The Secret.

If this is a centuries old secret, how did Ms Byrne come across it? Apparently she had "a glimpse of the truth through a 100 year old book". She then goes off "through centuries, tracing and uncovering a common truth that lay at the core of the most powerful philosophies, teachings and religions in the world."

Laws of Attraction, the Power of Positive Thought, common themes in The Secret, neither of which are such a big secret after all. Clever marketing and packaging has made this a seller, along with people's need for some sort of spiritual refreshment, and a speedy way to get what we want without the need for hard work.

No doubt people will say its worked for them, and that's fine. I'd say that if you are in need of some sort of spiritual, emotional, or psychological help, and want to seek advice from a book, then there are at least a dozen other books that actually are worth their price. NOT this one.

Review: He's Just Not That Into You - Behrendt & Tuccillo

He's Just Not That into You: The No-excuses Truth to Understanding Guys

by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo

I’m not a fan of many of the self-help books out there, and don’t get me started on the rubbish in women’s magazines – this however is very different.

This is a real eye-opener of a book that I came across when tidying the shop at the end of the day. The book came out of a conversation between Greg and his fellow Sex and the City writers, and I’m glad I did. Every woman should read it, every mother should give one to their daughters. It lays out in plain English all those things we secretly or subconsciously know about men and realtionships, but just refuse to acknowledge. It explodes the myths we tell ourselves on the same subject.

If you’ve ever sat by the phone waiting for him to ring, or he’s not happy being called your boyfriend, or he keeps cancelling you for his friends then this book is for you. Every possible scenario, with every known female excuse is highlighted and answered, with insight and humour.

Read this book regardless of your relationship status, but I warn you, there will be embarassing cringe-moments when you realise what a fool you've made of yourself over a man. Stick with it, you'll be amazed at what you learn.

Review: The Faithful Tribe - Ruth Dudley Edwards

The Faithful Tribe: An Intimate Portrait of the Loyal Institutions

What I find intriguing is that the author, Ruth Dudley Edwards, is a Dublin-born, Roman Catholic. The expected response from her time with the Orange Order would be an exultant disparagement, what we get however is a sympathetic journey by a Roman Catholic writer who shows how the Protestant Orange Order has been ill-served by their leaders, is often misrepresented in the Press, but at its heart is not violently anti-catholic and they are certainly not as one review writes:

"nothing more than 1000 Ian Paisley clones marching down the street."

This is the confusion that all Protestants are Orangemen and that all Orangemen and Protestants believe the same as one man.

She quotes the Worshipful Master of one Lodge:

“The Orange Order is not bigoted... It is a religious order there to protect the beliefs of Protestant people. In the opening pages you pray for your Roman Catholic Brethren. I don't dictate to the Catholic man where he should go to church . . . I'll not condemn any man's religion except Paisley for he's divided everybody.”

Whether they are bigoted or not - she points to the disputes regarding the parades and suggests that had it not been for the Republican and Nationalist PR machine presenting them in the light of violent sectarian bigotry, the parades would have continued on the road they were heading down - becoming smaller and more centred on the band concerts and family day out with a picnic.

This may be contentious, but when she also highlights the fact that the Parades Commission took no action against the Gaelic Athletic Association parades, with its nationalist and republican political background, waving the Irish flag and playing equally provocative music, you can at least understand the reaction of the Orange Order. Unlike the IRA and Sinn Fein who embraced the use of PR, Orangemen foolishly didn’t, and as a result they have consistently suffered in the media, so this book goes someway to redressing their demonisation.

Whilst the author covers the pressures that have brought a reaction in which militant and violent people have come into the organisation and who serve the republican cause by their behaviour, I do not feel she address this problem or the unease felt about them. We are, however, taken past the cartoon image and into a culture that feels frustrated, betrayed, and at worst, under siege.

Review: The Gravedigger's Daughter - Oates

The Gravedigger's Daughter

It isn’t often I give up on a book, but this one did not capture my interest at all. Highly recommended from my reading group, I took it up with pleasure as I had not read any of Joyce Carol Oates before.
The main character is Rebecca, the daughter of German-Jewish immigrants, living and growing up during the 1930s and 40s. This is a world of abject poverty, made worse by prejudice, and a tyrannical father who fears the world. He is a bitter man and instills some of that fear in Rebecca. "Hide your weakness from them and one day we will repay them! Our enemies who mock us."

She marries, has a child, there's a tragedy - I found it tedious in the extreme. It was suggested that because the writer is American maybe those of us who disliked it, didn’t like the American style and idiom. I considered this, but I read far too many American authors for that to be the case.

No, for me this book was awful, and while the characters started as mildly interesting, what little appeal they had was lost as I read on with interminable boredom. I’m sure that those who love Oates will have much to say on the merits of the book, but dull, dreary and exasperating, just about sums it up for me.

Review: The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Albom

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

I’ve had to have a good long think about what to write because Albom’s book could be so easily dismissed. It is in great part very sentimental, but does that make it less of a good read? I say not.

The premise is that the five people you meet in heaven all have something to tell you about your life, to help explain it to you. Everyone’s heaven is different, and the five people are not who you might necessarily expect to meet. That was certainly the case for Eddie, the main character. Albom cleverly takes us through Eddie’s life by means of visiting his birthdays down the years; we learn so much in such a small amount of writing.

It is a fascinating exploration of the many and diverse effects people have on each other, whether they have met or not; and of how connected we are without realising it. This isn’t one of the greatest works of fiction ever written, but it’s definitely worth reading.

Is it life-changing? Maybe. Maybe not. What I can say, is that it certainly made me stop and think about how I and my actions might affect others. Read it and make up your own mind.

Review: Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

Aubrey has been left home alone but no-one knows. At first she enjoys the freedom, but we know that whatever has happened to bring Aubrey to this situation, she is hiding away - the truth is just too painful for her to face. Eventually her grandmother arrives and takes Aubrey back home with her, and as Aubrey settles slowly into a new life, going to a new school, and making new friends, we learn what has happened.

Through the painful process of coming to terms with what life has thrown at her and adapting to a new environment, Aubrey writes letters to an imaginary friend, keeping her close to Savannah, her sister, and helping her deal with the anger and confusion. Supported by her grandmother, new friends and teachers, Aubrey learns to move on and build a new life, realising that whatever has been taken from her, she hasn’t lost everything.

Love, Aubrey could easily have slipped into a quagmire of self-pity, woe and misery; what saves it, is the writing. Told in the first person, through the innocent naivety of eleven year old Aubrey, LaFleur writes brilliantly about grief and loss. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny, always keeping hold of my attention, Love, Aubrey is a book I couldn’t put down. A superb read that I would recommend for adults as well as , and I recommend it for adults as well as children. Excellent.

Back Again

It was my intention to finish the reviews, blog, tweet and generally get up to date whilst visiting my family in Salisbury. What would have been helpful, indeed vital, was packing my laptop's power cable. So after two hours or so, lappytoppy was dead.

*sigh*

I am even further behind than before, now. At least I had a nice relaxing time...almost all the time. A late-night-early-hours-of-the-morning trip to A&E with Daughter The Second was necessary, but knocked everyone sleep out of kilter. A very cute doctor though - DTS was impressed.

Still, I have today and tomorrow before I face working for my living again. Reviews will be written, tweets twittered, notes blogged, and housework done. I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe, in among all that I'll get a chance to work on my book and relax. Ha!

Eternal optimism - alive, well, and living in my house!

Review: Bruno, Chief of Police

Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
How often can you say that a crime novel should come with a ‘shop first’ warning? Well this one should, in the best possible way, but more of that later…

I love this book! Bruno Courreges, our eponymous hero and local policeman, proudly draws you in with a charming Gallic arm around your shoulder, and shows you the small town he has chosen to make his home. Before you know it, you’re sitting down, glass of wine in hand, in cosy camaraderie with the inhabitants of St Denis, as their life gently unfolds around you.

To begin with a simple police report and then launch into a description of a policeman and the peculiar, tangled, personal contents of his small white van is a strange start, but it is so universally appealing that you have to read on. Within a couple of pages you are wishing yourself in France and cheering on the locals as they battle with EU Hygiene Inspectors. However, this rural idyll is shattered by a brutal murder that, by appearing to be racially motivated, unleashes an invasion of Police Nationale detectives, bureaucrats from Paris, TV news crews, and a mob of National Front thugs who cause a riot in the town.

Around this Bruno uses his vital local knowledge and connections to skirt the main investigation and reveal the wartime roots of the killing. Martin Walker has written a fine mystery - funny, sad, and eccentric with a smattering of love-interest and a great reflection of life in rural France. It is also a pacy and utterly compelling story in the best traditions of British crime writing.

A word of warning - this story is awash with food so be prepared - shop for wine, baguettes, pate and such like…as this is also a gastronomic delight! (Where does Bruno hide his recipe book?)

Review: Wasted by Mark Johnson

Wasted by Mark Johnson
‘Misery memoirs’ are not for me. One or two have been worth the pain and anguish of reading; clearly shining a light into dark corners society would rather remain hidden, but too many are jumping on the band wagon, however cruel and heartless that may seem. While they are no doubt great therapy for the writer, quite what the reader is meant to gain I’m not sure. So when my reading group presented me with two books, I ended up reading Wasted only because I disliked the alternative too much.

Words like raw, brutal, and agonising, spring to mind in describing this book, but so do tender, brave, and honest. Mark doesn’t take us on a full journey through his life from childhood, through addiction and rehabilitation to the ‘green pastures’ he now finds himself in. He doesn’t pull his punches but writes simply and honestly about his years of abuse, addiction and offending. Although I have had experience in talking about drugs and addiction, I have never understood the attraction. No-one has ever been able to give me an explanation as to why the buzz is so attractive - until now. Mark’s vivid description of a high, made me sit up and take notice. So that’s how it feels – that’s why they go back for more.

This is an amazing book. Every parent, social worker, teacher, probation officer, in fact anyone who works with for and on behalf of children, should read it.