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Reviews

THE REDBREAST by Jo Nesbo (Paperback £11.99 Crime & Thrillers)

New discoveries about another country – its history, geography, society, climate – are part of the pleasure of reading fiction in translation. When these are combined with a cast of believable, three-dimensional characters and a complex, meaty plot, you have the best of contemporary European crime writing. Norwegian policeman Harry Hole has his own demons to fight, as well as a killer to find and corruption in high places to confront. Add to this a complicated love story and a dark mystery from the past and you have a tale that unravels from impossible obscurity to a totally satisfactory conclusion – but only on the very last pages! Written with a lightness of touch that disperses the pall of Nordic gloom I tend to associate with Scandinavian thrillers, the translation by Don Bartlett is excellent.
Sarah

KALOOKI NIGHTS by Howard Jacobson (Hardback £17.99 Fiction)

Max Glickman’s parents, adults in the 1950’s, want to put the horrors of Nazi Europe behind them, to “move on”. His father is a thoughtful, left-wing atheist who would like to see his son as part of a new social order, one where Jews are no longer victims. His glamorous mother occupies herself with her friends and her card-games – the kalooki nights of the title. But Max is introduced to a different and sinister world by his childhood friend Manny. Max escapes the claustrophobia of his loving, middle-class Manchester family, becomes a cartoonist and marries out of the faith, but many years later he and Manny are brought together again by the tragedy that has befallen Manny’s family. Or is it a comedy? Howard Jacobson’s biting humour and sharp intelligence are brought to bear once again in this examination of what it is to be a Jewish man in the twenty-first century. Nothing can disguise his passion and his rage about the subject, least of all the Jewish humour, where pain and tears lie behind the jokes. Jacobson is on top form in this novel where laughter and outrage are side by side on every page.
Sarah

THE SECRET OF CRINKLEY HALL by James Herbert (Hardback £17.99 Fantasy & Sci-Fi)

For lovers of a classic ghostly tale, James Herbert’s newest title is perhaps his finest story of the supernatural yet. It concerns the Caleigh family and their attempt to hide from the fallout of a personal tragedy by running to the Devon coast in Crickley Hall, but all is not as peaceful as it seems. Herbert’s detailed characters pull you into the centre of the besieged Caleigh family unit as the dark shadows gather and unexplainable events create an air of tension and dread. The family dynamic is so well illuminated that, when the fantastical events occur, the authentic reactions are all the more terrifying. This book is a stunning return to form for Herbert, from the more high-concept chillers of his last two titles. This is simply an old-fashioned ghost story, well-written and phenomenally scary.
Martin

DOG DAYS by David Hockney (Hardback £9.99 Arts & Crafts)

It is often the case that the real character and talent of an artist is revealed not in their major public or commissioned works but in their more personal studies of familiar people or places. This is certainly apparent in David Hockney’s warm and exuberant sketches and paintings of his two pet dachsunds that constitute Dog Days. Hockney’s gift is a seemingly effortless ability to create simple yet highly expressive images of his subjects (Stanley and Boodgie), revealing a depth and sensitivity sometimes absent in his more well-known paintings. This is an excellent gift for aspiring or established artists alike: there’s more to be learned here about the subtleties and strengths of line, colour, shape and texture from this well-illustrated hardback than from a shelf-full of ‘how-to’ guides.
Alex

FACTORY RECORDS: THE COMPLETE GRAPHIC ALBUM by Matthew Robertson (Hardback £29.95 Arts & Crafts)

Of all the British record labels of the last thirty years, Manchester-based Factory Records were, with few exceptions, by far the most visually distinctive. For the first time a complete catalogue of all the artwork is now available in one lavishly illustrated book, which, in true Factory style, comes complete with its own serial number. A must have for anyone seriously interested in the history of design or the influential Factory Records bands.
Alex

END OF THE WORLD BLUES by John Courtenay Grimwood (Hardback £12.99 Fantasy & Sci-Fi)

For most people Jon Courtenay Grimwood has slipped under the radar, another one of those writers cursed by the moniker ‘The Author’s Author’. The book’s cover name-checks Haruki Murakami, possibly due to the initial Tokyo setting, but people looking for a comparison to KAFKA ON THE SHORE or NORWEGIAN WOOD will be surprised. Whereas Murakami suffers sometimes from cute indulgences and over-writing, there’s no such sentimentality here, just an appetizing mix of mystery, cyberpunk and effortless cool. END OF THE WORLD BLUES has more of a taste of classic Iain Banks, and the story of gaijin Kit Nouveau is written as an unnerving, sometimes alienating but profoundly thought-provoking novel from the most inspiring genre crossover author since William Gibson.
Cliff

Childrens Reviews

TIM THE TINY HORSE by Harry Hill (Hardback £9.99 Childrens Picture Books)
Harry Hill, the badger’s favourite comedian and maverick tailor’s best friend, returns to the literary world with a series of short, self-illustrated stories about a miniature blue horse called Tim. Ostensibly a children’s book, but, like much of Hill’s comedy really aimed at children of all ages, the stories explore the highs and lows of going shopping, getting a job in radio, the perils of using the internet, and DIY reality TV. Critics who baulk at the idea of ‘serious’ comedians writing for children overlook Hill’s innate understanding of children’s humour which informs all his work and is cleverly used to great effect here. The illustrations are lively and evocative and contribute as much, if not more, to the pace of the stories than the handwritten text.
Alex

LOST AND FOUND By Oliver Jeffers (Paperback £5.99 Childrens Picture Books)
2005 Nestlé Children’s Book Prize Winner (0-5 category)
A magical story of a boy and a lonely penguin. When a penguin appears on his doorstep, a boy assumes that he is lost and decides to row him back home to the South Pole. Only at the last moment does he realise that the penguin wasn’t lost after all – he was just trying to find a friend. A simple, heart-warming story with wonderful illustrations. A great book to read aloud.
Also by Oliver Jeffers – HOW TO CATCH A STAR – highly recommended.
Martha

CLICK, CLACK, MOO by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin (Paperback £4.99 Childrens Picture Books)
A book about cows that type! Farmer Brown has a strike on his hands when the cows get hold of his old typewriter and start writing notes demanding electric blankets. Soon the chickens get in on the act too. Just bonkers. Beautifully sparse writing with outstanding illustrations, this book is recommended for 3-8 year-olds but provides fantastic entertainment for all ages.
Also by the same authors – GIGGLE, GIGGLE, QUACK – the sequel, and brilliantly funny too.
Julian Preston, guest reviewer

CLOWN by Quentin Blake (Paperback, £4.99, Children’s Picture Books)
A classic picture book from the First Children’s Laureate. A story told entirely without words, following a toy clown’s journey to help his friends. A real page-turner from a master illustrator. Just sensational.
Julian Preston, guest reviewer

PTOLEMY’S GATE by Jonathan Stroud (Paperback, £6.99 Children’s Fiction)
Hugely entertaining conclusion to the Bartimaeus Trilogy, now in paperback!
Cliff

THIS MONTH S JUNIOR CRITICS CHOICE REVIEW

THE SWITCH by Anthony Horowitz (Paperback, £4.99 Young Adult Fiction)
The Switch is an amazing book. It is about a spoilt son-of-a-millionaire-businessman swapping places with a rough, tough fairground boy. This came as a surprise as you would imagine. He thought he’d met evil when cruel Fitch makes him the robber of a terrible robbery and murder, but no. He found evil in a man he had known all his life, his original father, who used street kids as laboratory rats!
I thought the book was brilliant, a true-gripping story. The characters were very unpredictable, a thing I love in books.
Amber (age 10)

Congratulations Amber!
Please call in to the bookshop for your £5 Voucher

Graphic Novel Reviews

IRON MAN: EXTREMIS by Warren Ellis & Adi Granov (Hardback £12.99 Graphic Novels)

Collecting issues 1-6 of ‘The Invincible Iron Man’, billionaire inventor Anthony Stark dons the shining red and golden armour once more to battle a terrible new foe – a super-genetically-enhanced terrorist hell-bent on destroying America’s government. The plot skilfully balances some truly explosive action with the contemplation of issues such as the nature of evil and personal sacrifice. The dark, brooding, pseudo-realistic artwork by Adi Granov provides adequate grounding for Warren Ellis’s script, at times bitingly topical on the measures we are willing to take today to ensure a better world for tomorrow.
Josh

NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E. by Warren Ellis & Stuart Immonen (Hardback £12.99 Graphic Novels)

I would like to say that the outbreaks of colourful, extreme, ridiculous violence that pepper this graphic novel are a comment on the volatile nature of the ever-evolving society in which we exist. I would like to say that the constant stream of off-colour (actually, more downright offensive) jokes, quips and insults aimed with carpet-bomb precision at the Military, faceless corporations, small yappy dogs, shallow celebrity and preening machismo are of an intelligently satirical style and are intended as a pin with which to burst the stifling conventions of traditional superhero comics. I would like to say all that, but I can’t. I think the makers of this graphic novel put all that stuff in because it made them giggle like seven-year-olds on a sugar rush, as I did when I read it. I will say that the pop-art/manga illustration is dazzling, kinetic and gorgeous. Also, this book comes with its own theme tune. You can’t say that about Thackeray.
Martin

TORSO by Brian Michael Bendis (Paperback £16.99 Graphic Novels)

Set after the film The Untouchables, this grim and sometimes disturbing story follows Eliot Ness dealing not only with the aftermath of Al Capone’s arrest in Chicago, but also a brutal serial killer stalking the streets of Cleveland. Incredible stuff from a hugely talented writer.
Cliff