Monthly Archives: April 2020

Zaitoun

by Stephen | Leave a comment

Yasmin Khan. Bloomsbury. (256p) ISBN 9781408883846

Zaitoun

Zaitoun

This is a first for me, a review of a cook book. And I have loads!

I usually just use them and forget I own them really, but this is a special book. I’ve used it so regularly now that several of the recipes are memorised and we still have dozens we want to try.

The most recent recipe we made was the Spicy prawn and tomato stew, rich and deep with an almost sweet and sour taste, went really well with fruited couscous.

What makes this recipe books so special is that there are very, very few pencilled in notes to adapt the recipe. This is almost a miracle in cook books.

There are foolproof recipes for labneh, za’atar, flatbreads, and some absolutely stunning Semolina and rose water slices, I think we may have made about a third of the recipes so far because they work first time.

A couple of the recipes that we’re going to try next are the Spinach and feta parcels, and the Aubergine and feta kefte, both sound scrumptious.

Looking forward to making so many more recipes from Zaitoun in the future.

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Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Sharks

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Katie & Kevin Tsang. HarperCollins. (240p) ISBN 9781405287524

Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Sharks

Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Sharks

Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Sharks is another great read from the team that wrote and illustrated Sam Wu Is Not Afraid of Ghosts. The writing is clear and funny, with really energetic illustrations to accompany and flesh-out the story.

A fun adventure that explores ideas of bravery and friendship. Sam, Zoe and Bernard, along with other family members and pets get into another adventure when the trio are invited to a beach party.

Fang the toothless snake and Butterbutt the ninja cat also make a return.

Sam is sure that they are all going to be ate by sharks!

Will they be attacked? Or will all their preparation be useful?

You’ll have to buy the book to find out.

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Extreme Rambling

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Mark Thomas. Ebury Publishing. (352p) ISBN 9780091927813

Extreme Rambling

Extreme Rambling

I bought Extreme Rambling after the show of Mark’s walk around the Israeli Barrier.

The show was highly entertaining and spiced with Mark’s wit and sense of outrage, all of this transferred well to the book.

In the book Mark could expand on the themes and ideas that he brought to the show and go more in-depth with his examples and verbal ramblings.

An important show and book, people should read this to get a personal feel of what is happening in Apartheid Israel and how they are treating the Palestinians.

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Grief is the Thing with Feathers

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Max Porter. Faber & Faber. (128p) ISBN 9780571327232

Grief is the Thing with Feathers

Grief is the Thing with Feathers

I was so looking forward to Grief is the Thing with Feathers after hearing so much about it.

It was such a refreshing change from the works I usually read, prose and poetry combined into a brave journey through grief and the feelings that come from being the one left behind to continue the shared life.

I was warned it was a quick read and it really is, just over a morning but but what a morning.

A family grieving their dead mother/wife are visited by the Grief of the title, at times confidant, at times trickster.

I was in floods of tears in the coffee shop reading this, but I also burst out laughing at parts.

Fluid, energetic, dissonant, there was such a great play on words which at times were straight prose, at other times poetry and song lyrics, all of which helped the book flow wonderfully .

A great debut book.

If you want to help and support this blog and my other projects (Indie Publishers and Indie Bookshops) you could become a Patreon which would help pay for my hosting, domain names, streaming services, and the occasional bag of popcorn to eat while watching films.

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Horace and Harriet: Take on the Town

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Clare Elsom. Oxford University Press. (128p) ISBN 9780192758743

Horace and Harriet: Take on the Town

Horace and Harriet: Take on the Town

This is the start of a new series written and illustrated by Clare Elsom which follows the adventures of Horace and Harriet in various scenarios.

Horace and Harriet: Take on the Town is wonderfully illustrated in a fresh comic-style throughout, the pace of the adventure was spot on, with lots of humorous interactions between Harriet (who is definitely seven and a quarter and not a statue) and Lord Horatian Frederick Wellington Nincompoop Maximus Pimpleberry the Third who is definitely a statue and has got bored with his life of standing still.

Builds on themes of friendship, misunderstandings, patience, and trust, read this one to my nephew and he just loved it.

If you want to help and support this blog and my other projects (Indie Publishers and Indie Bookshops) you could become a Patreon which would help pay for my hosting, domain names, streaming services, and the occasional bag of popcorn to eat while watching films.

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The Secret of Nightingale Wood

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Lucy Strange. Chicken House. (304p) ISBN 9781910655030

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

The Secret of Nightingale Wood

The Secret of Nightingale Wood is Lucy Strange’s debut novel and begins with a setting similar to ‘The Railway Children’ by E. Nesbit. It is set in the early 20th century and in a country setting reminiscent of ‘The Railway Children’, with a change in family home, with a similar family make up, and an unspoken tragedy at the centre of the story.

The similarities do end quickly though, as Henry has to deal with difficulties that are reminiscent of those in ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ by Jean Rhys and are slightly harsher than those Nesbit’s era were prepared to deal with in a children’s book, though Nesbit did write horror stories for adults which were much darker than her children’s stories.

Lucy Strange’s hero, Henry has to face a lot of problems and feels that she has to do these alone, but as the story develops, so does the friendships she makes develop. She finds support and friendship in some strange places.

The two main shadows over the story are the loss of her elder brother and the aftermath of WWI, both of these are themes throughout the book and weave all the way through the book and each other.

This is a well written book that flows from the moment you open the page and is lovingly decorated throughout with pen sketches of various locations and objects from the story.

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Ella on the Outside

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Cath Howe. Nosy Crow. (240p) ISBN 9781788000338

Ella on the Outside

Ella on the Outside

Ella is at a new school, her best friend is far away, her father is in prison, and she is finding this difficult to deal with.

Then the troubles really start, who can you trust, who is your friend?

Ella on the Outside is a well-written look at a young girls difficulties in steering through the complexities of new school and friendships, whilst dealing with domestic problems and growing up.

We watch as Ella grows and conquers all these difficulties, finding out what it means to be a good friend.

A great middle grade book, exploring lots of issues but still a good read with that.

If you want to help and support this blog and my other projects (Indie Publishers and Indie Bookshops) you could become a Patreon which would help pay for my hosting, domain names, streaming services, and the occasional bag of popcorn to eat while watching films.

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In the Mouth of the Wolf

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Michael Morpurgo. HarperCollins. (160p) ISBN 9781405293402

In the Mouth of the Wolf

In the Mouth of the Wolf

I know it’s been a while since my words worked well in writing but it’s time to start putting my reviews out there once more.

I read In the Mouth of the Wolf about a month ago now and have been looking forward to it coming out so I could recommend it to more people.

This story follows the life of Michael Morpurgo’s uncle who died just before his 90th birthday. It follows his life throughout World War II, initially as a pacifist working on farms to supply food for the nation, but once his brother died he joined up and served throughout the war working with the French resistance.

The book looks at themes of war, pacifism, sacrifice, and love using succinct language and nice short sentences and though it is aimed at 6-12 age range it can be read by so many more than that.

A great read which really touched me.

If you want to help and support this blog and my other projects (Indie Publishers and Indie Bookshops) you could become a Patreon which would help pay for my hosting, domain names, streaming services, and the occasional bag of popcorn to eat while watching films.

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Smashing It

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ed Sabrina Mahfouz. The Westbourne Press. (240p) ISBN 9781908906403

Smashing It

Smashing It

Smashing It was brought from Norwich by my partner who bought it at The Book Hive (we have a lovely little loyalty card now), she knows I love independent bookshops and always tries to buy at least a card from them, and she knows I have difficulty believing in my own voice because of my past.

I’ve read a couple of books recently about how being brought up working-class affects life chances throughout the rest of your life, opportunities, decisions, relationships with people and money, self belief, and so many other aspects of life.

Sabrina Mahfouz brings together a chorus of voices from working-class backgrounds and lets them tell their stories, all of which are inspiring and also make me angry. Inspiring to see what careers and art people have carved out despite, and angry that it is still despite.

The idea of support within networks is the best idea ever, growing and nurturing networks of like people. Supporting and encouraging each other whilst also showing and providing opportunities for others as currently society is stacked against those from the lower echelons of the embedded class system.

The final chapter about applying for grants is also one of the most useful explanations I’ve seen to enter the world of grants, thanks!

Excellent and inspiring, another book that stays on my heaving book shelves.

If you want to help and support this blog and my other projects (Indie Publishers and Indie Bookshops) you could become a Patreon which would help pay for my hosting, domain names, streaming services, and the occasional bag of popcorn to eat while watching films.

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The Miniaturist

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Jessie Burton. Pan Macmillan. (448p) ISBN 9781447250937

The Miniaturist

The Miniaturist

I was hooked from the very start, the detail in this book would match the detail of The Miniaturist.

This is, on the face of it, a story of love and marriage in 17th century Amsterdam, between a young, country girl and an older, rich merchant.

Johannes gifts Nella a cabinet-sized replica of their home, and this gradually gets filled with uncannily precise miniatures of their own possession and other facets of their life.

There is tragedy, magic and intrigue throughout this book, following Nella and Johannes relationship, and also the relationships of others around them.

The description of 17th century Amsterdam as a place and a society also rings true, adding to the depth and convolutions of the story.

This was a great introduction to historical fiction for me, and has opened doors to another genre that I had missed out on.

If you want to help and support this blog and my other projects (Indie Publishers and Indie Bookshops) you could become a Patreon which would help pay for my hosting, domain names, streaming services, and the occasional bag of popcorn to eat while watching films.

If you can’t support with a monthly subscription a tip at my Ko-Fi is always appreciated, as is buying things from my Ko-Fi Shop.

You can always email me on contact@bigbeardedbookseller.com with any suggestions.