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THE LATEST BOOKWORLD BESTSELLERS and book reviews..........
Click on book titles for more information........
(from 5th May)
Fiction
- Faces:
Martina Cole
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- An Absolute Scandal:
Penny Vincenzi
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All of the Top Ten selections are available from Bookworld Espana shops or by calling our Mail Order Dept
952 787 033 |
(from 5th May)
Non Fiction
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- Lewis Hamilton: My Story :
Lewis Hamilton
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All of the Top Ten selections are available from Bookworld Espana shops or by calling our Mail Order Dept
952 787 033
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'WHICH BOOK' Reviews.............
TITLE: Lessons in Heartbreak AUTHOR: Cathy Kelly CATEGORY: Contemporary Fiction
ISBN: 9780007240395 PRICE: 18,90 €
 In this family saga three women find their lives are changed forever by revelations from the past.
There's Izzy, a woman on a mission to show that the larger model really does have a place in fashion. She sets off to convince America and sets up a successful agency, but her plans go awry when she falls for a married man. Then there's Aunt Anneliese who discovers for herself the heartache of infidelity when she uncovers her husband's affair with her best friend. Finally there's the matriarch, Lily. But she is dying and the family are losing not only her but also her ability to hold them together. Throw in some unknown facts from the Lily's past and there's a maelstrom of emotions to be grasped. It's the story of her lost love that features in part of the book, with its wartime setting. But it's the theme of 'infidelity' that dominates.
How the three have, cope with it and view it from their perspectives makes this an intriguing read. Cathy Kelly has a background as an Agony Aunt so knows how these situations occur and develop, so she writes with an insight into the problems. She writes easily to bring laughter and tears throughout while avoiding cliche. Her character observation lifts the women from the page, and manages to allow the reader to identify with each of them in some small way. Their situations are certainly not 'black and white', and how they react is equally complex. It's a satisfying and fulfilling read.
TITLE: The Six Sacred Stones AUTHOR: Matthew Reilly CATEGORY: Contemporary Fiction
ISBN: 9780330426589 PRICE: 9,90 €
 Anyone looking for non-stop action thrills need look no further than this book.
Reilly already has a pedigree in this genre with the likes of Ice Station, his best selling debut. Now he has set off once again with super soldier, Jack West Jr, hero of the Seven Ancient Wonders. In this latest exploit he and his team face a new, yet seemingly unbeatable challenge. The end of the world is nigh, despite their previous efforts, and they have just one chance to stop the inevitable. This involves finding and then repairing an ancient device, known as The Machine. But how do you find it? Well, that's where the Six Stones come in. They hold clues and indeed are part of this mechanism, but are themselves fables lost in the mists of time. To complicate things even further, Jack discovers there are others on the same trail.
This is a fascinating romp through ancient history and across the world, with a breath taking pace. There is likely to be more in this series, which the author has described as akin to the Lord of the Rings. He helps and guides the reader through the adventure and his characters have become stronger with the sequel. While it would be worthwhile reading the first book, this stands alone successfully. Reilly is Australian, and his home country features extensively, but be prepared for a high speed journey through time and location. It's an 'adventure' in the best sense.
TITLE: Long Way Down AUTHOR: Ewan McGregor & Charlie Boorman CATEGORY: Factual
ISBN: 9781847440525 PRICE: 19,90 €
If you saw the TV series, where the motor biking friends headed from the UK to Africa, you may think there's not much else to be said. But this book opens up both the TV programmes and the awesome journey.
In May 2007 they set off to travel John O' Groats to Cape Town in South Africa on a well-prepared sequel to their trip around the globe. But no preparation was enough to cover the kind of eventualities they faced. Not only was the journey tiring and difficult, but the change of cultures they encountered made it an epic adventure. They crossed eighteen countries and covered 15,000 miles, but it was what they saw that made such an impact. Originally the plan was to highlight poverty in Africa, and the charitable work underway there, however neither Charlie nor Ewan expected to experience such extremes. The UNICEF projects they visited showed what could be done to help, given the necessary resources.
Although it wasn't just the humans they encountered that made an impact, but also the fantastic range of animals they spotted that changed their lives forever. They logged every bumpy mile, and talk openly about the effect it had on them. For Ewan there was the surprise addition of his wife to the team at one stage, and the joy of sharing some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet. The two riders speak of their sense of achievement, and their new perspective on Africa. It was a never to be repeated event, but the work they saw there is even more necessary and even more demanding than anything they experienced.
TITLE: 3 Para AUTHOR: Patrick Bishop CATEGORY: Factual
ISBN: 9780007257805 PRICE: 11,90 €
 Writing about a section of the British forces that is continuing to face action around the world could be an emotive task.
Lives are lost in places like Afghanistan on almost a weekly basis, but experienced foreign correspondent Patrick Bishop has tried to relate this tale as a record of brave individuals simply doing their 'job'. He was given unprecedented access to the men during their turn of duty in Helmand Province in 2006, at a time when the Taliban where doing the utmost to hold onto the land they claimed as their own. The work of 3 Para was described as a total success, but the price was high, with twenty men losing their lives. There are specific stories individuals who served in that battle in an attempt to get some sense of what they were going through. Not just fear for their own lives and their colleagues, but the knowledge that their families at home were suffering too. It's a no-holds-barred account where the author underlines the failings of the British military, and more importantly their governmental masters. It was also written at a time when news of events there was well filtered by MOD and gives an insight into the frustration felt by serving men whose work appeared to be forgotten by those at home. In the end they wondered why they were there, and why friends had died in this foreign field. This is naturally a shocking account of war, but told to allow us all to have a better understanding of real courage, real fear, and real war.
TITLE: Speak Spanish CATEGORY: Reference
ISBN: 9780007274260 PRICE: 19,90 €
Getting to grips with a new language is never easy, and everyone has their own level of understanding, but here is a complete package that allows individual progress at their own pace.
It's a truly interactive activity, with the book and its two accompanying CDs. But also a companion website that allows those unanswered questions to be explained. The basics of learning are all dealt with clearly and concisely, while the most necessary words are to be found in the Word Zone. One of the most useful sections is called Nuts & Bolts, and it is just that - grammar principles and verbs. Putting it all together couldn't be easier, as is shown in the Dialogue section. Sixteen conversations come the most usual situations you'll encounter, but the website takes you further. Here there are more activities and suggestions to stretch your newly found skills.
Everything is carried out at your chosen pace, with regular opportunities to revise and recap. And, of course, you can take it with you. The CDs can be played at home, in the car, or on holiday. There are many courses and techniques available nowadays, but here is an inexpensive yet thorough way to learn. Very soon you'll be able to follow not just the basics, but also be able to get totally involved in Spanish life.
TITLE: Encarnita's Journey AUTHOR: Joan Linguard CATEGORY: Historical Fiction
ISBN: 9780749082291 PRICE: 12.90 €
 When Scottish author Joan Lingard took an interest in the works of Gerald Brennan she was drawn to the village where he lived in Southern Spain , Yegen. But that fascination grew into a question about the influence this foreigner might have had on the villagers. So, Encarnita's Journey began to be formed.
She uses here home city of Edinburgh for the modern shoulders upon which the tale is held. But the majority of the book is based in that small, beautiful enclave in the 1920s.
Encarnita is born into that place at the foot of Sierra Nevada mountains, but her life is affected more by the arrival of the British writer. He was no ordinary expat looking for an escape, but was a major literary figure, with links to the Bloomsbury set, who was visited by the likes of Virginia Woolf, Lytton Starchey and Dora Carrington. The beautiful youngster was naturally drawn to Don Geraldo, as he was known, and he taught her English. But the contact gave her much more than language, and she felt a yearning to escape into the world outside. She wanted more than the beauty and isolation of her village, and this story tells of a long journey through southern Spain, at a time of great change, and a final resolution many years later in Edinburgh .
That journey through her life is beautifully told. The various locations featured in the book are brought alive, the changing culture is explored and explained, while emotions are tossed one way and another. The complexity of the Civil War only adds to the way Encarnita's journey is frequently thrown of course. Linguard, although best known for her children's books, understands the divides of conflict, having been brought up in a troubled Belfast , which only adds to the authenticity. While her love of both Edinburgh and Southern Spain ensures that both are used fully to illustrate the setting of the startling adventure.
Lingard, Brenan and Encarnita are united in this compelling tale.
TITLE: American Gangster AUTHOR: Mark Jacobson CATEGORY: Contemporary
ISBN: 9781843547303 PRICE: 14.90 €
When Ridley Scott set out to tell the story of the King of the Harlem drug trade, Frank Lucas, he knew he had a sure fire success, where fact was more fantastic than fiction.
He had obtained the rights to a short story by Marc Jacobson, but the film making process proved to be very slow and troubled. Seven years later he has finally brought this tale of the 1970's heroin trade to the big screen, with top names such as Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.
Meanwhile the movie has reopened the works of Jacobson, a journalist who has published numerous essays about the darker side of 'the big apple'. He has written about the city since the 1970s and has been recognised as one of its greatest reporters. From the many characters that he described, Lucas is perhaps the most notorious and ruthless. His life reflected the amount of money that he received in this lethal trade. Friends with many top athletes, musicians and politicians, he believed himself and his business to be impenetrable. This proved to be a false hope, and the true story behind his capture reads like the best of fiction. The criminal is finally tracked down by an unlikely police hero, which nearly costs him his career and his life. But this book has more than that one dramatic tale. It is a reflection of the changing face of New York over the past thirty years and includes the chaotic period of 9/11. Jacobson, now an acclaimed writer for many publications, takes into the place he knows so intimately and opens it up in a new and fascinating way.
TITLE: El Sid AUTHOR: Chris Haslam CATEGORY: Contemporary / Fiction
ISBN: 9780349118871 PRICE: 11.90 €
 There are numerous factual books covering the events of the Spanish Civil War, but there are far fewer novels.
Whether it's the fear of nudging sensitivities or simply the difficulties of gathering facts that have put off writers, there is now one which has tackled both. Whereas Javier Cercas described events from a Spanish perspective in Soldiers of Salmis, this is from an outsider's viewpoint......both the writer and the main character.
Chris Haslam knew Spain from a period living here, but it still required substantial research to provide a background for his dark, yet humourous third novel. He starts in the modern day with a couple of not very likeable rogues, Lenny & Nick, then heads off on journey through time. Sid is Sidney a survivor of the International Brigades who left behind his defeated republican comrades and a whole load of secrets. Now in his eighties he hires the two petty criminals to take him back to do some digging. It looks like a simple knock-off job for the twosome, who clearly plan to rob the old man of the promised gold coins he seeks. But the veteran is no fool, and he has them just where he wants them. It's a tale with as many twists as some of the roads they follow in their clapped out Transit van.
Meanwhile, the reader is transported to and fro from the present to the past and to the horrors of the conflict. Sid's secrets are gradually revealed and Lenny & Nick face the consequences. Taking on a novel with this background wasn't easy, but here we have an adventure that is set amidst turmoil and intrigue, and that manages to capture both in a very readable style.
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TITLE: Hurricane Gold AUTHOR: Charlie Higson CATEGORY: Youth / Fiction
ISBN: 9780141383958 PRICE: 14.90 €
 When the MI6 agent James Bond came face to face with the villain Goldfinger in the film it was the lovely Jill Masterson who suffered the fate of dying by being coated in gold.
Now the younger Bond seems to have a similar problem in his latest adventure. The book, Hurricane Gold, comes not only with a gold cover, but with gilt-edged pages. It looks great and is a really thrilling read.
It's the fourth story to tell us about the exciting life Bond enjoyed as a teenager. The books have been written by actor and comedian Charlie Higson, who got special permission from the family of the original Bond creator, Ian Fleming.
Originally there was only one book planned but this is now the fourth. Unusually this has a female villain, and involves some exciting action including a chase through a Mexican jungle. The main plot is set in 1934 and sees Bond trying to stop those who are greedily trying to grab the treasure known as Hurricane Gold. Bond has to try and do whatever he can to get there before the robbers, led by Mrs Glass.
There is even a 'Bond Girl', Precious Stone, who with her brother 'JJ' also end up in the terrifying jungle.
The story is fast moving with lots of unexpected twists and turns and ends with Bond facing death in the face. Can he really get out of this alive and will Precious get her man? You need to read it to get the answers.
As you'd expect from such a special agent, there is a great website with a game based on the book. http://www.youngbond.com/
TITLE: Charlie Wilson's War AUTHOR: George Crile CATEGORY: Factual
ISBN: 978184357198 PRICE: 10.90 €
 'International Best Seller' and 'Now a Major Motion picture' are taglines that usually accompany the latest fictional thriller. But here we have a true story that is definitely stranger and more disturbing than fiction.
It takes us back to the 1980s when Afghan freedom fighters were struggling against Soviet invaders. Their cause reached the ears of a Texan Congressman, Charlie Wilson, and then devoted his time to supporting them with millions of dollars. It's fascinating that we now view those same rebels with different eyes twenty or more years later. Which makes the work of Wilson and the CIA even more incredible.
Here we have the two major forces in the world at war with one another but without the glare of publicity.
This was one of the most expensive and secret conflicts of the last century, and author George Crile has spent years getting to the truth. That has not been an easy task, and the result is almost too bizarre to be believable. But what he has produced is a modern day thriller based on those crazy facts. It raises questions, not only of morality, but also of how far outside involvement should be taken in such places. A very modern dilemma.
The film, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts will certainly be one to watch, and will be a surefire hit, but the book has the details that Hollywood may well choose not to include, and which make it such a gripping read.
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TITLE: Faces AUTHOR: Martina Cole CATEGORY: Crime/Fiction
ISBN: 9780755328628 PRICE: 24.90 €
REVIEWED BY: Louise - HQ Unit
 Hard-hitting criminals, prostitutes, violence and razor sharp wit have made Martina Cole the most read author in the penal system, and her books the most stolen from public libraries in the UK! The queen of London's crime underworld, her books feature powerful women who survive in what is essentially a man's world. And they appeal to a wide range of readers who are fascinated by the tough, uncompromising situations she devises for her gritty, salt-of-the-earth characters.
"Faces", now her fourteenth novel, introduces us to Danny Cadogan. At the age of thirteen, his father drunkenly runs up a gambling debt he cannot pay and takes the easy way out, leaving his wife and children to face the wrath of the debt collectors. Determined to protect his mother, brother and sister, Danny becomes a young man set on making his way in a violent and dangerous world. He grows up to become a Face. Not just any Face, but the most feared Face in the Smoke - out for all he can get, at any cost.
But the ruthlessness he shows on London's streets doesn't stop at his front door. He rules his wife, Mary, and their children, with an iron will, and his fists. If Mary breaks her silence about what is going on, it could shake Danny's criminal empire to the core. And for a Face at the top of his game, there's only one way to go - down. Set in the heart of London's criminal gangland, from the seventies right up to the present-day, "Faces" reads like Eastenders after the watershed, and looks set to be as big a hit as its forerunners.
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TITLE: Monsignore Quixote AUTHOR: Graham Greene CATEGORY: Fiction
ISBN: 9780349118871 PRICE: 12.90 €
REVIEWED BY: Charles - HQ Unit
The original tale of Don Quixote and his side kick Sancho might, in modern day terms, be regarded as a 'road movie' tracing a journey, but in actual fact it was more of a muse on life and character study. So, Graham Greene took that premise and created a modern tale in the same mould. His lead character is a Parish Priest, also named Quixote, who with an ex-mayor as a companion, travel in a rickety old car, named, naturally, Rocinante.
Cevantes not only told colourful tales, but also gave us an insight into the troubled Spain of the 17th century. Meanwhile Greene has us wrapped up in a country under the rule of Franco, and reflects upon those difficult times. Our modern day traveller sees himself as a direct descendent of the fictious knight and when given the opportunity sets off to right the wrongs of the world. The woes of this era are opened up in the discourses between Priest, Companion and those they meet on the road. They mull over the recent past but also express their concerns for the present, and fear for the future. Quixote's rebellion grows within him, leading to cross swords with his hierarchy and more dangerously with the Guardia Civil. There are direct comparisons with the kind of clashes created by Cervantes, and the two lead characters share disillusionments and delusions. The Priest is often bothered by the doctrine that has shaped his life, and this is compounded by Sancho's communist past. Greene, a convert to Catholicism, seems to reveal questions about his own faith, yet the book is not solely about troubled souls. It is also about the country. Through his characters he takes us to a place in transition, that is dipping its toes in modernity while happily lingering the past. The time, the place and the people have been combined to create a worthy modern muse that Cervantes would probably have welcomed.
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TITLE: Fiddler on the Make AUTHOR: Peter Kerr CATEGORY: Humourous/Fiction
ISBN: 9781905170692 PRICE: TBC €
REVIEWED BY: Charles - HQ Unit
 Scottish author, Peter Kerr has traced his true life adventures in a series of books, particularly covering the time that he and his family spent orange farming in Mallorca. But during the time he was waiting for a publisher to give them the go-ahead, he tried his hand at fiction, producing a couple of delightful tales featuring his Edinburgh Detective, Bob Burns. But now he has gone off in a completely different direction with Fiddler on the Make.
This features the sleepy village of Cuddyford, in Horseburghshire. Some readers might well recognize Peter's own home county of East Lothian, and may also pick up a few touches of Thistle Soup, the book he wrote about his early life there. But again this is a fun tale of countryside confusion and some sly collusion! It features the jack the lad farmer, Jigger McCloud, and his way of dealing with a situation that could have changed his fair land for ever. To some extent it reflects how East Lothian has changed in recent years with the wave of incomers moving into the previously fallow lands. They don't always mix with the locals. However, here we have an invasion too far. Which is when the pace picks up along with the humour. There are plenty of twists and turns with a spectacular chase to enjoy. While the climax is both dramatic and satisfying. Peter wasn't sure about the move into fiction, but if you enjoy a simple tale, neatly told with lots of humour then his work is for you. To some extent I had images of Ballykissangel in my head with the various characters and the humorous situations but 'Fiddler' is very Scottish, and that is what makes it's a good read.
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TITLE: Exit Music AUTHOR: Ian Rankin CATEGORY: Crime/Fiction
ISBN: 9780752888194 PRICE: 18.90 €
REVIEWED BY: Charles - HQ Unit
 When Detective John Rebus first walked the streets of Edinburgh some twenty years ago it's doubtful whether his creator, Ian Rankin, could have foreseen that the surly cop would attract such a faithful following. So much so, that his final outing in Exit Music has attracted a lot of pre-release attention.
The end of the road for this rogue policeman was always going to be an emotional rollercoaster - readers wouldn't expect anything less. Throughout his career Rebus has trawled a lonely furrow through the crime-filled streets of Edinburgh. Even the addition of his partner-in-detection, Siobhan Clarke, was never going to make him a thoroughly likeable man or a by-the-book officer. He has drunk hard and chased hard but his pursuit of justice has still to be admired, even by his colleagues.
Rankin wrote the character in a real-time mode, so that he has aged through the series and inevitably the day of retirement, or perhaps judgement, was always going to loom. But how do you end such a career? The final chapter in his police life is as full of red herrings and conflict, as in any of the previous outings. And to add spice to the plot the return of Big Ger Cafferty makes both Rebus and the reader edgy. As the story unfolds there is the inevitable clash with authority, made more poignant by the impending retirement date. The young new guard are moving in, but even this comes with a twist.
The book has to be read, for its tremendously well written crime content and, of course, some keenly honed character studies. It also takes you on another whirl wind tour of Edinburgh's lesser known sights. But, cleverly, this final tale is ultimately not about the end or demise of Rebus. Naturally it is a lot more complicated than that!
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TITLE: Spain by the Horns AUTHOR: Tim Elliot CATEGORY: Factual/Travel
ISBN: 9781840245745 PRICE: 12.90 €
REVIEWED BY: Charles - HQ Unit
 The reasons that people have for a visit to Spain are many and varied, but perhaps one of the more unusual is given by Tim Elliot in this book. A mix of travelogue, history, and culture, the journey began with a simple idea of writing a book about an iconic matador. However, while the bullfighter may have been elusive, the country proved welcoming and fascinating. The art of bull fighting drew him in, provoking mixed emotions and numerous questions that needed answering.
Elliot was a jobbing journalist when he decided to set out on this adventure. He'd scraped together the money required but then became a father, which led to the heart-rending loneliness he felt at times on the journey. His was a solitary sojourn and only his skills with the Spanish language saved him from total desperation. There were times when, as in Seville, he was totally lost. Not just physically but mentally. He was deep in the heart of the 'business' of bull fighting, with all its rogues and ruffians. He delves into the mystique and tries to understand why it is maintained in a modern society. Yet he was also swept up in the drama, and the consequent traumas. The search took him backwards and forwards across Spain, on a minimal budget but the trail led him to some beautiful places, that captured his imagination. He spent time 'at rest' in some lovely villages, yet still exploring, and opening some dark elements of Spain's past. The very size of the country began to take its toll as he continued his search following up elusive contacts. The conflicting elements of his task often pulled him apart. In a foreign country, chasing a shadow, loving many of the people and places, yet missing his family and knowing there was a book still to be found in the midst of it all. The story is well told. The descriptions of both his emotions and his surroundings are captivating. The reader is drawn into his task, his dilemmas, and his surroundings. History and notes on Spanish culture are dropped in as and when they are required. But while the quest is important, it is the journey that makes this a worthwhile read. And the matador? In the end he is not the icon the writer expected but simply a piece in the complex puzzle that is modern Spain.
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TITLE: From Paella to Porridge AUTHOR: Peter Kerr CATEGORY: Factual/Travel
ISBN: 9781840245066 PRICE: 12.90 €
REVIEWED BY: Charles - HQ Unit
 Readers of the Peter Kerr series of books are in for a surprise at the end of his fourth and final title. It becomes clear just how important the books themselves were to Peter and his family. They have taken us on a journey from the east of Scotland to the west of Mallorca and back again with a lot of hard work and heartbreaks along the way.
From Paella to Porridge brings the Kerrs full circle, back to a home in Scotland, but the return is not the end of their problems. Without giving too much away, some of the reasons and frustrations for their original adventure to Spain have not gone away. Peter's reason for putting their story in print becomes apparent and we share, once again, the amazing fortitude of all the family. It was clear from the previous books, that the plan to create a viable fruit farm on the hills above Andratx was not going well, and the need to expand, diversify or give up was growing. But hopes of adding to or replacing Ca's Mayoral fade with the reality of Mallorca's changing economy. This combined with the other challenge of creating the best opportunities for their family lead to the inevitable decision, and their bags are packed. But going back to Scotland proves to be more stimulating than depressing. Peter rediscovers his homeland, including areas he once thought he knew well. For those who don't know East Lothian, this book provides a perfect travelogue, and for those who do, it is an eye opener. A history lesson is offered, along with a description of one of Scotland's under-rated corners. But with the fun of exploration comes the problems of trying once again to plough a living from the land. Plans for a deer farm are put on hold while capital is created through some house renovation. But the Kerrs are a TV home-improvement programme's dream disaster. They spend too much time and money, then become attached to their labour. However, the battle for the farm is just about to begin. It is long, fierce and acrimonious. In the end.....well that would be telling!
This book is probably packed with more highs and lows that any of the others in the series. Emotions rise and fall, but there is always tension. Fact is always stronger than fiction. Ask the Kerrs.
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TITLE: The Naming of The Dead AUTHOR: Ian Rankin CATEGORY: Fiction
ISBN: 0-7528-8198-1 PRICE: 9,90€
REVIEWED BY: Louise - Mail Order
 Maverick cops don't come any more satisfying than John Rebus. Now in his 16th outing, the name – Rebus – says it all: a clever puzzle, a many-faceted mystery to be mulled over, turned around and twisted about, until all is finally unravelled.
In “The Naming of the Dead” the strands are many and varied – murder, rape, suicide, police brutality, corrupt officialdom... The backdrops are bang up-to-date – the G8 conference and its associated concerts, a posh golf tournament, a lap-dancing club... The characters are solid and identifiable – the mourning of a brother, a difficult parental relationship, a betrayal in love...
And Ian Rankin skillfully weaves it all together to create a rich and complex whole.
Some critics have called it the best Rebus yet. Certainly, as a keen follower of the series, I found it a stunning read. The one-liners are there, the lone drinking sessions, the brooding desperation of a man who's given up nearly everything in his life for his work. His sidekick Siobahn has matured into a skillful cop herself, but will she go the way of Rebus and make too many sacrifices for her career? If you're a fan you'll have read it already. If you're new to the Edinburgh detective, you'll have a most enjoyable read, and lose little by not knowing what has gone before. Then, there's a whole back catalogue to catch up on and, so they say, just one more to come....Can't wait!
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TITLE: Costa Del Sol AUTHOR: Des Wilson CATEGORY: Fiction
ISBN: 84-89954-45-3 PRICE: 12,90€
REVIEWED BY: Charles - HQ Unit
 It took a New Zealander living in the UK to come up with a contemporary piece of fiction that makes full use of the life and culture of southern Spain. This is a thriller in the true 'page turning' sense, set in the landscapes of Andalucia, from a man who's had a major influence in both English politics and sport.
Des Wilson has never been afraid to wear his views for all to see, first as a Labour activist, then later as a mastermind behind the Liberal Democrat revolution. He always claimed his loves were cricket, theatre and journalism and as is the nature of the man, he pursued all three with convction. He became a member of the English Cricket Board, joined the Royal Shakespeare Company Executive, and wrote for major national papers. His campaigning has been legendary, with his successful battle for the introduction of lead-free fuel one of his major achievements. While his work for charities began a new era of public relations, strong and forceful, unwilling to hide important messages. He then took a grip on poker in anything but an amateur sense, researching, experiencing and writing about the game.
But there's no point in trying to pigeon-hole Des Wilson, because he will surely change direction and surprise once again. His thriller Costa del Sol, first published in 1990, is a classic example. Not only does he write a book to enthrall the reader, but after returning to Spain he decides to update the novel to match the changing social climate.
From the opening paragraphs the reader is taken deep into the country and culture used as a canvas for what follows. The climax is both dramatic and unexpected, made further complicated by its setting during Easter Week in Seville. There is much to educate as well as entertain the reader. What makes it so strikingly modern is the way events in Andalucia over the past year are almost predicted by events in this book. Developers looking to make vast profits by rewriting the rules, and greed across the costa. These are revealed by a campaigning journalist, but deaths follow in the shadow of his exposé.
As with every good thriller there is plenty of light and shade, sol y sombra. Nothing is black and white with a good mix of action and reflection, and a love story to complete the recipe. Now that he is travelling the world in pursuit of poker this may be a one-off Spanish thriller from Des Wilson, but it is a masterly mix of Spain and contemporary drama.
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TITLE: Winter In Madrid AUTHOR: C.J. Sansom CATEGORY: Fiction
ISBN: 0-330-44263-5 PRICE: 8,90€
REVIEWED BY: Charles - HQ Unit
 The author of this novel would probably have been at home working alongside Cervantes.
Sansom has built his reputation on tales of Tudor crime. But he translates his skill of creating intrigue successfully to the Spanish Civil War. Ostensibly about a former soldier who is recruited to spy on an old school friend working in post-war Spain, it is as much a study of how that conflict shaped the hearts and minds of the people. Harry Brett is a damaged ex-public schoolboy recovering from the horrors of Dunkirk in 1940 who is called up to explore events behind the scenes of Franco’s revolution. But the story is a complex one involving a second friend, his lover, and the citizens of Madrid. There are frequent changes in period, linking his childhood, pre-war Spain, and the post-war tumble-down city he discovers. There is continual debate about the conflict, the politics, and the consequences as Brett experiences the tension of a country on the brink of toppling into another much bigger war. This tale unfolds amid a fascinating period of history, and brings the reader closer to the pain suffered on all sides.
Yes, it is a spy novel, yes, it is war novel, and yes, it is a tale of romance, but it is also a tale that could only be placed in Spain. It is as complex as the divisions that split the country.
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TITLE: Birdsong AUTHOR: Sebastian Faulks CATEGORY: Fiction
ISBN: 0-09-949692-5 PRICE: 12,90€
REVIEWED BY: Annie Hicks - Puerto Banus Shop
 This is my favourite book: it is heartbreaking, passionate and impossible to read without shedding tears.
How to describe it in brief? Sebastian Faulks skilfully combines harrowing descriptions of the horrors of WW1 with a tale of love, at times erotic, but never coarse. He knows how to get inside the mind of his character - you can feel the passion of the lovers as fervently as the terror of the soldiers on the battlefield.
This is a powerful novel - not an 'easy' read but a rewarding one. I finished it with an overwhelming sense of horror: the unspeakable cruelty of man against man.
This book should make pacifists of us all. Read, enjoy, cry - remember.
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TITLE: Shadow of the Wind AUTHOR: Carlos Ruiz Zafón CATEGORY: Fiction
ISBN: 0-75382-025-0 PRICE: 12,90€
REVIEWED BY: Craig - HQ Unit
 This book is beautifully written, with some brilliant evocations. Every character has a story to tell, and the story twists its way through the years, keeping you guessing until the end. This is a book that I couldn't put down, and didn't want to finish. There is a mystery to be solved but the reader is never quite sure what that mystery really is.
A young boy, Daniel, is taken to the cemetary of lost books by his father, a place where forgotten books and authors wait for someone to re-discover them and make them their own. He becomes captiavted by his choice - 'The Shadow of the Wind', and its author Julian Carax. He sets out to investigate more about the book, and to solve the mysterious life and death of Carax. In doing so, his own fate becomes intertwined with that of Carax, and he finds himself at the centre of a decade-long story of love and friendship, hate and obsession, war and murder.
I loved the idea of a cemetery of lost books. Barcelona appears as a dark and tired place, perpetually rainy and misty, its people colourful and sometimes hilarious, but all with the same air of tiredness. Shadow of the Wind will stay with you after the last page is read.
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TITLE: A Spot of Bother AUTHOR: Mark Haddon CATEGORY: Fiction
ISBN: 0-224-08046-6 PRICE: 24,90€
REVIEWED BY: Isabel Roberts of Gaucin (Winner of the Bookworm Review Comp)
 The title is somewhat of an understatement, as the story covers several of the most stressful events that can happen in anyone’s lifetime: illness, marriage, infidelity and separation.
George and Jean are not thrilled when their daughter Katie announces her intention of remarrying. Ray is not what they want for their daughter, although he is capable and good with her son. Katie’s brother is not quite what they wanted either – he is gay, and with a steady partner. On top of the stress of the unwelcome marriage and all its costs and arrangements, George decides he has cancer and, as his dream of a quiet retirement disappears, he starts heading for a mental breakdown. Jean meantime is juggling two part-time jobs and an extra-marital affair with an old work colleague of George’s. The story is narrated by each character in turn, giving his or her view of the situations they find themselves in as the plot unfolds. The action moves at a good pace - some chapters being only a few paragraphs long - as the narrative skips from one character to another. This seemingly dysfunctional family finally pull their lives together by the sheer power of actually talking to each other and discovering that their own secrets and thoughts are not unique to themselves. As they meet the final crises, the family ties become more solid, the wedding brings all the themes of the story to a spectacular climax and life will now be able to return to something near normal for all of them.
TITLE: A Parrot in the Pepper Tree AUTHOR: Chris Stewart CATEGORY: Non Fiction
ISBN: 0-9535227-5-X PRICE: 11,90€
REVIEWED BY:
Jessica Collins – Dos Mares Shop
 This book is the real filling in the sandwich, the second story of three, of the author’s account of life on his remote farm in Andalusia. With the recent release of Chris Stewart´s book “ The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society”, anyone who hadn’t previously read ´Parrot´ will now find it a must have read in order to follow the fortunes of this family who chose to make their home in a remote part of the Spanish countryside.
The reader is given an insight to the hardships endured by Chris, not to mention his long suffering wife Ana and daughter Chloe, in their determination to follow the dream, and what is more – make it work. The author’s account of life in this rural idyll is certainly not what most of us would consider to be perfect, with its freezing winters and heat baked, drought stricken summers, however from the comfort of our armchairs we are continually entertained by his tales of triumph over at times, near disaster.
We also discover more of “Chris the Man”, taking us back to Chris’s privileged childhood and his boarding school days, to his brief spell as drummer with the now world famed group ´Genesis”. This modest man actually admits to being tone deaf, so something of an achievement joining a rock band! He then relates his early love affair with Spain when, still in his youth, he travels to Seville, and discovers he is actually staying in a brothel. His purpose for visiting Spain was primarily due to his love of flamenco music, and his attempts to learn the complexities of the classical guitar are hilarious. However he has never given up and in recent years has made a renewed attempt to master this art, though, according to the opinions of his family and friends he certainly needs more practice, to say nothing of perfection!
Chris openly admits that without the financial success of his first book “Driving over Lemons”, he and his family would almost certainly be still barely scratching a living on the proceeds of their farm, and indeed prior to this book, he found it necessary to go as far afield as Scandinavia working as a sheep shearer in order to supplement the family income. On the subject of sheep shearing this is a skill Chris learned as a young man when he lived for a brief period in New Zealand.
Savour this period in the life of the Stewart family before embarking on his third book, which is destined to be another international bestseller.
TITLE: Positively Happy AUTHOR: Noel Edmonds CATEGORY: Non Fiction
ISBN: 0-09-191298-9 PRICE: 16,90€
REVIEWED BY: Charles - HQ Unit
Radio One, Top of the Pops, Multi Coloured Swapshop, Noel’s House Party, and Deal or No Deal……just some of the highlights of Noel Edmonds’ career. Two failed marriages, an horrific helicopter crash, a death on his major TV show, and a mass of media attention about his career and his lovelife….just some of the lowlights of Noel Edmonds’ career. Yet, he still smiles warmly from the front cover of his new book, and declares that it’s all down to the way the Cosmos rules your life.
He is a positively happy man, as the title confirms. But reading the contents one also gets an insight into what kept him ticking through the good and bad times. It could be summarised as an honest and very positive approach to life.
Some might regard it as Noel’s Sermon, because he has the confidence to speak openly and directly, while using his own experiences as illustrations. Some, like telling his parents that he was not going to university in favour of a job at Radio Luxembourg, knowing his father’s desire to see him take up a place he himself had been denied, show us how he had both determination and sensitivity from the start.
The media tried to stir up a campaign, portraying him as a failed star who has picked up some wacky cult belief. Churches were whipped up into a frenzy of condemnation about his views of prayer versus destiny. But, ironically, it was the serialisation of the book in a newspaper which he once sued, that gave the public a chance to make up their own minds. Yes, he’d picked up the theories of Barbel Mohr’s ‘Cosmic Ordering Service’, but it’s clear that Edmonds has used those ideas to put his own lifelong views into some kind of shape.
Again some readers might scorn him as a ‘lucky man’ milking his career yet further. But again close examination of his book will simply leave the reader with the words ‘common sense’.
While we get some glimpses of the highs and lows of his career, this is not the Noel Edmonds Autobiography. There are as many questions raised as are answered about his private life. But I’m sure he would insist the book is not solely about him and his achievements or views, but as much about ‘you’ the reader.
He suggests ways to take a fresh look at your life and approach to it. All very positive. But he asks questions of the reader that may require some strict honesty on your part. The book ends with twenty five tips that could well at the least lift a few spirits and, at best, turn around a few lives. Not bad for the man who lives with Mr Blobby as a demon on his shoulder.
But he can live with that, content in the knowledge that he has mananged to entertain millions, and is now at it again with Deal or No Deal.
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