Tag Archives: Books

What does an author read on holiday?

I’m always asked by students what my favourite book is, and I always stress I read voraciously and widely, so the answer takes a bit of time, and varies. Having just been asked this question 18 million times in World Book Week, I thought I’d share my last holiday reading pile.

Relaxing reading on holiday image

The Man who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2) by Richard Osman. I just love this series. Am reading them all out of order as I was given a copy of book 3 first. I passed this on to an elderly relative called Joyce (coincidence – how many book characters are there called Joyce?) who lives in a retirement village (double coincidence). I’m pretty sure that copy will do the rounds until it falls apart!

Night Music by JoJo Moyes. This is on audio and the narration is great, but I haven’t finished it yet so no plot spoilers. Listening to it at 1.2x speed. Does anyone else always listen to a slightly faster narration?

Barefoot Britain by Anna McNuff. I’ve heard Anna speak at an Adventure Queens book club event and she’s a bit bonkers which makes for a fun, slightly chaotic trip. I’m officially adopting the phrase “adventure pace” to describe my own sloooow running – it sounds so much more fun than just being ridiculously slow.

Coffee First, Then The World by Jenny Tough. Tough by name, tough by nature. Crikey this woman is impressive! Also an audio book – narrated by Jenny herself which I always find adds an extra connection to the story for me, particularly for non fiction.

Kevin the Vampire by Matt Brown. I’m writing a funny vampire story for kids so this was sort of for research purposes – I wanted to see how “vampiry” chapter books got. I’m not talking blood-sucking monsters, but I wondered if other authors incorporated just a touch of scare. The answer, in this case, is no.

And finally, A Fresh Start at Wagging Tails Dogs’ Home by Sarah Hope. I’m reading this as part of a book tour. I know I normally review kids books, but this is perfect light holiday reading, plus it has dogs, and rescue dogs at that. What more could I want? There is a bit of drama putting the future of the centre in jeopardy and, of course, a romance with a touch of conflict, but for me the absolute stars of the show were the dogs: they were all such big characters, and I felt they were based on real dogs. Then I got to the end of the book and discovered the author’s connection to a rescue centre, so now I’m sure all their back stories are true. Which makes it all the more heartwarming. Then I realised this is Book 3 in a series (it totally stands on its own) so now I’m off to read books 1 and 2. And now I realise I seem to be making a habit out of starting with book 3!

Since this is a tour, I’m going to include a bit more info than the other books above, also, the author is less well known and deserves a bit more recognition!

Blurb

There’s no place like home… Although dog trainer Sally is relatively new to Wagging Tails, the team she works with have quickly become her family and the dogs her friends. But when Andy, the one that got away, turns up for a brief respite from the city, she is at a crossroads. As tempting as a life with him is, she loves her home of West Par, and anyway, she has responsibilities here. Number one on that list is ensuring the dogs’ home stays in business. A developer has been sniffing around wanting to buy the land, and the team is worried. Sally will do anything to save her home and her friends’ livelihoods but the lure of reuniting with her lost love is strong. Is there a way for her to have both?

About the author

Sarah has been dreaming up stories ever since she was a child. She remembers many a family stroll when she’d daydream up her next story adventure.

As an adult, she prefers to write romance novels and novellas with a Happy Ever After ending. She has two main romance series, the Escape To… series that focuses on single mums taking a chance and fulfilling their career dreams as well as finding love, and The Cornish Bakery series, that follows a busy bakery in a beautiful fictional bay in Cornwall.

Sarah Hope lives in Central England with her two children and an array of pets and enjoys escaping to the seaside at any opportunity.

If you’ve ever wished there was a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy book for kids, there is now.

I have a special bookcase for my ‘permanent collection’ – the books I go back to over and over again – and it’s impossible to narrow then down to my absolute favourite (a question I’m asked at every single school visit I do), but for a fun comfort read, I’m going to go with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I’m sure you know it: “So long, and thanks for all the fish” and the answer is 42 etc; but just incase, in a nutshell, Arthur Dent, in his dressing gown, gets whisked onto a spaceship when Earth is demolished for a hyperspace bypass. Luckily, he has his towel with him.

I vividly recall stumbling across the radio series on my way home from school one day in the 1980s. My dad and I sat in the car outside the house laughing our heads off so it has happy family memories, and it still makes me laugh. I listened to the rest of the series on the radio, then got a copy from the library. My own well-read copy is from 1992.

Lexi's copy of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

By the way, I also love the 2005 movie version – no book vs. movie arguments from me. It probably won’t surprise anyone, but Red Dwarf is my comfort comedy TV series. I can quote huge chunks from memory. Given this, why I haven’t written a sci-fi comedy is a complete mystery.

Luckily, I don’t have to write one, because Claire Fayers has done it for me. I’m a huge fan of hers and over the past few years have recommended Storm Hound to many young readers. So I was very excited to hear about Tapper Watson and the Quest for the Nemo Machine.

And I was even more honoured to be asked to provide a quote for the cover, and receive a shiny proof copy. If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between a proof copy and a final published book is, this is it. Actually I love the proof cover, but the colour on the final cover really makes it zing.

Photo of a proof copy of Tapper Watson book beside the finished edition.

Anyway, here is what I wrote for the publisher to pick an extract from to use on the cover.

Pack your towel, we’re off on a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy style adventure! As always, Fayers has created a totally unique world, and populated it with a fabulous collection of weird and wacky characters from lobster mobsters to talking plants. It’s fast and funny, with a message on our responsibility for the environment, plus I reckon it’s a great way to start conversations with any young readers trying to understand the devastating impact of dementia.

Lexi Rees review of Tapper Watson

So what did they use? Here it is on the cover!

What do you get when you cross Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy with The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman? Tapper Watson. I’m going to put this down for my 2023 book of the year. Enjoy!

The monster, the puppy, and the mix-up

I do love a Robin Bennett book and have previously reviewed several of his books on here as well as joining him for a chat where he shared his five (and a half) writing tips. So I was always going to say “yes” to reviewing his latest book in the Monster Max series, This Time it’s Sirius.

This has all the essential ingredients: a logo (“Protect and do good stuff”), secret clubhouses, monsters, werewolves, and the cutest puppy. I’m a sucker for a cute puppy with a hidden backstory – check out my exclusive interview with Claire Fayers about her book Stormhound if you don’t believe me.

Anyway, back to Sirius. As a grown-up, the plot was entirely predictable, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. This is a perfect fun read for the last week of the school holidays, and doubly perfect given the full moon on the 30th August is both a supermoon and an extremely rare blue moon (hence the phrase “once in a blue moon”). I think we should get practising our werewolf howls, although I’m gutted to discover the moon won’t actually turn blue.

Blurb

Max can turn into a huge monster just by BURPING, and back again when he SNEEZES. Now Max and his best friend Peregrine realise that a dangerous pack of werewolves from Max’s home country of Krit are closing in on him and his family. But Max hasn’t told anyone about Sirius the tiny werewolf cub he found, smuggled home, and decided to keep…

About the author

When Robin grew up he thought he wanted to be a cavalry officer until everyone else realised that putting him in charge of a tank was a very bad idea. He then became an assistant gravedigger in London. After that he had a career frantically starting businesses (everything from dog-sitting to cigars, tuition to translation)… until finally settling down to write improbable stories to keep his children from killing each other on long car journeys.

What happens when Oliver Twist meets Harry Potter?

I’ve always loved the boarding school scenario from my first adventures at Mallory Towers to Hogwarts so I was excited to visit Crookhaven – a secret school for crooks. Given the plethora of boarding school books out there, I know it’s not easy to create a unique world and the tropes can be overdone, but this series totally nails it.

  • Secret boarding school ✔️
  • Quirky lessons ✔️
  • Fun challenges ✔️
  • Loveable rogues ✔️
  • Robin Hood ethics ✔️

This series had me reading under the covers in the middle of the night. I haven’t done that since I was ten! I literally couldn’t put it down. When is book 3 coming out? I need it now!

It does lean on some scenes from Hogwarts – e.g. there is a river crossing with the first years (“crooklings”) to get to the school and a sorting ceremony into houses – but it is really well done. Good messages on teamwork and kindness, as well as the importance of practising skills (in fact it was nice to see this applied to lessons as I always tell students that writing is a skill and you can get better at it if you practice, just like you can get better at football if you practice).

My only complaint about the books is that there are a few references to playing/ walking on railway lines and this is NOT OK. I really don’t see why this is included – it’s not critical to the plot, and certainly not something we should in any way encourage.

Blurb: Crookhaven series

Book 1: The school for thieves

The first book in the ‘criminally good’ Crookhaven series, the secret school where students are taught to do wrong, so that one day, they can put the world to rights.

“So this is really a school for criminals.” It was meant as a question, though it came out more as an accusation.

“We are so much more than that,” Caspian said, sitting in a plush leather chair and gesturing for Gabriel to sit in a similar one across the table. “We are a home for the forgotten, a sanctuary for the lost and … yes, a training ground for the greatest crooks of the future.”

13-year-old Gabriel is a brilliant pickpocket, a skill which he uses to keep his often empty belly not quite so empty. And then one day, he’s caught.

But instead of being arrested, he is invited by the mysterious Caspian Crook to attend Crookhaven – a school for thieves. At Crookhaven, students are trained in lock-picking, forgery and ‘crim-nastics’, all with the intention of doing good out in the world, by conning the bad and giving back to the innocent.

But … can you ever really trust a thief?

With a school wide competition to be crowned Top Crook and many mysteries to uncover, Gabriel’s first year at Crookhaven will be one to remember… 

Book 2: The forgotten maze

It’s Gabriel’s second year at Crookhaven School for Thieves. And with a tricky Break-In challenge to the teacher’s section of the library to attempt, plus a new class called Reclamation, his Miscreant year is already off to a busy start. 

Then Gabriel and his friends learn about Maravel’s Maze. Hidden deep beneath the lake, forgotten about by the school, it’s a labyrinth of obstacles. Each tests a crook-related skill – and all are nearly impossible. 

But the impossible has never stopped Gabriel’s crew before, especially not when there’s something at the heart of the maze that they all desperately want…

#crookhavenschoolforthieves #netgalley

Bodies, brains, and bogies

With a title like Bodies, Brains and Bogies, this could be a new horror movie, but it’s the latest addition to my non-fiction collection. And I’m very excited about it. If your kids like Horrible Histories, they’ll love this. Of course there are other similar books, but given kids devour these books faster than I get through novels on holiday, I reckon you can’t have too many.

There is of course lots of gross stuff in it, perfect for kids to absorb and then spew up at inappropriate times, but there is also a lot of information, presented in a really accessible way. For example, you’ve got to love a BPM chart that starts at zombie level. And I didn’t know that the shape of your nose affects the sound of your voice! But the best bit of all is the section on Body Positivity – what an important topic, and it’s handled so very well – which is then reinforced in the final pages with ‘Six steps to succeed in your skin’.

It wasn’t a surprise to me that the author has outstanding science credentials which, combined with an obvious passion for STEM, and I suspect a sense of humour like a 10 year old, make this book fun, accessible, and informative.

You’ve probably gathered I love this book, but just incase I haven’t shouted out enough, this is an absolute must for every home bookshelf and every school library.

Blurb

This fantastic title from Paul Ian Cross, the writer of How to Vanquish a Virus, takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of everything that’s disgusting, unusual and amazing about the human body. Find out everything about poo, pus and bogies, while learning a whole lot about how our bodies work hard in hundreds of fascinating ways to keep us alive.

With tons of hilarious and informative illustrations, it includes lashings of Paul Ian Cross’s trademark laugh-out-loud humour, in-depth knowledge and infectious optimism. It’s the perfect funny, accessible way to discover everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the human body, but were too grossed-out to ask!

About the author

Author Paul Ian Cross

Paul works in clinical research (developing new medicines) and he’s also a science communicator (presenting science to non-scientists). Paul specialises in vaccine development and has an interest in pharmacovigilance (the safety of medicinal products). His PhD research investigated the benefit-risk assessment of medicines, and how patients and the public can be more involved in their treatment decisions. 

Paul’s popular social media accounts (@DrPaulScience) are full of STEM-themed content for all ages, but particularly for parents and adults to share with the children in their lives. Paul is a member of #TeamHalo, a UN backed initiative where doctors, healthcare workers, and scientists share accurate information about healthcare, science, and the COVID-19 vaccines. In 2021, Paul was named as a ‘Luminary’ at the G7’s Vaccine Confidence Summit, in recognition for his science communication work on social media.

In addition to his research career, Paul has a passion for introducing children to STEM subjects, particularly reluctant readers. By introducing science creatively, he aims to spark their interest, allowing them to gain confidence with their reading. As a previous reluctant reader himself, he understands how hard it can be. But it’s all about making reading fun and interesting!