Bookseller reviews

The Strange Inside World of the Nibby Nabbies by Hildegard Hodgson

This is an exciting adventure story for 9-12 years featuring Monsters, Witches, Pirates and of course the Nibby Nabbies.
An ideal book if you are looking for something new to read in this area. I really enjoyed it and and hope there will be more from the author.

Format: Paperback 104 pages
Date of publish: 24/06/2008
Publisher: Athena Press Ltd
Usually despatched within 48 hours

RRP £5.99

£5.09

You save: £0.90

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Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage

I may have had a tear in my eye by the end of this but I also laughed out loud and went Ahhh a few times.
It's one of those books that's sometimes called " Life A-Firmin"- Get it? No, Never mind.
Honestly this is one of those books that you'll recommend to all your friends, unless they have some sort of rodent phobia then probably not a good idea.

Format: Hardback 192 pages
Date of publish: 14/08/2008
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Usually despatched within 48 hours

RRP £10.99

£9.29

You save: £1.70

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The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller, the hero from The Lincoln Lawyer, a big hit with Richard and Judy book club, is back with a new case. I don't really want to give any of the plot away but all I will say is that his life is probably in danger and a certain Detective Harry Bosch is looking out for him.
I'm going out on a limb here and saying this is the best Michael Connelly so far.

Format: Hardback 432 pages
Date of publish: 16/10/2008
Publisher: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
Usually despatched within 48 hours

£18.99

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Heavy Weather by P. G. Wodehouse, et al.

Another fanatastic Martin Arvis reading of another of PG Wodehouses' Blandings Castle books.
This time Lord Emsworth's brother Galahad is the main Threepwood family member in the soup as he battles to get his memoirs published against great resistance but being the good egg that he is he changes his mind and now the publisher is desperate to get his hands on the manuscript.
The usual mix of confusion , sabotage, butlers, pigs and fun.

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 14/05/2008
Publisher: CSA WORD
Usually despatched within 24 hours

RRP £16.99

£16.09

You save: £0.90

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The Complete Fairy Tales by George MacDonald, et al.

Traditional fairy tales shouldn't be twee and there is no danger of that with George Macdonald. Using traditional story telling methods such as paradox, whimsy and nonsense this collection will in turns amuse you, be magical and scare the pants off you.
One of the greatest writers of the 19th century Macdonald inspired other writers such as CS Lewis and Tolkien- Can you imagine a collaboration? The Hobbit, The Ring and The Wardrobe would have been one wicked book!

Format: Paperback 384 pages
Date of publish: 24/02/2000
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Usually despatched in 4-7 days

£8.99

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The Adventures of Pinocchio - Oxford World's Classics by Ann Lawson Lucas, et al.

None of that boohoo Disney nonsense here in the original fantastical story of the wooden puppet who wanted to become a real boy.
This particular translation is unabridged and contains all the original wit and satire that the author intended but of course the talking cricket, being turned into a donkey and the growing nose when he tells a big fat lie are all here, it's just a bit darker and more sophisticated.
It's one of those classics you always meant to read and just never got round to- so read it now!

Format: Paperback 256 pages
Date of publish: 14/12/2000
Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
Not available

Ritual by Mo Hayder

This is the latest Jack Cafferty from Mo Hayder but don't worry if you haven't read the others as this works well on it's own- but once you've read this you will probably want to go back and read Birdman and The Treatment as they are all brilliant thrillers BUT if you don't like them gruesome you might want to give it a miss- especially as the book opens with the discovery of a recently severed hand from a living body!

Format: Hardback 416 pages
Date of publish: 10/03/2008
Publisher: Bantam Press
Not available

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is often slated for being unrealistic in both her settings and characters but I find Five Little Pigs very moving- a young woman has asked Poirot to look into the murder of her father by her mother sixteen years previously, but even though her mother has died in prison she can't let the matter rest and Poirot isn't sure she will be any happier with what he finds.
The superb acting on this CD really brings out the emotions of the original book.

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 09/01/2006
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Usually despatched within 48 hours

£7.00

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Appointment with Death: BBC Radio 4 Full-cast Dramatisation - BBC Radio Collection by Agatha Christie, et al.

Another brilliant BBC adaptation of an Agatha Christie.
Again an all star cast led by John Moffat as Hercule Poirot in this tale of murder and deceit in the desert. You'd have thought with there being limited numbers in the desert it would be easy to find the culprit but M. Poirot has to put his little grey cells to work on this one.

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 07/05/2002
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Usually despatched in 3-5 days

£7.00

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A Pocket Full of Rye - BBC Radio Collection: Crimes and Thrillers by Agatha Christie

June Whitfield stars as Miss Marple who becomes personally involved when one of her young girls she trained as a housemaid is killed as part of a larger plot involving a family dispute and inheritance.
A Pocket Full of Rye is another example of how moving Agatha Christie can be and June Whitfield brings this emotion out brilliantly.

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 21/03/2005
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Usually despatched within 24 hours

RRP £7.00

£6.29

You save: £0.71

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The Body in the Library - BBC Radio Collection: Crimes and Thrillers by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple is to the rescue when her good friend Dolly Bantry discovers a body in the library in her home at Gossington Hall. Of course the police have been informed but it's Jane Marple who Dolly thinks of first after all she is "So Good at Murders".

June Whitfield shines again as Miss Marple and leads a brilliant support cast.

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 21/03/2005
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Usually despatched within 24 hours

£7.00

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Send for Paul Temple by Francis Durbridge

Send for Paul Temple was the original story that introduced us to Mr Temple and him to his wife to be Steve, the glamorous reporter that is investigating the same case.
I do prefer the old radio show Paul Temples to these readings but this particular episode is sadly no longer available in the archives so it will do until someone hopefully finds an old master copy in their shed.

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 05/11/2007
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Usually despatched within 24 hours

£12.99

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The Complete Barchester Chronicles

I managed to hear part of this when it was recently broadcast on BBC 7 and because I missed so much of it that it inspired me to read The Warden, the first book in the Barchester Chronicles. I enjoyed that so much I've now read all six of the books and have gone back to re-listen to the radio series.
It may seem an extravaaence at 60.00 for an audio book but it is nearly 19 hours of listening over 19 CD's and works out about the same as buying all six books but it is a superb listen with a fantastic all star cast.
It's one to put on your wish list of presents.

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 03/03/2008
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Usually despatched within 24 hours

RRP £59.99

£53.99

You save: £6.00

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Just William: No.2 - BBC Radio Collection by Martin Jarvis, et al.

I really love all the BBC Just William audio books read by Martin Jarvis but this particular volume of stories is my favourite as it has one of the funniest William stories- The Outlaws and the Triplets.
I won't spoil it for you but it involves a baby show, three "borrowed " babies and William telling tall tales involving the babies eating sausages, chops and one of the babies suffering from gout. Absolute comic genius made even better by Martin Jarvis' portrayal of William.

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 02/06/2003
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Usually despatched within 24 hours

RRP £12.99

£12.69

You save: £0.30

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"Father Ted"

I'm not usually a fan of the TV series made into audio CD by just re-editing the soundtrack but I'll make an exception for this Father Ted CD just because it has the hilarious Song For Europe episode. Ted and Dougal's entry "My Lovely Horse" is one of the funniest things I've heard and it would probably win if it was a real Eurovision entry- Ireland, 12 points!

Format: Audio CD
Date of publish: 04/04/2005
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Usually despatched in 3-5 days

£12.99

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