I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

Your updated guide to better thinking.

- Think twice about what’s in front of you.
- Sift through the digital deluge.
- Strengthen your arguments.
- Overcome information overload.
- Deliver clear and confident critical writing.
- Equip yourself for life after study.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Tom Chatfield is an author, tech philosopher and educator with a focus on critical thinking skills. This really useful book is aimed at students but has a lot for ‘ordinary’ people who want to work on their critical thinking skills, including sorting through and questioning information, understanding biases and how to make a strong argument. It’s clearly written, easy to follow and has useful summaries at the end of each chapter.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Finn and his dog, Skip, are exploring the skies on a hang glider, when a flock of swans steals their map! As they set off on a mission to get it back, they uncover what’s going on in the skies.

Follow Finn and Skip as they learn how they can help keep the air clean and look after the birds that call it home …

They are happy to help where they can. What can you do?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 4th in Brendan Kearney’s picture book series has the worthy aim of introducing young readers to environmental issues and what they can do to improve things but it’s heavy-handed and some of it would go over the head of the target readership. Also, although I liked Kearney’s stripped down illustrations, I must confess that I thought the swans were geese. Ultimately I applaud the intent but the execution didn’t work for me here.

ADVENTURES WITH FINN AND SKIP: BIRD was released in the United Kingdom on 4th August 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

The race for immortality is on.

When linguist and smuggler Sean Wren is blackmailed into a job to get some data off an ancient ship, he’s not expecting it to be the Philosopher’s Stone: a literal recipe for immortality.

Unfortunately, he’s not the only one looking. The undying Ministers, mysterious aliens that have ruled over humanity for thousands of years, want the data too. So does the Republic, the last free human government.

To add to the fun, the map to the treasure is in a long-lost language, the ship’s filled with dangerous traps and genetically-engineered monsters, and the nearby star’s going supernova in a few days.

Easy job, right?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Taran Hunt’s debut SF novel mixes TOMB RAIDER with ALIENS to action-packed effect. Sean is an interesting main character who prefers communication to violence while the dynamic between him, Indigo (a Minister) and Tamara (a Republican soldier) held my interest and the creatures are genuinely creepy. Some of the flashbacks slow the pace and I wanted more depth to the politics and history but the cliffhanger ending promises an interesting sequel.

THE IMMORTALITY THIEF by Taran Hunt was released in the United States on 11th October 2022 and in the United Kingdom on 13th October 2022. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton. He has been there for eight years, living at the rectory alongside his widowed mother - opinionated, fearless, occasionally annoying Audrey - and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda.

When Daniel announces a plan to install a lavatory in the church, the parish is suddenly (and unexpectedly) divided: as lines are drawn, long-buried secrets come dangerously close to destroying the apparent calm of the village.

And then Anthony Bowness - cousin to Bernard de Flores, patron of Champton - is found dead at the back of the church, stabbed in the neck with a pair of secateurs.

As the police move in and the bodies start piling up, Daniel is the only one who can try and keep his fractured community together … and catch a killer.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Richard Coles’s debut crime novel (the first in a series) is more interested in the impact of a murder on a close-knit community and in the main character’s thoughts on murder and evil than in actually investigating whodunnit. At the same time, it is not immediately clear when this book is set and there are inconsistencies in the time line but if you can get past that, I think Coles has something interesting to offer and I would read the sequel.

The Blurb On The Back:

Discover amazing people who made their mark on the world!

From scientists to sports stars, artists to activists, read all about Black British people who set records, broke new ground, and lifted others up. Find out what it means to create a legacy with these inspiring stories of incredible people and their hugely informative achievements.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Lania Narjee is an artist, educator and art psychotherapist. This inspiring book for readers aged 9+ is a hugely informative and important look at Black British people who have made a difference, whether through sport, art and music, STEM or politics with warm and evocative portrait illustrations from Chanté Timothy. I learnt a lot from this book and my only complaint was that I wanted it to be longer as the biographies are very short.

LEGACIES - BLACK BRITISH PIONEERS was released in the United Kingdom on 4th August 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

This is the remarkable story of a family, and the sacrifices and silences that marked a generation and their descendants. Mark Mazower uncovers the history of his ancestors, who fate drove into the siege of Stalingrad, the Vilna ghetto, occupied Paris, and even into the ranks of the Wehrmacht. His British father was the lucky one, the son of Russian Jewish emigrants who settled in London after escaping the civil war and revolution. Max, the grandfather, had started out as a socialist and manned the barricades against tsarist troops, but never spoke of it. His wife, Frouma, came from a family ravaged by the Great Terror yet somehow making its way in Soviet society.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Mark Mazower is Professor of History at Columbia University. This fascinating book looks at Mazower’s family history starting with his grandfather, Max, a Jew born in the Russian Empire to piece together who they were and what drove them overseas. However while Mazower does his best to fill in the blanks, there is a lot of supposition here, so while you learn a lot about the politics, his family themselves remain to an extent unknowable.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

We have no need to protect ourselves from the bad sort because WE are the bad sort …

The year is 1831. Down the murk alleyways of London, acts of unspeakable wickedness are taking place and no one is willing to speak out on behalf of the city’s vulnerable poor as they disappear from the streets.

Out of these shadows comes Hester White, a bright young woman who is desperate to escape the slums by any means possible …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Laura Carlin’s debut novel is a gothic historical thriller that effectively recreates the squalor of the 1830s but relies heavily on credibility-defying contrivance to drive the plot. The romance between Hester and Rebekah doesn’t convince due to its ‘insta love’ beginnings and the failure of either woman to question it in the context of the period. Ultimately this just wasn’t for me and I can’t say I’d rush to read Carlin’s other work.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Maybe you are being bullied and you think it could be racial bullying. Perhaps you know someone who is being treated badly because of racism and you want to help them.

Being anti-racist means being active against racism. This books gives some tips about how to be anti-racist in a positive and safe way.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Arike Oke is the former Managing Director for Black Cultural Archives. This guide for readers aged 9+ on how to stop racism (illustrated by Scott Garrett) is well intentioned and good at describing the emotional effects of racism, bullying and micro aggressions but some of the metaphors on the dangerous effects of racism didn’t quite work and the advice on how to counter it doesn’t take into account structural racism within institutions.

THE KIDS’ GUIDE: ANTI-RACISM was released in the United Kingdom on 22nd September 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Lucile is on a search for her perfect cabin so she sets off on an exciting trip around the world, looking for ideas. Travelling from the forests of Sweden to the comfort of snowy Siberia and the enchanting caves in Turkey, will Lucile find her dream home?

A stunning book that shows how people live around the world, while presenting the beauty of our planet.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Emmanuelle Mardesson’s picture book (translated from French) is a thoughtful and informative look at the types of places where people around the world live. Sarah Loulendo’s illustrations are excellent - rich in detail and expression and really conveying the landscape in which each type of cabin is set. It’s a beautifully put together book that will make young readers think about the world around us and how people live.

MY PERFECT CABIN was released in the United Kingdom on 7th April 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Discover more about you with the Mr Men and Little Miss

A new series to encourage children to understand more about their own emotions and how to manage them with the help of the Mr Men and Little Miss.

A book about feeling anxious.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Roger Hargreaves and Elizabeth Kilbey’s picture book (part of the DISCOVER MORE ABOUT YOU SERIES) is a thoughtful guide for young readers about what to do if you feel worried or anxious and although it doesn’t have a lot of the trade mark MR MEN AND LITTLE MISS silly humour, it’s very reassuring and shows a lot of sympathy to the type of concerns that young readers have. As such, it’s definitely worth your time.

MR MEN LITTLE MISS - WORRIES was released in the United Kingdom on 4th August 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.