Readers' Choice Competition

Watch out for 1st October, when we launch the Readers' Choice competition once again...
We'll have THREE great titles for you to vote for and in doing so, enter our comp for your chance to win a free copy of the winning book!


Good luck!

Things That Make Writing Book Reviews Tough

1. The author is amazing but the book isn't... it makes having an opinion hard.
2. The book is amazing, but the author isn't... easier to manage, but incredibly difficult to prevent personal opinions from sneaking in.
3. Writer's block (Yes, we're writers too!)
4. You can't just write: "I thought this was rubbish/great"... there's probably dozens of reasons why you finally came to that conclusion - but pinpointing them, or being able to articulate them is a whole other matter.
5. When you've spent hours perfecting your review only to have your Editor ask you to redo almost half of it! (I'm mentioning no names...!!)

Topsy and Tim First Numbers and First Writing

Those amongst us who have young children got very excited at the prospect of reviewing these books as they seem to promise a fun way of educating your child; so it was hugely gratifying to discover that they really are as brilliant as we had hoped!
As sad as it may sound, the thing that most impressed us (apart from the beauty of wipe-clean pages so you can do the activities over and over and over again) was the sturdy pen with the funny looking, but incredibly useful eraser on the cap.  The gasps and 'Oooo's that went around made the males wonder if some firemen had turned up outside (they hadn't, more's the pity)... Do not underestimate the convenience factor for parents.  We also especially liked the fact that the pen can fit right back into its little compartment once you're done - making sure that its always there when you come back to it.  Genius!


Read our book reviews of both new titles, out in June:  

• Topsy and Tim First Numbers book review
• Topsy and Tim First Writing book review

Reminder about this month's BOOK GIVEAWAY

Just a quick reminder that our current book giveaway is now open!  We've got THREE copies of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time to giveaway to our readers - absolutely FREE!!!!!!  


It couldn't be easier to enter this fabulous competition... 
All you have to do is follow this link: book giveaway, answer the question and hit 'submit' - simple!


You'll have to hurry, though... this competition is only open until 7th June 2011.  So if you want to be in with a chance of winning this brilliant title from award winning author, Yasutaka Tsutsui, then get yourself over to our competitions page and get your entry in NOW.  It's free and there is no limit to the number of times you can enter.  Good luck!

The Tiger-Skin Rug by Gerald Rose

An usual children's story centred around an extraordinarily ingenious tiger who is fed up of his hard life in the jungle.  Near starvation, he decides on impulse to replace a tiger-skin rug hanging outside the Raja's palace.  His mind full of the comfort, food and drink that will be available to him once inside.  But as he becomes well-fed on all those scraps, he becomes worried that he will be discovered... what to do? 


Although we perhaps don't quite approve of the use of such a controversial item (a tiger-skin rug) as subject matter, it would be ridiculous to be offended by such a cute story.  In the end, the moral is clear: a live tiger is far better than a tiger-skin rug - so all's well that ends well, right?


Read the book review >>

Getting back into the blogging thing...

So, for those of you who take the time out to come read this blog - I guess you will have noticed that it's been awfully quiet in here for the past few months... Thankfully, it's nothing serious (as you will have noted from our twitter feed, we're still reviewing books, still having cool comps), but we feel a little bad for leaving you hanging, so we thought we share some insider goss and get back in your good books (no pun intended!).


First up, we recently reviewed the compelling (and disturbing) "Pink Hotel" by Anna Stothard.  It's a grim tale 99% of the time, made all the more grim because it's supposed to have a slightly autobiographical slant to it.  We can-not-imagine-being-17-and-alone-in-LA!!!  Read our review.


Apparently, the face of 'evil' is being changed... at least, in psychological/biological/medical terms.  According to Simon Baron-Cohen (and yes, he is related to THE Sasha Baron-Cohen - go figure!), a world-renowned expert, evil doesn't actually exist, what we're calling evil is actually just 'human cruelty' - and would you believe it?  The cause of cruelty is.... Empathy.  Ehhh?  My view exactly.  It seems his editors failed to comprehend that he actually meant that it's the absence of empathy that causes cruelty.  Minor quibble, we know... but still.  Take a look at the enlightening review.


We're excited about reading the latest in the enthralling series by Paul Hoffman, so watch this space (or our twitter feed) for details of our review of "The Last Four Things".


That's all for now folks,

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui

This classic Japanese animé title is immediately recognisable and we couldn’t wait to see how the original text would differ from the animated version. The slenderness of the novella caused a slight ripple of apprehension – would this fail to live up to expectations?  Read the whole book review >>


Anyone interested in Japanese animé should consider giving this the once over... and if that's not enough of any incentive, then perhaps a FREE copy would pique your interest?


We've got THREE copies to give away this month - Check out our Book Giveaway competition for further details.

NEW Book Giveaway!

Well, it's already rolled around to that time of year again, when all that sentimental fluffiness covers everyone in a snugly down of giving, caring and sharing and general niceness... We, at TTAB, are not immune to such sentimentality and so we're going beyond any giveaway we have EVER done before:  we are not giving away a few copies of the same book...NO... we are giving away

THREE WHOLE SETS 

of the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy!  This fantasy series had us reeling when it first grabbed our attention a couple of years ago.  Since the release of Book Two: Lamplighter, we were concerned that we might never see Book Three - but in October this year, the wait was finally over.  We salute D M Cornish for the masterful creation of an entirely new world, replete with gloriously monstrous monsters; irrationally charming slang courtesy of Craumpalin and Fransitart and  idiosyncratic characters as diverse as they are detailed.
For your chance to be one of our incredibly lucky three winners, all you have to do is follow this link and answer the question.  Simple.  It is free to enter, but you must be over 18 years old and a UK resident.

Good Luck!

Winners will be announced on the closing date of 22 Dec 2010. 

Potentially a huge title for 2011: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Our pals at Headline have given us a rare treat: a preview of a potentially huge new title for 2011.  A Discovery of Witches was the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair's hottest title and was consequently the source of a right old publisher ding-dong ( that means: fight, for the uninitiated).
Rolling up the respective worlds of witches, vampires and daemons (demons) into a single universe makes for some complicated reading; let alone creating a modern-day Romeo and Juliet to rival Bella and Edward (from the Twilight series).  A Discovery of Witches is the first in this much fancied trilogy... due out in February 2011.  But of course, you won't have to wait that long to find out if the book is really worthy of all that hype - we'll be publishing our review asap! 

Lunamorte by Sam Young

It’s not often that we come across a bright, young thing in the literary world that hasn’t already been discovered by the mainstream – and we have to admit, we probably never really expected to. Then, along came Sam Young with her debut teen novel: Lunamorte – and suddenly, we got ourselves all in a tizz. And here’s why: Ok, so the fantasy genre is burgeoning with vampires, werewolves and magical beings galore. So, yet another teen novel surrounding a teenage werewolf shouldn’t really get us going… but the thing is; Lunamorte is like taking your favourite wardrobe staple and vamping it up so it’s more than just utterly comfortable and familiar – it also sizzles with newness and above all – originality.



You see, Lunamorte’s “Caia” is not your average werewolf. And this isn’t your average war between good and evil. There is so much shading in between; it makes your head spin. We think this debut title from a young Scottish writer is a must read. If you want to know more, check out our full book review >>>

Secrets of the MoneyLab by Kay-Yut Chen & Marina Krakovsky

In our opinion, publishers are often reluctant to offer review copies of business titles, perhaps this is because they feel books in this genre don't really need reviewing... but we think they couldn't be more wrong.  Business titles are big business (apologies for the pun) - millions are spent on them every year, and they're not exactly cheap; many of them go for around £20 a pop.  But with so many titles to choose from: how the heck are we meant to know which ones deliver? 
So, it came as a pleasant and most welcome surprise when Penguin agreed to send us through their very latest titles in their new Portfolio list.  And to kick things off, we reviewed the extravagantly titled: Secrets of the MoneyLab by Kay-Yut Chen and Marina Krakovsky:

Read our review of The Secrets of the MoneyLab >>>

Business heads: stay tuned, we've got more on the way...

Rebel Books LLP and "There's a Lion in my Bathroom" by Giles Paley-Phillips

We're a huge fan of all things new when it comes to literature; so we were happy to be contact by an Giles Paley-Phillips in a bid for us to review his collection of short poems for children entitled: There's a Lion in my Bathroom.  Now, we know what you're thinking: poetry?  Really???
Well, we'd normally be with you on the dubiousness of poetry as entertainment - but we soon changed our tune when we gave There's a Lion in my Bathroom a shot.  Our review will be loaded shortly on our main website, however, we just wanted to congratulate Rebel Books LLP for broadening our horizons and giving the world this little gem of a book.
Incidentally, Rebel Books LLP itself is a young, new thing.  The above title only being their third publication - like - ever.  But if their editorial team is this brilliant at picking our great new writers; we're sure they'll be around for some time to come. 

Comin 2 gt U by Simon Packham

We're a fan of Packham's gritty style.  He's not afraid to get his hands dirty.  There's no dancing around the issue with him - and despite writing for a completely different demographic than The Opposite Bastard - in Comin 2 gt U, Packham still delivers killer prose.

Never for the faint hearted, Packham's latest novel tells the tale of a young boy, Sam, who finds himself the target of some serious bullying.  As if he didn't have enough to deal with, what with his psychiatrist mum who over-analyses everything, his AWOL dad following his 'Hardman' dream and a dying Grandfather with a heavy burden on his guilt-ridden shoulders...

Read our book review >>

Pop Goes the Weasel by Albert Jack

Ever wondered what Jack and Jill were doing up that hill?  Or how about what a Goosie Gander was doing wandering around a 'Lady's Chamber'?  These and many other curiosities that have been driving us all mad these many years are finally answered by the inimitable Albert Jack.

The secret meanings behind our beloved nursery rhymes are laid bare - and some of them have a startling, occasionally lurid history.  Read the review of Pop Goes the Weasel >>

Voice From the Planet (an anthology)

Voice From the Planet is almost experimental in its nature.  A collaboration of original works by authors from as diverse a range of countries and continents as you are ever likely to come across, is something that can be likened to setting of a spark in a box of fireworks: it not only blows your mind that this anthology came about through the determination of authors to tear down the physical barriers between them, but will also enlighten the reader to the presence of alternate styles of writing that are lacking in our niche Western literature.

This anthology of 30 short stories from across the globe comprises the many and varied works of authors who came together via the Internet to form a truly unique experience for the reader. From award winning authors to complete unknowns; just as the anthology does not discriminate geographically, is it not prohibitive to the unpublished author... Continue reading the book review >>

No Readers' Choice for September

We really don't like not giving away books, it just goes against the grain - but the fact is that with us all being off, there isn't really a lot of reviewed books to choose from.  It'll be back next month (October), so don't go having panic attacks on us... you'll be able to get your voting fix in just a few weeks. 

Back to Business

September has finally rolled around, and the office is buzzing with excitement... but that will probably wear off quickly once everyone has a chance to look at the INBOX.  So much to catch up, so many emails to answer - how the heck did you manage without us for 6 weeks?!?
So, Autumn is upon us and with it comes the inevitable Halloween rush, followed closely by the Christmas seasonal releases.  In fact, there is so much coming out in the next few months that it can leave you bewildered and overwhelmed with choice.  This is (hopefully) where we come in: we'll be trawling through the masses, uncovering the great titles from the not-so-great. 
Things to look forward to:

• We'll be featuring a Halloween special RIGHT HERE during October
• Our list of Christmas stocking titles

Happy reading !!

CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS UNTIL SEPTEMBER

As we're sure you are aware, it is that time of year again when schools are out and everyone dashes off to hotter climates and we're no exception!

The TTAB main website will not be updated from 22 July until 1st September 2010.
What this means to you is:

• The winner of our current (July) Readers' Choice will not be notified until September and therefore will have a delay in getting their book,
• No new reviews will be loaded onto the website,
• The August Readers' Choice competition will go ahead as usual,
• There will be NO Readers' Choice comp for September

And that's it really...

Wishing everyone and our members a happy summer!  Oh, and remember, we have left you with our selection of tasty summer reads - because we're considerate like that!

The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

As Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief hit our cinema screens; Riordan had already moved on... done with capturing the excitement and exhilaration of being half human, half God - he's also opted out of the Greek stakes in favour of all things Egyptian.

In this, the first installment of The Kane Chronicles, Riordan blasts our senses with an incredible plot line, bags of action, tons of magic and a veritable feast of wonderfully memorable characters.  If you liked Percy Jackson - you will love The Kane Chronicles!

Read the review of Rick Riordan's latest book >>

Starting Over by Sue Moorcroft

If you love the thrill of a strung out chase, the emotional tumble of falling in love and the speculative dip into sumptuous (but not really THAT rude) sexiness - then maybe, just maybe, you have found a book to sprawl with by the poolside. 

We'll be honest, we're not all that fussed about the genre of Chic Lit.  A lot of it is same-old, same-old.  Everyone is devastatingly handsome, or spectacularly stunning; which is great if your self esteem can handle it, not so great if it makes you look at your bulging love handles and that baby belly you still haven't quite shifted.  But, and it's a BIG but - Moorcroft is just a genius at creating realistic, believable characters.  Tess, in Starting Over, is quite frankly extremely messed up.  Her fiance dumped her a couple of days before the wedding, she miscarried a child she didn't realise was there and if that wasn't enough, then the "Curse" as she calls it, would absolutely, one hundred percent make you weep inconsolably for yourself.

We weren't sure about naming the main man "Ratty", or "Rats" - but then, it's a damn sight better than being called "Miles"...

Read the review of Starting Over >>