May it Please You, Madam

May it Please You, Madam, by Neil Hickman, is just the type of book that I love.

It is sub-titled a little book of legal whimsy and it contains an enthralling and highly entertaining collection of legal anecdotes gathered together throughout the long legal career (over 40 years!) of retired District Judge Neil Hickman.

The book commences with a collection of approaches used to greet a judge, some which would have worked some which would have worked to bemuse or outrage the judge they were addressed to!

There are strange things people did or said in and around our courts, what they they tried to get away with and, in some cases, what they actually were able to get away with.

There are cases of dishonesty and, perhaps refreshingly, cases of honesty which come wuth sudden and perhaps consequences that were only to be expected.

Such as: " Are the contents of your statement true?" The unexpected response certainly strongly coloured the outcome of the court case: "No. It's what the man from the solicitors said I should say. But it isn't true."

According to Neil Hickman the trial lasted for all of 15 seconds as a result of this admission!

Well collected and beautifully written and nicely illustrated with some well drawn legal cartoons by the late Jeff Bowser, this book is an ideal stocking filler which everyone will want to keep returning to to to read just a few more legal anecdotes

It is published by The Book Guild at £6.99 and it is available for purchase here >>> https://goo.gl/AzQ0XD.

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Dig In!

If you are looking for a great new game for the family this Christmas, then surely Dig In! will fit the bill?

It's billed as "The great game of frantic finding fun!" and that is exactly what it is!

It's an utterly new type of game where participants have to keep their eyes open and be ready to use their hopefully nimble fingers in a friendly battle against not only your opposing players, but also the clock in order to identify the six playing pieces that are on your card as you dig in for victory!

But in order to find what you need to win, you only have 15 seconds on your own to seek out and locate their figures, but then the mayhem begins, because then everyone piles on at the same time to try to join in the insane fun and track down the last remaining missing pieces in order to come out as the Dig In! winner!

The game is for ages 8 years of age and older and is for 2 to 4 players.

It is even more fun than you might think from the above description which, to be honest, does not even begin to do it justice!

It is made by Drumond Park and is available for purchase here >>> https://goo.gl/AzQ0XD at £17.95.

You can learn more about this game and other games in the range by visiting www.drumondpark.com.

Watch how the game is played here:-

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Eisberg wine. All of the taste, none of the hangover

There's big things happening at Eisberg non-alcoholic wines.

A long time ago alcohol free wine was either white or red.

But the wine experts at Eisberg have worked very hard over the years to make certain that people who love the taste of fine wines can enjoy all of the taste yet eschew the impact of alcohol on their body and mind.

There are many reasons why people do not want to consume alcohol. Religious sensibilities, the desire to be able to drink without risking getting inebriated for work reasons and to make sure they do not run the risk of driving whilst drunk, or perhaps they do not have the ability to properly process alcohol or they finds that alcohol triggers their migraines. Or perhaps they just do not like drinkinging alcohol.

Now there is a wide range of entirely different alcohol free wines that you can serve such guests or even enjoy drinking yourself throughout the Christmas festivities and the New Year period.

There is the Sauvignon Blanc wine, which is new to their range.

It was a typically fruity and interesting Sauvignon Blanc wine, but it was all of the taste with none of the alcohol!

What about the Chardonnay?

There was that typical Chardonnay nose, then the delicious hint of those lovely French crispy apples, with tones of honey and golden sunlight bursting through? (I wonder how a grape can taste like apples and honey? Yes, I know there's a technical explanation, but that was by way of a rhetorical question, to which the answer might spoil the magic!)

The Rosé?

Oh! The Eisberg Rosé! There was more than a hint of hedgerow berries, plus a tantalising mixture of soft fruits and maybe a hint of apples? No? Something else fruity, then that added to the enjoyable Rosé. Oh! The bottle's empty!

Cabernet Sauvignon

The real revelation has to be the Eisberg Cabernet Sauvignon!

A ruby red wine, with rich, fruity scents and the taste? Wow! The taste! My wife took one sip, then another and declared it the best Cabernet Sauvignon that she had ever tried, even those with the alcohol left in!

It has the full, rich flavour of the typical Cabernet Sauvignon wine, yet we knew we could serve it to our guests and know that they would not have to be concerned about them getting home in safety.

Though that plan does require us to go back out to the shops to buy some more Eisberg wines!

And there's another advantage, too, for those who are looking at their calorific intake, a 125ml glass of ordinary Cabernet Sauvignon will typically contain 85 calories, yet a 125ml glass of Cabernet Sauvignon contains on 26 calories!

And there are similar calorie reductions in the other wines in the range, too!

To learn more about these wines and where to purchase them please visit
http://www.eisberg.co.uk where you will also find some utterly delicious cocktail recipes that are all, of course, alcohol free! That is if you can prize it out of your guest's hands in order to make the cocktails. Better double up on the amount of bottles you buy!

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The Primacy of Your Eye

The Primacy of Your Eye is a fascinating book by author, artist and qualified art historian Allan W. Beckett.

It is a handbook that belongs on the bookshelf of anyone with even a passing acquaintance and interest in art and really should be owned by every public library, school library and university library in the country.

This will make a superb stocking filler for every art student and every lover of art.

He has researched for this book by watching people in art galleries. He acknowledges that they clearly enjoy what they are seeing on the walls of the art galleries, but believes they move too quickly from one work of art to another because they are unsure of what they should be looking for.

Beckett looks in broad depth at every topic that he has covered in his book, in an attempt to open the eye of the viewer of art to come to an understanding of the history of art, what the artist's intentions may well have been, what approaches they would have taken to their subjects and the varied array of artistic techniques and styles they would have used.

He also examines the influences that would have informed the work of the artists, from the early Renaissance period right through to modern times with contemporary art, via Modernism.

It is is intention -and a noble one, at that- to help people learn to appreciate the art in the world, but to do this in a non-threatening and non-elitist fashion.

The book is well-illustrated and the author executes his intention with a deft touch and a very welcome panache.

It is published by Matador at £12.99 and is available for purchase here >>> https://goo.gl/m5aVoo.

The Rhyming Diary of Jason Smith

If you have a teacher or a child to buy a Christmas present for, then you really should get a copy of veteran schoolteacher Trevor Cattell's highly amusing book, The Rhyming Dictionary of Jason Smith.

Retired teacher and author, Trevor Cattell has drawn on his over 30 years experience at the chalkface, as they say, to come up with his first book for children.

Jason Smith is a fairly standard boy of 11, with the exception that he enjoys being a diarist, keeping a record of events and occasions that had, for one reason or another, made a deep and lasting impression on him.

Days so recorded included the incident when a dog decided to go to school, what happened when he wore odd socks, the problem of racing infants, or should that be of infants, racing?) the misery of his untidy room, how he played at being Howard Carter one afternoon, and forgot what he should have been doing, and all told in rhyme!

This is a cleverly disguised, highly inventive and most amusing book of poetry for children, teachers and adults.

It is published by Matador at £8.99 and will make a very welcome addition to many Christmas stockings this year!

You can purchase it, and lots of other Christmas books and gifts,  here >>> https://goo.gl/m5aVoo.

Chasing Cloud

If you have to buy a Christmas present for a lover of historical fiction, here's a book that will fit that bill perfectly.

Chasing Cloud by David M. Smith, which is set on the island of Malta in 2500BC.

We meet Laxme who is the priest at the Tarxian temple.

He devotes his life to the worship of the goddess of fertility and has over his many years at her temple worked diligently to become a master of not only the temple rituals but also of the theology of the goddess' religion.

He believes his life life to be perfect. Well, nearly perfect.

Suddenly his life of order and ritual is replaced with a new life that is unexpectedly filled with adventure and danger.

He finds himself searching for a missing woman, called Cloud, who he knew from his childhood, and he also joins a young sculptress, Pebble, on a quest to the distant island of Sicily in order to help her find a copper idol that she requires for a carving that she is undertaking.

Will Laxme be able to complete both tasks, or neither?

Will his chasing Cloud result in her being found?

Can he help the young sculptress attain what it is that she needs?

This is a very interesting novel, it is a whimsical and romantic novel which will be a welcome Chirstmas gift for the lover of stories set in the past.

It is well written and the historical research is also first rate.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and is available for purchase at our own Christmas gift shop which you will find here >>>>  https://goo.gl/m5aVoo.



  

The Key to the Half Worlds

Andrew Chaplin's debut children's novel, The Key to the Half Worlds, is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

It tells the exciting story of Richard Cranfield, a rather ordinary boy of 13, who suddenly finds himself launched into another, utterly alien, but strangely familiar, world by way of the school bus.

He is fortunate as he has an equally youthful companion with him on this extraordinary journey, his best friend Tom.

They realise that they are in an alternative reality, an Earth where magic is real and where all sorts of amazing and mythological creatures and beings actually live and breathe, side by side, as it were.

Sorcerers practiced their sorcery, and dragons and elves were commonplace and, in effect, ordinary living creatures.

Richard and Tom are amazed at first, but then they realise how dangerous and frightening this alternative version of their world really could be.

They meet a young female elf and assisted by a wizardly elf the boys become embroiled in a desperate plot to stop a wicked sorcerer elf from bringing the two realities together as a part of her campaign to dominate everything and everyone.

Could the boys help be the key to thwarting this evil design to bring about domination?

Would they save both versions of the world?

Would they be able to return home?

This book is published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and will make a superb Chirstmas present for any child who likes a touch of magic in their reading material. It'll also be great fun for parents, grandparents and older siblings, too!

It is available for purchase from our very own book and gift shop which you will find here >>> https://goo.gl/m5aVoo.

Deathling of Dorn

Deathling of Dorn, by John Timmis, is an ideal Christmas gift for the lovers of Fantasy Fiction in your life.

It tells the story of the inhabitants of the Southlands and of Dorn who have known safety, peace and security for many millennia under the benevolent and protective rule of Virdil, their wizard.

But on one great and terrible day, the unthinkable happens! The evil and vicious sorcerer Venain has slain Virdil, their protector!

Now the denizens of the Southlands and of Dorn fall prey to the vile Baeths, hostile and barbaric killers who are lusting after the spoils of the conquests they can so easily make, now the people's champion and protector is no more!

But the people of the lands strive to continue some semblance of normal life and for them concepts of honour and love are still adhered to by them.

They try to fight off the evil despoilers of their lands but great and terrible events are taking place and these events and the ensuing chaos bring about the spawning of a Deathling.

What could this mean? What will the consequences be? Nobody could know, but the results could mean life or death.

What will happen to the lands, to the people? Will they ever know peace and happiness? Or will their lives forever be blighted?

Published by Matador at £8.99 the book is available here at our own bookshop >>> https://goo.gl/m5aVoo.