Puzzlebook: 101 Puzzle Quizzes by the Grabarchuk Family

I reviewed the 100 Puzzle Quizzes book a little while back and was pleased to take a look at the next book in the series. 


The basics of this book are exactly the same. Each puzzle has a number of solutions which you select in the relevant way, depending on the format you are reading it in.  Only the correct answer will take you to the solution page, which in turn has a link to the next puzzle. While my Kindle is a plain grey and white screen the problems are in colour for other apps and Kindles. 


The book again contains a mix of different types of problem to give the old grey matter a workout. The puzzles start at 1* difficulty, working up to 5* as you work you progress through, but as with the previous book I found some of the 2* problems completely beyond me while some of the more difficult problems of a different type were still relatively simple. I did find some of the solutions completely incomprehensible and couldn't see how you could solve them without being a maths whizz, and others didn't have a full explanation of why the answer was correct where I would have appreciated it.


Although I think there is a bit of room for improvement by and large I am enjoying this series as something a bit different for the moments when I want a distraction but don't have the time or inclination to pick up a novel. If you like a mental workout you could do far worse than picking up one (or several) of these.


Format: Kindle, review copy
Publisher: Grabarchuk Puzzles
My Rating: 3*

Cracks in the Ceiling by Dave Cornford

This book comprises a collection of short stories based on the lives of people affected in different ways by the global economic crisis. Some are tales of ordinary people who are faced with losing their jobs and homes, others are about wealthy individuals who have lost millions and are having to drastically rewrite their plans. There is a degree of overlap between some of the stories which adds an additional dimension to the tales as the reader begins to see both sides. It is a very contemporary theme with recession and the possible failure of the Euro still dominating national (and international) headlines.


Although they are short stories the characterisation was well done and the way the relationships between different characters were portrayed made for some touching writing in places. While the author clearly knows his onions when it comes to the financial world and the background to the current turmoil, the content is accessible even to someone like me who is no financial wizard. I found the story about the vulnerability of large organisations thanks to the power of modern technology particularly interesting and enjoyed this as a thoughtful collection that made me stop and think.


Despite the subject matter there were plenty of rays of hope in the book and rather than being slightly depressing the stories of survival and friendship were quite positive. I found it well formatted and don't recall noticing any typos. Overall I really enjoyed this read.


Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 4*

Flashbyte by Cat Connor

Flashbyte is the 4th book in the Ellie Conway Byte series. I jumped straight in with this book and it works on its own, but more on that later.


FBI Special Agent Ellie Conway wakes one morning to find news of her death has been greatly exaggerated. Not a good start to the day but things get progressively worse as someone tries to shoot her and she receives an unwelcome package at home. Ellie soon finds herself facing up to ghosts from the past while trying to solve a string of bank robberies, uncover a possible serial killer in a hospital and keep various other balls in the air.


I took to Ellie Conway virtually from the start. She's certainly kickass but not invincible, and she works on all the competing demands while demonstrating a sense of humour and giving the impression of being a very capable woman. Her personal life is slightly complicated and she is self-deprecating which make her easy to warm to. However this is where I wish I had read the earlier books because there are a lot of people in the team she works with, and who become involved through the various cases, and I found it took a little bit of work to keep the other characters straight. Had I been used to them already I think I would have given the book another star.


The plot is full of twists and turns and there are some weird overlaps that appear as the tale progresses. At one point I thought I was starting to lose the plot but by the end it all made sense and I wondered how the author managed to conclude so many individual threads in one book, even if not all of them were very in-depth.


This was one of those books I struggled to put down, wanting to find out where the action would take Ellie and what would happen to her next. The hints of romance also kept me wondering, and every time I went to put it down I found myself trying to fit in just one more chapter.


I really enjoyed this book and think I will now have to go back and start at the beginning.


Format: Kindle, review copy
Publisher: Rebel ePublishers
My Rating: 4*

The Camping Pocket Bible by Caroline Mills

They say staycationing is the new going abroad and that camping is the cooler than ever. I need no conversion; until I sold one of them recently we were a three tent household. The blurb for this book offered tips for beginners through to fun ideas for the more experienced camper. We camp a handful of times a year for up to 5 nights so we're not novices or super-experienced and I was hoping to find some useful info.


What I got instead was an incredibly basic guide that would be suitable for new campers with no common sense. At points I was stunned that some of the content was seriously included. There were 5 tips for things to do while camping that you don't need any equipment for that included looking at the stars and watching the sun rise or set. Honestly.


I was looking forward to the promised fantastic food ideas for a camp stove, but apart from a recipe for what was essentially a fry up and one for pancakes the rest were all for BBQs, something we never use. When it got to a checklist for a repairs kit I got my hopes up that something useful would follow but there was nothing on how to use the bits mentioned.


There was nothing in this book that you couldn't find online via a search engine, although I am sure for someone taking their first trip ever it could have a few gems in there. I can't remember if I picked this up as a freebie or if it 99p - it was definitely one or the other - but if I had paid the current £4.80 price for the kindle edition I would be seriously unhappy.


This book tried to cover too much ground in too little detail and in places just came off as patronising. The only thing this book has done is remind me how much I love camping and get me thinking about getting our kit together for the first trip of the year soon.


Format: Kindle
Publisher: Pocket Bibles
My Rating: 1*

The Tibetan Talisman by Rob Ingalls

"Shortly after his plane crashes near Chinese spy ships, US Air Force Captain Peter Forrest, a member of an elite team of airmen who fly into the center of typhoons, discovers his destiny. For reasons unknown to him, he has been chosen to return a unique talisman to its rightful owner. At the conclusion of a challenging journey, he is surprised and amazed to learn the identity of its owner.

Twelve thousand years ago, seven gold and silver talismans were created, each inscribed with cryptic symbols. Left in the custody of seven religious guardians throughout the world, each was linked with a different faith. For generations, these guardians have kept the talismans safe, while keeping their vital secret. However, when one of the talismans is stolen, the combined energies of numerous groups struggle to obtain possession. A powerful tool, the talisman could cause international chaos under the control of an evil influence.

Why are the CIA, the United States and Chinese governments, even the Tibetan's exiled government, desperate to gain possession of the talisman? How can Captain Forrest retrieve the talisman and return it to its rightful owner? Discover the commanding power and incredible journey of The Tibetan Talisman." from Amazon.co.uk

From the product description this book sounded like it ticked a lot of boxes for me, action, intrigue, political manoeuvring...and it delivered those elements. The author seems very knowledgeable about  a lot of the topics covered. This is a romp through a number of exotic locales as various factions try and influence the destiny of the Tibetan Talisman. Only Peter seems to be ignorant of what it is capable of, although he becomes very aware it has special powers. I particularly liked the descriptions of the work of the tyhoon hunters and enjoyed the dynamics of the team. The crew were the characters I was most able to empathise with, although I also liked the characterisation of the potential Chinese defector. 

While the switches of location were well handled I did reach a point where I was struggling to keep track of all the characters, particularly those within the CIA and US Government. Trying to keep who was ignorant about the Talisman and who was in on the secret straight was a bit of an effort. My other criticism would be that I put the book down feeling that I didn't really understand what the Talisman was actually capable of. As there is more to come from Peter Forrest I am sure readers will learn more as he does but I would like to have felt I understood the basics of how or why it worked and what could be done with it. Along with a few typos I couldn't say I really liked this book, although I would be interested to see how the series and the writing develops.

Format: Kindle, review copy

Publisher: iUniverse

My Rating: 3*

The 500, Bomber and Issue 49 (Dark Shorts) by J D Hughes

It's been a while since I read any short stories, so picking up these three (available separately) made a refreshing change. As suggested these are three dark little stories, equivalent to between 11 and 17 pages.


In The 500 we meet Gemma who is about to take revenge on her cheating ex. This revenge backfires and mires her in guilt until she sees a way to redeem herself.


Issue 49 introduces lonely Billy Bunter fan and comic collector Tobias. After past humiliations and years of loneliness he meets the woman of his dreams. However there is more to her than meets the eye.


The Bomber is about a young man who likes cars and girls but finds himself in the frame as a potential suicide bomber. He wants to prevent the planned attack but his fate has already been determined by others.


All three tales move at quite a pace but contain telling little details that give the characters some depth. However with The Bomber I felt that I had missed something key to understanding exactly who was meant to have done what, and felt it could have been explained a little more expansively as events unfolded at the end.


Overall I enjoyed this trio of dark, bordering on macabre, tales and was reminded why I have become a short story convert.


Format: Kindle, review copies
Publisher: Northwood e-Books
My Rating: 3*

Time for a weekend of fun

Although bank holidays don't mean a lot to me as I only work a couple of days a week this long weekend is shaping up to be a good one. For those of you who aren't Brits (and those who are but having been hiding in a cave) it is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year and celebrations reach their peak this week. There's so much going on in my town that I've taken the time off work to enjoy it. It seems that even those who aren't Royalists are in a buoyant mood and that people are more positive than they have been in ages. It's a really fun time and with the Olympics on the horizon I'm a happy bunny.

Since my last TGIF and weekly (probably should be fortnightly these days) round-up I have read and reviewed:

Steps to Heaven by Wendy Cartmell

Growing Up Wired by David Wallace Fleming and

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I also managed to fit in some short stories for the first time in ages, review following soon, and am hoping to finish the novel I'm reading at the moment some time tonight.

Over at GReads it is TGIF time and the question is a cracker. Which books have you found to be very rewarding when it comes to tackling tougher issues?

One book I have read more recently that I thought dealt with some hard topics well was The Girl in the Box by Sheila Dalton Here's the brief synopsis to explain it  -Dr. Jerry Simpson brings a traumatised girl named Inez, who may be autistic, back to Canada from Guatemala as an act of compassion. He is unable to establish exactly what has happened in her past, but in a country torn apart by civil war it is clear the girl who lives in a box has seen or experienced terrible things. When Inez turns on Jerry and kills him partner Caitlin desperately needs to find out why this terrible incident occurred so she can forgive and move on with her life.

Inez becomes a cause celebre during her trial, provoking discussion about whether Jerry was right to remove her from her homeland and about what he must have done to provoke her fury. She exudes a compelling and innocent aura that draws people to her. Almost worse than being locked up in a bleak hospital in the north of the country Inez is locked within herself. Can Caitlin find it in herself to forgive and help the girl she once loved?

I thought the author treated the subject matter well, not shying away from providing details but without pushing it to the point of melo-drama. 

I don't read a lot of books whose central plot deals with tougher issues, maybe because life is hard enough without reading about some of the worst of human nature, and maybe because I have read a couple where I have felt bad because despite heart-rending stories the quality of the writing hasn't been up to the task and I've felt guilty for not feeling more moved by the stories. I'm interested to see what others think about the subject!

To anyone having a street party or other Jubilee event, I hope you have a brilliant time and that the weather is kind, and of course to everyone else Happy weekend!

TC xx