Erin the Literary Cat

Sunday Selfie R&R

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 05:07:49 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest Sunday selfie!

OK, so maybe not the charming kind of selfie you all expect, but it mirrors how I feel about this week. With rain and wind dominating the village weather, little laundry has been hung out doors for fear of the items getting wetter than when it was being washed and ending up i the next county!

So, with various rooms in the Manor House now decorated with bed linen and Mrs H's own items, and believe it or not, a TENT!, my normal surroundings have been turned into a kind of Bedouin encampment. So I retreated to Ol' Ned's cottage for a bit of R&R, which in this picture captured by the shaky old gardener, means Relaxation and Roaring!

However and wherever this week's weather finds you, we wish you a lovely, roaringly good week!

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site. Or copy and paste this link: https://thecatonmyhead.com/

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

The Hidden Library

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 31 May 2026 04:12:02 +0000

Written by Sharon Gosling

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this an amazing adult contemporary fiction light romance and adventure by one of the UK's best (and one of my fav's too) novelists.

Without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, planning a writing trip to Northumberland as we speak, let's get on with the review.......

AUTHOR: SHARON GOSLING

Illustrations by: N/A at this time

Published by: SIMON & SCHUSTER LTD UK

Publication date Paperback: 27 AUG 2026

Paperback 13 digit ISBN: 978 1398 538 917

UK Cover price for Paperback: £9.99

Amazon KINDLE price: £6.99

Audible price: Listed as 1 credit

Pages: Listed as 400 on Amazon for paperback at this time.

Age range: Adult

Any dogs or cats? Wait and find out! 😉

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to...

We are exceedingly grateful to Simon & Schuster for contacting us to see if we wished to review. OF COURSE! was our reply, as I have not read a bad book by Sharon, be it adult or kids fiction.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and will enjoy.

The plot

Helen Thorne, writer, has gained fame for writing a book called ‘All of the Above’, described in the press as the new feminist bible. During a girls’ get-together to announce and celebrate the making of the movie of Helen’s book, she gets a text. It is the inciting incident for everything that follows and sets a tone that runs through till the end.

The text is from a past lover, a married man who ten years earlier, when Helen was just young and naive, had led her on into the affair with his oh-so-charming ways, and promises–all unkept. The affair ended painfully, but the man seemingly jokingly said he’d want part of her fame should things go well. Now he is back for his share; blackmailing her by threatening to expose the romance, making her the villain of the piece. The other lady involved is one of the country’s most loved actresses.

Things turn nasty when Helen’s friend tells him to get lost via text. The next day, hung over and sleepy, she discovers that he has exposed her sins and the movie deal is off. In fact, her career, all she seemed to have stood for in her novel, appears to be nothing more than hypocrisy and lies.

She needs to escape the inevitable pack of bad-news hunting journalists out for salacious details, and ready to paint her the villain of the trio.

Her mother, a solicitor, offers her a lifeline. One of her firm’s clients, a reclusive book fanatic, Cyril Gissing, has died. He lived on a remote Northumberland island called Rathbrooke. With no internet and no mobile phone signal, it offers the perfect place to hide out until matters quieten down.

As to what Helen will do there, her mother advises that she needs to find Cyril’s will as well as catalogue his collection of valuable books. After all, she has a Master’s degree in that area.

Helen arrives on the island one stormy night, guided through a most treacherous storm by Rufus; handyman and gardener on the island who lives in the now unused lighthouse near its harbour.

The ten-hectare island is being battered by the storm, but soon she is safely within its thick stone wall building. Fed and watered by Mr Gissing’s housekeeper, Martha Darling, she is shown her rooms and rests for the night in front of the roaring fire, but with no electricity. But as she tries to settle, she hears a child’s footsteps running through the dark and hulking building.

Later the next day she gets to meet Cora, Martha’s sullen daughter (of indeterminate age, possibly pre-teen) from an abusive marriage that she managed to escape from–not unlike the situation Helen finds herself in. When asked about the sounds of children, she is told there is nobody else on the island.

It is clear from conversations with Martha and Rufus that they are all very worried about what will become of them if no will is found. For Cora, who loved Cyril and his work, things seem particularly hard-hitting. She runs the large, ornate greenhouse that helps feed them as well as helping with the rare breed sheep peculiar to the island that bring in funds when sold on the mainland.

But as Helen digs deeper through the books in search of the elusive will, she discovers some of Cyril’s notes, as well as letters received over many years from someone called Thiago Montera. Cyril was clearly obsessed with something, but what she is reading seems to be in some code. Pursuit of the will takes second place as Helen tries to solve this new mystery.

Cora is no help, even though she knew the old man better than anyone and had his trust. In fact, she manifests a lot of animosity towards Helen, as though she is to blame for the collapse of their onetime idyllic life and all the recent woes, including Cyril’s death. What secrets she holds, secrets only she and Cyril shared, she is determined not to let go of.

One rainy night, a stranger arrives in another storm. Like an elegant storm-washed pirate, Thiago Montera arrives and bangs the building’s massive doors to be let in. It turns out, as we the readers have already been privy to by side notes in the story, Thiago is a longtime friend and book hunter for Cyril, and seeks out rare and forgotten tomes for his collection. Driven by not hearing from his friend for too long, he has sailed his own boat to the island from afar.

With no means of validation if this man is the same as the one Helen had found in correspondence in Cyril’s library, can she trust him? Soon, his passion for books is clear, and Helen becomes trusting of his good intent. The search for the will goes on, but threads of information about Cyril’s obsession lead to fresh revelations and discoveries about something very important, rare, and extremely valuable. Something that could change the whole situation of the island and its inhabitants.

The twists and turns that take place from this point, the values that we place on trust, who we trust and why we do what we do, ramp up the suspense to storm pitch and ferocity and get thoroughly shaken, much like the burgeoning love that Helen feels sparks of for Thiago. There are lies told, half truths and crimes yet to unfold, like the very best of a stormy Hitchcock movie. Be prepared for a roller coaster finale that delivers 110% on all storm-washed levels.

So, what did we think?

Gosh and golly. This really did capture the imagination and kept us turning pages. The passion in the scene-setting – so natural and light a touch that clearly belies the effort, skill, and patience to create such an atmospheric read. A locked-island mystery? Well, this very nearly is, save for a few forays to the mainland. There are plenty of locked doors and secrets to be revealed, not least being a particular Mulberry Tree that lives sheltered in the middle of the enclosed grounds. It would be too big a spoiler to give away what Cyril and Thiago were communicating on, his passion, so I won’t, but it too is woven into the story from centuries past to present and, dare I say, into the future.

We have little injections of correspondence from various characters throughout the book, which add an extra dimension and little plot clues and twists. We initially, like the stormy and dramatic prologue that ably sets the island and North Sea for what they can be, wondered what was going on. But soon things became clear.

As to the ending, well, I was very happy. More than that, I dare not say, as it was a cliffhanger to the final few pages.

So, Crunch time.

A refreshing, very readable tale, filled with tangible heart, passion, and adventure, from an author who loves books and writing. A perfect summer read for any time of the year.

Sharon Gosling's web site is currently expired, but you can follow her and her delightful cat, Newt, on Instagram. Newt is such a nice girl, and full of her own human ways and antics. Sharon's (and Newt's) lovely Instagram page (elements of her gardening, crafting, writing, life) can be found HERE OR type this:- https://www.instagram.com/sharongoslingauthor/

Simon & Schuster's UK's web page can be found HERE. OR type this:- https://www.simonandschuster.com/

***

And now for the selfie, which is what makes Sunday special and why the globe and and its worries shrink that little bit more because of the friendship, kindness and respect we sentient beings show to each other . . .

Caught napping?! A rare event, Mrs H said, though I swear she had crossed fingers behind her back when she did.

My reply was that I was just ~~dreaming~~ thinking of what sort of prince I wanted to whisk me away in my next adventure . . .

I hope you enjoyed that book review (and our selfie). If you get to read this book, and we hope you do, please let us know your thoughts. 🙂

Till laters!

ERin

Selfie with a new part time team member!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 24 May 2026 05:29:01 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest Sunday selfie!

This week we have had a visit from a guest. Almost long forgotten, always welcome, at least until they outstay their welcome by being too fervent and unrelenting in their endeavours to make everyone feel happy.

Yup, like a whirlwind, a summer heatwave has arrived in Upper Much-Mousing! With temps in the high twenties, and destined for mid to high thirties the village has been transformed. Washing lines, full with maritime pennant flag-like multicoloured arrays of knickers, hankies and frivolous frilly bedtime wear, raise eyebrows of the old, giggles from the young and make magpies curious.

Winter bedsheets, their final wash over, now flap languidly in the light breeze. The artificial fabric conditioner fights with early scents from nearby gardens soon to be open to all to view in the villages open garden scheme.

Mrs H, ever one to have a hands on approach to looking after the farmland we have, has been out spot spraying some of the pernicious weeds. Gladys, who helps Mrs H in the kitchen and comes to stay here at the Manor House whilst Mrs H is off on one of her missions for the NAFFI, says she looks like a cross between a bee keeper, and an astronaut!

Me, I have been chatting with a newcomer to the village. Onetime travelling cat, who we first met in a recent adventure; more of that to follow nearer its publication. Minstrel by name and nature, Mr Mins, as we like to call him, has been staying with Miss Carroll – fellow WI member who lives nearby – until he can find permanent lodgings of his own. Just as well he chose Miss Carroll and Mrs H to befriend as both cook very well, and he has an appetite to match a horse!

Anyway, I said to Mr Mins, "Why not do a selfie to introduce yourself to the Blogosphere and future adventure book readers?"

He said he thought that to be an excellent idea, and far better than the mug shots of his one time life as a henchcat.

So without further ado, here is Mr Minstrel taking the sun and letting its natural warm healing properties sooth way the aches of the mission . . .

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

A Sad Sunday Selfie

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 10 May 2026 05:33:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest Sunday selfie!

First of all we want to pay our respects to Jackie Avery, long time blogger, friend, and friend to us all. Jackie's passing came as a terrible shock to us – to everyone, and I think she will be universally missed.

Our deepest sympathy goes to Ivor, her husband and forever companion. The world truly has lost a light that shone so very bright, cheered so many lives, and garnered so much friendship through her own travel blog as well as Eric and Flynn's adventures. Till we meet again, Jackie, have a good and wonderful rebirth.

Thank you Ann Adamus for this wonderful badge for Jackie

This week's selfie is subdued and how we feel and have felt for a while. But curling up is not the answer to everything, that we know. But it does help when it comes to a good nap.....

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

VAMPIRE EMPIRE: RED TIDE.

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 05:55:00 +0000

Written by Curtis Jobling

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this week an amazing first part to a Viking, Pictish and Vampire YA duology.

Without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, brandishing a silver blade, lets get this boat in the water.....

AUTHOR: Curtis Jobling

Cover Illustrations by: Gavin Reece

Published by: Fox & Ink Books

Publication date Paperback: 7 May 2026

Paperback 13 digit ISBN: 978 191 789 4050

UK Cover price for Paperback: £8.99

Amazon KINDLE price: £3.99

Pages: 319 in paperback (excludes glossary etc.)

Age range: YA and above

Content warning: As this is a YA adventure, it has some scenes that show vampire actions, as well as vampire and Viking violence, threat, and the results there of. Given the nature of such things, we would not recommend this for younger readers, or those that dislike such themed books.

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to...

We are exceedingly grateful to the Publishers FOX & INK BOOKS and Graeme Williams Publicity for offering us a chance to Read & Review this AMAZING story.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.

The plot

The place is the island of Unst, part of the Shetland Isles. The year is 900 AD.

On Unst, the once fierce Viking warrior 'shieldmaiden', Frida Blackheart, is now the Jarl (a status like an earl, and a king's representative) of the island. The Vikings and Picts now live in harmony and relative peace together as farmers. Frida's daughter, Hilde, who has just become a woman after fifteen winters, is much like her mother: proud, strong for her age and sex, and not above a fight if provoked. And she often is, by the butcher's son, Aidan, the biggest boy in the village. It is after one such fight, goaded by Aidan, that Hilde lets rip and, in a red mist of rage, nearly kills the lad. At a village gathering for a feast in the Jarl's lodge later that day, in front of her mother, Hilde is forced to apologise.

But Hilde has a friend in Cormac, the blacksmith's son. He is of her age, and whilst a pict like Aidan, he does not hold Aiden or Aidan's father's dislike for Vikings.

It is at that very same feast that a man appears and seeks to reintroduce himself to Frida. His name is Hydyr; later, we'll see him revealed as Hydyr the Hungry. It is an appearance and conversation that leaves Frida cold and unusually scared in her own house. And rightly so, as he is a former Viking crew member when she, as the crew's captain, sailed the oceans, fighting and pillaging as they went. It was a time she turned her back on, and for a very good reason. They had raided a sacred treasure trove and killed all the guardians thereof. And before he was slain, the priest there cursed them to a non-life; never dying or able to be killed. They quickly discover that eating normal humans was the best way to get the sustenance they need to quell the thirst. They all, including Frida, became the Harrowed Men.

But wanting a better life for her yet unborn child, she abandoned them and arrived at Unst. And that she thought was the end of it. Until now.

Hydyr wasn't just passing by and there peacefully just to say hello as he claims. He has come for something very special that was taken from him, and to reclaim his partner and one-time captain. He now captains the Harrowed Men, but he has ceased to be like them. He has been bitten by Hastur, King of the Vampires, and in turn has become one. To survive, he just needs blood and to stay out of the light.

Soon after his arrival, the village is sacked and the inhabitants slain, or worse, taken captive to be treated as livestock – food for the men on the journey home.

Cormac, who was not at the feast, was spared the worst of the fight, as were Aidan and Hilde, but for different reasons and circumstances. In the aftermath, Cormac finds himself on board the Harrowed Men's ship, a captive, but not yet food as Hydyr says he has skills and worth to him. Just so long as he behaves....

With Frida held captive on the boat also, weakened by injuries but not taking the flesh or blood she prefers to food to help herself heal, her fate is one she hopes will be of her own making. Going back to the blood lust of the old days is not now an option for her.

Hilde, Aidan, and an elderly hermit boat maker have survived the sacking of the village, but only just. And as all good heroes-in-the-making must, they start a journey to rescue Frida as well as Cormac. As well as seek justice along the way.

With the initially unwilling talking head of one of the Harrowed Men as a guide – his body having been left in the sacking of the village, they set off on the first half of an adventure that has seen the best, most dramatic and pacy, heart-racing set of scenes we can recall for a long time.

What and who they come across, the delightful twists and nuances along the way, we have deliberately left out, as that is essentially what drives their half of the story.

Which means it is time to say that is where I must leave the review. Rest assured, I have not given too much away.

So, what did we think? Spoilers here!

This is the second book by Curtis Jobling that Mrs H and I have read together for review, and neither has let us down. The author has written many more books, all to good reviews, so we are encouraged to read on through upcoming new releases without fear of being let down.

It is fair to say that Mr Jobling has very much his own voice and an undoubted talent for world-building like the very best and well-known storytellers. And he can do it across genres and for different audiences. Please see our review HERE of WYRDWOOD by Curtis Jobling, or use the link below to find out more about his other literary works, and background in writing, movies and television.

Vampire stories have, since watching the movie Salem's Lot (by Stephen King and featuring David Soul), given me a gross dislike for horror movies in general, and the vampire genre specifically, be it in the movies, on television, or in book form.

Comparing movies to books is, some would say, foolhardy or impossible, as the film usually bears scant resemblance to the book. So, taking the book as the true form and intent of the writer, we rely on dipping our toes in to check things out.

This tale works for us because of the different backgrounds and imperatives for the three protagonists, four if you include Frida. Then there is the partly factual historical background, and the true setting. Of course, these are crucial to any good read, but especially if it is for a younger, more demanding audience.

Without going overboard, this has a sensually stunning yet subtle backdrop that feels as redolent of the period as any period drama, without burdening the reader with facts, figures and fashions. For instance, the sacrifice at the very beginning is bold, yet completed with a reverence relevant to the act and what it meant. A stark contrast to what will come, and undoubtedly a way to provide a reference point for time and place. For info on names and meanings, there is an appendix, and very handy it is too for those who want a little more depth.

Splitting our protagonists up from early on and assigning/titling each chapter to a character was a stroke of genius. I thought this might spoil the flow, segment it up too much, but it actually added to the tension as the multiple threads to the first half draw closer together in one way or another, come the closing chapters.

The reader isn't short of action or adventure to enjoy along the way, and twists and turns come regularly as the timelines develop.

This is not a teen-only based adventure, far from it. The three main protagonists may be teens, but from the start, we inhabit a world of adults. Indeed, we must remember that the line between child and adult at this time was so blurred, and childhood and innocence a luxury. All adds to making the story even more compelling.

Finally, there are undercurrents in this book about friendships and acceptance, about loyalty to old ways and new, gods and demons– both within and without.

All interesting things if you care to dig deeper yourself, and or have the conversation with readers old and young. But that is pleasingly left below the surface and not the overriding reason for this adventure.

To say we are keen to read the sequel and the concluding part is an understatement. 2028 is slated for the release, and it really will take too long to arrive, but we both feel it will be satisfying when it does.

And to slake our own literary hunger in the meantime, and for those of you who enjoyed 'Wyrdwood', the sequel entitled 'Greenteeth' will be released in 2027! That is one we are very keen to Read and Review!

So . . . .

Crunch time.

The author has created an enthralling story that immerses the reader in the everyday and sometimes bloody world of Vikings and Pictish Britain from the off. It is penned with passion, creating drama and adventure that is sure to enthral the upper YA reader and adult alike.

AUTHOR: Curtis Jobling. Click here for their web page.

Illustrations by: Gavin Reece. Click here for their Instagram page.

Published by: Fox & Ink Books. Click here for their web page.

SUNDAY SELFIE TIME

Sunday needs a selfie, so here is ours. Certainly, if you have finished your Sunday breakfast and lunch, may well be in need of a nap, just like me!

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

Red Tide and Selfie, Sans the Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 05:42:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest Sunday selfie!

This week there has been nothing wonderful here weather wise, just a cycle of wind, rain, hail, sun, then repeat.

One of the bright spots of the week has been our latest 'Read and Review' book: RED TIDE. This is by the wonderfully creative author, Curtis Jobling. We reviewed his recent middle grade horror story, WYRDWOOD, last October. And my what a fabulous read it was too, one worthy of Stephen King. And just look at that cover which features the three teenage protagonists.

This new read is about Vikings, Picts, and . . . vampires.

I won't spoil our upcoming review, but let me say this is a fantastically creative read, with modicum of humour too. It hasn't given us any nightmares, and is the first half of a mini series that has us now nicely poised and desperate for the grand and gripping conclusion.

So whilst Mrs H and I haven't got much editing work done, we have been happy to let the weather and world pass on by.

Moving on, this week's selfie is a picture Mrs H snapped on Thursday. I think I was dreaming of catnip toys and a plate full of nice tasty chicken. . . neither of which I got!

Oh well, maybe I will in my dreams. Hopefully your week has been better than ours, food wise if nothing else. And please do share what books you are reading, and if you would recommend.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

ERin's Up Close & Personal Selfie

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 06:57:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest Sunday selfie!

This week we have been contemplating the new book covers for books 1 to 3 of our series. Yes, we are redoing the cover for book 1 which is already published. Whilst we all loved it, some criticism levied at it was that its relevance to the actual plot was not clear, I was not as prominent as I could be, and that it did not appeal to the younger target audience through action, colour and adventure.

As authors, these criticisms can be hard to take, and take on board, especially when so much artistic time and money has gone into creating the covers.

But as time passes, and attitudes mellow, you can see through pride and discover that a book's cover can not just live in the mind and aspirations of the authors who live most of the time in their own world. As we buddhists know and understand, there is nothing that exists independent of anything else, be it a person, piece of furniture . . . or a book cover.

So with that in mind, and the 1920s rose coloured glasses removed, we, Mrs H, our amazing artist, Craig Howarth, and I, have been working on a new action filled and topical cover theme for the first three books at least.

More will be revealed in due course, lets just say that the new covers allow us to map out the shape of adventures to come.

This week's selfie is a head to foot shot, sans the middle bit. It was an inspired image captured last week with the aid of Mrs H. Here's looking at you, kid (fellow felines and humans, too!)

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

A Half Faced Whiskery Selfie

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 05:55:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest Sunday selfie!

This week's selfie is, maybe unsurprisingly, another bed shot.

As Mrs H is very busy looking at some editing, (I hasten to add she is doing more looking than doing!) I had wandered into Ol' Ned's room and pestered him to take a Selfie.

After half an hour of getting comfortable (Ned, not me), the pose is supposed to be one of, well, I'll let you decide and comment below. One thing for certain, it seem as though I have lost most of my whiskers on one side. Though the other side looks quite full and majestic. I assure you no whiskers, save Ned's, were hurt in the taking of this selfie!

In other news, the wars around the world seem to be escalating, and the weather and mood here in Upper Much-Mousing is an unhappy reflection of the bad, and stupidity of leaders that there is elsewhere. Thankfully, we know there is a lot of good out there. As Buddhists we dedicate prayers to guide us to help stop this dangerous folly and cycle of destruction and death.

May your own weeks be filled with happiness and the causes of happiness and be free from the upset and the causes thereof.

For now, I am heading off to see if I can get Mrs H to add some whiskery highlights to restore my inner and outer balance.

©Image Copyright. Alt text available.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

The Upside and Downside of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 06:40:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest selfie Sunday selfie!

This week's selfie is brought to you courtesy of Ol' Ned, who awoke from one of his impromptu naps to see me checking him from above for signs of life.

His short naps are famous in these parts, mainly due to their length which often exceeds his working hours. Mrs H thinks that he mistook our advert for a sleep-in handy-person to mean quite literally he had to sleep whenever and in whatever was to hand.

Thankfully all was well, and Ol' Ned was just dozing on his sofa under the window. Having got up to make Mrs H a cup of tea he set off on foot to fetch the morning papers from Mrs Singh's World Food Emporium, aka Upper Much-Mousing's corner shop.

After that we are hoping to make the best of the last of this week's sunshine, before more gloom and cloud and rain head in this afternoon.

Spring is most definitely with us, and the early blooms are doing their best to fight off all the bad news in the world.

May your week bring you health and happiness, and may peace reign supreme in your world as well as ours.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

A Sunday Selfie, Lint Roller Not Included

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:19:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest selfie Sunday!

In a week full of bad news, anything positive, seems a real rarity.

And when Mrs H accidentally dropped a spanner across the battery terminals of our Vauxhall 30/98 E type tourer, things were far too positive. There was a shower of sparks and the spanner jumped a few feet into the air. Fortunately, no body, be it spanner, feline or human were any the worse. The battery is likely toast now, so Mrs H has bought a new one to be on the safe side.

As the weather and Mrs H's tooth hole have shown some improvement, Mrs H, feeling a lot jollier, has tried to start on book 4 of our adventure series. But as I dictate the post for today, the dark clouds once more march across the sky, and it looks like more rain will spoil what is left of the weekend. I suspect it will be (another) Sunday spent laying on the bed grooming, napping and thinking of warmer, happier, peaceful days.

On the subject of work, here is my selfie. It was taken on Friday, and shows me at MY desk. I told Mrs H that great things happen at this desk and on this chair, and my naps are power thinking naps, rather than an opportunity to shed some hair on the chair's stiff fabric. To which Mrs H rolled her eyes and went to get the vacuum and lint roller . . . .

Whatever fluff your day finds you in, be it good, bad, or self inflicted, we hope you find some joy and warmth in knowing there is a lot of good out there. And if all that joy gets united, it can change the badness into goodness. And not just in stories.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

Erin's Surprisingly Sunny Selfie!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 07:29:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest selfie Sunday!

I was going to skip the bit about the weather continuing to be rainy, when it turned warmish and dry. But on getting up this morning at 2am, Mrs H came back to bed and advised that, yup, you guessed it, it was back to rain again! So it's a no change day after all.

It seems the world, nature, is screaming that we need to do something quick or else we will be washed away in torrents of rain and misery. Most of which Ol'Ned attributes to the greed of political animals, and big business. Which Mrs H and I have to agree with.

That said, we won't sit back and wait for others to act. Mrs H has been researching a home battery to go with the solar panels we had installed on the manor house's roof many years ago. She says we could, by buying our electricity at the cheap rate and storing it for use when it is expensive, save a small fortune.

I went away and did some sum math, and figured that will keep her in sherry and me in catnip for eternity!

Anyways, the whole, hole in tooth affair seems, like the hole, to be drawing to a literal and metaphoric close. The gums are drawing together and pain easing.

Soon she will be fighting fit and off light duties. Though to be fair, the only thing she has really been grateful for missing is the taste testing of Mrs Granites home made rock cakes, which live up to her name, especially the bullet like raisins within!

Anyways, here is my not so stone-like selfie, taken earlier in the week with the coming of the sun, albeit a short coming ;)

Whatever the weather, we hope you have a good week, filled with sunshine, love and joy. And to feel the force, do consider a home battery and solar panels!

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

Sore Tooth Sunday Selfie

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 05:54:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest selfie Sunday!

I shall skip the bit where I tell you about how bad the weather has been, and rather tell you about Mrs H's sore tooth. Not mine thankfully, but a decidedly cheeky molar that has been her personal burden for some years. Despite taking her previous dentist to task and saying how it hurt, she was told no issues.

Thankfully, good karma bought a new dentist surgery in Much Deeping-Hollow and the dentist, Dr Ali, said after a re-exam and new X-Rays, that a filling had likely been leaking! Have it out, Mrs H advised straight away, and wasn't contradicted by Dr Ali, who said even with a crown on it the tooth would slowly rot away and cause more issues.

I am not sure why Mrs H would warrant a crown, I mean, that is my place and position. But the day arrived, and after a necessary double dose of pain killing injections (Mrs H is a tough old bird and of the 5% that cant be numbed in the usual places (maybe due to too much sherry!)) she was soon safely numbed up and the tooth duly extracted.

The down side is she is on soft food and warm drinks only for a few days as well as paracetamol (which does not cause autism) and Ibuprofen. It also means she is now unusually crotchety. So with that in mind I have been spending more time at Ol'Ned the gardeners place.

Normal service will be resumed in a week or so. Thankfully, I am not forced to eat mushy food, or drink warm tea!

Anyways, here is my not so numbed up selfie taken an hour ago by Ol' Ned.

Whatever room or cottage today finds you in, or however your teeth may feel, we hope you have a good week, filled with sunshine, love and joy.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

Sunday Selfie and a new fun gift....

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 07:39:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest selfie Sunday!

I really wish I could report that the weather held less of the wet stuff, but sadly it has remained windy, wet, and decidedly boring.

No new physical books read, but we have been steaming through MC Beaton's Agatha Raisin series. If you are not familiar with the series, MC Beaton, who is sadly no longer with us, was a prolific writer of murder mysteries, and has been dubbed the queen of the village murder mystery series and genre. She was prolific, and had a style that pleased across all her separate character lead series, which included Hamish Macbeth.

Easy going at times, the audio books have a beautifully narrated flow, and nice twisty turny plots that never fail to please, despite their being familiar long running themes and backdrops throughout the 30 plus books in each series.

One surprise this week, was the arrival of a gift from ol' Ned, the gardener. "Something that would raise a smile on any guests that visit the manor house", he said.

Mrs H and I couldn't help but laugh, her more than I to be honest, but I did see the bright side and think this is a lovely gift for cat lovers who will undoubtedly have experienced the situation too.

There are quite a few on Amazon, if you do a search for cat bathroom signs, so if it takes your fancy there are plenty of shapes and images to choose from.

And now a picture selfie of me. I may or may not be upside down, but I definitely am not in the bathroom or loo!

Whatever rooms today finds you in, we wish you all a happy and hopefully dry and warm week.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

Loafing around Sunday Selfie

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 06:54:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest selfie Sunday!

This week has, to put it mildly, been extremely wet. Floods and wind abound our small county of East Lambtonshire. Thankfully, since our village of Upper Much-Mousing has slid as far as it can down the nearby hill, and the river was widened many years back, we have been saved any more flooding.

Rain did not deter Mrs H flying off to get supplies, but not by plane. She braved the weather on foot, saying it was easier to dry herself off than the motorcycle or bicycle. Which, save for her unruly hair, was true. She returned from a sortie to Mrs Singh's World Food Emporium (aka the corner shop) with many bags of flour.

The bread making machine is going great guns, and Mrs H is proud of her successful run of 4 perfect wholemeal loaves. So cheap too, and we estimate for a small 400g loaf only 84 pence. And that includes electricity.

Do any of you guys make your own using a machine, and how do you find it?

Here is a very special 'LOAF' selfie!

And because we really would not just leave your with a picture of that bread, no matter how tasty, here is what you really came for, a picture of ME!

However your selfies turn out, be they well done loaves or snoozing, we wish you a dry, rain, wind, and snow-free safe week . . .

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

Sunday Star(e) Selfie

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 07:16:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our latest selfie Sunday!

I had nipped into the guest room at Ned's place for a snooze, as part of my mandatory bed testing regime, and thought "You know what, let's take a selfie whilst I am here." Given the size of Ol' Ned's fingers, as well as shaking, it is a miracle they managed to press the shutter button. But with the aid of bale twine and a cunning balancing act using various garden implements, including fork, spade and two trowels, this was the net result.

Mrs H, who was busy in the kitchens experimenting with a new bread making machine from those nice people at Panasonic land, was suitably impressed and said I had an air of Queen Victoria about me. Maybe I can see that in the royal forehead. What do you think? Queen Vic or our dear Queen ER11?

However you week and selfies turn out, be it covered in soil or elbow deep in flour, we wish you a regal, happy, healthy and safe week . . .

Image © Erin the cat Princess

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

Wet and windy, NOT how I like my cream!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 04:07:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our selfie sunday!

With mainly wet, wet, wet (not the boy band) performing this week with wind as the backing band, I have been spending my time, you guessed it, examining the weave of this cotton bed spread.

Not much else to do these days of mid winter, so likely you'll get to see more of such similarly posed shots in the coming weeks.

Hopefully you all will be faring better weather wise, and activity wise?

Let us know what weather is like where you are, and if sunny and warm/hot, where the nearest airport is, MOL

Have a lovely week!

©Image copyright.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

First Sunday Selfie of 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 05:51:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our selfie.

First off we wish you all a very happy and prosperous and good karma filled new year.

With the festive season now thankfully behind us, and the husks of other peoples spent firework rockets all but gathered up from the Manor House gardens — save one lodged on the roof — Mrs H can rest up for a while.

I say rest up, only between meal services and raking up the last vestiges of autumn leaves that appear from nowhere and stain the lawns with patches of limp, yucky brown.

Whilst she does that, I have been making the most of some down time. No book reviews for a while as we are busy elsewhere, hoping that our book artiste comes through sooner rather than later with some new art for book 2 and book 3. More on that as and when.

Anyways, here is me on one of the day beds, soaking up yesterday afternoons (3pm) sunshine. There was a welcome blast of bright, clear but low light from across the fields. That's why I am squinting. In a week that has seen freezing temperatures here of -7c, with snow and heavy frosts, and continues to threaten so into next week, this and other beds and sofas is where you will find me. Mrs H has the kettle on now, in readiness for an audio book listen before breakfast, so I shall leave you hopefully with thoughts of warm weather and happier days.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin & Mrs H.

I AM REBEL

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 05:04:00 +0000

Written by Ross Montgomery

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this week a Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.

Without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, settled in beside the fire with a box of tissues and glass of sherry, lets get this adventure under way . . .

AUTHOR: Ross Montgomery (Web page LINK click here.)

Illustrations by: Keith Robinson (Web page LINK click here.)

Published by: Walker Books (Web page LINK click here.)

Publication date Paperback: June 2024. OUT NOW

Paperback 13 digit ISBN: 978-152 950 2909

Paperback price on Amazon at time of posting: £7.35

UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99

Amazon KINDLE price: £3.49

Audible available? YES, one credit.

Pages: 298

Age range: 8+

Any dogs or cats? Yes, both, and more. And much there is about life they do impart.

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to...

I am exceedingly grateful to Mrs Hudson for treating me from her pension so we can share this amazing canine story.

The plot

12-year-old Tom lives with his mum and dad on their sheep farm. It is a summer dawn, and Tom’s dog, Rebel, awakes beside his friend and, though he does not think of it that way, master. Life is good, and Rebel knows the day will be good, like all the days before since Tom rescued Rebel from the snow as a puppy.

Tom has never been beyond the nearby small town of Connick. He longs to travel and to climb the big nearby mountain and see the sights he has heard about. Tom sketches a lot with his charcoal and loves to do sketches of Rebel. They play and do all the things a dog and his boy do, games of stick and having tummies tickled. Rebel is a good dog and appreciates how lucky he is.

Later that same day, up in the top pasture tending the sheep, Tom spots the king’s guards patrolling the road. Villagers and farmers need permits to travel to market, to anywhere. The king has decreed that if they don’t pay the high taxes, they will have their permits to use the road removed. No permit or travel means no selling of livestock to earn the money to pay the high taxes. And so a downward spiral is created that sees the farmers turned out of their homes, their land salted, and buildings burned. They patrol at night and punish all who break the curfew, or speak against the new king. He wants it all, and lives on the other side of the mountain in a tall palace.

Then one day everything changes, and Rebel’s life becomes so different, unpredictable and dangerous.

Rebel awakes to raised voices in the kitchen below: two guardsmen have arrived and are demanding double taxes. Things get heated, and Tom shouts at the guards, who then smash his mother’s fine china set as they leave. They pass on a warning that the king is after a stranger to the parts, a man dressed in wolf skins. Anyone found harbouring him will be shot.

The huge injustice of it all and his dad’s acceptance of it, drives a wedge between Tom and his father that continues the next day. Tom is for action, but his father says they are farmers, not fighters. Up in the top pasture, a man dressed in wolf skin startles Tom and Rebel. Tom listens to what he has to say, and decides that he will join the revolutionaries, called the Reds, who wear a red neckerchief.

Now Rebel really does not trust the man, who goes by the name of Rider. Tom, however, is not afraid and goes off with him to a meeting of like-minded people. Rebel is a good dog and obeys his master despite his misgivings. Tom returns later, and far later than his parents would wish, and about his person his father spots a red neckerchief. The ensuing argument seems to have been resolved the following morning when Tom apologises for thinking of joining the Reds, and says he has burnt the neckerchief. Rebel is elated; life will once more be perfect.

But when Tom returns to tend the sheep that day, he orders Rebel to stay and not follow him as he ventures to join the gathering storm and uprising to topple the corrupt king. Before he leaves, he ties the red neckerchief around Rebel's neck.

So begins the true story of how Rebel learns he needs to break his master’s command and follow Tom’s trail before it disappears, no matter where it takes him. All so he can rescue his friend and keep him safe.

Pretty much everything that you could throw at a terrier happens in the ensuing tale. It is one of discovering his own inner dog, the truth and sometimes horrible and conflicting choices friendship and duty bring, and the hardships and brutality of war. Mix in also the uncertainty of what to do, who to trust and a need to get to Tom before war does, and you have a powerful combination. If I tell you more, where would the fun be in discovering an exceptional, heart-stopping and emotional story?

So, what did we think? Spoiler alert!

Very much like the storytelling in ‘Small Wonder’, the latest middle grade story by Ross Montgomery, I Am Rebel is incredibly well written. It is the distillation and concentration of an emotional, heart-tugging, action adventure.

I was totally locked in to this from early on, and would have read it from cover to cover given the opportunity, but other things got in the way. It wasn’t until Mrs H and I hit the home straight that we had the opportunity to read on to the end. I have to say it tugged at the heartstrings, and even Mrs H had the handkerchief out a few times and had to take a break.

It would be fair to say that every Lassie movie, and every dog and doggedly determined (and that is a most apt turn of phrase) that has hit the big and small screen since, carries an element of the magic in this tale, as this does of those. Whilst it is unfair to compare different entertainment formats, this is the most rounded, most vivid, and accomplished adventure to date.

The characters are well defined, lovable, and also easily disliked. There are challenges for the young Tom, confrontations, and decisions to be made and risks, mostly unknown, to endure.

Rebel’s journey is much the same, arguably much worse and with unique challenges. Though Mrs H said that, if you look closely, you can see Rebel and Tom’s journeys are actually very similar. Tom heads off with the wild and rough stranger, Rider, and Rebel journeys with Jaxon, a dog of the wilds and no master. Seeing through Rebel’s eyes, achieved very well by the author who clearly knows canines, as well as cats, made this an exceptionally involving tale.

The cover is very tactile. The title is raised from the page and seems very much a thick white paint has been used. Rebel, too, is embossed and adds an extra sense and dimension to the already wonderful work from the artist, Keith Robinson. Do click the link to his website to enjoy some more of his brilliant book-size art masterpieces.

We both found there was a brief statement made periodically through the adventure that spoiled the flow of things for us slightly by dropping us out of our stride, engrossment, and investment in the characters. Maybe you will spot this or read through and not notice it at all. That said, this does not diminish the drama, the emotional ending, or the huge amount of glee we got from journeying along with Rebel and Jaxon in this tale.

Whilst Tom’s part in this journey is technically rather small, it provides a lot of motivation and action opportunities. What we can draw from this tale, as an aside, is maybe how dogs and masters trust each other. This, at the end of the day, is a tale, but brave dogs have existed throughout time and endured many hardships alongside humans. In its own way, this tale is a tribute to them all.

Also, if you wish to analyse these things, the meaning of the red neckerchief that Rebel wears, could be a symbol of belonging as well as belonging to another; of servant and servitude, as well as liberation. It is an interesting thought to conclude this review, and one that we will ponder for a while yet.

Crunch time.

A most worthy wearer of the crowning title of Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year 2024. And an amazing treat for animal adventure readers of any age who enjoy a well-crafted tale.

As a holiday season is almost upon us, I can recommend ‘I Am Rebel’ as well as ‘Small Wonder’ as perfect gift ideas. Click HERE, to read our review of SMALL WONDER.

I hope you enjoyed those adventures.

Before we get on with the selfies, we just wanted to announce that our first adventure book, 'Chumley and Hudson Investigates. The King Herod's Mystery', is now available in a dyslexia friendly font format for readers almost everywhere!

***

And now for something completely different . . .

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. CLICK THIS LINK to visit their site and to get the LATEST code to add to your own blog . . .

©Image Copyright

If you look closely at this week's selfie, you can see near perfect whisker alignment. Mrs H says I spend far too much time whisker aligning and grooming. I say for good results, copious amounts of time in the bedroom straightening them (aka asleep) pays dividends!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that adventure, and will dip your toes into the amazing world of Middle Grade literature. Whilst most are quite short by comparison to adult reads, as they are for some of the most discerning of readers, they can be incredibly fulfilling.

Now that is likely to be last review of the year. We have a ton of editing to do and so little daylight and time to do it in. We have some great books to read, not least the third adventure for the Freddie, the Buddhist cat, (written by Julian Worker) which is entitled: Tree-Hugging Cats.

FLIPPED

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:34:00 +0000

Written by Philip Caveney

©Image Copyright

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this week a Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.

Without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, happy that we have our own published novels to get sucked back into, lets get this review on the road!

©Image copyright (see below)

AUTHOR: Philip Caveney. (Website link CLICK HERE.)

Cover illustration by: Images ©Adobe Stock and Shutterstock, 2025

Published by: Fox and Ink Books. (Website link CLICK HERE.)

Publication date Paperback: 6th Nov 2025

Paperback 13 digit ISBN: 978-1916747739

UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99

Amazon KINDLE price: £3.99

Pages: 276

Age range: 9 - 16+

Internal illustrations?: No

SPOILER ALERT

Yes, some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to...

We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme Williams, publicist, and Fox and Ink Books for offering us a chance to Read & Review this story.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and will enjoy.

The plot

It is late July 2020, the school summer holidays have arrived, and it is the height of the Covid pandemic. 15/16-year-old Philip Gregory, aka Flip, is spending his days out and about on his own, exploring the Kent Marshes near his home. His mother is a nurse practitioner in the A&E of a local hospital, managing the brunt and cruel side of the virus. On his latest walk, he heads up a rise and finds in the valley beyond, and hidden from view, an abandoned Victorian redbrick house behind a wired fence. Dilapidated and boarded up, he finds his way inside. What awaits him is a sort of house stuck in time; cobwebs, mouldy old furniture abound, and rubbish left by other visitors is the only sign of modern-day life.

Then, out of the blue, he sees a young, imperious-looking girl about his age, staring at him from an upper landing. Stranger yet, it seems she was expecting him. She calls him Pip, a name he hasn’t been called since early childhood, and has a task for him to complete. Unwittingly, Flip seems to have been seconded to undertake a task for Miss H. Curious how the girl knew his past name, and despite his protestations to the contrary that he is not ‘Pip’, the girl introduces herself as Estella, and leads a confused Flip, aka Pip to where he is to work. He has been tasked with cataloguing all the items in the house’s large and dusty attic, and to look out in particular for a large book that Miss H has lost.

During the search, which does not go well, Flip finds an old and loaded rifle and blows out an attic window by mistake. Taking this as the ideal reason to flee, he makes his excuses, and heads to the ground floor. Estella is not best pleased and insists that he should return the next day, saying that if he does not, Miss H will have ways to ensure he does.

A surprise awaits Flip that evening as, after a very realistic dream where he is running on the Marshes and comes across a stranger who sounds like his absent dad, he awakes to find Estella in his garden! She is there to ensure he returns the next day, and will confront his mother if Flip does not.

Needless to say, Flip is starting to get worried and overwhelmed by all this, but to keep the peace and not get his mum involved, the next day he returns to the old house, Satis House.

The next day dawns, and Flip heads off to the Marshes, and into what becomes a very exciting adventure. As time progresses, it is obvious to him that he is being drawn into the book, Great Expectations, of which he knows little, and is perceived by other characters as Pip from the novel. Indeed, he seems to become Pip, in clothes and worn appearance. But Flip soon realises he has not replaced Pip, just displaced him. Why this is happening, he doesn't know, but somehow he needs to figure out and quickly to make sure he doesn't get stuck back in Pip's world!

Worse is to come, as the characters are seeping into 2020, too. When he arrives in the study of none other than the author, Charles Dickens, himself, things get really fun, and a touch surreal.

Like all great novels, the fun is in the details and telling as they progress. Which is where and why we must leave this review.

So, what did we think?

Great Expectations may well be known to you – if not read, then viewed on the television. What the author has skilfully done here is create multiple stories. We have a retelling, albeit abbreviated, of the Dickens classic, then the tale of Flip and his mother and estranged father. Finally, we have the resulting tale as the casts of both come together, in good ways and bad, and across the two other tales, creating a mini-classic in its own right.

This new tale will appeal to modern and younger readers, but has enough of Dickens’ classic to provide a delightful read for the older reader too. The sometimes pithy wit was well received in this household, as were Flip and Pip’s confusion and responses to situations they found themselves in . Poor Mr Dickens has a rough time of it as well, and his role added a lovely twist/extra layer and dimension that takes it up a notch.

Picking the pandemic as a present-day timeline was a stroke of genius. While most kids of Flip’s age will not have heard or even thought about Dickens’ story, they will instantly relate to that period when they lost freedom, friendships, and saw loved ones if not die, then become sick or seriously ill. This tale ably hits on how life was for each generation, and links and draws comparisons briefly to the cholera epidemic of Victorian times. It also brings together elements of family life, breakups, and tragedy.

One key reason for this plot working so well for us is that the two stories mirror each other in elements that slowly get revealed as the story progresses. Not wishing to spoil things, but it isn’t just the similarity in names that the protagonist Flip shares, but also the life story of key secondary characters as well. So, if you have read Great Expectations, you should be able to see where this is going and why. Though not necessarily how it all works out. That was a lovely twist right at the end, which, while a largish clue was left early on, we ultimately just didn’t see it coming.

So, crunch time.

A masterstroke of plotting, creating a cross-generational tale that Mr Dickens might well have appreciated, had he got his head around his characters not doing what they were told. Well worth a read for all in this age group and above. And we do hope this gets the publicity and credit it deserves in the classroom and beyond.

And as it's time for the Sunday Selfies, here's something equal full of nature and soft and gentle – me!

Here is yours truly caught in what Mrs H says is my 'contemplative, artist's model pose'.

I hope you enjoyed that adventure review and our selfie.

Till laters!

ERin

BAXTER'S VIEW

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 05:16:00 +0000

Written & illustrated by Kerri Cunningham

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this week a gentle tale for 5-8 year olds.

Without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, currently spending time appreciating the small things in the gardens (not mice or spiders), lets go on with our review of Baxter's View.

AUTHOR: Kerri Cunningham Click HERE for their web page

Illustrations by: Kerri Cunningham

Published by: Fox & Ink Books. Click HERE for their web page

Publication date Paperback: 6 Nov 2025

Paperback 13 digit ISBN: 978-1916747715

UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99

Amazon KINDLE price: N/A

Pages: 32

Age range: 5 - 8

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to...

We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme Williams and Fox and Ink Publishers for offering us a chance to Read & Review this story.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.

The plot

Rory, the slightly elder brother to Baxter, is at the age where he just wants to run everywhere to get to the fun stuff. Baxter, however, likes to hum, bounce and flap his hands. He wants to enjoy all the sensory things he finds as they head to the park with their mother. Unfortunately this means even a short walk can take ages.

For Rory this means having to wait as Baxter explores the textures sights and sounds found on route, be they in a shop window or lush grass in the park or jumping in puddles. This makes Rory huff a lot and ask his mum to push on to the slides in the play area, not letting Baxter enjoy what he wants to do.

Rather than acquiesce to Rory, she suggest he try some of the things his brother likes. For instance she suggests he joins Baxter in lying under a tree and seeing what it is that fascinates him so.

Will Rory get to change his mind and discover a new world at his feat and feast for his eyes? The answer is, of course, yes he will, and the next time they venture out as a family the time is so much more fun.

So, what did we think?

Seeing things through Baxters eyes means Rory can learn to slow down and appreciate the amazing things around. Baxter has his sensory needs, but he sees and feels things others can too, if they take the time.

This gentle yet compelling story allows the Rory's of this world, and lets face it many kids and adults are this way these days, to get extra value from life. Aided by fantastic artwork that speaks as much as the words, this tale is bound to enthral and gently educate on a few levels, not least respect for others.

So, Crunch time.

We can't applaud this short but captivating tale enough. The authors artwork is perfectly suited, bright and cheery. It even makes the (older) reader slow down, think and reset. Perfect for the young reader and for shared reading at home or in the school.

And given that the festive season is almost upon us, this would make a perfect (early) present too.

And as it's time for the Sunday Selfies, here's something equal full of nature and soft and gentle – me!

Here is yours truly caught showing that I can balance with both paws off the duvet whilst napping! ;)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that adventure review, and will take time this week to slow down and explore the nature all around us that so often goes unnoticed....

Till laters!

ERin

WYRDWOOD BY CURTIS JOBLING

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 05:36:00 +0000

Written by Curtis Jobling

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this week a Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.

Without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, nailing some horseshoes and garlic around the house, lets get on with this fantastic and eerie tale.

AUTHOR: Curtis Jobling. Click here for their web page.

Illustrations by: Alice Cao. Click here for their web page.

Published by: Fox & Ink Books. Click here for their web page.

Publication date Paperback: 2/10/2025

Paperback 13 digit ISBN: 978-1916747692

UK Cover price for Paperback: £8.99

Amazon KINDLE price: £4.99

Pages: 371

Age range: 11-14 and upwards

Any dogs or cats? two dogs and something nasty in the woods

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to...

We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme Williams and Fox & Ink Publishers for offering us a chance to Read & Review an advance copy of this story.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and will enjoy.

The plot

The dramatic prologue sees Sam Harper, father to Kiki, our protagonist, rescue a woman from an oncoming logging lorry. In the dark, stark naked in the snow and confused, there is no way the woman we get to know as Fay, can save herself. Sam pulls her to safety, and so creates an underlying plot for the story.

Some months later, Kiki Harper, sixteen, awakens from a nightmare just as her train pulls into the sleepy and remote seaside town of Merryweather-by-the-sea. She was at school for three months on the UK mainland, and is now returning home for Christmas. She has returned early to catch the big switch-on of the Christmas lights and to surprise her family. After certain events the previous summer, all eyes are on the supposed destructive and troubled child. Troubled, but not without cause, as the recurring nightmare is of the night not that long ago when her mother was killed in a car crash that saw Kiki and her younger siblings pulled from the car submerged in the river.

Her best friend, Stefan Pimblott – a young poacher, and son of a local scrap metal merchant – doesn’t materialise to take her home, so she heads off in the snow. Along the way we readers get introduced to certain key characters, including Stefan’s elder sister, Ruby, her loutish bigot of a boyfriend Leo Pitts, aka Pitbull, and police officer Maggie O’Malley.

On arriving home, she discovers a woman, Fay, in the house. She is wearing her mother’s clothes and working away in the kitchen. Kiki is pulled up short, not knowing what to make of the situation as her father has not told her of a mother replacement in his life. Her father and younger siblings are besotted with this lady, who is nothing but polite and well intentioned. Even the townsfolk have taken to her, and it seems memories of her mother have been swept aside by some magical spell.

We get a feeling of something strange going on in the village when the schoolmistress notices how quiet and tired her class is, and also when more and more of the young children aren’t attending due to some mysterious malaise. Whatever it is, it’s putting a dampener on the entire village and Christmas; all save the Harper family and recent incomers. The children have been drawing a stick man, the Stick Man of fable, more of a tree than a man, and singing a very spooky and about him in the playground. Of course, the old schoolmistress has seen it all before, many years past. At that time, the same drawings were made and songs sung. Then something came from the woods and took one of their number away. That was the orice demanded then, and it seems now also. The past is being replayed.

When Wem Campbell, from the lighthouse, (thought to be suffering the ravages of dementia) rips the priest’s festive lights off an ancient stone cross, swearing that it‘s all wrong and they will awaken ‘HIM’, we get a real sense of the pervading menace, mystery, history, and malice that lurks in the towns past. Of course, it’s already too late. Only the surviving senior townsfolk know what really happened, and they are, for the time being at least, not telling.

Woven through this tale like a vein of rot in a potato, we have onetime criminal, poacher turned gamekeeper for the logging Blackwood family’s estate, Mick Cleaver, who lives in the Wyrdwood. He lives near the now-dilapidated old Blackwood family mansion. What he is up to isn’t known, but he doesn’t like trespassers and has made it clear he wants Stephan’s family out of his hair once and for all. This spills out along the plot in various confrontations. He isn’t afraid to kill or maim to get what he wants or to keep his secrets safe.

As the festive snow starts to gather deeply all around, so we get to see more of the stick man. And with him come the nasty things, drawing in the good and the bad, the innocent, ugly and unlucky.

To lay out more of the nuances and characters will be almost impossible, save that the threads knit together dramatically, and in their own right, to become something both grand and terrible. And I don’t mean that awful festive sweater you may have been given one year that lurks almost menacingly at the back of the wardrobe . . .

So, what did we think?

As a rule, we don’t like and review horror books. But this hooked our attention when we were offered it, and we found we could not refuse. That says a lot in my book.

It is one of those that a review can only ever scratch the surface of what transpires between the covers. And that cover is very expressive and in keeping. All credit goes to Alice Cao for her skill in bringing the tale to life that way.

You really would have to go a long way to better this tale. Come the closing chapters, we could visualise this as a Steven Spielberg movie. And we shouldn’t be surprised by that, given the author’s pedigree.

Before coming to writing books, Curtis Jobling was the designer for ‘Bob the Builder’ and worked on ‘Wallace & Gromit‘ and ‘Mars Attacks‘. He has written horror stories for some time for older audiences. His million-selling ‘Wereworld’ series of adventures has become a major new animated production called ‘Wolf King‘ on Netflix.

This adventure has a wealth of family and small-town community charm, but also highlights family and community issues. The cast has everyone from the elderly, one-time schoolteacher next door, to the young, eager priest ignorant of past ways and rites. There’s the local police officer, born and bred on the island, who has fallen in love with the new schoolteacher. The local logging company is felling the ancient wood for profit, and the Mayor’s son is a lout and bully and ripe for putting in his place – but nobody dares. Then there’s the mysterious, youthful, quiet fisherman who lives with the aged Wem in the nearby lighthouse. They all have secrets, some unknown to them.

The villain – well, the corporeal one, if you get my drift – he reminds us of Bill Sykes, complete with his dog. He really is as evil as they come, and delightfully, every inch of his bad nature has been brought to the fore.

And best of all, possibly beyond our protagonist, is Fay. A clear instigator of things at the start, but is she a key player in this story? Is she who she seems to be, and are her motives and reasons for being there as pure as they seem? Things are never simple in this tale.

From the isolated setting, trapped between the ocean and the Wyrdwoods – which creates a locked-room mystery effect – we are forced to focus in on the story and characters hemmed within. Histories, both old and recent, of place and people intrigue and frighten beyond the page and window.

We loved the way the plot unfolded. It didn’t just throw clues at you as we wanted/expected them but held back till the optimal point for the characters and story. As a result, you were never 100% certain of anyone, well, nearly everyone. The characters evolved well in our mind’s eye, and whilst some are as painted, others had hidden depths.

As for the ending, well, that was almost cinematographic and brings us squarely back to the Spielberg fan in us, but I’ll not give it away. Oh, one more thing: the epilogue is, in a comeuppance way, oh-so-sweet . . .

So, crunch time.

The story is a clever, vivid, articulate and atmospheric blend of folklore and mild horror, set in a small town steeped in secrets. As capable a story for a teen as any of the Stephen King books for adults Mrs H has read in days gone by. Yes, there are grizzly bits, but they are in keeping, well placed and not for shock value.

In fact, it complements and introduces the author’s other fantasy books for older readers. We thoroughly recommend this adventure for teenagers and up, to those who don’t mind ‘branching’ out into a little fright and a few grizzly pieces too, none of which we thought were OTT for the story.

And now for something not spooky at all, the Sunday Selfies!

Here is yours truly testing out the guest room bed. It's been a while since we had a visitor, mainly because they miss the turn off for the County of East Lambtonshire!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that adventure review, and will dip your toes into the amazing world of middle grade and teen literature. Whilst some can be quite short others, like this one, are pretty long.

What books have you all been reading, and would you recommend them to your blogging friends and the wider world?

Till laters!

ERin

Sunday Selfie 28 September 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 06:46:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our 'NOT a book review' selfie. For those that don't like long posts I shall make this one as short as possible.

We are currently finishing off reading a brilliant spooky book, and hope to review it next time. It's call Wyrdwood, and is by Curtis Jobling. I wholly recommend this Teen spooky tale, which blends folk law with horror. We will get a review out to you all asap. It is published 2/10/25 (that's 2 October to our American readers), and will make a great halloween read for teens and upwards.

Here is me after a week of rainy and windy weather, and a few late night early morning outings. No mice to be seen anywhere, honest (she says, licking her lips) 😉.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin

Another Short(ish) Sunday Selfie)

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 05:38:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to another 'NOT a book review' selfie. For those that don't like long posts as much as we don't like short, I shall make this one as short as possible.

Here is me after a week of lots of editing, less reading and more thinking of plots for our fourth book! Do I look tired?

Yes, we are sending book three to our editor shortly, and need to think of a new plot for book four. Plenty of ideas, but whether they actually come together in the right way is another matter. Plots have a way of naturally coalescing for us. We start with a known point and end up pretty much where we want to be, but the text in between is an unknown. Planning is pretty limited, which is not everyones cup of Earl Grey, but works for us. Fine tuning is where the fun starts, as well as making notes along the way to remind us to tie off loose ends.

Anyway, watch out for book two hitting the shelves later this year, all being well.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin

Sunday selfie

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 06:10:00 +0000

Hello, and welcome to our 'NOT a book review' selfie. For those that don't like long posts I shall make this one as short as possible.

Here is me after a week of topsy turvy weather, starting hot and now raining. Autumn has finally come. And sad as it is to see summer (but not the heat) go, nature has its path to take. Longer nights and shorter days mean more nap time too, and that has to be good.

More book reviews will happen, but not for a few weeks. Mrs H has lots to do, not least reading the books!

Do I look bored in this? And is that sunburn on my nose? Maybe it's because I've not had a holiday this year, or any years?

And if the latter is the case, I'll just head off for an extra long nap and dream of new and exotic places to go to.

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.

Till Laters!

ERin

SMALL WONDER

noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess) — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 05:26:00 +0000

Written by ROSS MONTGOMERY

Hello, and welcome to my latest Book Review featuring this week a Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.

Without further ado, and with my trusty housekeeper, Mrs H, checking our emergency equipment bags, lets head to the land of Ellia and the wood by the coast, for what has to be a brand new classic.

AUTHOR: Ross Montgomery (Click to link to their site)

Cover Illustrated by: Keith Robinson (Click to link to their site)

Published by: Walker Books (Click to link to their site)

Publication date Paperback: 28th August 2025

Paperback 13 digit ISBN: 978-152 952 6127

UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99

Amazon KINDLE price: £7.21

Pages: 277

Age range: 9 - 12 and up.

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

Thank you to...

We are exceedingly grateful to Rebecca Oram and Walker Books, Publishers, for offering us a chance to Read & Review this story.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.

The plot

Tick, age ten, and his younger brother, Leaf, about five, have lived with their grandpa on the farthest edge of the forest of Ellia, right by the sea.

Tick recalls the stormy night when someone brought a baby to his grandfather’s cottage. The baby soon became known as Leaf, and the three had lived happily for years, right until grandfather died. Now Tick has to be the man of the cottage. They were out collecting wood before the snows came, when Tick spotted the black sails of the Drene warships massed across the horizon. The war-hungry, bloodthirsty emperor of the Drene is invading. Tick had been warned that this day might come, and knows they must now flee to the Ellian stronghold called King’s Keep. Set far inland, it is an impregnable fortress at the end of a valley. Ideal for defending, and for holding out against a siege.

Winter is coming, and Tick knows that in such an emergency he has only six moons to get there before they raise the drawbridge. With snow already forming inland and around the mountain pass to the the Keep, they need to travel quickly. Their grandfathers horse is called Pebble a mighty sixteen hand dapple grey mare. And even though she is almost twenty she has the stamina and fight of a far younger horse, will carry both boys and he will be their salvation. They need to get supplies from their home before the flee. Dashing back to the cabin, Tick discovers there is someone there, a man dressed all in black. He is advance guard for the Drene army who can clear the way of locals; despatching them in the night as they sleep. They are called Hunters, ride a black horse, and use big hawks to hunt as well as carry messages.

With no way of getting the provisions and equipment they need for the journey, Tick steals from the Hunter’s saddlebag. In his hurry to search the bag for anything useful, he stuffs some of the mans papers from the bag into his pocket.

But when the Hunter returns, they flee the scene and head for the hills and safety.

This is where the adventure snowballs. Along his path, guided by Pebble, who is both mount and guide and nanny, the boys will encounter bandits, knights with unknown loyalty, strangers who may or may not be what they seem, and increasingly threatening weather.

It soon becomes a life or death chase when the hunter and his black hawk come after them. But surely nothing Tick took could be worth the pursuit? Checking the pieces of paper he took, he realises they contain precious information that will affect King Cass, the ruler of Ellia, as well as the safety of all in the Keep.

Has Tick bitten off more than he can handle? Will the snow or the hunter get to them before they make King’s Keep, and will they be welcomed at the Keep when they arrive? Can he keep young Leaf alive and well through the ordeal and cold that awaits? Whatever happens now, with thousands of Drene warriors behind them, there is NO turning back.

So, what did we think?

Mrs H read The Lord of the Rings many (many) moons ago, under the covers and late into the night. She also read T. H. White’s Arthurian saga. Again at a very young age. He wrote The Sword in the Stone (1938), and later, The Once and Future King series (1958). I think this is why this adventure resonates with Mrs H so much.

In those days, she says there were few good books for children; you jumped from Janet and John early learning books to Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven (or the Famous Five) and then on to adult books. Or that is how it seemed in retrospect.

What a joy it is to read and review so many brilliantly creative, compelling and well-executed reads. This adventure hits the mark in every way. The author says he set out to create a story that was not overly complicated, had knights and an evil army intent on overthrowing good. And a horse that would fight to the bitter end to protect him and his brother. Apparently, the horse role was going to be taken by an enormous dog. Frankly, the story works brilliantly with a horse. As a horse lady herself, Mrs H would have loved a steed such as Pebble. Our own steed would balk at such a task as Tick had set for them all. But this is a fantasy adventure, and the ups, downs, joys and sadness work well.

The author has achieved all that they set out to do and more, and created the perfect contender for an instant classic. One that Mrs H and I would dearly have loved to have growing up.

The author wrote Tick in the very best way. Being ten years old means that his innocence feels genuine. His desire to do good, to care, to put others first, and above all to fulfil his now dead grandfather’s wish that he look after his five-year-old brother, all feel so very tangible and unforced by the writer.

It very much feels like it is Tick’s story that drives the tale rather than a plot formula. There is a difference in our eyes, and we feel this raises this tale to classic status. Some lovely twists also caught us off guard when they were revealed at the end.

And if all that is not enough, we fell in love with the artwork on the cover. It is so captivating, powerful and expressive. It certainly is memorable.

So, crunch time.

An Arthurian and Tolkienesque epic masterpiece of middle-grade adventure. A distillation of everything a young reader could wish for in a form that carries you faultlessly through an emotional range to the climatic and even heartwarming conclusion. An avalanche of creativity, fantasy, action and adventure that is huge fun to read.

Why, oh why were such books not there in our youth? But they are here now, and this one is a cracker. AND, it has a map!

***

Before we get on with the selfies, we just wanted to announce that our first adventure book, 'Chumley and Hudson Investigates. The King Herod's Mystery', is now available for Kindle users and Kindle Unlimited users almost everywhere!

***

And now for something completely different . . .

Here is yours truly desperately trying to hold back the dawn Mrs H let in one day last week. I just wasn't at all ready, even thought it was past 7am and Mrs H had been up since 4:30 and done her morning chores.

What books have you all been reading, and would you recommend them to your blogging friends and the wider world?

Till laters!

ERin