The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is a story of two boys, growing up together roaming the streets of Kabul – Afghanistan. Amir and Hassen are like brothers; both growing up without the presence of a mother but their personalities couldn’t be more different. Amir, a Sunni Muslim and the son of a very affluent businessman is educated and very well read. Hassan is an illiterate Sh’ia Muslim and his father is a servant to Amir’s father, however, Hassan has an uncanny instinct for predicting exactly where a downed kite will land. Amir often uses his superior position to tease and mistreat Hassan but in 1975, on the day of Kabul's annual kite-fighting tournament, something unspeakable happens between the two boys. Written by Amir, a 40-year-old novelist living in United States, The Kite Runner tells the gripping story of a boyhood friendship destroyed by jealousy, fear, and the kind of ruthless evil that transcends mere politics. In my opinion the Kite Runner is a passionate and powerful story, a real page-turner, I found this book hard to put down.

Written by Joanne Franks

Books that changed the world

Vintage Classics offers published writers such as Graham Greene, Harper Lee, Joseph Heller, Ernest Hemingway, Vaginia Woolf and Franz Kafka. These illustrious names are now joined by the greatest writers from previous centuries including George Eliot, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Henry James, and Oscar Wilde. Vintage aims to publish the best writers of today, tomorrow and yesterday.

There are ten Vintage Classic Twins to collect. Each Twin consists of two books: a specially designed limited edition of one modern classic title and one established classic work. These books have been carefully selected to provide a thought-provoking combination

• VINTAGE CRIME
• VINTAGE FANTASY
• VINTAGE FEAR
• VINTAGE LIES
• VINTAGE LOVE
• VINTAGE LUST
• VINTAGE MONSTERS
• VINTAGE SATIRE
• VINTAGE SIN
• VINTAGE YOUTH

Our first weekly feature of vintage classics will look at the Vintage Twin...

Vintage Crime
Patricia Highsmith - Ripley's Game
Tom Riply detested murder. Unless it was absolutely necessary. If possible, he prefered someone to do the dirty work. In this case someone with no criminal record, who had an unusual but pressing reason to agree to commit 'two simple murders' for a very generous fee...
Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment
A troubled young man commits the perfect crime - the murder of a vile pawnbroker whom no one will miss. Raskolnikov is desperate for money, but convinces himself that his motive for the murder is to benefit mankind. So begins one of the greatest novels ever written, a journey into the criminal mind, a police thriller, and a philosophical meditation on morality and redemption

wannabe a writer?

Books4TheBeach have found an hilarious, informative guide to getting you wannabe writers into print, this is a must have for anyone who's ever thought they have a book in them, the book covers

• Where do you start?
• How do you finish?
• And will anyone ever publish it when you have?

Drawing on her own experiences as a novelist and journalist, Writing Magazine's agony aunt Jane Wenham-Jones takes you through the minefield of the writing process, giving advice on everything from how to avoid Writers' Bottom to what to wear to your launch party. Including hot tips from authors, agents and publishers at the sharp end of the industry, Wannabe a Writer? tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the book world - and a few things you didn't..

Christmas Cook Tips & Book Recommendations

Burnt Turkey

Sloppy Veg

Tasteless Gravy

Sound Familiar

then read on.....

Christmas dinner is one of the most stressful meals you will cook during the year, so with just weeks to go, Books4TheBeach have put together 5 top tips to ensure this years christmas dinner is absolutely delicious. We will also be recommending top cook books to give you inspirational ideas, impressive menus and fantastic recipes to dish up in this festive season.

Tip 1. Get Organised

To ensure everything runs smoothly on christmas day, make a list of everything you will need to prepare the meal, ensure the roasting tray is big enough to hold the turkey (or other meat selection) and prepare any of the vegetables the night before where possible.

Tip 2. Turkey

To avoid the turkey going dry regularly baste the bird and cover with a piece of muslin. Next the turkey crown can be covered evenly with a smooth mixture consisting of fresh thyme, garlic, sea salt, pepper and butter. The muslin is then placed over the crown and secured in place with string. The meat will remain moister by cooking at a lower temperature longer, this can be done by starting at around 120°C, and increasing to 160-180°C towards the end. Every 20 minutes baste over the muslin and then finally during the last 20 minutes remove the muslin and allow the bird to crisp up. Cooking times should always go on the weight of the bird.

Tip 3. Roast Potatoes

For lovely roasters par-boil for 8 minutes in gently boiling salted water and then set aside to cool before seasoning with a little salt. Next you need to pre-heat your chosen oil in a seperate pan, this should be at least 1/2 inch deep, adding any meat fat from the roasting tin just before adding the potatoes. Make sure the oil is sizzling hot before adding the potatoes and once added, turn the potatoes ensuring they are covered in a light coating of oil. Roast for 45 minutes turning several times and thats it, perfect roasters.

Tip 4. Sprouts

Believe it or not we use frozen sprouts. It is said that sprouts need a frost and there is no frost better than a freezer. Defrost your sprouts, take off the outer green leaves and fry them in a generous amount of butter. Wait until it is bubbling away nicely and then throw in one layer of sprouts across the base of the pan and fry them until they are slowly singed on the outside. They are better than any fresh sprout.

Tip 5. Gravy

Last but by no means least THE GRAVY

Firstly start by chopping an onion as finely as you like, and then gently fry in a small amount of oil until lightly browned. Add 1 heaped teaspoon of cornflour and stir well and if you are feeling a little adventurous for that extra colour allow the flour to brown but not burn. You can now add the juices from your meat, deglazing the roasting tin or pan with sherry (water or wine can be used as an alternative). Add extra liquid as required, this can be water from your vegetables. Season the gravy to taste. For that extra sheen, add a knob of butter just befor serving. Any unwanted onions can be sieved out befor serving up.

Book Recommendations................

Packed with inspirational ideas, impressive menus and fantastic recipes, festive foodies will find everything they need to make Christmas magical every year with "Good Food 101 Christmas Dishes." Add sparkle to your party nibbles, rev up the roast, delight your guests with truly decadent desserts. From canapes to Christmas cake, the team at BBC "Good Food Magazine" will take you every step of the way with simple, mouthwatering recipes that won't keep you in the kitchen for days on end.

Mrs Beeton has provided practical advice and inspiration to generations in their first attempts at running their own homes. This collection brings together a selection of reliable, delicious, seasonal recipes, fully updated for the modern kitchen, that will encourage beginners and provide inspiration for more experienced cooks. Whether you need to coordinate an enormous family feast, or you just want to make some spicy, decorated biscuits as gifts, you'll find everything you need to make Christmas cookery a more enjoyable experience.With helpful hints, freezing and microwave tips, menu plans and serving ideas, the

techniques are easy to follow. Here you will find all the familiar favourites, with a wide range of accompaniments and extras including sauces, confectionary and beverages, as well as tips for table laying, menu planning and the Christmas countdown

Written by Joanne Franks

Agatha Christie

As we wrote about in a previous blog, Agatha Christie is the top selling author of all time. It seemed only natural to start our first monthly feature of AUTHOR OF THE MONTH with Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was born Agatha May Clarissa Miller in Torquay, Devon.

Agatha was a quiet child and turned her hand firstly to music and then later in life to writing as a means of expression.

Agatha was a bright child and by the age of 5 had taught herself to read.

She met Archie Christie in 1912 who was a fighter pilot, they married in December 1914 but by 1926 were divorced since Archie met another woman.

Agatha re-married a archeologist called Max Mallowan and remained married for 46 years.

During the war in France, Agatha became a volunatary nurse working for the Red Cross in Torquay.

Her very first manuscript 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' believe it or not was rejected at least six times by publishers before finally being accepted in 1920

The publication of 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' in 1926 was her first major publication that was recognised, this being followed by 75 novels and works adopted for film, titles that we have all heard of, such as 'Death on the Nile', 'Witness for the Prosecution' and not forgetting 'Murder on the Orient Express'.

Christie was the creator of Hercule Poirot the Belgian Detective and Miss Jane Marple, Agathas final publication was Miss Marples, 'Sleeping Murder'.

Sites of interst for you agatha fans:

www.kirjasto.sci.fi/christie.htm

www.poirot.us/pfacts.html

www.topmystery.com/quick_facts.htm

Sudoku

Books4TheBeach today would like to share some interesting info on the latest phenomena Sudoku, a Japanese numbers puzzle.

Sudoku requires a player to fill in the 9 x 9 square grid with the numbers 1-9. You have to arrange the numbers in such a way that each column, row and mini grid only contains 1 of each number. By placing just one number incorrectly the whole puzzle is thrown out.

Sudoku or very similar was invented 200 years ago by a blind Swiss mathematician (Leon Hard Euler) from Basle. Leon lost his sight in his early middle age and after finding he could no longer work from books, developed a talent for composing puzzles and an ability to compile complex sums in his head.

Leon went on to develop a grid based puzzle and called it 'Latin Squares' and was made in all material aspects. Leon's 'Latin Squares' was little noticed until it appeared as the 'Number Place Game' in America in the 1980's. It was eventually noticed by Nobuhiko Kanamoto a Japanese employee of a puzzle magazine. The Japanese then further developed this puzzle and renamed it Sudoku meaning 'number single'.

Today Sudoku is not only spreading widely through newspapers and across the internet, but is now heading for television in the UK.

For all you you Sudoku fans we have found a couple of interesting sites:

The first site you can find a Sudoku puzzle which times you and allows you to submit your results against other sudoku fans - will you be the fastest?

The second, a well recommended site called Sudoku UK, you can find actual Sudoku puzzles ranging from easy to extreme to solve online. Also with added feature such as Sudoku solver, picture Sudoku, unsolved Sudoku and techniques. This is well worth a visit.

Happy Puzzling....

Written by Jo Franks

The Art Theif

Did you know that ART CRIME is the 3rd highest grossing criminal industry worldwide, behind only drugs and the arms trade and nets between US$2-6 billion per year for criminals.

Today we are recommending a book by Noah Charney called the Art Thief. He was born in 1979 in New Haven, United States but then moved to the UK where he gained Masters degrees in 17th century Roman sculpture and 16th century florentine painting and iconography. Shortly after Noah turned his hand to writing the Art Thief his first novel.

Charney undertook a PhD in the study of Art Crime which was a field that nobody had ever studied before and discovered almost all of art crime today is perpetrated either by, or on behalf of ,international organised crime syndicates. Charney believes that for this reason, art crime funds other crimes which are easy to recognise as severe, such as the drug and arms trades and international terrorism. Through fiction, lectures as well as diverse future enterprises, Charney's primary task is to inform the public and government about the severity of art crime.

The Art Thief by Noah Charney.....

The disappearance of a priceless Caravaggio in Rome and the famous 'White on White' by Russian painter Kasimir Malevich in Paris heralds the start of a series of seemingly unconnected art crimes across Europe. Fitting the pieces together as they follow a trail of bluffs and double-bluffs, bizarre clues and intellectual puzzles, Inspector Jean-Jacques Bizot in Paris and Harry Wickenden of Scotland Yard come to realize that what at first appears a spate of random thefts is all part of a single master plan, and that they are being led ever deeper into a baffling conspiracy. This fiendishly clever debut thriller takes us behind the scenes of the elite fine art world of auction houses, academia and museums to offer a fascinating view of art history, witty, fast-paced dialogue and an ever-surprising plot that twists its way from Rome to Paris to London and back again.

Interesting Facts About Books

DId You Know....

The origin of the Latin word for book, liber, comes from the Romans who used the thin layer found between the bark and the wood (the liber) before the times of parchment. The English word comes from the Danish word for book, bog, meaning birch tree, as the early people of Denmark wrote on birch bark.

Early books didn't have titles or authors or anything printed on the covers?
Books used to be shelved "backwards" with the spine facing the back of the shelf and the fore-edge facing out?

Books used to be chained to the bookshelves in libraries?

Books were sold unbound in quires (gatherings of printed sheets or signatures). If you wanted a bound book you had to buy the quires from the publisher and take them to your favorite bookbinder for binding in your choice of material

Best selling author of all time - this accolade goes to Agatha Christie, detective story authoress. Since 1920 her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 45 foreign languages. She is outsold only by the Bible and William Shakespeare.

J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book in the acclaimed series, had a first-run print of 8.5 million copies. This is approximately 80 times the average bestseller!This beat the previous book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which had a first-run print of 4.8 million copies.

And finally, Computer Technology has led to the development of the electronic book or e-book. The e-book combines the storage, search capabilities, and adaptability of a computer with the simulated page format of a traditional book. Early versions of e-books appeared in the late 1990s. By 2000, thousands of books were being digitized.

With the ever changing ways of listening to music and 21st century gaming, will the book fans of today embrace the e-book. Let us know what you think ? Add a comment...

Destination of The Month

Books4TheBeach will be featuring a destination of the month. This months destination is Andalucia (Spain) which is composed of eight provinces that stretch from the south-east to the south-west of the country consisting of Cadiz, Cordoba, Jaen, Huelva, Almeria, Malaga, Granada and Sevilla each one named for its capital city

The provinces of Malaga, Granada and Seville are now some of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, thanks to its sandy beaches, beautiful countryside, dramatic mountain ranges, magnificent monuments and much, much more. The inhabitants of Andalucia are well known for their cheerfulness, warmth and hospitality. Not forgetting that Andalucia is also home of flamenco and bullfighting, which can be best enjoyed at the regions countless ferias and romerias.

The Mediterranean seaboard is graced by the Costa de Almeria, Costa Tropical and the glamorous, cosmopolitan Costa del Sol, while the Costa de la Luz lies along the Atlantic shore to the west of Gibraltar. Andalucia has 500 miles of coastline and of which 70% are sandy beaches. The region offers many sports including skiing, water sports and of course the Costa del Sol is renowned for its golf. There are now more than 60 golf courses stretching from Sotogrande in the west to the lesser-known Velez Malaga in the east and they all have one thing in common - the fantastic sunny and dry climate allowing golfers to play all year round

As well as Andalucia´s fascinating cities and dazzling shores, the region is sprinkled with tiny unspoiled villages and whitewashed towns - the famous pueblos blancos -, which tourists often overlook, even though they are of easy access, such as Casares, Gaucin and Frigilana. To conclude Andalucia is a region of startling contrasts and great charm.

The Ultimate Guitar Tutor

Everyone has heard of songs by THE KINKS, VAN MORRISON, GREEN DAY, JIMI HENDRIX, NIRVANA & R.E.M. Well, whether you are a budding lead guitarist or simply want to strum along with your favourite songs, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to playing the guitar and more

The book is intended to get you started with the business of playing the most versatile instrument there is: the guitar. The basics are more or less the same across the range of modern styles, so whatever your musical taste, this book contains all you need to get going.

The books aim is to give you the background knowledge you will need if you want to make use of the wealth of material around in more advanced tutor books, song books and guitar magazines.

Features of the book include Classic Pop and Rock Songs by legendary artists Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, R.E.M., Van Morrison, Eagles, Green Day, Nervana, Elvis Presley and George Michael as well as well known folk and classical tunes. There is an introduction to TAB and standard notation as well as essential guitar techniques including tuning, power chords, barre chords, string bending, sliding and left handed damping. Also there is extra help throughout the book with top tips, fact files, recommended listening and extensive chord glossary.

A great addition to this book is the integral CD which comprises over 50 stunning sound-alike backing tracks

The author Tom Flemming is a skilled and highly experienced guitarist, adept in a wide variety of styles including rock, jazz and folk. He is also an arranger and composer, and an examiner for rock school, www.rockschool.co.uk the UKs only dedicated rock and pop exam board.

Pink Floyd - The Inside Story

A Great Book

A Great Group

This we had to show you

In July 2005 in Hyde Park, before a global audience in the tens of millions, Pink Floyd performed together on stage for the first time in 24 years. As even Bob Geldof himself acknowledged, it was 'a far bigger story than Live 8 itself'. From the moment the metronomic pulse of a human heartbeat thudded out to begin 'Speak to Me' to the soaring, stinging guitar solo by David Gilmour that climaxed 'Comfortably Numb', these four self-effacing men in their late fifties stole the show.

Almost a year later, the death of their troubled and reclusive founder-member Syd Barrett made headline news around the world. Both events signalled a kind of closure to the remarkable tale of one of the world's biggest bands. Now, in the first full-length history of the group for over 15 years, Mark Blake tells the complete story of how a group of middle-class Englishmen who grew up together in Cambridge went on to conquer the world with such classic albums as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall, and put on some of the most pyrotechnically spectacular stage shows of all time.

Drawing on his own interviews with all of the band members, plus almost a hundred new interviews with the group's friends, road crew, producers, designers, former housemates and university colleagues - some of whom have never spoken before - as well as musical contemporaries including Pete Townshend and Alice Cooper, "Pigs Might Fly" follows Pink Floyd all the way from the early psychedelic nights at UFO in the mid-sixties to the stadium-rock and concept-album zenith of the seventies, and finally the acrimonious schism that sundered the band in the eighties and nineties. Along the way there are fascinating new revelations about Syd Barrett's chaotic menage at the time of Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the band's painstaking and Byzantine recording sessions at Abbey Road, and the fractious negotiations to bring about their fragile, tantalising reunion in Hyde Park. Meticulous, exacting and ambitious as any Pink Floyd album, "Pigs Might Fly" is the definitive account of this most adventurous, and at the same time most English of rock bands.