Tag Archives: Book Review

Four Mums In a Boat Book Review

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Four Mums in a Boat: Friends who rowed 3000 miles, broke a world record and learnt a lot about life along the way

The incredible true story of four ordinary working mums from Yorkshire who took on an extraordinary challenge and broke a world record along the way.

Janette, Frances, Helen and Niki, though all from Yorkshire, were four very different women, all juggling full time jobs alongside being mothers to each of their 2 children. They could never be described as athletes, but they were determined to be busy and the local Saturday morning rowing club was the perfect place to go to have a laugh and a gossip, get the blood pumping in the open air, and feel invigorated.

Brought together by their love of rowing, they quickly became firm friends, and it wasn’t long before they cooked up a crazy idea over a few glasses of wine: together, they were going to do something that fewer people than had gone into space or climbed Everest had succeeded in doing. They were going to cross 3,000 miles of treacherous ocean in the toughest row in the world, The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

Yes, they had children and husbands that they would be leaving behind for two months, yes they had businesses to run, mortgages to pay, responsibilities. And there was that little thing of them all being in their 40s and 50s.

But two years of planning, preparation, fundraising, training and difficult conversations later, and they found themselves standing on the edge of the San Sebastian harbour in the Canary Islands, petrified, exhilarated and ready to head up the race of their lives.

This is the story of how four friends together had the audacity to go on a wild, terrifying and beautiful adventure, not to escape life, but for life not to escape them.

Frost really loved this amazing story of courage and resilience. It is also a must read for mothers who too often put their life on hold and never put themselves first. Nothing in life comes easy but it is possible to have children and live your life to the full. 

 

Available from amazon.co.uk

Why Does Inequality Matter? By T. M. Scanlon Book Review

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Inequality is widely regarded as morally objectionable: T. M. Scanlon investigates why it matters to us. Demands for greater equality can seem puzzling, because it can be unclear what reason people have for objecting to the difference between what they have and what others have, as opposed simply to wanting to be better off. This book examines six such reasons. Inequality can be objectionable because it arises from a failure of some agent to give equal concern to the interests of different parties to whom it is obligated to provide some good. It can be objectionable because it involves or gives rise to objectionable inequalities in status. It can be objectionable because it gives the rich unacceptable forms of control over the lives of those who have less.

It can be objectionable because it interferes with the procedural fairness of economic institutions, or because it deprives some people of substantive opportunity to take part in those institutions. Inequality can be objectionable because it interferes with the fairness of political institutions. Finally, inequality in wealth and income can be objectionable because it is unfair: the institutional mechanisms that produce it cannot be justified in the relevant way. Scanlon’s aims is to provide a moral anatomy of these six reasons, and the ideas of equality that they involve. He also examines objections to the pursuit of equality on the ground that it involves objectionable interference with individual liberty, and argues that ideas of desert do not provide a basis either for justifying significant economic inequality or for objecting to it.

Why Does Inequality Matter? is an important book which asks the right questions. It is intelligent without being condescending and full of facts while still being entertaining.

Why Does Inequality Matter? By T. M. Scanlon is available here.

JANE CABLE REVIEWS: THE LAST DAY by CLAIRE DYER

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This is a clever book on so many levels. Just as you are settling in with the characters Claire Dyer throws a curve ball which grips you and makes it impossible not to read on.

Vita, Boyd and Honey are not a love triangle. They can’t be; Vita got over Boyd years ago, but nevertheless it is a surreal situation for them all when Boyd and Honey need to move into Vita’s home in Albert Terrace. And of course they all have secrets – there have to be secrets. In fact there is only one character in book who doesn’t have one.

As days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months, the new normality of life in Albert Terrace is punctured by glimpses of the past which tie the characters together, yet rip them apart. As time marches on towards the last day – which the reader knows has to come – secrets are revealed and slowly the jigsaw falls into place. Just one mystery remains: will the last day in fact be the first?

The Last Day is Claire Dyer’s first book for The Dome Press and she seems to have found the right home for her particular brand of character driven fiction. Dyer is also a poet and it shows; every word in this carefully constructed novel counts and has the feeling of being deliberately placed. Yet the genius is that this is still a smooth read which carries you to the Surrey small town world of the characters and keeps you there long after you’ve finished reading.

As the story takes off you forget about the writer’s skill and become immersed. You cease to notice that one character alone narrates in the first person, that the whole book is in the present tense. This is how it should be with great writing and Dyer, with her MA in Creative Writing, slips into the background as her story takes over.

Highly recommended.

The Last Day is published on 15th February 2018 by The Dome Press. Claire Dyer is one of four writers Frost’s Business of Books column is following this year. Look out for updates on the last Wednesday of every month.

 

What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax: An Introduction to the UK Tax System Book Review

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What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax- An Introduction to the UK Tax System Book Review

What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax: An Introduction to the UK Tax System By James Hannam immediately caught my eye. Sure I have an interest in finance and the workings of the society that we live in, but I have always been interested in tax. Now tax is a good thing; it is how society runs. No tax and no NHS, education or public services at all. But are we overtaxed? I thought that most people are overtaxed before, after reading this book, even more so. As the book points out there is income tax, employee national insurance (of various classes), employer national insurance, VAT, stamp duty, council tax, inheritance tax. The list just goes on. We are overtaxed and the government tries to make some of these taxes as invisible as possible. Did you know that someone on a salary of £26,000 pays almost £8000 in tax a year? Or that the top 0.05% of the UK population pay over a quarter of all income tax? The top 10% of earners pay over half the income tax, which is about 100 billion a year. Just 5% of the population pay more in income tax than the rest of the population put together. How much do you have to earn to be in this top 5%? Just over £50,000 a year. Another great section goes on about how taxes cause the poverty trap that people on benefits can get caught in when they try to get off benefits, they can essentially get taxed at 90%. More than the richest in society. Depressing? Yes. Fair? No. The book also has a great section on pensions versus ISAs. I have always been wary of pensions and the book helped clarify my thoughts.The book is full of great facts like that by a man who really knows his stuff. The book is chock full of essential information and interesting fact. I can highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a grip of the complex UK tax system.Due to be published by Wiley, 23rd March 2017
£19.99, Paperback and e-bookISBN: 9781119375784“You pay a lot of tax. Of course, you know that. But I bet you don’t know just how much you pay, or all the ways the government has to extract the cash from you.” – James HannamIn his new book, What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax, James Hannam takes look at the UK tax system and provides non-specialist readers with an easy-to-understand explanation of tax and tax policy to show them just how much they pay, how the money is collected and how tax affects ordinary people every day.With no accounting or legal knowledge required, it contains practical case studies to illustrate how tax functions in the real world, for example: how the VAT on a plumber’s bill all adds up; why fraudsters made a movie to throw HMRC off their scent; how a wealthy couple can pay minimal tax on a six-figure income; and the way tracing the money you paid for your iPad sheds light why the EU is demanding Apple pay billions extra in tax.Written in a conversational style, What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax gives readers a real-world look at how tax works. In it they will:

  • Learn about the many ways that the tax system separates us from our money
  • Discover how Brexit could change the way we pay taxes
  • Understand how changing tax policy affects people’s everyday lives
  • See through the rhetoric from politicians and the media surrounding tax controversies

The system’s underlying logic is illustrated through three ‘golden rules’ that explain many of the UK tax regime’s oddities:

  • Lots of small taxes together add up to make big tax bills – “The point of all these taxes is to spread the pain so we notice it less.”
  • No matter what name is on the bill, all taxes are ultimately suffered by human beings – taxes levied on manufacturers are passed on to the consumer through a higher price for the product
  • Taxes are kept as invisible as possible – “Since we all hate paying taxes, the government has perfected the art of ensuring that we rarely have to hand over the money ourselves. Most taxes are paid by businesses on our behalf.”

With tax, there are no easy answers. No one enjoys paying them, but without them, the government would shut down.Whether readers are self-employed, have a general interest in the way the UK tax system works, are a finance or tax professional, or students wanting to understand more about taxation in a break from traditionally dry text books, What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax gives them the background and foundational knowledge they need to be a well-informed taxpayer.What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax will be published on 23rd March 2017 and will be available wherever books and ebooks are sold.
JAMES HANNAM, PHD, has spent twenty years advising clients on every aspect of the UK tax regime while working for firms including EY, Freshfields, and KPMG.

Natural Solutions for Dementia and Alzheimer’s, Your 7 Step Brain Protection Plan

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natrualsolutionsfordementiaandalzheimers
I have read a few books by Dr Marilyn Glenville, and we also feature her articles on Frost sometimes. She is a woman who really knows her stuff. I greatly enjoy her writing and her new book Natural Solutions for Dementia and Alzheimer’s, Your 7 Step Brain Protection Plan is one of her best books yet. Well-researched and never dull to read, it is brimming with information and advice. The book is thorough; part one helps you understand dementia and part two is your 7-step brain protection programme. From what to eat, your environment, training your brain, dealing with stress and exercise. This is an essential book in the fight against Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

 

New book launch from Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD

Following the huge success of bestselling Natural Alternatives to Sugar, Dr Glenville is adding to her literary portfolio this year with her brand new book Natural Solutions for Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

As it can take up to 10 years for dementia symptoms to show, Dr Glenville gives a compelling argument as to why taking action sooner, rather than later is crucial in helping to prevent memory loss and reduce the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s.  Whilst the pharmaceutical industry searches for a cure, Dr Glenville offers readers a practical easy-to-follow 7 Step Brain Protection Plan consisting of simple lifestyle and nutritional changes everybody can make.

Alzheimer’s, more than any other disease, is now responsible for the highest number of deaths amongst women; killing three times as many women as breast cancer.   The Alzheimer’s Society believes delaying the onset of dementia by just five years would reduce deaths directly attributable to dementia by a staggering 30,000 a year!

  • There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK
  • It is estimated over 1 million people in the UK will be diagnosed with a form of dementia by 2025.
  • The total annual cost of dementia in the UK is £26.3 billion 
  • The NHS picks up £4.3 billion of the costs and social care £10.3

 

Who is the book aimed at?

 

In her latest book, Dr Glenville sheds light on the complex and often misunderstood world of dementia including Alzheimer’s, offering sufferers and their loved ones a clear and practical guide as well as an easy questionnaire to determine if you are headed towards Alzheimer’s. The book is also suitable for those who have a family history of dementia and want to take steps now to delay cognitive decline.

The book expands on newly discovered facts and latest research findings: 

  • Why scientists are calling Alzheimer’s ‘Type 3 Diabetes’s due to blood sugar and insulin being so closely linked with an increased risk
  • Gum disease has been linked to a six-fold increase in the rate of cognitive decline in people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s
  • Sleeping on your side is the best position to let cerebrospinal fluid flush out toxins and improve blood flow around the brain.
  • Omega 3 rich foods like oily fish improve cerebral blood flow and reduce inflammation making them important in the fight against Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
  • It might not be genetic – according to the Alzheimer’s Association in America, genetics are responsible for less than 5 per cent of all Alzheimer’s cases.
  • How certain nutrients ‘‘can slow the atrophy of specific brain regions that are a key component of the Alzheimer’s disease process and that are associated with cognitive decline’.*

 

Discover answers to questions such as…                                                                             

  • What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia?
  • Can making the wrong food choices be harmful to your brain health – no matter what age you are?
  • Which supplements can help improve and boost your brain function?
  • What lifestyle factors should you avoid and include to help improve your memory?

·      What are the most important tests to take to show if you have any deficiencies or imbalances that could be affecting your memory and concentration?

 

The 7-step Brain Protection Plan

Dr Glenville introduces readers to her unique 7-step Brain Protection Plan offering a practical step-by-step guide to help get your brain in the best possible shape naturally, with chapters covering:

  • Your diet
  • Nutritional supplements
  • Exercise
  • Stress and sleep
  • Your environment
  • Brain training
  • Testing, testing

 

What inspired Dr Glenville to write Natural Solutions for Dementia and Alzheimer’s?

Even though writing this book has touched a personal nerve (my father and mother-in-law developed Alzheimer’s and I saw first hand the effects not only on them, but on all those who had to care for them), my research has shown me just how much we do know already and how very beneficial simple, practical lifestyle changes can be, not only to help prevent the disease, but also to slow the decline for those who already have it.  I hope you find the information in the book as interesting as I did while I was gathering it; and I hope that it can make a difference both to you and to your family.

 

Natural Solutions for Dementia and Alzheimer’s £12.77, is available from all good stockists, Amazon and marilyngenville.com.

 

 

The Invisible Crowd By Ellen Wiles Book Review

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Immigration is a hot topic in Britain right now. This debut novel does the topic justice. This book is a combination of great writing talent and insider knowledge. A winning duo that makes a truly wonderful book. Well worth a read.

2nd March 1975

In Asmara, Eritrea, Yonas Kelati is born into a world of turmoil. At the same time, on the same day, Jude Munroe takes her first breath in London, England.

Thirty Years Later

Blacklisted in his war-ravaged country, Yonas has no option but to flee his home. After a terrible journey, he arrives on a bleak English coast.

By a twist of fate, Yonas’ asylum case lands on Jude’s desk. Opening the file, she finds a patchwork of witness statements from those who met Yonas along his journey: a lifetime the same length of hers, reduced to a few scraps of paper.

Soon, Jude will stand up in court and tell Yonas’ story. How she tells it will change his life forever.

The Invisible Crowd By Ellen Wiles is available here.

Perfect Books For Christmas

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Perfect books for Christmas. Buy them now. tom hanks book uncommon typeTom Hanks Uncommon Type 

A stunning collection of short stories from the Oscar-winning actor. You will not be able to put it down.

A collection of seventeen wonderful short stories showing that two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is as talented a writer as he is an actor.

A hectic, funny sexual affair between two best friends. A World War II veteran dealing with his emotional and physical scars. A second-rate actor plunged into sudden stardom and a whirlwind press junket. A small-town newspaper columnist with old-fashioned views of the modern world. A woman adjusting to life in a new neighborhood after her divorce. Four friends going to the moon and back in a rocket ship constructed in the backyard. A teenage surfer stumbling into his father’s secret life.

These are just some of the people and situations that Tom Hanks explores in his first work of fiction, a collection of stories that dissects, with great affection, humour and insight, the human condition and all its foibles. The stories are linked by one thing: in each of them, a typewriter plays a part, sometimes minor, sometimes central. To many, typewriters represent a level of craftsmanship, beauty and individuality that is harder and harder to find in the modern world. In his stories, Mr Hanks gracefully reaches that typewriter-worthy level.

Known for his honesty and sensitivity as an actor, Mr Hanks brings both those characteristics to his writing. Alternatingly whimsical, moving and occasionally melancholy, Uncommon Type is a book that will delight as well as surprise his millions of fans. It also establishes him as a welcome and wonderful new voice in contemporary fiction, a voice that perceptively delves beneath the surface of friendships, families, love and normal, everyday behaviour.

Tom Hanks Uncommon Type is available here. 

The New Mum’s Notebook 

A wonderful present for any mum. Part book part notebook. It is also a great keepsake.

Reassuring, funny and down-to-earth, THE NEW MUM’S NOTEBOOK is everything you need for the first year of life with a baby.
What do new mums want most of all (apart from sleep)? They want someone to tell them what they’re feeling is ‘normal’. That they’re doing ok. That they will be ok. The New Mum’s Notebook, written by Amy Ransom – mum of three and creator of the Surviving Motherhood blog – does all this and more.

From night feeds, napping and weaning, to which films to cue up on Netflix, finding some headspace and getting all the support, coffee and cake you need, Amy has been there – and this is the book she wishes she’d had by her side.

Divided into the first 12 months of motherhood, with 304 pages of reassurance, love and humour, as well as spaces to scribble thoughts, feelings and memories from those crazy early days, The New Mum’s Notebook will nurture a new mum in however she chooses to raise her baby. Whether it’s her first or her fifth.

Word on the street is it’s almost worth having another baby for…

‘You’ve created the book that we all wish we’d had.’ – Clemmie, mum of two

‘My go-to present for my new mummy friends’ – Kate, mum of two

‘I’ve had loads of baby record books and never ever filled one in. This book feels so different. I love it.’ – Annabel, mum of five

* Perfect for expectant mothers and new mums

* Gorgeous colour pages including lots of reassurance, self-care advice, journal pages, affirmations and simple recipes

* Divided into 12 months to take you through every stage of a new mum and baby’s first year

* Eight journal pages per month with space to write notes, thoughts, memories and all those ‘to-dos’

* 12 months of milestone charts for mum and baby

The New Mum’s Notebook is available here.

Tim Peake Ask An Astronaut 

A brilliant book full of great information. Perfect for any age group.

The awe-inspiring Sunday Times Bestseller from astronaut Tim Peake

How does it feel to orbit the earth ten times faster than a speeding bullet?
What’s it like to eat, sleep and go to the toilet in space?
And where to next – the Moon, Mars or beyond?

Ask an Astronaut is Tim’s personal guide to life in space, based on his historic Principia mission, and the thousands of questions he has been asked since his return to Earth.

Accessible, in-depth, and written with his characteristic warmth, Tim shares his thoughts on every aspect of his mission. From training to launch, from his historic spacewalk to re-entry, he reveals for readers of all ages the cutting-edge science behind his ground-breaking experiments, and the wonders of day-to-day life on board the International Space Station.

The public were invited to submit questions using the hashtag #askanastronaut, and a selection are answered by Tim in the book, which will be accompanied with illustrations, diagrams and never-before-seen photos.

Tim is pleased to announce that, as with his previous book, royalties received from the book will be donated to The Prince’s Trust.

Tim Peake Ask An Astronaut is available here. 

David Jason Only Fools and Stories

Entertaining and well written. A great read.

In his first book David Jason told us about himself from his early years training as an electrician through to making it as one of Britain’s greatest actors.

This autumn, in a follow up autobiography, he tells us about the many other lives he has lived – his characters. From Del Boy to Granville, Pop Larkin to Frost, he takes us behind the scenes and under the skins of some of the best loved acts of his career.

And in the process he reflects on how those characters changed his life too. The result told with his characteristic charm and wit is both funny and poignant, honest and heart warming.

David Jason Only Fools and Stories is available here. 

Krysten Ritter Bonfire

Who knew this amazing actress could also write? A suspenseful novel full of twists and turns. Brilliant.

Can you ever outrun your past?

From actress, producer, and writer Krysten Ritter, a gripping, tightly wound suspense novel about a woman forced to confront her past in the wake of small-town corruption

It has been ten years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all visible evidence of her small-town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands.

But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town’s most high-profile company and economic heart, Abby begins to find strange connections to Barrens’s biggest scandal from more than a decade ago, involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her closest friends–just before Kaycee disappeared for good.

Abby knows the key to solving any case lies in the weak spots, the unanswered questions. But as she tries desperately to find out what really happened to Kaycee, troubling memories begin to resurface and she begins to doubt her own observations. And when she unearths an even more disturbing secret–a ritual called “The Game”–it will threaten reputations, and lives, in the community and risk exposing a darkness that may consume her.

With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote rural town of just five claustrophobic square miles, Bonfire is a dark exploration of what happens when your past and present collide.

Krysten Ritter Bonfire is available here. 

A Galaxy of Her Own: Amazing Stories of Women in Space

An essential book for the young women in your life. Well written with beautiful illustrations.

From small steps to giant leaps, A Galaxy of Her Own tells fifty stories of inspirational women who have been fundamental to the story of humans in space, from scientists to astronauts to some surprising roles in between.

From Ada Lovelace in the nineteenth century, to the women behind the Apollo missions, from the astronauts breaking records on the International Space Station to those blazing the way in the race to get to Mars, A Galaxy of Her Own reveals extraordinary stories, champions unsung heroes and celebrates remarkable achievements from around the world.

Written by Libby Jackson, a leading UK expert in human space flight, and illustrated with bold and beautiful artwork from the students of London College of Communication, this is a book to delight and inspire trailblazers of all ages.

Packed full of both amazing female role models and mind-blowing secrets of space travel, A Galaxy of Her Own is guaranteed to make any reader reach for the stars.

A Galaxy of Her Own: Amazing Stories of Women in Space

Mary Woods Brighter Days Ahead 

A wonderful, engrossing, historical novel.

Brighter Days Ahead is a moving story set against the backdrop of the Second World War, from Mary Wood, the author of In Their Mother’s Footsteps.

War pulled them apart, but can it bring them back together?

Molly lives with her repugnant father, who has betrayed her many times. From a young age, living on the
streets of London’s East End, she has seen the harsh realities of life . . . When she’s kidnapped by a gang and forced into their underworld, her future seems bleak.

Flo spent her early years in an orphanage, and is about to turn her hand to teacher training. When a kindly teacher at her school approaches her about a job at Bletchley Park, it could be everything she never knew she wanted.

Will the girls’ friendship be enough to weather the hard times ahead?

Mary Woods Brighter Days Ahead is available here. 

James Duigan Blueprint For Health

The perfect book for New Year. A great plan which we will be trying from someone who really knows his stuff. There is a reason the stars turn to him.

From world-renowned health and wellbeing authority, author and founder of the BODYISM brand, James Duigan, comes Blueprint for Health. Expanding on his bestselling ‘Clean & Lean’ philosophy, this is his most comprehensive book yet, detailing the four pillars that combine to create the BODYISM blueprint of a healthy, happy life.
For each pillar, James helps the reader understand and engage with the underlying philosophy behind BODYISM, so you can make changes that last long-term. In the book you’ll find 80 delicious recipes and a series of simple movement and mindset exercises to detoxify your diet and behaviour and gently guide you towards balance in every area.
The result is a book that will empower you to think, eat, move and feel better, helping you “switch on” your body’s capacity to function at its highest level. James will inspire you to become the best, happiest and fittest version of yourself. After just 14 days of following the BODYISM blueprint you’ll grow stronger, leaner and feel unstoppable.

James Duigan Blueprint For Health is available here. 

Simon Sebag Montefiore Red Sky At Noon

A wonderful novel to really sink your teeth into. From one of the leading historical novelists writing today: a stunning book.

‘The black earth was already baking and the sun was just rising when they mounted their horses and rode across the grasslands towards the horizon on fire …’

Imprisoned in the Gulags for a crime he did not commit, Benya Golden joins a penal battalion made up of Cossacks and convicts to fight the Nazis.

He enrols in the Russian cavalry, and on a hot summer day in July 1942, he and his band of brothers are sent on a desperate mission behind enemy lines.

Switching between Benya’s war in the grasslands of Southern Russia, and Stalin’s plans in the Kremlin, between Benya’s intense affair with an Italian nurse and a romance between Stalin’s daughter and a journalist also on the Eastern Front, this is a sweeping story of passion, bravery and human survival where personal betrayal is a constant companion, and death just a heartbeat away.

Simon Sebag Montefiore Red Sky At Noon is available here. 

Before You Know it: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do

A great Christmas present. A well written, brilliantly researched novel that lets everyone know how to understand themselves- and others- better.

‘John Bargh’s Before You Know It moves our understanding of the mysteries of human behaviour one giant step forward. A brilliant and convincing book.’ – Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and David and Goliath

The world’s leading expert on the unconscious mind reveals the hidden mental processes that secretly govern every aspect of our behaviour.

For more than three decades, Dr John Bargh has been conducting revolutionary research into the unconscious mind – not Freud’s dark, malevolent unconscious but a helpful and powerful part of the mind that we can access and understand through experimental science. Now, Dr Bargh presents an engaging and enlightening tour of the influential psychological forces that are at work as we go about our daily lives – checking a dating app, holding a cup of hot coffee or getting a flu jab.

Dr Bargh takes you into his labs at New York University and Yale, where his ingenious experiments have shown how the unconscious guides our behaviour, goals and motivations in areas like race relations, parenting, business, consumer behaviour and addiction. He reveals the pervasive influence of the unconscious mind in who we choose to date or vote for, what we buy, where we live, how we perform on tests and in job interviews, and much more. Before You Know It is full of surprising and entertaining revelations as well as tricks to help you remember to-do items, shop smarter and sleep better.

Before You Know It will profoundly change the way you understand yourself by introducing you to a fascinating world only recently discovered, the world that exists below the surface of your awareness and yet is the key to unlocking new ways of thinking, feeling and behaving.

Before You Know it: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do is available here. 

 

 

 

After the Snow By Susannah Constantine Book Review

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We all know Susannah Constantine from her Trinny and Susannah days when she told women what to wear. The careers of the two fashionable women went stratospheric. They both became very successful indeed. When After The Snow reached Frost HQ I was immediately grabbed by the cover. It is beautiful and really encapsulates the book. But a book cannot be judged by its cover alone. Is it any good? Yes and yes again. Susannah Constantine is a writer of great talent. Everything from the story, to the characters, to the observations are just pitch perfect. I loved this novel. It was just superb. I really could not put it down. It was also a window into a world that most people do not get to see. I highly recommend this book. It does not disappoint.

Christmas morning, 1969.

All eleven-year-old Esme Munroe wants for Christmas is for her mother to be on one of her ‘good’ days – and, secretly, for a velvet riding hat. So when she finds an assortment of wet towels and dirty plates in her stocking, she’s just relieved Father Christmas remembered to stop at The Lodge this year.

But later that day Esme’s mother disappears in the heavy snow. Even more mysteriously, only the Earl of Culcairn seems to know where she might have gone. Torn between protecting her mother and uncovering the secrets tumbling out of Culcairn Castle’s ornate closets, Esme realises that life will never be the same again after the snow…

Susannah Constantine provides a rare glimpse into the secret lives of the scandalous upper classes. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and The Crown

After the Snow By Susannah Constantine is available here.