Tag Archives: good books

Life advice from Anya Hindmarch, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley – A Few Wise Words

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There are two types of people in this world: those who think they know everything, and everyone else. The everyone else read great books like this and implement it into their lives. Compiled and edited by Peter Mukherjee, this book is the inspiration we all need after a tough year.

The contributors are a rich and varied bunch. There is something here for everyone. A Few Wise Words is an essential guide on conquering challenges and becoming successful. This book would make a perfect Christmas present. I cannot recommend it enough.
‘I was once told that I had three strikes against me – I was black, I was a girl and I was poor. But I was also raised to believe that I could do whatever I wanted and whatever I set my mind to achieve.’

Ursula Burns – US business leader, former CEO of Xerox

 

‘Almost everyone I have known that has found fulfilment in life, was invariably shocked

to discover that hard work is actually what they want to do, and is an

extraordinary pleasure and the most fulfilling of all things.’

Stephen Fry – Actor, television personality and writer

 

‘I do think that opportunities come along all the time for all of us, and you have

got to be ready to seize them when they do. ‘

Sir Keith Mills – Founder of Air Miles and Nectar Card

 

‘Success is often about how you deal with failure. When something goes seriously wrong, you can either give up or you can dig deep, recover your self-belief, and focus once more upon your goal. It’s all about your attitude and being positive, even when everything sometimes seems stacked against you.’

Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson – Politician, TV presenter and former Paralympic champion

 

 

In order to find success, we first need to find our direction…

 

When we are young, the greatest challenge we face is knowing how to find our initial direction. Where do we look? What exactly are we looking for? What talents do we have? When we are older and our journey is already underway, the questions change. How can we become the very best version of ourselves? How can we improve our game and move up? What resources can we tap into to help us?

 

A Few Wise Words is jam-packed with wisdom and advice from twenty-two exceptional individuals, all of whom have already achieved extraordinary success in their own lives. This book has been crafted to present the ultimate travelling companion and guide for our journey, enabling us to plan carefully for what lies ahead, learn how to find our passion, and discover our motivation. It will then help us to move forward with confidence and a clear understanding of what we need to do next. There are, of course, many routes that can lead to success and this book can help anyone to explore which path is the right one for them.

 

In this book – the first volume of a series – each contributor has their own unique chapter in which they define what success has meant for them, what their own journey was like, and how they managed to conquer the many challenges they had to confront along the way. Each then shares in a clear and easy to follow way, what they believe are the most important values, disciplines and actions that we should take, to enable us to successfully negotiate our own special and unique journey. Additional guidance is also provided for parents, covering the crucial role that they can play to prepare their children early, while enabling them to ‘hit the ground running’ when the serious part of their journey begins in earnest later on.

 

Compiled and edited by Peter Mukherjee, A Few Wise Words delivers a rich and varied collection of personal insights, knowledge, and advice from this exceptional group of individuals, all of whom are willing to share what they believe will enable any one of us to find our success, purpose and happiness in life. It will guide any young person, young adult or indeed, any person who has aspirations to do well in life, on how to get started and then how to stay on track. It is a book we can dip in and out of at any time during our journey for inspiration, advice and the guidance we need.

 

Contributor Chapters

 

Sir Ben Ainslie • Frank Arnesen • Zak Brown • Ursula Burns • Sir Roger Carr • Sherry Coutu • Pablo Ettinger

Mikhail Fridman • Stephen Fry • Dame Katherine Grainger • Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson • Anya Hindmarch

Declan Kelly • Martha, Baroness Lane-Fox • Joanna Lumley • Dame Carolyn McCall • Sir Keith Mills • Vin Murria

Danielle de Niese • Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks • Shriti Vadera • Sir Clive Woodward

 

A Few Wise Words is out on 16th November and available from Amazon and leading booksellers. www.afewwisewords.com

 

Love On The Waterways By Milly Adams Book Review

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love on the waterwaysReading a Milly Adams novel is like having the perfect cup of tea on the sofa and talking to a friend. It is comforting, entertaining, and you always learn something new. The second novel in the Waterway girls series is as good as the first. I raced through it and loved every word. Get yourself a copy now. 

 

THE SECOND NOVEL IN MILLY ADAMS’ BRAND NEW SAGA SERIES. Perfect for fans of Daisy Styles and Nancy Revell.

March 1944, West London: it’s been five months since Verity Clement fled home for a life on Britain’s canals and she could never have imagined how tough it would get. Yet hauling cargo between London and Birmingham is far easier to face than the turbulence she’s left behind.

When Verity’s sweetheart returns unexpectedly from the front line, she dares to dream of a brighter future. But life aboard the Marigold is never smooth sailing. New recruit Sylvia is struggling with demons from her past while crewmate Polly must carry on in the wake of devastating news. Verity does her best to help, but a shocking discovery is about to turn her own life upside-down.

As the realities of war begin to take their toll, the waterway girls will have to pull together if they are to survive the uncertain times ahead…

Available from Amazon.

The People At Number 9 By Felicity Everett Now Out In Paperback

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One of Frosts favourite books of the year is now out in paperback. You can read our review of The People At Number 9 here. We recommend you get your hands on a copy.

Meet the new neighbours. Whose side are you on?

Have you met the People at Number 9?

Sara and Neil have new neighbours in their street. Glamorous and chaotic, Gav and Lou make Sara’s life seem dull. As the two couples become friends, sharing suppers, red wine and childcare, it seems a perfect couples-match. But the more Sara sees of Gav and Lou, the more she longs to change her own life. But those changes will come at a price.

 

Felicity Everett grew up in Manchester and studied English Literature at Sussex University. She worked in children’s publishing in London, whilst raising a family and is the author of more than twenty works of children’s fiction and non-fiction. After a short career break, Felicity returned to writing full-time and in 2011 published her debut novel, The Story of Us, a funny and touching account of the friendships forged between five women at University in the 1980s. Her second novel, The People at Number 9, published in April 2017, is a dark satire on sex, envy and betrayal in the suburbs. Felicity has recently returned from a few years living in Melbourne, with her husband and now lives in Gloucestershire. Her new work in progress is a gothic tale of marriage and mental instability set in the dark heart of the countryside. You can follow Felicity @ittymay and on Facebook, Felicity Everett – Author.

The People at Number 9 is available here.

 

Month 11 of my Reading Challenge By Frances Colville

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I found it hard to decide what to go for first this month and spent a happy hour browsing my bookshelves.  In the end I chose The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson (Hodder & Stoughton paperback 2014).  Set in a debtor’s prison in 18th C  London, this is in places a grim read and the plot fell short of being 100% convincing, but the author is good on atmosphere, the main character is engaging and the book is a good choice for anyone who likes historical crime fiction.

Month 11 of my reading challenge Frances Colville

I had no idea what to expect when I began my next book A Little Life by American writer Hanya Yanagihara, knowing nothing at all about it other than it had been shortlisted for this year’s Man Booker.  But it hooked me in right from the first page.  What’s it about?  Friendship, identity, working out who you are and what your life is all about, pain, abuse, relationships, death, grief and love.  It’s challenging, harrowing and absolutely compelling.  And of all the books I’ve read so far this year, this is the one I would recommend most.  Currently available in hardback – published Picador – or on Kindle.

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What do you choose when you’ve just finished a brilliant book; one which has taken you a long time to read and which you can’t get out of your head?  For me, the solution is to turn to something familiar and reliable and completely different.  And as followers of this year of book reviews will know, that means in my case an Agatha Christie.  This time I picked up The Moving Finger – one of a batch I was given last Christmas.  I don’t think I’ve read it before though it’s hard to be sure.  Either way, I couldn’t remember the ending.  And of course neither the book itself nor the ending disappointed. Vintage Christie – and very enjoyable at that.  My copy is a Fontana paperback, reprinted 1971.

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This Little World edited by Sue Ashby is the sort of book you can dip in and out of whenever you have ten minutes to spare  It’s a collection of short stories from people who live in Dorset – some as young as 11 – and each story is located in Dorset.  Lots of variety and lots to interest anyone who knows anything about Dorset.  My personal favourite is A Smuggler’s Life by 12 year old Sam.  Available now on Amazon and will soon be published as an e-anthology.

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And I’ve also been dipping in and out this month of my copy of the works of poet George Herbert edited by W H Auden.  I studied Herbert for A level and there are certain lines from certain of his poems which still stick in my mind.  Writing in the first half of the 17th C his poems are all about religion, his understanding of it and his struggle to be worthy, but it isn’t the content of the poems which speaks to me but the beauty of the language and the strength of his belief.  Not I think a well-known or in any way fashionable poet but one who in my opinion deserves to be read more.  My edition is a Penguin paperback published 1973.

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Only one month left to go.  And so many books to choose from………………..

 

 

Month 9 of my Reading Challenge By Frances Colville

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My first two books this month both dealt with hugely important issues.  I Do Not Sleep by Judy Finnigan   focuses on grief and in particular coming to terms with the death of a child, while the main theme of Love You Better by Natalie K Martin is domestic violence.  Both were interesting reads, but neither wowed me.  The storyline in I Do Not Sleep struck me as unrealistic and contrived, and I didn’t feel any real empathy with the main character.  The book was somewhat redeemed by its ending, so it’s worth persevering.  Love You  Better felt like a missed opportunity and the ending was obvious throughout which detracted from my involvement with the progress of the story.

Month 9 of my reading challenge By Frances Colville2

Next I turned to another of the books on my Agatha Christie pile – on my mind no doubt because of visiting Agatha Christie’s former holiday home, Greenway, in Devon last month.  This one The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was one I picked up at last year’s Cheltenham Literary Festival and  I was swiftly transported back to Agatha Christie world with all its preconceptions and prejudices.  You always get what you expect with an Agatha Christie – and there are times when nothing else will do.  This one didn’t disappoint.

Month 9 of my reading challenge By Frances Colville3

All of which reminded me of a new Agatha Christie story.  Sophie Hannah (whose psychological thrillers I also enjoy) has with the approval of the Agatha Christie family written The Monogram Murders featuring Hercule Poirot, arguably Christie’s most famous character.  I wondered if anyone else could effectively recreate Poirot and his world – and my answer having read and enjoyed The Monogram Murders is a slightly confused yes and no.  Hercule Poirot is well recreated and the storyline is as intriguing and enjoyable as any other Poirot mystery.  And yet I would never mistake this for an original Agatha Christie.  Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be.  Perhaps Sophie Hannah intended all along for this to be an updated, twenty-first century version. To me it did indeed feel more like one of her own psychological thrillers with a cast of Agatha Christie characters rather than a mystery of the type Christie herself wrote.  The confusing thing is that I don’t mind that at all.  As I’ve said before I enjoy reading both books by Sophie Hannah and books by Agatha Christie.  So a fusion of the two was always going to work for me.

Month 9 of my reading challenge By Frances Colville4

Rosanna Ley is the author of The Saffron Trail which is partly set in my local town of Bridport and the neighbouring town of Lyme Regis –  a fact which added to my enjoyment as I ticked off all the places I recognise and love.  The story also takes us to Cornwall, Morocco and the US and the descriptions of all these places is done very well.  It’s a good story too with believable and likeable characters.  This is the first  book by this author I have read, but I will certainly look out for another.

So it turns out (by chance rather than design) that all the books I’ve read this month have been books telling stories – and I’ve enjoyed them all to a greater or lesser extent.  They have provided relaxing and pleasant entertainment.  But entertainment isn’t the only reason I read; I also want to be educated, stimulated and challenged.  So now I find myself wanting a book which meets at least one, and preferably more of those criteria.  The only question is: what will it be?

October 2015

 

 

Summer Book Special | What To Read

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summerbookreviewwhattoreadFive Days Later by Julie Lawson Timmer

This book was hard to put down. A beautiful and heart-breaking novel on love and lost, it is simply stunning. A must-read.

Mara is a successful lawyer, and devoted wife and mother. Struggling with a devastating illness, she has set herself five days to make the ultimate decision for her family.

Scott lives a thousand miles away, and is a foster parent to a troubled eight-year-old. Scott is facing his own five day countdown until his beloved foster son is returned to his biological mother.

The two connect through an online forum, and find a friendship to help guide them through the most difficult, and momentous, week of their lives.

Five Days Left is available here.

 

Some kind of wonderful by Sarah Morgan

A great, engaging, fun story. Sarah Morgan has a talent for writing great in-depth characters. This is the second book in the Puffin Island series. A good read that is hard to put down.

Her whole life, Puffin Islander Brittany Forrest has dreamed of adventure. And at the age of eighteen, she thought she’d found it in bad boy Zachary Flynn. But after just ten tempestuous, smouldering days, their whirlwind marriage went up in smoke, and Brittany resolved to put him out of her mind forever.
Zach knows he let Brittany down, but being back on Puffin Island and seeing Brittany again stirs up long-buried emotions. This daredevil pilot has never felt worthy of her, yet he can’t stay away—even when he knows the chemistry between them will only complicate his life.

As long, hot summer days on the beach dissolve into sultry, starry nights, Brittany and Zach find that the sparks between them are more powerful than ever. Could it be that the second time around, their dreams of a happy-ever-after will finally come true?

Fall in love with the all new Puffin Island series from Sarah Morgan, the bestselling author who brought you Sleigh Bells in the Snow:

Some Kind of Wonderful is available here.

 

A Meditation on Murder by Robert Thorogood

From the creator of BBC drama Death in Paradise, this great crime novel is riveting and full of twists that will keep you guessing. An enjoyable read, perfect for fans of crime novels.

 

An original story from the creator and writer of the hit BBC One TV series, Death in Paradise, featuring on-screen favourite detective, DI Richard Poole.
Enhance your enjoyment of the series as, for the first time, Robert Thorogood brings the characters to life on the page in an all-new locked-room mystery.

Aslan Kennedy has an idyllic life: leader of a spiritual retreat for wealthy holidaymakers on one of the Caribbean’s most unspoilt islands, Saint Marie. Until he’s murdered, that is. The case seems open and shut: when Aslan was killed he was inside a locked room with only five other people, one of whom has already confessed to the murder.

Detective Inspector Richard Poole is hot, bothered, and fed up with talking to witnesses who’d rather discuss his ‘aura’ than their whereabouts at the time of the murder. But he also knows that the facts of the case don’t quite stack up. In fact, he’s convinced that the person who’s just confessed to the murder is the one person who couldn’t have done it. Determined to track down the real killer, DI Poole is soon on the trail, and no stone will be left unturned.

A must read for fans of the TV series and Agatha Christie crime classics featuring Marple and Poirot.

A Meditation on Murder is available here.

 

A Summer Promise by Katie Flynn

This wartime novel is a heartwarming romance novel. Believable and engaging. 

From the bestselling author Katie Flynn. Growing up in the Yorkshire Dales, Maddy Hebditch can’t imagine the changes that war will bring when she joins the ATS.

1938: Maddy Hebditch has been living in poverty with her cantankerous grandmother since she was orphaned when she was just five, and it’s a constant struggle to stay out of the workhouse.

However, though life is hard, Maddy has her friends Alice, Marigold and Tom to help her. Together the four spend their summers exploring the Dales and making plans for the future.

Until war breaks out and everything changes.

As the four go their separate ways, Maddy joins the ATS, where she is recruited for one of the most dangerous jobs a woman could do in wartime: the Ack Ack sites.

All four face dangers as the war worsens, but when Tom is terribly injured, Maddy’s world falls apart…

A Summer Promise is available here.

 

Doris Day Vintage Club by Fiona Harper

A brilliant and unique novel. Hard to put down and lots of fun. Make sure you pack this amazing novel in your suitcase, it is the perfect holiday read and essential for fans of Doris Day. 

Claire Bixby grew up watching Doris Day films at her grandmother’s house and yearned to live in a world like the one on the screen – sunny, colourful and where happy endings were guaranteed. But recently Claire’s opportunities for a little ‘pillow talk’ have been thin on the ground.

Until she meets new client Nic who comes into her travel agency looking to book the perfect get away. Too bad it’s for two!

But as Nic and Claire get closer, the sparks start to fly, and Claire’s questioning everything Doris taught her about romance.

Can true love ever really be just like it is in the movies?

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…

The Doris Day Vintage Film Club is available here.

 

Nightingales at War by Donna Douglas

The latest in the Nightingales series, this is a heart-warming tale of friendship and love. A great coming-of-age drama set in pre-war London. A touching novel which is perfect for fans of Call The Midwife. 

As the war takes its toll, the Nightingale nurses must do their bit for king and country…

Dora is the devoted mother of twin babies but, determined to help the war effort, she goes back to work at the Nightingale Hospital.

More used to nights out in the West End, Jennifer and Cissy volunteer in the hope of tending to handsome soldiers. They soon find out that nursing isn’t quite what they were expecting.

For shy and troubled Eve, the hospital provides an escape from the pressures of home, but the life of a nurse is never easy, especially at wartime.

Can the nurses rally together while war rages all around them? And will the Nightingale Hospital survive the Blitz?

Nightingales at War is available here.

 

Russian Tattoo by Elena Gorokhova

A stunning page-turner. This is the second memoir from Elena Gorokhova and it is a fascinating and beautiful tale on the mother-daughter bond, Candid and full of emotion, this book is a great read. 

The possibility of leaving Russia was never as thrilling as the prospect of leaving my mother.’

When Elena Gorokhova arrives in America, the only link back to her Russian past is a suitcase filled with twenty kilograms of what used to be her life. Navigating a country she had been taught to fear, Elena begins to carve out a new life in an unfamiliar world.

Before the birth of Elena’s daughter, her mother comes to visit and stays for twenty-four years. Elena, must struggle with the challenge of raising an American daughter whilst living with her controlling mother, a mirror image of her Motherland.

Russian Tattoo is the story of what it means to be an outsider, and what happens when the cultures of our past and present collide. Above all, it is an insightful portrait of mothers and daughters.

Russian Tattoo is available here.

 

The Umbrian Thursday Night Supper Club by Markena de Blasi

We loved this book. A wonderful novel about a group of women in Italy who meet up on Thursday night to talk and cook. Full of wonderful description and amazing recipes you can cook yourself, this book takes you into the heart of Italy. This is a true story that never stops entertaining. Full of emotion, it perfectly evokes Italy and the Italian people. Wonderful. You cannot wait to find out what happens to these women and what happens in their lives.

Pull up a chair for the true story of the Umbrian Thursday night supper club.

Every week on a Thursday evening, a group of four Italian rural women gather in a derelict stone house in the hills above Italy’s Orvieto. There – along with their friend, Marlena – they cook together, sit down to a beautiful supper, drink their beloved local wines, and talk.

Here, surrounded by candle light, good food and friendship, Miranda, Ninucia, Paolina and Gilda tell their life stories of loves lost and found, of ageing and abandonment, of mafia grudges and family feuds, and of cherished ingredients and recipes whose secrets have been passed down through the generations. Around this table, these five friends share their food and all that life has offered them – the good and the bad.

For fans of all things Italian, and the thousands of readers who loved Deborah Rodriquez’s The Kabul Beauty School; Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love and Deborah Moggach’s Best Exotic Marigold Hotel;

The Umbrian Thursday Night Supper Club is available here.

 

Villa America by Liza Klaussmann

One of the books of the moment, and rightly so. This book is a stunning and sophisticated page-turner. This tale of marriage set in the 1920s on the French Riviera is a glorious read. 

Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Cole and Linda Porter, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos – all are summer guests of Gerald and Sara Murphy. Visionary, misunderstood, and from vastly different backgrounds, the Murphys met and married young, and set forth to create a beautiful world. They alight on Villa America: their coastal oasis of artistic genius, debauched parties, impeccable style and flamboyant imagination. But before long, a stranger enters into their relationship, and their marriage must accommodate an intensity that neither had forseen. When tragedy strikes, their friends reach out to them, but the golden bowl is shattered, and neither Gerald nor Sara will ever be the same.

Ravishing, heart-breaking, and written with enviable poise, Villa America delivers on all the promise of Liza Klaussmann’s bestselling debut, Tigers in Red Weather. It is an overwhelming, unforgettable novel.

Villa America is available here.

 

Everyday Detox by Megan Gilmore

Too many diet books are based on deprivation. This book makes being healthy easy and delicious. Megan Gilmore has practical recipes that are easy to make and she focuses on simply daily changes. This great book will make you healthy and is so great and simple you won’t even notice it is happening. 

This no-nonsense approach to healthy detoxing by certified holistic health coach and blogger Megan Gilmore offers 100 delicious and properly combined recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including smoothies, snacks and desserts to help you lose weight and feel great. Each recipe is gluten- and sugar-free and include vegan, vegetarian and grain-free alternatives.

Whilst most diets and detoxes require all-or-nothing approaches which encourage unhealthy cycles of restriction followed by bingeing, Everyday Detox takes a realistic, sensible approach to healthy eating and weight loss. The simple, delicious recipes, such as Coconut Banana Muffins, Cauliflower Fried Rice, Baked Spaghetti and Double Chocolate Brownies, will help you to discover the benefits of using all-natural, wholefood ingredients that not only promote good health but stave off feelings of hunger and deprivation. And since each recipe has been designed to promote good gut health while gently removing toxins, you won’t feel bloated or uncomfortable after eating.

Packed with invaluable advice on how to stock a detox-friendly kitchen, and a handy food combination cheat sheet to help you to enjoy the benefits – and the results – of Everyday Detox without delay, this is an essential no-fuss approach to looking and feeling great!

Everyday Detox: 100 Easy Recipes to Remove Toxins, Promote Gut Health and Lose Weight Naturally is available here.

 

 

Sophie Duffy The Generation Game Book Review

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sophie duffy the generation game book reviewThe Generation Game is Sophie Duffy’s debut novel. And what a debut. This book truly is unputdownable. Wonderfully written, fresh, relatable and with enough surprises to keep you hooked. It captures family life and human emotion perfectly. In fact, it is now one of my favourite books and I will recommend it to everyone I know. The novel is inspired by Sophie’s childhood growing up in a sweet shop in Torquay

 

Philippa Smith is in her forties and has a beautiful newborn baby girl. She also has no husband, and nowhere to turn. So she turns to the only place she knows: the beginning.
Retracing her life, she confronts the daily obstacles that shaped her very existence. From the tragic events of her childhood abandonment, to the astonishing accomplishments of those close to her, Philippa learns of the sacrifices others chose to make, and the outcome of buried secrets.

Philippa discovers a celebration of life, love, and the Golden era of television. A reflection of everyday people, in not so everyday situations.

 

Sophie won the 2010 Luke Bitmead Writers Bursary and the Yeovil Literary Prize 2006. She has another novel that I will definitely be reading soon called This Holey Life.

I highly recommend this book. It is a stunning debut.

The Generation Game is available here.

 

 

The Cheesemaker’s House Book Review

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The Cheesemaker's House, Jane Cable, Book reviewThe Cheesemaker’s House arrived in our postbox with a lovely personal note from the author, Jane Cable. Touched by the effort and about to go on a five-and-a-half hour train journey I decided to take it with me. I read the book in under four hours. In part because the chapters leave no wastage or flowery writing; they are short and snappy. The book is easy to read, but it is also gripping, you desperately want to know what is going to happen and the characters draw you in.

 

For something with a paranormal bent it is also strangely believable if you let your imagination go. The character of Alice is a great one. She is a survivor and has been through a lot. Her husband left her for his secretary who he had impregnated, but she remains a good, giving person. Owen is more complicated. Mostly likeable but also infuriating. The actions of the countryside are perfectly encapsulated; how everyone knows everyone elses business, the random noises, the community spirit.

 

The Cheesemaker’s House is Jane’s first published novel and I wonder how many more she has written as she is a skilled writer with a strong voice. The author really has a talent for writing, this book won the suspense & crime category of the Alan Titchmarsh Show People’s Novelist competition in 2011, and I had seen it on a few ‘must read’ lists before I received it. I really enjoyed this book and I hope for more novels from this talented writer.

 

The Cheesemaker’s House by Jane Cable can be bought here.