YESSS! The SUMO Secrets to Being a Positive, Confident Teenager arrived in the office purporting to uncover the secrets of overcoming and also embracing the opportunities and challenges of one of life’s most difficult stages: the teenage years. A big ask. So did it?

Indeed it did.

Paul McGee writes with humour, warmth, and immediacy. I found it easy to read and it certainly reaches those parts ( to corrupt the old lager advertisement ) all too easily hidden amongst the maelstrom of teenage ups and downs.

Immediacy is crucial when one thinks of a teenage world so often lived around, even through,  texts, (short and hopefully sweet),   Whichever form it takes, communication seems to consist of these soundbites, almost a separate language. So SUMO (Shut up Move on) – in other words, Paul McGee – manages to grab the attention, and support  the fluctuating confidence of  this age group. He not only hold the attention, but reaches some inner core, ably supported by  cracking illustrations from  Fiona Osborne.

YESSS! is full of advice that never sounds worthy, but clearly will motivate and equip readers to overcome their insecurities and confusion and create a signpost to parents too. It is supportive, and welcoming at a time when teens can feel lonely, lost, at sea, so too the parents who are frequently at a loss.

Sunday Times bestselling author and speaker, Paul McGee aka The SUMO Guy, shows how to harness practical strategies to:

• Take responsibility for their lives
• Own and understand their feelings
• Build a more positive mindset
• Develop a healthy image of themselves
• Realize that it’s OK to not always feel OK – so important.
• Recover from setbacks and develop perseverance which after all, is what life is all about.
• Aspire, set goals, and dare to dream

It really is helpful to teenagers and those in support. It shows youngsters what it’s like to live with confidence, resilience, hope. Perhaps we should all read it.

I really do think this is one of those helpful books that doesn’t preach, it  accompanies the family along the way. Buy it.

Illustrated by Fiona Osborne  Published by Capstone, A Wiley Brand,  Full colour paperback original and e-book, £12.99

Annie Clarke is the author of the Home Front series.

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they have dreamed of. But appearance can be deceptive….

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating, grisly secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbours are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…
I am not normally a fan of the thriller, suspense genre but I heard so many good things about The Therapist I thought that I would give it the benefit of the doubt. I was instantly hooked, it is a fast-paced novel and I really did struggle to put it down, the more I read, the more I was hooked. The characters were fantastic, so realistic and easy to relate to

As the secrets unravelled and lies were exposed, I was constantly on the edge of my seat and was not disappointed by the surprising ending, I would never have guessed it. The Therapist is full of intrigue and suspense.

I would recommend to fans of Cara Hunter, Louise Candlish and if you enjoyed Behind Closed Doors then you will love The Therapist.

The Therapist by B.A. Paris. £12.99 hardback and is also available in ebook and audio TO BE RELEASED ON 15TH APRIL. .

England 1941

In the midst of World War Two, the members of one village WI fight harder than ever to help the war effort.

But behind closed doors, each is fighting and more personal battle.

Pat Simms is reeling from her own role in her abusive husband’s death, and the new freedom before her is daunting. Sarah Collingborne is struggling with the absence of her husband, who is in a POW camp abroad and is trying her best to fill his treasured place in the village.

Meanwhile, Teresa Lucas is anxious about her future as a parent, and her friend Alison Scotlock is on the verge is starting a new relationship.

grieving from men already lost and anxious for those still away fighting, the women of great Paxford must rely on each other. Amidst the complexities of broken relationships, loss and friendship this group of very different women must work together to find a way through.

Having enjoyed the regrettably short-lived TV series “Home Fires” I was absolutely delighted to discover that the creator and writer behind the delectable show started writing a book to pick up from where the series cruelly left viewers. A Woman’s courage is the third book in the series, following “Keep the Home Fires burning” and “A Woman’s war”. I have found that each book is stupendous, and I am always left wanting more.

Block writes with such compassion and addresses the issues that men and women would have faced living in a small village during world war II. How they pulled together to support each other is paramount but so too is their discrimination toward John Smith, A coloured man who has taken up residence in the village.

With book series I often find that the story tends to dwindle out as more books that are added to the series. S. Block’s Home Fire series is an exception to this rule, and I am eagerly awaiting another instalment.

So, if you enjoyed the TV show Home Fires then I highly recommend that you read this series,

I also recommend to fans of Annie Clarke, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and Ginny Bell.

Published by Zaffre in pb and ebook

There is no denying that this  year has been challenging. It started with the Australian bush fires, locusts swarming across east Africa, Covid, with many countries in lockdown, murder hornets in USA, countless events cancelled all over the world and even more lives were lost.

Instead of reflecting on all the bad things that have happened this year I would like to look back on the good.

So, what good has come out of 2020.

I, like so many others, started a new hobby, some have been crafting, painting, cooking- I have been cross stitching, and I am very much in love with my new hobby and it is something that I will continue to do for years to come. As a bookworm I have also found that I have had more time to read, I like to read to escape and I have been doing so a lot this year and as a result I have been enjoying books that I otherwise would not have had the chance to read.

With the UK going into lockdown in March parents were asked to become teachers, extremely stressful as it is not a role for which I’m  qualified, but with schools offering immense support it was something that we soon got used to. I even came to enjoy it, I enjoy reading books with my children and like to hear what they have been up to at school, so we had great fun finding new ways to learn maths, and phonics. I spent a lot more quality time with my children, and it is something that I will cherish.

I started doing something that I have not done for the best part of 20 years, writing letters. I found an online group for international pen pals. I really enjoy send and receiving letters from many different countries, making new friends, learning about different cultures, celebrations and recipes for traditional dishes.

With the lockdown I found myself missing my parents and sibling immensely, we all live within a 5-mile radius of each other, yet we have gone months without seeing each other, so we started a weekly virtual quiz, we would start a group video call and have so much fun, it was something that I would start to look forward to, we did become slightly competitive what with a certain family member who continued to win despite everyone else’s best efforts. It was something that we have never done before, and I feel that it has bought us closer together as a family whilst we were forced to be apart.

So, I implore you not to look back on 2020 with a sinking heart but as a year that forced us to change our way of life. Even the simple task of popping out for some milk and bread has changed: mask check, hand sanitiser check, 2 meters apart well I try. Neighbours looked after neighbours, strangers became friends, families reconnected. We learnt to adapt and grow during a time where it would have been too easy to moan and focus on one’s self.

So, let us see what 2021 has in store for us with positivity and courage.

Jeremy Glyn, the renowned coach and therapist’s latest book Achieving Happiness has just been launched and should be useful to  anyone wanting to use more of their potential and be happier, or more fulfilled.

Significantly it will also introduce coaches to his ground breaking ‘Mindset Priming’ approach that enables clients to achieve aspirations that have lain unrecognised in their subconscious.

Glyn tells Frost Magazine: “In this book I share the concepts and techniques that helped me to overcome my own self-imposed limitations, and I introduce my ‘Mindset Priming’ approach that coaches, clients, and sports stars, find so fascinating and recommend so highly”.

‘Mindset Priming’ combines both psychology and kinesiological concepts and can equip people of any age to develop an effective mindset and put themselves on track for greater success and happiness.  Glyn says that this is not simply intended to be a self-help book, but the concepts will help the reader help many others. This makes it an invaluable resource for coaches, parents, and employers.

The book sets out the author’s ABC model, which was designed to help Glyn’s clients look at the interactions between their Aspirations, their current Behaviour, their Conditioning and their Description of themselves. At a simple level, this model helps people understand the underlying reasons behind why they are ‘stuck’ in their current level of performance.

“My aim is to inspire the reader to help themselves, and those they care about, to look forward to happier, more fulfilling, and more rewarding lives.”

As we approach the start of a new year, and begin the trawl out of the restraints and worry of a pandemic Achieving Happiness should be near the top of the ‘ones to read in 2021’ list.

Achieving Happiness is available at Amazon and Waterstones.

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I have long held the view that Christmas is a time for adults as well as children, and this year, I am more of this view than ever. At the risk of sounding like Ebenezer Scrooge, why should the kids have all the fun?

So, imagine my delight to learn of Christmas Crackers designed specifically for adults.

I was particularly pleased to hear of this, as my wife and I have our annual festive argument about the value of Christmas Crackers and how it is a lot of money for inevitable disappointment.

Well, no longer, because The Sexton Single Malt Whiskey have answered my prayers, by producing a limited range of the Night Before Christmas Crackers.

I would advise that you do your utmost to get hold of these, if not in time for Christmas Eve then New Year’s Eve, or to put in a drawer until the day that we can get together and celebrate.

Designed to be pulled on Christmas Eve, (remember what I said above), each cracker contains a delicious ready to drink Whiskey ‘Noctail,’ created from ingredients that thrive in the night-time eg forced rhubarb, a dark twist on the traditional cracker joke written by an award -winning comedian, and a chance to win a year’s supply of The Sexton Whiskey, plus the obligatory Christmas Hat.

Ideal for the discerning whiskey drinkers in your life, expect the aroma of nuts, marzipan and dark chocolate with a pinch of spice encapsulated in a ready-to-drink delicious dark twist on the Old Fashioned, all sealed in a delicate amber screw-top bottle – ready to enjoy upon opening!

’The Night Before Christmas’ crackers are available for £20 (4 x crackers per pack), with all proceeds from sales donated to The Comedy Trust to support live comedy throughout the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.

The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey

After what, by anyone’s standards, has been a challenging year, we must seek our pleasures where we can, and as the festive season gets underway, Aldi seem to have taken on board the need for some Christmas cheer, with their impressive range of digestifs. A digestif is an alcoholic drink that aids digestion, at least that is what I tell my wife when I reach for a glass. ‘Think of it as medicinal’ I say, to the sound of raised eyebrows.

This comprehensive range of digestifs would be perfect to round off a heavy meal, or an extensive evening of fun, including as it does, award-winning whiskies, rich rums, beautiful brandies, classic cognacs, scrumptious sherries and passionate ports; after dinner digestif for the big day, and indeed beyond.

I would equally welcome any of these in my Christmas stocking, or as a gift to welcome the much longed for New Year.

Whilst it is undoubtedly true, that one could leave a glass of one of these for Santa, if I am perfectly honest, they are so good, they bring out my inner Scrooge, and Father Christmas may have to make do with a glass of milk this year.

I tried three from the Aldi Digestif range, and if the others are even half as good, they will be snapped up by those wishing to get into the Christmas spirit or indeed any spirit.

First, I tried the Specially Selected 5-Year-Old XO Brandy, £13.99 (NEW) A popular scented and elegant brandy, with beautiful woody notes from being aged in oak casks for 5 years. This infusion results in a rich and complex flavour, complemented by hints of vanilla and nuts, creating a palate with an exceptionally smooth finish.

Next up was the Highland Black 8 Scotch Whisky, £12.99 which is great value for money, having secured gold medals in the past two years, coming in at a fraction of the cost of some of their more famous rivals. The tipple is created using a range of the finest Speyside and Highland Malt whiskies, blended expertly together with the Grain whisky from Girvan in the Lowlands of Scotland. Each oak cask used in creating Highland Black is matured for the very minimum of 8 years.

Finally, I enjoyed the Organic Prosecco £7.49 an eco-friendly fizz, sourced from 150-hectare estate, 30km north-east of Venice. Grown with no pesticides or herbicides, the grapes are predominately hand-picked and gently pressed to ensure only the highest quality of juice is used. This is an extra dry sparkling wine with scents of apples and pears which could be served before, or after a meal, to make it an occasion.

We are living in unprecedented times and this is not the time to stick to convention, be it Christmas, New Year or when we can all be together again to celebrate, this is the time to raise a glass, strictly for medicinal purposes, obviously.

www.aldi.co.uk

Talawa Theatre Company have released the below statement in response to Birmingham Rep becoming a Nightingale Court. They will not be making any further comment at this time.

Talawa is the UK’s outstanding Black theatre company, and recently announced that the Black Joy season would take place at Birmingham Rep in Autumn 2021. Since then, Birmingham Rep has announced it is hosting a Nightingale Court.

We recognise that having to make the difficult calls between maintaining the creative and political integrity of cultural buildings, and preserving the jobs of those who work within them, is a position arts leaders shouldn’t be forced into.

 Our thoughts are with those arts leaders and creatives having to make difficult decisions. During this difficult time, it’s vital that we don’t see buildings close, irreparably harming the cultural fabric of the country.

 Talawa’s purpose is to champion Black excellence in theatre; to nurture talent in emerging and established artists of African and Caribbean heritage, and to tell inspirational and passionate stories reflecting Black experiences through art. The decision Birmingham Rep have taken to host a Nightingale Court does not align with Talawa’s commitment to Black artists and communities, the communities most affected by this decision. It has threatened the integrity of the Black Joy season; regrettably the partnership is no longer tenable under current circumstances.

 We are speaking to the artists and partners who might be affected by this, and still hope to bring the Black Joy season to the audiences it was intended for. We are exploring our options.

 We respect and treasure our working and co-producing relationships, and also respect the artists and communities we work with. Our commitment to tackling social and racial injustices is stronger than ever. We stand true to our values. This is what makes us Talawa.

For more information on the theatre company: Talawa Theatre Company