Asking a bookworm to choose their favourite book is like asking a parent to chose their favourite child. It’s an impossible task. We just simply cannot do it. So, I thought I would share with you my top 3 books of 2019.

First up is Girls on the home front by Annie Clarke. As well as Heroes on the Home front. I know that is technically two books but seeing as they are part of the factory girl’s series, I’m going to count them as one. Across the two books we follow the story of Fran, a headstrong young lady who during world war 2, works in a munition’s factory alongside her childhood friends Sarah and Beth. I will not spoil the books for those of you who have not yet read them but I will say that they are beautiful stories of love, friendship, bravery and comradeship. I am thoroughly looking forward to the third instalment Wedding bells on the Home Front which is due for release next year.

Second is Cold Storage by David Koepp. I am not one to read sci fi at all. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy sci fi films and TV shows but can never seem to wrap my head around reading a sci fi book. That was until I picked this up. David Koepp is the genius screenwriter behind films such as Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Spider man and many more. It sounds corny but I was hooked from the first chapter. Again, no spoilers, the book is about a lethal strain of fungus, how several people from various walks of life work together to contain it. It is amazing and the writing style is incredible, vivid and is easy to follow for those of us who aren’t familiar in the world of Science.

Last but by absolutely no means least is the Lost girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff. I am a sucker for books set in world war two, no story is ever the same. This book has a dual timeline following the extraordinary women who snuck behind enemy lines and joined the French resistance as well as following the post war story of a young lady who finds a briefcase of pictures under a bench in Grand Central Station and her mission to identify the people in the photos. A truly empowering read, one I highly recommend for those who enjoyed The Nightingale.

HRH meets the Bethney family who farm at Congreave Farm

HRH The Prince of Wales, Patron, The Prince’s Countryside Fund visited Congreave Farm, Stanton-in-the-Peak, on 23rd December  to meet with farmers affected by the flooding of the River Derwent in November 2019.

Farms in the Matlock valley were damaged by flood water up to seventeen foot higher than usual, losing stock and forage. HRH met with local families who had been affected, including Peter and Deborah Bettney, Michael and Ellie Wynne, Dean Greatorex, Ken and Kimberley Trickett, and Stuart Fairfax. HRH held a conversation with the farmers about the flooding, and the impact that it has had on their families, their livestock and their business.

HRH meets farmers affected by the recent flooding

Also round the table were Lord Edward Manners who owns the Haddon Estate, Claire Saunders and Diane Spark of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, Bill Young from the Addington Fund, and  Andrew Ward from Forage Aid,  who had assisted some of the flooded farms. In response to the flooding in October, The Prince’s Countryside Fund released £50,000 from their Emergency Fund to support farming families whose livelihoods and farms had been affected.

Michael Wynn, who farms in Snitterton, said, “We lost 350 bales of silage in the worst floods I have ever seen. It was marvellous that the Prince of Wales took the time to visit us with all his other commitments and we are now getting sorted with the help of Forage Aid.”

Photos courtesy of Andrew Eyley/AE Media

The Prince’s Countryside Fund was established by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2010 and aims to enhance the prospects of family farm businesses and the quality of rural life. We believe that the British countryside is our most valuable natural asset and its contribution to our everyday life cannot be underestimated.

To help support and secure the future of the countryside we:

• Provide more than £1m each year in grant and programme funding to projects across the UK thanks to support from our partners, events and donations
• Celebrate and promote the value of the countryside
• Lead projects to strengthen farm businesses, such as The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme
• Commission research into issues affecting farming families and rural communities
• Bring together individuals and businesses to help tackle current challenges
• Help communities in crisis through our Emergency Fund

To find out more, visit the Fund’s website at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk

Here we are, in the sixties, and this evocative novel summons up the small Lancashire mill town of Horwich, (the author’s long ago home town) and has three young women carrying the complicated but enthralling and cogently plotted story, which is an exploration of the strength needed to find a way though difficulties.

Joyce Roberts is working hard in the local mill and loves Dave Yates. Is it to be happily ever after? I do hope so, as they discover Dave has a life-changing illness.

Then there’s Sally Roberts, married to Joyce’s brother who is in the RAF. Living so close to an air base means that Sally cannot avoid the reality of the Cold War threat. What’s more, she has left her two younger sisters back at the family home where she hopes life is running along untrammeled. But is it? Of course not. Can they cope without big sister?

Meanwhile Kathy Armstrong, who is engaged to Nick, the eldest of the Roberts brothers, is frustrated at work at the local newspaper where she feels she takes second place to the men.

As if all this isn’t enough, our author, Anne L Harvey quite rightly brings in antagonist,  bad bad Jud Simcox who is about to leave prison …

Roll of drums.

Yes, it sounds a frenetic plot, and it is complicated – for the author – but not the reader. It works …

I enjoyed it, I found the period refreshing, because the 2^nd World War is being done to death, even by me. This period, the sixties was ground breaking, tense, frightening, and is ignored. What’s not to like as a setting: the world on a knife edge with the Cold War (which quite frequently veered perilously close to a hot war). Female equality (which had come just so far) was still not quite there as women joined the workforce in great numbers and  the fair pay, fair opportunities struggles developed.

Grist to the mill for an author, and new fields to discover, or be reminded of, for the reader.

Read it: interesting, fluent, cogently plotted. One to buy for the Christmas stocking. Quick quick, still time.

Such a Time as This by Anne L Harvey  available here

Bernie Stevens is to be congratulated on the evocative cover design.

Annie Clarke: Heroes on the Home Front series.

‘Men are so difficult to buy for,’ say all the women in my life, at this time of year, who quite clearly overestimate us boys.

Much as we men love to receive socks and ties other options are available, and they don’t need to break the bank.

Carling, is serving up an original gift idea for beer lovers everywhere. The game-changing glasses, which caused a stir when they first launched in pubs up and down the country earlier this year, are now available in special four glass gift packs and single pint gift boxes.

Carling’s new four-glass gift pack (£19.99) and single pint gift box (£7.99) are available to buy from carling.com.

The innovative design incorporates vertical grooves which help the glasses interlock together, whilst embossed lettering creates a tactile grip.

The glasses are wider at the top and thinner towards the middle which creates a natural gap, allowing hands to easily wrap around.

The clever design makes it easier to carry four pints at a time, the perfect choice for Christmas parties and festive get-togethers.

Still not convinced?

Feel that we boys need some science?

Well, the nucleated bottom keeps the pints of beer carbonated for longer.

The easy carry glasses can be purchased directly from the Carling website making it easier than ever to spread a little bit of festive cheer amongst friends, family and beer fans this Christmas.

Price/stockist: New four-glass gift set (£19.99) and single pint gift box (£7.99), free delivery and available from carling.com now.

at the Spiegeltent, Leicester Square Gardens, London

‘the chance to see a walking, talking, singing T-Rex’

Based on the popular books by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto, Les Petits Theatre Company take over the Spiegeltent every afternoon to bring this story to life, using energy, noise, colour, puppets and props.

Miss Pie is trying to do a school play, but the children are playing up a bit. After a few false starts, she storms off – leaving the cast (Flinn, Pearl and Tom) alone on stage. A quick nod to each other and they play it out ‘for real’. They are brave pirates on the sea – until one by one they are kidnapped by Mr T the T-Rex, the captain of the Pirate Dinosaurs. All because he wants The Magic Cutlass from the bottom of the sea. So, threatening to turn Pearl and Tom into sausages, he forces Flinn to dive down to the sea bed to retrieve it…

Strangely, it is quite a complex story for the eager audience. Billed for ages 3 and above, I do think it is better for 6 and above. The books may be for the youngest of children, but brought to life, the characters are brash and loud and the dinosaurs are full-on for a small child to take in. I would suggest smaller kids sit at the back … even though they are keen to see a dinosaur when they enter – but when Mr T is there, he is huge and scary!

The cast are amazingly energetic – and arrive with a real bang! Mark Middleton, Ellie Pawsey, Tom Myles and Stephan Boyce (with supportive crew) deserve a huge pat on the back.

Director Hal Chambers hurls the story at the audience, seldom giving us a chance to breathe. The songs are, sadly, forgettable and there is nothing for us to join in with. The production is ‘for’ the children, not ‘with’ them – so, somehow, it is lacking in charm. A great shame as, technically, the staging and design have brought the books to life in such an imaginative manner.

Towards the end of the 60-minutes show the toddlers were getting restless, but for action, sound, lights and the chance to see a walking, talking, singing T-Rex, this is a manic, energetic show that does not conform to traditional pantomime. It is a seasonal production that doesn’t even mention Christmas. Such a relief…

Photographer    Gail Harland

Producer           Les Petits Theatre Company

Adapted by       Oliver Lansley

Director            Hal Chambers

Composer         Jack Graham Thomas

Puppet Design  Max Humphries

Set Designer     Zoe Squire

Running Time   60 mins

Ages                 3+

Performances   until Sunday 5th January 2020 – at 3pm

Venue               Spiegeltent, Christmas in Leicester Square, Leicester Square Gardens, London

WC2H 7NA

Tickets              Available from Christmas in Leicester Square at Tel: 03333 444 167 or online at

www.christmasinleicestersquare.com – priced from £8

Twitter              @PetitsTheatre, #FlinnCutlass, @LeicesterSqXmas

Facebook          /LesPetitsTheatreCompany @LeicesterSqXmas

A free Captain Flinn Activity Pack can be downloaded from www.lespetitstheatre.com

On Saturday the 7^th December food and drink traders lined the streets of Burnham on sea high street. It was the first Christmas food and drink festival. The big man himself was even there to greet children.

With many sellers offering Christmas special products such as mince pie flavoured vodka , warm and extremely tasty mulled cider and even a Christmas dinner nap which consisted of Turkey, Cranberry sauce, stuffing and bacon. What more could you possibly want.

EAT organises food festivals throughout the West Country and recently Festive Food festivals have been organised and this year was the first one in Burnham on sea, lots of locals attended to support local producers. Everyone was in high spirits and one couldn’t help but to get into the festive spirit (the mulled Cider and Christmas Carol’s certainly helped)

I attended the festivities with my parents  however it was completely family friendly with lots of activities for children and it was free to attend. I do hope that the festival is a annual event.

Organisers.

It’s rare gift indeed that can bring harmony to the Rowan household, especially at Christmas, so I am particularly indebted to Dundas and Burgun for this clever spectacle holder.

When we go out, my wife presents me with an edict in something of a double bind, ‘Make sure you bring your spectacles’ she instructs, followed by, ‘what have you got in your pockets they look ridiculous bulging like that?’

Now until recently I have suggested that I simply pop my reading glasses into her hand bag risking a withering stare and exasperated sigh, but now that small clutch bags are on trend, my wife has announced that enough is enough.

Happily  and just in time for Christmas, comes this stylish leather wrap around that protects the glasses but takes up very little space in your pocket, handbag or Christmas Stocking.

The Dundas & Burgun Lensrappa, is a thin leather glasses case design to fit any spectacles and stay as thin as possible. They come in 6 great colours and make a great Christmas gift or stocking filler.

Lensrappa £20 from https://dundasburgun.com/

Available to order online and will arrive before Christmas.

A story of personal growth through the challenges of life in modern day China

Frost Magazine is fortunate. The reviewing team sometimes receives a book for review that we fight over.

The Biggest City You’ve Never Heard Of by Dr Andy Wynn is one of these. Imagine this:

A new job, a new town. The thing is, the town is in China. It proved to be an eye opener for the author and his wife, Julie and in this memoir, written with verve, insight, humour and respect  Wynn reveals the day to day cultural experiences to which they had to adapt. Experiences which sometimes revealed uncomfortable (at first sight) norms which challenged their western concepts. Actually, delete ‘sometimes’, I think probably ‘invariably’ might fit better.

They were forced to look into themselves, accept A N Other and open their own world to the people of China, and step into theirs, living and laughing along with them.

As I read I found myself alongside Wynn, learning to swim and navigate through, and ultimately into the Chinese world,  peering, albeit second-hand, into my own inherited norms and culture, just as he did.  I realised that one is so familiar with the nitty gritty minutiae of one’s own life life: behaviour, manners, and humour that to sink into this difference is exhausting, challenging, and ultimately uplifting, and broadening. It creates  change within a person.

I found this turbulent, throbbing world fascinating, since my first and last view of China was reading The Small Woman by Alan Burgess, about a missionary, Gladys Alywood living in China in the 1930s and 40s  during massive upheaval. Indeed, she came to speak at our school, and was small, and impressive, and enthralling. You might remember the film, The Inn of the sixth Happiness. (Actually her hostelry was called the Inn of the Eighth Happinesses)

So it was high time Frost Magazine explored the changed Chinese world. So glad I bagsed the book.

Written with great thought, panache, an eye to detail, humour and above all imbued with honestly and insight  – this is a book to be savoured, enjoyed and one which will leave you pondering your own norms in this increasingly global world.

The Biggest City You’ve Never Heard Of by Dr Andy Wynn https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1081867035

Annie Clarke is the author of the Home Front Girls series. (Arrow)