From Both Ends Of The Stethoscope by Dr. Kathleen Thompson

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Review by Margaret Graham

Many of you will be familiar with Frost Magazine’s Dr Kathleen Thompson’s regular health features, which are topical, succinct accessible and helpful.

It is no surprise, therefore, that Dr Kathleen Thompson brings just the same skills to From Both Ends Of The Stethoscope – Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows.

This guide should be read by anyone with cancer, or given to anyone we know with the disease. Not only that, it should be read by relatives who are suddenly thrust into a unexpected supportive role, which leaves them as confused and upset as the patient.

In the guide, Dr Kathleen Thompson has the courage to use her personal experiences of breast cancer to explore the situation. She acknowledges not only her reluctance to face up to the symptoms, but her initial fear and confusion as she adjusted to this change in her fortunes.

As a medical insider, she reflects and applies her understanding of the medical procedures brought to bear to counteract the progress of the disease. She suggests the questions patients could, or perhaps should ask. She explains the possible treatments, (remember, that knowledge is power).

This is the key to the guide, it seemed to me: it is important for the patient to take control of the situation, and for the relatives to support this stance. To control a situation you need education because education leads to knowledge, which leads to power. Here I must acknowledge the fantastic Andy McNabb, who made this suggestion in a talk he gave. I thought it profound, and use it often.

Indeed, everyone should keep it as a mantra.

I loved, particularly, the chapter on how patients manipulate the staff to achieve, or not, the results they require – read it, learn, and laugh.

Sensibly laid out, each chapter is easy to navigate. In other words, it won’t be too much or too difficult for those under stress.

Importantly, the author explains medical research, and how to assess the credibility of the numerous cancer treatment claims, and what we can all do to protect ourselves from cancer.

This is an important book, in either e-book or paperback.

Published by Faito Books it is available on Amazon.co.uk at £12.99

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0993508308

The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger by Catherine Balavage Reviewed By Margaret Graham

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Crikey- is it me, or is running a blog harder than it looks? by Margaret Graham

Read the: The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger by Catherine Balavage and cut out the stress.

Catherine is the owner and editor of Frost Magazine, and I am her contributing editor. Working on a blog, or online magazine as I think of Frost, was a new addition for me, because my main thrust is as a bestselling author for Random House Publishers. (Arrow).

As the weeks, months, and soon – years –go by, I have learned a great deal from, and about, this extraordinarily generous and accomplished young woman. Not least is her amazing energy, not to mention her attention to detail. What’s more, she’s so polite, acknowledging and appreciating her writers for their submissions, whilst not taking her eye off the ball for a moment.

For a Luddite like me, The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Blogger has been an eye-opener. It shows just how absolutely crucial it is to keep that eye glued on the ball, and includes numerous tips which would require a great deal of time and research to unearth on one’s own.

It’s a fascinating insight into just how much hard work and dedication, constant attention, and nurturing is needed. It put me in mind of running an enormous allotment, or nurturing a baby, or indeed a puppy – said from the heart as I introduce into the house a pal for Rosie our cockerpoo. None of these can be left for many minutes before things start to fall apart.

This book starts with basics, such as design, name and the benefits of blogging, through to the all important revenue streams, and how to determine what readers want, and so on. It’s all here, accessible and essential, and written in Catherine’s unmistakable brisk but friendly style we have come to know so well. Just take your time, and let the expert take you by the hand, and save you zillions of hours of stop and start mistakes.

Bravo, a book that needed writing, a book about to take off into bestsellerdom.

The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger is available here.

Overcoming Anxiety: Reassuring ways to break free from stress and worry and lead a calmer life By Gill Hasson

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Frostie

Anxiety is on the rise and even those lucky enough not to have anxiety will tend to worry. This book is great. It is all inclusive, it covers the aspects of anxiety to help you understand your own anxiety and anxiety in general. Part two then allows you to manage your anxiety. It gives you the tools to change the way you think, use mindfulness to help, use solution-based problem solving and boost your confidence. It even gives advice on finding help and support from other people. I found this book fascinating. I liked how it tells you to write down your anxieties and find recurring anxieties and then tackle them head on. I also loved the advice of surrounding yourself with ‘radiators’, people who spread warmth and positivity. Rather than drains who only take away energy and resources. There are brilliant tools and advice that really works. In my opinion, this book is essential for anyone with anxiety.

New book explains how to identify and manage anxiety

Anxiety is recognised as one of the most prevalent mental health problems in the UK, with financial issues, welfare of family members, work stress and fear of unemployment some of the most common contributing factors.

For those who experience occasional anxiety or have a diagnosable disorder, Overcoming Anxiety is a new book that provides practical strategies and techniques to help manage or overcome worries and concerns.

Written by bestselling personal development author Gill Hasson, the book begins by explaining what anxiety is and how it can present itself, including panic attacks, phobias, OCD & IBS. It goes on to explain how readers can manage both the cognitive and physical aspects of anxiety and identify activities they can do to help them switch off from worrying.

Overcoming Anxiety highlights the importance of reaching out and connecting with other people, outlining what family and friends can do to help. Hasson stresses the significance of having positive people around, explaining that “how other people respond to you can make quite a difference to how you feel about yourself- to your confidence, self-esteem and your ability to manage anxious thoughts and feelings.”

Throughout the book, there are quotes and examples from people who have experienced anxiety. Plus, exercises, activities, tips, strategies and techniques for readers to try.

“What is crucial is that you learn and develop a range of techniques and strategies that work for you” writes Hasson“and keep at it.”

About the author:

Gill Hasson is the author of the international bestsellers Mindfulness: Be mindful. Live in the moment , How To Deal With Difficult People: Smart Tactics for Overcoming the Problem People in Your Life and Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions to make a positive impact on your life and career.

She is a teacher, trainer and writer. She has 20 years’ experience in the area of personal development. Her expertise is in the areas of confidence and self-esteem, communication skills, assertiveness and resilience.

Gill delivers teaching and training for educational organisations, voluntary and business organisations and the public sector.

Gill’s particular interest and motivation is in helping people to realize their potential, to live their best life!

Overcoming Anxiety: Reassuring Ways to Break Free from Stress and Worry and Lead a Calmer Life

Above Us The Sky by Milly Adams Book Review

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Milly Adams is an exciting new author, with a wonderful knack of bringing characters to life vividly and bringing the story off the page and into the imagination. Above Us The Sky is a brilliantly researched, and hugely enjoyable novel. Sad in places but ultimately uplifting, this book is set in wartime Britain. Phyllie, a young teacher, is a great character. She becomes a surrogate mother to her pupils. She is particularly protective of Jake, a Jewish boy who has to put up with anti-Semitism. She is a great teacher but finds it hard to adjust to country life and custom. As things become tough she finds love and support in community.

This is an engaging and entertaining story of love and loss. The attention to detail is superb. I loved that the role of the Women’s Institute was including in the novel and you really feel like you are in the submarine, such is the brilliance of her writing. This is a well-written book and a stunning debut. I cannot wait for another Milly Adam’s book as this one is educational, entertaining and riveting all at once.

A compelling new Second World War novel. Evacuees, the WI, and keeping calm and carrying on. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Ellie Dean.

As the threat of bombing raids intensifies, newly-qualified teacher, Phyllis Saunders, is evacuated with her school to Dorset.

Here she encounters prejudice and suspicion. But she is determined to make the best of life, for herself and the children in her care. All the while her fiancé and submariner, Sammy, is facing danger out at sea.

Then the Blitz hits London and Phyllis, trying to persuade her mother to return to Dorset with her, gets caught up in it herself. Shaken but alive, she returns to the relative peace of the countryside. But soon she is nursing a secret she can tell no one.

Until the news that Sammy’s submarine has been sunk reaches her, and she is forced to make a decision she hopes she will never regret…

Above Us The Sky is available here.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara by Frances Colville

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Margaret Graham

A Little Life by American author Hanya Yanagihara is quite simply the best book I’ve read all year, and very well deserving of its Man Booker Prize short listing. It’s a book, I think, which will stand out for future generations in the way that Middlemarch or War and Peace or Birdsong stand out as epic studies of life in the time period in which they are set. It hooks you in on the first page and keeps you enthralled until the very last word. It’s one of those books which you almost can’t bear to read, and yet can’t not read. It’s harrowing, enlightening, disturbing, haunting, uplifting and absolutely compelling.

A Little Life is the tale of four college friends who meet at sixteen and remain linked throughout their lives. There isn’t much in the way of plot and if you want a strong storyline this isn’t for you. But that’s not the point of this book. Told from various viewpoints, but with one central character throughout, it’s about friendship, love, relationships, identity, memory, grief, pain, abuse and death. The characterisation is superb and the main characters will linger in your head long after you’ve finished reading the book. But above all it’s the beauty and intelligence of the language which grabs you and won’t let you go. I’m often guilty of skim reading, but I can honestly say I read every single word of this book just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Here’s just one example – ‘A small memory he could contain, but as the days go by and he waits for Willem, he recognizes that this is a long eel of a memory, slippery and uncatchable, and it whipsaws its way through him, its tail slapping against his organs so that he feels the memory as something alive and wounding, feels its meaty, powerful smack against his intestines, his heart, his lungs.’

Beware though – it’s a lengthy book and definitely not a quick read and you’ll need to allocate a chunk of your life to it because you won’t be able to set it aside.

A Little Life is published by Picador and is currently available as a hardback and eBook.

Month 11 of my Reading Challenge By Frances Colville

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Margaret Graham

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 18^th 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 17^th 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.

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

30,000 Years of Art: The Story of Human Creativity Across Time & Space

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Frostie

This book has the wow factor and then some. A huge sigh-worthy hard backed tome of 30,000 years of art. Imagine having a museum in your living room: there you go. It is accessible and not densely text heavy, a brilliant introduction to the whole history of art. This stunning book is indispensable for the library of any art lover. Perfect for Christmas too. Frost loves.

30,000 Years of Art is an accessible, chronological introduction to art history from 28,000 BC to the present day.

Providing a truly global and comprehensive perspective, 30,000 Years of Art charts a course through art history that tracks seminal and lesser known works in all of the fields of both the fine and decorative arts. Featuring over 600 works across all media, from painting and sculpture to textile, metalwork, and ceramic, and updated to include new works from the 20th and 21st centuries, 30,000 Years of Art presents the defining moments, both big and small, of art history. Each entry is accompanied with informative texts written by 35 of the world’s leading museum curators, academics and archaeologists providing insights into each work that clearly explain their importance. An illustrated timeline, full index and extensive glossary of schools and movements make 30,000 Years of Art, an indispensable addition to any art library.

Features:
– Updated to include over 25 new entries that expand the scope of the book further into the 21st century.
– Includes 600 of the world’s greatest works of art across all media (painting, sculpture, textiles, metalwork, ceramics), ranging from seminal masterworks to lesser known pieces in both the fine and decorative arts.
– Written by 35 of the world’s leading museum curators, academics and archaeologists and the easy-to-use chronological format featuring illustrated timelines, and a glossary of terms, schools and movements.

30,000 Years of Art (Revised and Updated Edition): The Story of Human Creativity Across Time & Space

MONEY PIZZA RESPECT By Josh ‘The Fat Jew’ Ostrovsky Book Review

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Frostie

Social media superstar @thefatjew has written a searingly honest and completely hilarious autobiographical book. It is amusing and fun: full of hilarious stories and humorous pictures. Ever wanted to see the author in a beef jerky bikini? Of course you do. There may even be an inappropriate (accidental?) shot of the authors, ahem, testicles. There is also lots of drug taking so…don’t try this at home kids, or anywhere else. Just read about Josh Ostrovsky a.k.a. The Fat Jew doing it instead. That is the best way. This book will not be to everyone’s taste but the author has laid himself bare- literally and figuratively, and that is commendable.

Money, Pizza, Respect is available here. Josh Ostrovsky a.k.a. The Fat Jew has written a book about himself. It will be the funniest book you will ever read.

MONEY PIZZA RESPECT By Josh ‘The Fat Jew’ Ostrovsky Published by Hardie Grant, priced £16.99 Hardback

Follow on Instagram and twitter @thefatjewish

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