Category Archives: Culture

Once Upon a Christmas By Sarah Morgan | Book Review

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Once Upon a Christmas By Sarah Morgan

Bryony’s daughter, Lizzie, wants a dad for Christmas and she’s determined to fulfil this Christmas wish. But when every date ends in disaster, Bryony fears she’ll need a Christmas miracle. Lizzie is trying to find love but her friend Helen is doing the opposite, trying to forget the white dress hanging in her wardrobe and her faithless rat of a fiancee. These are the two different stories in this enjoyable book.

Two of the characters in this book, Bryony and Jack, work as doctors and Sarah Morgan obviously knows what she is talking about. I found the medical facts in this book incredibly interesting. I also loved the character of Lizzie. Bryony’s daughter.

This book is split into two stories but with some of the same characters in each. Each one is a fun read. This is a very enjoyable book. A good way to spend a relaxing Sunday.

Once Upon a Christmas (Mills & Boon Special Releases)

Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe By Fiona Harper | Book Review

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Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe is a well written and fun book. Single mum Louise Thornton divorces her philandering movie star husband and buys an old movie stars house. Louise wants to escape the paparazzi and her vacuous former life as a trophy celebrities wife.

Louise is a great character. She has become hardened thanks to her life as a movie stars wife, believing that everyone wants something from her. She has built a barrier around herself but will she manage to grow and let love in?

I read this book at quite a fast pace. It is very readable and flows well. A fun way to spend an afternoon.

Is a second chance at love the best Christmas gift of all? Single Mum Louise Thornton’s waved goodbye to the red carpet and escaped for Christmas in the country. But she can’t avoid the mistletoe…

Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe (Mills & Boon Special Releases)

Snowfall at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs | Book Review

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Snowfall at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs is more than just a typical romance book. Sophie, the main character, is an international lawyer who works at The Hague. She puts bad people away but her personal life has suffered. She is now divorced and her children live with their father. On the day her ex-husband remarries something horrific happens and she decided to be more present in her childrens lives.

I really enjoyed this book. It is well-written and interesting. Sophie is a high achieving women. She is smart and has lived her life. She may have been absent from her childrens lives but if she was a man she would not have to defend the fact that she has a high powered job.

Although I really loved this book, It is a good read with characters that are likable, Then the other side of me hates that a women has to atone for having a job which means that maybe she did not see her children everyday or had a nanny. Women beat themselves up a lot, but no more so than other women do. This book brings up these issues and it is a good thing. At one sport event the character has to put up with the bitchiness of the other mothers, who attack her for living her own life, probably out of jealousy or regret.

I really liked this book. It is a triumph to its genre. Recommended.

Snowfall at Willow Lake is the story of what comes after a woman survives an unspeakable horror and finds her way home, to healing and redemption and a new chance at happiness.

Snowfall at Willow Lake (The Lakeshore Chronicles)

The Best Craft Books For Christmas

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Christmas is fast approaching and our wallets are bracing themselves for the onslaught. There is a more thoughtful and cost effective way to let people know how much they mean to you, and it is fun too: Craft. So Frost Magazine has gathered up some excellent craft books for hours of fun and brilliant, original gifts for the people in your life.

Clangers

An excellent knitting book on the incredibly popular and historical British Television show, Clangers. The Clangers have been around since the 1960s. You can make the Clangers and their entire universe in 15 fun step-by-step projects. The book has original Clanger knitting patterns. Clangers is a very well illustrated book full of imaginative ways to make the Clangers universe. A must buy for fans and interesting for those who are not acquainted.

This fantastic new book will allow you to knit your own Clanger. Choose from Major, Mother, Granny, Small and Tiny. Includes instructions on the Soup Dragon, Iron Chicken and of course the Froglets. There are insider tips and tricks to create your very own Clanger planet with step-by-step instructions for Tiny’s boat and Major’s rocket as well as sets and trees. Learn how to make scenery, backdrops and props, and perfect that distinctive Clanger whistle!

Clangers: Make the Clangers and Their Planet with 15 Easy Step-by-step Projects (Knitting)

Best in Show: 25 More Dogs to Knit

I love this book. It shows you how to knit dogs, actual dogs. Whether it is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Shar Pei, Lurcher or Greyhound, your favourite breed of dog will probably be in here. And what an awesome present. Your sibling might get your mother something from Boots but imagine telling her you knitted her a DOG. It is an ace in sibling trump cards.

The book is separated into sections such as Toy, Utility, Working, Terriers, Gun Dogs. I think this is an excellent present. Full marks for coolness and imagination.

www.knityourowndog.com

The leading knitting books of 2010 and 2011, Best in Show Dogs & Cats have been outstanding global successes. Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne are back with 25 even more fabulous dog designs. You can knit your own precious pet, reproduce your favourite breed, or even knit the dog you have always desperately wanted.

Best In Show: 25 More Dogs to Knit

Mollie Makes Christmas

This book has over 20 projects to keep you entertained in the run up to Christmas and beyond. Buy this book and learn how to make Heirloom Stockings, Crochet a reindeer, make some festive stationary, knit an iPad cosy and make a Christmas Tree

You can make finger puppets to keep children entertained and cushions to pass out on when exhausted or when you have had too much wine. Fun for you and all the family. A great fun book.

If you’re hooked on crochet, hanker for handmade and would rather create your own unique Christmas than buy from a superstore, then this little book is for you. It perfectly captures the ‘living and loving handmade’ spirit of Mollie Makes magazine, celebrating the world of ‘granny chic’. Featuring over 20 new projects from Mollie Makes magazine’s favourite designers, Christmas showcases a passion for handmade. All the projects are easy to follow with clear step-by-step photographs and instructions, plus handy tips along the way. Many are suitable for beginners, but the Mollie Makes ethos is to give it a go and be proud of the end result. We positively embrace imperfection. Here’s to living and loving a handmade Christmas!

Mollie Makes Christmas: Living and Loving a Handmade Holiday

We Knit You a Merry Christmas

This book is as excellent as it’s name. This adorable book has 20 patterns for festive handmade gifts. A cool Turkey, ‘Let It Snow’ which is adorable snowballs on a sledge. Gingerbread men that look happy, Baa Humbug – cute sheep wearing Christmas hats. The most adorable deer. Santa and a polar bear. A Penguin, Three Wise Men, an Angel… It has everything to make your Christmas fun.

This book also has excellent and easy to follow knitting basics, sewing basics and conversions at the back which are really handy.

Christmas is a time for sharing, and hand-knitted gifts for friends and family are the perfect way to spread a little festive joy. We Knit You a Merry Christmas has something for everyone.

Traditional Christmas characters such as angels, choir boys, Father Christmas and the three kings make great decorations. Or add some fun and laughter to your Christmas celebrations this year with knitted animals such as sheep (‘Baa Humbug’), crocodiles (‘Snappy Christmas’) and Three French Hens, as well as quirkier items like chillies, sledging snowballs and of course the famous pea (‘Ha Pea Christmas’).

So forget gold, frankincense and myrrh and give the gift of knitting this Christmas.

We Knit You a Merry Christmas: 20 Patterns for Festive Handmade Gifts

Re-examination Pays Dividends

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New Possibilities: Abstract Paintings from the Seventies at the Piper Gallery

This exhibition presents the work of artists whose work became less fashionable during the 1970s with the rise of conceptual and performance art.  While these artists are still working today, most of the work on display is from this period.  This is a very diverse exhibition: all of the artists have very individual styles.  However, a common feature is an attention to craft, precision and formal values in painting.

The range of approaches is very clear when you compare the work of Tess Jaray and Frank Bowling.  Tess’ Alhambra (1979) is deceptively simple at first glance, but closer examination draws the viewer in and reveals the surprising complexity hidden in what you believe to be predictable pattern.  What at first appears to be a repetitive motif, on closer observation shows itself to have complex variation in colour, form and scale.  Frank Bowling’s Rush Green (1977) seems to be more the sum of its parts.  His deployment of paint by pouring it directly onto the canvas and utilising flow may seem haphazard, but on inspection the result is more mysterious.  There appears to be an equivalence with art from the past – for example, Monet’s paintings of the garden at Giverney – sustained attention is rewarded.

William Henderson and Barrie Cook both use a particular vocabulary to produce very different results.  Henderson’s Funky, Black and Catch Me (1978) creates a feeling of depth and jaggedness, with a definite sense of illusionistic space, reminding one of the microscopic world when magnified.  Cook’s Blue, Red and Yellow Grid (1977) is an optical work which plays with the eyes.  It is reminiscent of cathode ray tubes warming up in a old-fashioned television.  There is a richness in the fact that the two paintings, both using repetitive linear forms, can produce such varied results.

Other highlights of the exhibition include Gary Wragg’s Carnival (1977-79), which is driven by the process of drawing; Patricia Poullain’s Untitled (1973), which has a lightness and openness whose accessibility reminds one of a childhood telescope; and finally, Trevor Sutton’s measured, well proportioned That Swing.4.K (1979) combines electric blue and black, demarcated by a delicate green line.  The piece is poised and balanced and seems to be very much of its time.

If you like your paintings to repay prolonged attention, then New Possibilities at the Piper Gallery is definitely worth a visit.

New Possibilities: Abstract Paintings from the Seventies is at The Piper Gallery, 18 Newman Street, W1T 1PE from 16 November to 21 December

Written with Ian MacNaughton

(Pictures courtesy of the artists and The Piper Gallery)

Louie Spence to take on ‘Saving The Nation’ in new Gocompare.com TV campaign.

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Louie Spence is the latest star to take on ‘Saving The Nation’ in the new Gocompare.com TV campaign. 

Following in the footsteps of Ray Mears, Stuart Pearce and Sue Barker, the Dancing on Ice judge is on a quest to Save The Nation from notorious tenor, Gio Compario. 

Launching on Monday, 12th November, the Christmas themed ad sees Gio adorned in Christmas tinsel and forced to dance along to a video of Louie flamboyantly prancing around. Viewers may also be surprised (and relieved!) that there’s something obviously missing from this ad.

Kevin Hughes, chief finance and marketing officer, Gocompare.com, commented, “We have had a great reaction to our Saving The Nation campaign so far and hope to see this continue with our latest ad starring the insatiable Louie Spence. This instalment is a lot of fun and Louie manages to silence our moustachioed tenor in a completely different way to previous celebrities. This is also the only instalment that will not feature the famous “Go Compare!” song – we know that some people find the song annoying so this is our gift to the nation at Christmas.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Theatre

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream

 

Lazarus Theatre Company – www.lazarustheatrecompany.webs.com

27 November – 15 December

 

A Spell-binding and Striking Re-Imagining

 

Lazarus Theatre Company returns to the Blue Elephant to herald in Christmas with a touch of magic and enchantment.

One of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is transported to a frozen forest by a company whose work is “a superb lesson in how to adapt an old classic for a contemporary audience” (Spoonfed).

High in the mountains, four young lovers find themselves far from home, following romance at all costs. With the fairies at hand to weave their spells, nothing is quite as it seems until confusion gives way to happy-ever-after.

“If you know anyone unsure of Shakespeare then take them to see this and have them fall in love!”    

Dave Jordan, WhatsonStage on Macbeth

 

Director and Designer: Ricky Dukes

Composer: Phillip Ryder

Lighting Designer: Alex Musgrave

Costume Designer: Rachel Dingle

 

Cast: Benjamin Archer, Michael Bagwell, Alice Brown, Lucy Fyffe, Julie Gilby, Sheila Grant, Cameron Harle, Alexandra Harman, Ewa Jaworski, Angela Jimenez, Danny Lawrence, Stuart Mortimer, Jen Painter, Sian Stephenson, James Taylor Thomas & Joseph Tweedale.

 

Dates: Tuesday 27 November – Saturday 15 December (Tuesday – Saturday only)

Times: 8pm (Wednesday matinees at 4pm on 5 and 12 December)

Tickets: £15 (£10 conc. and previews Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 November), £9 Southwark residents

 


Venue: Blue Elephant Theatre, 59a Bethwin Rd, Camberwell, SE5 0XT (entrance on Thompson Ave)

Nearest tube: Oval (Northern Line)

Wheelchair accessible

Box Office: 020 7701 0100/084 4477 1000

www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk

info@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk

Twitter: @BETCamberwell


Reality stars face UK’s biggest charity plunge

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The UK’s highest bungee jump awaits a group of reality TV stars as they join a national campaign which will see them risk their lives to help raise vital funds for sick and disabled children in the UK.

 

Frances Wood, who shot to fame on ITV’s ‘The Voice’ and X Factor duo, Poisonous Twin, are the latest to join Reality Relief, a campaign supported by an ever growing list of celebrities from hit reality TV shows which has already raised over £10,000 to help provide life-changing support for disabled youngsters.

 

The fearless celebrities will be plunging 300ft towards the ground at Tatton Park, Greater Manchester on Saturday November 24th, as the latest in a series of sponsored challenges which have tested the nerve of contestants from hit TV shows such as Big Brother, The X Factor, The Voice and The Only Way is Essex.

 

Launched by national charity, Caudwell Children, in 2011 Reality Relief aims to help new found stars thrust into the media spotlight use their fan base to help raise funds and make a real difference to the lives of others.

 

Frances said: “Reality Relief is a fantastic opportunity to help raise the profile of Caudwell Children, the charity behind the campaign, and their crucial work helping change and save the lives of disabled children.

 

When I heard about their Reality Relief bungee challenge I jumped at the chance to get on board and take part.

 

I hope people will really get behind the bungee jump and help us make it as successful as possible.”

 

Poisonous Twin member Stephanie added, “We have never done anything like this before but this is a really fantastic opportunity to help raise vital funds that will help change the lives of disabled children.”

 

Trudi Beswick, Chief Executive of Caudwell Children, said “These new stars are not only taking on an incredibly brave challenge, they are putting themselves forward to help raise awareness about the additional support desperately needed in the UK for those with disabilities or life threatening conditions.

 

Sadly it’s a common misconception that specialist equipment such as powered wheelchairs for disabled children are available on the NHS, when in fact families are expected to pay up to £20,000 for the additional support they need.

 

There are also a number of treatments that save lives, but come at an incredibly high price for families already facing the trauma of their child’s illness. We help these families get the treatment they need to keep their child alive.

 

Reality Relief aims to help new found stars make a real difference and we are thrilled to have them join the campaign.

 

We would really like to take this opportunity to wish them the very best of luck and ask that people honour their bravery by supporting their fundraising.”

 

To support Frances visit http://www.justgiving.com/FrancesW or text FRAN49 £(amount) to 70070.

To Support Poisonous Twin visit www.justgiving.com/Poisonoustwin or text TWIN73 £(AMOUNT) to 70070.