Category Archives: Featured

Fair Warning By Michael Connoelly Book Review

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Michael Connoelly, Fair Warning

There is a reason Stephen King calls Michael Connelly ‘a master of the genre.’ Pacy and perfect, Fair Warning is another superb thriller that you will not be able to put down. The book resonates with our present truth. Jack McEvoy is a journalist who is accused of murder and he uses his own skills to uncover the truth. Michael Connelly was a police reporter for the Los Angeles Times and as he says himself he puts ‘the truth in my novels  and research then like a reporter in a story.’ You can tell 

Fair Warning is a must read for any lover of crime novels, and even for those who are not. Superb. 

Jack McEvoy is a reporter with a track record in finding killers. But he’s never been accused of being one himself.

Jack went on one date with Tina Portrero. The next thing he knows, the police are at his house telling Jack he’s a suspect in her murder.

Maybe it’s because he doesn’t like being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Or maybe it’s because the method of her murder is so chilling that he can’t get it out of his head.

But as he uses his journalistic skills to open doors closed to the police, Jack walks a thin line between suspect and detective – between investigation and obsession – on the trail of a killer who knows his victims better than they know themselves…

Riveting, original and terrifying – this masterpiece from Michael Connelly is the best thriller you will read this summer.

Fair Warning By Michael Connoelly is available here.

POST AND DONATE: BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION SHOPS LAUNCH FREE POSTAL DONATION SERVICE

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POST AND DONATE: BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION LAUNCHES FREE POSTAL DONATION SERVICE 

~ Charity retailer calls on the nation to donate pre-loved goods without hitting the high street ~    charity, charity donations, how to give to charity, charity shops, open, what charity shops are open?,  

  

This June the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is launching a new post to donate service, making it even easier for the public to give their decluttered items and support the charity to help save lives. 

 

Throughout June and July the BHF will start to reopen its 750 nationwide shops and stores introducing new measures to keep staff, volunteers and customers safe. As part of these new measures the BHF has launched a postal donation initiative where customers can donate smaller items via post and give to the charity without hitting the shops.  

 

From clothes and books to vintage toys and ornaments, the BHF hopes to receive good quality items that the public have been clearing out while at home. These will be sold either online via the charity’s eBay store or at a BHF shop.  

 

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Our charity shops run purely on the support of the public, which is why we never take for granted a camera, record or video game that’s donated to us. Every item we sell helps fund our vital research.” 

“Our new postal donation service is quick, easy and free. It’s the perfect solution if your local BHF shop is not yet open and you have items you want to give, or you’re simply not ready to head to the high street.   

 

“Every pound raised in our shops helps us to support the 7.4 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases, many of whom are at increased risk from Covid-19. Your donations can help us help them.” 

 

Customers can simply head to the webpage, request a freepost label which will be emailed to them and then choose to either print the label off or bring the email in to one of 7,500 nationwide Collect+ drop off points to be printed off there. Packages can be up to 10kg.  

 

In line with Government advice and to keep customers safe, all donations given to the BHF will now be rested for 72 hours before being placed onto the shop floor. Customers will also be able to donate at new contact-free donation points which will be set up at every BHF shop entrance. For larger donations to home stores the BHF will be restarting its free collection service once home stores reopen – ensuring all pick-ups are socially distanced.  

 

Donating unwanted items not only helps fund vital heart research but will also reduce waste and save items from landfill. Last year alone, the BHF saved an incredible 71,000 tonnes of items from landfill and 135,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the atmosphere.   

 

Just £16 worth of your donations can support an early career scientist in carrying out an hour’s research and £25 gives a researcher an hour’s access to equipment. If your donations raised £100, this would fund a DNA extraction kit to identify genes linked to heart and circulatory diseases. 

To find your local BHF shop visit: www.bhf.org.uk/shop 

 

What BHF would love to see donated: 

·                Electronics – iPhones, iPads and high-end electronics 

·                Clothing, dresses or designer brands if you can spare them 

·                Records – 7″, 10″ and 12″ vinyl records 

·                Video games – vintage console games (1990s/early 2000s) 

·                Shoes – any kind, so long as they’re in good condition!  

·                Collectable items such as coins and stamps 

·                Jewellery  

·                Ornaments 

·                Camera equipment – cameras, tripods, bags, filters, lens 

·                Toys – toy cars, vans, trucks, kid’s dolls and vintage teddy bears 

 

 

Hideaway By Nora Roberts Book Review

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Some books grip you and never let go. This happened with Hideaway. Written by prolific writer Nora Roberts, Hideaway is about the daughter of a Hollywood dynasty that gets kidnapped. Does not sound cheery, does it? Yet it is a riveting book full of depth that draws you in and never lets you go until the final page. It has it all: crime, romance, mystery, Hollywood, and a kick-ass heroine. What more could you want?

One day, she thought, one moment, one innocent game. How was it that day, that moment, that game never seemed to end?

Caitlyn Sullivan is just nine years old when a game of hide and seek at a family party will change her life forever.

The betrayal she experienced that night will shape Caitlyn’s life – and for years she runs and runs, hiding from the aftermath of the trauma. But Caitlyn comes to realise that if she wants to not just survive but thrive, she must return to the family home to face up to her past.

What happened that night may always haunt Caitlyn but she must decide if it’s what you’re running from that matters. Or who finds you.

Hideaway is available here.

Books You Should Read Now

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The Will To Succeed By Christine Raafat. Perfect for fans of historical fiction and kick-ass heroines. An impressive amount of research has clearly gone into this great book. 

When the 15-year-old Lady Anne Clifford’s father died in 1605, she was his sole surviving child and expecting to inherit the Cliffords’ great northern estates. But the Earl of Cumberland leaves a will which ignores an ancient law and bequeaths the lands to his brother, in the belief that a prophecy by his great-grandfather will eventually come true and return the estates to Anne. She and her mother vow to contest the will.

Anne spends the next three decades battling for what she believes is rightfully hers. She risks everything by opposing her beloved husband, her family and friends, the nobility, the law courts, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the King. She steadfastly (and treasonably) refuses to accept the King’s decision, whatever the consequences, but is defeated and left with the prophecy as her only hope.

Widowed at thirty-four, she survives an anxious period alone with her two young daughters before surprising everyone with an ill-judged second marriage which gives her access to the highest in the land. But the Civil War destroys that power and confines the 52-year-old Anne to a grand palace in London for six years. Still convinced of her rights, will she ever attain “ye landes of mine inheritance”?

The Will To Succeed By Christine Raafat is available here.

The Storm By Amanda Jennings. A stunningly brilliant book about coercive control. Rich and atmospheric. I raced through it. 

To the outside world Hannah married the perfect man. Behind the closed doors of their imposing home it’s a very different story. Nathan controls everything Hannah does. He chooses her clothes, checks her receipts, and keeps her passport locked away. But why does she let him? Years before, in the midst of a relentless storm, the tragic events of one night changed everything. And Hannah has been living with the consequences ever since. Keeping Nathan happy. Doing as she’s told.

But the past is about to catch up with them.

Set against the unforgiving backdrop of a Cornish fishing port in the ‘90s, this is a devastating exploration of the power of coercive control in a marriage where nothing is quite as it seems…

The Storm is available here.

The Night Fire by Michael Connelly. Another cracking Bosch novel. A riveting read full of twists and stunning prose. 

A JUDGE MURDERED IN A CITY PARK
Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer, defends the man accused.

A HOMELESS PERSON BURNED ALIVE
Detective Renée Ballard catches the case on the LAPD’s notorious graveyard shift.

AN UNSOLVED HOMICIDE FROM A LIFETIME AGO
Harry Bosch is left a missing case file by his mentor who passed away. He was the man who taught Bosch that everybody counts, or nobody counts. Why did he keep the case all these years? To find the truth – or bury it?

IN L.A. CRIME NEVER SLEEPS
But in Ballard, Bosch and Haller: the fire always burns. Will it light the way – or leave their lives in ashes?

The Night Fire is available here.

Living With The Long-Term Effects of Cancer by Dr Cordelia Galgut. This is an essential book for anyone with cancer. I cannot praise it highly enough. 

Challenging a number of myths about living long term with or after cancer, this book offers new insights by delving into areas that are not usually spoken about. Written from a dual perspective- that of a psychologist who had breast cancer and who copes with the long-term effects of treatment – the book contests the assumption that the afflicted person will simply ‘get better’ or ‘move through’ to a better situation. Emotional and physical side-effects can worsen over time and people living beyond or with cancer often endure a mismatch between expectations and reality, because they have been told that life would be easier than it actually is. This can leave both those suffering longer term and those close to them confused and unprepared. Including testimonies with people who have had a cancer diagnosis and people in the medical profession, the book signposts ways that professionals may help and offers prompts for friends and relatives to have useful and open conversations with the person affected. It gives voice to many people who feel that their suffering is disputed and diminished by the prevailing narrative around recovery. Galgut includes discussion on relationships, work, trauma, fear of recurrence and the role of therapy. Giving an unflinchingly honest perspective, Living with the Long-Term Effects of Cancer sheds light on these struggles, in the belief that bringing this conversation to the forefront is key to improving life for those who are affected by cancer and who suffer longer term from its effects.

Living With The Long-Term Effects of Cancer.

The First Lie by A.J Park. This is a hugely enjoyable thriller. It will leave you thinking about consequences long after you have read the last page. Keeps you hooked all the way through. 

A freak accident. An impossible choice. But what was…

THE FIRST LIE

When Paul Reeve comes home to find his wife in the bathroom, bloodied and shaking, his survival instinct kicks in.

Alice never meant to kill the intruder. She was at home, alone, and terrified. She doesn’t deserve to be blamed for it. Covering up the murder is their only option.

But the crime eats away at the couple and soon they can’t trust anyone – even one another…

The First Lie is available here.


The Summer We Ran Away by Jenny Oliver. This is the perfect summer novel. It is funny, relatable and full of fun and fizz. It is also a great novel that shows that the grass is not always greener on the other side (to use a cliche), and that we have the power to change our lives if we want to. 

It was meant to be the party of the summer…

In Cedar Road, everyone is preparing for Lexi’s ‘White Hot’ summer party. For one night, parking squabbles and petitions are put aside as neighbours sip Prosecco under the fairy lights and gather by the hot tub to marvel at Lexi’s effortlessly glamorous life with Hot Hamish.

For Julia, it’s a chance to coax husband Charlie out of his potting shed and into a shirt so they can have a welcome break from the hellish house renovation they’ve been wrestling with. And it’s a chance for Julia to pretend – just for a night – that her life is as perfect as Lexi’s.

But when, during the party, one of Julia’s WhatsApp messages falls into the wrong hands and reveals her most intimate thoughts, things reach boiling point…

And when all the neighbours know exactly what you’re thinking, there’s only one thing to do.

Run away.

It’s going to be a summer Julia will never forget…

The Summer We Ran Away is available here.

 

What will you read?

Pale Green Dot Fruit & Veg Box Review | Win A Fantastic Food Box

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pale green dot, fruit and veg box, fruit, veg, vegetables, box, food, London, We reviewed a fruit and veg box from Pale Green Dot and we loved it so much that we are now running a competition for one lucky reader to win one of their own. All you have do is follow us on Twitter and then tweet at us, or follow us on Facebook and leave a message to let you know you have entered the competition. The closing date is the end of June and you have to live in London, Surrey, Sussex or Kent.

The fruit and veg box is definitely the best fruit and veg box I have tried. The spring onion is sublime: so unlike the ones you get in a supermarket. It has lettuce still attached to its roots and Sussex chard. The tomatoes are ripe and juicy. It even has asparagus and delicious aubergine. The box is filled to the brim with healthy deliciousness. We love. Pale Green Dot have more food boxes now including a BBQ one. Have a look below.

pale green dot – even more food boxes now available for home delivery across London and the South East

 

Pale green dot, sustainable suppliers of home delivered fine quality fresh, seasonal and local produce, dairy basics, meat and cheese, are now launching an even more extensive range of boxes.  Becoming quite the ‘one stop shop’ the pale green dot home delivery website features a new premium vegetable box, a fruit box, beer box, wine box, Italian box, and coming soon, a curry box.

 

Previously operating in the hospitality sector, pale green dot has managed an incredible turnaround in order to ensure that those living in London and the South East are able order online and enjoy fresh produce delivered to their homes.

 

Response to the boxes has been so positive, the company will be delivering to homes post lockdown to customers who have come to enjoy the quality, convenience and variety of what they are receiving.

The new premium vegetable box at £25.00 contains a greater choice and twice the amount of seasonal fresh produce than the company’s standard box, including ingredients such as new season Cornish mid potatoes, Sussex chard and Bobby beans from Jersey.

The fruit box at £15.00 is full of fresh and colourful fruits. Perfect to eat, drink and preserve it usually includes mango, pineapple, pomegranate, melon and kiwis as well as apples, grapes, oranges and blueberries.

The BBQ box contains meat and poultry sourced predominantly from small farms rearing free-range native breeds. All items are vac packed and can be frozen. The box includes steaks, burgers, sausages, marinated chicken legs and lamb koftas.

 

The Italian box  has everything you need to make flavour-packed pasta without having to leave the house. It includes pasta (wholemeal and white), pesto, fresh garlic, herbs, olive oil, parmesan cheese and passata and tomatoes at £25.00.

 

Two Tribes have partnered with pale green dot to supply their beers for beer boxes from £13.50.

 

There are three wine boxes, red, white and mixed, the boxes contain a curated selection of six bottles, familiar and new, old world and new world from £56.00 each.

 

All the boxes are available to order online at https://www.palegreendot.co.uk/home-deliveries and can be set up for regular deliveries, or one-off orders. Pale green dot aims to deliver boxes by the next working day.

 

To keep minds at ease, pale green dot are implementing the highest safety and hygiene standards across the board when it comes to both packaging and delivering in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

 

Orders can be made via this link –  https://www.palegreendot.co.uk/home-deliveries

 

www.palegreendot.co.uk

 

Can Keto Pills Actually Help You to Lose Weight?

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last three years, ‘keto’ is a word you’ll have heard before. While most of us have only a passing familiarity with the term, we generally know that it has something to do with a certain diet trend.

Though some have written it off as just another fad, keto has nonetheless gained a lot of traction among its followers and the public at large, with many having claimed to see great results with regards to meeting their weight loss goals.

As a result, a whole industry has grown around the idea, with keto pills being one of the most popular products on the market. Claiming to aid in weight loss and make it easier to drop a dress size, they promise to activate in the body a mechanism known as ‘ketosis’, which we’ll explain in more detail below.

But do they actually work? According to the experts, the answer may surprise you.

What are keto pills and how do they work?

weight loss, pills, do they work?

Source: Pixabay

Keto pills have generated a lot of discourse in recent years. They’ve made their way into the mainstream, many have doubted their efficacy, but there are also those who swear by them as a weight loss aid.

Keto pills function in a similar way to the keto diet. The keto diet works by sending your body into a state of ketosis. This is a specific type of metabolic process whereby your system burns fat instead of glucose to generate energy, thus getting rid of the fat deposits already at its disposal: your extra weight.

This ketosis is achieved by eating foods that are high in fat and low in carbohydrates, and typically takes around four days to occur. Once the process had been activated, the body sends fat cells to the liver, where they’re converted into ketones and used for energy.   

In keto pills, the concept is the same: to increase the level of ketones in your blood. However, rather than requiring the individual to cut out carbohydrates from their diet, they instead utilise something known as medium-chain triglycerides. Usually found in foods that are high in saturated fat, such as coconuts and palm oil, these work to stimulate the ketones in your blood, produce a state of ketosis, and thus catalyse weight loss.        

Are keto pills safe?

In order to prove their detractors wrong, some keto pill manufacturers have been willing to put their products through rigorous tests. At least five have appeared, for example, on US reality show Shark Tank, with reviews for Shark Tank keto pills advising that they’re a safe aid for weight loss for those interested in using them.    

The only downside to taking keto pills is that they can initially cause headaches as a side effect (although this is not the case for everyone who uses them). However, even those are affected need not worry, as this is nothing more than indicative of the body adapting to ketosis and typically resolved within a few days.

Do keto pills work as well as a keto diet?

Source: Pixabay

While keto pills can almost certainly aid with weight loss, experts do suggest that they’re slightly less effective than the diet they’re based on. That’s because, while they stimulate ketone production, they’re unable to replicate all of the benefits of this diet.

In particular, they do not lower either circulating insulin or glucose levels, with experts suggesting that these two boons are likely of equal benefit to increased ketone levels themselves.  

Are keto pills something you would be willing to try to aid with your weight loss goals? 

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The Operator by Gretchen Berg | Book Review

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The Operator, Gretchen Berg, book, book review, I read The Operator in awe. The relationship between the characters, the complexities of relationships, the jaw-dropping setting, this book is just perfect. Set in the 1950s in Wooster, Ohio, it follows switchboard operator Vivian Dalton who eavesdrops on the residents of the town. This comes back to bite her when she hears some gossip about her own life. 

This pieces of gossip sends Vivian on a path of discovery and the consequences come thick and fast. I loved so much about this book: the setting is done so well. Gretchen really knows her stuff. She writes so well from different people’s perspectives. This book is full of depth and luscious descriptions. It keeps you guessing. When you pick it up it is impossible to put it back down. 

It’s 1952. The switchboard operators in Wooster, Ohio, love nothing more than to eavesdrop on their neighbours’ conversations, and gossip about what they learn. Vivian Dalton is no different (despite her teenage daughter’s disapproval), and always longs to hear something scandalous. But on the night of December 15th, she wishes she hadn’t. The secret that’s shared by a stranger on the line threatens to rip the rug of Vivian’s life from under her.

Vivian may be mortified, but she’s not going to take this lying down. She wants the truth, no matter how painful it may be. But one secret tends to lead to another . . .

This moving, heart-felt and ultimately uplifting novel brilliantly weaves together an irresistible portrayal of a town buzzing with scandal, and an unforgettable story of marriage, motherhood and the unbreakable ties of family.

The Operator is available here.

 

My Writing Process Sandie Jones

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Sandie Jones, AuthorI’ve been a journalist for the past 25 years, interviewing celebrities for national newspapers and magazines. I started writing fiction in 2017, because writing a book was on my bucket list, but I never imagined it being read by my mother, let alone be published and reviewed by thousands!

My debut The Other Woman was published in 2018 and was a New York Times Bestseller, as well as a Reese Witherspoon Pick. My second novel The First Mistake was published last summer and The Half Sister is out on 25th June.

What is your latest book?

The Half Sister, which is about Kate and Lauren,  two sisters who each feel that the other has the perfect life. When a woman turns up, whilst they’re having a family Sunday lunch, claiming to be their half sister, their worlds are turned upside down and it sends them in opposite directions, in their quest for the truth. But neither of them could ever imagine what they’re about to discover.

Please could you tell us a bit about your process of writing?

It’s changed since writing my first book, as I’m no longer doing it just for myself. There are editors and publishers involved now so instead of, quite literally, making it up as I go along, I now have to have a clear idea of what the story is, where it’s going and how best to get there.

Do you plan or just write?

It goes against my natural instinct to plan anything – I love to just write and see where we takes me, but as I say, I do have to have a solid outline of an idea before I start, which involves lots of spider diagrams and boxes on a whiteboard. Though once I get started, it all tends to change anyway!

How do you think about structure?

I used to think that the books I liked to read had one big twist at the end, but since writing myself, I’ve found that actually, reveals are peppered throughout. I tend to drop a bomb of some description at each third, so as to keep the reader interested and engaged.

Is there anything you find hard about writing?
The planning stage is particularly difficult for me as I feel I’m forcing myself to come up with every twist and turn in advance. However, I am learning that it’s good to have a loose structure to work to and I have understanding editors who know that my best ideas are likely to come when I’m writing.

What do you love about writing?

Everything else! I adore creating characters and getting to know them. I’m at the stage with my fourth book where I don’t want to put it down. It feels like I’m reading a story I’m really invested in and can’t wait to get back to it, to see what happens next. I forget that’s down to me to decide and that’s a great feeling!

Sandie Jones’s books are available here.

More information on Sandie Jones.