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Category Archives: Featured
Just My Luck by Adele Parks | Book Review
I have loved Adele Parks’ books for years now. Which is handy, as she writes one a year and has done for the past twenty years. Impressive.
Just My luck is another triumph. It has a great premise which is beautifully executed. We have all dreamt of winning the lottery. This book explores what happens when people become rich beyond their wildest dreams. It may be a novel, but it is a cautionary tale that money does not buy happiness. I loved the characters, even the ones I was loving to hate. The twists at the end are hugely satisfying. I find Adele Parks is an expert at picking up on the beautiful details of life, as she is at finding the complexities of the human character. Just My luck is the perfect escapist novel that will leave you hooked until the very last page.
It’s the stuff dreams are made of – a lottery win so big, it changes everything.
For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes. Over dinner parties, fish & chip suppers and summer barbecues, they’ve discussed the important stuff – the kids, marriages, jobs and houses – and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything more than a tenner.
But then, one Saturday night, the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone doesn’t tell the truth. And soon after, six numbers come up which change everything forever.
Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth £18 million. And their friends are determined to claim a share of it.
Sunday Times Number One bestseller Adele Parks returns with a riveting look at the dark side of wealth in this gripping take on friendship, money and betrayal, and good luck gone bad…
The Books That Changed Me by Catherine Yardley
Is there anything more powerful than a book? I don’t think so. Life-changing, knowledge-giving, and entertainment. Though sometimes not all at once. They have the power to change the world and make us feel every emotion under the sun. With that in mind, here are the books that changed me and made me the women I am today.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
This book follows Raskolnikov, an poor student wrought out by his own nihilism, and thoughts of the struggle between good and evil. He brutally murders an old woman who is a pawnbroker as he beliefs he is above the law. He justifies his actions, but later is overwhelmed with guilt and terror. Raskolnikov confesses to the crime and goes to prison. He realises that happiness and redemption is only achieved through suffering.
This is an intense psychological thriller from the most famous Russian novelist. Dostoyevsky was in a bad way when he wrote it, his wife and brother had both died and he was living in poverty. Crime and Punishment will awaken your brain and make you rethink your opinions on crime and punishment. This is the perfect book on redemption and how our actions in life matter. The very last page has some of my favourite lines in literature, including the fact that a new life is not given for nothing. I will not spoiler you by sharing anymore but it is a hard, yet fascinating read. It opens your brain right up and makes you more intelligent by the end. Do not just read books that are easy to read, that is not how you end up smarter.
Life if Pi by Yann Martel .
A ship sinks and a boy ends up on a raft with a tiger he calls Richard Parker. This is a book about survival and wisdom. It is outrageous with its plot but is never not believable. This spiritual novel changed my entire way of thinking. This book will feed your imagination like nothing on earth. It is so cleverly done I will be forever be jealous that I will never be as good a writer as Yann Martel . It was made into a film that is a good enough watch, but the book is untouchable. This book left me with a spiritualness that has stayed with me until this day. Read it with a highlighter pen and go back to it often.
Catherine Yardley with Margaret Graham at the Words For The Wounded Literary Festival
Becoming by Michelle Obama.
Before reading this searingly honest memoir from the former First Lady of the United States I felt like a failure as I had never become who I was supposed to be. I was forever changing and no one ever told me that was a good, and normal, thing. There are so many stunning quotes in this book and it is filled with wisdom. Michelle Obama leaves no part of her life untold: she discusses miscarriages, IVF, politics, race and her marriage. Michelle is from a working class background and her father was disabled. She has triumphed through hard work and intelligence. I cannot think of anyone I find more inspirational than Michelle Obama. Well, other than the next novelist….
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Maya Angelou. What a woman. What a life. What a writer. I am full of admiration and awe. I am obsessed with Maya Angelou. I read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings when I was about thirteen. I already wanted to be a writer and I was already writing. I knew I was nowhere near as good a writer as Maya Angelou, I doubt I ever will be. What I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings did for me was crack me open like a nut. I learned a lot about racism and I became even more political, I also learned a lot about life and wisdom. I learnt that everyone has a hard life and we should be kinder to each other. It is more than a good book, it is a book that teaches you that strength of character, and a love of reading, can overcome trauma and create a beautiful life.
The Wives By Lauren Weisberger.
This book makes me appear much more fun than my other selections, I am aware. Lol. I think Lauren Weisberger is underrated. She has such a keen eye for detail and the satire of everyday life. Yes, there is The Devil Wears Prada which was a runaway (ahem) success. Lauren holds a mirror up to sections of society and captures them with absolute perfection. Her characters are honest, flawed and real. She makes me laugh and nod, and cry all at once. The Wives is a sassy and entertaining sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. It features Emily, you know, the one who looked great in her dress because anytime she was about to faint she ‘ate a tiny bit of cheese.’ Her books are a joy to read because she makes writing them look easy. There are anything but and Lauren Weisberger is a fearless writer.
The Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook.
Now, this book really did change my life. I have written my entire life. I wrote poems when I was in single figures and I tried to write my first novel when I was ten. It was terrible and I only got to fourteen pages. They were all written longhand. I decided to send some of my poems off but, how and where? Enter this book. It had so much advice and numerous agents and publishers to send my stuff too. I still use it to this day. The 2021 version has pride of place on my desk. This is an essential and life-changing book for all writers.
Guests of The Emperor By Janice Young-Brooks.
My parents have always had a house full of books. We had so many bookcases and books our home was more like a library. One of the books on my parents shelf was Guests of The Emperor By Janice Young-Brooks. It is a World War II novel about a group of women who are ‘guests’ in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The characters were so vivid and the story so well told it has always stayed with me. It is a good history lesson too.
What books changed you? Send us your selection to frostmagaziine@gmail.com.
My debut novel, Ember, is available here and here.
Easy Ways To Cook Vegetables. How to Get Your 5-a-Day.
Getting our 5-a-day is hard. Or at least, I have often found it so. It is easy to grab a piece of fruit but eating vegetables requires more effort. At least that is what it feels like sometimes. Since lockdown it has been harder to get some foods. We have had a weekly delivery of fruit and veg. There are a number of companies that do this.
It has set a challenge to use everything up as I refuse to have food waste. This has always been the case but even more so now. I will be sharing tips on the coming weeks but here is what I am doing at the moment.
Every few days I make a a huge salad or a traybake of roasted vegetables. This does as a lunch for a few days and also a side for supper. It is very easy to do. Sure there is a lot of chopping, and my children are usually trying to get my attention, but because you only have to do it every three days it is not that bad.
Salad potatoes can be boiled for 15 minutes. I add rosemary or parsley to them.
Cauliflower can be boiled in 15 minutes. Carrots take 5 minutes. I add as many herbs and spices to the various vegetables as possible. A lot of fruit and veg boxes come with a bag of fresh herbs. You might also have some in your cupboard. Five spice anyone?
Aubergine can be roasted for 20 minutes in the oven. I tend to add olive oil and salt and pepper. It tastes delicious. You can also pan fry it. Beetroot is great baked in the oven for 45 minutes. You can even bake it whole. Add olive oil and wrap in foil. I tend to cook things at 180. The roast vegetables can be added to the salad and vice versa. I love adding fruit to veg. Oranges go great with aubergine. It is a lot of work cooking and, lets be honest, tedious, but when you make a lot you only have to do it every three days. That is for a family of four.
Eating raw food is great and retains nutrients. I find raw cabbage tastes amazing and has a satisfying texture. I have a large Mason Cash baking bowl which I make a huge salad in. There was one week where we did not get a fruit and veg box and my husband and I really noticed the difference to our health. A plant based diet is the easiest way to great health.
In the evenings and weekends I write in the kitchen while my husband looks after the kids. I am right near the fridge which is not good, but instead of snacking on unhealthy foods I just dip into my huge bowl of salad. Try it, put all of your favourite fruit and veg in a big bowl and pick at it when you are hungry. It will change your life and your health.
Please share any cooking tips or recipes with me. Lots of love and stay safe, Catherine xx.
Read An Extract From Adele Parks New Book Just My Luck
Lexi
Saturday, 20th April
I can’t face going straight home to Jake. I’m not ready to deal with this. I need to try to process it frst. But how? Where do I start? I have no idea. The blankness in my mind terrifes me. I always know what to do. I always have a solution, a way of tackling something, giving it a happy spin. I’m Lexi Greenwood, the woman everyone knows of as the fxer, the smiler (some might even slightly snidely call me a do-gooder). Lexi Greenwood, wife, mother, friend.
You think you know someone. But you don’t know anyone, not really. You never can.
I need a drink. I drive to our local. Sod it, I’ll leave the car at the pub and walk home, pick it up in the morning. I order a glass of red wine, a large one, then I look for a seat tucked away in the corner where I can down my drink alone. It’s Easter weekend, and a rare hot one. The place is packed. As I thread my way through the heaving bar, a number of neighbours raise a glass, gesturing to me to join them; they ask after the kids and Jake. Everyone else in the pub seems celebratory, buoyant. I feel detached. Lost. That’s the thing about living in a small village, you recognise everyone. Sometimes that reassures me, sometimes it’s inconvenient. I politely and apologetically defect their friendly overtures and continue in my search for a solitary spot. Saturday vibes are all around me, but I feel nothing other than stunned, stressed, isolated.You think you know someone.
What does this mean for our group? Our frimily. Friends that are like family. What a joke. Blatantly, we’re not friends anymore. I’ve been trying to hide from the facts for some time, hoping there was a misunderstanding, an explanation; nothing can explain away this.
I told Jake I’d only be a short while; I should text him to say I’ll be longer. I reach for my phone and realise in my haste to leave the house, I haven’t brought it with me. Jake will be wondering where I am; I don’t care. I down my wine. The acidity hits my throat, a shock and a relief at once. Then I go to the bar to order a second.
The local pub is only a ten-minute walk away from our home but by the time I attempt the walk back, the red wine had taken effect. Unfortunately, I am feeling the sort of drunk that nurtures paranoia and fury, rather than a light head or heart. What can I do to right this wrong? I have to do something. I can’t carry on as normal, pretending I know nothing of it. Can I?
As I approach home, I see Jake at the window, peering out.I barely recognise him. He looks taut, tense. On spotting me, he runs to fing open the front door.
‘Lexi, Lexi, quickly come in here,’ he hiss-whispers, clearly agitated. ‘Where have you been? Why didn’t you take your phone? I’ve been calling you. I needed to get hold of you.’
What now? My frst thoughts turn to our son. ‘Is it Logan? Has he hurt himself?’ I ask anxiously. I’m already teetering on the edge; my head quickly goes to a dark place. Split skulls, broken bones. A dash to A&E isn’t unheard of; thirteen-year-old Logan has daredevil tendencies and the sort of mentality that thinks shimmying down a drainpipe is a reasonable way to exit his bedroom in order to go outside and kick a football about. My ffteen-year-old daughter, Emily, rarely causes me a moment’s concern.
‘No, no, he’s fne. Both the kids are in their rooms. It’s… Look, come inside, I can’t tell you out here.’ Jake is practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. I can’t read him. My head is too fuzzy with wine and full of rage and disgust. I resent Jake for causing more drama, although he has no idea what shit I’m deal- ing with. I’ve never seen him quite this way before. If I touched him, I might get an electric shock; he oozes a dangerous energy. I follow my husband into the house. He is hurrying, urging me to speed up. I slow down, deliberately obtuse. In the hallway he turns to me, takes a deep breath, runs his hands through his hair but won’t, can’t, meet my eyes. For a crazy moment I think he is about to confess to having an affair. ‘OK, just tell me, did you buy a lottery ticket this week?’ he asks.
‘Yes.’ I have bought a lottery ticket every week of my life for the last ffteen years. Despite all the bother last week, I have stuck to my habit.
Jake takes in another deep breath, sucking all the oxygen from the hallway. ‘OK, and did you—’ he breaks off, fnally drags his eyes to meet mine. I’m not sure what I see in his gaze, an almost painful longing, fear and panic. Yet at the same time there is hope there too. ‘Did you pick the usual numbers?’
‘Yes.’
His jaw is still set tight. ‘You have the ticket?’ ‘Yes.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘Yes, it’s pinned on the noticeboard in the kitchen. Why?
What’s going on?’
‘Fuck.’ Jake lets out a breath that has the power of a storm. He falls back against the hall wall for a second and then he rallies, grabs my hand and pulls me into the room that was designed to be a dining room but has ended up being a sort of study slash dumping ground. A place where the children sometimes do their homework, I tackle paying the household bills, and towering piles of ironing, punctured footballs and old trainers hide out. Jake sits down in front of the computer and starts to quickly open various tabs.
‘I wasn’t sure that we even had a ticket, but when you were late back and the flm I was watching had fnished, I couldn’t resist checking. I don’t know why. Habit, I suppose. And look.’ ‘What?’ I can’t quite work out what he’s on about, it might be the wine, it might be because my head is still full of betrayal and deceit, but I can’t seem to climb into his moment. I turn to the screen. The lottery website. Brash and loud. A clash of bright
colours and fonts. 1, 8, 20, 29, 49, 58. The numbers glare at me from the com- puter. Numbers I am so familiar with. Yet they seem peculiar and unbelievable.
‘I don’t understand. Is this a joke?’
‘No, Lexi. No! It’s for real. We’ve only gone and won the bloody lottery!’
Just My Luck by Adele Parks is published by HQ, HarperCollins in hardback, eBook and audiobook, and is available to buy here.
Ideas for Keeping Kids Learning Through Play at Home
It is fair to say that keeping little ones entertained can be a tough job. The best of both worlds is when you can entertain them while they learn. So we have two fantastic recommendations for you.
VTech Musical Cuddle Bug | 6 – 36 months | £21.99
As learning toys go the Cuddle Bug has a lot going for it. It is cute and fun and it can teach children everything from colours to songs. This was a huge hit with my little ones and I cannot recommend it enough.
This soft, friendly and cuddly fabric bug features many colours and patterns to stimulate the curiosity of your little one! Including 15 melodies and 3 sing-along songs, this cutie will have fun with your baby in day mode and soothe them in night mode. The 8 soft buttons on the bug’s feet teach Do-Re-Mis, colours and shapes, and the colour changing star button plays fun phrases, sounds and music.
The Cuddle Bug is available here.
LeapFrog Yum – 2 – 3 Toaster | 12+ months | £17.99
The Leapfrog Yum Toaster is great for pretend play. The toaster pops up the toast and it also sings and helps children learn their colours and count. This was another hit with my little ones. It is perfect to spark childrens imagination. I love that it comes with plates, cutlery and food. I find toy food is great for helping children eat.
This friendly toaster will help your little one cook up and serve a delicious breakfast. There’s nine different foods and utensils to choose from, so your little one can make egg and bacon sandwiches, or some tasty toast with jam. Popping the toast up and down introduces opposites while the dial lets kids choose how toasted they’d like their bread. The buttons encourage learning numbers, colours and foods.
The Leapfrog Yum Toaster is available here.
The Rise of Digital Babysitters Is Helping Stretched Parents Cope With Lockdown
Stretched UK parents are increasingly turning to family members and carers as ‘digital babysitters’ as they struggle to cope with jugging workloads and childcare during lockdown.
A survey from Ladybird children’s books has found that 81.6% UK parents with nursery age children said they had, or were looking in to, arranging a few hours of digital babysitting a week with a family member such as a grandparent, uncle or aunt, or a non-family carer to help them out with the childcare, giving parents valuable time to deal with their increasing workload, or even have uninterrupted time just to mop the kitchen floor or make the beds.
The activity most parents (52%) said their children would benefit from most was online storytelling, with arts and crafts second (26%), and spelling practice third (10%). With 61% parents admitting they are struggling to balance work life with homeschooling their youngsters, enlisting the help of family members to help takes some of the burden off each week whilst helping children with crucial skills in their developement.
Ladybird commissioned the survey to discover how they could best help parents in these difficult times.
This week they launch an initiative, Little Big Moments, to help connect children with those family members who they can’t see right now: whether that’s an isolated grandparent, a cousin, aunt, uncle, a parent who lives in a different home or a key worker family member. Every day, Ladybird is sending a pair of matching books to a separated duo so they can still settle down for storytime together, over the phone or on a video call.
All people need to do is head to www.ladybird.co.uk/littlebigmoments and enter their child’s name to be in with a chance of winning a story, and thereby creating a virtual hug with a loved one, even when apart.
Pablo thinks differently! Pablo is an autistic boy who sees the world in different ways
In a wonderful moment for neurodiversity Ladybird have two Pablo books out now and another two out soon. These empathetic and heartwarming books are written by writers on the autistic spectrum, and are grounded in the real-life experiences of autistic children. Pablo will help readers understand that not everyone thinks the same way.
These books are essential reading for atypical and typical children. They are wonderfully illustrated and have great stories that will keep children entertained, as well as educated. They are cleverly done. Get your hands on a copy now.
Pablo is the first animated TV series to star an autistic character and the first TV programme with an all- autistic core cast. Pablo is shown on CBBC, RTE and Netflix, won Best Preschool Programme at the 2019 Broadcast Awards. It was nominated at The 2018 Children’s BAFTAs.
Pablo and the Noisy Party written by Andrew Brenner and Sumita Majumdar
Pablo is invited to a birthday party, but the noise makes it hard for him to go.
Pablo’s friends , the Book Animals , help him recognise what is worrying him and to feel OK about not wanting to go.
Out now: £6.99 | 9780241415740
Goodnight Pablo written by Andrew Brenner and Sumita Majumdar
Pablo and his friend Wren don’t want to go to sleep because they think they will disappear.
With the help of the Book Animals, Pablo finds a way to calm himself and get to sleep.
Out now: £6.99 | 9780241415245
Pablo uses his ‘magic’ crayons to overcome everyday challenges. He brings the viewer into his ‘art world’where he bravely takes on real -world challenges , turning them into fantas tic adventures , and communicates unfamilliar feelings by drawring these colourful characters into life. These characters are his imaginary friends, who each carry traits typical to those on the spectrum.
Coming in August 2020: Pablo Picks his Shoes and Pablo’s Feeling.
About Ladybird: Ladybird has been publishing expertly crafted books for young children for over 100 years and stands at the forefront of children’s publishing as one of the most iconic and well-known children’s brands. Ladybird encourages kids to explore the world around them. It answers questions for children, and answers a need for parents, grandparents and carers, whether that’s bedtime, starting scho ol, exploring nature or potty training. Our books are trusted by parents the world over and include playful, design -led books; beautiful, highly illustrated non-fiction; classic stories made contemporary; current licensed brands plus a selection of fun nov elty titles for little hands. Some of our most popular brands and series include Peppa Pig, Hey Duggee, Baby Touch, Little World and Ten Minutes to Bed. From birth through to confident young readers, at every age and every stage, we offer books and apps f or your young child’s every need. We make growing up the best story ever.
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