Eve Sleep have these amazing linen sheets – prices start at £99 for UK double set
They are so luxurious you will not be able to go back to cheap bedding. They are so stylish too.
Stonewashed for superior softness and comfort, our pure linen bedding is the most luxurious, durable bed set you’ll find. Made in Portugal, it’s available in five colour combinations.
From evesleep.co.uk
Do you have someone to buy for, who is just that bit difficult? They don’t drink, they’re watching their figure and they have pretty much everything? Well if you have, here are a couple of fabulous gifts – and if you haven’t, these are still fabulous gifts for anyone.
‘Just The Tonic’ is a most fascinating book. Beautifully bound and illustrated, it would look lovely on a coffee table, but it is so interesting I fear it will soon be well-thumbed. I mean, did you realise that all those ex-pats chugging G&Ts in India and the tropics weren’t just being decadent and self-indulgent. No, they were protecting themselves from malaria – long before modern anti-malarials were available.
Co-written by Kim Walker (a medical herbalist) and Mark Nesbitt (curator of the Economic Botany Collection at Kew Gardens), the book is filled with fascinating facts. It doesn’t just tell the story of Indian tonic water, but explains the cultural, medical and political influences which shaped many of today’s drinks – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. And if you’re feeling exhausted from reading the whole story in one sitting (I promise you, you won’t be able to put it down until you’ve finished), the last chapter is thoughtfully devoted to cocktail recipes – go treat yourself.
Available from Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew Shop RRP £18.
The Kew Shop has many other interesting and unusual gifts on their website too, including a book containing twelve sheets of high quality wrapping paper, each printed with a painting from the Marianne North collection. These are gift wraps with a difference, to be reserved for very special people. In fact they are so beautiful I’m not sure I could bear to use them. Ms North was a Victorian traveller and painter and her collection is housed at Kew. Each painting is unique and stunning – different flowers, fruit, birds and insects – I particularly love the stick insect painting, created in 1880.
Available also from Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew Shop RRP £10
I strongly recommend you take a look at the Kew Shop – so many beautiful and unusual gifts.
By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk
Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.
These gorgeous little slippers arrived in a beautiful, golden, organza drawstring bag, their sprinkling of silver stars, like fairy dust, made sure they were an instant success with our tester – a friend’s four year old daughter.
The non-slip soles are supple and hard wearing, wide enough to allow little toes and feet to spread naturally, and the lightly elasticated ankle ensures that there is little chance of losing them as our little ones pad around exploring.
Helen Chapman, who started Dotty Fish in 2006, has had the footwear tested by The London Podiatry Centre. With their soft, high quality suede uppers and even softer fleece lining they have been deemed safe for children’s delicate little feet.
There are dozens of designs — frogs, birds, flowers and many more — enough to please even the most discerning child, and prices that will please parents, grandparents or anyone else who is trying to think of a small gift for a child.
If the reaction of my friend’s daughter is anything to go by then you can be sure that these little slippers will bring a sprinkle of magic to any child’s Christmas morning.
Prices under £15.00
Heroes On The Home Front By Annie Clarke.
I love Annie Clarke. Not many people can do what she does. She writes with real heart and soul, transporting you straight into 1941. She writes of a time that should never be forgotten and brings her characters to life so beautifully. Heroes on The Home Front is the second in the series by this stunning writer. This is the perfect book for Autumn, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, put your feet up and enjoy the next few hours. I hope this series makes its way onto TV. It would make the perfect Sunday television show.
Yes, Annie Clarke does write for Frost, but she is a master at her craft. her novels are researched within an inch of their lives and have real heart and soul. Just perfect. I cannot wait for the next instalment.
December 1941, North East England: It takes courage to risk your life every day.
Despite the recent loss of her father, Sarah is settling well into her new role at the munitions factory. Her blossoming romance with pitman Stan is a welcome distraction from the dangerous working conditions. But a shocking revelation is about to put everything on the line.
Meanwhile Fran is desperately missing her sweetheart Davey, who has been conscripted to work at Bletchley Park. Beth is longing for someone too – and it’s not her husband on the front line…
As the factory girls face hardship on the home front, they will discover that the heroes they need are already by their side.
My stress levels are starting to soar. I’m already fed up of the Christmas adverts and it’s only the beginning of November. It’s not the day itself that I find stressful it’s the thought of choosing gifts – will I give something to be cherished or something to be sent to the charity shop in January? Can you go wrong with a book? I hope not.
This small selection is published by Chronicle books and has eased my worries already. I don’t think the books can be categorised as ‘For Mum, Dad, boy girl’ etc. All of them are interesting in their own right, beautifully illustrated and perfect to leave on the coffee table.
Tartine – A Classic Revisited – Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson
This beautifully rephotographed book is an updated edition of a classic for home and professional bakers―from one of the most acclaimed and inspiring bakeries in the world – Tartine in San Francisco. Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson have updated old recipes for new tastes and added 68 new ones – including their famous morning bun (a sweet roll made with croissant dough and filled with orange-scented cinnamon sugar).
60 favourites from the original book have been revamped to suit today’s tastes which include 30 wholegrain and/or gluten free recipes.
The photographs are mouth-wateringly beautiful and if you can’t make the journey to San Francisco at least you can create the flavours for yourself.
Chronicle Books £29.00
The Hollywood Book Club by Stephen Rea
Packed full of Movie Stars – Spencer Tracy, Marilyn Monroe, Lana Turner, Marlon Brando and many more. The stars are captured either on or off set, curled up with a book, reading to their children – or Ziegfeld Girls balancing them on their heads.
Featuring nearly 60 enchanting black and white images, lively captions about the stars and what they’re reading by Hollywood photo archivist Steven Rea. A great gift for booklovers and film fans. The perfect book to settle down with and savour.
Chronicle Books £11.99
All Hail the Queen
Twenty Women Who Ruled – Illustrated by Jenifer Orkin Lewis, written by Shweta Jha
Twenty real life stories of women who ruled – some were rulers by birth, others by marriage but all led lives of adventure and individuality. There are women we’ve perhaps all heard of – Marie Antoinette, Queen Victoria, Elizabeth 1st, Catherine the Great – and others we may not – Hatshepsut, Pharaoh of Egypt, Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, and Lady Six Sky, Maya Queen of Naranjo. Women of strength and power who lived in times when women did not have equal status to men.
Beautifully illustrated by Jennifer Orkin Lewis it’s a jewel of a book. A delight on the eye.
Chronicle Books £13.99
The Hike by Alison Farrell
A delightfully illustrated story of friendship and adventure. Three little girls and their dog set off for a hike through the woods with a map – no GPS here! The children hike through the forest and up to the top of the mountain before heading home as the sun begins to set and the stars appear.
This spirited picture book covers the best and worst of any hike: from picnics to puffing and panting, deer-sighting to detours. Featuring a glossary, a sketchbook by one of the characters, abundant labels throughout, it’s a book for budding adventurers.
Chronicle Books £12.99
The Runaway By Hollie Overton
You can tell the writer put her heart and soul into this book. It is an outstanding thriller. It leaves you holding your breathe until the very last page.
Poetry. A Very Short Introduction By Bernard O’Donoghue.
Perfect for writers and poetry fans. Entertaining and educational: it gives a perfect overview of poetry. Bernard O’Donoghue also ask what poetry is and what is is for. Riveting.
Give Birth Like a Feminist By Milli Hill.
This book is perfect for any expecting parent. It is even a good read for those who are not. Give Birth Like a Feminist is an important read from a pioneer in pregnancy and birth. Milli Hill founded The Positive Birth Movement and her work in the field has progressed women’s right by years. She also allowed me to publish one of her birth stories in my book, Women on Childbirth. She is the best kind of woman: a woman who support other women and fights for them too. A must buy.
With Child By Andy Martin
Andy Martin spent a year with Lee Child. With Child is the diary of these adventures. I found this fascinating as a writer myself. Perfect for fans of Lee Child and Jack Reacher. A great book.
Designing Babies By Robert L. Klitzman, MD.
This book is absolutely fascinating. In-depth research mixed with personal stories creates a perfect book on the subject of designing babies. Fertility, infertility, genetics…. This book covers the medical science of making babies. it does so with a human heart. What is right and what is wrong? Robert Klitzman is a brilliant and eloquent writer.
The Children’s Forest.
The Children’s Forest is the perfect book for children and parents. This book has a lot of fun activities to get your child in touch with nature. This book is a celebration of nature and, in my opinion, is essential for children to get them outdoors and learning more about nature. For ages 3-12, it has games, songs, recipes and animal, tree and plant lore. This excellent book offers hours of fun for children and parents.
What Snowflakes Get Right By Ulrich Baer.
This brilliant book is thought-provoking and brilliantly written. Snowflakes get a bad wrap but this in-depth and passionate analysis should be read by everyone. Great stuff.
The Writer’s Creative Workbook By Joy Kenward. Illustrated By Ruth Allen.
This is a brilliant book for the writer in your life. Even the most advanced writers will find this helps get things flowing again.
One More Lie by Amy Lloyd.
This is a stunning thriller. Full of suspense and atmosphere: you will not want to put it down. It also has a quote from Frost Magazine writer Annie Clarke who is a fan.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas By Abbey Clancy.
I do not know how she manages it: as well as being gorgeous, working as a model and TV Presenter and raising four children Abbey Clancy has written this amazing book. I loved it from the first page. The characters are so vivid and the story is a glam, glitzy read that entertains right to the end. I LOVE this book.
A Mrs Miracle Christmas By Debbie Macomber.
This is the perfect Christmas book. It is a warm book that is a perfect example of romantic fiction. Perfect for an evening snuggling with some hot cocoa.
Rebel Dogs By Kimberlie Hamilton.
This book is perfect for dog lovers. Fun and well-written, it makes you happy.
Heroes On The Home Front By Annie Clarke.
The second in the series by this stunning writer. Yes, she does write for Frost, but she is a master at her craft. her novels are researched within an inch of their lives and have real heart and soul. Just perfect.
A Quaint and Curious Volume. Introduction By Sarah Perry.
An interesting and original volume. Perfect for fans of the gothic. You can read all the way through or dip in and out. A really great book.
The Oceans Between Us By Gill Thompson.
This is a truly beautiful story of triumph, loss and a mother’s love. It will touch your heart and soul. Wonderful.
Nightingale Wedding Bells By Donna Douglas.
The eleventh book in the series. Another heart-warming story that is perfect for Christmas.
Simon’s Cat It’s a Dog’s Life By Simon Tofield.
Hard to believe it is the 10th anniversary. The much-loved cat is back in this hilarious book. Love it.
Something To Tell You By David Edwards.
This is a great, if terrifying, book. Perfect for fans of science-fiction, fantasy or thrillers. A perfect combination of fiction and out-there science. A clever book and a great read.
Raw Spirit By Iain Banks.
Perfect for fans of a wee dram. Banks explores the rich history of Scottish Whisky. It has a new introduction from Ian Rankin.
This top secret book arrived. What was it? Oh just the new Alex Cross book, Criss Cross By James Patterson. It is brilliant, of course. But then it always is. Out on the 14th November.
And now for some shameless self-promotion. I have books on acting, blogging, poetry, childbirth and wedding planning. They are all great for Christmas presents obviously. Nudge nudge, wink wink.
What books would you recommend?
Kirsten:
I haven’t been reading very much lately – I’ve been wrestling with proposals and second drafts and teenagers – but one book I have read and very much enjoyed is Bonnie and Stan by Anna Stuart. It’s a story of mature love and the premise is that after over 50 years together, Stan – who still adores his wife – starts dating again.
In a dual time-line. Bonnie and Stan met during the Swinging Sixties, to the soundtrack of The Beatles and the Merseybeat scene. Bonnie’s the only woman on her architecture course and Stan is in a band. This bit is great fun –music and fashion and energy and sex and working out which one of the band members will end being Stan because they all have nicknames.
In the present day, the two have grown old together, had children and grandchildren. This bit happens at the beginning so I’m not giving anything away but Stan has cancer and is running out of time, and can’t bear the thought of leaving Bonnie on her own so, with his teenage granddaughter Greya, he sets out find Bonnie a new love. And it must remain a secret …
I thought it was a fabulous book – ultimately uplifting but with moments of real terror and fury and vulnerability.
Susanna:
One of the things I love and admire about books by Carol Rivers is that, while some authors get a bit stale and produce books that feel samey, Carol always writes something fresh, using new ideas, at the same time as remaining true to the drama and strong sense of personal relationships that characterise her books. Christmas Child is a story for any time of year, not just for the festive season.
An emotional and enthralling tale, it follows Ettie as she faces up to life’s dangers and challenges and learns the hard way that not everyone deserves to be trusted. I love stories set in Victorian times and I’m delighted that Carol Rivers has, for this book, left behind her customary 20th century setting and moved into the 19th century. I hope there will be more Victorian stories to come from this wonderful writer.
Jane:
I went on holiday last month and as such had a little more time than usual to read, so a couple of books I’d been wanting to get my teeth into for a while came to the top of my TBR pile.
The first was Liz Fenwick’s The Path to the Sea, a truly absorbing book, well researched with the strands of the story pulled beautifully together. It is set in 1962 and 2018, with a clever structure that means the action is set over the same three days of both years, flipping between them, but taking events sequentially in both. It must have been an absolute sod to write, but it’s so beautifully managed it never feels contrived and I was caught up in the story rather than the way it was told, which is exactly how it should be.
Three generations of women come together at Boskenna for the last time, both bound together and torn apart by the secrets and lies between them. It’s a fabulous story, but what I loved the most was that important thing wasn’t what had happened, but why.
The second book was Jen Gilroy’s The Cottage at Firefly Lake. Far more of a traditional holiday read, it’s a heart-warming small town romance set in Vermont and featuring realistically scarred characters you want to alternately hug then knock their heads together. Two sisters return to Firefly Lake after eighteen years to sell their late mother’s cottage and more than just old passions are ignited in this beautiful place. The book’s just perfect for readers who love a truly emotional romance.
A property with the WOW factor doesn’t happen by magic. It takes imagination and skill. But if you haven’t got the money to employ a qualified interior designer, there are plenty of good tips on the web. A savvy hotelier or holiday homeowner with a good eye for design can easily use this free information to improve the look and feel of their property for a fraction of the cost. So why don’t they?
I travel a lot for my job, so I am in and out of spaces all the time: hotels, apartments and villas. I have rented them all. I’ve also used big and small agents: Airbnb, Booking.com, James Villas’s and independent owners. Depending on where I am and what suits my needs, I select a property on a mix of location, size, facilities and look Location and size can’t be changed, but the amenities and interior design can. Facilities are a blog post for the future, but for now, these are my top tips for achieving attractive holiday home spaces.
Cramming the communal areas with too much furniture, especially in open plan living arrangements is one of the biggest mistakes to be made. In large properties, sofas and armchairs should be clustered together to create cosy areas. And the use of different colours, textures and patterns in specific areas such as sitting rooms and dining rooms can add appeal and intrigue.
Lighting sets the mood and ambience of a room. Too little and the place is gloomy and depressing. Too much, and it feels sterile and unwelcoming. If you are going to invest time and money, to improve a room, lighting is an essential element to get right. When natural light is weak, use cleverly positioned mirrors within a space to highlight the colours, textures and patterns. When an interior space is too bright, soften the area with textural curtains or blinds.
Colour sets the tone and mood of property just as much as the lighting. So it’s worth researching the psychology of colour. However, bear in mind that not all the design tips for using colour will suit your property. For instance, in chalet interior design, where wood tones tend to dominate the palette, red may not be the best choice for a dining room. And green may not be ideal for a small bedroom.
Fabrics are perfect for adding interest, texture and colour to a room. They can be employed used to create character and style by either complimenting or contrasting depending on the feel you want to achieve. A classic interior design styling tip for integrating soft texture within a bedroom is the use of cushions and bedspreads. And rugs are ideal for adding depth and warmth in a living space. The overall number one interior design tip for creating harmony within a room is accessory repetition. And three is always the magic number.
Above all, remember there is no point creating unity of colour, texture and pattern if the windows are dirty or curtains are unevenly hung. A good cleaner is worth their weight in gold. And no one likes shabby furniture or broken appliances, so please owners – stay on top of the maintenance!
For a more in-depth knowledge of a chic home environment and other themes, here’s how to become an interior designer, so you won’t need to hire a pro if you need one.
Revised from a blog written for the OVO network
Sam stone is a freelance writer with an enviable job of being a travel and lifestyle blogger After working in the publishing industry for 15 years, she now travels the globe documenting her experiences for commissioned blogs and specialised web content. Based in Cornwall she unapologetically confesses to being a beach bum and obsessed foodie who is always on the lookout for her next big adventure!
