Here at Frost we’re having a bit of a bookfest, as the books pour in for review. We’re glad we have Milly Adams, author of Sisters at War on the team. She’s been catching up on her reading and has some good ‘uns for us.

 The Reykjavic Assignment by Adam Lebor is an international thriller from renowned political journalist Ada Lebor. He takes us behind the corridors of power and let’s face it, those corridors are looking totally fascinating now.

UN covert negotiator Yeael Azoulay has been sent to Reykjavik to broker a secret meeting between US President Freshwater and the Iranian President. Though both parties want the violence to stop there are others, enemies, but who, pulling the strings?

Are they people who are protecting their profits?

I love this kind of writing. Sharp, evocative, rhythmic, visual, terrifying. Buy it, read it, give it.

Adam LeBor lives in Budapest and writes for several international newspapers, as well as Hitler’s Secret Bankers. Margaret Graham said some had kept her awake recently. Perhaps this will be the same for you.

Hof Z hb £18.00

Find Her   by Lisa Gardner

I agree with a friend of mine who couldn’t put this down. Hardly surprising as Gardner is a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. And is a master of the psychological suspense novel.

There are a lot of these about these days, but this is one of the best. Taut writing, tight plotting, a story to turn your  hair grey. Flora Dane survived her hell of imprisonment locked for more than a year in a pine box by a madman. She has only one goal: to develop all the skills necessary to make sure she’s never caught again. But then another girl goes missing. The female detective thinks Flora could be the key to finding her. But Flora has no intention of following Detective Warren rules. I wouldn’t read it last thing at night, or you’ll never put it down,

Headline. Pb £7.99

The Longest Winter by Kevin Sullivan

This debut novel is a portrait of a city and its people in a moment of enormous suffering. Margaret Graham was in Bosnia and Croatia soon after ‘peace’ was brokered researching a novel. Desolation of mind, people and places was the only word she could think of to describe it, but then realised there was hope too . Sullivan brings this sense into our sitting rooms as he intertwines three life stories all of which seem to be on the path for redemption. Terry is a British doctor on a mission to rescue a sick child, Brad an American journalist trying to save his reputation following the disasters of his last posting. And in Milena, we have a young woman from Eastern Bosnia who is seeking refuge from betrayal amid the devastation of besieged Sarajevo.

This was a brave project for a debut novelist, but he’s pulled it off, driven I suspect by an inner passion. Sullivan was wounded in a landmine explosion in early 1993 as he covered the siege of Sarajevo and the war in Bosnia. It was as he recovered that he wrote the first draft of The Longest Winter.

Read it.

The Longest Winter   pb Twenty7. £7.99

By Alex Bannard, Thailand correspondent.

A good friend recommended doing the elephants in Chang Rai…at the Anatalaya. So off the Bannard family went.

After breakfasting watching the mist on the surrounding mountains clear, we spent our first full day there out on a bike ride around Chang Rai. Our guide took us around the surrounding countryside, showing us water lilies which apparently taste ‘a bit softer and not very like morning glory’, so I’m guessing not that good, then. We saw fields of rice paddies and pineapples and forests of rubber trees with the bark pulled down to encourage the latex to drop into containers tied into the trunk.

Then we went to the white temple, Wat Rong Khun, which was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat, a famous Thai artist. It is spectacular and so different to any temple I have seen yet. Quite macabreand yet strangely entertaining there are skulls hanging from trees, a moat of hands reaching up from’hell’ in as a bridge escorts you over them away from temptation towards redemption in the safe confines of the temple.

We also wrote out wishes on silver leaves to be hung from a nearby tree. The kids love doing things like this and diligently scrolled their wishes based upon a loving kindness meditation I’ve been teaching them.

We cycled further to a natural cave full of bats and Buddhas, a total of 28km expertly completed by my little Tour de Chang Rai-ers. I loved the ride. Next stop the elephant ride. Whilst I am delighted these magnificent creatures have a way to earn money for their mahoots without begging on the streets, I am all too painfully aware of the ethical implications. Elephant’s spines are not designed or strong enough to carry heavy loads of tourists and these beautiful creatures are often subjected to barbaric training and living conditions.

It is extremely distressing to see them chained to a post but a good life lesson for the kids none the less and prompted discussions regarding animal welfare. The children enjoyed feeding them baby bananas, especially to one elephant who ‘squealed’ her delighted and a gentle more please.

Obviously the day ended with the ubiquitous ride down the river in a long tail boat. It was a great start to the trip and we were rewarded with well-deserved beers on our return to the hotel. I absolutely recommend the bike tour as a way to see Chang Rai. Elephant experiences at your discretion.

The following day, started in the mist and rain at the tea plantation. Acres of rolling hills and green, green leaves. The smell of tea wafted from the ‘wilting room’ where millions of leaves are left to dry out.

Onto Doi Tong for a tour of the King Mother’s chalet in the mountains. A wonderful take on the blending of Swiss and Thai architecture as we toured this humble abode and heard tales of how well regarded she was as she restored Doi Tong and the surrounding area from a barren opium wasteland capable only of supporting drug trafficking, into the lush landscape which now supports local agriculturists, horticulturists and their families.

On our final day we decided to visit the Black House, Baandam a museum celebrating the work of local artist Thawan Duchanee. This unusual collection of dark teak wood houses in a village on the out skirts of Chang Rai is as fascinating as it is weird. Lots of houses full of skeletons, crocodile and snake skins, various furs, furniture made from buffalo horns and the occasional onion shaped concrete monstrosity filled with circles of giant shells. Utterly fascinating and completely bonkers.

The trip drew to a close with a visit to Wat Phra Kaeo, where in 1434 a bolt of lightening cracked the old Chedi to reveal the original Emerald Buddha which now resides in a temple in grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok after touring a variety of cities in the north of Thailand and southern Laos. A fake emerald Buddha rests in this Wat, well it is Thailand: fake or original it’s all the same, or as they say guaranteed original fake. A local monk thought my son in his orange t-shirt had his eyes on a stint in the monastery and I relished the buzz and sense of community in this very real temple, as novice monks gathered in small groups and the real deal got on with all things divine.

So luxurious elephant experiences or not, Chang Rai is worth a trip, the scenery alone is stunning but the randomness of unusual temples, the lushness of the tea plantations and some unexpected attractions is so alluring too.

Amazon Launches Search for Modern Day Interpretation of:

 Twas the Night Before Christmas  

All you aspiring authors out there – here’s a chance for one of the best christmas presents ever. To help celebrate the spirit of Christmas gift giving, Amazon will share the new festive children’s story with the nation for free on Kindle devices, as well the Kindle reading app for iOS and Android

 The winning author will be recognised with a prize package including professional illustrations to bring the story to life for a potential audience of millions, a £2,000 Amazon giftcard and a top of the range Fire tablet

LONDON – 11^th November 2016 – To help celebrate Christmas this year, Amazon has launched the search for a modern day version of Twas Night Before Christmas as a gift to families for bedtime reading this Christmas Eve.

Twas the Night Before Christmas, the renowned poem widely believed to have been written by Clement Clarke Moore, was first published in 1823 and has remained hugely popular ever since.  Nearly 200 years on, Amazon has announced that it is looking for a modern day equivalent to this Christmas Eve classic – while at the same time helping launch the career of an emerging storyteller and rewarding him or her in the process.

The nationwide writing competition is open to all adult UK residents, with the winning story to be illustrated and published ahead of Christmas Eve. Alongside the opportunity to have his or her work professionally illustrated by esteemed artist Aless Baylis, the author will receive a £2,000 Amazon gift card, a top of the range Fire tablet and royalties from the book for years to come, following the initial five-day giveaway this Christmas.

Aspiring authors can submit their stories from 11th November by emailing their entries to christmasonkindle@amazon.co.uk to be judged by a team of Amazon books editors and the illustrator.

The winning tale will be turned into a book and published in the run up to Christmas to a potential audience of millions of readers around the world. Anyone will be able to read the book for free on Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets, as well as the Kindle reading app for iOS and Android, in the run up to Christmas, including for family bedtime reading on Christmas Eve.

“The fact that there are so many versions of Twas the Night Before Christmas available on the Amazon store is testament to the popularity of the story,” said Amy Worth, UK Kindle Content Director, Amazon. “We want people to continue to read this tale forevermore, and we believe that by creating a modern day equivalent, we will be able to shine a spotlight on the original and launch the career of an aspiring storyteller.”

Aless Baylis, a Brighton-based illustrator recognised for children design and patterns, commented: “I am really looking forward to seeing the range of stories from storytellers across the UK.  Today Christmas means lots of different things to each of us, so I am sure that we will get a really diverse selection of stories. I hope that together with the author, we will be able to create a story that resonates with readers for years to come.”

Aspiring UK-based authors should submit their 350-700 word Christmas Eve stories in English before 27 November. The winning story will be made available on the Kindle store around the world in the run up to Christmas.

The story will be published through Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s independent publishing programme, which enables authors to retain their copyrights, keep control, distribute globally, and earn royalties of up to 70%.  The author will be enrolled into KDP Select, meaning that their book will be available through Kindle Unlimited.

The competition is now open for entries. For more information, writers can visit: www.amazon.co.uk/christmasonkindle

Leading nutritional charity stresses importance of ageing well from the inside out

This is interesting, so don’t be put off by the percentages included.

New research from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition has found that 62% of over 30s believe that looking young is the biggest sign of ageing well. Over 30s put less emphasis on preserving memory, eyesight and hearing. Two thirds (67%) claim they would change their diet if it meant they would age better

Figures from the Office for National Statistics predict that by 2039, 29.5% of the UK population will be aged over 60. With this ever-ageing population, new research from the educational charity the Institute for Optimum Nutrition has explored how we feel about ageing, as a nation.

The research of 2,000 over 30s across the UK found that people believe that being able to remain active (70%) is the biggest sign of ageing well, whilst a further 62% think that looking young on the surface is a strong indicator that they are fighting off the ageing process.

The findings reveal that as a nation we put more emphasis on preserving our looks rather than elements such as maintaining a good memory (57%), keeping independence (56%) and preserving eyesight (40%) and hearing (41%). This indicates that we may be overlooking preventative measures that we can use now, in order to impact our health in the future.

There was a notable difference between age groups and 70% of those 60+ believe good memory is a sign of ageing well, compared to only 47% of 30-39 year olds. Similarly, those in the 30-39 bracket put more emphasis on looking young (65%) than those 60+ (60%).

The research also found that little emphasis was put on how diet can affect ageing and the preventative measures that can aid the process. A huge 81% understand that diet and lifestyle impact the ageing yet only two thirds (67%) claim they would change their diet if it meant they would age better. The survey also revealed a significant number of people are confused about the effects of fat in the diet, with 26% thinking they should be avoiding fat in their diet.  Different fats have different effects on the ageing process and good fats are an important element in helping us to age well.

The figures show that most people understand what can help us age well, including keeping physically active (80%), avoiding smoking (70%), and a healthy diet (60%). Avoiding large amounts of sun exposure (53%) certainly helps to prevent skin ageing but conversely being too sun-shy can cause vitamin D deficiency which is a factor in many age-related ailments including osteoporosis and dementia. Fewer people acknowledge the benefits of avoiding regular consumption of alcohol (45%), playing word puzzles or sudoku (34%) and using anti-aging cream (19%). Only 30% of respondents noted the importance of social activity in healthy ageing, despite its significant potential benefits to keeping an active body and mind.

The Institute for Optimum Nutrition wants to highlight the impact an ageing population may have on the NHS and how we can all take steps to age well, from the inside out, through nutrition and an active lifestyle.

Deborah Colson from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition said: “It is great to see that the majority of people understand the importance of diet and lifestyle to healthy ageing. Now we need to make sure that those who are prepared to make change in order to age well can access the resources they need. And for those, who aren’t interested, we need to understand what the barriers are for them. If you had the choice wouldn’t you rather maintain very good health until close to the end of your life than suffer steady decline and poor health for decades?”

Review by Frances Colville

An Almond for a Parrot is a hard book to categorise – think historical fiction set in 18^th century London combined with ghosts and magical illusions, all with undertones of Fifty Shades of Grey.  The central character Tully Truegood finds herself in Newgate prison awaiting trial for murder and expecting to be hanged once her baby is born. The book is written in the form of a letter to her one true love telling the story of her life from unwanted child to celebrity courtesan, up to the point of the crime.

An Almond for a Parrot is the adult fiction debut of Wray Delaney, the alter ego of bestselling children’s author Sally Gardner.   Writing as Sally Gardner she has sold more than 2 million books in the UK and been translated into more than 22 languages as well as winning the Costa Children’s Book Prize, the Carnegie Medal and other awards for her books.

The characterisation is superb, the settings well-described and the storyline fast paced and intriguing. A bit more period detail wouldn’t come amiss but there is enough to make it feasible that this story is set four hundred years ago.

Something a bit different and worth getting hold of a copy when it is published by

HQ – Harper Collins in hardback (£12.99), ebook (£8.99) and audio editions (£11.99)