Tag Archives: book

Roald Dahl Boy & Going Solo Two BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations Audio Books

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"None of these things is important, but each of them made such a tremendous impression on me that I have never been able to get them out of my mind." Road Dahl going solo, boy, audio book,

I have become a huge fan of audio books since becoming a mother. I love reading but fitting in the time, or even just managing to sit down is impossible sometimes. So having someone read them to you is just perfect. Like most children I loved Roald Dahl. I was obsessed with his stories and they still stay with me now I am an adult. I cannot wait for my son to discover them. When the CD of Boy & Going Solo dropped through our letterbox we were excited. These are two wonderful BBC Radio 4 full cast dramas. They star Patrick Malahide. With a run time of 3 hours, you can become fully immersed in these wonderful stories. Frost loves.

Two new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations of Roald Dahl’s gripping autobiographical stories.

These two compelling adaptations, based on Roald Dahl’s real-life tales of his of his boyhood and youthful overseas adventures, celebrate his remarkable life and commemorate his genius.

Boy Dahl’s childhood was one of excitement, wonder, terror and sadness. From his fascination with the local sweetshop to the Great Mouse Plot, the horrors of boarding school, the obnoxious Boazers and his time as a chocolate taster for Cadbury’s, we hear of the extraordinary events that shaped him and inspired his bestselling books.

Going Solo Setting sail for Africa on the SS Montola, aged 22, Dahl is plunged into an unfamiliar world of eccentric colonial characters. In Tanzania he enjoys life on the savannah, encountering lions and deadly mambas – but when World War II breaks out, and he must round up the Germans in Dar es Salaam, he experiences the brutality of war. As he leaves the bush behind and takes to the skies as an RAF pilot, many thrilling adventures and dangerous missions will ensue before he finally makes his way back home…

Starring Patrick Malahide as the voice of Dahl, these colourful dramatisations will carry you away into worlds every bit as amazing, strange and memorable as the ones in his acclaimed fiction. Duration: 3 hours approx

“None of these things is important, but each of them made such a tremendous impression on me that I have never been able to get them out of my mind.” Roald Dahl

Boy & Going Solo: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas is available here.

 

Share Your Experience Of Childbirth For Catherine Balavage’s New Book

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childbirth, birth, labour, labour tips, labor, childbirth book, what to expect, catherine BalavageFrost Editor Catherine Balavage is looking for women- and some men- to share their experience of childbirth with her. This will be for Catherine’s new book Women On Childbirth. Catherine had a traumatic birth experience and wants to write the book to help other women know what to expect, but also how to have a better birth. This will be Catherine’s fourth non-fiction book. She also writes fiction books.

If you would like to be included we would need your experience in 400-1000 words approx (although word count can be flexible), a biography and then some labour tips. Email your experience to frostmagazine@gmail.com

Thank you in advance to contributors.

Deadline is 1st April 2017.

 

Welcome To The Club: 100 Parenting Milestones You Never Saw Coming

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parenting , parenting milestones Welcome to the Club

100 Parenting Milestones You Never Saw Coming

By Raquel D’Apice

ISBN: 9781452153476

Price: £9.99

I doubt there is a parent who can’t relate to this astutely observant book on parenting. It will have you laughing out loud and grimacing in remembrance. On a more serious note, it makes you feel less alone. Not much feels better as a parent than when you realise you are not the only one in the trenches, making mistakes and dealing with the daily horrors of trying to raise young children. From poop explosions to first smiles, I loved this book and its great milestones.

From the comedian behind the popular parenting blog The Ugly Volvo comes a refreshing spin on the baby milestone book. Instead of a place to lovingly capture the first time baby sleeps through the night, this book shows what it’s like the first time baby rolls off the bed/sofa/changing table, leaving mum or dad in a state of pure terror (it happens). These 100 rarely documented but all-too-realistic milestones—such as “First Time Baby Says a Word You Didn’t Want Her to Say”—provide comfort, solidarity, and comic relief for new parents. Laugh-out-loud relatable text and distinctive paper-cut illustrations of these “bad” parenting moments make this a must-have book for anyone entering the mysterious club of parenthood.

About the author: Raquel D’Apice is a comedian, humour writer and the blogger behind The Ugly Volvo. Her writing has been featured in Slate, BUST, Mommyish, iVillage, Babble, Parents, Circle of Moms, Reader’s Digest and the parenting humour anthology I JUST WANT TO BE ALONE. She also writes regular articles for The Huffington Post. The mother of a young child, she lives in New Jersey.

Sisters At War by Milly Adams Book Review

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Sisters At War is the second book by Milly Adams and it is yet another brilliant piece of historical fiction. Sisters at War is like a  Sunday Afternoon. It is like one of those great BBC dramas that you watch with your family that are both entertaining but also filling. They teach you something: entertainment with substance. Warm and life-affirming; it is hard for younger people to fathom wartime. Lucky us, but the previous generations suffered, fought and sacrificed.

Sisters at War is about two sisters. Selfish Hannah and selfless Byrony. Hannah is irritating. You really want to slap her. I think we all have a Hannah in our life. Byrony is the best of humanity. A person of decency and morals. Hannah only cares about herself and stays in Jersey. Bryony is happiest amongst her family and loved ones  and stays at Combe Lodge where everyone is pitching in. The family home has filled with evacuees and Bryony has joined the ATA, helping to ferry planes across the country, whatever the risk.

Sister at War is a wonderful book. A hard to put down book which fills the soul.

 

A compelling new Second World War novel. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Ellie Dean.

Bryony and Hannah are sisters, but they couldn’t be more different, and war has brought even more of a rift between them. Bryony is happiest where her family and loved ones are – at Combe Lodge, the family home – and these uncertain times have brought them all closer together. But Hannah is young and headstrong. No one will stop her from doing what she wants – and this time she’s decided to flee to Jersey.

Even though Hannah has left, at Combe Lodge, everyone else is pitching in with the war effort. The family home fills with evacuees and Bryony is doing her bit, flying planes at the nearby Combe Lodge Airlines.

But despite all that is going on with war, Bryony knows that above everything she needs to reach out to Hannah. Only she will be able to keep her flighty younger sister’s feet on the ground. But is Bryony too late to help her? Will Hannah ever come home?

Sisters at War is available here.

 

Because of You by Helene Fermont Book Review

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Exclusive Because of You by Helene Fermont Extract 1

When Because of You first arrived I wondered when I would find the time to get through this door-stopper of a book. It is a sprawling and ambitious novel which spans over thirty years and two countries. It tells the story of Hannah Stein, a Swedish teenager who arrives in London. It is well written and engaging, drawing you into the characters lives and leaves you impatient to learn what happens next. I greatly enjoyed this debut novel from Helene Fermont. Her characters are vivid and well-rounded, and the story has intrigue and glamour that brings you in. I particularly loved the parts about London and following thirty years in someones life. The scenes were brought out so well. Because of You is an ambitious triumph.

Because of You spans 36 years in the life of Hannah Stein, a Swedish teenager who arrives in London, at the tail end of the disco era, for a gap year before embarking on a teaching career. The people she meets change the course of her life irrevocably and the novel charts her changing personal and professional fortunes over the next three decades. Because of You is about love, coming of age, friendship, bereavement, stillbirth and rape. Its themes include redemption, acceptance, fidelity and family. Because of You is a story that every woman can relate to. Because of You is the deeply moving debut novel by Scandinavian writer Helene Fermont. It’s a gripping work of modern women’s fiction with a distinct ‘Scandi’ feel and a psychological twist. Scandinavian noir has firmly established itself as a bestselling genre in the UK. Because of You takes the elements that make this style of writing so compelling – the realism and dark, morally complex mood – and combines it with women’s fiction. This is a dark, morally complex and cross-generational story of enduring love, fate and destiny and will appeal to readers who appreciate an emotive, uncompromising and fulfilling read driven by character and circumstance.

Because Of You by Hélene Fermont (Fridhem Publishing) is out now, priced £9.99 in paperback and £3.99 as an eBook. Visit www.HeleneFermont.com

Because of You is available here.

We have an exclusive Because of You extract for you here.

 

Legacy by Hannah Fielding Review by Contributing Editor & author Margaret Graham

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legacy-by-hannah-fielding-reviewAward winning romance novelist, Hannah Fielding, has written the third book in her Andalucian Nights Trilogy and her readers will be relieved and excited to know that this epic, Legacy, is written with all the verve of her previous novels.

 

I say epic because it has a sweeping plot and setting. The author’s ability to sustain the story line and amalgamate the two main characters is impressive. Her setting is active. By this I mean that her descriptions don’t just sit like a sack of potatoes, but are interwoven into an action so they don’t stop the pace. She doesn’t however ignore the need for a pause to empathise with the setting, or for the reader to process a scene. This is something I try to encourage in those I mentor: pace is important, but so is pause.

 

She also ‘holds back’. This means that the reader has to wait for facts, secrets, feelings to be revealed, and this is an excellent use of tension. Fielding does this extremely well.

 

So, the plot in a nutshell: Luna Ward, a beautiful blonde journalist based in New York is commissioned to investigate – undercover –  the head of an  alternative health clinic in Spain. As one might expect she finds the man she has been asked to expose irresistible but  is he good, or bad? And what does her deception make her?

 

Secrets and lies threaten to destroy their lives, not to mention their love. So…?

 

Oh no, read it and see.

 

Hannah Fielding’s novel The Echoes of Love won first place in the Romance category at the Independent Publisher Book Award in New York in 2014, and in 2015 Indiscretion won 2015 USA Best Book Award for Romantic Fiction, and in April 2016  Gold Medal and Masquerade won silver medal for romance at the IPBA Benjamin Franklin Awards.

 

Frost Magazine is really excited that Hannah will be telling our readers of A Day in her Life very soon. Make sure you keep an eye out.

 

Legacy by Hannah Fielding  is published by London Wall Publishing.  £7.99

 

 

The Inheritance by Katie Agnew Review by Frances Colville

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Pic 1 If you like a good story with a variety of locations and some interesting characters, you'll love this new novel from Katie Agnew, whose first novel Drop Dead Gorgeous won a WH Smith Fresh Talent Award. The Inheritance is essentially the story of Sophia Beaumont-Brown who used to be an IT girl, but is currently single, cut off from her family and reduced to sofa-surfing. An appeal for help from her dying grandmother offers her the opportunity to turn her life around and to make sense of the past. Can she unravel the stories of her family's history and find what her grandmother wants her to find before it is too late? But The Inheritance is not just Sophia's story. Several different threads draw us into the lives of other characters in the book with settings ranging from pearl diving communities in Japan through pre-war and wartime England to 21st century London and New York. The plot is well handled and you'll be kept guessing until the last chapters as to exactly how it is all going to work out. An easy-to-read but fascinating story with some intriguing twists. The Inheritance by Katie Agnew was published in trade paperback by Orion on 21 July 2016 priced at £13.99.If you like a good story with a variety of locations and some interesting characters, you’ll love this new novel from Katie Agnew, whose first novel Drop Dead Gorgeous won a WH Smith Fresh Talent Award.

 

The Inheritance is essentially the story of Sophia Beaumont-Brown who used to be an IT girl, but is currently single, cut off from her family and reduced to sofa-surfing.  An appeal for help from her dying grandmother offers her the opportunity to turn her life around and to make sense of the past. Can she unravel the stories of her family’s history and find what her grandmother wants her to find before it is too late?

 

But The Inheritance is not just Sophia’s story.  Several different threads draw us into the lives of other characters in the book with settings ranging from pearl diving communities in Japan through pre-war and wartime England to 21st century London and New York.  The plot is well handled and you’ll be kept guessing until the last chapters as to exactly how it is all going to work out.  An easy-to-read but fascinating story with some intriguing twists.

 

The Inheritance by Katie Agnew was published in trade paperback by Orion on 21 July 2016 priced at £13.99.

 

 

The Stylist by Rosie Nixon Book Review

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Absolutely the novel for all those who love a really good romp with a bit of an edge.

Absolutely the novel for all those who love a really good romp with a bit of an edge. Pic 1 Written by Rosie Nixon, the Editor-in-Chief of HELLO! The Stylist is the Cinderella story for our time. Amber Green is an ordinary sales assistant in an exclusive London boutique – so admittedly she doesn’t slog away in a kitchen, but the girl needs a few princes in her life. Then lo! Amber is mistakenly offered a job with Mona Armstrong who seems to exist on coffee, water and champagne, with not a morsel of food passing her lips. Mona is a ‘stylist to the stars’. Written in the first person, Rosie Nixon whooshes Amber into the exotic world of the glamorous and famous where she has to style some of Hollywood’s hottest celebrity stars at the LA Award Season. (Though she travels in economy while Mona doesn’t, of course) The pace of The Stylist must replicate the frenetic life of just such a stylist, and Rosie Nixon with her experience of women’s glossy magazines, will know all about that. I thought the juxtaposition of Amanda, unspoilt by her life with the stars, longing to be home, the Eastenders theme tune playing through her mind as she struggles to sleep on her return to Britain, was touching amongst the glitz. This normality does actually keep us empathising with her. Clever, I thought. The Stylist is a serving of sun, fun and a real look behind the scenes. But it is a novel that doesn’t ignore the core of the protagonist. Does Amber find her prince? Ah well, read it, enjoy the ride, and find out for yourselves. A really fun read. A success. Keep your eye on Frost Magazine next week, because Rosie Nixon’s A Day in the Life will be published. See if the glitz extends into this extraordinary young woman’s every day life. Crikey, she’s busy, and quite lovely. Life ain’t fair, says Granny Graham. The Stylist available now, published by HQ in paperback £7.99.Written by Rosie Nixon, the Editor-in-Chief of HELLO! The Stylist is the Cinderella story for our time. Amber Green is an ordinary sales assistant in an exclusive London boutique – so admittedly she doesn’t slog away in a kitchen, but the girl needs a few princes in her life.

 

Then lo! Amber is mistakenly offered a job with Mona Armstrong who seems to exist on coffee, water and champagne, with not a morsel of food passing her lips. Mona is a ‘stylist to the stars’.

 

Written in the first person, Rosie Nixon whooshes Amber into the exotic world of the glamorous and famous where she has to style some of Hollywood’s hottest celebrity stars at the LA Award Season. (Though she travels in economy while Mona doesn’t, of course)

 

The pace of The Stylist must replicate the frenetic life of just such a stylist, and Rosie Nixon with her experience of women’s glossy magazines, will know all about that. I thought the juxtaposition of Amber, unspoilt by her life with the stars, longing to be home, the Eastenders theme tune playing through her mind as she struggles to sleep on her return to Britain, was touching amongst the glitz. This normality does actually keep us empathising with her. Clever, I thought.

 

The Stylist is a serving of sun, fun and a real look behind the scenes. But it is a novel that doesn’t ignore the core of the protagonist.

 

Does Amber find her prince? Ah well, read it, enjoy the ride, and find out for yourselves.

 

A really fun read. A success.

 

Keep your eye on Frost Magazine next week, because Rosie Nixon’s A Day in the Life will be published. See if the glitz extends into this extraordinary young woman’s every day life. Crikey, she’s busy, and quite lovely. Life ain’t fair, says Granny Graham.

 

The Stylist available now, published by HQ in paperback    £7.99.