Frost founder and editor Catherine Balavage has been interviewed by Best of You magazine about blogging and her new book, The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger. You can read the interview here or buy the print issue here. It is a great interview with lots of tips on blogging and becoming a successful blogger. Check it out.
This book is an intriguing mix of fact and fiction. Based on the history of the Cathars, a religious heresy of the medieval period in France, and with references to the Knights Templar, there is enough information to whet the appetite of those interested in such things without turning into overkill for those who just want a good story and don’t care too much about the setting. After a rather slow start and a lengthy list of characters to get to grips with, the story moves along at a good pace with some interesting twists and turns on route. A sort of archaeological treasure hunt with competitors ranging from a TV presenter through a religious group to members of the mafia. Some of the characters are stereotypical and didn’t really come to life for me, but others – including the two main – were more convincing. I was initially somewhat disappointed by the ending which didn’t seem to tie up all the loose ends, but then I realised that this book is intended as the first of a trilogy and all became clear. And the over-long list of characters was also explained. All in all a good enough read to make me look out for the next instalment at some stage, but not one which completely wowed me.
The Secret of the Cathars is published by Matador and available in paperback and as an e-book.
Ellie Deane has produced another heartwarming story in her Beach View Boarding House Series.
Sweet Memories of You is set in 1943 in Cliffhaven, a small town on the south coast of Britain. Peggy Reilly runs the Beach View Boarding House and is determined to give her lodgers and evacuees a homely, happy place to live.
Peggy’s husband, Jim, is away with the Army in India and she is reliant on his regular airgraphs to know he is safe. Doreen, Peggy’s younger sister, has at last found happiness after her divorce from her adulterous husband but fate changes this.
Doreen returns to Cliffhaven to the love and comfort of her family but her past cannot stay away.
There is however a protector in Ron Reilly and his faithful brindle lurcher, Harvey. Ron watches over everyone at Beach Villa and with his Irish charm, mischievous ways and network of friends, keeps trouble at bay.
Read and enjoy this charming story of ordinary people coping with the hardships of air raids, rationing and the heartaches of a war which feels as though will never end.
Ellie Dean has lived in a village in the heart of the South Downs for many years. She has raised 3 children and this is her tenth novel in a successful writing career.
Published by Arrow in paperback: Price £5.99.
Also available as an ebook.
From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows by Dr Kathleen Thompson
ISBN: paperback: 978-0-9935083-0-1 ebook: 978-0-9935083-1-8
Published by Faito Books
Cancer cells appear in everyone’s body much of the time, and more than one in three of us will experience some form of cancer during our lives.
One of the commonest of these is breast cancer.
So what is breast cancer? What is cancer come to that?
What is it like to have breast cancer?
Cancer cells are usually destroyed by our immune system – but sometimes they breach these defences, and we get cancer – why?
What can we do to prevent this?
Actually there are lots of simple things we can do to avoid cancer in the first place, and to give ourselves the best chance of recovering completely.
This is a non-fiction autobiographical, self-help book written by a doctor who has had breast cancer. Sharing her own experiences, the author takes the reader through the raw emotions associated with having cancer and needing to face one’s own mortality.
Always referring to her own cancer journey, with all its highs and dips, she helps the reader understand what they will experience during the treatment.
She explains the various medical consultations, tests and procedures, and the different treatment options, and how to make the best treatment choices.
She uses her personal experiences of things going wrong to illustrate how to deal with such circumstances, including coping with problems as an in-patient, and challenging incorrect medical decisions.
She deals with the post-treatment period, and what to do if the cancer comes back.
Alternative therapies are discussed, and, importantly, advice is given on how to distinguish credible research, and genuine therapies, from quackery.
Finally that all important question is answered – what can we do to protect ourselves against cancer?
Biography: Dr Kathleen Thompson
Kathleen is a doctor, specialising in pharmaceutical drug research.
A few years ago her life changed completely, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This became the inspiration for her first book.
She writes medical contributions for Frost e-Magazine and has authored various scientific research publications through her career.
She has two long-suffering children, who patiently tolerate their mother’s crazy projects, and rescue her from frequent IT catastrophes.
She has a passion for ballroom dancing and enjoys adventures. She has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, walked the Camino de Santiago (500 miles) and cycled the mountains of Kerala, and also through Rajasthan. During two of these activities she raised funds for Women v Cancer –which provides funding for three cancer charities, including Breast Cancer Care.
The Secret of the Cathars by Michael Hillier (published Matador 2015) is the first of a new trilogy of books based on the history of the Cathars, a medieval French religious sect. Lots of different groups of people hunting for various treasures and all a little bit confusing with quite a few loose ends by the end of the book though no doubt that is at least in part because books two and three are still to come. I think I will read them – it was a good enough plot to hold my interest and I do want to know how it all works out. 
Ian McEwan is one of my favourite authors and his latest book The Children Act (Vintage 2014)didn’t disappoint, although at the same time it didn’t quite measure up to my absolute favourite, On Chesil Beach. The Children Act tells the story of Fiona, a high court judge who is going through a personal crisis at the same time as being called on to make a hugely important judicial decision. McEwan’s fascination with judicial issues, with music and poetry, and with the moral conundrum of how far you place your religious beliefs above the life of someone you love, all feature in this book which will leave you thinking long after you have finished it.
The 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (Hesperus Press 2012) has been recommended to me by several people over the last few years but I never quite got round to reading it. But now I have and I’m very glad indeed. The book tells the story – obviously – of the 100 year old man who climbs out of a window of his care home and has a succession of adventures with an ever-growing group of people. At the same time as we progress through these escapades we are told stories about the rest of his life. It’s absurd, ridiculous, incredible and very funny indeed. And it has in passing a lot to say about the twentieth century, its events and many of its main characters, and also about the treatment of the elderly.
Not Working by Lisa Owens (Picador 2016) was another quick read. Easy (because it is told in bite-size chunks) to pick up and put down in between enjoying a house full of Christmas visitors. It’s the story of Claire who decides to take some time out from work to decide what she really wants to do with her life. The ending was disappointing, I thought. It sort of fizzled out as if the author couldn’t quite work out how to finish it more definitively. I enjoyed it though – I empathised with the main character and I liked the mix of humour and more serious issues.
Jill Mansell has long been an author I turn to when I want something light and cheerful. Three Amazing Things About You (Headline 2015)is her latest book and I thoroughly enjoyed it as I knew I would, though I have to admit there were parts which were definitely not happy-ever-after. A sensitive handling of some of the issues resulting from chronic ill health, and from the need for transplants. But the happy ending I hoped for was definitely there.
I thought long and hard about my final choice for this month – and indeed this year – and eventually settled on The Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor (paperback edition re-issued John Murray2004) which was given to me by my elder daughter and fellow obsessive reader. I knew as soon as I read the introduction that it was going to work for me – not only did I discover the source of the title of another book I read and enjoyed this year (Like a Tramp, Like a Pilgrim), but there was also a quote from George Herbert, the poet I recommended last month. Very serendipitous! The author tells the story of a walk he took as a teenager from Rotterdam to Istanbul in the 1930s. But he wrote the book in the 1960s so has the benefit of hindsight and far more knowledge than he had at the time of the walk. It’s crammed full of historical, geographical and cultural information and you can learn so much from it. Or you can just read it and allow the beauty of the language to wash over you. It’s a wonderful book.
So here I am at the end of my year of reading. Total of books read = 63. And conclusions drawn? I love variety and I love to read all sorts of books, I admire good and original literary fiction, and – somewhat to my surprise – have become aware during the year that my absolute favourite genre is travel writing. I also know that even if I reach the grand old age of 105 as my wonderful great-aunt did earlier this year, I will never be able to read all the books I want to read. Life is, quite simply, always going to be too short.
Where do I go from here? Not sure yet, but the possibilities are endless – and the prospect so exciting. I can’t wait.
All books available from www.amazon.co.uk
Review by Margaret Graham
Many of you will be familiar with Frost Magazine’s Dr Kathleen Thompson’s regular health features, which are topical, succinct accessible and helpful.
It is no surprise, therefore, that Dr Kathleen Thompson brings just the same skills to From Both Ends Of The Stethoscope – Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows.
This guide should be read by anyone with cancer, or given to anyone we know with the disease. Not only that, it should be read by relatives who are suddenly thrust into a unexpected supportive role, which leaves them as confused and upset as the patient.
In the guide, Dr Kathleen Thompson has the courage to use her personal experiences of breast cancer to explore the situation. She acknowledges not only her reluctance to face up to the symptoms, but her initial fear and confusion as she adjusted to this change in her fortunes.
As a medical insider, she reflects and applies her understanding of the medical procedures brought to bear to counteract the progress of the disease. She suggests the questions patients could, or perhaps should ask. She explains the possible treatments, (remember, that knowledge is power).
This is the key to the guide, it seemed to me: it is important for the patient to take control of the situation, and for the relatives to support this stance. To control a situation you need education because education leads to knowledge, which leads to power. Here I must acknowledge the fantastic Andy McNabb, who made this suggestion in a talk he gave. I thought it profound, and use it often.
Indeed, everyone should keep it as a mantra.
I loved, particularly, the chapter on how patients manipulate the staff to achieve, or not, the results they require – read it, learn, and laugh.
Sensibly laid out, each chapter is easy to navigate. In other words, it won’t be too much or too difficult for those under stress.
Importantly, the author explains medical research, and how to assess the credibility of the numerous cancer treatment claims, and what we can all do to protect ourselves from cancer.
This is an important book, in either e-book or paperback.
Published by Faito Books it is available on Amazon.co.uk at £12.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0993508308
Milly Adams is an exciting new author, with a wonderful knack of bringing characters to life vividly and bringing the story off the page and into the imagination. Above Us The Sky is a brilliantly researched, and hugely enjoyable novel. Sad in places but ultimately uplifting, this book is set in wartime Britain. Phyllie, a young teacher, is a great character. She becomes a surrogate mother to her pupils. She is particularly protective of Jake, a Jewish boy who has to put up with anti-Semitism. She is a great teacher but finds it hard to adjust to country life and custom. As things become tough she finds love and support in community.
This is an engaging and entertaining story of love and loss. The attention to detail is superb. I loved that the role of the Women’s Institute was including in the novel and you really feel like you are in the submarine, such is the brilliance of her writing. This is a well-written book and a stunning debut. I cannot wait for another Milly Adam’s book as this one is educational, entertaining and riveting all at once.
A compelling new Second World War novel. Evacuees, the WI, and keeping calm and carrying on. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Ellie Dean.
As the threat of bombing raids intensifies, newly-qualified teacher, Phyllis Saunders, is evacuated with her school to Dorset.
Here she encounters prejudice and suspicion. But she is determined to make the best of life, for herself and the children in her care. All the while her fiancé and submariner, Sammy, is facing danger out at sea.
Then the Blitz hits London and Phyllis, trying to persuade her mother to return to Dorset with her, gets caught up in it herself. Shaken but alive, she returns to the relative peace of the countryside. But soon she is nursing a secret she can tell no one.
Until the news that Sammy’s submarine has been sunk reaches her, and she is forced to make a decision she hopes she will never regret…
Above Us The Sky is available here.
A Little Life by American author Hanya Yanagihara is quite simply the best book I’ve read all year, and very well deserving of its Man Booker Prize short listing. It’s a book, I think, which will stand out for future generations in the way that Middlemarch or War and Peace or Birdsong stand out as epic studies of life in the time period in which they are set. It hooks you in on the first page and keeps you enthralled until the very last word. It’s one of those books which you almost can’t bear to read, and yet can’t not read. It’s harrowing, enlightening, disturbing, haunting, uplifting and absolutely compelling.
A Little Life is the tale of four college friends who meet at sixteen and remain linked throughout their lives. There isn’t much in the way of plot and if you want a strong storyline this isn’t for you. But that’s not the point of this book. Told from various viewpoints, but with one central character throughout, it’s about friendship, love, relationships, identity, memory, grief, pain, abuse and death. The characterisation is superb and the main characters will linger in your head long after you’ve finished reading the book. But above all it’s the beauty and intelligence of the language which grabs you and won’t let you go. I’m often guilty of skim reading, but I can honestly say I read every single word of this book just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Here’s just one example – ‘A small memory he could contain, but as the days go by and he waits for Willem, he recognizes that this is a long eel of a memory, slippery and uncatchable, and it whipsaws its way through him, its tail slapping against his organs so that he feels the memory as something alive and wounding, feels its meaty, powerful smack against his intestines, his heart, his lungs.’
Beware though – it’s a lengthy book and definitely not a quick read and you’ll need to allocate a chunk of your life to it because you won’t be able to set it aside.
A Little Life is published by Picador and is currently available as a hardback and eBook.
