Gone Girl Book Review

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Gone Girl has been the literary sensation of the past few years. It was published in June 2012 and it soon made the New York Times Best Seller list and has sold over two million copies. It has sparked a Hollywood film and a vast amount of copy cats. I came late to the Gone Girl party. The film was out in the cinemas and I did not know whether or not to go and see it or read the book first. In the end I went to the cinema first. Our excellent film writer Owun’s review of Gone Girl is here. The film is brilliant, with great performances from Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

Seeing the film first did not ruin the experience of reading the book. The book is deeper, less Hollywood and, obviously, has more information. The author, Gillian Flynn, also wrote the screenplay. She did a good job but there are differences between the film and the book. Not bad differences, I think she did an amazing job.

A lot of people told me not to read the book or watch the film as I am recently married. However, although the book has great observations on marriage and relationships, I really don’t think anyone in a good marriage could possible relate to the book or the film. So, read it and enjoy: it won’t destroy your marriage.

The book is engrossing and I have tried very hard to not give any spoilers. Although I am sure everyone knows, from the title alone, that this is a book about a man who’s wife goes missing. Did he kill her or not? But this book became a literary sensation not only because it is well written, but also because it is original with great twists. It is an intense thriller and hard to put down. Join the Gone Girl fan club, I know I have. Gone Girl is available to buy here.

Not That Kind of Girl By Lena Dunham Book Review

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

Where to start? I guess with the fact that this book is not what I thought it would be. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I expected. Let’s get the controversy out of the way: I don’t believe Lena molested her sister. The passage about ‘spreading open her vagina’ makes for very uncomfortable reading but, in my opinion, is very different from sexual abuse. Same gender curiosity in young children is different from sexual abuse, many have said that if this book was written by a male things would be different, but not if the male did what Lena did to his brother. Young children don’t even know what sex is. So, end of.

The thing is, I don’t relate to Lena Dunham. Or at least I thought I did until I read this book. I don’t get the drug use, I am very anti-drugs and always have been. I don’t even care if I come across as boring but mentioning casual drug use as if it is not a thing to me is irresponsible. Many people think drug use is ‘cool’ and ‘artistic’ but it’s not. Drugs ruin lives and society. Now go ahead and judge me for my controversial view: I don’t care. The book is full of sex: masturbation and sexual encounters. This also makes for uncomfortable reading. Not bad reading, just uncomfortable. Dunham seems to want to punish herself with jerks and bad sexual encounters. It’s a version of self-loathing and it made me want to pick her up and hug her. Then of course there is the fact that Dunham was raped. Rape is never fun to read about, but Dunham’s courage in telling her story is commendable. The book is full of brutal honesty.

I know that in many ways this review will seem like a bad review, it’s not. I still think Dunham is talented, amazing, brilliant: a trail blazer. We are similar in age and I also made a web series about young twenty-somethings struggling to find their way in life, though with less success than the juggernaut that is Girls. We are both writer/producers/actors/directors and I always thought that Dunham was so together. I think she is now and that is what is interesting about this book. After all of the self-loathing, punishing herself dating/having sex with men who treated her terribly and other self-destructive behaviour the book comes beautifully full circle: she no longer runs away from people and herself, she in many ways, becomes a grown up. She finally stops causing herself pain. While I related more to Amy Poehler and her awesome book, Yes Please, there is something here to learn. Dunham is unvarnished, naked, almost embarrassing in her honesty. Dunham has been called the voice of her generation many times. Truth is, she doesn’t speak for me or many people that I know. But the thing is: it doesn’t matter. She is still paving the way for women, still creating waves in the film and TV industry, still making progress in a brutal, sexist industry. It doesn’t matter that I don’t 100% relate to her: she is still awesome. I may not write endlessly about my vagina the way Dunham does but then, maybe my vagina just isn’t that interesting. There is a lot of stories of bad sex in this book, and I hope that other women who read it don’t think this is par for the course. It shouldn’t be.

This book is certainly worth a read. It really made me think and feel. This is essentially a collection of autobiographical essays which Dunham was paid £2.3m for by Random House. It is not as good as it could have been, and Dunham could have done with more editing, but she is certainly a talented writer and I am sure there will be more to come. As Dunham says in the book: “There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman,”

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned is available here.

A Time For Courage By Margaret Graham Book Review

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

I have been a fan of Margaret Graham for a while now and have read many of her books. It was with much excitement I got my hands on a copy of A Time For Courage. Margaret Graham has a special talent for writing about ballsy heroines who are worthy of making history. More than role models, these women tend to change history and pave the way for future generations, Hannah is no exception, she is the heroine of this story. Daughter to a tyrant, the sexism of the world starts at home but this is Victorian times and women are not even allowed to vote.

War is a running theme in this book and Graham has a rather special knack of writing about war well. Few writers can match her skill and knowledge of military historical fiction. You can tell that she knows her stuff. Her book draws you in and does not let go. At the start of the book is the Boer war and the aftermath, later is the first world war. That great destroyer of generations of men and broken women. Hannah is torn between one class and another, she is born into wealth and much is expected of her. If you consider embroidery and simply being a wife and mother a lot. But Hannah wants to be a teacher, she wants an education. University is denied to her by her tyrannical, misogynistic father but she finds a way with the help of her mother, even though her mother is weak, broken by her father and multiple pregnancies. In contrast Hannah has a cousin called Esther. The difference between Hannah and the selfish Esther is vast.

This is not just a story about Hannah, but also about her brother, Harry. The siblings have much in common: decency, morality, a love of family and an understanding of what is wrong and what is right. Unfortunately their decency and morality is ahead of its time. Harry fights against racism and Hannah fights against sexism. They both face penalties and conflicts of loyalty for their values. Sometimes doing the right thing brings consequences.

This book is so well-researched it is impossible to not be impressed. This book is gritty and complex with a love story at its beating heart. Over 400 pages long and I raced through it and was sad when it finished. There is much in this book to applaud and I found myself learning a lot about history. Much is covered, including the Suffragists and Suffragette (not everyone will know the history behind the two different groups), diamond mining, human rights after war, social changes…this is more than a novel, it is also a social document. Her writing really works the imagination, creating a beautiful, wonderful and vivid story. I was sad to leave Hannah and her story behind after the last page. I feel the author probably did too.

Stunning: a must read.

A Time for Courage is available here.

THE FAERIE TREE: A book in the making

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Jane Cable

Yule: A time to celebrate with those we love. A season full of magic and new beginnings which spring from the darkest days of the year.

When short, dark days stretch interminably ahead the deep human urge to rebel against nature and celebrate is hardly surprising. It is an instinct deeper than religion, broader than faith; whether it’s carols in church, TV and tinsel, or the burning of a sacred log, it is something which touches almost all of us.

After 21^st December the days start to become a little longer. Actually, that’s what I need. Maybe there is some mid-winter magic to create a few extra hours in each one. Maybe I should write to the fairies and ask them. As well as everything else, this festive season I have proofs to check.

The last few months have been particularly hectic as I balance work, writing, preparing for publication of The Faerie Tree and even a stint or two selling books on Chichester Christmas Market. That came about because I’m lucky enough to be part of Chindi, a very active group of independently published authors in the Chichester area. The reason we exist is because there are so many things we can do together which we couldn’t do alone, and one of those was to take a stall on the Christmas Market. It was something of a learning curve and a great opportunity to meet readers. It was also fascinating to see which books sold well and which didn’t – and to try to work out why.

The huge importance of covers was brought home to us very quickly – which was actually great timing for me as far as The Faerie Tree was concerned. The Cheesemaker’s House is pretty striking visually and people tended to head straight for it on the stall. But when it was stacked sideways with other books the title disappeared – and having watched one gentleman struggle with the colour of the print on the back I realised a few things would need to change next time around.

My main concern when briefing the cover designer at Matador was to make sure the book looked as though it was for adults. The title could imply it’s a children’s story so it had to be crystal clear at first glance who it was meant for. I also wanted it to look as much like The Cheesemaker’s House as possible. It’s an inescapable – if a little uncomfortable – fact that authors are brands these days.

When I first saw the cover of The Faerie Tree I had one word for it: wow. It’s a word I’ve heard time and again as I’ve showed it to the people closest to me and to other members of Chindi. So, for the first time, I am revealing it to the wider world through Frost readers and I’m really interested to see what you think. The significance of the candle? Well, you’ll have to wait until Imbolc to find that out.

Now that the cover has been designed there is a plethora of marketing material to sign off. The paperback will be in the shops from 1^st May and the book trade need to know about it now, so an AI (advanced information) sheet has been prepared as well as a trade press release. They’ve been languishing in my inbox for over a week but gut instinct tells me sending them out this side of January would be a waste of time. The thought is salving my conscience anyway.

Top Christmas Picks | Christmas Gift Ideas

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Frostie

Robert Elms The Way We Wore

A cult classic, available to buy again. Hooray!

It’s back. For a few years now Robert Elms has had a stream of people asking where they can get a copy of The Way We Wore, the street style memoir he wrote back in 2004, and rather frustratingly he’s had to tell them all it is not available. Well, you could spend increasingly large sums on a second hand copy online – evidence of the fact that it has acquired something close to cult status – but it was impossible to get your fashion fix through the normal retail channels. Thankfully, you can now.

Robert Elms has teamed up with Autharium to republish The Way We Wore as an eBook and print copies are now available for a much more realistic price.

Robert Elms comments: “As part of this process I have re-read the book and I am still very proud of it, and it brings back amazing memories of terrible haircuts, great music, good friends and bad hangovers. So if you want to read about solatio box top loafers and pink pegs, bondage trousers and bowling shirts, ties in pins, hankies in pockets and shenanigans in Soho you can.”

This is the story of a life’s obsession. From Ben Sherman shirts to box-top loafers, from bondage trousers to Comme des Garçons, Elms has been there, seen it, and worn it out. It’s about why you’d rather not go out at all than go out in the wrong sort of brogues, and why you just had to have a Budgie jacket to cut it in the playground in 1970. It is ultimately a hilarious, passionate social history of London street fashion from the Teddy Boys and rude boys battling it out in his homeland of Notting Hill in the fifties to its end in acid house in the nineties. A fond memoir of working-class lads in tumultuous times and laity schmutter.

The Way We Wore: A Life In Threads

Baileys Mini Delights

We loved these. They are just incredibly tasty. Available in milk, white and dark chocolate choices, these tasty truffles have distinctive twists of coffee, caramel and hazelnut and that rich, creamy Baileysflavour. So yummy.

The Baileys Mini Delights are available for just £2.49 RRP (102g). Baileys boxed chocolates are available at waitrose.com They will be available from £5.00 RRP.

Tanqueray Export Strength London Dry Gin

This is amazing, superior gin. Export strength London dry gin made from premium botanicals and distilled four times for a distinctive, crisp taste. A great present for gin lovers. Available from drinksupermarket.com

Grand Marnier Orange & Cognac Liqueur

This liquor is delicious and to top it off Grand Marnier, the luxury liqueur that is the icon of Parisian chic, is launching a modern, playful and elegant limited edition bottle in tribute to French creativity to celebrate the coming of Christmas.

This years Limited Edition bottle harks back to the Breton striped top that was introduced into France midway through the 19th century. Known as the “Marinière”, worn by sailors and popularised by Coco Chanel, it is today the symbol of Parisian chic, which is emulated all over the world today.

The couture style label looks showcases the rich history of the brand through the family crest, while the blue, white and red striped ribbon that runs around the uniquely shaped bottle reinforces Grand Marnier’s home place – in the heart of France.

The translucent quality of the brighter rouge glass bottle radiates chic sophistication and creativity, while the glossy iconic red wax seal serves as an eternal stamp of approval from its founder Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle.

It will be available in luxury retailer Harvey Nichols with an RRP of £26.05 for a 70cl bottle from mid October.

THE FRENCH ARTIST

In celebration of the new bottle, cutting edge Mixologist and GRAND MARNIER® European Brand Ambassador, Julien Lafond has created The French Artist. A cocktail that brings together flavours which best highlight the richness of GRAND MARNIER® and also echo the playful nature of French Creativity.

Ingredients

30ml GRAND MARNIER® Cordon Rouge

15ml VSOP Cognac

15ml French Dry Vermouth

20ml Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

20ml Homemade Redcurrant & Vanilla Syrup (or Grenadine Syrup)

20ml Egg White

Garnish: Redcurrants coated with icing sugar

Method

Pour all ingredients into a shaker

Dry shake (Shake without ice), to create the emulsion

Add some cubed ice and shake vigorously

Double strain into a coupette glass and add the garnish

Units per serving 2.5

Grand Marnier, is available from Ocado.com and DrinkSupermarket.com

The Leash Safe+ Phonestrap

Perfect for people who are prone to lose their phone. The Safe+ Phonestrap – The Leash – will keep your phone safe and always at hand. Using a powerful 3M tape, the button fastens to your phone or hardcover case. The Leash comes with two buttons, allowing you to interchange the Leash between your most favourite devices. Available here: The Leash – Phonestrap

The Leash – Phonestrap

Coding For Kids

This is an excellent book for little ones. Coding is an essential skill in the work place now and this book sets kids on their way. It has 15 fun coding projects and it teaches kids how to create games and apps, customise projects and learn real coding skills. The book is both fun and easy.

Coding For Kids For Dummies

The Compleat FoodBag

We love this at Frost. This is a space efficient and stylish lunch bag. The only lunchbox that makes a fashion statement. 100 % food grade silicone and BPA safe and dishwasher safe, you can easily pack it away after use. The Compleat FoodBag is stylish, handy and easy to clean. Perfect.

Foodbag by Compleat available here, StressNoMore.co.uk and iwantoneofthose.com

Inaugural Kobo Book Report Reveals Top eReading Trends from 2014

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Frostie

All readers of Frost Magazine know that we love books. Supporting authors and sharing what we loved to read is very important to us. So we found the Inaugural Kobo Book Report Reveals Top eReading Trends from 2014 very interesting indeed. Gone Girl and The Fault in Our Stars are no surprises but there are a few others that we must put on our reading list from kobo.com

It’s been an exciting year in the world of publishing, and kobo’s inaugural Book Report reveals insightful 2014 eReading trends from its world-class platform, which includes a bookstore of more than 4.2 million titles.

“Overall, the eBook market makes up about $14.5 billion in sales globally and is expected to reach more than $22 billion by 2017,” said Michael Tamblyn, President and Chief Content Officer, Kobo. “The advances that we’re seeing year-over-year are incredible, with more publishers, users and authors changing the face of the industry at an unprecedented pace.”

“This year, we wanted to look beyond the bestseller. A book’s position on the bestseller list may indicate it’s bought, but that isn’t the same as it being read or finished,” said Tamblyn. “A lot of readers have multiple novels on the go at any given time, which means they may not always read one book from start to finish before jumping into the next great story. People may wait days, months, or even until the following year to finish certain titles. And many exercise that inalienable reader’s right to set down a book if it doesn’t hold their interest.”

The typical bestseller list often looks very different when you compare books purchased versus books read cover to cover. In fact, the most completed book doesn’t even feature on the UK Bestseller List (as seen below); Rotten to The Core by Casey Kelleher was the most completed book in the UK, with 83% of people reading it cover to cover. Whereas, the number one bestselling ebook in the UK, One Cold Night by Latia Lief was only completed by 69% of those who read it. Although James Patterson’s books do not feature on the Top Ten Most Completed Books of 2014 list, overall James Patterson was the most completed author in the UK for his entire portfolio of books.

Kobo Book Report’s UK Bestseller List – ebookshelf must haves

One Cold Night – Katia Lief
Gone Again – Doug Johnstone
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
My Sister’s Keeper – Bill Benners
The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty
The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith
Her Last Letter – Nancy C. Johnson
Twelve Years a Slave – Solomon Northup
Bloody Valentine – James Patterson

UK’s TOP PAGE-TURNERS – The Most Completed Books of 2014

Rotten to the Core – Casey Kelleher
The Tycoon’s Vacation – Melody Anne
The Traitor – Kimberley Chambers
Concealed in Death – J. D. Robb
Wrongful Death – Lynda La Plante
All Revved Up – Sylvia Day
Present Danger – Stella Rimington
The Empty Cradle – Rosie Goodwin
The Witness – Nora Roberts
The Promise (Fallen Star Series, Book 4) – Jessica Sorensen

Homegrown British Talent
As the book world becomes ever more international, British readers continue to love British writers, with a remarkable one third of the Kobo UK’s Top 100 Bestseller’s books written by British authors. Lee Child features heavily, with Not a Drill (A Jack Reacher short story), James Penney’s New Identity/Guy Walks Into a Bar (Storycuts), Killing Floor: (Jack Reacher 1), and Deep Down (A Jack Reacher short story) all featuring in the Top 100 Bestseller’s list. Fiona Gibson also featured twice with Take Mum Out, and The Great Escape. Other notable homegrown talent includes J.K Rowling (and her pseudonym Robert Galbraith), Helen Fielding – Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Kate Atkinson- Life After Life and E.L. James – Fifty Shades of Grey.

Different authors also show up in the UK’s Most Completed list, with 14 of the top 100 books being written by British authors. These include Adele Parks – The State We’re In, three books by Carole Matthews (A Place to Call Home, Summer Daydreams, A Cottage by the Sea), Jessie Keane – Ruthless, and Judy Finnigan – Eloise.

Beating the January Blues
Not surprisingly, self-improvement books, including cookbooks, health, and self-help books are more popular during the month of January than at any other time of year. More self-improvement books and books overall were downloaded in January than any other month, likely to kick-off some New Year’s resolutions.

It seems that Monday is the most popular day of the week to complete a book in the UK (16%), with Friday being the least popular day, with only 13% of book completed at the end of the week.

Opening up the Nightstand Drawer
Overall, Brits find Romance to be the most engaging genre, with 62 per cent completion, followed by Crime & Thriller (61 per cent) and Fantasy (60 per cent). Romance is also the most engaging genre in Italy (74 per cent), the Netherlands (67 per cent) and Canada (62 per cent), while the French (70 per cent), Australians and New Zealanders (64 per cent), and Americans (44 per cent) prefer a good Mystery.

Business and celebrity-focused books also enjoyed popularity in the UK in 2014. Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis came out as the top seller perhaps due to his literary status of being the most famous non-fiction writer working today. While reality TV Geordie Shore’s Vicky Pattison’s I Didn’t Come Here to Make Friends, David Walliams Camp David, and Lynda Bellingham’s heartbreaking memoir There’s Something I’ve Been Dying to Tell You, came top of the most completed celebrity biographies.

From the eScreen to the Big Screen
Several books made their big-screen debut late in 2013 and into 2014, including Twelve Years a Slave, The Best of Me, and Gone Girl. The release of Gone Girl on the 3rd of October in the UK this year certainly created a ripple effect which transferred into book sales. Over a three month period, 34% of book sales took place in the week prior and the week after the film release.

Kids Love Kobo
Kids are going digital! Children’s eBooks, including picture books, children’s and young adult novels are gaining traction as parents are realising the appeal of eReaders for a tech-savvy generation. Children’s titles, available at the Kobo Kids’ Store offering 100,000 titles, made up more than 6 per cent of Kobo’s overall 2014 book sales. This kid-friendly browsing experience even lets parents set up reading allowances so that kids have the freedom to select their own eBooks without needing access to a credit card.

And top kids’ picks for 2014? The younger generation is definitely in-the-know when it comes to new releases, so it was no surprise to see three of the most anticipated 2014 titles topping kids’ wish lists this year. The Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney led the pack followed by Gangsta Granny by David Walliams and The Iron Trial by Holly Black.

The new 6.8-inch HD Kobo Aura H2O is available in black and retails for £139.99 online at kobo.com and in-store in the UK.

Frost’s Editor Writes Wedding Planning Book: The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Aidan

Getting married and feeling daunted? Our editor, Catherine Balavage, has written an excellent wedding planning book. It covers very aspect of getting married from engagement to the honeymoon. This is Catherine’s second book, the first one was about acting and was very well-received.

The book is available in print, ebook and Kindle. The Kindle version is only £2.99. It is also a perfect gift for anyone who wants a wedding book for Christmas.

Buy The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity here.

What Your Bridesmaids Really Think About Your Wedding

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Frostie

Frost was quite surprised at the results of a survey done by Vashi.com They surveyed 1,000 bridesmaids to spill the beans on what really goes on behind the scenes. The results are in and you wouldn’t believe what it reveals.

Seven out of ten bridesmaids say they have been forced to wear an unflattering dress to make the bride look prettier!

Unfortunately, it looks like Bridezilla isn’t too thoughtful when it comes to how she treats her closest friends on the wedding day.

72% of respondents felt they’d been lumbered with a questionable outfit. Yikes.

More than a fifth (22%) of bridesmaids insisted on altering their outfit before participating in the wedding.

One third of the bridesmaids surveyed were given a choice in deciding what they’d wear on the big day.

43% of bridesmaids admitted to going to a wedding that was a ‘bit naff’ (lacking taste/style), with only 9% of them envying the bride on her big day.

A third (37%) revealed that they had been at a wedding where they felt the bride and groom were mismatched and should not be tying the knot.

More than half (54%) explained that they had been a bridesmaid at a wedding where they were delighted that they were not marrying the groom themselves!

A fifth (20%) have actually picked up a new man at a wedding where they were bridesmaid!

6% have secretly fancied the groom

3% admitted to being romantically involved with the groom before he met his bride.

Celebrity jeweller and founder of Vashi.com, Vashi Dominguez says, “”We’ve all looked at wedding photos and thought, ‘What are the bridesmaids wearing!?’ Well, now we know the answer. In seven out of ten cases, the bridesmaids are convinced they’ve been lumbered with a dress to make the bride look prettier. I’m sure most brides do not see it that way. They’d say they chose bridesmaid dresses that went well with the wedding dress! The solution is for everyone to relax – no bridezillas or bridesmaidzillas required. Brides should enjoy the process and involve their bridesmaids more in choosing their outfits.”

If you are getting married then get your hands on a copy of The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on planning your perfect wedding and is written by our editor, Catherine Balavage. It is also available in Ebook format and is a great guide for wedding planning.

Frost Magazine

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