Month: May 2020

Top 10 UK Adult Books

Already exhausted your bookshelf? Looking for something new to read but don’t know where to start? Since some of us have more time on our hands, here are our top 10 book suggestions.

(Based on sales*)

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Mrs Hinch: The Little Book of Lists

Author: Mrs Hinch
Released: 02/04/2020

Welcome to your Little Book of Lists! A whole book filled with just lists! Notebook goals! My idea of absolute heaven! As you all know, nothing helps me feel more organised than putting pen to paper and getting everything that's buzzing around my head down on to the page.

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Blue Moon (Jack Reacher 24)

Author: Lee Child
Released: 02/04/2020

Jack Reacher is back in a brand new white-knuckle read from Lee Child. It's a random universe, but once in a blue moon things turn out just right. In a nameless city, two rival criminal gangs are competing for control. But they hadn’t counted on Jack Reacher arriving on their patch.

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The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

Author: Charlie Mackesy
Released: 10/10/2019

Four very different characters take centre stage in this unusual and beautifully illustrated book. There’s a horse, wise and reliable; a boy, Christopher Robin-like in his curiosity and kindness; a mole, driven by an optimism, and love of cake; and a fox, vulnerable and in need of love and understanding. 

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The Mirror and the Light

Author: Hilary Mantel
Released: 05/03/2020

The long-awaited sequel to Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, the stunning conclusion to Hilary Mantel's Man Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall trilogy. 'If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?' England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner.

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Mrs Hinch: The Activity Journal

Author: Mrs Hinch
Released: 17/10/2019

Hello! Mrs Hinch here! Welcome to your very own Hinch activity journal! This little book is all about giving yourself the gift of time out: time to plan, time to dream, time to relax, time for us to have a bit of a giggle and a de-stress. We all live such busy lives and it can be hard to take a moment just to breathe.

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The Dark Side

Author: Danielle Steel
Released 02/04/2020

The Dark Side is a powerful and unsettling novel of loss, motherhood and the innocence of childhood from the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel. Zoe Morgan was just ten years old when her life changed forever.

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Nothing Ventured

Author: Jeffrey Archer
Released: 19/03/2020

This is not a detective story, this is a story about a detective. William Warwick is eight when he decides to join the police force. Resolute in the face of his prominent QC father's objections, William graduates in Art History from university and immediately enrols as a constable in the Metropolitan Police.

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The Bookshop of the Shore

Author: Jenny Colgan
Released: 31/03/2020

In the Scottish Highlands, a tiny bookshop perches on the edge of a loch... Zoe is a single mother, sinking beneath the waves trying to cope by herself in London. Hari, her gorgeous little boy is perfect in every way - except for the fact that he just doesn't speak, at all.

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The Inn

Author: James Patterson, Candice Fox
Released: 19/03/2020

A former detective is starting over in a small town, but his past won't let him go in this gripping new stand-alone from the world's bestselling thriller writer. The Inn at Gloucester stands alone on the rocky New England shoreline. Its seclusion suits former Boston police detective Bill Robinson, novice owner and innkeeper.

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A Village Scandal

Author: Dilly Court
Released: 05/03/2020

The second book in the dramatic new Village Secrets trilogy from the Sunday Times bestselling author. It was her wedding day... the roses and bluebells were blooming and their sweet-scent was filling the air, so why did Daisy feel the cold fingers of fear run down her spine?

Share your favourite books with us.

*source: lovereading.co.uk

VE Day

Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) is a day to celebrate the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany’s armed forces on 8th May 1945 and this year is the 75th anniversary of this momentous occasion. 

And, even though in 2020, we have to stay at home to protect the NHS and to save lives, we can still celebrate and cheer those who fought for our country in the Second World War as well as respecting social distancing by getting out into our gardens or balconies or hanging bunting from our windows. We can recreate the sights and sounds of the VE Day very simply and keep our spirits up in the wartime tradition.

Bunting and Flags

To mark the occasion of the 75th anniversary of VE Day and to share your pride in our country why don’t you make your own “Great British Bunting”?  All you need to get started is any paper, cereal boxes, string, ribbon, sweet wrappers, felt pens, poster paint – whatever you have or can find,

Decorate your bunting with pictures of whatever inspires you, whether it’s those who fought on the frontline or worked hard on the Homefront, or whether it’s a celebration of enduring peace or your very own personal hero.

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Or making bunting can be even easier with a visit online to The Works  which is the place for those essential art & crafting supplies to make your red, white and blue bunting and with crafts for kids, the little ones can get involved too.

Supplies start from £2
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DIY templates from BBC

Due to the coronavirus restrictions most VE Day 75 events and street parties have had to be cancelled or postponed but we still want you to be able to mark the occasion, share your pride in our country and honour the men and women of WW2.

You can make your own special VE Day 75 ‘Great British Bunting’ to display in your window at home.

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Afternoon Tea

Recipe - Victoria Sponge

And no party is complete without a cake and nothing is more traditional than a Victoria Sponge…so easy to make.

Ingredients
Method
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Let M&S do the work and treat yourself

Or to make things even easier, M&S Food Halls remain open. Treat yourself to a cake, scones, cupcakes or maybe a sandwich or two. Traditional sweets like humbugs or Rhubarb and Custards would be lovely additions to the celebrations too.

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The sounds of the era

Take yourself back to the days of Vera Lynn and Glenn Miller and practice your Jitterbug and Lindy Hop dancing with music and videos from HMV. And don’t forget to send us your videos.

Prices start form £6.99
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And for more inspiration

Pay a visit to Waterstones online to see their range of Second World War books, it’s a lovely way for the children to learn history as part of their home schooling.

Prices start from £9.99.There is even a 500 piece jigsaw for them to enjoy (£10.99)

* All items are subject to availability.