To mark the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Peter O’Donnell’s Modesty Blaise – a series Kingsley Amis called “One of the great partnerships in fiction, bearing comparison with that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson” – we’ve compiled something very special…
https://social.shorthand.com/SouvenirPress/ugYEPAYkMM/50-years-of-modesty-blaise
Let’s face it, the gluten-free trend of 2014 isn’t going anywhere in 2015. Last year, “Free-From” foods started to appear in the first aisle (you know, the one by the door), #glutenfree trended on Twitter and most importantly, Dunkin’ Donuts finally managed to produce a gluten-free doughnut.
According to The Telegraph, bread and pasta sales suffered a decline in sales throughout 2014 (-8.9% and -4.2% respectively), whilst “Free-From” sales reached £0.5bn for the first time. Despite less than 2% of the population suffering from a food allergy, millions of people are turning to gluten-free diets to lose weight and get healthier.
The trend is big in America too, thanks to the likes of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and socialite Nicole Richie, who both stick to a gluten-free diet. Worth around $2.6 billion, the market has grown by 36% since 2006. According to the Mail, even Girl Scouts are now making gluten-free cookies.
So, can eliminating gluten from your diet help you to a new feeling of health and well-being?
Rita Greer, one of Britain’s leading health writers, has decades of practical experience in special diet cookery. Her book, Simply Gluten Free, offers groundbreaking ideas and exciting recipes, including 100% gluten-free flour blend bread, for anyone who is seeking a gluten-free diet.
Try a free sample recipe here.
Buy a copy of Simply Gluten Free here.
That’s right! Exactly a year ago today Souvenir Press published its very first blog post. And look how we’ve grown since then. Join us in a trip down memory lane as we count down the five most popular blog posts of the last year – were there any you missed?
What would you like to see more of in the coming year on the Souvenir Press blog? Let us know in the comments below.
5) Chinese New Year: The Year of the Snake
Featuring predictions from the definitive book on Chinese astrology, THE HANDBOOK OF CHINESE HOROSCOPES, seventh edition, by Theodora Lau and Laura Lau. The book contains predictions that will take you right through to 2014. Find out what the rest of the Year of the Snake has in store for you. (Read more…)
4) Happy Birthday to Martin Luther King, Jr.
From January this year, celebrating what would have been the 84th birthday of Martin Luther King Jr, leader of the Black Civil Rights movement in America. His book STRIDE TOWARD FREEDOM, published as part of the Independent Voices series by Souvenir Press, was described by King as “the chronicle of 50,000 Negroes who took to heart the principles of non-violence, who learned to fight for their rights with the weapon of love, and who, in the process, acquired a new estimate of their own human worth.” (Read more…)
3) Bum Fodder: An Absorbing History of Toilet Paper
Did you miss the official publication day for BUM FODDER by Richard Smyth? Find out how loo roll was used in espionage, how it relates to corn on the cob, and what mussels have got to do with it. Richard Smyth answers the questions you never thought to ask about the product we can’t live without. (Read more…)
=1) Telling Tales in Latin: A Review
Stephen Addis, a retired Classics teacher with 36 years’ experience of teaching Classics in state and independent schools, reviews TELLING TALES IN LATIN by Lorna Robinson.
“A new and exciting Latin course… It is one of the best Latin course books currently available and will undoubtedly prove to be a great success, particularly with younger children.” (Read more…)
Appearing on Desert Island Discs last November, John Lloyd (writer and television producer, best known for his work on Blackadder and QI) chose THE BOOK: ON THE TABOO AGAINST KNOWING WHO YOU ARE by Alan Watts as the book he would take with him to a desert island. He described it as: “The best book I’ve ever read on the nature of what actually is, what the world is about.” (Read more…)
The latest post in our Author Corner comes from Jena Pincott, author of Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies? The book explores the weird and wonderful science of pregnancy – the why rather than the how-to, and is a fascinating must-read for curious mums- and dads-to-be.
Her guest blog post tackles 12 old wives’ tales about pregnancy, including morning sickness, baby brain and labour pain. All these and more can be found in her new book Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies? which is available now from Souvenir Press in hardcover, paperback and as an e-book.
Science vs. Pregnancy Myths
Science tackles 12 old wives’ tales about pregnancy. Guess which ones endure?
Myth #1: Girls steal their mothers’ beauty: False. You might even argue that being pregnant with a girl enhances your beauty! Statistically speaking, women carrying girls have more sex during pregnancy than those carrying boys. Our breasts also grow larger when carrying a girl than a boy.
Myth #2: You’re eating for two. Not really. You’re actually eating for 1.1. Even in third trimester, this means eating only, say, three bananas more daily than you would pre-pregnancy.
Myth #3: You’ll crave dirt and clay. Possibly true. The scientific explanation: Clay seals the stomach — and, in the past, may have helped to protect mother and foetus from toxins, bacteria, and viruses.
Myth #4: Basketballs are boys, watermelons are girls: False. Truth is, your belly can be both a basketball and a watermelon during different phases of the pregnancy. If you’re pregnant with your first child, you’ll carry higher for longer into the pregnancy because the ligaments holding up the baby are tighter.
Myth #5: Girls make us sicker than boys: Somewhat true. A hormone called hCG contributes to pregnancy sickness. Generally speaking, female foetuses put out higher levels of hCG than do male foetuses.
Myth #6: More babies come out on a full moon. False. The full moon doesn’t trigger labour, according to multiple studies that track births and the lunar calendar. (Note: Nor are more loony people admitted to psych wards at this time.)
Myth #7: You can induce your own labour. Mostly false. In studies, most home-induction remedies such as walking, sex, spicy foods, castor oil haven’t had any significant effect on triggering labour. BUT there is limited evidence that nipple stimulation (breast pumping) helps the process along if you’re already close to going into labour naturally.
Myth #8: The Chinese birth calendar accurately predicts gender. False. Multiple studies have shown that when it comes to predicting gender, the Chinese birth calendar is no more accurate than flipping a coin.
Myth #9: Babies look like their fathers. Not necessarily. Of course some do, but this doesn’t happen as a rule. The strange thing is that we really think babies often look like their dads— possibly because fathers favour look-alikes. From an evolutionary perspective, this may have reduced the risk of infanticide.
Myth #10: Pregnancy is a turn-off for men. Nope. To the contrary, some studies find that men are generally as attracted or more attracted to their wives during pregnancy than beforehand. While couples may not have sex as often as before (expectant fathers may have a lower sex drive), pregnancy is not the turn-off they fear. From an evolutionary perspective, the pregnant woman benefits from her mate’s support, and sex helps couples bond.
Myth #11: You’ll forget all about the pain. Maybe. There’s a 50/50 chance that, five years from now, you’ll think labour pains were less painful than they felt at the time. Only a small percentage of women look back at their labour pain and remember it as worse than they felt at the time.
Myth #12: You’ll get pregnesia. Probably. Many (but not all) studies find that pregnant women experience difficulty storing and retrieving memories. This may be due to hormones or the foetus diverting resources to grow her own brain. While your visual memory is intact (in fact, your ability to recognize and remember faces is better than ever), your ability to remember to do what you say you’re going to do, or recall a name or street address, may be impaired. Women carrying girls may be especially afflicted.
What better way to end the working week than with a round-up of all the latest wonderful reviews and media attention that Souvenir Press titles have been attracting over the last week or so?
Have a read of the most recent reviews, and please do let us know if you see any on the web that we’ve missed!
Welcome to Biscuit Land by Jessica Thom
“Jess writes openly and honestly about living with Tourettes and about the ways in which it can and does affect her daily life. I found this an informative, honest and very moving account and found I learned a lot about Tourettes… I’m really glad to have read this book, to have had the opportunity to get to know Jess Thom a little through her words and to have discovered more about what Tourettes is like through her open, moving and brave first-hand account.” – The Little Reader Library blog (read the full review)
“Teaching the world about Tourette’s… celebrate the creativity and humour.” – The Daily Express (read the full article)
Telling Tales in Latin by Lorna Robinson
” I live in perpetual search of the perfect Latin textbook, and this book is very close indeed! … An excellent choice of text to teach children aged 9 and upwards the rudiments of Latin, and as the book has all the vocabulary needed for the OCR exam, it is a very versatile text.” – The Garden Window blog (read the full review)
She Comes First by Ian Kerner
“Before you give up on oral sex… if you yourself don’t know what the options are… get yourself a copy of Ian Kerner’s manifesto She Comes First: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a Woman and make sure your boyfriend reads it too… It is a veritable paean to the art of good oral sex, packed with instructive sentences… I cannot recommend it highly enough.” – Suzi Godson, The Times
Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies? by Jena Pincott
“In-depth, yet accessible, this is a great read for any info-craving mother (or father)-to-be.” – BBC Focus
“Pregnancy is a weird and wonderful time for your body… Jena Pincott reveals some of the quirkiest secrets of this fascinating experience.” – Prima Baby
Where the Ghosts Walk by Peter Underwood
“Britain’s number one ghost hunter… A monumental volume, destined to become one of the very best in the landscape of paranormal literature.” – Cornish Guardian
The FitMama Method by Marie Behenna
“So informative and written in such warm, friendly manor. It’s full of useful information on diet and fitness during pregnancy, breathing techniques and birthing positions.” – EverythingIsRosy blog (read the full blog post)
Have you written a review of a Souvenir Press title and want it to be included in our next review round-up here on the blog? Leave me a message in the comments, on Facebook, on Twitter, or by email using the address in the Contact Us page.
This week has got off to a flying start here at Souvenir Press as we arrived in to the office this gloomy Monday morning to a selection of wonderful reviews of our new and recent titles. Have you written a review of a Souvenir Press title and want it to be included in our next review round-up here on the blog? Send me a message in the comments, on Facebook, on Twitter, or by email using the address in the Contact Us page.
Telling Tales in Latin by Lorna Robinson
“Each chapter tells a story and draws the reader straight into Latin with stories, exercises and suggestions, cleverly set out to give the reader confidence that he can read and understand Latin. The colourful illustrations add greatly to the enjoyment of the book. It’s a very interesting approach which shows that Latin is still relevant and enjoyable today.” – Parents In Touch (read the full review)
“Telling Tales in Latin is an inviting, absorbing, and embracing learning experience. Young students new to the language will enjoy themselves, and love their learning, both of Latin and classical mythology, and be inspired to learn more. It’s a beautiful beginners’ book, the like of which most of us never had in the past, and I look forward to its success and the love that its students will have for it in years to come.” – The Classics Library (read the full review)
Where the Ghosts Walk by Peter Underwood
“‘Where the Ghosts Walk’ is set to become the handbook and must-read for every seasoned and every would-be paranormal investigator. … If I could give this book 12 out of 10 then I would. Excellent work Mr Underwood….excellent, excellent work.” – Ghost Investigators blog (read the full review)
Welcome to Biscuit Land by Jessica Thom
“An honest, moving account… This book is a valuable one for anyone who lives with Tourettes or knows someone who does. … Jessica Thom is inspirational and her story will help, encourage and amuse millions of people around the globe who understand or want to learn what it’s like living with Tourettes.” – Blogcritics (read the full review)
Code Name Caesar by Jerome Preisler and Kenneth Sewell
“The only submarine in history to sink another submarine in underwater combat.” – Britain at War
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
“The standard work for artists, teachers and millions of students and amateur artists… It should be on every artist’s bookshelf.” – The Artist, June 2013 issue
Tintin in the New World by Frederic Tuten
“A playful and imaginative expansion of the boy reporter’s life experience; he loses his virginity and receives instruction from the main characters in Thomas Mann’s cerebral door-stopper The Magic Mountain.” – Times Literary Supplement (read the full blog)
Tomorrow sees the publication of one of our new spring titles, but today is your chance to read what people have been saying recently about a selection of our other books, both new and backlist titles. As if you need reminding of the variety of books published here at Souvenir Press, below you’ll find reviews of everything from cricket to creativity, Tao to pregnancy and birth.
Cardus on Cricket / A Fourth Innings with Cardus by Neville Cardus
“The writing is alive, full of daring and almost novelistic observation… Like Grace or Bradman, Sehwag or Gayle, he showed a way towards the future.” – The Cordon Blog, ESPN Cricinfo
Tao: The Watercourse Way by Alan Watts
“Alan Watts’ classic book on Chinese wisdom capturing the spirit of the Taoist attitude to life through its calligraphy and literature.” – Kindred Spirit magazine
The Vein of Gold: A Journey to your Creative Heart by Julia Cameron
“The essential companion to The Artist’s Way, taking you on the next stage of your creative journey… This powerful book inspires artistic mindful living.” – Watkins Review
The FitMama Method by Marie Behenna
“There is advice on how to push your baby out, how to breathe & pant for labour, birthing positions, and other secrets of the labour ward which no one else will tell you! … I had read this book before I gave birth.” – More4Mums blog
If you’ve seen any reviews (or written one yourself) of a Souvenir book that we might have missed, or if you’d like information about any of our books, you can check out our current catalogue or contact me using the details here.
Dr Kai Kermani is author of Autogenic Training and a leading name in this field of holistic therapy. Read his exclusive blog post for Take Home a Souvenir, to find out what autogenic training is, and how discovering autogenic training changed his life.
About 30 years ago I came across the name Autogenic Training for the very first time, in one of my post graduate study courses for stress management. Like many of you, I had never heard of this technique, and enrolled upon an 8 week course.
This turned out to be the best decision I have ever made: it stood me in good stead for the very difficult times that were to follow over the years. From an accident which left me blind, to the death of my beloved partner six months after my accident, a major heart operation and a massive fire at my home which destroyed everything dear and precious to me, daily practise of Autogenics for the last 30 years has helped me navigate all the major and minor stresses and trials that life has thrown at me.
Despite everything, including my blindness, I am now in a state of complete inner peace, tranquillity, joy and contentment; if my inner peace is disturbed by external circumstances, I can easily return to my peaceful centre with the help of autogenic training.
What is Autogenic Training?
It is one of the most powerful relaxation and self-healing techniques which I have ever come across in my long career in holistic general practice and after my blindness in the use of complementary therapies especially healing which is now my profession.
The technique has 3 different parts which can be utilised for whatever the individual’s needs are. First and foremost, of course, it is a powerful relaxation technique. The emotional off-loading exercises are amazingly powerful and effective in ridding one of suppressed emotions whether current or long standing – something which I used copiously during the various traumatic times in my life. The exercises on gratitude and forgiveness are particularly powerful as they enable the individual to free themselves from the bondage of guilt and regret that afflicts most of us. With the help of some powerful positive and specifically designed affirmations, it can also be a very powerful self-healing technique.
It also has two short exercises which can be used anywhere or any time to help one remain completely relaxed in situations where there is no possibility of doing a full exercise or any other form of meditation. For example while driving, or even using it in some of our interminably long and boring meetings!
As for my book, Autogenic Training, it consists of 3 different sections. The first gives advice on general health and wellbeing. The second section consists of a tutorial on Autogenics so that the individual can easily learn it even if they have no access to qualified trainers, and third section covers over 50 specific conditions which can be helped by the practise of Autogenics in combination with other mentioned techniques.
I thoroughly recommend Autogenic Training to anyone who is interested in making an investment for life for their wellbeing and happiness. This recommendation is not just based on my own personal experiences but also hundreds of people whom I have taught personally or thousands who have used the book before.
Anyone who is interested in finding out more about my healing work can do so by visiting my website.
Dr.Kai Kermani, BSc(Hons.), MBBS, LRCP.,MRCS.,DRCOG.,MRCGP.,BCRP.
Things have been a little quiet here on the Souvenir Press blog over the last couple of weeks – sorry about that. I’ve been busy working away behind the scenes of the Souvenir website, and have been lining up some fantastic blog posts for you guys over the coming weeks/months.
We’re going to be bringing back our Author Corner feature, and have currently got several of our authors scribbling away to bring you an exclusive view into their lives. Whether they’re sharing their inspiration, telling the story of how their book came to be, or sharing tips and advice, you won’t want to miss it!
Our previous Author Corner posts featured Jessica Thom writing about her book Welcome to Biscuit Land, Richard Smyth on Bum Fodder: An Absorbing History of Toilet Paper, and Arthur Plotnik, author of Better than Great with a handy guide to terms of endearment for your loved one, suitable for Valentines Day and the rest of the year.
Away from the blog, we’ve had some exciting post this week: finished copies of three of our new Spring titles: Code Name Caesar by Jerome Preisler and Kenneth Sewell, Telling Tales in Latin by Dr Lorna Robinson (both published later this month), and Where the Ghosts Walk by Peter Underwood, published early next month. What do you think?
I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and we’ll be back in the Souvenir Press office on Tuesday after the Bank Holiday. As always, if you’ve got any queries (Where can I buy these books? Can I get your books on my new Nook? Where’s the British Museum in relation to your office?) feel free to leave us a comment below, or you can drop me an email.
It’s been a busy week here in the Souvenir Press office. Monday-Wednesday was the London Book Fair, with meetings and events continuing throughout the week. But finally, on Friday afternoon, I’ve found a moment to bring you the round-up of all the wonderful reviews that have come in this week.
How Puzzles Improve Your Brain by Richard Restak and Scott Kim
“[The] puzzles were beautifully designed and a nice progression to help keep your thought processes working… It made me think and play in ways I had not done before and actually explained what my brain was doing whilst attempting these puzzles.” – Kevin on the PuzzleMad blog
“A very readable look at thinking and an excellent selection of puzzles to enhance brain function.” – The Book Bag
“Quite apart from the sheer entertainment provided by the book, I can say that I have actually learnt a considerable amount… The thinking person’s toilet library should now begin with three core acquisitions: Sale, Nohain/Caradec, and now Smyth.” – Jonathan Pinnock
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
“The latest edition includes updated research, better quality reproductions of the Old Master paintings and also work by recent students who followed the course. Their drawings certainly make a compelling case for how successful the approach is.” – Artists & Illustrators magazine, May 2013
Leisure Painter magazine, May 2013, featured the book as part of their article ‘How do I draw that?’
If you’re interested in finding out more about any of our titles at Souvenir Press, feel free to email me asking for a copy of our latest catalogue.
Take Home a Souvenir! 