Summer reads we think you will love

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1950s, America, An Anonymous Girl, BBC 1’s Gavin and Stacey, best life, betrayal, books, brave, Camp Macaw, Catherine McKenzie, conquer our fears, dangerous, debut novel, deliciously dark debut crime novel, Dr Shields, dreams, epic thriller, escape, experiments, falling apart, falls in love, fantastic read, game changer, Gay Hendricks, going away, Greer Hendricks, Hollie Bourne, home, How Do You Like Me Now?, I’ll Never Tell, iconic book, Jessica Farris, love, MacAllister, manipulative, money, move on, Mrs. Everything, must read, My Lovely Wife, Never Green, passion, pick this up, psychological suspense, psychology study, questions, reading, reality, regret, relationship, Ruth Jones, Samantha Downing, Sarah Pekkanen, self sabbotage, seriel killer, sitting by the pool, small town, summer, The Big Leap, The Wife Between Us, time out, Tori Bailey, troublesome past, twists and turns, winner, young women

Summer is when many of us devote extra time to reading, so if you are going away, sitting by the pool, or just taking time out at home for you, we have a few books we hope will let you get away and escape from it all.

Ruth Jones is best known for her award-winning television writing for BBC 1’s Gavin and Stacey show, but her debut novel, Never Greener is outstanding. A story of love, passion, regret and betrayal, Jones shows the that the grass isn’t always greener and that going from one side to the other, can have long lasting, devastating results. Spoiler – if you pick this up, you might not put it down.

Samantha Downing’s, My Lovely Wife, is an epic thriller set in a small town that has a serial killer on the loose preying on young women, and one man’s daughter is playing up out of fear because of the situation. When he goes to bed one night, and lies next to his wife, he starts to questions his marriage and wonders if the secrets it holds run deeper than he ever thought. This is a deliciously dark debut crime novel, but only for the brave!

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks is a total winner at any time of the year. This iconic book is about how we self-sabotage ourselves and Hendricks explains how we start to notice it, and make changes so we can conquer our fears. It’s a game-changer and a must read if you really want to move on and have the best life for you.

Hollie Bourne’s, How Do You Like Me Now? follows Tori Bailey, who looks like she has it all, and some. The reality is very different because behind closed doors, her relationship is falling apart and her best friend is close to leaving her behind, and so she must find the courage to follow the path untrodden.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the authors of The Wife Between Us, have written An Anonymous Girl and it is a fantastic read. It tells the story of Jessica Farris, who signs up for a psychology study conducted by Dr Shields. Jessica thinks, as you would, she will need to answer a few questions, collect her money and leave – what she doesn’t know is Shield’s experiments get more manipulative as they go on, but where will they end?

Mrs. Everything is the story of two sisters living in the 1950s and trying to get to grips with finding their place in the world, while diving into an ever-changing America. When Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born in Detroit, the opportunities for them seemed to be endless, but as the twists and turns in this book show, the truth ends is very different from the dreams.

I’ll Never Tell is a tantalising novel of psychological suspense and Catherine McKenzie has written it so well. Twenty years ago, Amanda Holmes was found dead in a boat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one is ever arrested for the crime but after the McAllister parents die, their adult children want to solve the death before they can settle the estate.

Got a book we should read? Drop us a line, would love to know about it.

Team Pure Beauty

Keep calm and actually enjoy Christmas

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3am, basket, beef, best friend, breathing space, cake, celebrate, champagne, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas list, content, cup of coffee, decorate the tree, delegate, dominate, feel good, festive period, flatmates, friend, gift, good, hair, happiness, hot, hug, in the moment, in-laws, keep calm, kids, last minute, laugh, life, lifted, lunch, masses, meditate, moaning, mood, mum, negatives, online, panic buying, Pat on the Back, perspective, plan ahead, pressure, putting up the decorations, recipe for disaster, Relax, Secret Santa, serious, shopping, slow down, stock of presents, Sugar Plum Fairy, take a break, The Holiday, time off, time out, turkey, wake up, wrapping paper, yoga

Don’t laugh, we are being serious here, you can keep calm this Christmas.

Yes, there’s the shopping to do, presents to wrap and don’t even start us on the table plan for the big day, but Christmas is meant to be a happy time when you can celebrate the good in life and spend time with those you love.

Instead of being annoyed you got the rubbish Secret Santa present (again) and laying awake at 3am worrying about whether to cook turkey or beef, keep calm with our easy to follow tips and you’ll feel like the Sugar Plum Fairy all the way to 2018.

Calm Time
Think about the times in the day when you feel calm and content and go back to those moments when you feel your stress levels rising. This could be when you wake up, sip your first hot cup of coffee of the day, you get a hug from your best friend for showing up to her work drinks or when you sit watching The Holiday for the 100th time – whenever it is, go back to that point and count to ten.

Feel Good
Don’t focus on the negatives and stop yourself from moaning, about everything that needs to be done. Yes, there will things you don’t like doing over the festive period, but why don’t let those awkward in-laws dominate your thoughts and instead think of the great stuff that is happening and your mood will be lifted.

Plan Ahead
Leaving everything to the last-minute is a recipe for disaster. If you can, start early, plan your Christmas list and every-time you are out shopping, add a gift in the basket. Before you know it, you’ve got a stock of presents, and there will be no need for panic buying amongst the masses on Christmas Eve.

Be a Kid
Christmas is all about the children and because they naturally seek out fun and happiness, we think you should do the same and are pretty sure you will feel so much better for it.

Take a Break
Rather than filling every moment of every day with jobs, take time out for you too. Whether it is lunch with a friend, having your hair done or going to a yoga class, putting up the decorations and delivering cards can wait, but your happiness can’t.

Pat on the Back
Remember what you have done already. Yes, you might not have the turkey yet and Aunt Betty might not have a present under the tree, but things will get done so just remember how much you have already achieved and give yourself a pat on the back.

Delegate
You don’t have to run the Christmas show alone. Getting flatmates to decorate the tree, asking your boyfriend to buy presents for his family, asking your mum to make the cake and buying presents online, will all take the pressure off you and give you some breathing space.

Meditate
Take ten minutes out to meditate. If things are getting too much, find a quite spot, concentrate on your breathing and slow down. By being in the moment you can take back control and look at your to do list with fresh eyes and a new perspective.

Stop and Think
Think about why you love Christmas, and the good things that happen over that special time. Christmas often passes in a blur of wrapping paper and champagne corks, but if you stop, savour the moment and cherish those you love, you will realise it is all worth it.

Set a Deadline
Put a date in your diary when you stop doing things for everyone else and start enjoying yourself. We all need to take time off and relax, and that includes you.

Whatever you do this Christmas, keep calm, be grateful for what you have in your life and be happy.

Team Pure-Beauty

Which yoga is right for you?

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105 degrees, 40% humidity, 5000-year-old Indian philosophy, a thing, active and athletic, aiding relaxation, ashtanga, B.K.S. Iyengar, basic postures, Bikram, Bikram Choudhury, Bikram class, Blocks, boards, body and soul, brand new, breathing, British Wheel of Yoga Teachers, classical approach, clearer, diet, effort, environment, exercise, flow, GP, harnesses, Hatha, hot yoga, inhale and exhale, Iyengar, meditation, mind, moved, muscles, perfect position, popular, power, power yoga, precise alignment, pregnancy, psychic cleansing, purist form of yoga, rapidly, reflect and mediate, relaxation, restorative, sauna-like conditions, six established poses, specifically adapted poses, straps, strenuous, students, time out, universally popular, vinyasa, workout, yoga

Yoga is a 5000-year-old Indian philosophy that combines breathing, diet, exercise, meditation and relaxation to
give your mind, body and soul a workout.

However, it seems a new ‘type’ of yoga comes on the scene every week so we have decided to have a look at the most popular types to make things a little clearer.

Ashtanga
This yoga practise is faster than many types as you rapidly, flow from one pose to the next with each inhale and exhale. It is based on six established poses that can be pretty strenuous if done correctly. You go from the primary series, second series, third series, and so on with each series of poses linked by the breath. This co-ordinated movement of breath and pose is called a ‘vinyasa’.

Bikram
Also knows as hot yoga, Bikram is all about yoga being practised in a sauna-like conditions and has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Whatever the weather is outside, when you take a Bikram class the temperature is turned up to 105 degrees which in turn tends to create an environment of around 40% humidity. Created by Bikram Choudhury, this practise is made up of a series of 26 basic postures and each one is performed twice.

Hatha
As one of the six original ‘branches’ of yoga, Hatha is a universally popular yoga practise and enjoyed by thousands. Classes tend to take a classical approach with time spent on getting breathing and basic postures right. If you want a balance of effort and relaxation, this could be a good starting point.

Iyengar
Named after the founder B.K.S. Iyengar, this is considered to be a purist form of yoga. Blocks, boards, harnesses and straps are often used in classes to help students get into the perfect position. Practised by people of all ages and abilities, Iyengar yoga focuses on precise alignment and exact sequencing, but do not be fooled, it isn’t an easy option.

Power or Vinyasa
This is a pretty active and athletic style of yoga and is based on Ashtanga. Unlike Ashtanga, power yoga doesn’t follow the exact same sequence of poses and you may find the style changes with the teacher. After the class you will feel like you have moved and worked-out, so remember to take a little time to reflect and mediate afterwards.

Pregnancy
Yoga during pregnancy has become quite ‘a thing’ and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Teachers create classes based on specifically adapted poses that help women in all stages of pregnancy. As well as aiding relaxation and breathing, yoga can help keep muscles strong during pregnancy and give them the strength and energy to return to normal once the baby has been born. Always check the credentials of the teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga Teachers and if you experience any pain during a class, stop and consult your GP or out of hours service.

Restorative
This is less about working out and more about relaxing and taking stock. Time will be spent doing four or five simple poses with blankets, bolsters and lavender oil being used to deepen relaxation levels. Many people feel that this is like a psychic cleansing of the mind and leaves them feeling feel brand new and refreshed afterwards.

Why not try out a class or two and find a yoga that is right for you?

Team Pure-Beauty