ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT-INSPIRED
READS
WHETHER IT BE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES OR SIMPLY A PEACEFUL PASTIME , READING IS NOT ONLY A FANTASTIC AVENUE FOR WELLBEING , BUT IS ALSO A REALLY EFFECTIVE AND ENJOYABLE WAY TO WIND DOWN . RECENT RESEARCH BY HEALTHLINE ( WWW . HEALTHLINE . COM ) HAS FOUND THAT NOT ONLY DOES READING BENEFIT YOUR BRAIN HEALTH , BUT IT LOWERS LEVELS OF STRESS AND IMPROVES MENTAL WELLBEING . IN FACT , JUST THIRTY MINUTES OF READING CAN LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE ; OFFERING FAR MORE THAN AN ESCAPE INTO A STORY , READING HAS THE POWER TO ALLEVIATE LOW MOODS AND STRESS BY A STAGGERING 68 %.
Sometimes , a momentary break from life ’ s day-to-day overwhelm is needed , and fiction provides an outlet for our imagination to take centre stage . Of course , with Kent being an incredibly cultured and cultural hub set against a backdrop of some of the UK ’ s most aweinspiring scenery and coastlines , there have been many great novels inspired by the county itself or written by authors hailing from The Garden of England . Kick back and relax with one of these excellent Kent-inspired reads …
The Opal Causeway , D H Yeats
As he explores his sexuality , Pete , a gay photographer still mourning the death of his French grandmother , experiences the cruelties and injustices of a world completely at odds with the tenets instilled in him during childhood . While sharing a Notting Hill squat during a seemingly endless summer with friends Mel and Baz , he meets Brad , a mysterious American , at a happening in Chalk Farm . Travelling to California in search of Brad , Pete , seeking love and adventure , ventures halfway around the world looking for answers only to find them back home once he crosses over The Opal Causeway .
Set in the early 1970s , The Opal Causeway is a coming-ofage novel embracing historical , environmental , racial , social and sexual themes still so relevant today .
A Festive Juxtaposition , Paul R Stanton
It was Christmas Eve in the good old city of London . Everything was alive with the joyous sounds of festive exchanges ; carols floated on the breeze and gently wafted across the cold waters of the River Thames . Multi-coloured lights appeared to festoon the streets in every quarter … It could be said that there was , in fact , magic in the air .
At that point the Devil arrived at Charing Cross station . He was dressed immaculately in an Astrakhan coat , leather gloves and patent leather shoes that were so brightly polished you could see your face in them . He sported a small black goatee beard and had features that could easily have been chiselled from stone . Smiling , he stepped out into the night . But what was his purpose for being there ? Was it purely philanthropic ? Or did he have an ulterior motive up his sleeve ?
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