Giveaway #641 : Win a Predators iExplore book - closed - winner Kayleigh-Anne Watkins

iExplore Predators is a beautiful hardback book which looks at some of the most ferocious animals on earth. Beautiful photographs show off each of these amazing species in their natural habitat, from a pack of laughing hyenas to 3-metre tall polar bears fighting each other.

You can learn all about the Bald Eagle, Rattlesnake, Grey Wolf, Great White Shark, Lion, Brown Bear, Orca, Saltwater Crocodile, Komodo Dragon, Spotted Hyena and Polar Bear, as well as what makes a predator.

The huge, colourful images, short texts and fascinating facts makes it an appealing book, even for reluctant or beginner readers.

Each of the profiles gives the reader the lowdown on the animal: how it hunts, what weapons and tactics it uses to defeat its prey and where it lives. From the Komodo Dragon's deadly bite to a saltwater crocodile's killer twists once it's grabbed its victim, these animals will have you covered in goosebumps!

It's already a lovely book, as exciting as it is educational, but it still has an extra special trick up its sleeve - as a final step, simply open the app on your smartphone or tablet to trigger the Augmented Reality action and let the Digital Magic bring the predators into your front room ! Grrrrreat stuff !

RRP : £9.99

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Carlton Kids (10 Aug. 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1783122552
• ISBN-13: 978-1783122554
• Product Dimensions: 26.8 x 0.9 x 23.4 cm

For more information : https://www.carltonbooks.co.uk/iexplore-predators-hb.html

Carlton Kids have kindly offered to send a copy of the book to one lucky Madhouse Family Reviews reader. Fill in your entries via the rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 31/8/17

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after 28 days, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners. Madhouse Family Reviews cannot be held responsible for any prizes that go astray !

You may also like to enter my other giveaways :

Giveaway #637 : Win 2 x Zip and Zap and the Marble Gang on dvd - closing date 31/7

Giveaway #639 : Win a VR Real Feel Racing system - closing date 20/8

Giveaway #640 : Win a duo of Pass The Pigs games - closing date 31/8

Stretchy Fun with The Original Vac-Man (review)

Stretch Armstrong is the nostalgic toy everyone knows and loves. You may remember the stretch-tastic fun we had with the Mini Stretch Armstrong a couple of months ago. (Click through for our review.) The range is constantly expanding (just like the stretchy toys !) and now Character Options have brought back villain Vac Man, the 14” fully stretchable and poseable Vac powered action figure.

Just like his nemesis Stretch Armstrong, Vac Man can be pulled and stretched up to four times his original size and even tied up in knots without looking any worse for wear.

He also has an extra feature that his arch-enemy doesn't have, and the Madhouse kids got very excited about it : a vac-pump !

This enables you to pump out the air so that he can go hard and be set into any pose you want. When you've finished, just release the air again by pressing on the valve on the side of his head and he will become all ploppy and stretchy again.

The whole Stretch range features Stretch and all his original and new friends, including Octopus and Fetch Armstrong. It's a great bit of nostalgic fun for the grown-ups, who may well remember the original gel-filled Stretch Armstrong figures from way back in the seventies, but the younger generation find them equally appealing. You really won't believe just how far the new generation of toys stretch or how well they spring back into shape until you've tried them.

RRP : £29.99

For more information : https://www.character-online.com/

Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.

Giveaway #640 : Win a duo of Pass The Pigs games - closed - winner Abigail Edkins

You’ll be snorting with laughter if you bring these fav piggy pals on hols with you this summer. The original party animals, Pass the Pigs, use hilarious pigs for dice. Will you roll a sider or start makin’ bacon? On the road, by the beach, in the park, or just chilling out – the game is on for every pig in the parlour!

A seasoned (but not salted) traveller already, Pass the Pigs, love having fun on the road. Available in the original Pass the Pigs game, which comes in a handy travel case, or the inflatable Giant Pass the Pigs, they are easy to pack and bring along anywhere.

Fantastic fun for the whole family, Pass the Pigs is so easy to play. Simply throw the 2 piggies up in the air and see how they land. Compare the pigs landing positions with your scorecard and earn points, the first to 100 wins.

Ideal for taking away, the Pass the Pigs’s handy travel case pops into any bag with ease. The inflatable Giant Pass the Pigs store away in a handy draw string bag, ready for more piggy fun again and again. Plus the Giant Pass the Pigs double up as adorable inflatable toys for the pool – and are super cool! 

Pass the Pigs

Hours of fun are guaranteed with this exciting Pass the Pigs game. Perfect for taking on the road, the Pass the Pigs game comes in a handy travel case, so there’s never a dull moment to be had!

Pass the Pigs is a game of skill for 2-6 players, it comes with a handy carry case, 2 pencils, 2 pigs and a pocket-sized score card.

Suitable for ages 3+ and available for £9.99rrp.

Giant Pass the Pigs

The classic party game Pass The Pigs goes SUPER-SIZE. Perfect for parties, these giant inflatable pigs can bounce around the garden, house, beach or even the pool. It’s Pass The Pigs like you’ve never passed them before! Inflate your pair of porkers, throw them and see how they land. Will you get a Leaning Jowler, a Mixed Combo or will you Pig Out?

Suitable for ages 3+ and available for 14.99rrp.

For more information : www.passthepigsofficial.com

Instagram: @passthepigsofficial
Facebook: www.facebook.com/passthepigs
Twitter: @PassThePigsGame

I have a pair of Pass The Pigs games (the Pass the Pigs and the Giant Pass the Pigs game) to give away to a lucky Madhouse Family Reviews reader. Fill in your entries via the rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 31/8/17

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after 28 days, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners. Madhouse Family Reviews cannot be held responsible for any prizes that go astray !

You may also like to enter my other giveaways :

Giveaway #637 : Win 2 x Zip and Zap and the Marble Gang on dvd - closing date 31/7

Giveaway #639 : Win a VR Real Feel Racing system - closing date 20/8

#MySundayphoto #SundaySnap 30/7/17

Between a rock and a hard place ! Coastguard's Cottage, Meneham, Brittany (Blogpost coming soon)

The perfect fish supper fakeaway with the Young's Chip Shop range

Takeaways have been well and truly globalised in recent years, with curries, burgers, southern fried chicken and kebabs taking over as the go-to option on many a cooking-night-off. You can't beat the good old traditional fish and chip supper though, and even better news is that the Young’s Chip Shop range, with its unique, crisp, bubbly batter, helps you to recreate the authentic taste of the chippy at home.

It's one of the healthier takeaway/fakeaway options too, as Young’s Chip Shop Cod Fillets are made with 100% succulent white flaky Cod fillet (all responsibly sourced) and contain only 243 calories per fillet. No wonder it's the nation's favourite !

The lovely Ruth Langsford and Young’s development chef Serge Nollent have created some recipe videos to help you recreate the ultimate fish and chip supper in the comfort of your own home. I bring you Young’s Chip Shop Cod Fillets, served with homemade curry sauce, homemade chips and minted mushy peas - and you won't even have to take your slippers off and go to the chippy !

The Ultimate Chip Shop Fakeaway

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 pack of Young’s Chip Shop Cod Fillets

For the curry sauce:

1tbsp rapeseed oil

2 small shallots – finely diced

1 apple – peeled, cored and diced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1tbsp medium curry powder

1tbsp plain flour

1tsp fresh ginger – finely chopped

½ tsp tomato puree

Salt and ground black pepper

½ tsp fish stock paste

500 ml of water

For the chips :

800g potatoes - washed

4tbsp rapeseed oil

1tbsp fresh or dried thyme – chopped

1tbsp fresh or dried oregano – chopped

For the minted mushy peas :

400g frozen peas

40g melted butter

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

3 tsp fresh tarragon – chopped

3 tsp fresh mint – chopped

Method:

Curry sauce:

1. In a sauce pan on a medium heat, heat the oil and sweat the shallots until soft

2. Add the garlic, ginger and apple and sweat for a further 2-3 minutes

3. Add the tomato puree, curry powder and flour - stir well.

4. Add water and stock paste and stir again

5. Simmer for 10 mins

6. Liquidise slightly with a hand blender, making sure to retain some of the texture

Homemade chips

1. Cut potatoes roughly (not peeled) into chunky chips and leave to soak in water

2. Drain the chips well and mix the soaked chips with extra virgin rapeseed oil, oregano, thyme, and season. Bake in the oven at 200°C Fan on baking tray for 35-40 mins (adding the Chip Shop fillets to the oven 15-18 minutes into cooking)

Cook the Chip Shop Cod Fillets according to instructions on pack - place Young’s Chip Shop Cod Fillets on a wire rack over a deep baking tray and place in the oven - cook for 22 minutes at 200°C Fan

Minted mushy peas

1. Add peas to a pan of boiling water, bring back to boil and simmer for 2 mins

2. Drain well and then place in a food processor or blender

3. Add melted butter, vinegar, chopped tarragon and mint

4. Blend briefly, making sure to retain some texture

5. Season to taste

I have to admit, I'm not keen on curry sauce with fish and chips, so here's what I serve with mine : tartare sauce. I use a good quality shop-bought mayonnaise as a base, but you could make your own from scratch if you prefer. Finely chop a medium-sized gherkin, 1/2 a spring onion and some chives (as well as some capers if you want to be authentic, but nobody likes them much here at The Madhouse) then stir them all through. Delicious and so easy to knock up in minutes.

What are your favourite accompaniments when you have fish and chips? I always like to add some pickled onions to the side of the plate, along with a dollop of either ketchup or tartare sauce (and it's pretty much the only time I eat ketchup !). 

Disclosure : I received a shopping voucher in order to recreate the ultimate chip shop supper recipe.

#FreeTheFidget with ZURU's Fidget Cube and Spinner (review)

The biggest toy phenomenon of 2017 (so far at least) has definitely been fidget spinners. While children of the seventies and eighties (like me) look back fondly at Rubik’s Cubes, Cabbage Patch Dolls and Hula Hoops, fidget toys will definitely be the fad that this generation will remember in the future. Fidget spinners and cubes currently make up a whopping 46 out of 50 of the top-selling toys on amazon.com. Just like pretty much the rest of the population, the Madhouse kids are total addicts so they were over the moon to receive yet another spinner from ZURU Toys to add to their collection.

They loved the colours, which reminded them of Raving Rabbids, and you can instantly feel by the weight and smoothness of the spinning that these are higher quality than many of the cheap knock-offs flooding pound stores and market stalls. These are the real deal, featuring the latest in low-friction technology, so the ball-bearings are made from iron with zinc coating to ensure frictionless rotations for over 3 minutes of spinning action!

Something new is on the way though, which may well knock fidget spinners off the top spot. ZURU have announced an exclusive worldwide deal with Antsy Labs to manufacture and distribute the original sensation which started it all - Fidget Cube™. Specifically created for restless hands, the six-sided desk toy, which comes in eight different colours, is equipped with an array of addictive features including five clicker buttons (two of which are silenced so you won’t annoy people!), a switch to flick up and down, and a side in the design of a gaming joystick to enjoy the unusually satisfying gliding action. I must admit, I couldn't see what all the fuss was about, but once I started playing with it, it is strangely satisfying and addictive !

Headlining Fidget Cube’s global launch is the world’s most famous “finger tutter”, 23-year-old John Hunt (aka PNUT), who wowed everyone with his amazing finger dancing moves in Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off videoclip. PNUT shows off his incredible finger moves with the cube in Fidget Cube commercials and other parts of the #FreeTheFidget campaign and has to be seen to be believed!

Although some teachers and parents have reported that fidget toys can be a distraction for certain kids, Fidget Cube was originally designed to help adults and kids relieve stress whilst increasing focus and productivity. Brothers Mark and Matthew McLachlan, who are both long-time fidgeters, developed Fidget Cube in order to destigmatize fidgeting saying, “It’s not uncommon to hear fidgeting being spoken about negatively. However, this behaviour isn’t one that should continue to be mocked as inappropriate.”

Whilst there have not been any conclusive studies on the benefits of fidget  toys, many people feel they do relieve workplace stress and can be a helpful tool for children. It’s thought that kids with special needs such as autism and other sensory disorders, in particular, can benefit from the use of sensory toys and activities to allow them to focus and concentrate on learning or another activity without disruption.

Available in eight colours, Fidget Cube is available in major UK retailers including Smyths, Tesco, Asda, Argos, Toys R Us and The Entertainer, selling for £9.99 each. 

For more information : http://www.zurufidget.com/

Disclosure : We received the products in order to write an honest review.

Book review : The Caller - Chris Carter

This week, as I told you in my exclusive interview with author and criminal psychologist Chris Carter, a new Robert Hunter thriller has hit the shelves, and it's just as gripping and unputdownable as the previous ones. As he says himself, what turns Chris Carter's novels into a literary white knuckle ride is that his readers can put themselves in the victims' shoes and imagine the terrifying scenes.

So picture this ... the phone rings, it's your best friend on video call. As the phone pans back, you see that he or she is being held captive. A chilling voice tells you that he has placed a bet with your friend and if you manage to answer two simple questions correctly - questions that any friends should be able to answer without a second's hesitation - the nightmare will end. It couldn't be simpler, right? 

Chris Carter is an absolute master of the genre, still managing to come up with a multitude of shocking and original ways of killing off his victims. The power of the writing comes from the psychological element - for the victims, the mental torture is even worse than the physical pain and for the reader, the horror of the scene is intensified by the fact that you can empathise with them, rather than the gore. In fact, much as I love Chris Carter's novels, I'd advise him to rein in the gore factor slightly - for the last two books, even as a not-very-squeamish crime fiction lover, I've had to skip a few paragraphs because the scene unfolding was just too horrific. Sometimes less is more and the images that the reader's mind can conjure up are more than adequate, without going into overly graphic details of torture and violence.

What sets Chris Carter's work apart from the others is that you frequently end up understanding the killer's mindset and even agreeing with part of his motive. While, obviously, nobody deserves to be horrifically tortured and mutilated, the victims are carefully selected in a way that makes him seem somehow less ruthless than a serial killer picking off totally random victims.

star rating : 4.5/5

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (23 Feb. 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1471156303
• ISBN-13: 978-1471156304
• Product Dimensions: 15.3 x 3.4 x 23.4 cm

(The hardback is currently only £5 on amazon, reduced from £12.99, or the paperback £4.79 instead of £7.99)

Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.

Brittany diaries : A tale of two villages, Hanvec and Le Faou

On our traditional summertime jaunt down to see the in laws in Finistère, Brittany, we drove around to a few of the local villages. They're very small and have very little to offer except for a boulangerie and a café-bar, but they do have a lot of traditional Breton architecture and features on show. This is the town hall in Hanvec, proudly displaying the flags of Brittany, France and Europe (all a bit poignant in this doubt-riddled era of Brexit). This town hall is also a bit famous (or infamous) locally because it hit the news when someone uncovered an old WWII shell and had the (not) great idea of taking it to the town hall to dispose of it ! The building used to be a pigeon-keeper's house which is why there are rows of holes up near the roof. Only the nobility were allowed to keep pigeons and doves in the Middle Ages apparently.

 The parish church of St Pierre gave us a good giggle because the bells bonged really loudly just as I took these photos, making Sophie jump out of her skin !

Next we headed a little bit further along the river, to the town on Le Faou (pronounced le foo). As you can see, it has a very similar style of church.

This would have been a nice family photo on the bridge into town, but Pierre has obviously got the grumps for some reason ! (I think he wanted to go home because it was starting to drizzle !)

This is classed as a "petite cité de caractère" and you can see why - every single one of the houses looks traditional and well-preserved.

There are lots of signs around the town, pointing out the landmarks and architectural features. Medieval half-timbered houses with wooden panels are particularly prevalent here and explain why the town is considered one of the prettiest in France.

They look German or Austrian to me - I could imagine them in the Tyrolean mountains !

There is not one single building that looks out of place. Even the shops are quaint and old-fashioned looking. You'll find crêperies and restaurants but no McDonalds or kebab shops here !

 As is often the case in France, you suddenly stumble across a poignant reminder of the war years. In Le Faou, at the heart of the town is "La Place des Fusillés et Résistants", the square of those shot by firing squad and of the members of the resistance.

Just in front of the town hall, we came across a fabulous concept that we'd never seen before - a garden shed transformed into a "cabane à don", a "gifting cabin". It's basically a free charity shop - you can come in and drop off anything you don't need any more and help yourself to anything that catches your eye. There were books, puzzles, clothes and lots of bric à brac.

Pierre got his smile back because he found a Smurf Pez dispenser and a magic book, while Sophie grabbed some rusty old candle holder lanterns (that will need some TLC), a mirror and a book.

 After a walk around the church spotting gargoyles, we headed back to the car. 

 There was one final stop before going back to Daoulas - a tiny little beach called Glugeau. This is also typical of the region, with a muddy/sandy cove strewn with oyster shells and seaweed that backs up into woodland and one road heading back up to the nearest town or village.

There are so many little coves and beaches that you can pretty much have the place to yourselves.

After a spot of crab-hunting and stone-skimming, we gave up before the rain set in and headed for home.

An interview with Chris Carter, novelist and criminal psychologist

Chris Carter is one of my favourite authors, so I was very excited to learn that he had a new book coming out this summer - The Caller, published on the 27th July. I was even more excited when Simon & Schuster asked me if I'd like to interview him. Here are the questions I asked him :

- Hi Chris. I love reading your books and am always amazed at the seemingly endless number of original and unexpected ways you manage to come up with for killing people off. How do you still manage to find new ideas?

I am always looking for different ideas. Sometimes I will read something on a newspaper, or see something in a movie or on the streets, or hear something on the radio that will sparkle some new idea in my brain. I then usually add to it to come up with something a little different. I also do a lot of research, especially medieval torturing. A lot of mad ideas can come from that.

- I occasionally have to skip a few paragraphs in your books when it all gets too much (the reading equivalent of hiding behind a cushion for the scary bits in horror films !) - the disc sander episode from I Am Death remains engraved in my memory, even if I squealed and skipped to the next chapter without reading it in full ! What do you think is the key to catching your readers' imagination so they will be wide-eyed and white-knuckled as they turn the pages?

I think that keeping the scenes as close to reality as possible helps a lot when it comes to catching readers’ imaginations. If I come up with a murder method that is too unbelievable, readers won’t relate to it. Keeping everything as close to reality as possible allows readers to not only imagine the crime happening, but also imagine that it could happen to them, or to someone they know. If they can imagine it happening to them, then chances are that I will have a wide-eyed and white-knuckled reader.

- Do you find that people (friends, neighbours, family, ...) look at you differently after reading your books and seeing how dark and twisted some of the characters are ?!

It does happen, yes. Not very long ago I had someone ask my partner if she wasn’t scared of sleeping next to someone who could come up with plots, villains and murders in the way I do.

- I started one of my reviews with the line : For me, picking up a Chris Carter novel is like pushing my feet into my favourite pair of fluffy slippers. I know the enjoyment is going to be immediate and intense and the aches and pains of the day will instantly evaporate as I get swept up into a maelstrom of terror, horror and excitement.

Is it the same for you when you sit down to write a new book? Do you jump straight back into killer thriller writer mode or is it hard to get into the right mindset?

Wow, thank you so much. That’s very kind of you. I’m very flattered.

Well, I do love writing, and I do get into the writing mindset straight away, but some days are a lot harder than others. As I start a new novel, I am always very excited. I usually take a long break between books – one to two months – depending on how late I was with delivering the previous book. After being away from writing for such a long time, I am itching to get back into it. My main problem is that I never have a whole story in my head when I start writing. I usually only have the main plot idea. The rest of the story is developed as I write. Because of that, my writing process goes a little like a snowball. It takes a little while to pick up momentum. The first quarter of the book will move quite slowly, as I organize the story and the sequence of events in head. I then get faster and faster, write for longer and longer.

- Do you have a specific routine for writing? Any advice for budding writers?

I do have a specific routine, yes. I always start my days by reading what I wrote the day before and editing as much as I can. I will then work all day until I reach my desired target (usually a certain number of words) Some days I will get there quite quickly, others I will write all the way into the evening before getting there.

- Do you have one particular favourite character from your books? Do you prefer the good guys or the bad guys in general?

I guess that obviously, Hunter is my favourite character, but there are a few other ones that I had great fun creating and writing them – Mr. J in The Caller, Lucien in An Evil Mind, D King in The Crucifix Killer, Mollie in The Executioner, to name a few.

I don’t really mind writing good guys or bad ones. Once I get into the character, I’m off.

- Who are your favourite writers? What/who inspired you to start writing?

The truth is that I don’t really have a favourite writer and I was not inspired to write by anyone. I never even thought about being a writer until I had a dream about a story, which turned out to be The Crucifix Killer, my first novel. I do respect every single author out there, because this is a tough job, I just don’t have a favourite one.

- Thanks Chris.

Chris Carter's new novel, The Caller, is published today. My review will be live very soon - in the meantime, you might like to check out my reviews for some of his other books : An Evil Mind, I Am Death, One By One and The Death Sculptor. 

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (27 July 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 147115632X
• ISBN-13: 978-1471156328

Check out these beardy-weirdies ! (Braun S3 #Shave&Style review)

Braun sent a lovely surprise in the post for Madhouse Daddy recently - their S3 Shave&Style, which is a 3-in-1 Electric Cordless Wet and Dry Shaver with Precision Trimmer and 5 Comb Attachments.

These allow you to choose between clean shaving or your desired stubble length for precision beard trimming and styling so that you can get the exact look you want. To give us some inspiration, they included a pack of beard cards in the box and the extended Madhouse family were in fits of giggles trying out some new looks.

I give you ... Madhouse Grandad. This actually quite suits him, in a weird sort of way.

My sister Emily - this is just freaky !

Her boyfriend Jordan, doing a good impression of David Bellamy "in the shwubbery".

This is my favourite - my mum looks like an honorary member of the Hairy Bikers !

But she could also get a bit in Planet of the Apes or a dodgy western !

All Jordan needs is a bit of designer stubble and he could perfect the wannabe boys band look.

Emily looks ready to jump on a Harley Davidson and go vrooming off into the sunset.

Er no, that just killed that one !

All he needs is a parrot on his shoulder - Johnny Depp, eat your heart out !

If this motley crew haven't put you off beards for life, check out @Braun_Grooming and the #Shave&Style hashtag to see how everyone else is styling it out.

Disclosure : We were gifted a Braun Shave&Stye and a pack of beard cards.