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Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage: A Cultural Journey Through the Mediterranean from Venice to Istanbul

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Francesco Da Mosto

July 10, 2008
This is a wonderful journey, with a man that enjoys life, it made me want to do the exact same thing as him, read, relax and travel with Frankie.

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Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Tim Butcher

January 03, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it a great blend of interesting history and a fascinating insight into the modern-day Congo. I was genuinely gripped by the descriptions of the suffering going on there and horrified at my lack of awareness. The descriptions of his travel were secondary for me but were well-written and interesting. The only bits of the book that grated for me were his constant reminders of the dangers he was facing and the amount he was suffering which, on a backdrop of the Congolese people who were genuinely suffering and had no way of escape, felt unfair and over-stated. Other than that it was a great read nad I would highly recommend it.

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Friends Like These

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Danny Wallace

July 03, 2008
You will laugh out loud and you will warm to this writer from the start! It brings back memories of your childhood and all the sweets, TV shows and characters that go with it. I haven't read his other books but I will be buying them right away, and recommending this one to all my friends. Danny Wallace may seem a bit odd when you see him on the telly but this book gets you to the heart of a guy who is naturally very funny.

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Make the Most of Your Time on Earth: a Rough Guide to the World: 1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences (Rough Guides Reference Titles)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Rough Guides

September 27, 2007
This book is massive: make sure you have a strong coffee table! It has lots of places you have never heard of in it with really useful ideas why you should go at that time of year. I noticed one error where they put you should go to place X in May but the wrote up was in the Feb section; this only happened once although I have not yet read all of it.

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The Discovery of France

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Graham Robb

July 04, 2008
This is one of the most enjoyable books i have read in recent years, written in a wonderful accessible style, it contains marvellous detail, and unusual facts about all aspects of France. This is really a first class book, and a great summer read.

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Yes Man

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Danny Wallace

April 06, 2006
This book was just fantastic. Danny Wallace is an hilarious writer. This book will really have an impact on you (it did for me anyway). Not that I went as far as to say yes to everything for half a year, but it does change how you look at things. All in all a great book that you just can't put down. If there is 1 book you buy make it this one!

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Travel: Where to Go When

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
from: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd

September 06, 2007
This is a lovely coffee table book, and I enjoyed a good couple of hours flicking through and dreaming of going to all the lovely places in it. However, when I finished I did think it hadn't offered much more than flicking through some travel brochures - something which made me question the price tag when you consider that these can be picked up for free in any travel agents.

All that said it has beautifully shot photos and has the USP of the month by month planner of the best places to go. It also tells you about some of the less well know things to do (although in some cases it misses some of the best out because of it).

I would actually give this 3 and a half stars if I could. My summary is that it is beautiful but shallow.

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Cool Camping: England (Cool Camping)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Jonathan Knight, Paul Marsden, Andy Stothert

April 28, 2008
Great revision of this essential camping guide. Now it features more
campsites across England (70 rather than the original 40), and some of the
originals have been substituted, not sure why? The photos are still first
class and the expanded 'handy information' gives a neat little overview of
what to do and where to eat & drink we loved a secret little locals pub
right on the beach in Dorset, recommended in the guide. The write-up and
information for the campsites are accurate, and the authors seem to favour
the kind of campsites I prefer - small ones with personality, rather than
the large, static caravan type. All in all another great guide from the
dependable Cool Camping dudes.

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Wild Swimming: 150 Hidden Dips in the Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls of Britain

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Daniel Start

April 21, 2008
There are very many things that I love about this book. So far I've had it a very short time and have already had an incredibly therapeutic swim, about 10 miles from where I have lived for over 20 years, which I had no idea was there. It was the most beautiful spot and the pub recommended in the book was such a find, being friendly, serving good beer and food, having a gorgeous wildflower garden and being over a thousand years old.

Having this book means I am much more likely to get out and swim in beautiful places, and not just paddle, worried about currents, debris and pond weed. So all those good intentions are finally coming good and I can entice friends along too. It's definitely going to be the basis of many UK holidays to come.

I'm also ... Read More:

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Wild Swim: River, Lake, Lido and Sea: the Best Places to Swim Outdoors in Britain

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Kate Rew

May 27, 2008
Better than the other book with a similar name by 10 stars... at least. Great swims, great pictures, excellent!