Average Rating:

.

CHINESE FOOD MADE EASY: 100 simple, healthy recipes from easy-to-find ingredients

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Ching-He Huang

July 07, 2008
What I liked about this book was the fact that the pages were not given over to extensive arty shots of ingredients at odd angles, but were packed with recipes - which, after all is why books should be bought - not just to look good on bookshelves.
The book strikes a fine balance, using authentic ingredients, but never resorting to exotics - you won't find yourself searching the Internet to order strange spices that a dish can't manage without.
Listing the recipes in logical sections was much appreciated - the next time I need a side dish for example, I can quickly turn to the relevant part of the book. Those chefs who love to replicate takeaway favourites are catered for with their own pages at the beginning of the book- a neat ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Standard Edition

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: J. K. Rowling

December 04, 2008
What I liked about this book was the fact that the pages were not given over to extensive arty shots of ingredients at odd angles, but were packed with recipes - which, after all is why books should be bought - not just to look good on bookshelves.
The book strikes a fine balance, using authentic ingredients, but never resorting to exotics - you won't find yourself searching the Internet to order strange spices that a dish can't manage without.
Listing the recipes in logical sections was much appreciated - the next time I need a side dish for example, I can quickly turn to the relevant part of the book. Those chefs who love to replicate takeaway favourites are catered for with their own pages at the beginning of the book- a neat ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Brisingr (Inheritance Cycle)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Christopher Paolini

September 20, 2008
What I liked about this book was the fact that the pages were not given over to extensive arty shots of ingredients at odd angles, but were packed with recipes - which, after all is why books should be bought - not just to look good on bookshelves.
The book strikes a fine balance, using authentic ingredients, but never resorting to exotics - you won't find yourself searching the Internet to order strange spices that a dish can't manage without.
Listing the recipes in logical sections was much appreciated - the next time I need a side dish for example, I can quickly turn to the relevant part of the book. Those chefs who love to replicate takeaway favourites are catered for with their own pages at the beginning of the book- a neat ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector's Edition (Offered Exclusively by Amazon)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: J. K. Rowling

December 04, 2008
What I liked about this book was the fact that the pages were not given over to extensive arty shots of ingredients at odd angles, but were packed with recipes - which, after all is why books should be bought - not just to look good on bookshelves.
The book strikes a fine balance, using authentic ingredients, but never resorting to exotics - you won't find yourself searching the Internet to order strange spices that a dish can't manage without.
Listing the recipes in logical sections was much appreciated - the next time I need a side dish for example, I can quickly turn to the relevant part of the book. Those chefs who love to replicate takeaway favourites are catered for with their own pages at the beginning of the book- a neat ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: P.D. James

August 28, 2008
I do love Dalgliesh mysteries. This one is no exception. I don't want to give away the mystery itself, but it's magnificently set in Dorset, an ancient manor, but with a very modern vehicle for the mystery: plastic surgery.....

My one and only dissapointment with this novel was figuring out who the murderer was way to early..... I guess I've read to many PDJames' lol!

On the plus side, without giving the plot away, was the character development.
Kate is heavily featured. She's my fav side character!!! I do wish there would be a "passing the torch to Kate novel......." She's got some complications to her love life....
Benton-Smith seems to be maturing into a more wellrounded character.
Dalgliesh is facing ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Stephenie Meyer

August 04, 2008
Breaking dawn is a amazing ending, seductive and as entertainning it is. You can enjoy this book knowing that it lives up to the past books, it twists and turns. Making a thrilling read although it could have been spread over 2 books.

Everything you knew comes and more, it makes for an interesting end to this amazing saga. I am annonyed that it has to come to an end but it certainly ends with a new way to look at Bella.

When it first switched to Jacob i was confused but when i worked it out, it actually made the book better. The ending was a bit "and they lived happily ever after..." but if you left it with a cliffhanger there would be that demand for another book. Only so many bad things can happen to a vampire and human otherwise ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The Forgotten Garden

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Kate Morton

May 29, 2008
I don't even know where to start in reviewing this book. I can't quite remember when a book drew me in and kept my attention for the duration of the novel like this one did. It was a long book but it was so engrossing I read it within a couple of days, I literally couldn't put it down. It was absolutely magical. Well done Kate Morton!

The story begins in 1913 with a very little girl who lands in Australia apparently without any history, even to the extent of not remembering her own name, only that a lady called 'the Authoress' is supposed to be looking after her and she has disappeared. She is taken in by the harbour master and his family and when no one comes forward to claim her they decide to keep her and call her Nell. Nell settles into the family ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The Road Home

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Rose Tremain

June 12, 2008
Fascinating to read so many rave reviews. I read this on a very long train journey and if I hadn't been stuck there would probably have abandoned it. Rose Tremain has a wonderful prose style and she organizes her plots really well with lots of development, but the novel didn't grip me at all. Characters were boring, situations obvious (mobile phone going off during concert, stereotypical rich/poor London, even more stereotypical run-down anonymous ex-eastern bloc country etc), the ending warm & cosy. Did nobody else find Lev deeply tedious? She is very good at doing her homework, so the top-class restaurant, police treatment of migrants, retirement home, and lots of other stuff were thoroughly credible. But I felt disappointed; maybe I'm just expecting too much.
Read More:

Average Rating:

.

No Time For Goodbye

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Linwood Barclay

June 12, 2008
No Time For Goodbye

I have to say, I enjoyed this book immensly as a page-turning sun-bed read. My only real critisism is the last page. What a load of rubbish. You'd have to read the book to understand what I mean, but basically, we are supposed to believe that after her 14 year old daughter is dragged home stinking drunk after sneaking off out to 'go parking' with the local bad boy, the mother writes her a soppy letter all about how much she loves her, and that even after she (the mother) is dead she'll always be watching over her. Yeah right! What I find even harder to believe is that no other reviewers have picked up on this, the one thing that ruined the whole book for me.

Average Rating:

.

Bones of the Hills (Conqueror 3)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Conn Iggulden

September 01, 2008
This is just as good as the other two books, wolf of the plains & lord of the bow, Book one is the best in it's own wright as a great start to a fantastic series, just buy them all you would not regret it as you cannot put the book down.
Logan1