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Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Barack Obama

June 05, 2008
Sorry, I started this book with enthusiasm and interest. I didn't finish it I'm afraid that although the style is charismatic we might become as disappointed with his leadership as his authorship.

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Dear Fatty

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Dawn French

October 02, 2008
There were aspects of DF's memoirs that I loved - the style for one, I loved the originality of writing non-existent letters to everyone from her dad (beatifully poignant) to her first snog (very amusing) to tell her tale..
And then there were the bits that I hated - it felt over-hammed at times and some of the jokes were interminable and boring. Sometimes it felt as though she was trying a little bit too hard to be 'funny Dawn French' and I was disappointed by this.
However, moving back swiftly to a final, positive note, there are letter upon letter of genuinely very moving and frank accounts of Dawn's life - from the early days and beyond - and I did enjoy reading it. I felt it was honest, sometimes gushing and at times brutal (she ... Read More:

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That's Another Story: The Autobiography

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by: Julie Walters

October 02, 2008
I was a happy bunny when I received this as a Christmas present! Julie Walters has been in the limelight a long time, but I wouldn't have called myself a 'fan' as such until more recently, when she appeared in films such as Calendar Girls, Harry Potter and Mamma Mia, and the hilarious TV drama Driving Lessons, with Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley from Harry Potter). It was Mamma Mia, though, which completely sold me on her and made me want to read her autobiography.

That's Another Story follows Julie's life from her birth and upbringing in Birmingham, to more current events. The tales of her childhood are hilarious, particularly the references to her dotty grandmother and other mad people she encountered as a child. Her rise to fame is documented ... Read More:

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At My Mother's Knee ...

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by: Paul O'Grady

September 18, 2008
I was given this book as a gift, my sister knowing what a great fan of Paul's I am and I was not disappointed! Having started the book I could not put it down. It feels as though Paul is talking you through his early life and there are excruciatingly funny moments when I laughed out loud and also very emotional moments which brought tears to my eyes. I really enjoyed reading about his family and would have loved to have met his mum - who reminds me so much of my own - very stoical, deeply loyal and very loving.

I would highly recommend this book and many congratulations to Mr Paul O'Grady MBE for an excellent, witty and emotional account of his early life. Please, please hurry up and write a second instalment and please include Buster and Olga ... Read More:

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Parky: My Autobiography

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Michael Parkinson

October 02, 2008
Got the book as a xmas pressie from my daughter. I lived in the same street as Michael Parkinson in Cudworth so much of the early part of the book was a definite trip down memory lane for me. Other reviewers have commented on the overload of cricket but as someone who knows nothing about the sport i didn't try to understand it from this book. What the cricket stories told me were more about his love for his father, his passions, his respect for sporting skill, his frustration with those that thrived on the adulation but resented the media interest and of how lifelong friendships are forged from a common love of a sport. Suppose its down to what you are looking for in an autobiog.

I found his writing style fantastic - easy, punchy and engaging. Loved ... Read More:

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Look Who it Is!: My Story

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Alan Carr

October 01, 2008
Like so many other reviewers, I couldn't put this book down. I read it on Boxing day and my partner kept giving me funny looks when I was chuckling away to myself at Alan's antics.
Alan's story goes to show that there are good times and bad times when you're a struggling artiste, but that he made it because of (and not despite) his slightly goofy look and camp, high pitched voice.
A fantastic, funny, and sometimes touching read which has left me wanting more. I hope he writes another one following on from this with stories from The Friday Night Project and The Sunday Night Project.

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Fern: My Story

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Fern Britton

November 06, 2008
Not a habitual reader of celebrity autobiogaphies, i bought this as a gift and started reading it myself, and couldn't stop! It is a poignant and insightful account of Fern's life in and out of the spotlight, and gives a fascinating picture of life behind the TV screen, and the struggle it took her to get there. In a world fascinated by the media, it's great to get a view from the inside, and a personal understanding of the way it works.

Extremely well written and structured it is really un-put-down-able! highly recommended.

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Coming Back to Me: The Autobiography of Marcus Trescothick

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by: Marcus Trescothick

September 01, 2008
I enjoy cricket and have suffered depression and anxiety so both aspects of this book interested me and I found both really well dealt with. There was a good insight into the career of a successful cricketer and its incessant lifestyle living away from home and in hotels. It is a wonder that more of them don't shout Enough and go home.

Marcus' story of his depression and anxiety was heartbreaking and it came across clearly how much he went to the depths and continues to deal with the illness. I confess it came across so strongly that I shed a tear because it brought back to me my worst times. I think it is excellent to see it brought into the open - too often mental issues are hidden away.

The story about his health I don't think would spoil ... Read More:

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Just Me

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Sheila Hancock

September 18, 2008
Just Me
Before I got as far as hearing any of it, I was slightly frustrated at having to go around trying every CD player in the house, as there was no mention on either the cover, or the Amazon description, that this was not suited to certain players. It played on 2 computers, and my clock/radio/CD, but would not play on my DVD player, nor 2 other CD players, one of which was brand new. A Bloomsbury and Amazon Blooper?

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The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > General
by: Alice Schroeder

September 29, 2008

I recently re-read Roger Lowenstein's biography, Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist (first published in 1995 and now re-issued with a new Afterword), and then read this more recent one by Alice Schroeder. Both are first-rate. Which to select if reading only one? That depends on how much you wish to know about Buffett's personal life, including his relations with various family members, and how curious you are about his personal hang-ups, peculiarities, eccentricities, fetishes, etc. If you can do without any of that, Roger Lowenstein's biography is the one to read. I also highly recommend the recently published Second Edition of The Essays of Warren Buffet: Lessons for Corporate America, with content selected, arranged, and introduced by Lawrence Cunningham.
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