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Westlife - Our Story

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Westlife

June 16, 2008
This book is absolutely brilliant, even if u are not a westlife fan i would buy it as it will change ur opinion on them. I got my book the day it came out and queued for 8hours at manchester to get it signed!!!! It shows u that Westlife arent just a cover band in suits, they are four normal lads enjoying what they do. This book makes u feel that u know the lads on a more personal level, it makes u feel like u have been on the tour bus with them, backstage before and after the shows and been through the ups and downs that they have. Also the lads write their own personal messages to fans in the book which makes u feel like that are actually talking to u. This book shows u how much Westlife really appreciates their fans.

ABSOLUTELY ... Read More:

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Cityboy: Beer and Loathing in the Square Mile

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Geraint Anderson

June 26, 2008
At a time when the credit crunch is the topic of the day, cityboy lifts the lid on the sordid underbelly of the Square Mile with humour and panache.

A compelling and entertaining read, he manages to present difficult, some might say even dull, topics in an accessible and interesting way.

In turns hilarious and thought provoking, this was a great holiday read that had me coming back for more.

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The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
from: HarperPerennial

May 05, 2008
Life would be incredibly boring without unconventional people. The Mitford's were such an interesting family. The sisters, frequently referred to as "notorious," were pre and post war celebrities, collectively carving a niche in English history. Nancy Mitford's witty writing is as readable now as in the past. Of her novels, I'm particularly fond of "The Pusuit of Love," and "Love in a Cold Climate." Nancy adroitly lampooned the aristocracy.

It's the support of fascism by Unity Mitford, who was infatuated with Hitler; and Diana Mitford's marriage to Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Fascists, which even now hasn't been forgiven. In the war years, Diana had the title "the most loathed woman in England". Although Mosley was an arrogant man ... Read More:

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Shakespeare: The World as a Stage (Eminent Lives)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Bill Bryson

April 01, 2008
Although best known for his travel writing, Bryson's books on the English language are brilliant, so it's quite appropriate to find him writing about its most famous exponent.
A huge amount has been written about Shakespeare and his life, despite the fact that very little is really known about him. Bryson keeps the focus on what is definitely known, with little forays into some of the best theories about the rest. Where nothing is known at all, the 'lost years', he chooses to explore Elizabethan London and culture instead, putting the man in context.
Informative, wry, and well researched, this debunks plenty of Shakespeare myths in an accessible and enjoyable style, and Bryson turns out to be an excellent guide.

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Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Elizabeth Gilbert

March 05, 2007
I'm afraid I cannot agree with some of the other reviews on this book. I have just started the Balinese bit and I am struggling. I could not see what the fuss was about with Italy in the Italian part of the book and during the Indian part, it just felt that the kind of detail she was putting in just made it all seem fake.
I agree that she writes very well, she is witty and I like her characters, but so far I have not been able to enjoy the book. In all, I have found it a disappointment as it was recommended to me.

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Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years with Brian Clough

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Duncan Hamilton

May 05, 2008
Excellent, straightforward sports biography, distinguished by Hamilton's closeness to his subject and the resuting intimacy of the portrait. No tricks, no fiction or imagined scenes, just sensitive writing and informed analysis of the Clough career and of a very different time in British football - a big enough story in its own right to require very little embroidery.

Duncan Hamilton makes no bones about how fortunate he was to be allowed unparalleled access to the force of nature that was Brian Clough. The portrait that emerges seems to come from something for which 'love' is maybe the only appropriate word; its to Hamilton's credit that it never seems like obsession as, throughout, he is remarkably clear-eyed about Clough's weaknesses as well as his astonishing ... Read More:

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The Game

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Neil Strauss

December 06, 2007
What a discovery!!! I bought this book as part of some research for my own book and I was very pleasantly surprised.

I never made the connection that Mr Strauss was the co-author of the much lauded Motley Crue's "The Dirt".

Ok, the stories in this book may seem a bit stretched or hard to believe, but hey, it's Americans we are talking about. What I have to say is that reading this book made me look back on my failures and successes at picking women, and it was almost uncanny to read word by word where I went right and wrong.

The Game is a bit of a cross between Queer Eye For The Straight Guy cum Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus cum any rock and roll tale of debauchery you care to think of.

Interesting but not recommendable for old school romantics ... Read More:

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The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Kate Summerscale

April 07, 2008
If you are fascinated by the hypocrisy of the Victorians, you'll love this book. If you want to read a great murder mystery, you should probably search out a work of fiction instead.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher has a wide charter: Tell the story of the murder of three-year-old Saville Kent in his English country home, describe the police investigations, relate the public reaction to the murder and investigations, detail what happened to the characters, help us understand our psychological need to read detective fiction, and provide new insight into the seeds of the crime.

Although the book claims to give us a fiction-like description of the murder and its investigation, Ms. Summerscale's writing isn't quite in the style: She's clearly a non-fiction writer. She's also not very careful ... Read More:

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Call The Midwife: A True Story Of The East End In The 1950s: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Jennifer Worth

March 06, 2008
Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. I'm currently training as a midwife and read the book with awe and fascination. It's amazing to think how much things have changed in 50 years (I'm glad I don't have to boil urine in a test tube!), but also to see how much is still the same. Not wanting to spoil the book for those who haven't read it, I'll only say that there are situations that she was in that we hopefully will never face, for which I'm glad, but it only makes my respect for her, and any others working in obstetrics at the time, increase. Her dediation to the job was inspirational and I look forward to reading the next two installments.

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The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, the Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Harry Patch, Richard Van Emden

June 02, 2008
Forget all the fuss about the last living tommy bit, this is a really nice snap shot of one mans ordinary life which happened to include a spell in the trenches of WW1.

The book gives anyone of my age (42) a snapshot of what it was like to live through 2 world wars and the simple rural life that Harry has enjoyed.

His in-sites into life before the war and then during and after are both well written and interesting, he comes across as someone who was "lucky" to survive the war and is grateful for that but also a little bitter to have been put through that in the first place.

If you read autobiographies of the rich and famous this is a good book about a normal life with some lovely stories and some horrific experiences.