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Gomorrah: Italy's Other Mafia

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Roberto Saviano

October 03, 2008

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Shakespeare: The World as a Stage (Eminent Lives)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Bill Bryson

April 01, 2008
A neat little book exploring what little we know about Shakespeare's life. Bryson hasn't had the easiest of tasks, trying to work a coherent life out of such scant information and vague references to Shakespeare during his lifetime, and all in all he's done well.

It starts a little dry, and the small details get a bit overwhelming - but then, there is little emotive material to work with so detail is there is to offer. Where Bryson excels is in fleshing out these patchy details with other interesting information about the theatrical conventions of the time, life in Stratford and London, and other literary types who surrounded Shakespeare. In doing so he turns this into a much more interesting biography than it would otherwise ... Read More:

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The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Alison Weir

November 22, 2007
After watching the TV series the Tudors. I was interested in finding out more about the real events. This book is fantastic I couldn't put it down and will be buying more books by Alison Weir.

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Anyone Can Do It: My Story

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Duncan Bannatyne

September 03, 2007
I bought this book thinking that the other reviews may have talked it up a lot but I thought it was great! My opinion of Duncan Bannatyne has totally changed too! I never had much of an opinion on him before but now im totally inspired by his achievements! It's hard to put the book down!

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Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Barack Obama

June 05, 2008
This book has been written with great literary flair. Every place in which Barack Obama has lived or which he has visited is described with the skill of a great travel-writer; every person, every social setting is graphically and memorably brought to life. His independently-minded maternal grandparents, white folk who had themselves eloped against the wishes of the grandmother's father, had no theory about racial equality but simply assumed it and were shocked when their surroundings did not. Apart from the fact that the grandfather had itchy feet, that may have been one of the reasons why they left Texas and moved to Hawaii, which was more racially tolerant than mainland America. When their daughter married Barack senior, a black Kenyan whom she had met ... Read More:

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Perverting the Course of Justice: The Hilarious and Shocking Inside Story of British Policing

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Inspector Gadget

September 02, 2008
Pretty much confirms what everyone suspects, the criminal underclass have nothing to fear from our criminal justice system. It's quite clear that we need 250,000 prison places ASAP and a lot more Inspector Gadgets who know the wrong 'uns to bang-up for some serious porridge. It'll never happen of course.

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The Diving-bell and the Butterfly

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Jean-Dominique Bauby

May 07, 2008
This is possibly the worst situation anyone could ever be in yet, Bauby tried his hardest to remain positive and showed heroic humour throughout the entire book. Whilst an unbelievably sad situation, the book is not depressing.

You can read the whole book quite quickly. Even those who don't read often can enjoy this reasonably short story with a huge positive impact.

For me, this book has reunited myself with the life we are supposed to be living. Appreciating whatever little we might have, whether it be the ability of complete or limited physical movement, or material possessions, we are unable to enjoy them if we don't appreciate them.

We must stop and smell the flowers more, or watch a butterfly in action when we have the opportunity. ... Read More:

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Miracles of Life: Shanghai to Shepperton : an Autobiography

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: J.G. Ballard

September 01, 2008
I won't give a synopsis since this has already been done ably by other reviewers. Why this autobiography 'worked' for me is that Mr Ballard has reflected his past experiences to his present situation so movingly, and with characteristic modesty. As a young man he considered his unusual childhood to be of little interest to anyone; only late on in his life has it provided him with explicit material for fiction - and now, with this account - for fact - only latterly has he recognised that he had unconsciously used his childhood experiences as literary motifs.

Judging by his enthusiasm that came through in the middle part of the book, I suspect that Mr Ballard derived most satisfaction in his life from raising his three children on his own following the tragic death of his ... Read More:

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Rush: The Autobiography

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Ian Rush

August 21, 2008
This book suffers from being badly written, which is a shame because Ian Rush was a hero to me when I was growing up. I was looking forward to this book and to be fair the first few chapters were reasonably entertaining, but before long it became the cliched football autobiography and there are long sections explaining the fine details of certain games. As a Liverpool fan, I am aware of these games and I can watch them on DVD if need be; there is nothing more boring than a running commentary of runs, dribbles and passes. Maybe it's because Rushy was naturally a quiet person that there doesn't seem to be too many really interesting anecdotes in this book, however his revelations about not originally warming to Kenny Dalglish and his opinions of his team mates at Juventus are quite interesting. ... Read More:

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All Balls and Glitter: My Life

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Craig Revel Horwood

September 04, 2008
What a read! Craig is as honest and straightforward as you'd expect and so open about his life. His no holds barred style really takes you through the highs and lows, the laughter and the tears. It's a must-read for Strictly fans. I couldn't put it down.