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

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Duncan Hamilton

May 06, 2008
Excellent, straightforward sports biography, distinguished by Hamilton's closeness to his subject and the resulting 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; it's to Hamilton's credit that it never seems like obsession as, throughout, he is remarkably clear-eyed about Clough's ... Read More:

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The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Alison Weir

November 22, 2007
An extremely readable book. The author gives a wonderfully real picture of the wives and the King and why the various relationships ultimately ended. History comes alive in this book and I can't pay a higher compliment than that.

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Mein Kampf

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Adolf Hitler

November 21, 2007
Well, may be I m going against the flow here, but this book, is one of the most boring, poorly written, waste of money and paper i ve ever read for ages.. Its full of hate, written by a guy who throw up his bitterness and hate of everything non German during pages after pages after pages..., like you would throw up when You re drunk....

It s brilliant to put you to sleep if you ve got insomnia though...

we all know about the context in which it was written and what it lead to. so, no need to make some fuss about it and call it a must read. when it s an absolute piece of human junk.and fuel for hate...
well. i read it.. did not like it, .. but that s my personal opinion.

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"Westlife": Our Story

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Westlife

June 16, 2008
This was fantastically interested, and reflected what a great bunch of very talented men they are - with full on senses of humour, I have had several late nights now as I couldnt put the book down, lying there laughing til tears came out! Especially the bit about meeting the Pope!
Amazing the pressure they were under at times, and even starting young managed to keep their heads.
If they think others believe it is cool to slag off westlife (shame on them) remember the same happened to ABBA and they are still a well respected band also with amazing voices and talent.
WESTLIFE - PLEASE COME BACK TO NEW ZEALAND, & YOUR LATEST SONG SOUNDS FAB!
GOD has blessed you with amazing talent and good looks, all those prayers by your Mothers paid off! ... Read More:

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Humble Pie

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Gordon Ramsay

May 01, 2007
Having read Hell's Kitchen I now feel that I understand Gordon Ramsay's personality a little better. His fanatical pursuit of perfection seems to be as a result of his difficult childhood. However I wonder if his constant use of the f word is entirely necessary as all it really shows is lack of vocabulary. This makes me feel that maybe nowadays he continues to use it for effect in print and on the small screen.
He is obviously very passionate about his restaurants and the meals they produce. He admits that the UK is still a long way behind the rest of Europe in terms of decent places to eat outside the big cities, a depressing but true fact. He hopes that things will improve slowly and that he has a part to play in improving the future eating habits of the British. ... Read More:

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In Cold Blood : A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (Penguin Modern Classics)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Truman Capote

February 03, 2000
I read this book over several weeks yet every time I picked it up I was able to get straight back into the story. I think this is slightly due to the style of writing giving out accurate information in a chronological order similar to a long running news story.

Capote's writing is always brilliant whatever he writes about. There is no word wasted here, no over the top descriptions just a very gripping true story told from every angle. He doesnt judge anyone involved but gives enough detail to make you sympathise 'almost' with the killers.

Before reading this book the only story I knew of Kansas was the Wizard of OZ which also evokes the huge plains where farming is the main source of income, windy and lonesome with god fearing, hard working farming folk ... Read More:

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My Life, My Way

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Cliff Richard

September 01, 2008
Yet another biography of Cliff's life to coincide with his 50 years in showbusiness, but by just another of the long line of authors who wrote about Cliff Richard.

I had high expectations of this release, but it consists of bulk of text information which has been said before but is up to date in this release. The BIG disappointment is a SMALL selected pages of obscure pictures segmented in between the bulk of text. Absolutely no memorabilia photos, album covers, film photos to journal his 50 years in showbusiness etc. There's a wealth of photos the author could have delved into.

I've seen other artists books that are treasured with pictures covering all aspects of their career and also a terrific written bigraphical account. But not in this new Cliff Richard book! ... Read More:

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What's Going On?: The Meanderings of a Comic Mind in Confusion

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Mark Steel

August 04, 2008
I've read a couple of Mark Steel's other books, so I kind of knew what to expect. However, this has more depth and poignancy. That'll be due to age, I reckon (both his and mine).

His humour doesn't always work for me, but there is enough here to more than satisfy. Besides, I like it that his humour has a point to it and that, while he sometimes picks easy targets, he's never nasty or vicious. What I most liked was the sense of truth in his telling of how confusing things have become as he has got older. Also, the story of his marriage breakdown is told, as another reviewer mentions, withough bitterness and with due regard to privacy. Really not sure what one of the other reviewers means about him being 'grumpy'. Quite the opposite, I'd have said. Even when he is getting hacked off ... Read More:

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Enter the Dragon

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Theo Paphitis

May 15, 2008
This book is worth buying just for the fantastic business advice contained
in the last chapter (21). It makes for easy reading, even as a slow reader I did it in 3 days as this life story is of someone very likeable and interesting from a humble background, but if like me you won't hear any talk of football or sport then you will have to skip 50 pages of tripe: chapters 17 & 18 where he chronicles the ins and outs of managing Millwall FC, YAWN!

Its the third of the Dragons Den type books that I have read and in my opinion this is ranked number two out of three. I bought all of these books to learn something about business and in this way Theo's book (2nd place) is not nearly as good as Peter Jones's Tycoon (1st place) but it is better than Duncan Bannatyne's Anyone Can Do ... Read More:

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Moab is My Washpot

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biography
by: Stephen Fry

August 05, 2004
like all stephen fry's book this one was brilliant. a fantastic author. once i started reading i could hardly put it down. it's got me started on reading all of his others.