Average Rating:

.

Firefight

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Chris Ryan

September 25, 2008
You know what to expect when you start reading a Chris Ryan novel. The formula has been well established by now and the author has become, over time, extremely proficient at his work. Readers familiar with Mr Ryan's style will naturally expect certain elements to be present in the work - the trademark action sequences and procedural details, for example - but many reviews of the authors' last few novels seem to suggest that, in doing so, the work has lost some of the immediacy that Mr Ryan's earlier novels undoubtedly possessed. An unfair assessment, to say the very least!

Firefight is certainly one of the best novels Ryan has written in many years, and that is said by a reader who has greatly enjoyed the most recent offerings, ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Notes from an Exhibition

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Patrick Gale

January 07, 2008
I found this rather an intriguing and absorbing book. Notes From An Exhibition centres around Rachel Kelly, an artist with Bipolar disorder. The story and family secrets unfold as you read each chapter. At first I must admit I didn't know If I would like this book as the chapters jump backwards and forwards through the decades but I actually found it quite easy to read (reading The Time Traveler's Wife helped I think!) I was enveloped by Rachel and her passion for art and I loved the notes about her paintings all the way through and how they linked in to chapters throughout the book. I was engaged by the other characters in the book and would liked to have known more about Petroc who's character didn't appear to be as fully fledged as Hedley ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Making Money (Discworld)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Terry Pratchett

June 16, 2008
Making Money is a Discworld novel and features the Man in the Golden Suit, Ankh-Morpork's Postmaster Moist von Lipwig.

Moist is bored. He misses his old, more adventurous life, back when he was Albert Spangler the con artist. So when he's not running the Post Office, he likes climbing to its roof at night, and has already picked all its locks.

But when Mrs Topsy Lavish, chairwoman and owner of 50% of the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork, but owner also of Mr. Fusspot the dog who owns 1%, dies and leaves her shares to her dog and bequeaths Mr. Fusspot to Moist... he has no choice but try and make it work again.

It starts with the Mint, which actually runs at a loss. Since making coins costs too much and people are already ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

A Fraction of the Whole

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Steve Toltz

May 29, 2008
This is a book written by a boy Jasper Dean, & some parts from the eyes of his father Martin Dean. It is about their journey & adverntures through their lives. From Martin's childhood to when Jasper is born & his upbringing.The other significant character is Jasper's notorious criminal hero uncle Terry who is loved by the nation.
The book is in 3 parts which I tought was a rather good gimmick.
I personally loved the parts written by Jasper but found the philosophical ponderings of Martin tiring & boring; although he is as funny as Jasper& has a wonderful sense of humour. I laughed & chuckled many times whilst reading this book..
I felt the characters & the story were so realistic I had to check to make sure it ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The White Tiger

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Aravind Adiga

March 01, 2008
White Tiger makes an effective contrast to the tradition of the beautiful, mysterious Indian novels of Rushdie, Seth et al. Adiga shows the unpleasant underside of the Westernisation (aka Globalisation) of Mumbai - and India in general - how it fails to help the poor and how the new system relies as much on the old on corruption and the caste system.

Then of course there's the vicious murder committed by an intriguing anti-hero who makes a quite a convincing argument that, for the dispossessed, murder is a useful way of climbing the financial and social ladder. A very promising and entertaining first novel.

Average Rating:

.

The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Paulo Coelho

September 06, 1999
I read this because it appeared on the BBC 100 Best Reads list and had some good reviews. I was rather disappointed to say the least. The writing style is simple and lacking in depth, although it may just not translate well. The story is a parable with a message about 'following one's dream'. Although this message is repeated frequently the story line is a bit forced and ends as something of a shaggy dog story. It's a bit like a cross between an Aesop's fable and a self-help book, with a bit of half-baked philosophy in the mix. I think it would appeal to older children and those who like something cheerful and unchallenging.

Average Rating:

.

Devil May Care (James Bond)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Sebastian Faulks

May 28, 2008
It's my own fault that I really didn't enjoy this book. Faulks makes it clear that he is writing as Ian Flemming. Whether he achieves this I will leave to those more qualified than I. However from reading other reviews opinions seem to be mixed. I suppose I had hoped that he would inject a bit of the Faulks magic into Bond.

Devil May Care is almost completely devoid of insight or interesting observation, the plot is thin and unconvincing and place description so cursory you felt you could be virtually anywhere. The characters are superficial and the twist frankly risible.

One might feel that Faulks attempts to rehabilitate Bonds reputation as a sexual predator was worthy except for the way in which he then associates this with a loss of secret ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Got You Back

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Jane Fallon

August 15, 2008
I read this as a bit of light relief from the normal crime novels that I read. It was funny in parts and easy to read, as other reviewers have said, it starts off well with the plans for revenge but then this does tend to ease up as the storyline focuses on Stephanie's new relationship. Her new boyfriend has zero personality and I couldn't take to him at all. As for the rest of the cast, Stephanie, James and Katie are reasonably well depicted, and generally it's a mildly amusing book, I did feel almost sorry for James at times, especially after the phone call to the London vets about the dead dog.
In summary, it's not the funniest book I've ever read but not a bad read.

Average Rating:

.

The Final Reckoning

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
by: Sam Bourne

August 04, 2008
It takes me a while to get involved in books but this one I stuck with. Although the idea behind it was good there is no real story, and eventually the writer goes off at a tangent and is not talking about the present story line, but another one set 50 years in the past.

He also spends far too much time describing the 'passion' between the two lead characters which seemed to come from no where but still be a dominant part of the story for some reason.

I think the writer was too involved in this story, and as such kept leading off at tangents which ultimately made me lose interest.

Average Rating:

.

A World of Difference: An Anthology of Short Stories from Five Continents

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Fiction
from: Palgrave Macmillan

July 02, 2008
It takes me a while to get involved in books but this one I stuck with. Although the idea behind it was good there is no real story, and eventually the writer goes off at a tangent and is not talking about the present story line, but another one set 50 years in the past.

He also spends far too much time describing the 'passion' between the two lead characters which seemed to come from no where but still be a dominant part of the story for some reason.

I think the writer was too involved in this story, and as such kept leading off at tangents which ultimately made me lose interest.