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Into the Wild

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Jon Krakauer

1999-02
An intriguing and thought provoking read. This book is more than just a biography or epilogue on the life of Chris McCandless. The author does a great job of tracing the last 2 years of McCandless' life while also setting other examples of man vs. wild at counterpoint.

Writing Style
Krakauer has a fabulous eye for detail, a great vocabulary, and his writing shows an intense passion for the outdoors. The descriptions of places, people and events were so vivid and engrossing that I feel as though I have a personal familiarity with many of the locations and events portrayed in the novel.

Even though Krakauer obviously has some of his own opinions and thoughts about the events, he did a fairly good job of presenting ... Read More:

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Every Now and Then (9/11 Series)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Karen Kingsbury

November 11, 2008
A few weeks ago, Zondervan sent me an advance reader's copy of Karen Kingsbury's new novel, Every Now & Then. I'm a huge fan of Karen's writing and love to read, so I couldn't wait to dive into her latest book. I have to say, I was not disappointed.

The main character, Alex Brady, lost his father on September 11th, a day that many of us wish we could forget. The reality, however, is that what happened seven years ago still affects many people in our world today. They remain trapped in their pain and grief, leaving them unable to move past the devastating losses they experienced that tragic day.

In the book, Alex's mother commented that she didn't only lose a husband that day, she also lost a son. The victims of 9/11 go ... Read More:

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Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: J. K. Rowling

1999
Well, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is longer than the first two HP books, but not better. I suppose that we have lost a bit of our wonder at Harry's world, but this book seems to be a slight let down from the high levels we enjoyed in the first two books. Nevertheless, we have a totally different start to this book than we had in the previous books.

Rowling continues to feed our curiosities by supplying new and different experiences and new twists and turns in the HP story. With the introduction to Sirius Black, and of dementors, to the main plot, Rowling takes the HP series towards a more mature tone and loses a bit of the whimsey that the first two books had. I thik Rowling does a very good job at telling a very good story while ... Read More:

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The Unforgiven

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Alan Lemay

2009-05
Well, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is longer than the first two HP books, but not better. I suppose that we have lost a bit of our wonder at Harry's world, but this book seems to be a slight let down from the high levels we enjoyed in the first two books. Nevertheless, we have a totally different start to this book than we had in the previous books.

Rowling continues to feed our curiosities by supplying new and different experiences and new twists and turns in the HP story. With the introduction to Sirius Black, and of dementors, to the main plot, Rowling takes the HP series towards a more mature tone and loses a bit of the whimsey that the first two books had. I thik Rowling does a very good job at telling a very good story while ... Read More:

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Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Anthony Bourdain

May 22, 2000
Kitchen Confidential is a must read for anyone who has ever set foot in the backrooms of a restaurant. Bourdain captures the environment with all its stresses, off-colored language and cooking pride. Kitchen Confidential reads similar to a feature on VH1's Behind the Music as Bourdain battles with his own demons and finds success after many years of debauchery. I have been a fan of Bourdain's No Reservation on the Travel Channel for quite awhile and now as an author. The book lead me to another Bourdain project called the Les Halles Cookbook which has inspired me to spend more time in the favorite room of my house, the kitchen. Thank you, Tony!

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Goodnight Bush: A Parody

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Gan Golan, Erich Origen

May 27, 2008
This was funny, sad and true. I'm glad I got it when I did as I doubt these will be around much longer. The seller provided it as promised and well within the shipment window promised.

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Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Jeff Lindsay

September 19, 2006
I just can't get enough of this character. Jeff Lindsay isn't writing fast enough, I want it NOW!

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Guns,Germs, and Steel

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Jared Diamond

October 25, 1998
I've seen so many critiques and reviews on the internet, from scholars and professional reviewers, that seem like they haven't even read the book. For almost every critique that can be raised, Jared Daimond addresses it in his book already. If you will just read the book yourself, in its entirety, you will see what I mean. This book and the broad explanations he puts forward are pretty much beyond reproach, not least because of their broad scope.

Many criticisms can be refuted because the book focuses on the broadest patterns of history, taken over timespans of several hundred years or more.

Another essential point to keep in mind before critiquing is that Daimond distinguishes between proximate and ultimate factors, and raises this distinction ... Read More:

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Nights in Rodanthe

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Nicholas Sparks

July 01, 2003
I have to say the beginning of this book gave me a big warning that the writing was going to be very elementary and to top it all of a sappy love story. I like love stories which is why I picked this book up, but the writing was horrible! I can't believe this is a best selling author. I remember a few year back I read the notebook and a walk to remember and I at least liked those. I was disappointed and I wish he would have done a better job selling the reader this story.

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A Dog Named Christmas

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Kincaid, Greg

November 04, 2008
I loved this book. It is a very touching story and an easy and quick read. I also have a dog named Christmas and I got it to read to her and my kids. We all loved it!

Happy Holidays!