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The Official Highway Code

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Reference
by: Department for Transport, Driving Standards Agency

September 28, 2007
As has been mentioned - all drivers should have a copy of this book as it lays out very simply exactly what you should and shouldn't do in most situations on the road.
So many of us drive, ride or use the roads and we need to understand the ground rules - for less than the price of a pint, you can use it to dazzle your team-mates in pub quizzes, or settle those perennial arguements (what is the speed limit for a van on a dual carraigeway anyway?).
It's an absolute bargain - so if you find yourself frustrated by modern road designs and signs, or get confused by how to deal with some of the strange new junctions - get a copy.

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The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

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by: Nassim Nicholas Taleb

February 28, 2008
I think the reviews here probably sum this book up quite well. There is a realtively simple, and as far as I can see, valid point being made, but the book is written in a long-winded, verbose style, which I found very off-putting. I agree with the reviewers who point out that the strongest message to emerge is that the author considers himself to be very, very clever.
For instance, there is a lot of space devoted to discussion of the bell-shaped curve, or normal distribution, which forms the basis for many types of statistics. Some variables, such as height and weight are normally distributed. However, other variables, such as personal wealth, and many things related to economics, have a very skewed distribution, hence sayings like the ... Read More:

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The Official DSA Theory Test for Car Drivers and The Official Highway Code 2008/09 Edition: And the Official Highway Code: Valid for Theory Tests Taken from 1 September 2008

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Reference
by: Driving Standards Agency

July 21, 2008
I think the reviews here probably sum this book up quite well. There is a realtively simple, and as far as I can see, valid point being made, but the book is written in a long-winded, verbose style, which I found very off-putting. I agree with the reviewers who point out that the strongest message to emerge is that the author considers himself to be very, very clever.
For instance, there is a lot of space devoted to discussion of the bell-shaped curve, or normal distribution, which forms the basis for many types of statistics. Some variables, such as height and weight are normally distributed. However, other variables, such as personal wealth, and many things related to economics, have a very skewed distribution, hence sayings like the ... Read More:

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Passing the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) and BMAT 2008 (Student Guides to University Entrance) (Student Guides to University Entrance)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Reference
by: Felicity Taylor, Rosalie Hutton, Glenn Hutton

April 21, 2008
The book will help you mainly for the abstract reasoning and decision analysis. However the verbal reasoning section is terrible. A lot of the answers are wrong and provide invalid explanations.
Helpful? Some parts
Worth the money? No
Better alternatives? Buy the succeeding the UKCAT book.

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Make the Most of Your Time on Earth: a Rough Guide to the World: 1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences (Rough Guides Reference Titles)

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by: Rough Guides

September 27, 2007
I love this book; the romantic style of writing and stunning photography makes you want to travel immediately!
There is good coverage of the whole world, including a decent section on the UK, and includes a wide variety of experiences from hang-gliding in Rio de Janeiro to ghost-hunting in York, to camel riding in Oman, and it also includes festivals.
It is beautifully presented with stunning photography and has experiences arranged by country in the index which makes navigating the book easier. It also includes an appendix with a few lines of useful information about each experience, for example a website.

This book is not one that provides much practical information for planning a trip, but is perfect to give inspiration for ... Read More:

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I Before E (Except After C): Old-School Ways to Remember Stuff

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Reference
by: Judy Parkinson

August 09, 2007

This is a little gem of a book; I bought it thinking it would give me helpful ways of knowing and remembering more about grammar - but it's so much more than this.

The whole book is about mnemonics and rhymes as memory aids, grouped into 17 themed categories as listed in the contents page, which is viewable on the 'Search Inside' feature.

This book is ideal for flicking open and dipping into whatever page it lands on as it not only cites fascinating facts/trivia it also provides the means for remembering them!

To give a flavour of the diversity of information in this book, here's a rhyme which caught my attention (I hope the information's accurate!) on what's good to choose for firewood:

Beech wood ... Read More:

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Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food: Recipes from "The F Word"

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by: Gordon Ramsay

May 03, 2007
Don't buy this book uness you're sure you like Gordon's style. As with most fast food stuff, it doesn't present a realistic timescale which can cover everything you need to put into a meal. I don't usually eat my carbo stuff separately from the rest, but find eg spuds are presented as a separate recipe. Most of the recipes need contstant attention to the main ingredients to get quick timing. Unless you're going for size 0 this is normal length cookery.

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"Who Do You Think You Are?" Encyclopedia of Genealogy: The Definitive Reference Guide to Tracing Your Family History

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Reference
by: Nick Barratt

September 01, 2008
Don't buy this book uness you're sure you like Gordon's style. As with most fast food stuff, it doesn't present a realistic timescale which can cover everything you need to put into a meal. I don't usually eat my carbo stuff separately from the rest, but find eg spuds are presented as a separate recipe. Most of the recipes need contstant attention to the main ingredients to get quick timing. Unless you're going for size 0 this is normal length cookery.

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Moleskine Pocket Weekly Notebook Soft: 18 Months (July 2008 - December 2009): 18 Months (Moleskine 18 Month Diaries)

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by: Moleskine

May 10, 2008
Don't buy this book uness you're sure you like Gordon's style. As with most fast food stuff, it doesn't present a realistic timescale which can cover everything you need to put into a meal. I don't usually eat my carbo stuff separately from the rest, but find eg spuds are presented as a separate recipe. Most of the recipes need contstant attention to the main ingredients to get quick timing. Unless you're going for size 0 this is normal length cookery.

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Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says About Us): Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Reference
by: Tom Vanderbilt

August 28, 2008
As a typical American who drives to work, traffic is a huge part of my life. Why we do what we do (road rage; careless driving; passive-aggressive driving) has fascinated me for years. Vanderbilt is a journalist who went to the experts rather than trying to answer the questions himself. Some of the answers go all the way back to our evolution. Some answers seem intuitively right, if difficult to prove; many seem counter-intuitive, and some have no answers yet.

What puts this book above and beyond what I ordinarily read is how useful it is. I honestly feel I'm a safer driver for having read it and may live longer to read more great books from these insights. I can't recommend it highly enough for anyone who cycles, walks in the vicinity of cars, ... Read More: