Average Rating:

.

The Outcast

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Sadie Jones

June 16, 2008
This book is a brilliant read and will have you hooked from the start. It tells a strong and emotional story and will have you cringing slightly sometimes at the actions of the main character Lewis. The book is a great summer read, but is not something I would recommend to some one looking for a light read as the book touches on some important issues and will stir all sorts of emotions with in you. Favourite character defiantly Kit and I'm sure you soon will be falling for her child like charm in no time. Do be warned when you pick up this book you will find it hard to put down and you may feel you have to read again once finished.

Average Rating:

.

The Forgotten Garden

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Kate Morton

May 29, 2008
I bought this book after reading and thoroughly enjoying 'The house at Riverton' and once again was totally enthralled. Kate Morton seems to have an extraordinary talent for weaving stories together through time to form a whole, pulling the reader in and keeping the final revelation well hidden until the final moment. It has been a while since I read a book that I felt utterly engrossed in, unable to put it down and walk away from the story. Even though I have now finished this book, the characters will stay with me for a while yet. Highly recommended.

Average Rating:

.

No Time For Goodbye

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Linwood Barclay

June 12, 2008
This is quite possibly the worst book I have ever read - contrived, cliched and utterly predictable towards the end. A terrible plot line that is about as sophisticated as an Enid Blyton Famous Five story and therefore not suitable for anyone over the age of Twelve. A ridiculous plot, together with a collection of totally unbelievable characters. I felt myself sniggering throughout at the appalling dialogue and wondering how anything so badly written could ever have been published. Unfortunately, I have to finish a novel once I have started and wish I hadn't bothered.
So, unless you have a penchant for Enid Blyton novels, or have no interest in decent prose, avoid like the plague.

Average Rating:

.

A History of Modern Britain

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Andrew Marr

May 02, 2008
Once I picked this book up I could not put it down.Memories came spinning back to this fifties boy.I came up through most of these times and so I could relate to this modern history.Andrew Marr has handled the political side very well in this book and has managed to keep his personal views from overspilling into factual happeninings.One thing it did for me was to show that our country is run by legalised liars with huge built in egos , no matter what party or Prime Minister has run Britain.How many times has Britain survived bankruptcy from the failings of all these politicians who treat their position as a career and right with greed being the reward? Why do we have to wait until something is history before we see the true failings and stories.Read this ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Devil May Care (James Bond)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Sebastian Faulks

May 28, 2008
Looking back it makes total sense that Sebastian Faulks would carry on the Fleming tradition. Other writers have had a go at writing Bond; Charlie Higson has a fine series of books about Bond-as-a-teenager, and John Gardner and Kingsley Amis both attempted Bond novels in the 70s and 80s but Gardner's work was too derivative of the movies, while Amis' (published under the pseudonym 'Robert Markham') was dull, bad-tempered and cynical.

Faulks has a lot of kudos as a Major Writer but actually I think I think that he's been a master of pastiche all along. His WW1 novel 'Birdsong' is an OK book, but most of its power comes from Faulks' ability to mimic the tone and atmosphere of various kinds of elegiac WW1 writing, from Fredric Manning to Siegfried ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The Book Thief

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Markus Zusak

January 01, 2008
My mum gave me this book to read, which is usual a bad sign, but I have throughly enjoyed it. Death is the narrator, which should be depressing, but in a weird way it's uplifting.
It's a wonderful story about an horrific time and I'm surprised by how much I loved it!

Average Rating:

.

East of the Sun

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Julia Gregson

June 12, 2008
Julia Gregson has written an intriguing novel that grips one to the very end. The characters, including peripheral ones, are vividly drawn and the plot lines are as lively and dramatic as they are diverse. One really cares what happens to the heroines, indeed, it becomes quite worrying at times. The colourful detail draws quite stunning pictures for the reader.

Average Rating:

.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Khaled Hosseini

May 22, 2007
This book should be introduced as mandatory reading material in schools. It was very well written. The author cleverly gives enough detail without having to be graffic but you very much get the point. I could happily read this book again and I don't think I've ever said that about a book. I'm going to get the Kite Runner now as I hear good things about it.

Average Rating:

.

Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Gordon Ramsay

May 02, 2008
GORDON RAMSAY'S HEALTHY APPETITE is a must have for those who want great tasting food without all the calories and fat. It seems some have been put off by the fact that this is not a diet book. No one ever said it was. Rather, it is a healthy approach to eating without blowing your entire way of living out of the water. What Ramsay wants to make clear (I believe) is that there are several factors involved in healthy eating: proportion, moderation, seasoning, and the right combination of foods, just to name a few.

Highlights for me include the "Four Cabbage Coleslaw," the "Penne Primavera," and the "Pot roast sirloin of beef." Other may warm to the "Glazed Gammon with pineapple Salsa," which I haven't tried yet but will soon.

While the recipes are the main ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

A Quiet Belief in Angels

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: R.J. Ellory

January 02, 2008
GREAT BOOK. Don't take any notice of the negative reviews. Its a very unusual "crime" novel and beatifully written. Needs time to read properly but it does grip from the beginning and the macabre content is sufficiently offbeat to make it a real page turner. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who simply likes a good story.
Christine Smythe