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Bear Grylls Great Outdoor Adventures: An Extreme Guide to the Best Outdoor Pursuits

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Bear Grylls

October 10, 2008
This guide claims to be extreme, but is really rather pedestrian. Making kites, constructing tree houses, building a swing, PLAYING TAG - these are things I did as a kid and my mum didn't so much as bat an eyelid.

I'm quite a fan of Bear but this books smacks of a money-making exercise. Most of the photos are from his TV series "Born Survivor" as well as a few family photo album snaps. In fact, it reads like a partial autobiography.

In addition, his description of "extreme" pursuits like diving, skiing, parachuting, and rafting are superficial and lacking in detail. For instance, in his chapter on scrambling he covers the definition, grading of routes, the gear, and very little else of substance. For someone so ... Read More:

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The Most Amazing Places to Visit in Britain (Readers Digest) (Readers Digest)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Reader's Digest

May 26, 2006
I have had some wonderful days out with this book. It is highly recommended, an interesting often educational read with great photography.

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Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage: A Cultural Journey Through the Mediterranean from Venice to Istanbul

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Francesco Da Mosto

July 10, 2008
The book's characteristics are the elegant, rich in historical and cultural content, insightful but witty and light in touch text and the beautiful photographs of landscape, seascape, buildings, monuments, ruins and works of art which are inextricably interwoven and mutually reinforcing;the impact on the reader is not merely additive but truly synergistic.

We travel with the author from the city of his birth, Venice aboard the Black Swan, a renovated 1899 yawl along trading routes of the Venetian Empire visiting the coastline and islands of the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean seas with Istanbul (formerly Constantinople)the final destination. Some of these lands were former colonies of 'La Serenissima' and we witness its legacy in the ... Read More:

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New Zealand (Lonely Planet Country Guide)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Charles Rawlings-Way

September 01, 2008
The book's characteristics are the elegant, rich in historical and cultural content, insightful but witty and light in touch text and the beautiful photographs of landscape, seascape, buildings, monuments, ruins and works of art which are inextricably interwoven and mutually reinforcing;the impact on the reader is not merely additive but truly synergistic.

We travel with the author from the city of his birth, Venice aboard the Black Swan, a renovated 1899 yawl along trading routes of the Venetian Empire visiting the coastline and islands of the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean seas with Istanbul (formerly Constantinople)the final destination. Some of these lands were former colonies of 'La Serenissima' and we witness its legacy in the ... Read More:

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I Never Knew That About England

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Christopher Winn

April 07, 2005
Along with G Meehan I find the errors irritating having found two more in the first 24 pages.
One is often repeated and may be considered trivial by many - the line from Gray's Elegy (page 18)
The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea,
True, several websites print this version but they may well be just
copies of other sites.
Reputable poetry sites and Oxford University's Gray archive print the version that also appears in the Oxford Book of English Verse:
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,

Yes, it does seem odd, but if that's what Gray wrote, that's what should appear.
The editors at the publishers, if not the author, should be capable of spotting this.

A far less trivial ... Read More:

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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)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Rough Guides

September 27, 2007
This book is great, there is a big wide world out there and dipping into this when you have 5 minutes you are sure to find something to excite and interest you.

Obviously its not a guide book in the true sense but there are some fantastic sound bite nuggets in there that have inspired about 5 years worth of future holidays for me.

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Friends Like These

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Danny Wallace

July 03, 2008
Pretty much disappointed with this one. Yes Man and Join Me were '5*' excellent and so I was quick to buy this latest offering but I'm pretty much disappointed. There's no doubt that there are a few gems hidden away in here but not enough to make me want to keep turning the pages. Like another review, I too was about to give up after a couple of hundred pages but continued on. Once I finished each chapter, I just wasn't interested in reading the next. It was a struggle with too many names of 'characters' thrown into the book to keep up with. I like a page turner and this isn't one of them. Saying that, if you just need a book to pick up and read when you have a little time to spare, then this could be just what you need.

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SAS Survival: the Essential Survival Book in a Zip-up Edition with Inbuilt Compass: How to Survive in the Wild

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: John 'Lofty' Wiseman

September 01, 2008
Pretty much disappointed with this one. Yes Man and Join Me were '5*' excellent and so I was quick to buy this latest offering but I'm pretty much disappointed. There's no doubt that there are a few gems hidden away in here but not enough to make me want to keep turning the pages. Like another review, I too was about to give up after a couple of hundred pages but continued on. Once I finished each chapter, I just wasn't interested in reading the next. It was a struggle with too many names of 'characters' thrown into the book to keep up with. I like a page turner and this isn't one of them. Saying that, if you just need a book to pick up and read when you have a little time to spare, then this could be just what you need.

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Australia (Lonely Planet Country Guide)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Justine Vaisutis

November 01, 2007
Previous editions of this book have been criticised for focusing too much on mid range and expensive places to sleep and eat whilst leaving out cheaper, more budget-orientated options. This edition (14th) is aimed at restoring the balance slightly, and from what I can see it appears to be an improvement. There are a lot of guidebooks for Australia on the market so it is just a matter of finding one that is to your taste, but this one is definitely full of comprehensive information for your trip.

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Happyslapped by a Jellyfish: The Words of Karl Pilkington (Know Your)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Karl Pilkington

May 01, 2008
I guess what struck me first about this book is the weight and feel of the pages. It feels like an expensive book built to last. Fantastic!

It's Karl Pilkington's second book and, although I haven't read the first, I can say that this one is absolute gold. Pilkington's blinkered view on life makes for entertaining reading and his antics prove true to how you know him from podcast/radio shows. There are a few extracts from the diary that have already been read on the podcast but they are very few in number and still pack a punch the second time round. It's also a good light read and I'm trying to avoid reading it all at once.

If I had to gripe, I would have to say about the slang scattered around in this book ("cos", "me mam") but because ... Read More: