Average Rating:

.

Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places: 500 Ways to Discover the Wild

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Christopher Somerville

July 03, 2008
Christopher Somerville's book is clearly a work of love for him and its personalised and poetic accounts of some of Britain and Ireland's wild places is immediately accessible.

Wisely he talks of wild places rather than 'wilderness' which as well as difficult to define largely does not, it can be argued, truly exist in the UK. The entries are long enough to entice you to further investigation, he is strong on the history of places, and gives you enough information to seek them out yourself. There are no detailed guided walks or maps for the individual entries which is no bad thing and impossible in any case for a work of this depth. The photographs are largely by the author and they add to its unique feel as they look like the ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Piri Piri Starfish: Portugal Found

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Tessa Kiros

April 07, 2008
I write as a cook who enjoys actually reading cookery books, not just cooking from them.
In comparision with Tessa's other books this one has turned out to be less enjoyable. The publishers should take note: The simple fact that the ingredients are not arranged vertically makes it more difficult to grasp the recipe as a whole, it's not as amusing when just flicking through the book for inspiration!
I don't know why but it does give the impression that Tessa hurried through Portugal just to write this book, there's no soul to it if one could say that.
That said, the book as a whole is beautifully published, the photographs amazing and I have tried Pasteis de Nata, very good!

Average Rating:

.

A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells - North Western Fells

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Alfred Wainwright

December 01, 2008
I write as a cook who enjoys actually reading cookery books, not just cooking from them.
In comparision with Tessa's other books this one has turned out to be less enjoyable. The publishers should take note: The simple fact that the ingredients are not arranged vertically makes it more difficult to grasp the recipe as a whole, it's not as amusing when just flicking through the book for inspiration!
I don't know why but it does give the impression that Tessa hurried through Portugal just to write this book, there's no soul to it if one could say that.
That said, the book as a whole is beautifully published, the photographs amazing and I have tried Pasteis de Nata, very good!

Average Rating:

.

The Wild Places

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Robert Macfarlane

September 03, 2007
An enormously evocative work. MacFarlane is a deeply sensitive writer, and manages to maintain a intense creative tension between wilderness and civilisation. If you are into the wilderness and outdoors, and have ever struggled to put into words what it is, and why you do it. Then this book is for you.

Average Rating:

.

Long Way Down

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman

June 02, 2008
In contrast to their first adventure, the entire franchise has been entirely compromised by this incessant need to indulge Ewan's emotionally-challenged wife. Although Charley appeared to cope admirably with what transpired to be a truly bizarre set of circumstances, Ewan's persistent lack of spirit certainly detracts from this otherwise unique and quite remarkable journey. As Charley indubitably secures his reputation as both hardened-adventurer and well-balanced individual, I am loathed to conclude that a more suitable partner would have yielded greater enjoyment for both reader and rider alike.

Average Rating:

.

The "Times" Universal Atlas of the World (World Atlas)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
from: Times Books

September 01, 2008
There is a whole host of books called "Times atlas of the world", and I was terminally confused. Until I did a bit of homework, and came up with the following: (all prices quoted from Amazon, August 2008)

The biggest is called COMPREHENSIVE, costs £75 , is 47x32 cm, has 125 map plates (not pages, as most spread over 2 pages) and a 217-page index.

The next is the CONCISE, costs £37, is 37x27 cm, has 105 plates on 198 map pages, and a 140-page index to 130,000 names. And 32 city maps, which is something the biggest lacks!

The next is the UNIVERSAL, costs £ 33, is 32x27 cm, has 170 pages of maps (not plates - probably 90 plates), an index to 50,000 names, and 32 city maps.

The next is the REFERENCE, costs £19, ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: 25th Anniversary Edition

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Robert M. Pirsig

November 18, 1999
I too had to read it more than once...

What's the point of the author indulging in a 'Chautauqua' on 'Romantic' & 'Classic' 'Values', with the resultant (extravagant) soliloquy on the 'Value' of 'Quality', when the author can't even work out how to relate to his own child (who having spent the majority of his formative years in apparent mental turmoil - brought on by the behaviour of the author, as described in this book - was murdered in San Francisco 2 weeks before his 23rd birthday)?

This book is just another example of self-indulgence sold off as enlightenment...

What's the point? There is NO point.

Average Rating:

.

The Rough Guide to New York City - Edition 10

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Martin Dunford

January 25, 2007
I visited New York for the first time last Nov and I was given a mini rough guide to New York by a friend. I would have been lost without it.

It was a bible in my bag.

I am due to visit the big apple again in Jan and I decided to purchase the full rough guide to New York and I am not disappointed.

I have also order the mini rough guide to carry round New York when I get there.

The information contained within the book is well written and informative.

The maps at the back are a god's send and must not be under estimated in the overall picture and use of this product.

I would recommend this title to anyone wanting a comprehensive guide of New York.

Average Rating:

.

The London Encyclopaedia

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Christopher Hibbert, Ben Weinreb, John Keay, Julia Keay

August 15, 2008
The old 'Weinreb' was the best single-volume reference book on London, despite a few minor but still niggling errors. Happily most of these have been pulled out, the book's been expanded with more entries and even better illustration, and I had no hesitation whatever in grabbing a copy as soon as it went on sale. There's nothing to touch it, frankly: magnificent, endlessly fascinating, and outstanding value even before the discount. My 'Desert Island Discs' read, as indeed it's been for the last 25 years.

Average Rating:

.

The Backpacker's Bible  Revised Edition

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > General
by: Suzanne King & Elaine Robertson

April 21, 2008
This is my first time travelling and im finding this book extremely usefull it seems to cover everything you need, a must have buy before you set off!!