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.Silks
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by: Dick Francis, Felix Francis

September 04, 2008
Fear and gross inhumanity gain the edge in this new story by father & son writers Dick and Felix Francis. Previously they wrote "Dead Heat" together; Felix has also sleuthed much background material over the years. In "SILKS" they build on a successful pattern that had been enhanced by the sensitive touch of Dick Francis' late wife Mary.

The familiar locales, racetracks, pubs, roundabouts, flowered countryside form a background for an informative under-story woven throughout this narrative: a history of the English system of courts & law. It is a satisfyingly palatable way to understand some of the differences between 'their ways' and ours in the USA. And how about staying the night in that fascinating Oxford hotel transformed ... Read More:
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.Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dummies
City Travel Guides > Books > Subjects
by: Rob Willson, Rhena Branch

December 16, 2005
I'm no expert on cbt or any type of psychology and I'm always slightly wary. CBT, however, was recommended to me by a psychologist to assist me to help my client group - troubled young people. I love the 'for Dummies' series as they are really easy to read but provide you with quite a broad knowledge for a layman. There is a wealth of sound practical advice in this book for everybody and I can't believe how much I'm learning about myself and my incorrect thinking and its effects. This book requires a lot of concentration (although the style of writing is easy) and effort to think the material through and also to complete the exercises but it really is life-changing. I don't know if it works really well for serious mental health problems but it is certainly ... Read More:
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.The Selfish Gene
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by: Richard Dawkins

March 16, 2006
Dawkins writes that "the argument of this book is that we, and all other animals, are machines created by our genes" (p.xxi) and that "We are survival machines - robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes" (p.xxi). Yet, according to him, this book "is not science fiction; it is science" (p.xxi)!

Dawkins contrives to overlook the twin discoveries that:
1. the observable traits of organisms are mostly conditioned by the interactions of many genes;
2. most genes have multiple effects on many of these traits.

Dawkins transfers characteristics with which he is familiar from human behaviour on the macro-level to the inanimate components, "genes", of which we are physically constructed. He then ... Read More:
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.Being A Scot
City Travel Guides > Books > Subjects
by: Sean Connery

August 21, 2008
Dawkins writes that "the argument of this book is that we, and all other animals, are machines created by our genes" (p.xxi) and that "We are survival machines - robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes" (p.xxi). Yet, according to him, this book "is not science fiction; it is science" (p.xxi)!

Dawkins contrives to overlook the twin discoveries that:
1. the observable traits of organisms are mostly conditioned by the interactions of many genes;
2. most genes have multiple effects on many of these traits.

Dawkins transfers characteristics with which he is familiar from human behaviour on the macro-level to the inanimate components, "genes", of which we are physically constructed. He then ... Read More:
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.Wife in the North
City Travel Guides > Books > Subjects
by: Judith O'Reilly

July 03, 2008
I picked this book up because I had nothing else to read and from the cover I assumed it would be some jokey 'woman goes to country side meets hialrious characters and learns to love it and herself'. I was ready to hate it. However, it was beautifully written and some parts were so sad. I disagree that the author is selfish and spoilt, she is simply someone like me who loves city life and loathes the country. I hope she gets back to London some day I really do.
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.Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake 1)
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by: C.J. Sansom

May 18, 2007
This book is not as dry as it sounds in the product description! You'd have to be a pretty bad writer to make anything to do with Henry VIII boring but this book adds a new twist.

Our "hero", Matthew Shardlake, is a hunchback lawyer that works for Cromwell around the time that Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, died in childbirth. But Henry's problems are merely a background, the novel is concerned with the murder of one of Cromwell's officers in a monastery which Shardlake is sent to investigate. The description of life in the monastery and the life of the lay people that live in the nearby village is fascinating and just as interesting as the mystery itself. The characters are developed with the story and there's even a little romance.

This book ... Read More:
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.The Pirate's Daughter
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by: Margaret Cezair-Thompson

June 12, 2008
This book is readable, but only just. There is a story, as the other reviewers have explained, but I found myself uncaring of the ending. The writing lacks depth and the narrative style is commonplace. There is no more to the story than what happens, unless perhaps, the tropical setting, which, for one based in rain-soaked England, is alluring. I wonder what makes the book successful for others? Perhaps the link to Hollywood? Perhaps the lack of profundity? I don't know, but I hope that this review will enable readers to consider a range of views about this rather 'so what?' book.
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.The Snail and the Whale
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by: Julia Donaldson

September 03, 2004
Another crowd pleaser from the author and illustrator of The Gruffalo and Room on a Broom. My kids love these books. They don't ever get tired of hearing them, which is why this gets four stars. It doesn't get five because I don't like it at all. If you're looking for funny rhyming books with great illustrations I highly recommend the work of Lynley Dodd whose prolific output includes Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy and Slinky Malinky.

What I find most annoying about reading this book out loud is the fact that the words are squeezed to fit the fact that this is a rhyming story. The sentences just don't work, and yet the rhyme is so appealing for children that it is both memorable and immensely popular. The illustrations are good and there is lots of detail to ... Read More:
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.The Great Gatsby (Penguin Popular Classics)
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by: F.Scott Fitzgerald

January 13, 1994
One of my resolutions for 2008 is to broaden my literary horizens. After studying English Lit to A-Level, my interest has fallen to the wayside. So on my quest to better myself through literature, I read "The Old Man and the Sea", which I just couldn't relate to. So imagine my relief when I started reading "The Great Gatsby". I'm so glad I perservered with classic books!

TGG is a great read. It's fast-paced from the outset, and gripping towards the end - I couldn't put it down. I even tried to convince family and friends to read it afterwards; but to no avail - so if I manage to get even ONE person to read it from writing this review, then good! Definitely recommended.
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.The Pillars of the Earth
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by: Ken Follett

April 06, 2007
I was disappointed by this book. I totally agree with H. Morris's review. Everything is predictable, the story is very much like a soap opera (with the goodies and the baddies) and it drags on and on. Not gripping like I imagined it would be. I had to stop half way through as I felt I was wasting my time.
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Used Price: £2.30