Articles about the Featured Categories

This book is split into chapters based on the traditional school subjects, such as geography, history, maths, and then within each chapter split into 'typical things we were taught', ranging from the list of British kings to trigonometry to Charles Dickens.

There are certain chapters you'll skip, either because they were your specialist subject at university or because you're still not interested years later. But there are chapters you'll definitely be saying "I used to know that!" for.

It doesn't take very long to read the entire book, but that's only half the usefulness, because my copy will be taking a prominent place on my shelf- because next time anything that relates to these subjects comes up, I'll remember (I hope) that if I've forgotten it, this is the first book to turn to.

My only criticism is that perhaps 192 pages is a little ungenerous and the authors could easily have found an extra 50% of stuff that we've also forgotten from school. Or maybe that's being saved for a sequel.

This is a lovely book with not only amazing, easy recipes but information on how to grow the ingredients. It is the book of recipes done on the T.V show which I also really enjoyed.

I recently made the steak, guinness and chedder pie and it was out of this world!

The book is an assemblage of good answers to some good questions.

So why didn't I enjoy it?

I think because in keeping faith with the contributors of answers, several answers to one question are included and a lot of each answer is the same, though expressed slightly differently.

So it would have been better (to my way of thinking) to include each contributor's answer ONLY as far as it added to a previous answer.

Certainly make for a better read.

I have just finished reading "A Most Wanted Man". It took me a couple of days of after-work reading but I really wish that I had taken it in one long gulp. The pleasure would have been even greater: it is a superbly written story that shrieks out a challenge to injustice and double-dealing and the swaggering, bullying use of power.

In terms of execution, there are sentences and phrases that pull you up short while you register the absolute exactitude of the description of the emotion or experience that Le Carre has put on paper. In terms of plotting it couldn't be better - taught, not a step misplaced, just enough to let the reader see the path without revealing the destination. In terms of finale, although you know early on and in the way of the world, it's not going to turn out well for someone, the ending is so unexpected (but so right) that it's one of the few books that I have ever read that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I find that all of Ken Follett's other books - including World Without End - are simply "holiday reading". However Pillars of the Earth seems almost to have come from the pen of someone else. It is superb on many levels - and would certainly be in my top ten books ever. Thank you Ken!

First sentence: "Guilty."

Barrister and amateur jockey Geoffrey Mason, known as `Perry Mason' by his racing friends. He had once successfully defended a violent young man, Julian Trent. Trent, found guilty nonetheless and swearing revenge against Mason, is now being released on appeal.

Mason receives a call from fellow jockey, Steve Mitchell. Steve has been arrested for the murder of another jockey, the hatred between the two of known was well known. Mason first receives a warning and then a beating, instructing him to lose the trial and ensure Mitchell is convicted. Mason realizes his only option is to stand up to Trent, but a at the risk of his life and those he loves.

Even though this was written by Dick and Felix Francis, I'm going to refer to them as singular. Francis has such a wonderful voice. He has a way of drawing you into the story, a way of explaining things that make the information fascinating and an excellent ear for dialogue. I appreciated his including information on English law.

Francis creates great characters. His protagonist isn't particularly brave and strong, but he is stubborn and determined, and his villains are about as villainous as they come. I liked that he made the point about not understanding how hard it is to stand up against violence and intimidation. It was nice to see the hero actually get the girl in this story.

The story was similar to a horse race in that it milled out a bit in the beginning giving you background information, took off with sudden action and built in pace and suspense up to the end. Even the courtroom scenes, which were so well done, had an element of suspense.

Portents are something I normally hate and the one early in the book wasn't necessary. I also don't usually like when authors hold information back from the reader, but here it worked. Thinking back, I probably could have anticipated many of the turns in the plot, but I was so engrossed in the story, I didn't take the time to analyze as I read. And that's what makes Francis, Francis; you jump on and go to the end. The ending is violent and bothers some people; however, I felt he addressed the age-old question of legality versus justice.

This was definitely the best Francis book I've read in a long time.

I was really looking forwards to this book, I am an avid reader of anything to do with Tudor history and the wars of the roses and as there is relatively little written on the early years of Henry VIII I was keen to discover more about his personality, his friendships, his marriage, his life and what made him into the tyrant most people recognise him as. Starkey's introduction was promising, I was chomping at the bit to get into this book, but it never really got going for me. Maybe I have read too much on the subject and it was all old news to me, there were little nuggets but no real meaty information.
It is possible, of course, that there is no documented evidence other than what Starkey bought to his book, or that he did not want to make any inferences - he is an historian after all and not a novelist - but I just cannot help feeling that the reader doesn't really get an insight into the boy or the young man.
There is very little on his relationships with More or Catherine of Aragon, which I would consider pretty fundemental considering the parts they both played in his life and it would have been good to have had more of a background on this in order to appreciate the enormity his actions had on his own personality, not just the consequences for the country and the church.
Assuming that you are familiar with the backgound into which Henry VIII was born; the wars of the roses, Edward IV, Richard III, Henry VII and the other main players then you can cut out two thirds of the book. I wanted to know about the man, what made him tick, his passions, his personality, his friendships, his enemies, his lifestyle and just as Starkey got going the book ended. The reader gets little more than a glimpse of 'The Virtuous Prince'.
On the plus side it is an easy read, if you know little or nothing about Henry VIII's early life then go for it.

My 6 year old has just managed to read this aloud to my 4 year old (just with a little help with the Dinosaur names) and they were both laughing hysterically at the fabulous story. There are lots of brilliantly hilarious illustrations in this very large paperback edition to keep young children amused too.

The front cover is great and the 'Dinosaurs Love Underpants' is in sparkly blue lettering. It is a gift giving quality edition.

There are 24 main stages of story with a 4 line self contained poem on every other page. They have great rhyming and rhythm and together they form a brilliant story explaining a funny theory of why the dinosaurs became extinct.

The poem starts:

Dinosaurs were all wiped out,
A long way back in history.
No one knows quite how or why,
Now this book solves the mystery....

It all began when cavemen,
Felt embarrassed in the nude,
So someone dreamt up underpants,
To stop them looking rude.

And so it goes on in a really entertaining story.

Highly recommended.

My little girl has been interested in these types of books from the age of 2 months (she also has a pets one) when she became fascinated by the pictures. She is now 4.5 months and still loves to look at the pictures (with a few sound effects from mum or dad!) or just grab the book and scrunch it up (it makes a crinkly noise) and put it in her mouth! It's very light so she can move it around easily. These kind of books aren't expensive and I reckon they're well worth the money.