Author: Michael Morpurgo
By Collins

butterfly lion, 2008-08-20
the book makes you feel that you are in the achual in the story when you get into it. it has a mixture of sad times happy times and even some funny times.

Author: Rachel Allen
By Collins

Bestselling author and TV chef Rachel Allen is back with a celebration of favourite foods for making memories. Ever feel rapture over a pudding? Fall in love over a romantic meal? Can you remember the smell of baking in your grandmother's kitchen? Food has the power to conjure up many emotions -- it can make us feel happy or energetic, nostalgic or loved. Cooking and enjoying great food with others is part of how we relish life and in her new book, Rachel Allen provides the mouth-watering recipes to help you do just that. Rachel explores the foods that stir these wonderful feelings. She provides inspiring and easy-to-achieve suggestions for all kinds of occasions whether you want to make an indulgent celebratory meal for someone special, create memories with your kids, or need a little healthy boost or a sneaky treat! This is the food that will make you smile. Cooking and enjoying great food with others is how we relish life and in this book to accompany her new TV series, Rachel Allen provides the mouth watering recipes that make and conjure up memories.
Easy recipes for every occasion, 2008-08-14
As always with Rachel's books, the recipes are easy to follow and turn out the way you expect them to - so you get great results with a minimum of fuss. There is something for every occasion in this book, as the chapter titles show: "Food for the Soul", "Childhood Favourites", "Making Memories", "Something to Celebrate", "The Lazy Sunday", "An Elegant Afternoon", Pleasure Without the Guilt", "Food for Romance", "For the Love of Chocolate" and "Classic Dishes". I tried the "White Chocolate Buns" and they were dead easy to make, I even managed to whip them up before going to work, something I normally wouldn't be able to do, since I'm not exactly a member of the rise and shine party. They tasted great (funnily like macaroons - very yummy and a bit sticky) and disappeared really quickly once my colleagues tasted them. I can only recommend this book, especially if you're looking for something to make the whole family happy. Since it is beautifully laid out (with an added pink ribbon to mark your page) it also makes a nice present.

Author: Albert Jackson, David Day
By Collins

Useful, 2008-08-21
This book will give handy hints and tips when undertaking any domestic DIY project.

It is not the most comprehensive manual but is great for simple reference, enabling those with a view to further investigation to seek answers elsewhere - hence 4/5

Author: Duncan Bannatyne, Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Richard Farleigh, Theo Paphitis, James Caan, Evan Davis
By Collins

Applied Language Solutions, "The one that got away", 2007-10-08
After reading the new Dragons Den book, I thought that like the programme it was extremely enjoyable. After watching the series, I was really interested in finding out more about the entrepreneurs and what happened next and the book helped me do exactly that.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find a whole chapter dedicated to the company I work for, Applied Language Solutions and its founder, Gavin Wheeldon. The Dragons chose not to invest in Gavin's translation company but yet we have proved to be one of the most successful companies to appear before the dragons so far, "The one that got away." I thought it was commendable of the dragons to include both their successes and the investment opportunities they missed. It made the book a more interesting and believable read.

I would definitely recommend this book. If you are a fan of the programme or looking for tips on how to be the next Duncan Bannatyne this is the book for you.

Author: Levi Roots
By Collins

I love reggae reggae food!, 2008-08-22
My friend bought me this book because she knew I was a great fan of Dragons Den and she had seen me consume a fair few bottles of Reggae Reggae Sauce since it hit the shelves.

Firstly I took a flick through the book and read Levi's amazing life story which really helps to give you an idea of the Jamaican culture behind the food. And then I threw myself right in because I was inspired by the food on offer. I prepared a meal for my housemates which they loved. The next day I baked a Jamaican Ginger Cake because I really like the cake you can buy - Levi's recipe is a lot better!

Do yourself a favour and put some music in your food! I hope I can gather some friends together and prepare some Jamaican dishes and drinks for them all to enjoy. Even better, everyone help out in the cooking, put some music on, and enjoy the energy of the food.

If Reggae Reggae Sauce and this book are anything to go by, then I really hope that Levi Root's restaurants take off because there is certainly space for Jamaican food in this country. Please do another book with more recipe's!

Author: Paul Sterry
By Collins

First class guide to birds found in the British Isles, 2008-06-29
I read the reviews and decided to buy the book based on the high proportion of 5* ratings. I was not disappointed!

The book is the size of an average paperback, has a protective clear plastic sleeve, glossy pages, stunning photographs & great summaries on key facts of interest about each bird - definitely the best £7.99 I've spent in a long time!

Author: John 'Lofty' Wiseman
By Collins

Survival is for the fittest, or those who read this book. , 2008-04-05
This little book could save your life, seriously. Though it is obviously aimed towards people with a predilection towards outdoor pursuits such as hiking, mountain climbing, sailing (etc) it does also make a point of saying that you never know when this information may come in handy. Written by a former member of the SAS, who would be the ultimate authority in extreme survival, this book is full of practical information on how to survive anywhere in the world. It details information like how to find a source of water, or create one yourself, how to treat injuries, how to make a shelter, ways to stave off dehydration, what plant forms are edible. It is a very long list because the book is full of no-nonsense information. If you are interested in outdoor pursuits this is a book that should definitely be read, or for any other reason this book contains information that could save your life.

Author: Rachel Allen
By Collins

Good recipes to feed your whole family, 2008-08-15
Once again, Rachel has written a book with recipes that you will actually be able to use in everyday life, not just when you've got the time to do some specialist shopping and spend hours in the kitchen. The book is called "favourite food at home" and that's just what you get, if you're looking for something more fiddly or to impress your guests with your brilliant cooking techniques, you should look somewhere else (Gary Rhodes is my tip here). But if all you want is good family meals, this book really gives you a wide variety of choice and you won't be dissapointed. Of course, you've got to have a basic knowledge of cookery to succeed, but that's the case with practically every cookery book apart from those (often quite boring) step-by-step things or a real beginner's book. By the way - if your muffins turn out like horrible litte stones, you probably stirred them too well. Leaving the dough a bit lumpy is usually the trick to get the best results. I know that sounds a bit strange, but it's true all the same.

Author: Richard Mabey
By Collins

An excellent little book, 2008-07-18
This little gem of a book should be in every backpackers back pocket. Concise, focused and descriptive you'll have no trouble identifying the plants and shellfish. There has been some comments about lack of information on animals to eat, this is probably because rabbits, pheasants and such are classed as game and will belong to the landowner. Whilst it's ok to pick a few plants, mushrooms and shellfish it will probably be frowned on if you start blasting away at the countryside or setting traps!

By Collins

Quality keeps on improving!, 2007-06-18
I have a copy of a previous edition of this 'easy learning' dictionary and a friend has the penultimate one to this latest copy. As such, I feel well-versed to comment...
This new release is excellent. My wife and I, both in our 50's, are learning the language and we find this dictionary more than just a resource for looking up the meaning of words. It is a big help to us with our verb tables, especially the tenses and gives good grammatical breakdowns on many aspects of the language.
Perhaps if there was more help with pronounciations, it could claim to be a language course in one book. But that aside, it is very, very, good value and we both love referring to it at every opportunity. Definitely five stars from us!