Non-Fiction Books
Offers
Reviews
 |
Calorie Counter - Collins UK
by CosmicLove ~ Why I Bought It ~ I bought this book several years ago as at the time I had just started a calorie controlled diet and I knew that it would come in really handy to keep track of my calorie intake. This was before I had an iPhone and had discovered calorie counting apps, and I have to say that I prefer calorie counting apps to this ... book, though it is still ideal for anyone who doesn't have Internet access. ~ Price ~ As I bought this book quite a while ago I can't really remember how much I paid, however the retail price is £5.99 which I think is quite a reasonable price for an informative and detailed book, though I personally wouldn't have bought it had I known that all of the information in it is available online for free. As I said before though it is ideal for people without Internet access so it will be worth every penny to people who rely on this as their sole source of information relating to calories. ~ About The Book ~ This book was released back in August 2008 and it is the best selling calorie counting guide in the UK. It has 352 pages. My copy is a paperback, and as far as I know a hardback version is not available. ~ My Opinion ~ I remember buying this a few years back after seeing it in WH Smiths. At the time both me and my Mum had just started a calorie controlled diet and this seemed like the perfect way to keep track of my intake of calories and make sure that the food I was eating wasn't too calorie dense. At the time that I purchased this book I wasn't really an avid Internet user which if I had been would have of course meant that I'd have had access to calorie information for free, though during this period of time when I did rely on it as my only source of information about calories I got a lot of use out of it and found it incredibly helpful and informative - I used to find myself flicking through the pages to check information almost everyday and would always refer back to it if I came across a food that I wasn't familiar with and wanted to see how high in calories it was. The book isn't the most exciting to look at as t has no illustrations or photographs and it is very text heavy which when I'm looking for one thing is quite frustrating as I have to look at each page carefully rather than having instant information when I look at the page and each page is packed full of information which can make it feel a little overwhelming when I am only interested in finding information about one certain thing. The book has got a section at the beginning which explains in detail what calories are and it also has an in depth chart which shows how many calories are burnt on average after a certain amount of exercise. This includes lots of different exercise including rowing, jogging, biking etc. I used to find this helpful to find out how many calories I had burnt when walking my dog though now I find it easier and simpler to just put my iPhone in my pocket and let it track my movements for an accurate result. The book also has information on how to find your ideal weight which I found interesting. You do this by measuring your wrist and it has the wrist measurements that someone of a small, large and medium frame should have and both me and my mum found this really interesting. As well as this it has a very detailed table of the standard body weight for men and women of certain frames which I also found to be useful when figuring out if my body frame was small, medium or large. There's also a section on children's weight which is full of quite scientific terms and it made my head hurt a little trying to read it and figure out what all of the measurements mean but I'm sure it will come in handy to some people. Another section is 'components of a healthy diet' which talks about protein, carbohydrates etc and explains what health benefits they have etc. A section that I found particularly interesting was the viatamin and minerals section which explains what benefits lots of different vitamins and minerals have and what they do in the body, and it also clearly says which foods they are found in. The book also has a food pyramid and information about portion control as well as lots of other general information about food and nutrition. Though I did find these sections helpful, I already knew a lot of the information as most is quite basic and something that most people will already know and rather than being written in a simplistic way it is quite textbook styled and very information heavy which can get a little samey and boring after reading a few pages! The calorie counter itself has information on how to use the calorie counter and explains what basic measurements such as kcal (calorie) and g (gram) mean, which I found helpful. The way the calorie counter is set out is okay but not great, it is basically a table which has the food name, the weight/quantity of the food and then the protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre and calorie count. I found the vast amount of numbers a little confusing at first and quite overwhelming but I soon got used to it. Finding a food in this book (eg Heinz baked beans) is easy enough as there is a 'contents' section on one of the first pages which says which pages certain foods can be found on. The book also has a brief recipe section with recipes such as shepherds pie and fish pie. I found these recipes to be extremely basic and a little boring and I do not use the recipe section as it is all very common recipes which most people know anyway. ~ All in All ~ This is a very informative book but I'm not too keen on the layout as it is quite overcrowded and I prefer using the Internet nowadays to check the calorie content of food however it did come in handy when I did not have Internet access. The information in it isn't anything that I didn't really already know however some sections are quite interesting and I like that rather than just listing the calories of foods it also has the fibre, fat, can and protein content. Read the complete review |
 |
Cheryl: My Story - Cheryl Cole
by scooch12 Cheryl Cole is probably considered to be one of the most famous women in Britain. She became famous after being one of 5 winners in a competition to be in pop band Girls Aloud and has since had her own solo music career. She's also been a judge on the X factor and if that wasn't enough, she's considered to be one of the most beautiful ... women in the country and has been married to a Premiership footballer too! Firstly, I'll admit that I've never been a huge Cheryl Cole fan. Don't get me wrong that's not to say I don't like her, I'm just not a massive fan who pays to watch her countless times in concert or has any particular interest to follow anything she does. I used to listen to some of her music because I thought it was quite good and I watch X factor regardless of who is on the judging panel - none of these things were because they involved her personally. But, when this autobiography was released, I found myself intrigued to read it as I am quite possibly the nosiest person in the world and I wanted to know all about her life in general, in particular her side of the goings on in her marriage to Ashley Cole because like many I'd seen umpteen stories in the newspapers. The book is written in the style of a typical autobiography - she tells about her childhood and upbringing and tells of how she always wanted to be in the limelight. It seems even from an early age, she made big efforts to take part in local shows and events, not to become famous but because it was something she enjoyed doing. Then the story moves on to her appearance on Popstars: the rivals, the show that created Girls Aloud, before embarking on her relationship with Ashley Cole and their subsequent marriage (and it's breakdown), how she became an X factor judge and how she nearly died of Malaria after a trip abroad on safari. At 29, I was sceptical that the book would have enough information to keep me interested but she sure has packed a lot into those few years! The book was very gripping and soon became one that I couldn't put down for very long. I read mostly before I go to sleep and I found myself saying 'ooh, go on, just one more chapter!!' Overall, I found the book a fascinating read and it completely changed my opinion on her for the better I have to say. I found her upbringing quite upsetting really as it sounds as though she really had to be a tough cookie to live in the area she did and come out of it on the other side, with some people she knew from her childhood ending up on drugs. It seemed she had to be old beyond her years to deal with some of the things in her younger days in Newcastle. One of the things that struck me, was how important her family are to her -she comes from a very close knit family who stick up for their own completely. I was also quite surprised to read about the extent to which Ashley hurt her emotionally and she discusses this at length over a series of chapters as he was such a big part of her life. I was expecting her to mention him obviously but not to the extent that she does. The part I found very surprising was when she had Malaria - I knew from seeing it in the news that she hadn't been well but I had no idea of the scale this had been. The illness really took hold of her and she was extremely ill for weeks. Thankfully she fully recovered and with telling this story in detail, she has probably helped a lot of people realise how important it is to check when travelling and if it's an area at risk of Malaria to take the necessary precautions before, during and after the visit. I hold my hands up and say I didn't realise how serious a condition it was as I've never visited anywhere where it is an issue but in the future it is definitely something I will check after reading about her horrific time fighting it. There were only one or two minor points that I thought were a little contradictory in the book eg at one point she said that the wedding photos were sold to a magazine reluctantly to ensure that they received the best security for the day and said that her and Ashley didn't want to profit whatsoever from it, but in the same sentence stated that the money the magazine gave them was all put into the wedding. Really I saw this as profiting from selling the pictures?! Not that it matters, I just thought it was a bit of a strange thing to say - I was expecting her to say it went to charity instead. I rate the book 5 stars overall, as it was one of those books that I couldn't put down once I'd started to read it. I found it very interesting - particularly as the book went on to talk about her marriage and when Girls Aloud were established as a pop band. I definitely recommend the book, even to those like me who aren't massive fans of her work. I, like a lot of people, have seen tonnes of stories in the papers over the years regarding her saying all sorts of things and this book tells the story directly from her point of view - it certainly tells a few truths and puts stories straight. Available as a paperback, hardback and electronically for e-readers. My copy is the hardback and currently costs £8 on Amazon. Thanks for reading :o) Read the complete review |
 |
The Burn Farm - Michael Benson
by myloh I'm reviewing THE BURN FARM, a true crime book written by Michael Benson. I bought it on amazon as 'used but very good' for £2.81p (inc P&P). New costs approx £5. But is available in most online bookstores with "true Crime" sections. It is in paperback format. Measures 110mm x 180mm x 30mm. There are ... 370 pages and pictures are included,but nothing graphic in the least. Set in New Hampshire, USA. ________________________________________________________ Sheila LaBarre was a decidedly odd woman. Born Sheila Kaye Bailey on July 4th 1958, she now claims she was abused as a child. Maybe she was,but one thing is for sure....she had a totally weird way of talking about sexual issues. She'd say things like "I'm very tight. I'm very small. I think I have an introverted uterus.Might even need a C section." This to policemen during interviews where she sat in the police station clutching one of the multitude of rabbits that ran wild round her now dilapidated home......while the rabbit urinated on her lap causing not a flicker of an eyelash from her. She simply used some paper towel to wipe the urine from her leg & then wiped her mouth with the same piece of towel. No problem. Talking of a boyfriend---"...he would put it in me just that much "(gesturing with a thumb & finger) "He had a long tapered penis". She says he told her she was the tightest girl he'd ever met & was afraid he'd "split" her. So he didn't penetrate her. Doesn't sound like a horny teenager to me,but if she says so.......(rolls eyes) Other things are too graphic for this review. Suffice to say she was decidedly freaky in how she spoke to men who were basically strangers to her. She was constantly using graphic,but yet childishly crude terms for sexual perversions etc. *** HOW THINGS EVOLVED IN THE BOOK*** Sheila married a few times,but the name she finally took, and which she was tried under, was not from a husband,but from a much older man she had 'met' through an ad in a sex magazine.....Wilfred LaBarre. LaBarre was wealthy & had property & a lucrative Chiropractic Practice. When he died suddenly a few years into their relationship, at age 72, Sheila claimed his property as his common law wife. This despite being married to another man during that time & having a live in lover as well as casual one night stands all over town. And it was in the lovely old farmhouse on 115 acres of land that her excesses REALLY hit their heights. Once she was totally alone again she managed to lure a number of men to the farm . As lovers & farm hands.But she chose them carefully for their slight build & need of care & attention and one of her sources was a very convenient local homeless shelter. Men who were easy to manipulate with drink & drugs & promises. Needy men wanting love & a roof over their heads. Once in her home & in her power she abused them appallingly & taped them "confessing" to paedophilia ,incest & all sorts of awful things while she screamed bible quotes at them. She thought of herself (and indeed openly spoke to police of herself)as an avenging angel ridding the world of perverts & she took her mission from God VERY seriously. In a nutshell....... she was caught,tried & sentenced and the book covers it all quite well. *** MY TAKE ON HER*** She was simply never right mentally. Call it what you like, but the woman was/is crazy. I suspect it was always within her,but as time went on it gathered momentum. Maybe had she not inherited the isolated farm & with it the privacy needed for what ensued then she'd just have been "Old Doc LaBarre's arm candy "....extremely promiscuous & one to be avoided. Yet when her defense team pleaded an insanity defense she was deemed sane !!! It beggars belief that anyone could read her story & declare this woman sane. She never put on any act for the cops etc,in the way some criminals do when hoping for an insanity plea at trial, & her excesses were well known & documented through police complaints & litigations she instigated over the years. Sane is NOT a word I'd use for her. Even murders aside,she was definitely in need of psychiatric intervention. Her way of speaking about sexual issues & obsession with men abusing little children screamed at me that this was a woman trapped mentally regarding sex (despite being physically very VERY promiscuous.). A strange dichotomy. ***THE STYLE OF WRITING*** I found the style OK. Nothing to write home about (pun intended). Yes,the author skips around a bit,but in stories like these that is a necessary evil that as a true crime buff I'm used to, and it fleshes the story out....for example Sheila's sister claimed at her trial that they were sexually abused as children by their father & his friends,something not mentioned earlier in the book. Some authors might put that in the chapter on her childhood,but Benson kept it back till discussing the trial,when it became more relevant.which is fair enough. There is plenty of detail,but definitely not as much as I'd like. I guess I'm used to the minute detail author's like Ann Rule provide,so I'm kind of greedy that way. But I'd definitely look for more books from Michael Benson. All in all it was a good read for what I paid for it,but I wouldn't pay the full new price. Thank you for reading & I hope my review was helpful/interesting. ~~~myloh Read the complete review |
Non-Fiction Book |
||
|---|---|---|
|
1 review Author: Pippa Middleton / Non-Fiction Book / Hardcover / 416 Pages / Book is published 2012-10-25 by Michael Joseph |
|
|
1 review Author: Peter Ackroyd / Non-Fiction Book / Edition: 1 / Hardcover / 352 Pages / Book is published 2012-09-13 by Macmillan |
|
|
1 review Hardcover: 320 pages / Non-Fiction Book / Publisher: Ebury Press / Published: 27 Sep 2012 |
|
|
1 review Authors: Tom Knight and Sybil Ruscoe / Non-Fiction Book / Hardcover: 312 pages / Publisher: John Wiley & Sons / Published: 19 Oct 2012 |
|
|
Paperback: 192 pages / Non-Fiction Book / Publisher: The History Press Ltd / Published: 1 Sep 2012 |
|
|
1 review Paperback: 304 pages / Non-Fiction Book / Publisher: HarperCollins / Published: 7 July 2011 |
|
|
Paperback: 320 pages / Non-Fiction Book / Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks / Published: 18 Feb 2010 |
|
|
Print Length: 352 pages / Non-Fiction Book / Publisher: Penguin / Published: 30 Jun 2011 |
|
|
Paperback: 296 pages / Non-Fiction Book / Publisher: Pluto Press / Published: 9 Jun 1983 |
|
|
Hardcover: 384 pages / Non-Fiction Book / Publisher: Scribner / Reprint: April 2008 |
|
| Non-Fiction Book recommendations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... back next | ||
| dooyoo Results 51 - 60 of 5836 | ||
