==Home and family==
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{{newreview
|author=Oliver James
|title=How Not To F*** Them Up
|rating=4.5
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=Child psychologist Oliver James can be relied on to fight his corner, whether it's about affluent society or toxic parents. Now he puts the first three years of life under the microscope and argues equally vehemently that parents need to identify their own needs accurately and build their children's care into a 'good enough' framework, in order for the whole family to flourish. He's a controversial figure whose interest in parenting goes back to his own childhood (yes, you've guessed it, his parents where psychoanalysts). He argues the case for modifying childcare decisions to accord with parenting styles while avoiding working mums' guilt trips: “'Why embracing your own parenting style is best for you and your child,' as the cover has it.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>009192393X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Eleanor Birne
|summary=A soon as I read the introduction I wondered if this was really going to be the book for me. Despite having two books in the top ten best seller list India Knight knew the bailiffs well and was facing bankruptcy. It wasn't that she wasn't earning money – it was simply that she had no ability to handle it. Hmm – I have a horror of debt and I can handle money. Was India Knight ''really'' going to be able to teach the person who grew up with the austerity of post-war Britain chomping at her heels anything about thrift? Plans were already forming to move the book on, when slowly and inexorably I was won over.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1905490372</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Michael Schmidt and Robert Maslen
|title=The Shakespeare Handbook
|rating=4
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=William Shakespeare. If you're a fan of the theatre, you may see him as the greatest playwright of all time. If you're currently studying English at school, he may be the worst thing that ever happened to you. Over the years, I've certainly held both opinions, depending on where I was at the time.
Part of this could have been because I, like most school pupils, never had a gentle introduction to Shakespeare. If I'd had a book like this in the early years of my schooling, I suspect I may have come around to my love of Shakespeare a lot sooner than I did.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184724615X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Tania Glyde
|title=Cleaning Up: How I Gave Up Drinking And Lived
|rating=4.5
|genre=Autobiography
|summary=I suspect that I'm like a lot of people who enjoy alcohol on a regular basis: there's a nagging guilt and suspicion that you might have a problem. Equally, there's St Augustine's approach to a sin: you're determined to do something about it, but not just yet. So, when ''Cleaning Up: How I Gave Up Drinking And Lived'' dropped through the letterbox on Saturday morning I wondered if this was a message from a higher authority.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846686555</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Mike Toms and Paul Sterry
|title=Garden Birds and Wildlife
|rating=5
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=''Garden Birds & Wildlife'' has been created and published under the auspices of British Trust for Ornithology (though the actual publisher is, possibly in the spirit of penance for damage inflicted on wildlife by the motorcar, the AA). Accordingly, the main focus of the guide is, indeed, on birds. It contains a wealth of information: from birdwatching to bird biology and behaviour, including visual guides to eggs and nests; practical tips and guides to bird watching, feeding (what, how and where), creating a bird-and-wildlife- friendly garden and building nest boxes; it's all there, with copious illustrations, clear text and more interesting or practically relevant facts and tips in separate insert boxes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0749559128</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Michael Oke
|title=Write Your Life Story
|rating=4
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=I love writing and over the last few years, I have begun to write my autobiography. While I find this a very rewarding process, sometimes it can be hard to stay motivated. It is easy to get bogged down in wondering if it's any good, if you are going into too much detail or not enough. Sometimes you need a push in the right direction. ''Write Your Life Story'' by Michael Oke is ideal for this, as well as for anyone interested in writing their memoirs, but unsure how to start.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845283058</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author= Niall Edworthy and Petra Cramsie
|title=The Optimist's/pessimist's Handbook
|rating=4
|genre=Trivia
|summary=With a publication date in early November, the passing Christmas shopper is clearly the target for this book. ''The Optimist's/ Pessimist's Handbook'' isn't a self-help book, but a compendium of enlightening snippets. Off the shelf, I think you'd know immediately which relative or friend might enjoy receiving it. So I suggest eschewing Amazon in favour of a real-life bookshop, not least because there will be a shelf full of similar books for a surreptitious and delightful half-hour's browse before choosing.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>038561411X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Jeremy Butterfield
|title=Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare
|rating=4.5
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=How do you pronounce the word ghoti? Go on, say it out loud – you must recognise it, and I dare say you've eaten one enough times.
OK, I'll help. You know gh sounds like f, like it does in rough. You know o sounds like i, just like in women. And ti is clearly the same as sh, as in notion. Yes, ghoti is pronounced fish. It's just a very blunt way of saying the rules that control the language, and how it is spelled, pronounced, used, and changes over history are all over the place.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0199239061</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Ben Crystal
|title=Shakespeare on Toast
|rating=4.5
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=''Shakespeare on Toast'' claims to be for virtually everyone: those that are ''reading Shakespeare for the first time, occasionally finding him troublesome, think they know him backwards or have never set foot near one of his plays but have always wanted to''.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848310161</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Marisa Peer
|title=You Can Be Thin: The Ultimate Programme to End Dieting... Forever
|rating=4.5
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=After having my baby just over two years ago, I have found it quite hard to shed the weight which seemed to be sticking around. I used to be quite thin before having him, so to suddenly go up a dress size was a bit of a shock. I'm quite a petite person so even just a few extra pounds shows unfortunately. I decided I had to get rid of the weight, and so I turned to this book sent to me by The Bookbag.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847441394</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Elise Lindsay
|title=How to Get a Celeb's Body: Discover the Secrets of the Stars with Your Own Personal Trainer
|rating=2
|genre=Home and Family
|summary=I do not know Elise Lindsay - neither by name or reputation. I am optimistic and therefore think she must be a great coach. A hundred plus pages with pictures show her posing very confidently in flattering sport outfits and she does seem quite fit. I am sure she can motivate her clients and make them do their best. Quite frankly though, I do not believe that should in any way have motivated anyone to write a book.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0718153375</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Kathleen Burk and Michael Bywater
|title=Is This Bottle Corked? The Secret Life of Wine
|rating=4
|genre=Trivia
|summary=Now, I'm the first person to admit I am not a wine buff. I know a lot more now than I did before my current relationship, but she is right to say I have a very masculine (ie dead weak) sense of smell. Added to that a blunt sense of taste and I'm left saying I know what I like when I drink it, and that's it.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571241743</amazonuk>
}}
