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Advantages: Well compiled, frank, moving and often amusing autobiography
Disadvantages: Sports fans will naturally find this more interesting but retains some general appeal.

...sums up this experience comes from the Irish Mail on Sunday. 'Whether you're a fan of the game or the man, his tale is a tale well worth reading. He may be a right b*****d, but miss him. Snooker misses him terribly.' Traditionally snooker in the United Kingdom has its roots entrenched in dingy, windowless halls where shifty characters rest their beer to play their shot, trying desperately to see the other end of the table through the thick clouds ...
...for their hedonistic exploits away from the baize. Without doubt Higgins, in his prime, was the wilder. It seems strange then that White, six times the losing finalist in the World Championships, put so little into his book regarding his career as a snooker great, choosing to allocate a disproportionate amount of pages to his binges and pub tales. Higgins, of course, has to include much of the same type of fare but to his credit he does a better ... Read review

Advantages: In English, Very Interesting
Disadvantages: A lot of hard work to read!

Mein Kampf - My Struggle, written by Adolf Hitler. I am lucky enough to own a first edition (in German obviously) and the english translation version by Jaico Publishing. Mein Kampf was first published in two volumes in 1925-1926 and sold between 8 and 9 million copies during Hitlers lifetime, as well as being widely translated. The contents are most evil, and being quite a chunky read, it takes some time to work through it, least of all because ...
...In Mein Kampf, Hitler uses the main thesis of "The Jewish peril", which speaks of an alleged Jewish conspiracy to gain world leadership. The narrative describes the process by which he became increasingly anti-Semitic and militaristic, especially during his years in Vienna, Austria. Yet the deeper origins of his anti-semitism remain a mystery. He speaks of not having met a Jew until he arrived in Vienna, and that at first his attitude was liberal ... Read review

Advantages: Riveting story about a father's endurance
Disadvantages: Murderer still at large

...Worse was to follow, the woman had been murdered in front of her two year old child who was clinging to his mother's body when they were both found. The last Thursday in July is Andre Hanscombe's account of his life immediately before and following that dreadful event. It is a moving account of his endeavours to ensure that his son's life is not scarred forever because of what happened.It tells of his love for Rachel Nickell, the mother who was ...
...Andre tells of the trials and tribulations he has to endure at the hands of the National Press who invade his privacy and even put Alex's life at risk by taking photographs of him and printing them in the newspapers when the murderer is still at large in the community and he is the only witness. Because of the harrassment, Andre moves to France with Alex where they live in a farm in a tiny village where he is unknown, but even here the press harangue ... Read review

Advantages: Gives an unbiased and informed view of Charles years from 40 on.
Disadvantages: None that I can think of

...Having been close to both Charles and Diana at some point, he gives an impartial account of both sides of the marital discord between them and he actually forecast that the marriage was in trouble long before the book Diana her True Story was ever written - thus incurring the wrath of the Royal Household thereafter and being snubbed from future press events (Holden is, or was a columnist for the Daily Express). Anthony Holden has written two previous ...
...third book therefore merely outlines Charles childhood and school years and his early loves (including Camilla) and goes into more detail of his life after his 40th birthday. The book is a unique insight into the events leading up to Diana's death, including Charles ever declining popularity and the resulting fears for the future of the monarchy at the time, but it also goes on to show how sympathy for the two young princes following Diana's death ... Read review

Advantages: True, first half of book is amazing, educational as well
Disadvantages: Heartbreaking, and the second half of the book is nearly unreadable

...hours.) Boring Stuff Title: Tim: An Ordinary Boy Author: Colin and Wendy Parry (although the book seems to be from Colin's perspective) Genre: Biography Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; New Ed edition (3 Aug 1995) ISBN-13: 978-0340617908 Price: Amazon: from £.0.01 at time of writing, Background Colin and Wendy Parry are two remarkable figures who did a great deal of work towards the IRA ceasefire and eventual peace in 1994. However, ...
...these two people did not have every reason to be filled with hatred and bitterness towards the people they were trying to help...and being able to turn that bitterness into an instinct to bring together the very people who have hurt you really is remarkable. You see, their son, Tim Parry, was one of the people killed in the IRA bombing of Warrington in 1993, in fact one of only two people killed, and to make it worse - two children. Tim was only ... Read review