Biography Books > F Biography Books > H > less than 5 GBP

Advantages: Stimulating writing; packed with facts; expert art analysis
Disadvantages: Perhaps too lengthy for those uninterested in Frida Kahlo

Monobrowed and moustached Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has become a popular icon on an international level since the peak of her career in the 1940's. Arguably unknown to many until the release of the 2003 movie Frida which was inspired by Herrera's biography, Frida Kahlo's striking surrealist art and inspirational story deserve to be exposed to those in the dark in the most vidid way possible. This is where Hayden Herrera's definitive biography ...
...in empathetic detail and insightfulness - not one stone was left unturned in the author's quest for knowledge. Not only do we learn of Frida's polio, the infamous bus accident that left her near dead and in perpetual pain, and her stormy marriage to muralist Diego Rivera, but we discover details of her own bisexual affairs (with among others, Leon Trotsky), political leanings, further medical complications and death and cremation. Based on secondary ... Read review

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: Fantastic writing, amazing story
Disadvantages: You will probably cry (I did!)

...we would ever see him on tv again, would he be the same person? The first television appearance was on Jonathan Ross, and I tuned in eagerly, to see if the Hamster we all loved was still there. It seemed yes he was, apart from a new love for celery, and an uncanny ability to recall everyone's phone number! What relief. During this time we had been watching the media storm against the BBC and more specifically Top Gear, claims it was dangerous, it ...
...I had found Hammonds interview on Ross fascinating. Being stingy however, I waited until I could pick it up at two books for £7 in the supermarket! (In all fairness, it's only now Mia's reaching one that I get chance to read anyway!). To be honest, I didn't expect a talented writer when I thought of Hammond, which in hindsight, was silly, he is a journalist after all. I was shocked by the unique and direct writing style he used. Somehow, there ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent read
Disadvantages: None

Russell Watson first came to my attention when I heard him sing at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He sang 'Where my Heart Will Take me' (one of mine and my hubbies all time favourite songs) and I suddenly realised what an amazing voice he had. When I knew he was writing his biography I could not wait to get a copy and read it. Russell starts the book in October 2007 at the time of his collapsed and when he was told he needed ...
...We are then taken back to his childhood where he tells about how he grew up in Sunningdale Drive in Irlam, Manchester. He lived there with his mother and father and his younger sister Hayley. He openly talks about how he had a happy childhood due to the fact that his father always worked his hardest and his Mother always had her radiogram playing, he believes this is where his love for classical music came from. He tells us about the group of friends ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, fun and easy to read
Disadvantages: I want her life

I bought this book on a spur of the moment shopping trip, basically because I was interested to see how Coleen went from being a schoolgirl to a WAG in such a short space of time. I was amazed to read her story and see how down to earth she really was, even after being catapulted at amazing speed into the limelight. She was even thoughtful enough to come back to her book and update it with her wedding plans for the release of the paperback edition. ...
...quick life update, within which she includes girly pages with tips on make-up, fashion, nights out and quizzes, making it so much more like a diary. It is really easy to read and highly enjoyable to learn how down to earth she is and how she enjoys nothing more than snuggling on her sofa watching the soaps just like the rest of us. ... Read review