Biography Books > X Biography Books

Advantages: Eye-opening, deep, powerful stories
Disadvantages: Can really affect you emotionally

...first book, but by far, the writing of a talented & intelligent woman who has successfully communicated a world that, prior to reading, I knew nothing about. The title summarises exactly what the book is about, but immediately raises questions with answers that can vary culturally. Who exactly are 'good women' & how do we define them? Through the stories of women she met on her journey in China, she seeks to give us new ideas on how we could appreciate ...
...afraid to speak out about the hardships they endure or who may simply be ignored, or living in too remote & poor a place to have ever had the opportunity. Xinran is a radio journalist, based in Nanjing who has a programme, Words on the Night Breeze, that gives people, especially women, the opportunity to talk about personal problems & concerns. Due to the political situation in China, the ordinary open discussions & debates we take for granted are ... Read review

Advantages: Simple, beautiful, moving
Disadvantages: None ~ so long as you're not looking for action-adventure

...and back again. Sky Burial is a translation from the original Chinese version and we’re told it is slightly different. Xinran “worked closely with her translators and editor to make sure all elements of the book were accessible to non-Chinese readers”. I wonder what the differences are, and whether they matter. I also wonder, as always when reading translations, whether the style reflects the original. I hope so…because it works so well. The simplicity ...
...telling of it. There is no complicated imagery, no “graphic detail” and yet it is graphic in a literal sense. You can feel the very bleakness of the land, and the contrasting warmth of its people, smell the animals and taste the sweet butter tea, purely through them becoming familiar. Kejun’s story, which we discover at the end, has the nobility required to turn Wen’s journey from folly into a real quest and the discovery of the truth justifies ... 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