Advantages: Great illustrations, develops children's imaginations.
Disadvantages: None

...'Little Cloud' is one of the less well known Eric Carle books in comparison to the 'The very hungry caterpillar' and 'The bad-tempered ladybird'. It is nonetheless, definitely worth a mention as it is a charming book, well loved by the children I have read it to. ~ The Story ~ It's about a little cloud who drifts along in the sky behind all of the other larger clouds which eventually move out of it's sight. The little cloud who now feels like a giant cloud as it isn't being 'dwarfed' by all of the larger ones, drifts along and changes itself in to many things: a sheep, an aeroplane, a shark, a rabbit etc. On each change of shape a reason is given for the little cloud changing in to it's chosen object, e.g. it loved to watch rabbits dash across the meadow & it liked the way trees never moved and stayed in one place... Read review

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Advantages: Tastes amazing, not too expensive and it's alcohol!
Disadvantages: Drinking too much results in silly behaviour and possibly hangover next day!

...With Friday approaching I am looking forward to a glass of white wine. However, it won't be just any old wine…..oh no….. it has to be a bottle of Nobilo White Cloud for me. The product ************* The brand I'm reviewing is Nobilo White Cloud white wine. I came across this purely by accident when it was on offer in my local off licence and for the last 4 years it's been my white wine of choice. Yes, there are more expensive wines…but this is the best white wine I have tasted in its price range (see below for prices). The name "White Cloud" is derived from Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud - which apparently is ancient Maori name for "New Zealand." This is a medium-dry wine and is made from predominately well-ripened Gisborne Muller Thurgau and Muscat varieties. The wine is made in medium style allowing... Read review

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Advantages: smells great, moisturises and leaves skin feeling soft
Disadvantages: some may dislike the cinnamon aroma

...and White Fluffy Clouds is a bubble bar which is sky blue and white in colour. The reason I bought this bubble bar was because it looked really similar to the Lush Comforter Bubble Bar which I really liked; the only difference between both bubble bars is the fragrance which the produce and the actual colouring of them. When I bought the Blue Skies and White Fluffy Clouds Bubble Bar I was really looking forward to using it after loving the Comforter Bubble Bar as much. The bright colouring and swirls on the Bubble bar makes it quite noticeable in the Lush Shop as it stands out a little from the others ones in the range. I think that the bubble bar looks really similar to that of a decorative piece of handmade soap; it has the same appearance and feel to a bar of soap, as it is quite hard to the touch and doesn't have a sticky, powdery or greasy... Read review

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Advantages: One of the books of the decade.
Disadvantages: Mind blowing.

...To paraphrase one of Mitchell's own characters, Cloud Atlas is a sextet of overlapping narratives. Six short stories linking the past, present and future of the human race: each one enveloping the next, like a set of Russian dolls. A bold enterprise indeed. Please don't be put off though, Cloud Atlas is the sort of book you don't so much read, as devour. From the journal of Adam Ewing, on his voyage home to San Francisco across the South Pacific in 1850; to Zachary, a native of Hawaii, reminsicing about his encounter with one of the last survivors of the 'fall of civilisation' in some not-too-distant future; each story is told using a different narrative style. Adam Ewing's journal, for example, which reminded me of Matthew Kneale's novel English Passengers, features some wonderfully rumbustious 19th century prose: "An Indian... Read review

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Advantages: Would fill several long train journeys
Disadvantages: Over ambitous. Hideous front cover. Arm ache.

...I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but we all invariably do. And this one has a quite stomach-turningly hideous jacket: shades of brown, turquoise and maroon combine in what was hopefully the last project of some cover-art executive before they locked him up for crimes to the visual senses. Not only is it unfeasibly ugly, it's also cumbersomely large. If these are the sorts of things that would put you off reading a book, then Cloud Atlas isn't for you. However, if you are bloodyminded enough to wrap it in newspaper, and only dip into it at home with some large contraption you have build in your shed with which to hold the damned thing, then the following review may be of some interest to you. Cloud Atlas is a ridiculously ambitious book - which may account for the size of the thing. It spans several hundred... Read review

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Advantages: very entertaining film
Disadvantages: not exactly true to the book

... The Plot Poirot is returning from Paris to London on a flight with a mixed bunch of passengers, some of whom he met and/or saw during his stay in France. Due to his travel sickness he falls asleep during the flight whilst a murder is committed, which initially seems to be death by a wasp sting. The murder "victim" is Madame Giselle, a ruthless money lender/blackmailer, and Poirot needs to work out who amongst the passengers, or even crew, on board had a motive to kill her, as well as clear his own name as there seems to be evidence against himself too! He enlists the help of Jane Grey, an amicable air stewardess, but is she all she seems to be? Does Poirot get to the bottom of this crime before more people are killed? Who committed the "Death in the Clouds"? Cast / Crew / Other technical stuff Death... Read review

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Advantages: Witty, well written, thought-provoking
Disadvantages: Unfocussed, some stories miss the mark

...'Cloud Atlas' is very similar to Mitchell's first title 'Ghostwritten' though more ambitious in scope. While Ghostwritten showed how many lives could affect one another through chance meetings and phone calls, 'Cloud Atlas' tries something similar through reincarnation and relation, spanning centuries and eventually finding itself in a post appolocalyptic future. All the stories surrounding these events are told in two parts with a kind of 'pyramid' structure so that the tale that started the book also ends it. This helps to keep a continuity and offers more satisfactory conclusions than the format of 'Ghostwritten' and gives more time to each character. Though in theory this sounds rather hard to get into, many of Cloud Atlas' individual stories are well grounded and humorous featuring a journalist, a musician and an old publisher... Read review

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Advantages: many
Disadvantages: few

...The launch of the 64-bit role-playing game and Nintendo classic Zelda 64 spawned a whole series of RPG competitors, eager to outdo the Japanese giant. Few, if any, have been successful. Taking on Nintendo with a bid of its own is none other than Sony's in-house production, Dark Cloud for PlayStation 2. Those evil people are up to their old tricks once again, and this time they’ve released a particularly nasty genie from a 400-year sleep in his home-made lamp. Naturally, the pink bloater wreaks havoc on your homeland. And guess what? You (Toan) are the only one who can stop him. Some kind of prophecy, apparently. You know the deal. After a lengthy introduction showcasing the game’s mysterious plot and the lead character, it’s time to get into the game proper. Within about thirty seconds of playing this game, the similarities... Read review

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Advantages: Nice taste, good quality
Disadvantages: None really

...“So what to get from the shelves of ASDA that is new” I thought to myself as I wandered around the brimming shelves! “These look good, I’ll give them a go” So the shinny red and black pack got put into my trolley. ** What is it? ** I have a pack of ASDA tomato and herb clouds! They are basically a light tasty flavoured potato snack, which I find difficult to put down! ** What’s the pack like? ** So from ASDA you get a 125g bag for the cost of 78 pence, so that can’t be bad at all. The bag is quite a large bag, and it feels really full, there doesn’t seem to be too much air in the pack. The pack red and black, there is a picture of said clouds on the front. Ingredients wise, they contain potato flour and starch, various flavourings and that is about it. They do contain gluten, milk, wheat and soya, they may... Read review

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Advantages: Keeps the kids busy
Disadvantages: The card backing doesnt stay on too long

...We bought the Cloud Kingdom for my little girl for her 7th birthday, it came in a huge box with lots of little sealed plastic bags containing lots of little bits and no instructions, whether this was just the case in our box or not we arent sure but that meant we had to guess where things went. There are 4 different 'floors' to the cloud kingdom, The main dance floor where there are little bumps that stick up that slot into the bottom of the dolls feet to keep them in place(and some leg holders that the legs of the dolls only just fit into) while your children spin the dance floor round until the dolls fly off and land in a heap in the middle of the front room, which causes great delight every time. There is a dressing room floor which has a small dressing table with a mirror which rotates so that you see either flowers... Read review

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