Australia Books

It's severly dated by today's standards, but what an excellent read, all the same. I look at it as the music industry version of Julia Phillips "You'll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again". Biting with sardonic wit, lots of muck-raking (most of it spot-on), and just a wee bit 'o' honesty.

How much of it is true, we'll never know. But the essential bits (the inception of the Boomtown Rats, their immersion into the music scene, other bands, Live Aid, etc.) are required reading for anybody who gives a damn about the music industry. There's loads of comedy as well as pathos, as well as some of the greatest quotes I've ever read in an autobiography.

If you can still find a copy, it's well worth owning.

A wonderfully crafted autobiography. Honest and personal, Geldof puts the first half of his life under the microscope and you grow to love him for his warts and scars.
A riveting book especially for those who recall the music of his era. You will laugh and you may cry even if it is only because the book ends years short of the present day.

This book is one of those books that will renew your faith in the ability of normal people to change the world for the better. It is also hilarious and a great read!

I don't usually read biographies books but this one is a very good one

Bob Geldof's book is a stunning odyssey into the mind of a rock star. he also happens to be a philanthropist who can teach a thing or two to the best of them. the man behind `live aid' not only collected hundreds of millions out of a telethon for africa's famine victims, but made sure they reached the right hands. his forthright language and no-holds-barred style are refreshing. if you must read an autobiography of a rock star, read this one.

Emily Rodda continues her sheer and most impressive imagination in this book that takes on the aura of a ghost story in the nautical sense with creativity and plot only seen in the best. Oddly (and I mean this as a compliment) I almost felt as if I were playing a fantasy video game as I read this.

The subject of the spooky is an old lighthouse that must always remain lit to assist travelers to Deltora. It is more than a job, it is a calling, and it is a crime of the highest to let the light burn out. So of course the answer is why? Why would anyone let the light go out?

The answer lies in paintings and glass windows on a haunted ghost ship that is mysteriosly attached to sneaky characters of Deltora.

Emily Rodda makes a story that relies so much on that eerie feeling to tell an already great story.

Rodda immediately captivates in this stunning third book to the Dragons of Deltora series. On thier way to destroy the third Sister Lief, Barda and Jasmine encounter a haunted house, a haunted ship, a haunted casino and haunted coins. And on top of all that the diamond dragon is dead. Jeez they can never catch a break can they?

I read Dragons of Deltora: Isle of the Dead by Emily Rodda. It is the third book of four in the mini series, Dragons of Deltora. The entire Deltora Set is comprised of three mini series, including Dragons of Deltora.

In the Deltora Series, the three main characters are Lief, Jasmine, and Barda. Leif is the young king of Deltora; Jasmine, the friend of Lief, grew up in The Forests of Silence; Barda, the head of Dels' guards, grew up in the palace when the Shadow Lord took power. They are on a mission to destroy all four sisters in Deltora who slowly poison the land.

In Deltora, there are seven dragons left, one for each gemstone of Deltora, diamond, ruby, amethyst, opal, lapis-lazuli, emerald, and topaz. Doran the Dragonlover, also known as Dragonfriend to the dragons, asked all the dragons to go into a deep sleep, until the king, wearing the Belt of Deltora, calls upon them.

Dragonfriend discovered the Shadow Lords plan of starving the people of Deltora using the Four Sisters. He tried to tell every one of the Sisters, but no one believed him. He left a map marking the locations of each Sister and went to the Isle of the Dead to find proof, but failed to complete his mission.

Lief, Barda, and Jasmine try to kill the Four Sisters, and in order to do so, they must awaken the remaining seven dragons. To be able to defeat a sister, they must have the power of a dragon and the power of a gem in the Belt of Deltora. The Shadow Lord found the map that Doran left behind, tore it into four pieces, and hid each piece in separate corners of Deltora. Lief found one of the map sections that led them to Dragon Nest, in the East. They woke the Ruby Dragon, slay the Sister of the East, and discovered a second quarter of the map, leading them northward to Shadowgate. In Shadowgate, they put an end to the Northern Sisters song, awaken the Emerald Dragon, and found the third portion of the map which leads them to the Isle of the Dead, and the Sister of the West.

In order to reach the Isle of the Dead, they must row to the Scarlet Island and cross by foot, over a bridge to the Isle of the Dead. They seek help from a blind prophet, by the name of Ava, to request the use of her boat. On the Scarlet Island, Lief finds the Diamond Dragon in an appalling state, and buried under her chin they find a little baby dragon egg starting to hatch, keeping the Diamond Dragon species alive.

With the Diamond Dragon, Forta, being only a baby, Lief can not depend on her help in killing the Sister of the West. So instead, he calls upon the old Amethyst Dragon, Veritas, but is not sure that he will be able to have the strength to fly to the Isle of the Dead to help defend against the Guardian of the West, and hell take down the West Sister. Is Veritas strong enough to fly from Dune Island, in amethyst territory, to the Isle of the Dead, in the diamond territory? Or will his lack of food in many years make him to weak? Or does the long flight make him too weak to fight? Read Dragons of Deltora: Isle of the Dead to find out the answers to these questions, and to find out the rest to the story, read the fourth book Dragons of Deltora: Sister of the South.

I really like the genre Emily Rodda uses. She takes dragons and magic and incorporates it with adventure. There are a lot of puzzles in the book, which are fun to figure out before finding out what the answer is. When a letter is received or a sign is spotted somewhere, instead of just describing the sign or reading the letter out loud, a picture of the letter or sign is put in the book. That way, if there is a hidden code in a letter that was sent, you get the chance to figure it out before the code is revealed. I like the adventurous plot in this book along with the constant puzzles, plus the traveling in different methods is cool, like flying on Toran magic or on a dragons' back. Another reason I like this series is because of the Belt of Deltora, which is made up of seven very magical stones. Each of the seven stones has different powers and abilities like different types of healing, warning, and cleansing powers. I think people who like magic and adventure would like this book.

This book was a really goog book and it exited me from the moment that I picked it up to the moment I finshed it I loved the way they got stuck In that ghost ship And how when they got off it followed them! But the ending wasn't that good but I still can't wait to read Sister of the south!

Lief, Jasmine and Barda are now on the track of their next destination, the Isle of the Dead.Their next quest will be their hardest and most quizical yet, losing track of their friend and companion, Jasmine, Lief and Barda find themselves in the middle of a mystery between a beautiful young girl with red hair, a lighthouse and his keeper and a ship called the Lady Luck.When they find themselves in the middle of the Lady Luck's gambling and game room, they find themselves in the midsts of many puzzles and secretive tricks.

Well done Emily Rodda!This book is definitely your best yet in your thrilling new series!I loved the dragons and the mysteries with exciting and deadly answers.I especially loved the wonderful secrets about Tom and his siter Ava.This is a magical new fantasy book to this award-winning series.

My two-year-old loves many of the "Mr Men" books, and Mr Happy is one of his two favorites (Mr Quiet being the other). I love reading this to him as well. In this book, Mr Happy in Happyland stumbles upon Mr Miserable and teaches him to be happy.

Roger Hargreaves' story is short, simple, and easy for kids to follow, with just enough alliteration to make it fun. His pictures are bright and bring the story to life.

My son so loves this book that every time he sees a "smiley face" he exclaims "Mr Happy in Happyland!"

I read this book and all the other Mr. Men books to my children 30 years ago. My children loved them and now so do the grandchildren.

this is the best piece of literature i have ever read!!! simply marvolous

His jubilant expression welcomes you into the world of Mr. Men, and no one -- NOT EVEN MR. MEAN -- can occlude Mr. Happy from enjoying his day, nay, HIS LIFE.

Perhaps you are low on happiness? Perhaps you seek meaning in a world of war and sadness? Mr. Happy is for you. Will he make you happy? Perhaps not. Yet he will teach you the ways of the happy man, and that is all you can ask of a Mr. Men book. They are small books that tell a small story, yet somehow, they are more vast than the ocean.

call me heathen, or anything. But you don't need the Bible. This book makes me tear, it makes my cry of joy because I feel proud to be human. Proud to be Happy. I am glad that we as a race made a piece with so much hope and jo. This, in my humble opinion, is the single best piece of literature ever made.

It really is just Life. Joy, just plain, simple, happy joy. I will always keep this book with me. Im confident that it is the single best way to live a nice, drawn out and good life. So simple of a lesson, such a primordial concept is woven into this book, it really is the one true good book.

And really, to everyone under our bright star, I wish a sunny trees and rolling grassy fields under kind yellow sunlight.

My life is attributed to the Sun, Joy, Life and Mr. Happy

These books are great! I can remember 20 years ago when I was sitting on the floor of my 2nd grade class in Illinios, my teacher would read these books to us!!! They are really cute and I recommend them highly!!

Back in college I got a job as a summer janitor at the local elementary school. One of the things I had to do was clean up in the library. I took this time as an opportunity to catch up on some reading... in the form of the Mr. Men series. Mr. Tickle is a great book about a man who likes to tickle. If you like to laugh, this book is for you. If you like to tickle, this book is for you. If you are a mean spirited and grumpy person, perhaps you should try another book

But BARELY #2.... (Mr. Strong being #1). For a while this was #1 though. Mr. Tickle is the hilarious story of a tickle (you didn't know that there was such a thing as a tickle did you?) on an adventure though town causing mayhem by tickling everyone! This is also a trip though memory lane for daddy as I grew up in England reading Mr. Men books. My copy of Mr. Tickle looks like in went through a war zone, lol.
The best part of the book is the game my son invented by asking me to tickle him every time someone in the book gets tickled. And by the last page he's ran of the bed hiding and giggling. You'll understand if you've got the book, it's got a GREAT ending!
If your kids like Mr. Men books and you don't have Mr. Tickle, what are you waiting for????

Mr. Tickle makes you laugh WILLINGLY.

I know, I know. You are saying, "But I don't like to be tickled. And I don't want my children to feel that tickling is socially appropriate."

I had similar reservations before approaching Mr. Tickle, but I ordered it anyway. Mr. Tickle gets his just rewards, let me assure you, but in the meantime, he seduces readers into the world of Mr. Men. He does not just Tickle the people in his town. No, that is more...Sesame Street (The Tickler, The Man Who Starts with the Letter T, Volume 13, I think, of The Sesame Street Library).

Mr. Tickle helps the people of his town BOND TOGETHER. He is that slippery sort of antagonist who acts as a protagonist. Britain called for a hero, and Mr. Tickle answered the phone.

I loved reading this book to my grandchildren. Even my husband was listening and enjoyed hearing this cute story. I shared it with my neighbor and her grandchildren wanted her to reread it over and over. Little Miss Mischief mentions Mr. Tickle also in the story and a great follow-up book to go along with it. All of the Mr. Men books are great fun to read, and I will keep them on hand for any little one who will sit still to listen to me read it to them. I enjoy the stories as much as the children do.

Very interesting facts that actually help you to be a winner with this game!

I had to read through this book a few times, as it is quite complicated - I never really knew there was so much to RPS. I always assumed rock beats everything, but after my second or third reading I started to understand the intricacies of the game. I now choose paper everytime, and my winning rate has increased almost 1%

I bought this as a gift for my wife. Whenever it's time to clean the cat boxes or change a dirty diaper or do anything else unpleasant, She always wants to RPS for it. Now, we at least play by the rules and the decision is made fairly.

You think Rock Paper Scissors is a game of chance? think again! This book offersgood information on the game, its history, strategies, and much more.

this guide has really helped my game!

This is a superb look at the nitty-gritty world of selling. Although the author does fill it with case studies, they are all useful and thought-provoking. My favorite bit of advice concerns what happens to all top salespeople: they get their territory cut. Why? To keep them from getting complacent, of course.

Joe has gone out of his way to cut to the chase. There is no self esteem building and you can do it rah rah rather Joe's frank honest and what it takes to stay on top, remain on top and what to do when you are caught in a no win situation. As an MBA this type of book should be a mandatory read but the reality of tenured professors that are effectively running a union job do not understand how duplicitous and unethically the real business world can be. I finish this book in a few hours and the insight will last me a career. It is also refreshing from the standpoint that Joe has a soul and is interested in seeing the world and some great sales jobs he has had launched that opportunity. If you surf this book is especially cool(which I do and I can relate to the author on many levels.) Another reviewer was turned off by some profanity of which I do not remember so don't focus on issues of crass.

Anybody. I repeat anybody who sells, or wants to become a sales person, has to read this book. This book will keep you in the "game" longer, by playing corporate business model to your advantage. All successful companies value their sales force. But most Sales Managers make you feel like a zero. By reading this book you can change that number and pave a brighter future. Read and Prosper.

This book is a "must have" for the new graduate or anyone who is considering a career or taking on an adventure in sales.

Finally, a fun-to-read book on sales with valuable and positive insights on getting-in, finding the right company, and getting-out when your company becomes the "wrong company."

Joe T has real-life examples and experiences that show you how to work for yourself and enjoy the adventure. He teaches you what to expect in sales and get the most out of your job and keep your sanity. Rather than providing, rehashed "supposedly new", methods of achieving one time sales success, this book provides a "big picture guide" that helps a salesperson's lifelong career. HIGHLY ENTERTAINING AND RECOMMENDED!!!

I went to B-School, got my MBA, and gained valuable education on the theory and practice of managing a successful business. What I was disappointed by, were the unexamined assumptions around the "corporate dream", which I found pervasive at all levels of the curriculum. Too complex to go into here, but essentially...

Most business schools are in the business of selling the corporate dream and training future managers in the arts of profit maximization, organizational efficiency, competitive advantage, and market penetration. Rarely do they ever address the human reality of corporate downsizing, except as economic data points relevent to the afore mentioned topics.

The Sales Adventure Guide is a practical manual on how to cut through the corporate BS, understand the true meaning behind management-speak, and know how to cover your butt when your job is on the line, through no fault of your own. It uncovers the tactics, often unethical and sometimes illegal, that HR and upper management will use to make you go away, meekly, without costing the company a penny.

The Sales Adventure Guide will help you probe underneath the company's glossy exterior and public face, by showing you how you can ask the right questions and find out important information about the organization you will be contracting your time to.

This book will teach you how to protect yourself, play the corporate game with finesse, and enjoy your life, rather than feel browbeaten at the company's ingratitude towards the days, months, years of your life you gave them - which you will never, ever get back.

Corporate loyalty is a myth, most companies will lay you off without a second thought. Read this book, understand that we are all contractors now.

Love the lesson behind this story. However, this book is probably best for toddlers and up because (1) the book isn't built for a lot of wear and tear and (2) the pictures aren't brightly colored and don't capture the attention of infants - at least not my nephew. Otherwise, good book for kids.

This is a lovely book, and makes a great "new baby" gift! Rhymes and repetition make it a favorite of my 18-month old. Illustrations are beautiful!

I sent this product back as I did not receive what I needed/wanted and they sent me the same thing so I kept it. I wanted this same book for a baby in a "Board Book" but I got a hard bound book which isn't appropriate for young children.
I love the book and the author that is why I chose this book.

Fun to read with the new baby - older siblings get into the rhyme as well

Dear little babies with their characteristically busy little fingers and stubby little playdough toes delight the reader with their realism. Thank you, Helen Oxenbury! A singalong rhythm that is "easy to read to" encourages the listener to join in after a couple of repeats. Thank you, Mem Fox!

Although these two gifted women had "retired", this book, and the Baby World, is as fresh and light-hearted as these babies are. Focusing on the similarities rather than the differences, their message of peace is tenderly and subtly played. I can't wait to give this as a baby gift!

First, I must start off by saying that I'm an avid traveler, aficionado of LP's guides, and have a taste for off-the-beaten-path trips. I've also had the pleasure of being acquainted with one of the individuals appearing in the Wheelers' tell-all. I know that LP guides are written by real people. I read this book based on the fine recommendations here.

Disappointed is too mild a word for my opinion of this book. I found Tony Wheeler to be narcissistic and petty. I found his recanting of employee relationships and friendships gone sour painful. He blamed his business errors on outside forces, rarely accepting that sometimes things don't go as planned. His decision making process was entrepreneurial and often quite irrational, which likely made LP what it is: the hands-down world leader in travel guides. But he didn't really seem to understand is the other side of entrepreneurship: what can create success can also lead to failure.

His desire to give us too much information pervades the book. I honestly didn't want to know about his marital problems and his rebellious teenagers. I was interested in LP's views of the world and its cultures, and his take on the difference between writing, pleasure, and business travel. My chief complaint of LP guides is that they tend to be somewhat dry, as if the author was being paid to travel (which is true of course), and really didn't enjoy it all that much.

In all, if you're an avid traveler and frequent user of LP guides, this book could have a very different effect on you that the author may have intended.

I recommend this book to all fans of the Lonely Planet travel guides. I love how the travel guides are organized. I also loved the TV series and even their calendars so I couldn't resist opening this book when I saw it. Reading this book tells you how the business of Lonely Planet started. It's a story of survival and courage. It's also brutally honest at times. Tony mentions which books were a success and which ones weren't and why. Sometimes the Wheelers meander in their discussions (much like how they meandered in their travels), but you won't mind because the overall story is so captivating. The most amazing thing is how Tony and Maureen managed to travel and raise two children all while running a business. Lonely Planet has always been an inspiration and will doubtless continue to be to its readers.

Lonely Planet Publications began in 1973 when the authors self-published a unique travel guide ACROSS ASIA ON THE CHEAP. What began as a one-time publication evolved into an entire publishing company specializing in places where few conventional tourists traveled. UNLIKELY DESTINATIONS is a wonderful addition to any travel library: it blends autobiography, business history and travel and covers the authors' personal story and the evolution of their budget travel guide business. Armchair travelers and any familiar with the Lonely Planet lineup of excellent independent-travel guides will relish this expose of how they came to be.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Tony and Maureen Wheeler talk about all the places they have visited so far, how they built Lonely Planet as a publishing house, and share their personal views on several topics.

The Wheelers' have travelled so widely that even the names of all the places they have been to can be tough to follow! They understandably have to rush through them. The most interesting part of the travel memoir section is the comparison between how the places were in the 70s/80s and how they are now, something the Wheelers' always point out.

Besides being a travel memoir, this is book about building a boot-strapped busines. The Wheeler's show that building a business is more than just pursuing your dreams, it is about keeping a tight leash on finances, building a good team, competing with similar and larger competitors, staying ahead on the technology curve and reacting to external changes. The chapter "All about guidebooks" is an interesting introduction to how guidebooks are produced - from writing them to getting them printed. As a business book, it is similar to the Starbucks story (Howard Schultz, "How Starbucks built a company..").

The book does not come together as a captivating story. In the first few chapters, the authors describe a chronological order, but that breas down in the later part of the book. Chapters like "All about guidebooks", though very interesting on their own, do break the flow of the story. In addition, there are topics that the authors pick up but do not do justice to (e.g. comparison with competitors is incomplete).

An interesting book overall about travel, how travel is changed over the last three decades, and the challenges of building a business even if it is your dream business.

While the book is well written and covers many fascinating travels throughout the world, including obscure places in Southeast Asia, it is offensive by describing "September 11th and all that." September 11th may have been a joke to wealthy people who live their lives travelling and being paid for travelling, but it was not a joke to the people who lost their lives and the only thing this author can do is complain that there was a "Sept. 11 downturn" in donations to a Lonely Planet Charity. Give me a break. There are more important things than seeing the next 'exotic' destination and playing drums with the natives. While travel is important, and who does'nt love it, is it not the end all, be all. There are times to judge and there are times to take a moment out and say "where did I come from? Did 3,000 of my countrymen just get murdered." There are times and by poking fun at 9/11 and complaining that it led to less donations and pretending that the deaths of people is a joke this book does a disservice both to travelelrs who have morals and to the world. Civilians don't deserve to be murdered and making fun of them is degrading and offensive. Eveyrthing else in this book is interesting but the 9/11 rant spoils it all.

Seth J. Frantzman

If you are planning on doing any driving in New Zealand this is the atlas for you. It is rather large but it makes it easy to follow the roads. I have a friend that lives there; she begged me to leave it for her.

The AA Zealand map/guide is an excellent source for all your driving & touring needs in New Zealand. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent detailed resource for travel in New Zealand.

This is the equivalent of the Rand McNally Road Atlas for New Zealand. I highly recommend it if you are planning a road trip through New Zealand. It helped tremendously with our trip planning. It also includes a table of distances between major cities and towns and estimated drive times.

If you're planning on renting a car in another country to do some sightseeing, I highly recommend this series of Road Atlas. I have several of them from different countries and all of them are extremely helpful when you want to make your own route for a driving excursion. It is large scale, with excellent detail on roads and routes. A must have for driving in other countries.

Little girls like princesses and ballerinas and this book combines both. The students at Miss Lilly's Ballet School have been invited to perform for the Mouseland princess. Angelina is sick on the day of the tryouts and ends up getting a minor part. She is upset, but her mom tells her to do her best! Angelina also memorizes the lead parts and on the day of the show one of the lead ballerinas sprains her ankle and Angelina gets the chance to dance a lead part!

We give "Angelina and the Princess" 5 stars. The ballet students have been asked to dance for Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Mouseland. Mr.Lightfoot, the director of the famous Royal Ballet Company, was coming to help Angelina's dance teacher, Miss Lilly, choose the best ballerinas for the special performance. On the morning of the tryouts Angelina woke up feeling terrible. Her mother said she could not go to ballet school that day. You will enjoy reading this book to see if Angelina does get chosen to dance for the Princess.

beautifully illustated, heartwarming childrens stories. Even though the Angelina stories are geared towards girls, my little boy, at 8, enjoyed these as well, especially when mom read to him. These are good stories to read to your child at bedtime.

The artwork is detailed and delightful to look at-you'll see new things each time you look, and children love that that every scene is filled with many little mice.

This Angelina story deals with doing your best-even if you're not picked to lead. Each book is filled with wonderful life lessons told in a gentle, non preachy way.

I highly recommend this series for any child.
5 stars!

When Angelina Ballerina finds out that her ballet school will be putting on a performance for the Princess of Mouseland, she couldn't be more excited. She stays up all night practicing and practicing, only to wake up feeling sick, and unable to dance. However, she does try, and ends up with only a chorus part in the performance. Disappointed, she vows never to attend ballet school again, until her Mother tells her to be happy with the part that she has. Agreeing, Angelina Ballerina goes back to ballet school only to save the day once again.

ANGELINA AND THE PRINCESS is an adorable addition to the ANGELINA BALLERINA book series. As always, Helen Craig's illustrations are breathtaking, and will capture the heart's of all readers, young and old, as will the wonderful, moral-building story by Katharine Holabird. A must-have for all.

Erika Sorocco

"Angelina and the Princess" is the first of the Angelina series my daughter and I have, but we plan to get the rest as we love this so much. Angelina is a tiny white mouse who yearns to be feminine and sweet, but is sometimes headstrong and silly--just like most girls I know (including my five-year old daughter!). Angelina has a dance recital coming up and she is pining away for a major role. However, as she's sick on the day of auditions, she doesn't do well and in fact, barely is able to crawl back home and into her worried mother's arms. She knows she did poorly, and her mother admits as much too, which brings me to one of the things I love about this book--there's no sugar-coating the fact that Angelina has gotten herself into a pickle. It's a storybook, and a fantasy at that, but it's realistic enough to keep the edge off the sweetness.

Angelina is counseled by her mother to do her very best. I don't want to give away the ending, but by keeping a cheerful attitude and trying to do her best for the whole dance company, Angelina is amply rewarded. It's a story with a moral, but the moral isn't presented in a sickeningly sweet way.

The illustrations by Helen Craig are truly a treat. Set vaguely in a Victorian England mousedom, they depict tiny cottages with climbing vines, drapey dresses with floral prints, tiaras, bouquets, adorable furniture, and so on. Three cheers to both Helen Craig and author Katharine Holabird for a book which is a joy to read and great fun to peruse just for the illustrations alone!