Having bought this before I saw Michael live in concert last year (which I found slightly disappointing compared to his earlier material), I didn't have high hopes for this book. I was even more dubious when he devoted the first few pages to describing his office at home where he was writing the book in far too much detail.

Thankfully the book improves, and to give Michael credit this book is a very good read: we get a glimpse into the life of Michael McIntyre, with all its ups and downs. It's no holds barred and emotional. Although funny in parts, what makes this book special is that it shows how tough it is to be a stand-up comedian, and his struggle to make it in this field. I thought it was interesting and would definitely recommend it.

The only reason I haven't given it five stars is because I did find that in certain parts, he came across as quite arrogant, which I didn't really like. It may just be the way it came across in print - I'm sure if he was speaking this autobiography it would have been funnier - but that was the only thing that made this autobiography fall short of the full five stars.

Apart from that, if you are a McIntyre fan, this is a must read.

After a slightly bizarre and very flowery start, I settled into this book and found it fairly engrossing for the first 100 pages or so. However, after that things started to go downhill fast.

Firstly, I didn't particularly like either Beatrice (the narrator) or her missing sister Tess. They couldn't have been more stereotypical really: Bea the responsible, sensible sister and Tess the free spirited one. They both started to annoy me by mid way through the novel. The only characters I liked were Bea's mum, who seemed a little more three dimensional than the others, and the Polish girl, Kasia, who played a relatively interesting supporting role.

Secondly, the more you read of the book, the more flaws you will find: not only are there grammatical and factual errors that other reviewers have also commented on, but there are also many holes in the story and by the end, it started to feel so absurd I wondered why I was still reading it. It gets very sloppy towards the end, and feels as though it has been rushed.

Thirdly, it is possibly the most depressing book I have ever read. I know it is supposed to be sad and touching, but I have read other similar stories that manage to tackle some very tough subjects but also inject a sense of optimism to lift the reader. In my opinion, this book failed in that respect.

I made it through to the end, but I wouldn't read another book by this author.

In short, Sister is a very forgettable book. If you're bored and you are given a copy then it may be worth a read but I can't recommend you go and spend hard earned cash on it, sorry.

A fantastic box set, which although far fetched, is often very easy to relate to. Harry and Paul have a natural talent of taking a situation most people wouldn't think twice about and making comedy out of it.

My personal favourites (to name a few) are the American tourists, Peskovich and Arragantio, Dragons Den, and the South African personal trainer. One of the clips of The Benefits, where they are on a game show host, had me crying with laughter. Oh and let's not forget good old Parking Patawayo!

Some of the sketches aren't as good, or even remotely funny - but everyone's sense of humour is different and I'm sure there are people out there who would enjoy the things I found less amusing.

Overall, an excellent series which we'll watch over and over again. Very happy with the purchase.

Having stumbled across an episode of Mrs Browns Boys over Christmas... well what can I say? We laughed so much that we purchased the box set from Amazon shortly afterwards, to get us through the dark winter nights.

Brendan O'Carroll is a genius. I love the witty remarks, the asides to the camera, the way the characters struggle to contain their laughter and the fact that mistakes are included on-the-spot into the script rather than being glossed over. The characters are all great, and it is amazing to think that most of the actors are related to Brendan in real life. They truly are a very gifted family.

Sometimes, after a long day at work, laughter really is the best medicine, and this box set delivers that in large doses! Definitely recommended. I can't wait to watch the third series and hope there are more episodes in the pipeline.

As a size 32F and an avid gym bunny, I have struggled over the years to find decent sports bras for working out. I have spent lots of money on inferior bras, so when I heard about this one I couldn't wait to try it.

Firstly, the aesthetics: wow. Having endured some frumpy bras up that either squash my assets or make them look conical under my slinky sports vests, this was a revelation. As soon as you put it on, and slip on your gym gear on top, you will find that you like like you're wearing a normal bra.

The fit: I find these bras very comfortable to wear with no rubbing or chafing, even when you sweat. Take care on choosing the right size for you. I have two because I messed up and bought a size too big: the original one which is slightly larger and another which is quite snug. I tend to wear the snug one for high impact cardio and the slightly looser one for all other classes / resistance work.

The support: Short of buying a bra with cement in it, nothing will stop me from bouncing around completely during my work outs. However, this one does a sterling job of containing them. Whereas with other bras I've often been quite uncomfortable with the 'bouncing' halfway through a vigorous class, with this I can happily jig about along with my smaller chested counterparts without a care in the world. For this I am very grateful: bras are getting much better, especially for the bigger busted ladies!

I don't hand wash anything - no, not even bras - so these get thrown in the washing machine along with my other sports gear. I can safely say that mine have survived countless washes on 40C and still look as good as new.

I appreciate that when it comes to bras, no one size fits all, but for me this one is the best on the market so far. I would definitely buy another one, and think it is well worth the money.

Call the Midwife is a must read for anyone interested in the East End circa 1950. Although written by a former midwife, this book is not just about childbirth. It goes into great detail about the living conditions of the era and the challenges faced by ordinary working class people. A few chapters are usually dedicated to each character, all of which are interesting. Rather cleverly, the book never feels like a collection of short stories, it has cohesion and never feels disjointed in the way that some books like this can.

I do like Jennifer Worth's style: not only is the book well written but she has a very unique way of story telling that I found very compelling indeed. She is not embarrassed to admit there are certain people she found odd or distasteful before she had the opportunity to get to know them. Then she will delve deeper and tell their story and you can tell how she - and the reader - suddenly changes their opinion towards that person, how indifference turns into compassion. It is a lesson that is relevant not just then, but now as well, reminding us that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

The other noticeable absence in this book which I welcomed was that it is almost entirely devoid of politics. I don't want to read page after page about politicians in any era. I want to know how people lived, worked, their customs, traditions and dialect. This is what makes a book interesting for me and this is where Jennifer Worth really excelled. Any mention of law and politics was brief and only added where strictly relevant to the topic being discussed: ie why workhouses were set up by the government at the time and various midwifery laws which changed the lives of so many.

Some have mentioned that 'Shadows of the Workhouse' is essentially the same book as 'Call the Midwife' and having read the former before the latter, I am glad to clarify that this is not the case. Certainly some characters and facts overlap slightly, but both books are worth a read in their own right. I would recommend both, but Call the Midwife is the best out of the two. I will definitely be reading other books by Jennifer Worth.

I bought the cream fleece welly socks in Large (6-8 UK). I am a size 7 and these were huge, I could have easily fit into the next size down. They are also quite chunky and my legs wouldn't fit into the Hunter wellies with them on. So unfortunately I had to return these socks.

If your calves are like mine and quite snug in the Hunter wellies already, then I wouldn't recommend this product.

Great boots, I am happy with my purchase. Size 7 was true to size. Colour wise, the brown 'cocoa' is nice but a little bit of a green tinge. However, seeing as I got them for a bargain price I can't complain.

A little on the snug side on the calves - mine are a little chunkier than normal (big bones!) and I can get them on and off ok but they didn't work with the welly socks, I couldn't get the boots on at all wearing those! I definitely couldn't tuck regular jeans into them.

I cannot comment on durability yet as I've only worn them 3 or 4 times but they seem sturdy enough, I will update this if there are any disasters.

Fantastic coat - I love the brown and cream colour and the price was unbeatable anywhere else on the web. There is an inner fleece on this one (cream) which can be detached and there is also a hood hidden away in the collar.

Great for outdoor walks, nice and warm on a windy day. I will make good use out of this.

When I opened the cover of Shadows of the Workhouse, I read 80 pages in the first night (who needs sleep, anyway?). I was totally engrossed in the powerful and detailed description of the workhouses and their inhabitants. In Part One, we are introduced to some fascinating characters such as Peggy, Fred and Jane, and the book at this stage really is wonderful. So wonderful that I rushed out to buy another three books by the same author before even getting halfway through this one.

In hindsight I wish I hadn't been so hasty, as Part Two was disappointing. Here we have Sister Monica Joan's trial, which seems to go on forever and I found my eyes glazing over for most of it. Then we move onto Joe Collett, who the author strikes up a friendship with and devotes a good few chapters to his entire life. It does start going off on a tangent at times, with the author adding her own memories to Joe Collett's, resulting in a mish mash of a story. By the time I'd got to the last 50 pages or so, I had started skim reading chunks to get to the end, as I had lost interest by this point.

As other reviewers have commented, the latter part of the book is not in keeping with the theme of the workhouse and seems to have been put in purely to fill the pages.

It is a real shame, as the book had potential to be one of my all time favourites. I have now started to read 'Call the Midwife', which I am hoping will be consistently good throughout.