Review of The Wine Maker's Answer Book (Answer Book (Storey)) (Paperback)

Alison Crowe dedicates this book to her two grandmothers and all those who "taught her that a woman's place is doing whatever she sets her mind to".This reviewer found that sentiment to be typically Californian, conjuring up many images of what one might call the golden state's "social terroir".Regional mentalities notwithstanding, WAB is just a great book about wine, and packed full of useful information that will appeal to anyone interested in making great wine.Particularly appealing is the format and page layout which begs to be picked up, flipped through, and read anywhere and at anytime.A durable cover is also appreciated, as is the size of the book and the font's ease on the eyes.

In the first part of the book one finds a simple, straightforward timeline of winemaking (for both red and white wines) that serves as an excellent "skeleton" of knowledge that, when assimilated, makes absorbing further information in the book easier- brilliant!Why aren't more books like this?She goes on to answer hundreds of questions from there!

Alison's talent as a writer comes through in clear and concise language, giving explanations that even a layman can understand with a little study.She does not overwhelm the reader with needless inundations of chemical jargon, but writes masterfully about the chemistry in simple terms.

All in all, a fantastic book!





Product Description
Home winemaking is an appealing hobby for a new generation of wine lovers lured by the promise of a great payoff - small batches of handmade wine. It's the perfect opportunity to experiment with flavors, have fun playing with chemistry, and share a few tasty bottles with friends and family. But safely fermenting, bottling, and aging wine is a demanding process requiring special equipment, impeccable sanitation, an understanding of chemical reactions, and the patience to see the aging process through to the end. No matter how experienced the home winemaker, unforeseen questions develop with every batch of new wine.

When a winemaker has problems with leaky corks or finds an oily film on top of his fermenting wine, what's the simplest, quickest way to get an answer? The Wine Maker's Answer Book is a 24/7 helpline with advice on hundreds of winemaking dilemmas. From the basic curiosity of the novice (What equipment will I need to get started?) to the finer points of fermentation (What is the impact of malolactic fermentation on acidity?), every step of the process is covered in detail.

Author Alison Crowe uses a friendly question-and-answer format to explain the mysteries of turning grape juice into wine, whether the reader is beginning with fresh grapes or a home winemaking kit. To the straightforward requests for information, she offers detailed descriptions of procedures and equipment. For stickier real-life problems, she first carefully assesses the possible causes and then gives expert advice on fixing the trouble.

Covering the entire range of situations a winemaker is likely to face, this handy, at-a-glance reference will make every batch of wine taste better.



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Review of At Home in the Park: Loving a Neighborhood Back to Life (Paperback)

The title of my review explains exactly how I felt from the moment I started reading. It was as if I had crawled inside her book, her neighborhood, her life. Her words came alive
when she talked about the crisp autumn mornings, the aroma of food, the feeling was so strong, it was if I could smell, feel, and be a part of every page of her book.
A wonderful writer, I hope to be seeing more books from her soon.
Glenda K Schlueter

Product Description
What's the difference between a group of houses and a real community? Author Lola L. Lucas explores this question in At Home in the Park: Loving a Neighborhood Back to Life.

Lucas chronicles the rebirth of Enos Park, a section of Springfield, Illinois, just north of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Like many cities, the area went through a period of urban decay before rebounding. The Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association (EPNIA) was largely responsible for this change.

Lucas's columns about Enos Park have appeared in the EPNIA Banner since 1992. With wisdom and wry humor, she shows why it's worth the effort to reweave a neighborhood's social fabric in order for residents to once again enjoy their homes. Lucas writes about community policing, ice cream socials, neighborhood patrols, and evening strolls on tree-lined sidewalks. Through the efforts of the EPNIA, the citizens of Enos Park reclaimed their streets and loved their neighborhood back to life.

About the Author
Lola L. Lucas earned a BA in English, an MA in management and an MBA in human resources. She works for a state agency as a research economist and teaches part-time at the University of Illinois. She and her husband, Kevin Brown, live in Springfield, Illinois, with their two standard poodles.

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Review of Homemaking: Women Writers and the Politics and Poetics of Home (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) (Hardcover)

This is an excellent collection, well worth the expense.It is diverse: poetry, reviews, personal anecdotes,history, politics.... from writers from the USA (including African American and Native American), Ireland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, Palestine, Germany and beyond.I purchased this book as a kickstart to my PhD thesis on women, writing, creativity and the home.Although many of the contributions are written by academics, it is notable that several are not; I feel that it would also be an enjoyable read outside of academia.

Product Description
This collection of critical and creative work reconceptualizes what home and being at home means for women writers worldwide. Rather than focusing on how concepts of exile, nomadism, and displacement structure women's cultural and literary texts-as many recent critics have done-these essays and poems, many of which are published here for the first time, re-evaluate the meanings of home, community and relocation.

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Review of Home Schooling: Political, Historical, and Pedagogical Perspectives (Contemporary Studies in Social and Policy Issues in Education: The David C. Anchin Center Series) (Hardcover)

As a scholar, working as an associate professor of cultural and interdisciplinary studies at AntiochCollege, I have a student population that contains a large number of home schooled students.Much has been published in recent years on home schooling, but this balanced collection remains the best source of information available on home schooling.It includes information on state regulation, historical context, the reality of particular family's experiences, the motivations of different groups heavily invested in home schooling, etc...For any academic undertaking a study of home schooling, for any parent considering home schooling of their own child or children, I highly recommend a serious reading of this definitive book.

Product Description
This significant volume studies the growing body of research on home education, and offers a broad analysis of this movement. Introductory chapters present the most current information on the demographics of the movement and on the social and academic outcomes of home education. Beyond these data, the broader implications of the movement are considered in chapters discussing legal issues and policy analysis. Additional chapters provide historical and sociological analysis of the conflicts between parents and schools that often precipitate the decision to home school. The volume ends with an anthropological analysis of learning in the informal home setting and a philosophical critique of the movement as an abandonment of a belief in the efficacy of common schooling.

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Review of Feng Shui Quick Guide For Home and Office: Secrets For Attracting Wealth, Harmony, and Love (Paperback)

Feng Shui has finally made it into the mainstream with Olmstead's new book.Far from being "woo-woo," Feng Shui: A Quick Guide for Home and Office gives an easily understandable history of Feng Shui and a practical approach that I have found useful in my daily life. For instance,I have tried to arrange and decorate the rooms in my home, as suggested in the book, to reflect the bagua of Feng Shui, and I have enjoyed the results. After reading the book, I changed the orientation of my desk in the living room and created a reading area, and the room was far more welcoming and balanced. The book also pays homage to the seasons and includes a calendar of 366 Feng Shui tips, which are great fun to read and employ in your daily life.

Product Description
The first Feng Shui book that shows how to use the power of practical Feng Shui one day at a time, throughout the seasons. Author Carol M. Olmstead, known as The Feng Shui Maven reveals how to attract wealth, find love, create family harmony, improve your career. The book includes a day-by-day calendar of 366 quick tips for home and office and a unique monthly clutter-clearing guide. The author includes powerful success stories from her clients across the country to show how real people made simple changes with big results. Carol Olmstead has taught thousands the simple secrets of using Feng Shui throughout the adventures and misadventures of real life, and now she shares these secrets with you. This book is a must-have for anyone who thought Feng Shui was too confusing, too New Age, or too complicated to use everyday. Includes illustrations, index of Feng Shui tips, and a glossary of common Feng Shui terms.

About the Author
Carol M. Olmstead, FSII, The Feng Shui Maven, is a consultant, author, and speaker specializing in practical, contemporary applications of Feng Shui for our homes, offices, and businesses. Carol practices a contemporary version of Feng Shui that honors the essence of its 5,000-year-old Chinese heritage but focuses on the practical applications for our culture today. Carol first learned about Feng Shui more than 12 years ago when she was a marketing communications consultant. She rearranged the furniture in her office and two weeks later signed a contract to consult for a week in Hawaii which extended into a second week after she got there. After extensive study with the Feng Shui Institute of America she became a Certified Feng Shui Practitioner, qualified to use the designation FSII. Carol was recently awarded Red Ribbon Professional status from the International Feng Shui Guild. Carol has been featured in such publications as Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Prevention Books, Telecommuting for Dummies, and online home decorating and remodeling websites. She is a frequent guest on TV and broadcast and Internet radio.

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Review of Home Workplace: A Handbook for Employees and Managers (Paperback)

After reading this book, it confirmed a belief that I've had for years, there definitely is "an impending multifaceted crises," according to author Brendan B. Read, that is "facing organizations that could affect their (and your) ability to function and deliver products and services effectively." The problem is lost time (worsening (and costly) daily commuting times are getting longer and delays worse) and increasing commuting costs (high gas prices) across the board for all of us. Read has done an outstanding job in this book of pointing out that "it is a crises that will impact the quality of lives for each of us." The situation is worsening by the day, and will eventually cause the collapse of life as we know it here in this country and around the globe.

Read begins by covering arguably the single most universal IT requirement: Components to handle voice. This is quickly followed by an examination of the equipment: computers, peripherals and backing them up. Next, the author examines data, which includes fax and video. Then, he looks at home office locations and facilities requirements. Next, Read points out that there are a lot of components that go into initiating, supporting, and managing home office networking. Then, the author discusses how to make the program roll and keep it rolling smoothly--how to bring home working on home. Finally, he covers how to smoothly put the brakes on home working employees activities.

According to Read, what is needed is a home working revolution on how we look at and manage employees. This revolution is now underway. Initially, that is what this excellent book is all about!



Product Description
Reap the benefits of the home workplace revolution with this practical resource that guides managers and employees through working from home either full or part-time. If you are charged with establishing or executing a home-work policy in your business, t

This book guides employees and managers through all the issues involved with working from home, either full time or on occasion: voice and data technology, home office locations, facilities, environment, furniture, HR oversight, and more.



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Review of Energy Saving Home Improvements from A to Z: Real Estate Investor, Homeowner, Home Buyer and Seller Survival Kit Series (Paperback)

When my wife and I wanted to make a lot of repairs and upgrading to our home we read many books on the subject before starting the work or hiring contractors. This book was a great help since it contains a ton of expert advice, research, and information about the best ways to make repairs and improvements (both minor and major upgrading) in the most cost effective manner. The added bonus of the information in this book is that we learned how to reduce our utility consumption by about half! The topics show you how to make all the updating with energy efficiency in mind at no extra cost to do the work. That we a great bonus to the instructions. Some of the work opn our house were major updates and had to be done by professional builders and contractors. With what we learned from this book my wife and I were able to double check the estimates and work performed by the pro contractors to make sure they did everything the correct and most energy and cost efficient manner. We did detect some aspects of the job that we told the contractors to do differently from what we learned in the book(instead of them cutting corners to increase their own profits). All in all - great book and great choice for any home owner serious about make energy saving home improvements!

Product Description
Nemmar Real Estate Training is ranked as the most exclusive real estate appraiser, home inspector and real estate investor training service since 1988. Our real estate books, DVDs, CDs and Videos are rated number one in their real estate categories nationwide! Our products have taught thousands of home buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals worldwide. You too can learn everything you need to know about Real Estate - from Asbestos to Zoning. With this knowledge you will save thousands of dollars when you buy, sell, or renovate your home. You will also learn how to eliminate safety hazards and properly maintain a home. Statistics show an average savings of at least $4,700.00 per home for customers who have read our books. Our home inspection, appraisal, and home improvement books have been called the "Bible" of the real estate industry. Written by Guy Cozzi who has decades of experience as a licensed appraiser, home inspector, consultant, and real estate investor. This top selling author has been quoted as a real estate expert by the New York Times and many other publications. He has been a guest speaker on real estate investment TV shows and has taught thousands of people how to inspect, appraise and invest in real estate and provides advice to many banks and mortgage lenders.

Don't let your dream house be a Money Pit in disguise! Everything you need to know about energy saving home improvements from Asbestos to Zoning. "Don't buy, sell, or renovate your home without this!" Includes everything you need to know about making minor home improvements that increase the value of your home plus save energy and drastically reduce your utility bills from A to Z. You'll learn how to:

- Reduce your energy bills by 50% or more.
- Lower house maintenance and capital costs.
- Decrease environmental impact
- Dramatically enhance comfort and health for you and your family.
- Anyone can benefit from this book: home buyers, home sellers, home builders, home renovators, home inspectors, appraisers, builders, contractors, and all real estate professionals.

Every aspect of homes are covered:
- Home Renovations and Additions
- Appliances
- Heating
- Cooling
- Heat Pumps
- Fireplaces and Wood Heating
- Water Heating
- Water Savings
- Insulation
- Doors and Windows
- Roofs
- Lighting
- Landscaping
- Swimming Pools
- Solar Energy
- Everything under the sun and more!

The real facts other books don't tell you! You'll learn how to lower your utility bills by 50%, live more comfortably, and help the environment. Home builders and contractors "cut corners" to maximize their own profits when doing home repairs and renovations. This is unquestionably the only book of its kind that teaches you how to prevent those pitfalls. You get information that the professionals use to make you an educated consumer enabling you to negotiate a much better price on the purchase, renovation, or sale of your home. Whether you are looking to become a home builder or contractor, or just to buy, sell or renovate your own home - this book has it all.

Do you really know the true condition and energy efficiency of your home? Don't let your dream house be a money pit in disguise! This "A to Z Home Improvement" book will assist you with the biggest investment of your life - your own home. These products were originally designed to train top-notch, professional home inspectors, appraisers, investors, builders, contractors, and Realtors and are now available at a price affordable to everyone. All homes need to be inspected,appraised and updated for safety hazards, routine maintenance, and energy efficiency

This book has many pages of photographs and illustrations covering every topic. The photos are detailed to show you what to look for when making energy saving home improvements. By identifying any problem conditions before you buy, sell, or renovate, you'll be able to save a lot of money.

288 pages with 8.5" x 11" dimensions. This book and the Real Estate from A to Z series are now being offered at a very large discount via the Internet compared to our normal professional training school prices.

Key Benefits:
- Crucial Advice to Assist You: This book tells you the truth, unlike others that gloss over the hard facts. Aspects of home improvement and real estate investment that tell you the realities so you don't walk into it with your eyes closed. This information will be invaluable to you in a home purchase, sale or ownership.
- Safety Concerns: Eliminate safety hazards to make your home safe for you and your family. Help prevent accidents before they happen! Learn how to identify safety and health hazards around your own home.
- In-Depth Home Improvement Topics: You'll learn every aspect of energy saving home improvements. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this book is easy to read and understand. Get all of the important information you need in just one book. Never buy, sell or renovate a home without this!



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Review of Complete Home Landscaping : Designing, Constructing, Planting (Paperback)

Whether you are a professional landscaper or a weekend gardener, this book provides a multitude of information in understandable terms and concepts. From plant selection, starting a new lawn or re-doing an existing one, to building pathways, irrigation systems, and rockeries, this book has it all. The authors have included just about everything you may ask about your yard or garden with helpful directions, options, and instructions. All gardeners should have this resource on their bookshelf. It will be used -and often!



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Review of Ideal Homes?: Social Change and the Experience of the Home (Hardcover)

This book consists of a collection of papers about people's images of home.The volume is divided into 4 parts: Changing images of the ideal home; Betwixt and between: homes in transition; Anxieties and risks: homes in danger; and Changing perceptions of home.The first part, changing images of the ideal home, focuses mainly on British homes and British attitudes towards home.Much of the remaining material, however, could easily be generalized to cover Western attitudes towards housing and home.Tony Chapman's paper "You've got him well trained': the negotiation of roles in the domestic sphere is a particularly well-done exploration into sources of social attitudes towards sharing housework.Overall, this book provides some extremely interesting vantage points of many different aspects of domestic life, especially in 21st century England.Anthropologists, sociologists, and feminists will all find something of interest in this book.

Product Description
Ideal Homes? provides a fascinating analysis which reveals how both popular images and experiences of home life can produce vital clues as to how society's members produce and respond to social change.

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Review of The Home Executive's Guide to Computer Security (Paperback)

Colarik's advice is pretty sensible and presented in as nontechnical a manner as possible. I don't think anyone can quarrel about the proferred advice. Though I'm a little dubious of "Executive" in the book's title. Perhaps he's trying to appeal to the ego of the reader. Or perhaps it's just a way to underline that this is not a specialised technical book.

There are explanations of various types of attacks that your computer might meet. And protective, largely preventive countermeasures on your part. For this, the best advice might be to install an antivirus scanner and regularly run it. Along with having it connect to its vendor's website, to download the latest virus signatures. Another good advice is to consider running a firewall. These days, you might not even need a dedicated device. Software firewalls are now quite refined.

Product Description
Whether you operate a home-based business or bring your company's business home, this book establishes a functional understanding of security, and teaches its application in securing personal computers.

About the Author
Real, long lasting security requires expertise. Andrew Colarik has a thorough knowledge of the foundations, architectures, and protocols of computer and Internet fundamentals and their associated vulnerabilities. With over twenty-three (23) years utilizing computerized information systems, Andrew has and continues to provide simple, step by step explanations of the risks businesses face and how to protect systems from computer attacks. Andrew Colarik was awarded a Ph.D. in Information Systems (Security), and is the holder of a Masters in Business Administration (MIS). The combination of his credentials with over eight years of college teaching, providing training seminars to business, legal, and law enforcement professionals, and over eight years as an independent consultant brings a well balanced insight on key security issues facing organizations today. Throughout Andrew\'s career, he has taught management of information systems, multimedia communications, database management, programming languages, application software packages, and business courses. Andrew also continues to provide systems design, network administration, equipment review and selection, troubleshooting, and hands-on training of installed systems for businesses in the financial, manufacturing, and government industries. As a researcher, author, and inventor, Andrew has been published in top-tier security conferences, authored several information security books, and is an inventor of both utility and design patents. The latest of these publications by Andrew include: Managerial Guide to Handling Cyber-Terrorism and Information Warfare (January 2005), Update/Patch Management Systems: A protocol taxonomy with security implications (August 2004), A Secure Patch Management Authority (2003), World Framework for Security Benchmark Changes (May 2003), and An Integrity Mechanism for File Transfer in Communication Networks (May 2002). Additional publications are currently under development as Andrew\'s ongoing research into the security arena continues.

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Review of The Crisis in America's Nursing Homes: What Are We Doing Wrong? (Paperback)

The Crisis In America's Nursing Homes: What Are We Doing Wrong? by health care professional and nursing home owner Guy Seaton is a sober, serious, informed and informative look at a severe health care crisis facing our aging nation. Written by an experienced and thoughtful author who first started working in nursing homes more than three decades ago, The Crisis In America's Nursing Homes expertly surveys the manifold shortfalls of Medicare and Medicaid, and addresses the urgent social policy question as to why things in nursing homes are in such bad shape and what can be done about it. The Crisis In America's Nursing Homes is very highly recommended reading for health care activists, nursing home reform advocates, governmental policy makers, and anyone concerned about the quality of care they or their loved ones can expect for a nursing home environment.



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Review of Simple Home Repairs: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-28 (Paperback)

Where was this years ago? It has a lot of good help with around the house repairs with illustrations. I just wish it had more. This publisher never lets me down.

Product Description
Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

From the Back Cover
Since the 1973 publication of Storey's first Country Wisdom Bulletin, our commitment to preserving the arts, crafts, and skills of country life has never wavered. We now have more than 200 titles in this series of 32-page publications, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins contain practical, hands-on instructions designed to help you master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. From traditional skills to the newest techniques, Storey's Bulletins provide a foundation of earth-friendly information for the way you want to live today.



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Review of A Survival Guide to Selling a Home (Paperback)

Here's what the book contains:
Chapter 1 - Selling FSBO or Using An Agent
Chapter 2 - Prep Your Home To Sell For More
Chapter 3: Marketing your home
Chapter 4: Handling offers - the art of the deal
Chapter 5: Selling a condo, co-op or townhouse
Chapter 6 - Financing and money matters for sellers
Chapter 7 - If your home doesn't Sell and other options
Chapter 8 - Renting and keeping your home as an investment
Chapter 9 - Buying your next home
Chapter 10 - Decluttering, moving and yard sales
Appendix A - Why home values increase
Appendix B-Features that affect marketing time and selling price
Appendix C-- Marketing do's and don't's
Appendix D-- Dos and don'ts when you get an offer
Appendix E-- What your ads need to attract quality buyers
Appendix F-The Most Costly Mistakes Sellers Make
Index
I wish I'd had this last year to help with selling my house.This has lots of info to guide you through a trying experience.It's what you need to know to get the best deal possible.



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Review of The Hunger Games (Hardcover)

Wow.I was barely able to put this book down for a second after the first few pages got me completely hooked.Suzanne Collins narrative here has an immediacy to it that, when combined with the very dramatic life-or-death plot, is incredibly compelling.It's entertaining, and incredibly disturbing all at once.If this was merely a good read, I would have given it 4 stars, but they say great art leaves you changed after you experience it...and this book definitely did that.Suzanne Collins has, with one amazing work, propelled herself onto my top shelf.

Parents, caveat emptor!The storyline is brutal.Even though the writing is geared for young adults, the main characters are teenagers, there's very little physical romance, and the actual violence would probably count as PG-13 nowadays...it's probably one of the most terrifying books I've read in a very long time!Right up there with George R.R. Martin, if not more so.Remember what we learned from Jaws: you don't actually need to SEE the shark in order for it to be terrifying.Sometimes not seeing the shark is even worse.

The story is basically about a teenager who is forced to compete in a 24-man-enter-1-man-leaves event.I don't want to spoil it by saying any more, but if you liked The Running Man, you'll definitely like this.And if you're young enough that you don't remember The Running Man, nor did you get the Thunderdome reference, then I'm just way too old.But take an old fogey's advice and read this book.

Amazon, when can I preorder book 2???



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Review of Budgeting for Infertility: How to Bring Home a Baby Without Breaking the Bank (Paperback)

This book was in great shape when it arrived and it's easy to read. Great ideas and I recommend this book to couples who have infertility.



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Review of Voyagers to the West: A Passage in the Peopling of America on the Eve of the Revolution (Paperback)

This book was a challenge to read.The first two hundred and fifty pages are as dull as any social science you're likely to read and the last hundred and fifty pages lack anything like a conclusion or summary chapter.None the less, you have to give credit where credit is due and acknowledge the majesty of this work.

Bailyn, in exhausting detail, uses records maintained by the British crown between 1774-1776 to document the who, what, where and why's of British migration to the colonies in the years immedietaely proceeding the revolution.

His main thesis can be summarized by stating that there were, in fact, two parallel migrations.The first was of unattached, single men from the area around London to the middle states of Maryland and North Carolina.The second migration was of families from the british midlands and Scotland.These migrants used Pennsylvennia and New York as a jumping off point for their population of the back country.

Baiyln backs up the thesis with tons of charts, graphs and maps. This was a much heavier read then I expected.




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Review of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Hardcover)

This was an excellent book - I cannot tell you how much this book helped our sleepless, colicky infant.But, several friends with non-colicky babies actually recommended this for any infant.This book is a wonderful middle ground for those parents who do not want a severe schedule (BABYWISE) or the opposite end of the spectrum, attachment parenting (Dr. Sears).It was the only book that I found that spoke knowledgeably about colic, and gave the only helpful advice available on the subject (believe me, we tried it all).It is not a cry-it-out book, although some may look at it in that light.What it teaches you is this: 1.watch your child. 2.put him/her down to sleep when you first see the signs of tiredness 3.most children under 6 months do not stay awake for longer than 2-3 hours at a time without needing a nap. 4.DO NOT just put your child down to nap when you feel like it - that's just letting him/her cry, not TEACHING them to sleep. 5.Most children need to go to sleep at night earlier than you'd think. 6.Going to bed earlier promotes later sleeping (weird, but true.As the author says, it's not logical.It's biological - sleep promotes sleep) There's a lot more too.I really like that the author's data is based on studies that he has done involving the patterns of children who naturally sleep and nap well.No, it didn't give us a perfect baby. We happen to have a very sensitive high strung girlie, who also power-naps.But we went from a cranky post-colicky baby who took no naps or 15-20min naps and got up many times per night to a sweet smiling girl who now takes 3 45min-1 hour naps per day and sleeps from 6pm-7am (waking 2 times to nurse).Oh yes.The nursing.She used to think that nursing was the only way to get to sleep.After diligently following the advice in this book, she now can get to sleep on her own, no nursing.Not that it's perfect - she still cries 5-15 minutes at times before naps.But she is sooooooo much happier now.Gotta think something's working.



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Review of Your Non-Toxic Pregnancy (Paperback)

I bought this book while traveling in the North of Ireland, so I expected it to be a European based book.Indeed it is, however, the author was kind enough to do some American research, as well, so it is definitely usable (and recommended) for Americans.

My first "chemical-free" pregnancy book was The Complete Organic Pregnancy by Deidre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu, and while I did enjoy it, I found it lacking in many areas (such as recommendations and resources for finding less toxic products).Because of this, I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up a copy of Your Non-Toxic Pregnancy.Not only does it back up its claims with sound research (from many different worldwide-respected organizations), but it gives many different suggestions for how to live more organically.

The book is organized well and filled with attractive photos of glowing pregnant mamas-to-be.The information is consise.The suggestions are do-able.

The author devotes a whole section to toxins in beauty products, and includes recipes for homemade alternatives that I found especially interesting and helpful.Another section describes the dangers in modern household cleaning products, and gives a list of eco-friendly options.And these subjects are just the beginning.

I really cannot give enough praise to how well this book is put together.There are many books out there screaming the dangers of many of our modern-day luxuries, but do absolutely nothing to help us find better, safer, and more eco-friendly ways of living.This book has an alternative for every not-so-safe product out there.Many of the alternatives are UK products, but almost all can be ordered online.

As a quick side note, I've noticed many reviews for this book (on other sites) and reviews for The Complete Organic Pregnancy state that the authors are trying to scare you into doing impossible things.I say for a fact that none of these changes are impossible to make.Yes, the information is scary, but this does not mean it is fear culture-based.Someone needs to put this information out there, and I find it unwise and even immature to criticize those few who are brave enough to do it. /rant

Product Description
Every expectant mother wants to provide a safe and protective environment for her unborn baby, but there are hidden hazards in almost everything we use or ingest, such as arsenic in eyeshadow and hormones in chicken. Women aged 20-45 are especially vulnerable to toxic substances and their effects, and even more so when they are pregnant. Yet it is often hard to choose the right products given manufacturers' often misleading claims and the amount of technical knowledge required to "translate" the components of many items. This guidemakes clear the substances found in common household, food, and office items and reveals the practices that can be damaging to both baby and mother. It provides a guide to safe commercial alternatives as well as quick-and-easy recipes to create natural preparations. It is the ultimate guide to ensuring that home, workspace, leisure-time activities, food, skin care, and cosmetics remain hazard- and stress-free.

About the Author
Susannah Marriott is the author of The Art of Motherhood, Natural Pregnancy, and Spice Spa.

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Review of Ortho's All About Deck and Patio Upgrades (Ortho's All About Home Improvement) (Paperback)

I bought this book for ideas for a patio with a pergola.Because of the reviews it had, I thought it would be a good idea.It was! Now the problem is how do I decide what to do.I have too many likes and not enough space to incorporate them all.Oh well, guess I will have more thinking to do.

Product Description
Shows homeowners who already have decks or patios how to improve them.

Expert guidance for do-it-yourself upgrades, including seating, railings, outdoor kitchens, lighting, fountains, and built-in storage.

Includes color photos, step-by-step illustrations, and clear instructions.

Uses readily available tools and materials.

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Review of Make Your Own Woodworking Tools: Metalwork Techniques to Create, Customize, and Sharpen in the Home Workshop (Paperback)

Mike Burton should be complimented for sharing his multitude of skills with the reading and crafting public. This book is the distillation of many years of practical and academic study. To be able to take advantage of this wisdom for the paltry sum that this book cost is remarkable. Mike has the ability to take us through all the stages in the manufacture of a great variety of woodworking items. He does it in a simple, easy to follow manner and with a beautiful dry wit. If you buy this book you will be in the position to save a great deal on the purchase of essential tools by making many of your own to your considerable satisfaction. I have had the book for only two weeks and so have concentrated on my own particular interest. I now have a splendid array of woodcarving tools. They cost me very little in materials and the saving is many hundreds of dollars.The price of this book would only buy half a woodcarving tool! Mike has a fine eye for a bargain himself and it is a pleasure to be inducted into his economic ways. In the weeks and months ahead I feel that my savings, skills and satisfaction at making my own tools will increase many times. Mike you should have been a New Zealander! You would fit in very well.

Product Description
Praising the simplicity and economy of customised handles and blades made from recycled materials, this manual details the construction and assembly of handmade tools that can be fitted to individual hands and are designed to keep a razor-sharp edge. An extensive section on salvage steel provides advice about choosing metal, and an in-depth analysis of heat treatment explains how to get a hard cutting-edge while keeping the back of the knife soft for greater strength. Carpenter comfort and safety is also considered, with a section on making handles recommends techniques for shaping and carving wood to distribute pressure over a large area of the heel of the hand in order to relieve stress on the wrist and arm.

About the Author
Mike Burton has been a professional woodworker for more than 40 years, creating projects that vary from a furniture line to guitar bodies. He is the author of Architectural Carving, Simple Marquetry, and Veneering a Foundation Course. He lives in Ogden, Utah.


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Review of Just to See You Smile (The Other Way Home, Book 3) (Paperback)

Just To See You Smile
Sally John
Harvest House Publishers, 2008
ISBN: 9780736920933
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com, 12/08
5 stars
Christian romance...
Britte finds herself working with a new principal.She and Joel are drawn together.Anne and her husband, Alec, have drawn apart.He is determined to hold their family together but to heal the wounds.
Just To See You Smile is the third book in The Other Way Home series.Sally John has once again created characters that I want for my best friends.Sally John skillfully weaves together the threads of two stories.Ms. John is a master at her art.The characters come to life on the pages.From the first page, this story held me captive.I did not put it down until I had read every word.Sally John is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.



Product Description

Popular fiction author Sally John's first series The Other Way Home (more than 65,000 copies sold) comes to life with a fresh, new cover for a new audience of readers.

In Just to See You Smile, the third book in series, teacher and coach Britte Olafsson finds herself drawn to the new principal who's an ex-Marine. His discipline toward life and in teaching matches her own, and when coaching dilemmas erupt, he strongly moves to support her. Despite past hurtsand disappointments, Britte tentatively begins to open her heart to him.

Coach Anne Sutton and Alec, her husband of 17 years, lose sight of their love. Alec tries to find a way to win back the love and faith of Anne.

Just to See You Smile is a tender story about faithfulness, hope, the unconditional love of Jesus, and the true meaning andbeauty of semper fidelis (always faithful).

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Review of The Flower Remedy Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Over 700 Flower Essences (Paperback)

For beginners, intermediates, and advanced flower essence buffs alike, The Flower Remedy Book addresses the single most commonly asked flower essence question: how to know which essence(s) to take? This vital companion guideis an invaluable aid to essence selection, in a comprehensive andeasy-to-digest manner. It diffuses the sense of confusion and overwhelm onefaces, with so many reputable flower essences and essence lines presentlyavailable. In this book, Dr. Garsen Shapiro has provided credibility anddimension to an old healing art recently rediscovered.

Product Description
A guide to the hundreds of flower remedies available in health food stores.



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Review of The Complete Guide to Reverse Mortgages: Turn Your Home Equity into Instant Income! (Paperback)

I'm not usually one to read books like this, but since I am studying to get my Real Estate license, I thought that I would give this a try.This book turned out to be a great read, and very helpful for the field I am going into.It was easy to follow, and I highly recommend it!

Product Description
Until recently, there were only two main ways you could get cash from your home: sell it or borrow against it and make monthly loan repayments. Reverse mortgages offer a third way of getting money from your home. If you are a homeowner, age 62 and older, you are eligible to apply for a reverse mortgage loan that converts your home equity into a tax-free income.

With The Complete Guide to Reverse Mortgages, you'll learn all you need to know to earn the supplemental income you need, without worrying about:

• Having to sell your home
• Give up your title
• Or take on a new monthly mortgage payment.

This invaluable guide explains everything you need to know about reverse mortgages and how to use them to your advantage. With practicing attorneys Tyler Kraemer and Tammy Kraemer leading the way, you will learn the step-by-step process to getting a reverse mortgage and making the best of your retirement!

About the Author
Tammy Kraemer has been an attorney practicing business, real estate, and intellectual property law for almost ten years. She is currently in private practice. She worked in general counsel for a mid-size software company with worldwide offices. She also worked at a large regional law firm in their corporate law and securities department. She has written and edited numerous articles for newsletters and law journals. She lives in Colorado with her husband Tyler and their two children.

Tyler Kraemer has been an attorney in private practice focusing on estate planning, real estate, finance, and business law for almost ten years. His clients include lenders, borrowers, mortgage brokers, real estate brokers, real estate buyers and sellers, and business owners. Tyler has been a part of outside general counsel for the REALTOR® trade association and the for-profit multiple listing service, which included giving daily advice on homeowner issues. He has participated in National Association of REALTOR conferences and workshops dealing with all facets of homeowner issues. He lives in Colorado with his wife Tammy and their two children.

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Review of Loving Frank: A Novel (Paperback)

I have studied the work and bio of Frank Lloyd Wright for many years, even traveling to his Western headquarters, Taliesen West, and touring homes he built in four cities.I was well aware of his strengths and faults, but little has been published about the women in his wife, other than his domineering, smothering mother and his strident, domineering third (and last) wife. (I'm counting Mamah Borthwick, his lover for about a half-dozen years, as a second wife, since they would have married if his first wife had granted him a divorce; he and Borthwick lived together for several years).

Wright's towering ego is well known and well documented.By choosing to look at Wright and his work through the eyes of Mamah, his lover, in this fictionalized historical tale, Horan brings new insight into the demons and angels that inspired his vision.Wright's well-documented narcissism and inability to control himself personally is examined as well, but not as the fatal flaws offered by most biographers, but as components of an immensely complex and genius personality.

Mamah's (first) husband was first to see Wright's vision but Mamah was the one to embrace it wholly as Wright set about building them a home in Oak Park, not far from his own house.Wright was a star on the rise at that time, accepting commissions almost faster than he could manage them, but the affair he and Mamah embarked upon, which caused her to abandon her children, led to considerable scandal and major setbacks to his business.

Mamah was a recognized scholar and intellect until she was subsumed into a loveless marriage by the conventions of the time.In Wright she found the outlet for her passions and the independence she longed for, and the support and acceptance to rebuild her professional life, which became linked with that of the feminist Swedish scholar Ellen Keyes.Mamah's story, and that of the feminists of her time, is largely lost to history, and for reminding us of those seminal and important figures alone Horan deserves a deep bow.

Horan's work also exumes many litle-known facts about Wright and his times: his love for rural Wisconsin, where he grew up; his fascination with Japan and business in buying and selling Japanese antiguities; and his admiration for the classic Tuscan homes of northern Italy.As this book documents the times in which Wright was shaping his own vision with the help and guidance of Mamah, we can better understand the architecture for which he became so famous.

For those familiar with Wrights biography, the tragic end to his and mamah's affair is well known.For others, it will come as a shock.Horan is simply masterful in describing the events as they must have occurred.

I enjoyed the book tremendously, but I have one major quibble: Horan offers little documentation for her narrative for the reader who might want to learn as much as she does.As one generally familiar with the story I find it authemtic, but an appendix elaborating on the sources Horan used would add to the book's credibility.



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Review of The Mother Load: How to Meet Your Own Needs While Caring for Your Family (Hearts at Home) (Paperback)

Looking for something to browse thru one wintry day and found my wife's copy of "The Mother Load."
Guys...check it out....don't be embarrassed.Should give you some much needed insight on what your kids' mom face.
Well-written; an easy read.Mary has a great touch and her sense of humor and love for her primary job of motherhood shine through in her book.
Two thumbs way up!

Product Description

Motherhood is an intense, 'round-the-clock job. To stay healthyand happy, moms need friends, laughter, solitude, balance, and an intimaterelationship with the Lord. But exactly how do moms meet these needs whilejuggling family responsibilities? Mary Byers, the mother of two lively youngkids, shares how moms can find small pockets of time to—

• rest and refuel
• create personal space
• make time for friendship, exercise, and intimacy
• identify and prevent “balance busters” that create chaos
• creatively stay sane in the midst of mothering

The Mother Loadoffers down-to-earth suggestions, spiritual truths, and real-life advice frommoms to help women survive and thrive in today's active families. Includes questions for groupdiscussion and personal reflection.

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Review of Hollywood Remains to Be Seen: A Guide to the Movie Stars' Final Homes (Paperback)

Besides being very well-written and witty, this book is one of the best-researched "graving guides" I have seen on the market. I believe this is because Masek lives in the area, and is a regular visitor to these sites. Many other books have been written by people who either don't know the subject matter personally, or who have relied heavily on other, usually erroenous, sources. These mistakes are repeated over and over in guide after guide, but not in this one. Masek has clearly done all the leg work himself, and it shows.

Besides giving directions, the book also contains some very witty anecdotes about the people and the places they are buried. Although a bit large to sneak into the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn, this book really needs to be at your side for any excursion out there into the increasingly-popular world of celebrity grave-hunting.

Product Description
Hollywood Remains to Be Seen is a fascinating, gossipy guide to the fourteen most significant Hollywood-era cemeteries and the final resting places of the movie stars who are buried in them.Arranged as an easy-to-follow tours of the properties, the fourteen chapters-one for each cemetery-include histories of the cemeteries, directions for finding them, and a detailed listing of exactly where more than three hundred stars, and a detailed listing of exactly where more than three hundred stars are buried.

Strange as it may seem, cemeteries are becoming one of the most popular destinations for tourists to Hollywood and for film fans who want to pay their respects to the rich and famous and passed-on.Every year, millions of people from all over the world visit the graves of the legendary film stars buried in Hollywood, and the interest in these places grows from year to year.

Hollywood Remains to Be Seen highlights the legend and lore of celebrity graves, from Rudolph Valentino's mysterious "Lady In Black" to the regular deliveryof one red rose to Marilyn Monroe's grave, to the strange journeys made by the body of John Barry more immediately after his death in 1942- and again thirty-eight years later.Also included are information and images of Hollywood's most lavish and majestic graves, from the huge mausoleum of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., complete with Roman pillars and giant reflecting pool; to Liberace's flamboyant tomb, with a musical score set on white marble; to the spectacular domed monument of Al Jolson, featuring a life-sized statue of the entertainer atop a 120-foot cascadin waterfall.

Heavily illustrated with nearly one hundred photographs, Hollywood Remains to Be Seen includes photographs of the celebrities as well as photographs of the cemeteries, mausoleums, and graves, maps of the burial grounds and gravesites, and a final section fitly titled "Exit Lines" made up of celebrities' last words.

About the Author
Mark Masek is a travel writer with many feature stories published under his byline.A native of Chicago, Illinois, he lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Theresa.Hollywood Remains To Be Seen is his first book.

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Review of The Home Buyer's Question and Answer Book (Paperback)

There are shelves of reference books available for home buyers, but I found this one to be of great help in explaining the step-by-step process of home buying.

Not only does the book guide you through the daunting task, but it explains terminology in fairly good depth that buyers are likely to run into while trying to buy a home. Words, phrases and acronyms such as contingencies, earnest money, clear title, ASHI and purchase agreement have become part of our vocabulary, thanks in part to this book.

I also appreciated the worksheets (some courtesy of Ginnie Mae) that help to prepare a potential buyer when viewing homes. The sheets encourage home buyers to look closely, take notes and prioritize needs. This is critical when you look at four or five houses in a single day and details can easily be blurred without an organized effort to keep the information for each house separate.

Though I don't think any one book can answer every home buyer's questions, this book was a great starting point for us as we sought to demystify the issues surrounding home buying. Highly recommended.



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Review of 100 More Things You Don't Need a Man For!: Exterior Home and Yard Maintenance (Paperback)

100 More Things You Don't Need A Man For! by home improvement expert Alison Jenkins is a highly practical, "user friendly", exterior home and yard maintenance guide written especially for women, and useful for anyone who is unfamiliar with the basics of handling power tools, patching exterior walls, weatherproofing wooden garden furniture, and so much more. Practical instructions, full-color illustrations and diagrams, easy-to-understand terminology, and a touch of humor make 100 More Things You Don't Need A Man For! a superbly presented and highly recommended guide for any do-it-yourself homeowner -- regardless of gender!

Product Description
Alison Jenkins does it again with her latest in the 100 Things series. With answers to questions on exterior house and yard maintenance, readers learn the bare essentials of everything from roofing and siding to landscaping and getting outside help. The book's step-by-step, illustrated techniques provide confidence from the ground up.

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Review of 100 More Things You Don't Need a Man For!: Exterior Home and Yard Maintenance (Paperback)

100 More Things You Don't Need A Man For! by home improvement expert Alison Jenkins is a highly practical, "user friendly", exterior home and yard maintenance guide written especially for women, and useful for anyone who is unfamiliar with the basics of handling power tools, patching exterior walls, weatherproofing wooden garden furniture, and so much more. Practical instructions, full-color illustrations and diagrams, easy-to-understand terminology, and a touch of humor make 100 More Things You Don't Need A Man For! a superbly presented and highly recommended guide for any do-it-yourself homeowner -- regardless of gender!

Product Description
Alison Jenkins does it again with her latest in the 100 Things series. With answers to questions on exterior house and yard maintenance, readers learn the bare essentials of everything from roofing and siding to landscaping and getting outside help. The book's step-by-step, illustrated techniques provide confidence from the ground up.

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Review of Carpet Monsters and Killer Spores: A Natural History of Toxic Mold (Hardcover)

If Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) were reincarnated as a mycologist, he would have written this book. Dr. Money's liberal dose of irreverent humor makes his very detailed, erudite book on toxic mold easy and enjoyable to read.

In the preface, Dr. Money says, "Widespread fears about black-mold toxins are a product of the new millennium and deserve a critical, balanced, scientific inquirty. Though I cannot promise anything that boring, I do hope I can dispel some of the media myths about these microorganisms while identifying the real threat that can be posed by a few of these fungi."

Stachybotrys plays a key role in this book. In Chapter 5, Dr. Money discusses the 1993 outbreak of pulmonary hemmorraging (bleeding lungs) in poor children living in Cleveland. When Dr. Money began his book, he first thought that stachybotrys might be an innocent victim of media hype. However, he discovered that stachybotrys chrtarum can produce highly toxic spores. Along with the Cleveland outbreak, he discusses an outbreak of stachybotryotoxicosis in the Soviet Union in the 1940's, and illnesses linked to Stachybotrys among horticulture workers in Europe. Dr. Money also talks about the science used to evaluate the links between Stachybotrys and illnesses, and some of the political issues at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that caused the CDC to soft-pedal Stachybotrys.

This book has a thorough, although daunting, discussion of how allergic reactions are triggered in individuals. The body's allergic reaction is, as Dr. Money points out in Chapter 3 -- Carpet Monsters, an intricate mechanism. Until I read this book, I didn't realize that four types of cells primarily respond to allergens - dendritic cells, T lymphocytes (T cells). B lymphocytes (B cells) and mast cells. Dr. Money talks about each cell type's responses to allergens, and the creation of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies.

"Your Verdict, Please" (Chapter 6) is an overview of mold litigation. It has a very thorough discussion of what happened to Melinda Ballard's home, the resulting litigation, and a breakdown of what the jury awarded Ms. Ballard - and why. Dr. Money also discusses the reduction of the $32 million award to $4 million. This chapter also has a good discussion of how the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Daubert affected the Ballard case.

Dr. Money also discusses mycological warfare -- and he is not using the term as an analogy to what happens in a house with mold. He is discussing the development of mycotoxins as a weapon in armed conflicts.

Product Description
Molds are everywhere:we inhale their microscopic spores from birth to death.But when an investigation in Ohio revealed that babies suffering from a serious lung illness had been exposed to a toxic black mold in their homes, millions of Americans became nervous about patches of mold in their own basements and bathrooms.Before long, lawsuits were filed by the residents of mold-contaminated homes in every state.By failing to address water damage, building contractors, plumbers, and insurance agents were held liable for exposing families to an unprecedented microbiological hazard.The mold crisis soon developed into a fully-fledged media circus.In Carpet Monsters and Killer Spores, Nicholas Money explores the science behind the headlines and courtroom dramas, and profiles the toxin-producing mold that is a common inhabitant of water-damaged buildings.Nicholas Money tells the most important mycological story since potato blight, with his inimitable style of scientific clarity and dark humor.



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Review of Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home (Paperback)

Going Green is "the Next Big Thing" after the invention of the internet. It is one of the most important trends of this century. "Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home" is an important contribution to the revolutionary trend of Going Green.

"...Although earliest cultures had built their dwellings with respect to natural world, in modern times little attention had been given to situating homes on sites in relation to nature; that is, to the sun, the prevailing winds, and other natural world elements that had sustained even primitive man for centuries in the most rudimentary of dwellings since the beginning of time...

Another way of introducing you to the concept of sustainable housing and greener living is to understand that up until the present what has been the standard, acceptable way to build housing just wasn't working anymore...

Finally, the economic pressure from our dependence upon fossil fuels as a people has been the single most influential factor in changing the status quote today. Simply stated, we no longer have a choice. The time has come to replace the status quo with alternative solution. And, the time is now."Avrim Topel and Vicki Topel write in "Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home."They continue to use their real life experience of building a LEED-Silver home to introduce the green buildings to ordinary people in plain and simple English.

"Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home" include nine chapters: Assembling the Creative Team; Defining Green and Sustainable; The Conceptual Design Plan; Sitework and Permitting; Products, System and Materials; Construction Documents: The Working Drawings; The Construction Process: A Photo Essay; Reflections in Hindsight: Notes from the Interior; and Notes from the Garden.

I particularly like the Chapter of "Reflections in Hindsight."For example, Avrim Topel and Vicki Topel mention their experience of trying to use reclaimed wood, but cannot get structural engineer's stamp of approval on it because there is no grading system for reclaimed wood yet. Another example is Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPS). While they are great products for insulation and preventing mold, they also present challenges for running plumbing lines and electrical conduits within the walls. All these are very valuable lessons learn, and you have the benefits of knowing them in advance if you read this book before building your green home.

"Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home" has 186 pages, 100 sequenced color photographs, and a glossary of green and sustainable terms and language. It is a valuable book for anyone interested in going green or building a green home.

Gang Chen, Author of "LEED AP Exam Guide" & "Planting Design Illustrated." LEED AP, AIA



Product Description
This book is the first of its? kind to present the subject matter both experientially and from a homeowner?s perspective. Using non-technical, easy-to-understand, plain English, the authors identify and define green and sustainable concepts, materials and systems, and explain how these various components come together and relate to each other in today?s green homes. Their homespun narrative style of storytelling makes readers feel as though they are conversing with two old friends and simplifies learning and comprehension. Following the projects timeline, the authors inject experiential advice at key planning and construction phases when applicable. Topics include selecting architects, builders and other professionals, the LEED For Homes program, and cite the benefits green homes avail homeowners. Construction activities are illustrated with 100 sequenced color photographs, and a glossary of green and sustainable terms and language provides the reader with a reference guide.

From the Back Cover
"Finally, a simple green guide written by someone who's been there. GREEN BEGINNINGS is a delightful departure from difficult-to-understand construction books. Written in plain English, Ave and Vicki guide homeowners in ways to work with architects and builders on their new green home" --Amy Cornelius, Green Builder/Construction Manager Hugh Lofting Timber Frames

"GREEN BEGINNINGS provides a common sense and meaningful approach to understanding green homes for the newcomer and professional alike. Sequenced photography takes the guesswork out of the equation and fulfills the readers expectations completely. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking entry into this new and rewarding way of homebuilding." --Matthew Moger, AIA, Lyman Perry Architects

"A story and a lesson, brilliantly crafted, easily understood, and documented with photography. Avrim and Vicki Topel have created a simple approach to teaching the essence of green homes for everyman." --Tad Radzinsky, P.E., LEED APPresident, Sustainable Solutions Corporation



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Review of Home Book: The Ultimate Guide to Repairs & Improvements (Hardcover)

I regretably returned this book since it did not describe how home improvements should be done but instead it just describes what needs to be done.The book read more like an encylopedia than a "do-it-yourself" manual - lots of information but not very helpful.I much prefer Standley's home repair manual which describes, for instance, how to caulk or different techniques for sanding.



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Review of Linda Applewhite's Architectural Interiors: Transforming Your Home with Decorative Structural Elements (Hardcover)

I gave three stars to this book since I am a fan of the author through her previous appearances on the cancelled HGTV show, "Sensible Chic."I was expecting more from her book however and was surprised at some of the odd image qualities of the photographs.In an attempt to emphasize the "glowy" quality of her design style the photos were overly bright and un-natural and looked overexposed and just odd at times.Applewhite's style can best be described as a very unique, bright, and ecclectic version of California Wine Country style which takes inspiration from a wide variety of sources such as Spanish Colonial, French Country, Tuscan and Asian as well as others.And...make no mistake about it - Applewhite's style is great...very unique, inspired and things seems to just glow.This book does not even come close to doing her talents justice and actually makes her style look outright garish in certain photographs.I looked through my book wanting to feel more but in the end I returned it.I hope the author's future books will be a better reflection of her talents.

Product Description
Author Linda Applewhite shows how to create a comprehensive building plan to turn your house into a home through the magic of finding and using the right bones. Applewhite introduces readers to the creative opportunities that open up when you can actually change a home's structural elements, enhancing the beauty and uniqueness in each room. Architectural Interiors offers creative solutions such as adding a column or pillar to define a space, installing unusual cabinetry to give structure, adding a set of elaborate moldings for extra elegance, or installing French doors to connect a room to the garden.
Linda Applewhite and Associates designs residential construction, remodeling and design projects for a nationwide client base.
Her designs are seen in the rooms and public spaces of the Mill Valley Inn in Mill Valley, California, and in the remodel and redecoration of the Hotel Sausalito and the Cottages of Napa Valley.
Teaches design seminars with attendees from across the United States and Canada.
Featured in House Beautiful, Elle, Bon Appetit, Travel & Leisure, Traditional Home, Women's Day, Sunset Magazine, Sunset Books, California Home & Design, Marin At Home, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, and the Marin Independent Journal.
Featured in the Italian design magazines Gioia Casa, La Mia Casa, BRAVACASA, Bagno e Accessori, and House & Garden Thailand.
Linda's design projects are frequently seen on Home and Garden Television's (HGTV) Sensible Chic and Curb Appeal, and on Food TV's Ultimate Kitchens.
(20070819)



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Review of Logs, Wind and Sun: Handcraft Your Own Log Home ... Then Power It with Nature [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

When I started reading Logs Wind and Sun, I imagined I would skim the more detailed parts about construction since I don't plan to build a log home. I bought the book because I was interested in solar and wind generated electricity. But in the end, I read everything. Whenever I tried to skim, I soon came across something that caught my interest and, before I realized it, I was totally entranced with the story. The framed inserts break up the flow of the text and add little tid bits of information just when some variety is necessary. Rex's Maxims and LaVonne's Verities are a novel way of introducing light humor while at the same time making an important point. The illustrations were very concise, attractive and easily understandable. The photography was out of this world and the photos very appropriately located within the text. Every photo enhanced the message on the page where it was found. Logs Wind and Sunis clearly a product of team work, the story of a couple who, working together, accomplished their dream. I loved it, and also learned what I wanted to know about solar and wind power.



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Review of The Nursing Home Handbook: A Guide to Living Well (Paperback)

Ruth Davis writes with humor and great practicality on a topic that I find uncomfortable and somewhat overwhelming.She provides information on all aspects of nursing home care --from finding the right setting, to copingwith details of day to day life in a home, to the last moments.I love heruse of sidebars, little snippits of advice, often filled with humor andalways packed with common sense. I would recommend this book to anyonefacing the problem of long term care for self or loved one.



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Review of Better Birth: The Ultimate Guide to Childbirth from Home Births to Hospitals (Paperback)

I read this book after I had already given birth three times and I wish that I had had this book to refer to.Denise Spatafora really provides a tremendous amount of information about all the decisions around conceiving and giving birth.Each of my births was so different from the one before and I had little idea of what I could do to understand the process.Now I know.After reading Better Birth, you will feel empowered and prepared for the birth of your child.The book addresses women as intelligent, intuitive, and emotional people capable of making the best decision for themselves.I really appreciated the birth stories that pepper throughout the book. It provides the reader a way to personalize the information that a woman and her partner need about everything from conceiving, connecting with their unborn child, preparing for birth, giving birth the way that feels "right" for you ,to postpartum. I think this book has some definite advantages over the other birthing books. It addresses factors that they ignore or hardly address including the affect of your emotions, thoughts, actions on your baby conceived or not!

The other thing that is great about this book is that it breaks things down into manageable parts and gives specific techniques that I wish I had had when I was pregnant. It talks about all the issues surrounding birth without instilling fear or dread. It describes all the processes around birthing allowing the reader to make informed decisions and to trust her own body. One of the best things in the book is the BornClear Toolbox which has a series of exercises on visualizations, meditations, affirmations, writing, breathing techniques, and art to help you alleviate your fear, connect with your baby and get ready for childbirth.This is THE book to get if you are pregnant or trying to conceive.


Product Description

"It is the mind-body connection that will allow parents to fully experience and appreciate the emotional, physical, and spiritual beauty of childbirth. Better Birth will help guide parents through this journey of creation and destination to birth."
-Donna Karan

Pregnancy should be a time of joy and celebration. But if you're not emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually prepared for childbirth, it can also be a time of stress and anxiety. This groundbreaking book takes the fear out of labor and delivery and arms you with the knowledge to have an informed, safe, and peaceful birth.

Better Birth will be the one resource that you can turn to again and again to get all your questions answered and feel empowered during your birthing process.Birthing expert Denise Spatafora shows you how to prepare yourself to have the childbirth you want, whether you choose to deliver your baby in a hospital, birthing center, or at home. She shows you how to tap into your mind-body connection to draw upon natural relaxation methods that promote a childbirth experience that is beautiful and fulfilling, rather than frightening. If you're pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, you and your baby deserve a better birth.



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Review of The Safe Baby: A Do-It-Yourself Guide for Home Safety (Paperback)

This book has been a real gem for my wife and I.We have learned things that we would have never thought of had it not been for The Safe Baby.Little things like avoiding the microwave for heating baby foods was great to read about in this book.It takes many different pieces of information to insure a healthy and happy baby and all of them are included in this precious book.May you enjoy it and may your child be benefited from it.



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Review of Laundry: The Spirit of Keeping Home (Hardcover)

I really liked this book. It's short and simple, and inspires me to try and enjoy doing the laundry, rather than making it such a tedious chore. There is nothing really innovative in this book, but it's a nice and easy read for those looking for a little motivation and something to inspire. I like the idea of the "Spirit of Homekeeping", especially since I am a 20 something year old woman who grew up "hanging out" and watching too much television! Now that I have a family of my own, I love the old fashioned ideas of keeping home, and making the daily grind a little more enjoyable.

Product Description
In grandmother's day, the fibers were natural, the suds were simple, and the clothes dryer wasa line stretched across the backyard. Today the parade of products and fabrics seems endless. But author Monica Nassif knows the secrets behind this satisfying ritual. Laundry lays them out-from sorting and soaking to fluffing and folding, here are tips and techniques that make doing the wash a true pleasure.

About the Author
Monica Nassif is founder and CEO of The Caldrea Company, which specializes in natural cleaning products. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two daughters.Patrick Fox is a Minneapolis-based photographer who spends time away from the camera flying a bush plane and tending 160 forested acres around his cabin in Northern Wisconsin.

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Review of Buying a Home in Italy: A Survival Handbook (Paperback)

This book is all but useless to residents of the US looking for good information about moving to Italy. The book is mostly for residents of EU countries, England most specifically. Altho there are a few items of general interest, and some mention of things pertaining to US citizens, I think it would be a waste of money for anyone who needs serious, current advice. Please note the the 2 favorable reviews are from people who are not US citizens. Save your money!

Product Description
Fully revised and updated 3rd edition and the best-selling book about buying property in Italy since it was first published in 1999. Essential reading for anyone planning to buy a home in Italy and the most comprehensive and up-to-date source of information available. Buying a Home in Italy is designed to guide you through the property jungle and make buying a home a pleasant and enjoyable experience. Most importantly, it contains vital information to help you avoid disasters that can turn your dream home into a nightmare - and will also save you time, trouble and money!

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Review of The House You Build: Making Real-World Choices to Get the Home You Want (American Institute Architects) (Hardcover)

Most houses that you see come in two choices: First is the standard sub-division spec house, designed to not offend any possible purchaser and to not exactly fit any family; Second you might call the houses of the rich and famous, where the houses are spectactular, but they don't talk about how many hundreds of thousands they cost.

This book takes a different view. It discusses houses in the $150,000 to $200,000 range that have been customed designed to fit the needs and desires of the owners. It covers some 20 houses in detail. The special conditions caused by legal restrictions, difficult building lots, everything is discussed. Of special interest is the discussion and illustration of using standard stock components, many of them industrial in intent in innovative ways to reduce the cost of the house by thousands of dollars. While doing so, the designers have been careful to integrate these components with standard structures to produce a home both inexpensive yet customized to the needs of the owner both functionally and in appearance.

Product Description
Until now, homeowners have had to choose between the twin worlds of budget-friendly mediocrity and unaffordable fantasy. Responding to this gap, acclaimed architect Duo Dickinson demonstrates that a customhouse doesn't depend on a fabulous price tag. The House You Build offers a third way of building that is grounded in the realities of time and money, but focuses on your fondest hopes and dreams. Here are 20 real-world situations where unique and imaginative homes were built on real-life budgets. When you build on a budget, there are no right answers, only careful choices. There are 20 dreams in this book, and these dreams came true. The House You Build is the first book of architect-designed homes that presents the real costs of their construction including design fees, the Six Rules on Getting What You Want (and can afford), a broad range of house styles from all over the country, and homes that accommodate a wide variety of lifestyles.

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