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 A Modern Horse Herbal (Paperback)

The herbs that Hilary Self writes about really dowork.I've used this book with great results, bringing back to ridability an old horse that was lame and unridable for 5 years, calming another that spooked too easily,helping sinus congestion on another...and more.Not all viable horse herbsare covered in this book.Nevertheless, this excellent reference pointsthe equestrian and veterinarian in the right direction to those that thehorse will eat and digest most readily.Horses can be finicky, but shewrites about the herbs they most find palatible.

Product Description
Simply put, this is the most complete work available on medicinal herbs for horses and how to use them. It covers the A - Z of common ailments and conditions that can be effectively and safely treated with herbs. Among these are allergies, arthritis, coughs, colic, eczema, hay fever, hoof weaknesses, head shaking, laminitis, muscle and joint stiffness, navicular disease, nervousness, pedalostitis, rheumatism, scouring, sweet itch, ulcers, warts, worm infestation and wounds. In addition, many stable management applications for herbs such as fly repellents, coat conditioners, shampoos and disinfectants are included. For background, a descriptive list of over 50 readily obtainable herbs is included, giving details on habitat, collection, actions and uses. Useful non-herbal products such as cider vinegar and honey are discussed. Complete guidelines on making herbal preparations are offered, along with advice on selecting remedies and determining dosage. For horse owners seeking a more natural approach to their horse's health, A Modern Horse Herbal is a must!

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Review of Jerry Baker's Giant Book of Garden Solutions: 1,954 Natural Remedies to Handle Your Toughest Garden Problems (Jerry Baker Good Gardening series) (Paperback)

As with many other Jerry Baker books, this one is filled with unique recipes that are easy to make.He also gives out a variety of tips on gardening in general, and then on a variety of plants. The scope of this book is broad as he covers getting your beds ready, chosing what to plant, what to plant next to each other, and how to keep your garden growing well.He also tells you how to harvest, store your veggies, and he even tells you how to cook some of the items that come out your garden.
I really like his take on growing, simple solutions work best.I have benefitted from many of his homemade recipes for a variety of gardening concerns.This book covers a lot of area, it doesn't cover anything too deeply, so its a great choice if you are trying to pick up new ideas and tips in general.This is an easy read, and well worth it if you are trying to better your gardening skills.


Product Description
Common household products and down-home ingenuity are combined to combat frustrating garden problems in this indispensable handbook for both green thumbs and novice gardeners. Organized by garden area, 1,954 easy-to-use homemade remedy recipes-containing items such as beer, baby shampoo, and ammonia-instruct gardeners how to turn puny plants, wretched roots, and tired trees into gorgeous garden specimens without the use of store-bought chemical alternatives. Quick fixes are offered for fighting fungus with pantyhose, defeating botanical disease with peppermint, and bug-proofing vegetables with mustard and cloves; and obstacles such as heavy rains, nutritional plant deficiencies, and gardening on sloped areas are also discussed.


About the Author
Jerry Baker is the author of more than 50 books, including Jerry Baker's Flower Garden Problem Solver, Jerry Baker's Green Grass Magic, Jerry Baker's Old Time Gardening Wisdom, and Plants Are Like People, and his gardening specials have been televised on PBS. He lives in New Hudson, Michigan.


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Review of Home Theater Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools (Paperback)

Sometimes the Hacks books go a little too far. The iPod book for example spent eighteen pages on how to mold a new iPod console for your car. It would have been very easy for this book to go over that edge but it keeps it's focus and stays well within the realm of practical advice to enhance your home theater.

The sections on how to enhance your projection TV is excellent and very practical. There is good coverage of speaker calibration, system maintenance, and TiVo. There is also good material on acoustic tremblers which will bring the experience really close to home.

A must buy book for home theater enthusiasts. There is lots of material here that you can find on the web, but it's better organized, illustrated and explained here.

Product Description
It might be the long lines at the theater, the $4.00 for a small bag of popcorn, or the cutting-edge technology that's now so readily available to the home market.Whatever the reason, the home theater market today is booming like the soundtrack to Star Wars!Want proof?A Google search forhome theaterreveals over three million results.Yikes!

It's simply undeniable: More and more people prefer watching their favorite movies, television shows, and videos from the comfort of their own sofas and couches.What's also undeniable is the inexperience of most people who choose to install or upgradetheir home theaters.

Until now, the knowledge, technique, and experiences of those who've encountered similar conditions to yours could only be accessed through laborious web searches, stacks of magazines, and water cooler conversations.Home Theater Hacks from O'Reilly is the perfect remedy for this group.

A smart collection of insider tips and tricks, Home Theater Hacks covers home theater installation from start to finish, purchase to experience.Just imagine: no frustrating trial-and-error process and better yet, no expensive appointments with installation experts.Home Theater Hacks prevents both by imparting down-and-dirty technique not found anywhere else.

The book begins with a quick glossary of terms so you can speak the lingo when you go shopping, and then dives right into hush-hush,insidertricks.It's all covered where to find the right audio and video components, how to deal with speakers and wiring, understanding cable connectivity, mastering remote controls, how to fully grasp TiVo, and so much more.And to top it off, each of these insider tips is presented in a concise yet delightfully entertaining style.Bringing the Jurassic Park dinosaurs into your living room has never been so easy!

A seasoned veteran with numerous O'Reilly titles under his belt, author Brett McLaughlin leaves no stone unturned in helping you customize your home theater experience to your own personal environment.

About the Author
McLaughlin has been working in computers since the Logo days. He currently specializes in building application infrastructure using Java and Java-related technologies.

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Review of Smart Home Hacks: Tips & Tools for Automating Your House (Paperback)

Technical people are always looking for ways that technology can improve and enrich their lives.Smart homes-or home automation-has always seemed like something more from science fiction than science fact.However, after reading this book, the truth is that creating a smart home is easier and far less technical than most people think.This book provides the reader with 100 tips or things that can be done (some quite easy, some might take longer to complete) to automate your home.

Contrary to what you might think, much of what you can do with home automation doesn't require your home to be re-wired.Instead, much of what you might want to accomplish (like having your computer automatically turning on or off lights in the house while you're on vacation) can be done very easily through X10 modules.X10 modules are relatively inexpensive components which can send signals over power lines.Once you understand X10, many of the more straightforward hacks in this book make a lot of sense.

Other projects you'll find in this book include a home monitoring system, a smart sprinkling system, sending messages of what's happening at home to a cell phone or pager, and even controlling your home from a web browser.While some of these projects may sound a bit Orwellian, they are actually very interesting and can make your home a safer place to live.Instead of becoming a victim when a toilet or washing machine overflows, you can put preemptive measures in place to be alerted before a problem occurs.

This is a very interesting book and a must read if you've ever considered home automation.Not only will this book step you through some projects, but it will give you some excellent ideas for the future.I enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it.


Product Description
So much of what is commonplace today was once considered impossible, or at least wishful thinking. Laser beams in the operating room, cars with built-in guidance systems, cell phones with email access.There's just no getting around the fact that technology always has, and always will be, very cool.But technology isn't only cool; it's also very smart. That's why one of the hottest technological trends nowadays is the creation ofsmart homes. At an increasing rate, people are turning their homes into state-of-the-art machines, complete with more switches, sensors, and actuators than you can shake a stick at.Whether you want to equip your home with motion detectors for added security, install computer-controlled lights for optimum convenience, or even mount an in-home web cam or two purely for entertainment, the world is now your oyster.Ah, but like anything highly technical, creating a smart home is typically easier said than done.Thankfully, Smart Home Hacks takes the guesswork out of the process.Through a seemingly unending array of valuable tips, tools, and techniques, Smart Home Hacks explains in clear detail how to use Mac, Windows, or Linux to achieve the automated home of your dreams.In no time, you'll learn how to turn a loose collection of sensors and switches into a well-automated and well-functioning home no matter what your technical level may be.Smart Home Hacks covers a litany of stand-alone and integrated smart home solutions designed to enhance safety, comfort, and convenience in new and existing homes.Kitchens, bedrooms, home offices, living rooms, and even bathrooms are all candidates for smart automation and therefore are all addressed in Smart Home Hacks.Intelligently written by engineering guru and George Jetson wannabe, Gordon Meyer, Smart Home Hacks leaves no stone unturned.From what to purchase to how to use your remote control, it's the ultimate guide to understanding and implementing complete or partial home automation.

About the Author
With over 20 years of experience using and programming personal computers, Gordon Meyer is currently an engineering manager for Apple Computer, Inc. He specializes in onscreen help and documentation management tools, and holds three pending patents related to Internet-based help systems.Gordon is a true George Jetson wannabe. His home in Santa Clara, California is Mac OS X-based and equipped with motion detectors, computer-controlled lights, weather monitors, and web cams. Most people find this simultaneously frightening and cool, which pleases him to no end.

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Review of Caring for the Vulnerable: Perspectives in Nursing Theory, Practice, and Research (Paperback)

A book like this should have come out long ago! When I was taking my "Vulnerable Populations" course in my BSN program we did not even have a textbook. Now nursing students can benefit from the experiences and research in this book.

Product Description
Within an expanding field of study in both undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula, Caring for the Vulnerable explores vulnerability from the perspective of individuals, groups, communities and populations, and addresses the implication of that vulnerability for nurses, nursing, and nursing care.

Organized into six units, the text presents a basic structure for caring for the vulnerable, and forms a theoretical perspective on caring for doing so within a cultural context, with the ultimate goal of providing culturally competent care. Theoretical and research chapters advance to chapters offering learning experiences for nursing students and practitioners. As nurses are the crucial link between those who are vulnerable, and those with access to solutions, the last unit provides ideas for how nurses might advocate for the vulnerable on a policy level.

Written specifically for nurses, by nurses, Caring for the Vulnerable is a timely and necessary response to the culturally diverse vulnerable populations for whom nurses must provide appropriate and precise care.

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Review of Insider Secrets to Home-Buying Success: Turning Everything You Ever Thought About Home Buying Upside Down! (Paperback)

My house is all I've ever dreamed of. Who knew a college drop studing micro-econ could ever live so well? Those Jersey boyz....what else can I say.

Product Description

Buying a home is part of the American Dream. But high down payments, credit concerns, conflicting real estate advice, and a confusing array of experts - all wanting a piece of the pie - can take what should be one of the most exciting and fun experiences in life and turn it into a nightmare!

Now, for the first time in print, highly successful real estate entrepreneurs Joseph M. Farella and Earl Myers take everything you ever thought about buying your first home - or your fifth - and turn it upside down with the Insider's Secrets that have helped thousands who have attended their standing-room-only Homeownership Now events.

Learn:

• Why you should never just call a realtor's name you see on a For Sale sign
• How to set up your own team of experts who will be looking out for only you
• The fallacy with spending years saving for a down payment
• How to discover dozens of mortgage programs your bank will not offer
• The key to being competitive and successful in buying the property you want
• AND ... 22 Insider Secrets that will take you from just wishing for a house...to making that dream a reality!

About the Author
With more than 30 years combined real estate investment experience, entrepreneurs Farella and Myers have guided more than 13,000 people into successful home ownership. Founders and keynote speakers of the award winning Homeownership Now event, they serve on multiple government and professional boards and have been featured on network television.

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Review of Nora: An Ordinary Girl from Inchicore (Paperback)

Nora's story is the perfect story for those of us who think we have problems and for those of us who know we do. Either way, it takes us out of ourselves and lets us see that their are problems worse than ours and that there are people who handle them with her spunk and bravery. It's all about attitude and Nora's story shows how far the right attitude can take you. I hope she has more stories in her as I'd like to read them. Thanks Nora, for sharing your story with us.

Product Description
NORA-An Ordinary Girl from Inchicore is a poignant memoir of growing up in Inchicore, Dublin in the 1940's and 50's. With humor and pathos Nora tells of the day-to-day drama in a large Catholic family and the interaction with her nine siblings. She tells of the discipline in an all-girl Catholic school and the kindness and sometimes cruelty of the good nuns.

Nora takes us with her through the streets of her beloved Dublin as she cycles to work or takes the bus into town. We absorb the unique atmosphere-the sights, the smells and the colorful speech of Dubliners.

We go dancing with her in 'The Golden Years' of ballroom dancing and follow her romance with a handsome student from Trinity College.

We hear of the adoption of a baby and the circumstances that led her to immigrate to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Later we join Nora in England where her plans to marry her student prince go awry.

We follow her to Toronto, Canada where she meets and falls in love with her life partner, Frank.

NORA-An Ordinary Girl from Inchicore will delight those who love all things Irish and who believe the Irish are the most fascinating people on earth.

About the Author
Born in Dublin, Nora Szechy was one of ten children. Her daughter's gift of a blank journal with the request to write about her life gave her the impetus (at 72) to recapture her memories.

She lives in Downey, California with her husband Frank. They have three married children and seven grandchildren.

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Review of Divine Appointment: A Caregiver's Guide (Paperback)

I foundDelores Thornton's book very informative, and on the money, when it comes to what you should do and who to contact if a loved one becomes unable to care for themselves, or dies. It's full of resources for those who don't know where to turn in case sudden tragedy strikes or before it happens!

I look at this book as if it were my Guardian Angel guiding me on what to do next during family crisis, which are inevitable.

Product Description
Divine Appointment: A Caregiver's Guide will help to smooth the roughness of a tedious journey. Readers will find resources to aid them in caring for a loved one and places to contact while making end of life arrangements. There are stories from caregivers in their own words, handy guides, informative lists of support agencies, and pages for daily inspirational messages. This book is for those who have been through, those going through, and those who will go through!

"Delores Thornton offers a long overdue Christian devotional handbook for the adult caregiver. With warmth and honesty she shares her struggles as she cares for her fiancé. The advice provided is not only priceless but very vital information. Thornton does an outstanding job--not only educating people about caring for a loved one with special needs--but encouraging them through the difficult transitions. This book is a blessing!"

--Tyora Moody, DOEnetwork.com

About the Author
Delores Thornton, a lifelong Indianapolis resident, belongs to several writing organizations including her own Marguerite Press (www.margueritepress.com), founded in 1996; Marguerite Press Promo, founded in 2003; and Black Writers On Tour. She is the host of ?A Round 2 It,? an Internet radio show on www.deloresthornton.com. Thornton is a columnist for the Indiana Herald newspaper and for The HYPE Magazine.

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Review of Aloe Vera The New Millennium: The Future of Wellness in the 21st Century (Paperback)

I was skeptical at first, but this book is legitimate.It has the potential to change ones life, and has dramatically impacted mine. Robert Ahola is a true genius.

Product Description
The First Complete Book on Aloe Vera in this Young Century.

Aloe Vera
The New Millennium

Every once in a while, a book comes along that redefines the genre. This special 2003 edition of Aloe Vera/The New Millennium is such a work. In it you will find a wellness wellsource of new breakthroughs in Aloe Vera research and technology from the last thirty years.

•Aloe Vera's pivotal role in the new global wellness movement.
•"Aloe All Stars." Aloe Vera in the new world of Athletics.
•Aloe Vera's role in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
•AIDS, Cancer and the Aloe Answer. How Aloe Vera has broken through to these persistent dragons of world health.
•New Paradigms in Personal Care. What bold new inroads Aloe Vera has made in cosmetology, skin care, aesthetics and plastic surgery.
•Millennium Veterinary Breakthroughs. How many modern vets are using Aloe Vera to help our creature companions, both large and small.
•Personal perspectives by the man who is acknowledged worldwide as the "father of modern Aloe Vera."

If you could only have five complete wellness guidebooks for the next dozen years, this should be one of them.

About the Author
Bill C. Coats, R.Ph. C.C.N is one of the worlds foremost experts on Aloe Vera and is the founder and CEO of Coats Aloe International. In his capacity as lecturer, teacher and world authority on the healing plant, he often tours and lectures annually in several countries, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Mexico and Canada. Nominated by the Society of Cosmetic Chemists three times for its prestigious Merit Award, he has also co-authored five books on Aloe Vera, including, Aloe Vera/The Inside Story, Creatures in Our Care and The Silent Healer. Aloe Vera/The New Millennium marks another milestone in Mr. Coats career as a pioneer in the wellness movement.

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Review of Mama's Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Living (Paperback)

"It is snowing outside right now and I am writing a book review for a wonderful volume that I can highly recommend.. It is called Mama's Home Remedies, and is written by Svetlana Konnikova, formerly a journalist in the Soviet Union.

It is a How-to-Autobiography that recounts not only a wide variety of natural remedies, but how they were learned at the feet of her mother and grandmother, with a wonderful potpourri of folk and fairy tales, and modern and ancient natural science interspersed between.

Most books like this, when something is wrong, you go into them, find the subject in the index, and then look up the suggestions for helping alleviate it.This book does that too, but in addition, when life is stressful and you are looking for relief, you can open this book and escape into the fairy tales,folk stories and life's adventures of Svetlana and her family, along with fascinating explorations of such things as ancient Druid beliefs about trees or the instincts animals have for healing themselves that we can learn to emulate in our lives as well.

Mama's Home Remediesis so well organized, with everything arranged in bullitted boxes, numbered lists, (also boxed,) and boxed sidebars containing the stories, that everything is ridiculously easy to find.Usually you have to dig through a book to find a fact remembered but not bookmarked. Not so here. All you need to do is remember the topic, or chapter.Once there, a quick thumbing through the pages willtake you directly to the right box, and there you are. It is a model for the way I am going to lay out my upcoming books.

In the few short weeks I have had the book, it has earned a place on the bookshelf right next to my computer, so that when I need a break, it is right at hand.It is a marvelous vehicle for stress relief.She has a whole chapter on stress, but nowhere does she mention picking up her book and reading a few pages as one of the ways.She should. "



Product Description
Interwoven with centuries-old herbal remedies, time-tested techniques, and women's wisdom handed down through the ages, this kaleidoscopic whole-health tapestry reveals myriad of natural methods for achieving and maintaining good health and all-around happiness. At the heart of the narrative is a compilation of natural recipes for infusions, poultices, teas, and tinctures-garnered by the young Svetlana while listening to her mother and "the girls" (other medical professionals like her mother) as they shared their bond of friendship and theirtales of healingsuccess while gathered for tea in the family's blossom-filled garden-intertwined with her grandmother's fairy tales, family vignettes, legends, and herbal lore. Filled with easy-to-make, natural, healing recipes for common ailments and illnesses-such as allergies, asthma, fatigue, headaches, insomnia, and respiratory problems-this all-encompassing guide to wellness offers a holistic approach that intermingles alternative treatments with folklore, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality to foster optimal health and joyful living.



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