Home Books

This is a book to enjoy its photos, to enjoy what it says about the photos, about the houses, and to enjoy it all over and over again. The simplicity, the raw, the antiques, the contemporary, all find amazing fit! It shows Mr. Vervoordt as a genius in his expertise. Armelle Baron descriptions and Christian Sarramon's photos make a perfect match. The title "Timeless Interiors" says it all.

I have heard American decorating described as "Cheerful Comfort" which doesn't mean much in the overall scheme of things.
If the concepts learned from Axel Vervordt were incorporated into American decor we would be the envy of the world. Mr. Vervordt's talent lies in combining the elements of form, time, and substance and lets them breath together to create a pallete of breathless beauty. He is humble in his choices and shares it all with the reader in an effortless way which is the mark of great talent. The photo layouts are exquisite and the text is like a novel. So worthy of a great talent.

This is classic beauty. Quiet, vast interiors filled, not with too much gilt and chintz, but a few pieces of wonderful antiques. The best thing about this book is that the rooms never looked decorated. Everything looks as though it grew in place.

Personally, I fell in love with the ocean view and eternity pool on page 79. Amazingly, even the eternity pool doesn't seem too brash and new.

Wonderful designs.

If you are a fan of Mr Verfoordt's restrained timeless chic, this book is for you. Full of beautiful photographs of the timeless interiors the book was named after, this is a lovely edition that will provide endless inspiration.

Vervoordt's peaceful environments invade space with mood. The resulting grandeur of such tranquil beauty and gentle sophistication is most admirable and thoroughly revealed in this beautifully accessorized volume. Leafing through this book will calm your design sensitivities, as period inpressions drift from page to page. The dramatic and dimly lit photos featured here capture the essence of time. The historical significance of such a talented artist can not be denied, as Vervoordt's careful selection and discerning eye for arranging will be learned from for years to come. There is an art to assemblage, and this designer definitely defines it!

As a professional in the interior decorating field, I chose this book along with another,Your Home A Living Canvas: Create Stunning Faux Finishes & Murals with Paint, by Curtis Heuser, and was pleasantly surprised by each. As I work mainly with customers who wish to develop time worn feeling and comfortable living spaces, both of these books proved wonderful additions for helping with that thought process. "YOUR HOME..." follows the creative rebirth of the author's/decorative artist's historic 1890's home, with hundreds of beautiful full color before/after and during renovation illustrations, accompanied with full spread finished room concepts. I would love to see the two of these talents in collaboration - as both artist have a keen sense of using color, texture and light to bring a space to life. Though these books are so different in energy level (Heuser uses dramatic color and unique murals and specialty paint finishes to stage the scene), both offer immense inspiration for helping one to envision and recreate "timeless interiors"!

Boy, was I disappointed with this book. It's clearly aimed at housewifes and house husbands. Almost nothing about organizing paperwork, calendar, your office...etc. This was an utter waste of time for me.

One Year to an Organized Life: From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good Good book. Haven't had time to put it to use yet, but am planning on moving, so I'll be able to start from scratch.

This author really knows her stuff. As a long-time sufferer of adult ADD, I am always interested in tools to keep my household organized, not to mention my life. The monthly projects are great, not too overwhelming. The only problem is...I read the book 3 months ago and it is still on my nightstand because I like the way it looks there!

This book has great ideas. It gives good examples of how to organize certain spaces. You don't have to start organizing on January 1st. You can jump in any day of the year. It's a nice motivating tool.

This is a great book when you need a bit of help with the mess you are in... It breaks up the disorder into orderly projects, which are fun to do and easy to follow. And it gives you the very positive feeling about the house and the chores you have to do to make it your home.

This is a classic beginner sewing book. I think people will learn to sew from this book generations to come. The patterns are very simple with easy to follow instructions. The illustrations are clear and helpful. I bought the new "Sew On" book to learn additional sewing skills with more advanced patterns.

I ordered the "Sew On" book and was really impressed with the written instructions and included patterns. My daughter wants to learn to sew and I ordered her this book. When she gets a little comfortable, I'll pass along the Sew On book. This Sew Fast Sew Easy book has simple, easy to use patterns and projects that will get true beginners sewing. I highly recommend this book for true beginners. If your looking for a more intermediate book, find the "Sew On" book.

I purchased this book based on its recommendations, and I'm not sorry I did. It's been 25+ years since I touched a sewing machine, and this book definitely helped take the fright away. Perfect for new seamstresses of all ages.

I have the Rip It! book and love it. I just got this book for my niece for christmas. She wants to learn how to sew and I know this is the best book out there for her. It's very easy to understand and comes with patterns for her to learn with. I'm also getting her a sewing machine from www.sewfastseweasy.com
I love giving! She is going to be so thrilled!

I bought this book for my daughter and she has taken to sewing extremely fast. She's so proud of what she makes. Her enthusiasm for sewing now is almost too much for me to keep up with. This book was was easy for her to understand and the illustrations were very clear. She's been playing around with reconstructing her clothes so I'm thinking of getting her the Rip It book as well. I'm happy to see her involved in a positive hobby that she truly enjoys and gets satisfaction from.

This book is great. Very helpful.

I am disappointed that although I "qualified" for free super saver shipping with my order, it was not applied. Feels deceptive on Amazon's part. And don't tell me that I didn't select it, this is not the first time this has happened.

I really enjoyed this book (I've read about 80% of it so far). I already knew the basics of Microsoft Project, and was able to skip the first couple chapters of it. But I found that for the topics where I needed a refresher or to learn completely new material, it was perfect for me.

I'm not someone who needs to spend an hour to learn a simple task. The Step-By-Step series tell you you're gonna learn, how it applies in a realistic example, and walks you through the steps. They don't beat around the bush and they don't give you too much or too less.

The screenshots were helpful as well.

But what I liked most about the book -- which was an unexpected bonus -- is the little tidbits of Project Management wisdom thrown in to each chapter plus an entire chapter at the end. I'm not a PMP, but reading these sections was like reading a PMP refresher book.

Good step by step workbook, as advertised. Easy to follow along and the instruction in the book does match what is on your screen. No fault of the book but the software has too many optional ways to arrive at the same functionality. Should be rationalized.

I recommend the book.

The book was required text for a course I am taking and the cd that came with this book did install on my computer, I got a replacement cd and it did not install. So to me buying the book was a waste of time and money.

This book not only teaches you how to use MS Project, but it also explains a lot about Project Management. Anyone learning MS Project should also understand Project Management, just like you should know grammar when you are using MS Word. This book also uses good examples and is very enjoyable to read. In fact, it teaches in such a way that allows me to be able to grasp its definitions! Very helpful!!

Lucky is an unusual girl, of a sandy brown color from head to toe, who lives in an impoverished little town (population 43) in California with her French foster mother, Bridgette, her parents having divorced, and her mother having died during an electrical storm. Why the (first) ex-wife of an absent father would agree to care for her ex-husband's second ex-wife's child is never explained (nor probably can it be), but by the time the story begins, Bridgette (basically, her "pre" stepmother) has been mothering Lucky for about two years. Lucky's acquaintances include a young boy infatuated with the P.D. Eastman book, Are You My Mother?, and friends include a knot-tying fanatic named Lincoln. Her favorite pastime is eavesdropping on the stories of the local yokels during their Twelve Step Program Meetings (for problems ranging from smoking to drinking and everything in between), and her favorite story is that of recovering alcoholic Sammy-how he hit rock bottom, involving a dog being bit on the, ahem, "scrotum" (why the author chooses this word over the obvious, commonly used slang term is also a mystery), a woman arriving on the scene, a trip to the veterinarian, and a divorce. Lucky believes that if she could just find HER "higher power," things would be get better (also weird since she seems to be sort of an evolutionist, a fan of Charles Darwin, she names her dog HMS Beagle because he goes on science explorations with her). When she sees evidence of what appears to be imminent abandonment, she takes drastic measures and runs away during, of all things, a dust storm (again, nonsensical). When found, she's able to salvage the results of her poor decisions by dreaming up, on the spot, a plausible reason for her being where she shouldn't be, that is, lying. The story is short, the tiny illustrations are unremarkable, and the whole Twelve Step Program angle seems to be a bit advanced for the age of anyone who'd be interested in this easy-to-read but often illogical story. Better: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Anne of Green Gables by by Megan Follows.

I read quickly and voraciously. As a children's writer myself, I am very interested in reading, analyzing and enjoying kid lit, especially stuff that's winning honors.

This book didn't hold any appeal for me. It was about 150 pages and large print and I put it down before I could finish because I didn't care about the characters. I didn't learn anything about them and I didn't much get invested in their stories. There's not much plot, there's not much emotion, there's simply not much here.

I eventually forced myself to pick it back up but looked at the page number every few minutes while I read - how quickly could I finish this dud and move on to something better?

For all the talk of a Higher Power, I didn't really figure out what her higher power was at the end. Nor did I care what it was. There is so much out there to read that I'm honestly very sad that I spent a few miserable hours laboring over this collection of forced, "quirky," humorless events in a lame character's life. The only person who's Lucky in this situation is me, because I'm still within the 30-day return window.

It's packed up and shipping back to Amazon today!

Beware if you're a teacher hoping to use this book as a read-aloud for your 4th or 5th grade class. Although the publisher suggests this as the target age group, the themes and language are more appropriate for junior high. The book also seems intended to be read individually (instead of as a read-aloud), since the small drawings are important to make the text more understandable. Although I'd known that the book was about a young girl who who was caught in a hardscrabble life, in my opinion the material wasn't presented in an easily accessible way for 9-11 year olds. This book won't help children make sense of things they might actually be seeing in their lives. In fact, some of the rather off-hand sentences (i.e., scratching a scrotum) are distracting, and not the type of thing a teacher would want the child carrying home for dinnertime conversation.

Just read this book today. Definately worth reading as the characters are interesting and the book touches upon a wide variety of societal issues that could create opportunities for discussion for child reader and parent(s). Bit surprised at all the apparent "controversy" described here on Amazon about this book. Wondering what parents of male children told their 3 or 4 year old sons when they asked about their anatomy. Used cutesy words instead of advising them they were male and because of this they had a scrotum and a penis? Weird. Also, the idea nine to tweleve year olds (target audience) need to be shielded from Lucky's possible crush on her friend Lincoln seems odd as does the idea that kids must be shielded from the existence of the very Tweleve Step programs they may need to someday recommend to friends, family members or spouses seems odd to me too. Should one be ashamed grandma (example from book) stopped smoking and never let your kids find out she goes to Twelve Step meetings else they might find out some people actually smoke and need hep to quit? Also weird. Anyway, book and characters are great, book has some plot flaws and some contrived/cliche scenes (the ashes on the desert wind scene for example) and devices but not so much that its not worth the read.

I am a 5th grade teacher who has read this book to two classes. I am of the opinion that 5th graders in this age are very aware of their anatomy and understand the primary differences between boys and girls. Each time I read the book, I had a boy ask me what a scrotum is. I explained using correct facts and got a few chuckles but mostly nods of understanding from my class. Children need to know the correct names of their parts and there is nothing worng with this word being presented at this age. I can tell you each boy in my class new a slang name not to my surprise.
I also had a boy thank me for reading the "real" words. He told me he thought I was respectful because I knew they were mature enough to hear the whole story.

More importantly, my kids loved this story because the character development is excellent. 23 out of 26 chose it as their favorite book of the year. My class fell in love with these characters. As they worte their own stories after this book, most did a much better job developing their own characters because they saw the importance of good characters in this story. It is time to quit short changing and sheltering our children by reading literature that engages them like the Higher Power of Lucky.

What is the Higher Power of Lucky. I will not share but my students had the most engaging opinion supported conversation I have ever heard 5th graders have after this story was completed.

This is not your mother's book of cookie-cutter interior design ideas...but lookout, she may "borrow" the book. The photography is great, the ideas are fresh and there is something for everyone...only...if you prefer exquisite taste whether casual or formal, elegance without the "do look at me" obvious cost. The rooms evoke the feeling that you "own" it, not that it was "done by a famous decorator with her tell on it" and the element of experienced quality in every aspect of the rooms shown. You will get lost in it in the most pleasant way.

This is a book I picked up, as I was attracted to the title. I read a review on amazon that said it's not a book for the home decorator. I disagree, I think it's a text book style book good for anyone who decorates, and for anyone who needs a guideline of how to present a professional proposal; for the non professional it shows you how approach a project, and organize keep project records and files.

Found this book helpful in better understanding and visualizing the practical requirements in running a high end luxury design business

This book is especially helpful for those who do not wish to employ an interior decorator. It is filled with facts and information that is part of the basic knowledge of every designer. Guaranteed to be of great assistance.

Decorating Master Class should be required reading in all interior design firms. As a matter of fact, It is is soon to be a benchmark in the annals of decorating history. The authors have not only captured the essence of good taste and style, but they present their craft in a manner that is easy to comprehend and understand. I love this book!!!!

I've kept Thoreau at arm's length over the years. I sensed his brilliance yet secretly accused him of purposely unconnecting from the world. I was recently lead to him while looking for some essays on gardening. The first subject he covers in Walden is ecomomy. Economy rates low on my reading list. I was further warned by the difficulty of his text in general. Still, I was close to discovering his writings. In the beginning pages he takes me on a tour of opinions needing to be voiced in my life. My fear of crankiness is dispelled with freshness on every page.

How does one review a classic? In this day of eco-spirituality, Thoreau is a must-read. This edition is easy to read, but not the best quality paper. I don't expect it to have a long shelf life.
Thoreau is one of the saints of American ecology. His writing takes one to a different time and place, and yet one in which the rape of the landscape was already taking place. I suggest following Walden with Annie Dillard's marvelous Pingrim and Tinker's Creek.
Emerson's essay on Thoreau is a happy bonus.

My first copy of this book was indubitably from some other publisher. So I'm not commenting on this particular volume but the content of the work itself.
I have always loved this book but it wasn't until recent years that I realized what a controversial book this was. Thoreau published this book at his own expense and he sold very few copies. Later on he stored most of his unsold copies in an attic. He once claimed to have the largest collection of book published by Henry David Thoreau than anyone alive - and I'm sure he did.
But why didn't people buy this book? Well, for one thing it was critical of "the neighborhood". For another thing it was critical of "the values of his neighbors". For another thing it was critical of the values of his countrymen; it was critical of Capitalism; it was critical of modern life; it was critical of the "consumer mentality"; it was critical of the work ethic; it was critical of buying things; it was critical of "getting ahead" and "accumulating; it was critical of working for a living; it was critical of achieving; it was a critique on the civilization of the day - and it was not positive.
So why did it make me feel good to read it then and why does it have the same effect on me today?
I don't know but whenever I get lonely to go have a talk with an old friend I go to the book shelf and pick up Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

I wonder if Thoreau wrote the way he did as a way of imparting to his readers how much hard work he put in to living in the woods. If so, he was successful.
This book contains many, many little gems of clever witticism and solid advice, but it's quite difficult to sift through all of the pointless and trivial paragraphs in order to separate Thoreau's genius from his madness. It is almost not worth it. I've lived twenty-two years having not read Walden and I did not live them as a hillbilly. Therefore, I probably would have been perfectly able to function in society without reading this monster.
Again, though, the gems in this book cannot be denied. They are a mirror, in front of which is standing American society.
Some have called Thoreau arrogant. I disagree. Although Americans might not want to see what Walden has to show them, they should not take this disgust out on the messenger. Thoreau did not imagine what he had to say about American society, but rather he observed it. That is not arrogance, it is realism and bravery.
I do, however, truly wish I'd not read this book. Someone should sort out the passages of value and publish them in a small volume that most people might actually be able to get through. American society would be the beneficiaries of valuable knowledge and information without the drag of the rest of Thoreau's book.

Strangely surprising how pertinent many of Thoreau's perceptions, opinions and insights on habits and values are to modern day society and culture. And impressive how vehemently he professes these views in some sections. No sugar coating here. This is raw stuff, presented with language and skill we've lost over the years.

My favorite quote: "One generation abandons the enterprises of another like stranded vessels"

Thoreau is inspired and inspiring.

The book Heat by Mike Lupica is about baseball. Michael is a kid and a star pitcher for his little league team. When his brother gets arrested for trying to break into Yankee Stadium and his dad dies in Florida, his family, his friends, and his baseball falls apart.

This book is really good because it gets into the details of baseball. It is also about problems like his friend Ellie losing his friendship with Michael because he was frustrated with everything that his mouth let out things that he didn't mean. Anybody who likes baseball, no matter how old, will like this book. Those who don't like baseball will still like the conflict in this book.

Heat is about a boy named Michael Arroyo he is a 12 year old boy who is living in america illegally; he left his birth certificate and he doesnt have any citizen ship papers.Michael lives in a working class neighborhood his family is very poor. He plays for the clippers in a local baseball team he is the best team he can pitch 60 mph the fastest in the league. Michaels dream was to play in the little league world series. Michaels father promised to be there to watch michael play in the game unfortuntely he dies before anything happened. Michal has a friend named cole who plays with him on the team they alwys practice at mcombs dam park a ark that is in really bad condition in a bad neghborhood. Michael is hiding from the league that he is not a citize and if the social serivices ever found out he' woill bge deported.

How do you lie about your dad's death? Michael and Carlos did. Michael is 12 while his brother Carlos is 17. With their dad dead Carlos has to try to make a living for both of them. Michael loves baseball like his friend Manny. Late in the baseball season a hot shot boy call Michael out and says he is 14 because of how tall and how fast he throws a baseball. Later he needs to get a birth certificate so he can play, but his birth certificate is back in Hispana were he used to live. Another trouble his family is facing is a child services guy wants to meet their father. Manny hires his uncle Timo to pretend he is their father (Timo is an actor). Will they fool him? I gave the book a ten out of ten for the amazing originality of the problems. This is a sports book for sports fans from the ages 11-15. The book shows how lying goes deeper and deeper until someone is bound to find out. There is but one controversial part in the book. Will Carlos and Michael get caught?

I loved "Heat" because of all the great things it had inside of it. Heat is about a 12 year old baseball player named Michael Arroyo who lives in New York City. He is a very good pitcher in the city league. The main theme of the story is that he is too good for his league. The coaches in his league wonder if he is older than the rest of the league. Once this problem comes upon Michael, he has is asked to show the league his birth certificate so they can make sure he is the same age as everyone else. But problems fall like rain on Michael and he cannot give them the certificate because he has lost both of his parents and only has his brother for his family. Michael has to get all the help he can to get past the coaches who are so curious. Michael cannot live without baseball so he will try anything and everything to get it back.

Heat is a book for ages 10 and up. Heat is a fun book that all sports fans will adore. Heat has thrills!

--Kyle Dickson

Heat is one of the most enjoyable, interesting books I've ever read. Michael, a typical boy with a great right arm is the main character. He lives with his brother Carlos. His dad is supposedly caring for a sick relitive in Florida. Michael faces hardships and problems, but keeps himself going with friends and Carlos.
Baseball helps Michael with his life problems as well. It makes him feel ike all of his problems can disappear. But things in Michael's life aren't always so picture-perfect.
One boy in Michaels baseball league thinks Michael is too old for little league baseball. He is jealous of Michael because is right arm is so powerful. He and his father(the coach of his son's little league team) demand a birth certificate for Michael's ability to play. Michael was born in Cuba so he has a very hard time trying to find his birth certificate.
Michael has a best friend named Manny. I think he is te perfect so called "side-kick" for Michael. He is funny and keeps Michael's spirit up through out the book. Over all I give Heat five stars!
Gretchen - Grade 5

Professor William E. Linney has done us Latin buffs a great service. His Latin textbook, Getting Started with Latin, is excellent and easy for learn-at-home students. The text is extremely user-friendly. Combined with the computer audio downloads of the Professor's class instruction for each lesson (including audio pronunciation [Classical or Ecclesiastical] for each Latin word in each lesson), you have a complete classroom setting. And Latin is best learned in a classroom. Professor Linney is an excellent teacher because he patiently explains all for the neophyte student. The teacher brings his classroom into your own home. What a boon!

Also, Professor Linney has the same classroom computer download system for his follow-on Latin course: The First Year of Latin. The textbook is of this title is authored by Walter B. Gunnison and Walter S. Harley. It's available here on Amazon also.

I've learned a lot with Getting Started with Latin. I'm now part way through The First Year of Latin. The personal progress is very good, compared to when I tried to learn Latin on my own.

Yours,
paul mugar

Have just started reading this book, so I can't comment on it as a whole, but my first impressions have been very positive. The lessons are short, simple, and to the point. Words and concepts are introduced one or two at a time, keeping you from being overwhelmed by vocabulary and grammar right from the start. I keep this beside my bed and the last thing I do before turning out the light is to read a few lessons, and the first thing I do when I wake up is to read a few more. For a 26 year old with a full time job, very little time to study something just for fun, and absolutely no prior knowledge of Latin, I'm finding this book to be extremely helpful.

Not only is it great to use for adults, it is written specifically for use by homeschooling parents and teachers. One day, when I have kids of my own, I can definitely see myself pulling this gem out and dusting it off. (if I've ever put it away that is!)

The rare Latin textbook accurately described by it's title.
By virtue of it's simplicity it lulls the first time Latin student into learning with minimal effort. The introductory text I have been searching for as a self-taught adult with no prior Latin exposure. I would absolutely recommend it for anyone over the age of 7 or 8.
It would be too simple if one was seeking to refresh or expand on prior Latin knowledge.
The ideal appetiser.

I shall endeavour to keep this review concise, and to the point, with the absolute beginner in mind.

As an adult, who wasn't 'fortunate' enough to have gone to a private school as a child, I never had the opportunity to study the wonderful language that is Latin. There are many introductory books available to purchase, and lots of information to be had via the World Wide Web.

What makes this book stand out then?

Well, it provides a sound foundation from which to build upon; and does it in a way that is accessible, interesting, and above all effective. The author guides the student in a logical, and methodical manner; no pretentiousness nor stuffiness! This book makes learning Latin FUN, not a chore, and is certainly not boring. The layout is clear, and motivational. He has been kind enough to make available, free of charge, aural supplementary material (including invaluable pronunciation examples) that is available for download, from his website (is ~436MB enough for you?)- wow. In this day and age, how many authors would do that?

For more detailed reviews, visit Mr Linney's personal website: 'gettingstartedwithlatin' (surprisingly(!)). My review here is just to let ordinary fellow mortals know that this book is an excellent introduction to such a wonderful language.

The author replied to my email (very quickly indeed(!)) when I thanked him for the material that is available from his website- he remarked that he loves Latin, and is pleased to have been able to make it accessible.

He certainly has done...

This book simply and progressively guides a student in grasping the complexities of the Latin language. An ideal Latin resource for reinforcing what one has already learned, reviving what one may have forgotten, and for those that are new to Latin - this book gently reaches out, and effectively teaches you the foundation of the Latin language.

After dinner, I spend a few minutes going over a couple lessons with my wife. She is amazed that she is actually learning sentences from the beginning of the course. The next lesson builds on the previous lessons which reinforces what she has previously learned.

I will be teaching Latin to an 8th grade class this year. I will leave a review after this year to inform you how the kids did with the material. Until then - Sine labore nihil