Home Books

I was curious to know some of the obstacles that I might hit if I started a jewelry making business,and I was able to find them in this book. Some of the things that I wouldn't have thought of, for example taking into consideration the time spent on finding beads for a project, when pricing an item was a real eye opener. There have been times that I've spent hours looking for the color that was "just right" for the project but didn't take that into consideration when pricing my item.
Ms. Lareau shares her experience generously to help someone who might be thinking of starting this business.

if you are a beginner and have absolutely no clue of what you want to do with you jewelry then this book will be helpful....is a great intro guide...if you have some eyars doing jewelry and of course have thought of selling it and have seen other jewelry and how they are market then this will do nothing for you.

This is a good book if your just starting out. A lot of it is common sense but there are some good pointers. I would recommend it. Easy read. Also has some good resources.

I received this book really quickly and very pleased with it. I love the book and I couldn't wait to get it. The transaction was effortless.

I have purchased other similar books in the past that I skim, but never really take time to read. This book was not only worth the money, it was worth the time. Concisely written, clearly categorized, useful information. I only wish I had read it seven years ago when I first started selling my jewelry, as some of the lessons I have learned a much harder way!
My little company is currently turning into something much bigger and I am so glad I have the insight from this book to help me in negotiating and decision making.

Love this book! The layout, the pictures, the information is just sooo appealing, inviting, and yet informative!

Great book. As a mom of 3 young children ages 5, 3.5 and 19 months, I am always looking for ways to be better organized and keep a tidy home. This book is full helpful suggestions and tips.

I bought this book because I was looking for a way to learn how to be organized. I have never been a good house-keeper and have piles of papers, clothes, etc. I need remedial help. This book is not remedial; it shows organized people how to clean and declutter better. It was very intimidating and made me feel worse than I already do. I'm sure that this author has never been as disorganized or as messy as I am and consequently cannot understand the issues involved for many of us who have never been organized or had a regular house-cleaning schedule. Lucky for me that I found Sandra Felton's books for "messies"; I now have hope that I can create a cleaner, more organized home.

Unless your house has piles of clutter in every room don't bother
with this book. Because that's about all she tells you, over and
over in almost every chapter is how to sort and dispose of clutter.
I really didn't find it to be of much use at all in terms of the
best ways to actually go about cleaning your house. And her ideas
about shopping lists are really strange. She says that keeping a
shopping list doesn't work because teenagers won't write things down
when they use them up. Instead you are supposed to make lists of
every grocery item you ever buy and then photocopy them. Then people
are supposed to go through the printed lists and circle what they
have used up. Exactly why a teenager will do this if they won't just
write something on a list is a mystery to me. Also, what happens
when you want to buy something that you don't usually buy? I can't
imagine taking sheets and sheets of paper to the grocery store and
scanning through them to see what is circled. And how many times in
the book does she tell you to keep children's books in a plastic
dish pan so they can flip through them and put them back easily? How
is this an improvement on a book shelf? I found most of her ideas
rather impractical. Also, nobody in your house is allowed to have
any kind of a collection, because her idea about these is that you
let them keep three of each item and give the rest away. This will
not make you very popular with other family members who may have
carefully collected for years! All in all, I would give it a miss if
I were you, unless, as I said, you cannot even walk through your
house for all the piles of clutter!

I bought this book on a whim, and am very glad that I did so. Quite a few of the ideas in this book are common sense and/or things some people probably do already, but it is amazing how much information is packed into this book. For instance, there are some very handy charts for stain removal and food storage. I had never heard of a household notebook before, and I am implementing some of the ideas and checklists from the book and the website. I'm a very visual person and the colorful layout and motivating pictures appealed to me. I also liked that it was organized room by room. I know that I will refer to this book in the future, whether to find information or to find a way to revamp a stale cleaning routine.

To be perfectly honest, I've never been a huge fan of the whole medieval thing (beyond blatant fantasy). But I love Avi and I feel this is well-deserving of its Newberry. It keeps this low-key, almost grave, aura all the way through. Crispin's adventures are a lot of fun, and it fits into his world of serfdom.

The characters are great, as well. Avi has always done marvelous characters. They're realistic, not always wild, but fun and loveable and most of all believable.

Plenty of adventure and great writing.

'Crispin, The Cross of Lead" is a story about a young orphan boy set in 1300th century England who runs away from his small village because he is falsely accused of stealing from the ruler. 'Crispin' soon finds a unique guardian who adopts him and helps him run away from the people who are hunting him down, and also helps him to figure out all the secrets he has about his life.
This book was very slow for me in the beginning, and with some big words and complicated things in it, this book is probably suited to older teens and adults. In the middle/end of the book however, they're are some exciting things...but they don't really last for long. All in all, Avi has created some unique and funny characters, and has created a story that is a medium-paced tale.

I've read Crispin more than once and I've loved it! This book shows friendship and adventure as well as teaching you a bit about History. Don't just quit on the book because the begining might not seem the greatest as soon as the intro to the story is over it's all about excitment.

I used this for our daily read aloud. When it was time to stop for the day, but I kept reading, no one minded or asked me to stop. Hmmm, now that I think about it, even the neighbor girl kept mysteriously appearing about the time I read every day! The writer hooks you from the very start. He uses detail, but not so much it bogs down the story. A very enjoyable read!

Let's see, what else can be said here that isn't already said? Crispin is easily (and consistently) summarized as it is a simple story, clearly told, that hangs an intriguing and imaginative tale on a skeleton of a few basic facts. The scene and scenary are actually quite foreign to the modern child, but Avi's delivery renders 14th century England in the times of Edward (sounds knowledgeable, doesn't it?), feudal rule, and the Black Death accessible. Those days sucked. Against this backdrop we are introduced to a sad and seemingly helpless orphan who meets his circumstances with a mix of terror, courage, cunning, and happenstance. Crispin fights to stay alive and escape from those who would unjustly kill him, and he meets a friend and protector in the process. The two journey to the city of Great Wexley for what turn out to be a showdown. As can be expected, the plot builds to an exciting and "unbelieveable" climax, and keeps the reader entertained and engaged along the way.
I read this one aloud to my pre-teen kids and they loved it. I don't know if they captured the sense of how miserable life at that time was, because the book sugar coats things a bit (although the observant reader's skin will crawl with the sensation of fleas and filth).
This is my first Avi book and I loved it. Highly recommended.

Book number 1 in my library on insulation. If I only had one book that covered a lot of information in a concise manner this would be the one.

I'm a general contractor doing energy efficient remodeling. I found this Taunton publication really valuable because it covers not only the basic techniques on insulation, including pricing guidelines, but also has an excellent of heating systems including PV and solar. Given the cost of energy today, this book helped me make good suggestions to my clients. The technology is changing rapidly, though, and the information here will have relatively short shelf-life.

This book was exactly what i was looking for! It tells you how to properly insulate and seal an existing house. Great illustrations, clear and easy to read. I read the whole thing the day i got it!

I found major air leaks right where it predicted and sealed them using methods suggested.

A MUST HAVE BOOK FOR ANYONE LOOKING TO IMPROVE THEIR HOME'S INSULATION.

This book gives credible (not just a repeat of info on manufacturer websites) coverage of insulation, air leakage, ventilation, moisture problems, etc. and handles each subject with respect to different climates. I learned a lot and it helped me make decisions in the renovation of a 60 year old house.

same great features of other books in the series (pro tips, what can go wrong...). these books are thorough and informative.

I have always been very organized until I had my second son. I am not sure what happened but I lost control of everything in my home. This book is quck and easy to read. The best part is you don't need any hard to find or expensive items to put this system to use. I can't say enough about this book. I even used it to organize my homeschooling lessons.

I initially bought this book 15 years ago and my home was so organized, even with three children. I bought it again recently because we downsized homes and everything was chaos. My home is in order again, and it isn't even difficult! Great plan!

Easy and entertaining read, plus tons of great, practical ideas for getting your home and life, organized!

Loved this book. It's an easy read and I've implemented the organizational strategies immediately for my whole family. It's working so far!

I've read many books on organization (and hope to someday accomplish all I've read!), but this book will always be my favorite. Pam and Peggy have "been there." There's nothing worse than an organization or "decluttering" book that's written by someone who was born organized (or a "B.O." as Pam and Peggy would call them!). You have to have walked a mile (or waded through the clutter) in the shoes of someone who is easily sidetracked, organizationally-challenged, and wasn't born with the organization gene. Pam and Peggy make you feel like you've found a kindred spirit who somehow waded through all their stuff and found a better way! I wish they'd re-release their original kit that included a de-junking video and a few other goodies!

This is possibly the best book in the entire series, in my opinion. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a water baby. Or maybe I'm a sucker for geeky people. Or maybe I just think the mystery, drama, and humor in this one was excellent! Whatever the reason, this was a series highlight for me.

And to think it all takes place underwater on a submarine known affectionately as the Queequeg, where there dwells its captain and his ambiguous stepdaughter, characters that help drum out mysteries galore and some of the best characterizations I've seen outside the main people.

The description is better than anything previously written in the series, and the emotion and characterizations will zap you right in the heart. And to end it all with some more amazing cliffhangers.

I will always think of this particular installment with great fondness.

A Series of Un-fortunate Events is good reading material for younger children. They probably will want to emulate some of the characters in the books, which would be fine... especially the calm and intelligent Violet. They are interesting stories and well written, I find some of them slow.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy)

Alright. I realize most people here are die-hard Snicket fans.

That said, Grim Grotto is where it starts to go downhill. It takes a lot more work to slog through than the other books. For one thing, this is a plot advancement book (finally!) with an abrupt cliffhanger ending rather than the usual clean wrap-up. The repetition is really obnoxious here (how many times does Handler have to copy/paste that essay about water stages?) and it's starting to feel like clever filler that cheats the reader out of substance rather than a narrative device.

There could be some good thrills and chills here but it suffers from too many irrelevant asides.

Come to think of it, The Carnivorous Carnival is looking pretty good in comparison. CC had meaty dialog that moved the story forward, suspense, surprise twists and emotional clout (bummer about the fortune teller).

If we were talking cheese, CC would be a punchy English stilton and GG would be a generic American cheese single. Or that shaky green wannabe parmesan cheese.

Rabid Snicket fans are gonna eat this up - just want to say that of the books, this is the one where I started skipping whole paragraphs and pages because Snicket seemed unable to get to the point. I think Klaus would have done the same.

I loved this book. I loved Klaus' ill-fated connection with the mysterious Fiona, the crisis with the mushrooms, and above all the last chapters, where the bigger mysteries of VFD finally begin coming together. The ending is probably the single best ending in the series...

I am now ready for book 12, which unfortunately I am getting only for Christmas. In the meantime a discovered a new very interesting series titled Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 2 Totally different story, but how captivating! I am giving it for my younger sister as a Christmas gift.

The Baudelaire orphans continue their search for the VFD and the sugar bowl with the hidden message as they escape down the slippery slope of the Mortmain Mountains and away from the evil Count Olaf. Their toboggan ride down the stream leads them to discover a submarine manned by a Captain, his stepdaughter, and Phil - a man the siblings met previously, all of which are friendly to the search for the sugar bowl and interested in keeping it out of Olaf's clutches. But just when it seems as though the Baudelaires have other people to work with and confide in, Olaf manages to strike again and keep the children on a collision course with disaster. The children must work together and keep their wits about them if they are to hope that they will someday escape from Olaf and his evil henchmen for good.

This installment contributes almost nothing to the overall plot line of the series. After a slight increase in the pace of the series, this one brings the fun back to a screeching halt. The concept is frustrating at this point and ready for the big conclusion. As in some of the earlier novels, the writing at the beginning of chapters is often disjointed and seems in need of good editing. It is good that there are only two books left because if there was no end in sight, I would likely put an end to it myself.

Started homeschooling last November. Wish I could have started with this book in my library! If you are seriously thinking of homeschooling and need a place to start in deciding on materials, look no further than this book! To Mrs. Duffy, thank you for taking the time to make homeschooling one step easier!

This resource has been very helpful to our family in attempting to find the right homeschool curriculum fit with our children's learning styles and personalities, along with our own learning styles and personalities as parents. It gives easy to use charts, and has been helpful through the process of choosing the right fit.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the information I have gained from this book. I am somewhat of a "seasoned" homeschooler, yet I found the insight about the learning styles, teaching philosophies, and curriculum choices invaluable. I highly recommend this book!

As a newbie to homeschooling, this was an excellent book that really helped me decide which curriculum to use with my children. It helped me narrow down which curriculum fit us and then I was able to go to the websites to find out more about the ones I had picked out. And it was such a help to have read this before I attended my first homeschooling state convention. That way I wasn't swayed by every vendor's belief that "their curriculum is the best"; I had already decided in my mind what I needed. I would highly recommend it to anyone as a starting point when you are trying to determine the homeschooling curriculum best for you and your family.

I bought this after 19 years of homeschooling just for a little fresh input. I found by doing the exercises in the beginning it helped me to really see why I was conflicted about my expectations and the reality of our homeschool (6 children at home presently)It has helped me to look for a happy medium between my ideals and what can realistically be accomplished with 5 boys and 1 girl at home all under 13 years of age. Very helpful book-plus lots of extra reviews by the author are free online at :http://cathyduffyreviews.com/

I've been through the book twice and know I will pick up even more on the third. The book is a very fast read with practical and easy to understand advice. He covers everything from rhyming and metaphors to just plain good writing advice - poetry and prose. His advice makes great use of modern poems so you can see what has been getting published in the last few years. He only touches passingly on specific forms such as sonnets, but gives several recommendations for folks that want to dig deeper into specific forms.

This book is for those of us that like poetry - but don't know much about it.

I continue to enjoy this book and have found it useful even though I am a published poet and author.

This book is the best I have seen for any beginning poet. Its simply a must have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ted Kooser has written a poetry manual for amateur and professional poets who are interested in improving their writing craft. His suggestions can be easily implemented. As a poet I've read many books on the writing craft but this one rates in my top three. There is more to writing poetry than to jot down the words the pretty Muse whispers in one's ear. For those serious about becoming better poets, this is the book for you.

This excellent no-nonsense book about writing poetry also manages to be inspirational. In clear and compassionate prose, Kooser addresses real issues that poets struggle with, such as the fine line that exists between gushing sentimentality and the resonant expression of real feelings, the subject of one of his 12 chapters.
Kooser provides wonderful examples to illustrate his points, giving us the pleasure of reading good poetry while we learn to write it. He also provides vivid images as metaphors for how writing works and how readers read, transforming glass bottomed boats and ham cubes into tools for crafting poetry.
Laced with humor, this book feels like a casual conversation that you want to return to again and again.

The material is relevant, but this book is essentially a compilation of the author's older works (which I found at my local library).

I decided on 3-stars (vs 2) because if you're considering this book for personal use, it is a good start -- assuming you'd prefer to avoid the library.

This was one of the most informative and helpful books I've read on the subject. It helped define the specific issues all ACOA's face and yet may not have realized were related to the experience.

I'd highly recommend this book to all ACOA's and all of their family, friends or lovers that want to understand their loved one.

Although this book was helpful, I also recommend "Life-skills for adult Children" by Janet Woititz, because this book is thin and contains specific advice.

I'm 60+ years old and always wondered why in certain areas of my life I seemed to be just a 'cog off' in many of my thoughts and reactions to life. This book was one 'ah-ha' after another. I had worked through many of the 'glitches' on my own but it was a good feeling to finally understand from where they had come. Not in a blaming way, just in an understanding way. I would recommend it to anyone from an alcoholic family who 'wonders' why they react in ways that are not 'the norm' and have needs that they have spent a lifetime trying to fill without being able to.