Home Books

We love being able to listen to Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World: Modern History, whenever we're in the car. Jim Weiss reads so well - he uses different accents to make the story come alive and is very easy to listen to. My whole family can't wait for the next instalment when the CD player goes on in the car.

We are a homeschooling family. I Love this whole series! I have all of them on CD which is great because we take them in the van with us. You can listen to them over and over and really remember it that way. They are Told kind of like a story so it holds your interest. I have 5 kiddos and I find they all enjoy and learn from these. I am learning alot too :)

Logical sequence of events given to plan everything from organizing your home to organizing a trip to organizing a run for the White House! As entertaining as Mr. Walsh's TV program. A good reference manual to keep - you never know when you'll need to plan a safari or a trip to Europe (or a baby nursery!)

My goal was to get organized and this book helped!

It has over 500 suggestions on how to organize everything, from the pile of papers in the office to the laundry room to the family schedule.

It's full of little organizing tips that I would have never thought of.
This book is great for the person who wants to be organized but just doesn't know where to start!

This book has its good points and bad points.

THE GOOD: The 500+ lists cover a number of organizational topics including organizing your spaces at home, organizing your finances, preparing for life events (sending kids to college, wills, etc) and just miscellaneous tasks (organizing a block party, preparing for house guests. The sections on organizing spaces and paperwork/finances contain quick lists on how-to organize your life, which I will probably use. These contain some good information since I would assume this is the area of the author's expertise. Other lists have fun and inspirational ideas, like "Decorating for the Seasons", which provides some suggestions of how to freshen up your home's look as the seasons change.

THE BAD: With so many topics covered, I just can't imagine that the author is an expert on them all. If I am looking to prepare for childbirth, I would be more comfortable reading an entire book on the topic written by someone who is an expert in the area, rather than reading a one-page summary. I had similar thoughts about the list for Feng Shu. Many topics are really too complex to be adequately covered in a short list, but the lists could serve as a quick refresher for someone who already knows something about the topics. As other readers have mentioned, some lists I'd never use and seem almost silly like "Become a Movie Director" (not one of my goals in life) or "Win the Tour de France" (not likely for me).

Overall, it's an okay book that I'll probably refer to as a starting point for some of my organizational projects. But, I'm not looking to it as "expert advice" in all areas since some topics just can't be covered in a short list. Certainly there are a number of sections that I will never use or read at all because they're just not relevant to my life.

I was so disappointed in this book!! I read almost every chapter unless it was something that would obviously be a waste of time like "How to Become a Model or Movie Director", what does that have to do with getting organized? 98% of this book is just plain stupid. The only good tip I got was to use a cross stitch fabric to hold earrings, ha! This book is huge, but has very little real advice on getting your home organized. I'm glad I borrowed it from my library before purchasing it!

My every-day life seemed chaotic after the birth of my second child in August. Being a mother of another 2year-old girl and with my husband working for many hours, I needed a really working-out day-to-day program,not to mention some absolutely necessery tips to run my home smoothly.
The book gave me excactly what I was looking for:step-by-step solutions and not only theories about how to manage with clutter,kids' all around the house mess, and every day's meal planning.I have already created my own Household Organizer and I've stocked my diaper bag according the very practical steps suggested in the book.And it worked out!
My life as a working mother won't be the same again:it will be more organized and eventually more happy,because I will always have this book as a referance.

What a delightful Sunday afternoon reading!

I really like Georgia Beers' books, with the exception of Thy Neighbor's Wife, and this one delivered as well.

I think her strength is coming up with realistic scenarios and filling them with believable characters. I enjoy that so much in contrast to far fetched plots and super-human women that sometimes inhabit lesfic. Her writing is solid, dialogs well written with a feeling of authenticity, for lack of a better word, to them.

All of that is true for this book as well. I was a bit 'scared' when I read that a dog had such a bit part in the book, but that as well is really well written.

I really loved this book. It took me a day and a half to finish it because I was so glued to the story. If you are looking for a cute, well written lesbian love story this is it!

After Too Close to Touch and Fresh Tracks, both good romances, I was looking forward to more of the same from Ms. Beers. Her romance, Mine, didn't capture the feeling and Finding Home seems to have missed the mark by an even wider margin. Still. I love dogs, so the canine hero of this book, Bentley, compensated a bit for what was a tepid romance with characters that felt like they were just going through the motions.

One of the things I've always liked about Ms. Beers' romances is that they're light and entertaining without being shallow. This is a sign of a good author. Her characters have had depth and it's been easy to identify with them. This time, it's as if the author thought that if she threw Sarah and Natalie together in a quirky twist of fate and they agonized for awhile and then decided they were in love, that was enough. It wasn't for this reader.

I suppose, like a lot of women, I bought this book because I've had good experiences in the past and I thought Mine was an aberration not the start of a downward trend. Also, Finding Home has a very appealing plot. Unfortunately, it never gets off the ground the way that it could. This book is not in the same class as several other Bold Strokes romances I've reviewed recently. Maybe that's just a matter of personal taste or maybe it didn't help that I read this book in between others that were far better in every department. But I usually like Ms. Beers' novels, so I was surprised not to enjoy this one.

It's not easy to keep writing good romances, I'm sure. I can only think of about three authors who have written more than ten romances that are all excellent. I wish Ms. Beers better luck next time.

I've been a fan of Georgia Beers' writing ever since I read "Turning the Page" (1st ed.) many years ago. In these (happy)days when new lesbian novels keep raining and pouring over us, it's good to have writers who remain true to their style of story telling.
"Finding Home" is a love story, yes, but I think the main character is this adorable Mini Aussie Shepherd Bentley who sees and feels everything, and leads his two "mistresses" in the right direction.

The main characters are very real, very human and very lovable, with all their stubborness and insecurities. I want Mrs Valenti for my mother and was very irritated with Andrea most of the time!

Georgia Beers writing is, as usual, fluent, funny, and often very deep. I appreciate the fact that she doesn't feel obliged to introduce terribly big dramatic happenings in her story. It evolves naturally, almost softly, and with Bentley's help into the happy ending we know will be there.
It's like eating wonderful chocolate, with quite a few hard nuts in it!

When I sit down to read a novel I expect to find angst, good characters, a story that moves forward with every page, and sex. For those of you who also look for these things, this book doesn't meet the requirements. It's a nice story and the characters are well developed, but, for me, the other things were lacking. (Ok, there was one sex scene, but it came at the very end of the book). From reading her other novels (Turning the Page and Thy Neighbor's Wife), I expected more than I got from this one.

A Lion to Guard us Review


The Book, A Lion to Guard us is by Clyde Robert Bulla and illustrated by Michele Chessare. I think the book was good to me because it has a lot of sad moments and a lot of adventurous moments. And when there is a suspenseful part of the story they might end the chapter. Jemmy takes care of the door knocker their father gave them. Meg was the youngest she stayed by Amanda's side She was to quiet to step up and help much.

The main characters are Amanda, Jemmy, and Meg and their father.

Amanda, Jemmy , and Meg's Father gave them a lion door knocker before he lift for Jamestown for three years. They didn't see him since.
Amanda is the oldest of the group. She has to take more responsibility for Jemmy and Meg. [..]. He keeps care of the lion

I won't tell much more or I will ruin the story!!!

Lion to guard us review




I would read lion to guard us if you like not to fast and not to slow books. Lion to guard us is a somewhat sad story a slow and some might put a little dull adventure.
There are three main characters. One is Meg the youngest girl, jimmy is in the middle for the ages. Amanda is the oldest and looks after them. Lion to guard us is a middle problem. Like when people steal oh wait I don't want to give the book away if you want to know read this book. Meg Jimmy and Amanda are going to Virginia for a reason and if you want to know the reason READ THIS BOOK!!!!

Lion to Guard us
Hello. My name is Ryan Adams. I will tell you about my story. The plot is that Jemmy, Amanda, and Meg will reach their dad in Jamestown. He is building houses for the colonists. At the beginning, their dad left them with the cook, mistress tippet, Sir Randolph. When he was about to leave he gave them the lion doorknocker head. He said, "This is the lion to guard you." Then they tried to look for him. Well, I can't tell you the whole story, so I will tell you why the story was great!
I really couldn't put it down because it was so tempting to find out if they find it or not. You should read it to find out too. The style of the author is sort of old fashioned.

See ya later!
Ryan Adams

LION TO GUARD US

This book is very good I really loved it. Amanda, Jemmy ,and Meg Freebold are all alone their mother is dead and their father is in Jamestown. Later Dr. Crider brings them to his house . The next day he took them to the boat heading for Jamestown. The writer tells the story in 1609. I really liked this book. I give this book five stars.

This story is about a girl named Amanda freebold and her 2 younger siblings, Jemmy and Meg. At the beginning the 3 children and their mother live with a rich old lady named mistress trippet In London, England. She makes them work for money, except Meg and Jemmy. Their father went to Virginia to seek fortune. One day their mother got sick and eventually dies, so they run away from mistress trippet. They run into their mother's doctor Dr. Crider who takes them in. the next month they get on a ship to go to Virginia, it shipwrecks in Bermuda, they make a small town and leave on 2 makeshift boats to Virginia.... My favorite part is when Dr. Crider finds the children running away.
By: Patrick

Gossamer contains both a delightful story about learning to use one's gifts to ease human suffering and a rich metaphor of the workings of the human psyche. Mysterious creatures of the night, more like angels than faeries, flutter and flicker through the objects of our lives finding fragments from which to form dreams to bestow on us. In this gentle story, a young apprentice dream-giver discovers how to use her gossamer touch to find the right fragments to give healing dreams to an abused and angry eight-year-old boy. Lowry has deftly interwoven the story of the young boy and his elderly foster mother with the story of the young dream-giver and her elderly mentor. While kids will identify with the struggles of the youngsters, grown-ups who work with kids will find inspiration in the work of the dream-givers. "We do such important work," says Thin Elderly. "Sometimes we forget that." Thanks, Ms. Lowry, for a wonderful story that will entertain, enlighten and give new strength to readers of all ages.
Janet Gingold
author of Danger, Long Division

This book pulled me in; I couldn't help but keep turning the pages til I reached the end.

This was an entertaining story. It portrays these creatures that give dreams and their struggles to help people through their dreams and to help them fight off creatures that bring nightmares. It also tells the story of an 8 year old boy abused by his father who also abused her mother and has now gone off to live with an elderly lady. It was a very short book. Very easy to read and pretty interesting. It starts out a little slow for the 1st couple of chapters before you figure out what's going on. Then it's very interesting.

Gossamer was one of the best books that I have ever read! The best part about it was Littlest, the main character in the story. She was entergetic and "happy" from the beginning. Even so, that it also what makes this book not one of my most favorite books. I don't think that the main character changed very much in the book, and she stayed the same. It would be a better book if Littlest changed even a little bit in the book. She was not so dull, but not really that exciting in the book, because of that reason only. If it hadn't been for that reason, I think that Gossamer would be one of my most favorite books of all time.

This is a story by Lois Lowry about three different people living, changing, and their dreams. They experience relationships, hardships, and find ways to understand themselves and do better. In the beginning, they all are facing difficult problems without seeing any solution. In the middle everyone started to help each other and understand the other person's feelings and situation. The power of dreams, through Dream givers and Sinisteeds, start to affect the people. In the end, after much struggle, they all find ways to begin to solve their problems.
Gossamer was a fantastic book for a fifth grade class. This book makes you continue to think a lot, even when you are not reading it. It is well written and lets you understand and feel the emotion of each character. Great descriptions help you visualize the detail. Our discussions were filled with emotions and understanding our own selves. It made you think about your problems and how to solve them more easily. We realized that we get much hope from the power of our dreams and our minds. You cannot put down the book until you are finished. People who are into fantasy, realistic fiction, and basically people in the real world, can have the same feelings. The book that Lois Lowry wrote is heartwarming and everyone will love it.

when i first read 'pictures of hollis woods', i was just starting seventh grade. i think that the main character not being able to fit in with the orphanages she goes to can also apply to teenage life, in a sense. some teens cant fit in with other classmates or friends, and they could kind of, confide, if you will, in hollis' character.
i also think its nice how the book goes from hollis' life with josie, and then to flashbacks, which help explain the book more fully.
all in all, its a good book; its worth the read.

Orphaned Hollis Woods seems destined to spend the rest of her childhood bouncing from one foster home to another. When she lands in the care of an elderly art teacher, Hollis begins to relax in the gentle and encouraging home. As Hollis's love for her new foster mother, Josie, grows, so does her awareness that Josie is losing her faculties - a fact which must be hidden from the dreaded caseworker's watchful eye. Interwined in the story of the present, Hollis reminisces through her artwork of the past that depicts another home that was dearly cherished. The pictures tell a tale of love, the hope of a family, and the shattered dream under mysterious circumstances. Will Hollis lose yet another loved one as her caretaker mentally fades? Why did Hollis leave the family she'd wished for? Will her caseworker succeed in finding Hollis a forever home? These questions will compel the reader to know the conclusions and hope for happiness for Hollis at last.

Wow, is the book over already? If you're looking for an outstanding book, I would definitely highly recommend the book called "Pictures of Hollis Woods". It is about a girl named Hollis. She is a foster child. Hollis runs away from almost every family she is brought to, even the family called Regans, who were respsecful and treated her like their real child. She is finally sent to a lady named Josie. After staying a while, she is pretty sure this is her future-to stay with Josie. This book is a book you wouldn't regret reading. Everyone would enjoy it. It's one of those books that warms your heart after reading every last word. This book is awesome. If you ever need to pick up a book and you don't know what to read, here's your answer; "Picture of Hollis Woods". See, it's only 4 words! So pick up the book and enjoy. You won't regret it!

Hollis is the girl every educator and social worker experiences frustration with. This story paints the entire picture of a troubled child's life and what it takes to "fix it." Often what kids need isn't something they can find in school. Every teacher and social worker should read this book!

Pictures of Hollis Woods is a bittersweet story that makes you take life for granted and recongize the mistkes you've made.Hollis is a feisty foster child but underneath has a sweet spot.I loved this book,and it is probably one of my favorites.

While not laugh-out-loud funny it is amusing, enjoyable book. So many of us can see pieces of our own family dynamics in her stories of gifts that you pretend to like, food you serve they won't eat, and those incidents you laugh at only in hind-sight. Her last chapter where she spends time with one of the Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days is wonderfully poignant.

I heard the author on NPR and immediately wanted to read her book. She did not disappoint. She provided a much-needed antidote to the current stereotype of people from Iran. She is smart, sensible, and very amusing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how her family has successfully adjusted to living in the United States.

This is a fast reading book with lots of humor about an Iranian family that comes to live in Southern California. It contains universal lessons of life and humor. Everyone can feel the love that Firoozeh has for her family, her birth country, and her new home in America. After reading Laughing Without an Accent, I felt as if Firoozeh's family were my own. I was fortunate to be able to meet this charming author in person. This book will lift your spirits!

This book is hilarious. As an Iranian-American with a large family who immigrated from Iran, i found myself reading them passages so they could laugh with me. I have re-gifted this book again and again so that my entire extended family can join in. I absolutely loved it and know that you will too!

Humor isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Iranian Americans, but Firoozeh Dumas may just change that! Each vignette highlights the craziness both of her family and of various culture: American, Iranian and French. She writes with such conversational ease, as if telling you a funny story over a cup of tea. Each family member is drawn with clarity, as if you've known them all along. Her family is like a favorite sitcom family - familiar, funny and slightly over the top. The reader can imagine them getting into all kinds of wacky situations and can't wait to tune in for more.

Part of Dumas' great writing skill lies in the simplicity of her descriptions. She is able to set a scene with few words, but provide such keen observation that she cuts right to humor of the moment. She illuminates the humor of cultures and personalities with lightheartedness and respect. She seems to find idiosyncrasies to be both precious and maddening. She clearly loves her family very much, and is able expose the absurdity of their everyday lives. Her command of humor makes even the most mundane of subjects like oversized desks, 10 lb. bags of rice and the "Midnight Chocolate Buffet" on a cruise, a cause for chuckles.

Laughing Without an Accent has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for readers of any accent. Dumas' keen observations expose the silliness of herself and those around her with an endearing grace and genuineness, causing the reader to embrace her every word and yearn for just one more story.

Armchair Interviews says: Humor lies all around this talented writer.

I finished this book in two days. It's a great look at all types of real estate and what has fueled (and continues to fuel) our love of homes and real estate.

In his 2004 book "Boomer Nation: The Largest and Richest Generation Ever And How It Changed America" Steve Gillon refers to a rather surprising observation from Paul Begala, hardly a conservative Republican, who opined that "baby boomers are the most self-centered, self-seeking, self-interested, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self aggrandizing generation in American history." You will get no argument from me there and I was born in 1951! You remember the boomers don't you? These were the disaffected young people who were marching in the streets in the late 1960's. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to retirement. Millions of baby boomers have developed a condition that author Daniel McGinn refers to as "House Lust". And the epidemic is spreading to younger generations as well.
What are the symptoms of "House Lust"? If you are spending more than a few hours each week watching HGTV you are likely coming down with this highly contagious affliction. I hear that shows like "House Hunters", Designer's Challenge", "Flip This House" and "What You Get For The Money" can be extremely addicting. Daniel McGinn points to the meteoric rise in the popularity of HGTV over the past decade as a major factor in the real estate craze we have all experienced. Suddenly you realize that you are living in the wrong neighborhood or that your house just doesn't cut it anymore. Another symptom of "House Lust" is an aversion to anything small, outdated or used. Many of those in the market for a house today are looking for a home at least 3 or 4 times the size of the houses they grew up in. They also want homes loaded with just about every amenity imaginable. Daniel McGinn goes on ad nauseum about the myriad of options available to buyers today. Have you heard those commercials on the radio explaining how much happier life will be if you install new Corian counter tops in your kitchen? And then there is the debate about buying a brand new home as opposed to purchasing an existing dwelling and renovating. You will learn the pros and cons of each of these options. Perhaps the most disturbing thing I read in "House Lust" is the story of Dr. Debi Warner, the "Renovation Psychologist" hailing from the great state of New Hampshire. Dr. Warner has evidently carved out a niche for herself assisting embattled couples as they navigate the difficult road of home renovation. Renovating can be s-o-o-o stressful! Apparently there is a TV show in the works as well! In the latter chapters of "House Lust" there is much practical information to he had about other issues surrounding the housing industry. You will learn why so many individuals take a shot at a career in real estate and why so many of these folks drop out of the business after just a short time. McGinn also explores the issues surrounding vacation homes and time-shares. Finally, Dan McGinn examines the pros and cons of investing in real estate. I was quite surprised to learn how many people purchase investment properties they have never seen in states that are hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Sounds awfully risky to me.
At the end of the day I found "House Lust: America's Obsession With Our Homes" to be a fairly well-written and pretty informative book. Yet much of the subject matter greatly disturbs me. More than once I found myself muttering "What the heck were these people thinking?" when reading about some of the obscene amounts of money that people are willing to spend on building and renovating their homes. I hate the conspicuous consumption that seems to be in evidence everywhere you turn these days. And as author Robert Putnam so aptly points out in his seminal book "Bowling Alone" we all pay a price for such self absorption. Clearly, civic participation is at an all-time low as people withdraw from the public square and retreat into their not so humble abodes. It would appear that a growing number of us seem perfectly willing to sit back and "let the other guy do it." As their numbers continue to dwindle, once vibrant civic and religious organizations like the Elks, Knights of Columbus and the American Legion to name but a few are struggling to survive. Our communities are the big losers because many of the volunteer services that once were provided by these organizations have either totally disappeared or have had to be assumed by the government. Another extremely disturbing trend is that political parties are finding it more and more difficult to attract talented people to run for political office.
In the final analysis the American constitution guarantees each one of us the "freedom to be foolish". People who choose to spend outlandish sums on their homes should do so at their own risk. If things go awry these people have no right to expect the government to bail them out. Perhaps the painful lessons we are learning today will help to us all to curb our appetites just a bit in the future. "House Lust" is a great way to get up to speed on these fascinating issues. Recommended.

Great book! Easy read and very interesting. While I don't agree with some of his conclusions, this is a behind the scenes look at HGTV and what makes us so house focused. I love looking at houses, comparing houses, reading listings, etc . .. and therefore, I loved this book! Easy to read, fun read. For anyone that is looking to buy, looking to sell, looking to build, or looking to remodel.

The first thing that strikes me about Daniel McGinn's excellent first book, "House Lust," is how supremely organized it is. We get a very well-organized tour through the housing bubble via separate, tidy, punchy chapters concerning up-sizing mania, the new-house phenomena driving booms in locales like Las Vegas, fix-up fever, real-estate investing as a watching sport, rental properties, Realtor conventions and vacation homes/time shares. Each chapter gets just the right gist of what that particular piece adds to the overall market.

Furthermore, McGinn's effort is awash in credibility. Not only did he research house lust, he lived it. Among his many participatory exploits are his eyebrow-raising purchase of a rental property in Pocatello, Idaho (he used his book advance, much to the, umm, chagrin of his wife) and his pursuit of a Realtor license. In each case, the author's first-hand involvement greatly enriches the tale.

Of additional note are McGinn's efforts to keep the book relevant at the time of the sub-prime-fueled, foreclosure-laden bust of the bubble. The book was conceived mid-bubble. The market had clearly turned prior to publication. McGinn notes this dramatic shift and adds what I feel is an appropriate level of commentary about the implications. To that end, in his Acknowledgements section he mentions that esteemed economist and Newsweek colleague Robert Samuelson "provided generous advice on adjusting the book's tone as the housing market weakened."

Speaking of Newsweek, like many others I suppose, I learned of this book through the excerpt in that weekly. I've been a long-time (20+ years) subscriber. It's a delight to see how many colleagues McGinn credits by name and how many he counts as friends. It's a workplace that seems very family-like and collegial. In the wake of a significant buyout of many of Newsweek's longtime writers, it leaves me a bit melancholy. This is the downside of the web revolution and rapidly plummeting print circulations: the busting up and atrophying of great talent pools like Newsweek is a most unfortunate thing for readers like me...and it seems for people like Daniel McGinn, a generous journalist who understands how a place like Newsweek molded him.

I really enjoyed this book. It is extremely easy to read, has adequate footnotes for those who want to further explore any of the topics which the author covers, and in my opinion it incredibly accurately captures the fascination/interest/obsession (and yes, even lust) of many of us have for all aspects of activity regarding our homes (and those of our neighbors and even strangers). Whatever the reason (idle curiosity, planning a move, determination of the value of your own home, interest in renovations), if you often peruse the weekly real estate section of your local paper, visit open houses just for the heck of it, often mentally decide how you would renovate or redecorate a home that you are visiting, can't resist checking out the neighborhoods where you vacation with the thought that it might be nice to have your own getaway abode there, or have graduated from watching THIS OLD HOUSE on PBS to being able to recite from memory the most watched shows on HGTV, this book is definitely for you.

Dan McGInn is a national correspondent for Newsweek. He has spent several years covering many aspects of the real estate boom that eventually assumed bubble type characteristics and is now undergoing the inevitable hangover of a correction, which will hopefully not morph into a crash. The tone and style of the book is illustrated by his examination of the traditional competition and envy (not confined to real estate), which he describes in his opening chapter about the Toll Brothers' subdivision in Potomac Maryland, aptly titled "Mine's Bigger than Yours". Other randomly selected chapters include commentary on such topics as "Fix-up Fever", the seemingly favorite neighborhood pasttime in some communities of remodeling cum expansion, and the whole mystique of often little used vacation homes that are usually very uneconomic investments despite their frequent justification on that basis. Included in that discussion is a very interesting overview of the operation of the timeshare industry for the uninformed such as myself, as well as the recently introduced luxury vacation option known as destination clubs (as epitomized by Exclusive Resorts, the largest).

McGinn has a keen eye and an engaging style; as the title of my review states, I not only found a lot of educational material (admittedly much anecdotal, but a lot of hard facts as well), but I also really had fun reading this book (as it appeared that he did writing it). So if you are a chronic addict with HOUSE LUST that cannot be cured, you will probably relate to much of the material in this book. But even for the more casual hobbyist (who can change the dial and for whom HOUSE HUNTERS is not "appointment television"), the new terminology alone to which you are introduced is worth the time and price of the book. One example - in Las Vegas a new home is as much a status symbol as a new car, and what is in other parts of the country simply considered an existing home being sold is for many individuals in that area a "used home" which carries as much of a second hand stigma as a used car. Other interesting topics include the monogamous vs. polygamist vacationers (as well as "staycationers"), renovation hell, home location "splitters", the risqué practice of "house humping' (I had no clue), as well as lots of insider lingo and shorthand.

He also touches on the topic of how technological innovations are changing both our lifestyles and our homes, and has a fascinating compilation of statistics regarding the growth in size of our residences over the past few decades. Finally, to complete his research he takes the local exam to obtain his real estate license and provides some insights into the profession of realtor as well.

My goal in writing this review has been to provide an intriguing overview of how successful McGinn has been in capturing in an extremely entertaining manner the quest surrounding what for many Americans is a (and perhaps the) central element of their pursuit of the American Dream, a home of their own (and then- the renovations and subsequent additions, and later a vacation home, etc., etc.) I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

This book has everything from parent involvement to parent teacher conferencing to the very best history of parent education/involvement that I have EVER seen.

If you can't find any book by Kevin Swick, then get this one. Heck! Get 'em both! You can never do with enough ways to get parents involved with children during the early years.

This book is comprehensive and easy to follow. It is useful for understanding the various perspectives of both teachers and families. I think it is essential for new teachers, as well as those who may feel the need to prioritize and start putting families and communication first!

[...]

This text supplies new teachers with necessary information to understand the importance of parent involvement- "parents as partners"- in education.

ME ENCANTARIA QUE ME DIJERAN COMO PUEDO CONSEGUIR UNA COPIA DE ESTE EJEMPLAR TAN INTERESANTE. SOY ESTUDIANTE DE MAESTRIA Y SE QUE ME SERVIRA DE GRAN AYUDA EN UN CURSO QUE ESTOY TOMANDO ESTE SEMESTRE.

GRACIAS MIL, CARLOS A. SILVA-RUIZ

This is a very good book, it doesn't only focus on teachers but on parents and student as well. This book is easy to read, not heavy scientific language, and has very beautiful pictures. As a student and a mother I surely find everything I wish to read and know about "parents as partners in education". Thank you for a great book!

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 author introduces his book saying it contains "my favorite tools for tuning up the poems you write". From discussing the poet's "job description" to the necessity of writing clear understandable poetry, from how poets should serve the poems they write to the necessity of having an imaginary reader in mind, from the importance of titles and opening lines, to cutting out unnecessary words, from ryhme to writing about feelings, writing from memory, how best to use anecdote, fine tuning similes and metaphors, and to a most inspiring chapter dedicated to "detail", this book guides readers to writing (and reading) poetry with greater sensitivity.

Among the many tools for fine tuning, the author sheds light on the connection between the specific choices a poet makes and their outcome, revealing ways in which a poet could manipulate such choices more consciously to achieve the desired results.

Throughout the book, the author quotes numerous poems to demonstrate his meaning, many of which are striking, some unforgettable. While some of the examples are from his poetry, he draws heavily on the work of other contemporary poets, enlarging the scope of the book to include many other voices and visions than his own.

Although deep insight permeates its every line, the book is written in clear and accessible language and a delightful sense of humor. The author possesses the gift of instructing with a light touch, revealing a great deal of information, while staying out of the way, a feat that requires a delicate and artful balancing act that is the mark of a true guide.

This is not an intense workbook to poetry nor a rigid list of rules to follow. Rather, it is a gentle conversation with the author that pleasantly guides you along the finer points of writing poetry.

Interspersed with kind humor, we read sample poems that illustrate various aspects of poetry from voice to how to submit for publication.

It reminds me by its simplicity of "Elements of Style" by Strunk and White.

You might wish after reading it that it had more details and specific exercises to help us develop the poet's skills, but he references a few other works that provide more detail if one is looking for it.

I consider this a enjoyable read that opens up one's eyes to the beauty and nuances of poetry.