Home Books

This book basically points out that you NEED a real estate agent. And preferably a buyer's agent to purchase your home. Very informative, but really what it all comes down to is that you need a good honest agent to do the asking for you.

This book has been a tremendous resource in my search for a new home. It covers virtually every topic related to home-buying, and it only begins to "drone" in a few areas regarding finances. But, because of the book's organization, it is very easy to browse for information on a specific topic. I full-heartedly recommend the book, and I recommend reading it all the way through at least once.

i read this book and the counterpart for selling. only wish i had read them before i began the process. both are wonderful resources! she even has a syndicated column in the home section of most newspapers. highly recommended!

I loved this book. It really helped me and my hubbie make sound decisions on what we wanted and needed. A great read if you take the time to prepare before big purchases.

My husband and I bought this book because we were interested in buying a home and had never been through the process before. This book was so informative! We learned all kinds of things to do and not to do. This book is a must if you have never bought a home before!

This tiny little book packs quite a surprising amount of wisdom. Yes, it tells you to control spending (including lattes), but you can find coupons and other money saving tips on various items online. However, what I found most useful was the chapter on how to check one's emotional urge (call it being "shopoholic") when it comes to spending money. The author gives some excellent advice on how to have a goal and use that goal as an objective not to spend money on other impulsive purchases. Overall, a quick, crisp read (it took me all but 2 hrs to finish) that made me really think about my long term spending strategy.

It makes sense!!! If you want to save, you have to cut back on your spending and when you do spend, spend smart. Hmmmmmmm, what a novel idea in this day and age. Good book!

I read the book's description and some other reader reviews about how it was promised to be able to get the purchase price of the book back by using some of the book's information. Well, I guess I'd say I'm left questioning if I actually would recoup my purchase price by changing some spending habits. My career revolves around purchasing (which I've taken many of the tricks and applied to my personal expenditures).

I thought most of the suggestions in the book are grounded in common sense, but I didn't find the majority of them either ground breaking or new (to me). This book is good for those that really haven't thought about how they spend money, but not worth the money/effort if you actively manage your expenses.

I'm age 70. Living Rich and Spending Smart has opened my eyes as to how much money I have thrown away. I hate this book. It makes me ashamed of myself. On the other hand, this knowledge will make living entirely on Social Security a lot easier.

This book is one of the best thing out there right now if you are not sure how to improve on your spending. And yes, because you will save money, you will be making better choices. The book is an easy-read, but intelligently written. It is a quick-read book, but very informative. It will not waste your time. I really liked the book. I found the book very valuable to me in every practical way. The author is extremely well-written and you will understand what he is talking about even if you may never have done the things he talks about. You will not alienated. You should take his advice to heart and start implementing his suggestions right away. Also, you don't have read everything. You can skip around and read what interests you. This book will definitely make you smarter. It is amazing. Very well-written. Everyone should have a copy.

Our culture raises us to fear birth, to dread birth. As a fellow birth doula and childbirth educator, I love having resources such as this book, which offers women a different way of seeing birth. Empowering birthing women, mothers, empowers society and us all. Brava!

Giuditta has provided us with a wonderful gift by writing 'Painless Childbirth: An Empowering Journey Through Pregnancy and Birth'.

Simultaneously practical and spiritual, she guides us to access our inner wisdom and own our pregnancy and birth journeys. I love her exercises, stories and the lists of questions she provides so that women can communicate with professionals from a place of informed co-creation.

Giuditta is acutely aware of the importance of our feelings and memories and how we can work with them to move forward into greater awareness, connection with our bodies and harmony with our babies....so that painless childbirth can be our reality too.

She shares beautifully, month by month, what is going on with your baby and how you can consciously support yourself and this unique new being growing inside you now.

Giuditta's insight and perspective as shared in this book is an excellent resource and support for mum, dad and baby. Painless childbirth is your birth right!

Deirdre Morris
[...]

(Note: This review was written by my wife Laura...)

Written by a doula, this book uses the chakra system as its basis for healing through the next nine months and beyond. She noticed that each month of pregnancy corresponds with a chakra as the embryo/fetus learns the vital lessons that the corresponding chakra invites.

For example, the first month is associated with the first (root) chakra in which the embryo learns if it feels wanted and safe in its physical environment. This phenomenal book guides you through each month/chakra so that you can heal and grow right along with your baby. Most of us have residual pain and baggage from our own time spent in utero, so by using her guided techniques and visualizations you have the opportunity to heal each relevant chakra.

By learning about and healing each chakra, we open ourselves to the possibility of creating an ecstatic, painless birthing experience. This is the goal of the book, but there are, of course, many other long-term benefits to healing and opening ourselves up to divine energy.

PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH: AN EMPOWERING JOURNEY THROUGH PREGNANCY AND BIRTH is a pick family libraries will want: it explores the relationship between the nine months of fetal development in the womb and nine basic human rights, advising mothers to participate in both creation and their own rights to a painless childbirth on their own terms. From hospital births and birthing center differences to obtaining peace from pain, PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH blends case history examples with advice and tips.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

With my previous pregnancies I have ordered and read quite some books on natural childbirth and methods to deal with pain; and some stories about painless, even extatic births! This book is a unique guide on how to prepare oneself for a painless and pleasurable birth. It offers a lot of information, advice and true stories, but the big part of the job is to be done by the user. There is really a lot a mother can do if she wants to. And several months seem enoughf time to do it. I have recomended the book to all my pregnant coworkers, frinds and the mothers attending classes with me. Some of them are truelly ecxited; other wonder where to start from; but all of them grasp the consept that birth is not a punishment and hence does not need to be painfull. For some of us the idea that it can be pleasurable seems as natural as love itsels, for others it requires a lot of time and effort, somethimes with the help of proffesionals as therapists, natural healers and dulas. There is one quote from this book I would like to share: According to statistics, about 1 % of womem do not experience any pain during childbirth. With 4 milion birthing women per year in the US it means that 40,000 mothers do not experince pain! If 40,000 women can do, I can do it as well; anyone can do it!!!

I love this book! I am so happy that I decided to purchase it. It is very informative and has lots of great recipes.

I can't wait to start baking - there are tons of wonerful recipes and helpful tips. I have so many recipes/pages marked to try.

Haven't tried it yet. Looked through it and am drooling waiting for my wife to start making some of the goodies.

Another fantastic book in the Taste of Home cookbook line. I marked so many pages the first time thru we will have an easy, tastey, ingredients-on-hand baked good every night this year. Beautiful pictures, easy to follow recipes and a huge varieties of baked goods to choose from. From the beginner to the more experienced baker, a selection for all.

I bought the baking book for myself and found both my girls ages 15 and 17 love to use it too. It is so helpful, every page has tips and hints on how to make your recipe turn out perfect. I have now bought 2 more books for my neices wedding showers, great way to learn how or to improve your baking.

Reading this made my son and me want to build, build, build. At the same time, the book achieves something else: the way people make their homes shows something very intimate and moving. This collection of photographs, drawings and stories shows how closely related the art of building, the art of art and the art of living are. This is one of the rare occasions where I would like to thank the authors.

followed by several days flipping through again and again, searching for my favorites...beautiful pictures. I could have done with more "on the road" pics and less (what I would refer to as) "normal" houses...I can see those kinds when I look out the window...but that's just a personal preference....I wish he'd take all the extra stuff he said he had and put it on a website or publish another book. I'd buy it!

this book is even better then the other books by Lloyd Kahn, and i didnt think that was possible. The photographs are outstanding, the text interesting, informative, and captures thoughts, people, homes and places of times past, present and some that look futuristic! This book is for anyone who has a passion for architecture, and culture. a great coffee table book.

MUST HAVE FOR ALL couchpotatoe MALES, and anyone who has dreams! This is such a fantastic book: inspiring and creative and so marvelous to see so many passionate people out their DOING THEIR THING! Get up from your desktops, ladies and gentlemen, stop the online dating circus and do something satisfying: BUILD YOUR OWN SHELTER. Lord knows I want to after pouring through every inch of every page and these great photos and life stories. Thanks, Mr. Lloyd!

This book is absolutely stunning. I spent hours poring over the pictures. It's mostly pictures of creative, unique houses people have built, with a few stories about builders' experiences and techniques.
It will put into perspective the amount to which we have limited ourselves when it comes to traditional housing. It shows how a house is not just shelter, but art, expression, and passion as well.
This will inspire you!

Not only does this book have lots of useful, step-by-step instructions but it also has clear and detailed photos to help you along! Highly recommended!

Between this and the B&D Home Improvement book, pretty much everything you need to know for basic homeowner do-it-yourself projects and repairs is covered. I've used it several times in a few months, and it is wonderful to have on hand as a reference. The book is sturdy and easy to understand too. It would get 5 stars if there weren't so much overlap with the Home Improvement guide--the two should be better coordinated to avoid redundancies.

Excellent book! Very comprehensive book on materials, techniques and just a very detailed how-to DIY manual in general. Tons of detailed pictures and small steps to help the biggest layman out there. I am very happy with my purchase, got exactly what I wanted.

The recipient of this book, a new homeowner, was thrilled with this gift! His father, a homeowner for over 30 years, wished he had been the recipient.

Good book with lots of color photos, helped me replace all elecrical outlets in a couple of rooms. Great to look at to get an idea for projects and "how to". Very informative on tool types and also the items you will encounter during the project. I would reccomemd to a rookie homeowner to an advanced. Wish had some info on ceiling fans, washing machines and dryers. But altogether great!! Want to buy the new one coming out!

It think the author scores points for writing this book because of her fame AFTER her death.

A great way to spend a summer morning or better yet a winter one! Grab your hot cocoa and enjoy.

my very best childhood friend gave me this book last year as a present. i loved reading it. i had never "read" a cookbook before. The author did a brilliant job of blending recipe and words of experience together. It was a very lighthearted read and I found it enjoyable to read over and over. I keep a copy in my kitchen where I can utilize the recipes,which by the way are also very unique and practial.

I'd rather dine out than in, and I hate to cook, but I like Laurie Colwin's style of writing, so I bought this book. Even Ms. Colwin admitted that she bought cookbooks just to read them, but I'm sure she tried some of the recipes as well. She described, by name, several cookbooks she had on hand, most or all out of print, and it made me wish I could read them as well. To show how cleverly she turned a phrase, I was inspired to cook something and did! I tried a recipe for bread that, when she wrote it, had me almost tasting it. Alas, said bread did not turn out as hoped. I had someone else (an experienced cook) try it as well, and it was somewhat disappointing. No big deal. I'd rather read than cook, anyway.

'Home Cooking' by Laurie Colwin is the kind of book that really makes you wish you could become friends with the author. Unfortunately, the author is no longer with us, so there is a lot more than the usual barrier between celebrity and mere mortal between reader and writer.

The chapters in the book are essays composed of both culinary and autobiographical material, although the book is not a memoir a la Ruth Reichl's two books. It is also not culinary criticism or exposition in the style of John Thorne. It is most similar to the kind of essays written by Elizabeth David, one of the author's heroes, and M.F.K. Fisher.

The author has the advantage of most good writers in that she has lived in interesting circumstances providing fuel for her writing. One premise for much of her culinary advice is based on the fact that for several years, she lived in a very small Greenwich Village apartment with no oven, two hot plates, no sink and a tiny refrigerator, with literally enough room to hold no more than three people at a time. Amazingly, the author was able to actually entertain in this tiny space, using the bathtub and commode as a means of washing up the dishes.

Much of the culinary advice is quirky and some is actually a bit dated, as it predates the microplane and the cheap plastic mandoline. I suspect the author may have changed some of her opinions if these tools had been available. Colwin's advice about knives is also a little dated, as she swears by carbon steel blades rather than modern stainless steel. Since there is no evidence that she sharpened her own knives, I suspect a modern Santoku knife may have changed her opinion. Even so, the essays are a testament to cooking with only the bare minimum of equipment and space.

It is not surprising that Ms. Colwin's recipes never made the 'Best of' series, as they are quirky rather than true gourmet fare. While another of Ms. Colwin's heroes is Edna Lewis, the very influential writer on Southern cooking, Ms. Colwin's recipe for Southern Fried Chicken does not follow Ms. Lewis' lead on a number of things such as an overnight buttermilk marinade. He does, however, keep to the gospel of pan frying rather than deep-frying.

Ms. Colwin's writing provides much more food for the soul than it does food for the gut. Reading this book makes one wish that Karen Duffey would have channeled her not inconsiderable talent for the simple in her book 'A Slob in the Kitchen' into a style more like Ms. Colwin's very entertaining twists on culinary matters.

Highly recommended reading for foodies.

We have two different versions of this book. We lost one in a move, and I reordered it. It has been a HUGE help with both of our kids learning to read, but especially our son. The different sets of cards we made can be pulled out for short sets of spelling and reading games where ever we are. We do them a lot when we go out to eat, between the time we order and the food actually getting to the table. That's usually about ten-20 minutes, and that's more than enough time to "do" a set of the cards. They have really and truly helped both our kids with reading, and our son, who was over 8 when reading seemed to start clicking with him, really made progress with these. Simple and fun.
You do have to make the cards, but it's really easy, and it doesn't have to be fancy. I keep a set or two in an envelope in my purse to pull out whenever we are waiting for something. Amazing how much time you spend in life waiting. They really help pass the time, and in a way that the kids are learning something they need in the process. And the kids actually enjoy it.
I highly recommend this book. The only improvement I'd make is have it come with laminated cards already made, or if you could buy them already made. If I could purchase those cards already done, with a wipable surface, for a reasonable price, I would've bought those instead of making them myself.

This is an excellent book. I recommend it above any other program for reading instruction.

This is a wonderful book. I bought it two years ago and only recently began to use the methods of teaching reading that are outlined in it. I found it very helpful and students who had very little chance of reading anything are now saying that they can read. I would reccommend it to any parent or teacher who is finding the methods currently in use not to be working. Try it, follow the lesson plans and watch the student grow in confidence. Colette

We're not doing all the exercises, because frankly I didn't want to cut up the book, or go to the trouble of scanning and cutting all the cards. That was a little too time consuming for the amount of time my daughter took to complete the activities. HOWEVER, reading this book DID make me do quite a bit of thinking about exactly what troubles my daughter was having. We are doing the Hooked on Phonics system, but if that doesn't cover all the bases, I will come up with some additional activities to get the phonemic "pictures" that she needs, and I will probably turn to this book as a resource in doing so.

By the way, I figured out that my daughter's BIGGEST problem was that she would look at a couple of letters and guess the word. This was pretty much what came of our school's method of "looking at the pictures for clues" and memorizing entire words. So I am having to break a bad habit!

Unless this book had a major revision in its illustrations from the time I went through training, to use it in my varying exceptionalities classroom, it would not be acceptable to use in a group setting. What happened is that I had a girl who was overweight. The word "fat" was illustrated with a chubby little girl. Of course the boys in the classroom gave the picture a "name", and the girl was mortified. That was not the only picture the students could not identify correctly. Several had British meanings, but not in American use. I quickly shelved the book, along with many other teachers in our school. (It was purchased with school district funds.) The concepts, including the phonics chart - a good one - were some I had already been using, by creating my own materials. So I am not opposed to the entire book, only some of the illustrations used.