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The recipes in this book is pretty much basic vietnamese cooking. It is simple and easy to follow instructions. Great pictures that would leave you salivating and wanting to try the recipes.

Giving pictures of the major ingriedients was very thoughtful. The recipes are pretty streamlined and easy but thats fine with me, I don't have any aspirations to be a chef. Personally I wouldn't go to the trouble of making my own soup stock like the author suggests when you can just buy the cubes, but I guess it just depends on how serios you are about cooking. So far the book has been easy to follow and the food produced has been delicious which is whats most important to me.

Of all six vietnamese cookbook, this came pretty decent. The pictures are great to prep for the food. I like the fact that you don't have to worry if you bought the wrong ingredients or not. I am glad I bought this one. Banh Xeo and Bun Rieu is pretty decent.

I LOVE Andre's cookbook!

His recipes are pretty authentic and straightforward. He doesn't B.S. Highly recommended for beginners. For those who are experienced in Vietnamese cooking, I find this book useful as a quick reference for weekly meal planning. Like with any other cookbooks, the recipes serve only as a basis for basic ingredients. Alter the flavor according to your own liking (sweetness, tang, saltiness, etc..)

Enjoy..

I wanted to give this book only a FOUR STARS rating, but I couldn't edit that part; so it shows a five stars rating instead.

This book is good for beginners who want to cook Vietnamese food on a superficial level but do not want to delve too deeply into Vietnamese cuisine. The author, Andre Nguyen, is a Vietnamese chef who owns a Vietnamese restaurant, so he knows how to cook very well. The recipes have only a few ingredients that are easy to find in a Vietnamese or Chinese supermarkets, and they taste good. If you want 100% authentic Vietnamese recipes which will take quite some time to prepare, then this book is not for you. But if you want good Vietnamese recipes that have been simplified by substituting ingredients that are easier to find and make, then this book is definitely for you. This book also has great color photos of every recipe, so they're very helpful. This book is not meant to be comprehensive or detailed, rather it is meant for people who want to put Vietnamese food on the table fast! If you're really serious about learning how to cook Vietnamese food, then I would recommend Andrea Nguyen's "Into The Vietnamese Kitchen" and Mai Pham's "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table".

This is a great book for the do it yourself person. Great full color pictures. Complete step by step details on how to do a particular job. Have looked at several books like this and the Black and Decker book was tops. Not only does this book give you step by step instructions for a project, it also gives you a list of items needed prior to starting project. FYI I am fenmale and feel I can do any floor job with the aide of this book.

I've only helped a neighbour lay a wooden floor before so I needed all the help i could get. This book is informative with good pictures and ideas. It details everything from the tools you need to the different types of flooring and how to lay them
I now feel confident to embark on purchasing and laying my own wooden floor. Highly recommended for a beginner

I'm a novice DIYer and new homeowner of an old place, and I like to get all the help I can before talking to experts. This helped me get informed on some flooring options, and was certainly helpful with illustrating to my carpenter what I wanted in different areas of my current renovation project. I probably would rate it higher if I've had the chance to do the work myself, but that's for later.

I suspect that one of the most insane decisions in my life is deciding to redo my kitchen - on my own. This makes all kinds of practical sense, given what labor costs. But I am incorrigibly un-handy. But in a fit of pseudo-parsimony (you never really save any money doing something yourself - you just buy tools instead of labor) and a determination to recover my macho I have sailed into the unknown of plumbing, cabinetry, plastering, tiling, and, worst of all, flooring.

No sooner did it become obvious that replacing the floor was inevitable than I realized that I was completely clueless about what to use and how to go about it. Of course there is no lack of people who will tell you what they would do, but this is one of those things that you live with forever and it needed to be wholly what I wanted. At this point I scanned the shelf of the local handyman's heaven and found this little cheery volume.

For the most part it's quite practical. Chapters on planning, design, and preparation nurse you through the start up and dreaded removing of the old floor stages. Then there are chapters on hardwood floors, ceramic and stone floors, resilient flooring, and carpeting. More follows on finishing and repair. More than enough to answer the basic questions of how to close the knowledge gap and make a sensible decision about how to proceed.

There are countless photos, and the writing style is clear, even if it is a bit dull. Of course, dull is a good thing when making a major household change. One gets excited when the day is over and the job done, not by unexpected drama in the kitchen. This seems as good a reference as any I've seen, and covers far more than I ever wanted to know. I expect that someday soon my cats will be walking on something entirely new. Complaining as they go, of course.

I've bought this book for my laminate floor project. The book turned out to be a disappointment: it gives no more information than I found on a leaflet from a laminate crate. With great details and pictures it explains very basic things, like it targeted for a 6-years old doing his school science project. But it omits really important details and nuances: how to calculate a layout so you wouldn't end up with the 1-inch wide last row, where to use which molding and how to install it, and so on. And if some unexperienced and not technically-inclined person starts his project using only this book, he very quickly may find himself in the troubles, with lot of materials and time wasted.

How to Protect Your Family's Assets from Devastating Nursing Home Costs by Gabriel Heiser is a terrific book. It clarified for me the issues surrounding Medicaid and asset preservation in a straight forward and easy to understand way. It provided me insights into complexities that are necessary for anyone who might be venturing down this path to be aware of and understand. It put into perspective the options that are available and perhaps most important of all, provided me with the background I needed to have a productive meeting with an elder attorney and to ask them the appropriate questions.

In particular, the book was written in a way that could be understood by a layman. It was presented in a very organized fashion and clearly went through the Medicaid process, a necessary pre-requisite for the subsequent chapters. The appendix was particularly useful in that it provided ways to find a qualified elder lawyer and other related resources as well as information on state Medicaid offices. But perhaps most interesting and helpful of all were the case studies. They provided a multitude of practical strategies, comparing and contrasting them throughout the book.

After reading this book, the bits and pieces of information I was able to discern from other books and from several lawyers I previously met with came together to form a clear picture like pieces of a puzzle. Armed with information and the possibilities presented and with an understanding of the implications of our decisions, we are now ready to move forward with plans for our parents with the confidence that we are prepared now to go down this very difficult road.

Thanks Mr. Heiser for all of your help!

I work in an industry where we have a need for such timely, topical and extensive information in the special needs planning area. I found Gabriel Heiser's book to be well written, easy to read, and very comprehensive. I have used it as a resource many times when I am questioned by one of our financial planners or attorneys in our network throughout the country. I have recommended his book to many who are struggling with the complexity of the medicaid system and how best to provide for a disabled individual. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a complete understanding of the rules and regulations pertaining to the special needs or elder law planning arenas.

Geri N. McHam
The Estate Plan

The System makes it hard to get accurate information about Medicaid coverage of long-term care--even for a former reference librarian like me. I'm recommending this book to Amazon customers and to my local library.

Attorney Heiser's book on protecting assets from nursing home costs is an invaluable and terrific read. For those of us unaware of the financial devastation a nursing home stay can do to a family it is a must read. It gives the reader a chance to ask important questions of attorneys and financial planners to get the most out of their advice and to get through the many different state and federal laws that vary from state to state. Don't see an attorney without reading this first.

This book provides valuable information on a complex subject. Although it may not answer your specific questions, the information given allows you to make informed decision when consulting an estate planner or attorney. Informative easy to read book on a complex subject.

My husband wants to install an outdoor kitchen and this book gave great ideas and I think installation tips too

Good pictures, however, I would have preferred more detailed "how to" instructions.

This is an updated version of Sunset's best selling title. This new edition benefits from an array of new projects and many updates that include expanded how-to information for some popular outdoor kitchen projects, including step by step photos for building wood fired pizza ovens and concrete countertops.

The book is divided in three large sections as follows:

- Planning your outdoor kitchen
Planning and design, Pizza ovens and other cooking options, Fire pits and fireplaces, Overheads and protection from wind, Counters, Countertops, Cooking appliances, Cooking Amenities, Comfort Systems and Drawing up the plan.

- Barbecue Projects
Cobblestone couter with granite, Barbecue Bar, Brick and tile counter,Tile and stone beauty, Family grilling counter, Full of surprises, Covered brick kitchen, Wood Cabinets in a niche, Tuscan setting, Pizza Oven, Winged Counter, Adobe oven, Fire pit with bench, Chimney smoker, Stackable barbecue kit, and Full-service kitchen.

- How to Build Them
Tools, Planning the grill opening, running utility lines, Pouring a concrete slab, Working with mortar and block, building a block counter, Building with brick, Building with metal framing, Building a wood counter, Finishing a counter with stucco, Facing with stone, Facing with tile, Tiling a countertop, Forming a concrete countertop, Gas and propane hookups, Electrical connections, Plumbing hookups, Installing grill and doors, and Building an overhead

The book also includes a small section on Grilling tips and Recipes as well as a Resource guide.

Overall a great title for anyone planning or building an outdoor kitchen project.

Along with the other book I purchased I should now be able to restore some old pieces that I find or already have. I will be quite busy doing these repair.

This is a great introduction book to furniture repair.

The book is organized in these main sections:
1. Tools and materials 63 pp.
2. Structural repairs 98 pp.
3. Preserving an original finish 20 pp.
4. Stripping, finishing, and hardware restoration 43 pp.

The most valuable for me was the section on structural repairs. Over 20 projects that need various repair jobs, each is done, step by step, illustrated with lots of clear, full-color photos.

This book would well-equip you to handle most repairs of a non-conservation nature (not highly valuable pieces).

Brian, if you're listening, I'd like to see you do a book this size on touch up, repair and color matching!

Another fantastic book on how to repair wood furniture. I was able to correctly, and easily repair several old furniture items. Highly recommend this book for those who are involved in furniture repair, as I am.

After my grandmother went into a nursing home 3 years ago, I aquired the old kitchen furniture she had. Consisting of a square table (complete with a green Formica top!), 4 matching chairs and a hutch. Dating back to the late 1950's or early 60's, every piece needed some refinishing. And 2 of the 4 chairs were rather wobbly. This book addressed all of the issues I was concerned with, including clean-up, stripping the old finish, applying the new finish and repairs. When you balance the value, monetary or sentimental, of your furniture against the price of this book, it's as much of a good investment as the furniture itself.

My only gripe, and it's a minor one: A lot of items like aniline stains and upholstery items for chairs are things you're not going to find at your local Home Depot or corner hardware store. It would have been nice if the author had provided a list of reliable internet and mail order suppliers.

If you only wish to buy one book on repair of old furniture, this is the book. The author is a true specialist within the field and everything is explained and illustrated excellently. In addition it's a very pretty book with many fine photos. The only little flaw is that the info on refinishing is a little scattered. Anyway, the info is there. Go buy the book!

This was more a personal essay than anything and of course that was the intention of the author. But all in all I could not get through it. It was not that interesting and the writing style was lacking for my taste.
However, it was pretty good at times and being a writer my self I have to admit that just because I didn't like it to a 5 star extent doesn't mean it was bad.

Not being a fan of travel books, my comments may be biased. Years ago when I wandered the globe, my desire was to live as a part of the places in which I found myself. I made a terrible tourist. I mostly wanted to go where I could speak the language of the natives and getting a letter home took weeks. The world isn't like that any more, nor maybe has it so been for a while for tourists and travel writers. The four books by Gretel Ehrlich I have read run the gauntlet. "This Cold Heaven", tells of her visits to Greenland between 1995 and 2001. It best conveys a feel of what life is like for, maybe the last generation of, Inuit hunters who use dogsleds. And out on the sled is where Ms Ehrlich most wants to be. It is a beautiful book interspersed with Rasmussen's, diaries and descriptions of his life in the north. The reader gets a sense of how the Inuit world is put together, its roots, some differences between various groups and the challenges it faces, at the edge of the internet age. The greatest changes, to a relatively remote First Nation in Canada I am familiar with, were brought about by television. A kind of passivity set in: no more making music and living by one's body became less central. When dogsled, hunting Greenlanders tell Ehrlich that they just want to give their children the experience of the hunt and that the children will decide in their turn whether they will live that way, I sense she is documenting the last of the dogsled hunts. In my First Nation, the elder who last used dogs is now too old, so four wheelers and snow mobiles are a way of life.

What I lose patience with in Ehrlich's writing is most manifest in her book, "Questions of Heaven." She goes to China in search of Buddhism during the early stages of "getting rich is good." I don't quite understand her purpose except relating the difficulties of travel, telling anecdotes about some Chinese and their experiences from "let a thousand flowers bloom" to the cultural revolution, and her frustrated search. She goes to decayed monasteries which are just beginning to be opened to tourists. She is overwhelmed by the density, filth, poverty, pollution, etc. of China. Had she done some homework, all this wouldn't be such a revelation. In the Tibetan areas, she mentions the existence of Tibetan speaking westerners but does not explore who they are and why they are there even though she says she practices Tibetan Buddhism. The most interesting part of the book are her descriptions of the old man who was tortured during the cultural revolution and survived to resurrect traditional forms of music with a rag tag bunch of people from his valley. She doesn't explain why where he lives is more prosperous and happy than other places she visits.

What I find difficult in many nature/travel writers she pours on in this book. Flowery language describing clouds, hills and landscape doesn't do much for me. I have spent much time out of doors. I could wax poetic about the blood red bark of an old manzanita in contrast to the peeling orange brown of a madrone, or the stages of a slime mold or a clown nudibranch grazing urchins. The silence of the redwoods, desiccated by summer dryness just before the coming rains, filled my yesterday's walk. No signs of animal life but a few dragonflies and a fleeting flock of bushtits. A few days earlier I had used "dead" to describe it to a walking companion, and she was a bit offended. A precontact California Indian would have known what I meant. Ehrlich evens makes mention of it during her recovery in California related in book four. But it takes more than poetic adjectives to convey a scene in nature. Reading lengthy passages of romantic descriptions of nature becomes tedious. I want to know why Ehrlich travels and writes, how the places she goes are assembled, the role landscape plays, their history, their challenges, the differences among their inhabitants, etc. If her book is the journey of an American Buddhist, there is very little critical relating to Buddhism except that either nobody she meets practices meditation, even chanting, or she doesn't inquire about it.

The other two books, "Solace of Open Space," and "A Match to the Heart," fall somewhere in between. The former is good in the beginning, particularly in the descriptions of sheep herding, but becomes spotty after her marriage and life ranching. Ehrlich has really lived in Wyoming. She earned her spurs. But it would be great to know more about the strong, silent herders and ranchers: who are they; what is their inner landscape like; what are the tensions and rewards of working as they do? How does machinery effect their lives? During my brief stint as a cowboy, besides pushing cows between gigantic pastures, and sorting out the non-pregnant ones, I spent days building fences and hours in a four wheel drive pickup bouncing off-road. The chapters on the rodeo and Sun Dance give us far too little information on what these institutions are really like and what makes them tick. Ehrlich is also a tease when it comes to her personal life. We learn of the tragic death of her boyfriend which leads to her to stay in Wyoming, but the stuff of her one affair and her marriage are only hinted at. She is a beautiful woman in cowboy country. There has got to be more to it.

In the last of the foursome, "A Match to the Heart," she is truck by lightening and relates her torturous recovery. It is a touching book. I have a lot of empathy with her struggle. Her descriptions of the deep humanity of her cardiologist are beautiful. But the book also leaves me a bit unsatisfied. The husband who doesn't seem to care, her trip to London, which seemed so inappropriate given her physical condition, the people with whom she connects but also seems distant from---I want to know more about her inner processes, her meditation practice. "A Match to the Heart" has aspects of a travel book, a chapter about being on a boat in the Alaska Panhandle without any sense of why she is there: a paying tourist; a guest of scientists or friends? When Ehrlich is on the way to recovery she lays out a map of the world pondering where next. It is hard to fathom, that she runs off from her Wyoming ranch to far distant travels and undertakes similar jaunts during her absences from Greenland. When she casually mentions these, the style of life implicit in so bouncing around the world seems inconsistent with the sense of place she is trying to convey. I am deeply attracted to what she has to say when she really inhabits the places in which she spends, as they say, quality time. I guess I want more of that from her.
Charlie Fisher author of Dismantling Discontent: Buddha's Way Through Darwin's World

I have to confess that part of my enthusiasm for this volume resides in the fact that Erlich's poetic leanings summon similar images from my rural surrounds, unlikely as the thought may be of Central Australia's arid bush from Wyoming high country. Her slim volume, polished from journal observations, realises her hopes to make authentic art with parallel qualities of earth:'weather would land on it harshly; light would elucidate the most difficult truths; winds would sweep away obtuse padding'. Her hold over this reader slackens after her marriage, as if the budding sexual tension gave to her writing, her observations, a newcomer's keeness of perception. Of course these don't suddenly disappear after consummation. Something in the rythym of the construction weakens; the warp and weft between perceptions of elements, the gossip, the events, the researched historical passages that inform the present. I haven't followed Erlich's career. Annie Proulx's,'Close Range', in the sense I'd prefer, has, assuming the deft observational writing with more expanded takes on her characters that the 'solace of open space' has ellicited. The Erlich book is a tonic for jaded urban spirits and confirmation that the elemntal life can regenerate a metaphoral attitude.

This little collection of prose is surprising. A reviewer who didn't care for this book mentioned that it didn't do much to develop or push its theme forward. I think that description is accurate, but misses the point: the book, like its subject matter (Wyoming, mostly, NOT Montana), defies being pushed in any direction. It has a way of imposing itself upon the reader. The vividness of phrase dominates the imagination, but the place it brings you to is an open space, where you're only supposed to linger, discovering and uncovering little surprises of detail as they arrive. It is a wonderful experience and highly recommended, though with a warning: you must be prepared to wander a bit and fall into a different rythm, with different rules, for at least a little while.

Outsiders (Easterners, city types) are generally disoriented by Wyoming upon first encountering it. 99% of them probably equate the place with the far side of the moon and hope they never have to return. Ehrlich is one of the remaining 1% who came to Wyoming from "outside" and fell in love with it enough to move there permanently (I put myself in the same category though I haven't moved there - yet). In this book, actually a series of short essays, she tries to capture the allure of the place for her readers. She writes about the land, of course, and the weather, but also about the people who "are strong on scruples but tenderhearted about quirky behavior." Much of her time is occupied with sheepherding, something she describes as "a slow, steady trot of keenness with no speed." Ranch life, living on land short of water, and winter, which "laminates the earth with white, then hardens the lacquer work with wind" - all come under her scrutiny. She describes a rodeo which she thinks must only make sense to a rancher. Like Wyoming itself, it's a tough though gentle book, unsentimental and honest. An excellent book.

I'm not a big fan of Scott Cunningham's writings.Yet,this was an interesting spellbook on house blessings.Many people will have a priest or pastor bless a house,to bane evil spirits away.This book is for those seeking a neo-pagan touch to this hearth tradition.There is some folklore information,but not much profound pagan history.I would still recommend this book.It has many good ritual ideas and makes a great house-warming present.Your rooms are your sacred spaces.Your living room,your bedroom,your kitchen and even your reading room ,all have a character of their own.One's personality is a strong force,during one's lifetime and after death.That's why we believe some buildings are haunted by spirits.The protective spells provide a buffer zone between our physical world to an outer spiritual level.And free any fettered soul onward ,toward a more peaceful destination. You can develop more elaborate and advanced rituals,using this fine book as a primer.

This is one of my favorite books in my library. I've given this as gifts many times, mostly to non-pagan but open minded friends. Everyone finds something that they they love about it. This isn't a 101, how-to, Wicca book. This book has ways to charm and improve every room and everyone in your home. It's a really fun, interesting, and inspiring read. I don't usually do spells and tell, but I will say that everything I've tried that this book has suggested has worked. Magical experience all around! I only wish there were more books out there like this one!!

This little gem may be filled with folklore, however, not all folklore is fiction! The information and methods presented in Cunningham's Magical Household maybe simple, and many generations old, however they are highly effective. Theres something in here for every practicioner. Great for a beginner, and a welcome addition to an experianced witches library. Included a simple ways to bless, protect, and enhance the magicality of the home. It includes chapters on pets, the bathroom, the kitchen, the garden, etc.

Filled with history, folklore and bits of information that are also useful today in modern times, it's easy to like this little gem. The 'chants' seem a bit stilted but I think it gives the book a bit of that old world charm. Overall it's a keeper and something I refer to from time to time (especially when moving house!) Not only for those who practice alternative religions.

If I were only allowed to have three magic books, they would be Scott Cunningham's The Magical Household Magical Household: Spells & Rituals for the Home (Llewellyn's Practical Magick Series), Gerina Dunwich's Exploring Spellcraft Exploring Spellcraft, and Patricia Telesco's 365 Goddess 365 Goddess: A Daily Guide to the Magic and Inspiration of the Goddess.

The Magical Household is my favorite Scott Cunningham book. The index is painstakingly created to give you insight into every type of spell you could probably ever cast. I was amazed at how many mini-spells, as well as more complicated ones, were in this book. There is a small section on the use of herbs, as well as another on animals and their relationship to magic (listed by animal). There are charms, spells, correspondence information, purifications, blessings for objects, and recipes for incense (among other things).

Where this book really excels is in the old folklore and traditions handed down through generations to bless our homes, our pets, our families, and ourselves. Hence the title, Magical Household. It is easy to place five shiny pennies under your doorstep to bring wealth and prosperity into your home and it is equally easy to take a bath in salt water to purify yourself of negative thoughts. Little things like this make life steeped in tradition that you can hand down to your children and they really work. More importantly, they can be done by pagans, Wiccans, Christians, or other denominations. Prayer and magic have been around for centuries. No religion has cornered the market on prayer or ritual.

I find that among the many magical authors, Scott is my favorite. Perhaps it is because my daughters and I are solitary practitioners as well, or because we have affinities for animals, herbs, and our home as he did. Whatever the reason, his books are full of wonderful tidbits and painstakingly simple ways to enrich our lives.

There are mini-spells throughout and most do not involve exotic ingredients that would take years to find or complicated arrangements of your altar and items. If you are a huge Buckland fan, you would probably not appreciate the spells in this book, which are not grandiose and ceremonial. If you love Dorothy Morrison and Patricia Telesco, then you will love this book as well.

This book is truly a rare find. Get one while they're in print.

A superb look a the Greene Brother's masterpiece ultimate bungalows. It includes some of the best Greene and Greene photography I've ever seen, and has a very good look at the details of the architecture, and the internals of the Greene and Greene houses. This book focuses more on the houses themselves, and the fixed appointments therein, rather than the furniture itself. Influences on the Greenes are coupled with a well laid out timeline give you a real view into the evolution of their style.

Excellent! The best book on this subject I've ever seen...

Superb photoraphic illustration depicts the design genius of the Greene brothers. A comprehensive study of leading architects of the Arts & Crafts movement...a high compliment to the monumental craftsmanship of those who executed their designs.

The book is beautiful, filled with both architectural ideas and furnishing ideas for items done in the craftsman style. I purchased the book for these ideas and was delighted with all the pictures. Some of the stonework illustrated is breathtaking in its beauty.

We were very disappointed at the quality of printing, inferior paper stock, and lack of clarity in the photographs. At the "coffee table" price we were expecting much higher resolution in the color photographs and better quality paper.

I didn't think anyone else would mention this so thought it could be helpful to SOME people but there is some mild bad language in this book.

I can understand why people love this kind of book, just everyday life centered around a clergy and his staff. I did find some nice Christian thoughts etc BUT a warning for those of you christians that really like a 100% clean language book. This isn't it sadly. I am not saying its really bad but I stopped reading it as there were too many "oh my G**" and not done in a 'prayer like way!' There were other few mild language. The first one I could see as a non christian character and the pastor putting up with it but then there were more that didn't fall into this category.

I realise that this warning may not be applicable to a lot of people but for those including myself that like a 100% clean language book then I am just letting you know, that there is that small anount in there.

The first of the Mitford series, this book takes you to a town where we all wished we lived, where there are friends wherever you look and characters aplenty! Jan Karon writes the way these North Carolina people talk, and the reader can actually "hear" them chattering away. Once you go to Mitford, you can't wait to go back, can't wait for the next book, and the next and the next! There are pages that will make you smile, laugh out loud, make you cry, too, and send you down your own memory lane because many of the people in this book are like people that you know. So, start reading about Father Tim, his nosey secretary, and his huge dog Barnabas who responds to commands so much better when they're accompanied with a Bible verse--and it doesn't matter what verse, any will do. And that's just the beginning of the list of citizens of Mitford who await you!

It's an endearing series about christian faith and small town living. I have read the entire series. The characters become more and more lovable as you go along.

I am currently working on finishing the rest of these series, but I must say this one is a total and complete charmer! Being a fan of the whole small-town vibe I was very much taken in by the pure sweetness and hilarity of this book. Jan Karon is rather sentimental in her writing, but if the reader is all right with that then this book will be sure to please. Its lead character is a priest of a quirkly little town that does not even have a Wal-Mart. His life is changed when his a new neighbor enters the town--not to mention the quirky lives of a dozen loveable characters. It's smartly written and a pleasure to read.

I'm giving this one five stars even though I did not personally care for it. Why? Because the author has rendered a magnificently-written, coherent story (albeit, a pretty unreal one) which achieves a high enough level of literary excellence that I'm compelled to call it "American Christian Literature". I believe that the writing is equivalent in quality to that of some past great American authors, say James Thurber, Lloyd C. Douglas, etc.

Some people are simply tired of reading filth and trash (not me -- I LIKE filth and trash in terms of seedy characters, furtive activities and lewd language, except I'm not a fan of pornographic writing nor do I like stories where anything bad happens to kids). If you are a person who's had enough of smutty dynamics and you'd like, for a change, to read a story of fiction that is targeted for adults and yet does not contain foul language or deviant characters, then "At Home in Mitford" might just be for you.

Of the various dillemmas which arise for "Father Tim," I can definitely state that I'd personally solve them all in 30 seconds without a second thought, although not in the thoughtful, concerned, sensitive way that he does *.* These are NOT monumental problems that we're talking about here... they are (from the reader's view) humorous little enigmas for the most part, but clearly important to the lives of the potentially affected characters in the book. The level of melodrama in this book definitely did not make my heart pound but that's what comes of my having worked in law enforcement for over 25 years -- I've seen it all and have pretty much gotten numb to the worst of it.

So, this is a nice, charming, warm, little story which I think many life-long Christians will find some relief in. The moral lessons do not really interfere with the story and, in fact, provide more of a "covert undertone". And the good news is that this one is but the first entry of a series. Some might compare this author's literary posture with that of C.S. Lewis -- I think that Karon's work here is far superior to anything that Lewis ever published -- that's just my opinion and perhaps Lewis fans would not agree.

In summary, for me, this book was as boring as a box of Quaker Oats. BUT, my tastes in fiction are hardly in line with those of regular, normal people (I loved "Fight Club"!) and I must, to be fair, award credit where I feel it is due. This work is nicely presented and I would highly recommend it for appropriate readers... those Christians (or other spiritually-oriented people) whom are seeking some really light escapism.

I scored a 5 on the AP U.S. History exam using this book. Both the reviews and practice tests were very helpful. I especially enjoyed the reviews, and used them extensively to study for tests in my AP history class.

I bought the REA AP US History book to prepare over the summer for the course in fall. The history review is very detailed and seems to contain all the info I'll need! I'm very happy with the condition of the book- it was the second cheapest on the list of Used Items- by BrokenBindings- and it arrived in perfect condition. The only thing I'm dissappointed at is the delivery. Amazon cited only 2 days for delivery, and it took 9.

this review book is the best out there. i bought it second hand so i didn't get the CD with it, but the book covers everything. i use the textbook "america's history" by henretta, 7edition, and although very thorough, this book puts it in a consciese (sp?) form but includes everything ... good for cramming.

I prepared for the APUSH exam last May just by reading this book for TWO WEEKS (and I read an older version of this guide). I only stopped at the 1970s and still received a 4 on this exam. I highly recommend this; you will be satisfied. If I read this study guide twice and more thoroughly then I would have received a 5.

Buy this book, study it THOROUGHLY, and feel very prepared on the day of the exam.

This is with no doubt the best review guide that you can buy for AP US History, if you use it to its full potential, no questions asked.

The review material is around 200 pages long, and all the important facts and information that you could need for those possible topics on the exam can be found there. Since there is such a large amount of review material though, I would recommend purchasing this book early in the year and highlighting important things in each section, so when you study for the AP test a month or so before the actual AP test you won't have to freak out about what parts you'll need to read out of the entire 200 pages of review (or just skipping it altogether.

Besides the excellent review this book provides, the best feature of this book in my opinion would be the six review tests it provides, along with about 6 sample essays for each of the tests. I did not do any of the essays myself; beginning in early April I simply went through ones I thought might be important topics on the exam, read them, highlighted them, and then studied them. As for the 6 multiple choice parts of the exam, I completed about 3 of these, and highlighted ones I got wrong. I would recommend doing one practice test a week before the exam (since I started them in april I only completed three) and reviewing only the ones that you get wrong.

By doing everything I mentioned above with this book, I got a 5 on the exam (2006). The two FRQ (Free Response Questions)'s I had to write for the actual AP exam were practically the same as two of the essays I had read in this book, so it really was an invaluable tool.

All this being said, if you buy this book at least a few months before the AP test it will really help you on it; if you buy it only a short time before the test you should probably just skip the review and try a few practice tests, look at the ones you got wrong, and study that time period (and of course read some of the essays).