5 comments about Home Buying For Dummies, 3rd edition.

1. This book goes without saying that it covers all the basics and provides additional information through web links. This is my 4th Dummy book and will continue to use it as a reference for many years to come! Easy read, funny at times without being to cheesy. Kudos to the authors again for another quality book!
   
   Read this book in any fashion you like and mark points down to inquire with Realtors, loan officer, appraisers and inspectors... You'll make some mad for being informed and catch others trying to lie or sugar coat it to you!



2. it is a must read if you are a first time home buyer. I knew what to ask, what to expect. I am not money savvy, but the morgage section is simple enough that I feel that helped me getting the best deal possible.



3. If you've never bought a home before, buy this book. It gives you a good overview of many areas of the homebuying process. If the thought of purchasing your first home is a bit daunting, educate yourself. This doesn't give you every single detail that you need to know, but it will help you ask informed questions and lead you on your way.



4. I recently ordered several mortgage books as learning and reference tools as I embark on my new career as a loan officer. I have not read any of the books from cover to cover, but they are serving me well for the purpose intended. The book arrived in a timely manner and in the condition described.



5. Full of interesting things about home buying. I wish that in some parts it would have gone more in depth. But in the end I felt like I learned a lot from this book.

5 comments about Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance.

1. This book is filled with a great breadth of knowledge. It helps you know what you don't know about self-sufficient living and even gives you enough infomation in some areas that you could go forward without too much additional research. If you're considering buying a little land and using it to live from, I'd recommend this book.



2. So cool. Where else can you get a book that will tell you how to build a pond and raise livestock, wire an outbuilding, and cut wood? This book has a little bit of everything in it and I'm glad to have it as a resource when I move out to the country in a couple of weeks. It's not exhaustive, and there are probably things in it that I'll want to know more about, but the diagrams are very clear, the discussions neither patronizing nor over my head, and most of all it has a cheerful, you can do it feel that makes me excited about my future challenges.
   This would also be a good (if big) book to share with someone who used to live in the country and run a farm, just for their interest and amusement. My dad, never a farmer, would have loved this book for the bits of interesting things in it to read and think about.
   Don't know if I'll be self-reliant after using this book, but I think I'llb e keeping it out on the coffee table for quite a few months.



3. Who would have thought you could cram so much information into one book. This has been a wonderful tool for my husband and I who are in the process of establishing our little retirement ranch. Excellent resource for anyone moving from the burbs to the country.



4. The book was definitely basic and it covered lots of information that would be useful on a farm. However, it was not helpful in how to develop the farm system, it was very piece meal and stand alone information, it also deferred its solutions too much to the chemical industry.



5. This book covers a huge range of country skills, including a companion planting guide. I wouldn't be without mine!

5 comments about The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process Self-reliance Series).

1. I was so excited to receive this book-- as someone who has had some experience farming and who hopes to continue in the future BUT who will be living in a city for the foreseeable future, I couldn't wait to get my hands on my guide to sustainable homesteading in the city.
   
   While this book is full of great concepts, it fails to deliver on the instruction side of things. This is not a Guide Book as the cover proclaims-- it is an Ideas book. The authors suggest planting fruit trees in your yard, and to save space, prune them into "an espalier". How do you do that? The authors kindly refer you to another book.
   
   I understand that covering all the skills involved in Urban Homesteading in-depth would require a tome many times the length of this paperback. But an Urban Wild Edibles section with no pictures? Seriously?
   
   This is a great tool for people who haven't gardened before and who have the motivation to seek out the actual technique elsewhere. But this is nowhere close to a guidebook, and most of the sections were wildly uninspiring, under-explained, and uninformative. If you had the foresight to seek out this book, you can probably figure out on your own that you can bake bread even in the city (!), red lettuce and green lettuce look pretty together in your garden, and composting may help reduce some of your soil woes.
   
   To be fair, the cooking section and home cleaning supplies section, while not very enlightening in terms of ideas, has a slightly more complete informative style. But really, this is a basic, basic book, and while some of the book caters to those of us in tiny apartments with no yard space, the majority deals with ideas best tackled with large kitchens, some sort of yard/roof, and owners (or at least tenants of some very permissive landlords) of their own place. There was nothing particularly urban about most of these instructions, and this book doesn't even go near anything I would call homesteading.
   
   In the end? If you won't do any growing of your own food if you don't buy this book then BUY IT. But, if you're like me and you are hoping for something to really make your apartment more sustainable, you may be better off reading Gaia's Garden and making the necessary adjustments yourself.



2. Like the first reviewer, I too have been long looking forward to this title's release. Unlike the first reviewer I am not at all disappointed with "The Urban Homestead." It's a well-written and engaging resource and I don't find fault in it as a book of ideas and initiatives rather than as all-encompassing encyclopedic volume. In fact I like that I don't have to be entirely dependent on something trying to show me how to be independently sufficient.
   
   The authors are obviously well-informed and hands-on involved and thanks to them I'm already planning my first project involving gray-water capture, storage and re-use.



3. I've been reading the authors' blog, HomegrownEvolution.com for more than a year, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect from this book, and I was not in the least disappointed. I think perhaps even more than all of the practical advice and specific directions in The Urban Homestead, Coyne and Knutzen's perspective and approach are what I value most. There's an overriding attitude--almost philosophy, really--that the authors convey so well. It's positive yet somehow never sappy. They recommend doing what you can and doing what you like.
   
   They also warn: "Work makes work" in the gardening section, and to me that perspective is more valuable than knowing how frequently to water my sweet peppers once they've flowered. (Which brings up another thing I've enjoyed so much about reading this book and the H.E. blog: The blog pointed me to Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening for more specific and advanced gardening advice.)
   
   The Urban Homestead is laid out in a way that makes it easy to pick up and read a little bit here and there. And I've been picking up my copy every chance I get, rereading sections, too, both for knowledge and enjoyment. It's really oriented toward people with a new or recent interest in living more like their great-grandparents did, more engaged in the world around them, even if that world is a major metropolis. It's less about preparing for disaster than thwarting it.
   
   If you want to ditch your TV, buy less crap at the supermarket, learn how to use a bicycle to transport your self and your stuff, conserve, reuse, bake, make and otherwise reject so many things that until recently our society believed were progress, this book will get you going on the right path.



4. For those of us city-dwellers contemplating the fundamental lifestyle adjustments demanded by the looming global socio-economic reorganization, this book provides a detailed, lucid, step-by-step, blueprint that takes what seems to be an overwhelming task of historical reversal and transforms it into an open-ended series of tangible, human-scaled projects. The writing and design make it easy to browse, read straight through, or use for reference, and it brims with an infectious curiosity and enthusiasm for the exploration and reclamation of our culture and species' relationship to the land. The longest journey begins with a single compost heap.



5. My wife and I were delighted to get our hands on The Urban Homestead. We have been following the Urban Homestead journey via the authors' blog and we have enjoyed the projects, the experiments, the successes and the failures. Most of all, we have enjoyed a shift in our consciousness as we began to evaluate our relationship to our home, our community and our environment.
   
   And so, with book in hand, we can now leave the computer, go for a walk, sit and read and contemplate the future and the route we'd like to take in getting there.
   
   This book is a great value, even if you never set out to garden or raise chickens. The conservation and home ec projects alone have given us great pleasure.
   
   The authors challenge the reader to live less as a consumer and more as a producer. The Urban Homestead is an effective and inspirational guide to making that journey a successful reality.

3 comments about Solar Power Your Home For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)).

1. As an electronic engineer, I originally looked at home solar energy as a chance to buy some cool gear to play with, while saving money in the bargain. As I delved into the book, my outlook changed. I was surprised to find how complex a home's energy use situation can be, and that some money can be saved before connecting a single wire. Even as I later relished the chapters covering solar electricity generation, I still noted the frequent reminders and references to non-electrical aspects of a "solar" home, as well as practical financial and regulatory realities to consider in choosing a system. In short, I came away from my first reading with a much more balanced perspective on solar energy, and I'll continue to re-read as a reference. Of course, I'm still hankerin' after that gear, yet, at least, now I have a better picture of what's really useful. Plus, I'm off to a good start in being knowledgable enough to deal effectively with those installation contractors. Well done!



2. My husband and I have become increasingly consciencious about saving our natural resources. It has been our goal to add solar panels to our house but most of the books out there were not written for the average person. This book answered all our questions in a language we could easily understand. We learned how to make solar power an investment throughout our entire house! How cool is that?
   
   The awesome thing about this book is it goes way beyond explaining the money we can save but includes vital tips on what not to do. I love when a book keeps me from making mistakes. I could go on and on about this book because I'm thrilled I finally have a great reference tool. I am eagerly anticipating creating a home that will actually not take so many of our precious resources from the earth.



3. This is a good introduction to how the energy from the sun can be put to practical everyday use. If you don't like to read a lot of technical stuff, this book is for you. Quick, easy reading the non-technical average person. with references for more information. This book has practical projects for the person who already has some knowledge of solar energy as well. If you're looking for a really detailed technical book of how to design and install your own solar collector (electrical or water), better get a different book. My 5-star rating is for those who are beginners or those that have a little knowledge of solar energy.

5 comments about Parenting From the Inside Out.

1. 
   Parenting From the Inside Out, is an excellent resource!
   This book was highly recommended to me, by a psychologist and family therapist. It reveals how we as parents can gain insight, into how our own childhood and past significant family relationships have an enormous impact on how we will relate to and share experiences with our children. It gives wonderful instructions for parents, on how to be emotionally "present" with our children.It also is very informational about brain/mind development.



2. Parenting from the Inside Out is an easy-to-read book on the neurobiology of parenting. It builds upon the attachment theory of child development and contains useful exercises that are aimed at helping readers identify and work with psychological issues related to parenting.
   
   The core theme of this book is that when parents cultivate a strong, healthy relationship with their children, it promotes development in areas of the brain enabling emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal skills. Experiences and memory shape emerging neural connections; essentially parents sculpt the minds of their children.
   
   Unresolved issues from childhood may reduce the quality of the parent child relationship. Through deepening self-awareness and processing past issues in order to give meaning to them, parents can change ingrained patterns and help their children thrive. Parents can grow together with their children, enjoying them for who they are. Children in turn can become grounded in reality and more self-assured. Specific psychological concepts are introduced and clearly explained.
   
   Siegel's openness in regard to his experience as a parent is courageous and serves to normalize the inevitable fact that parents are imperfect. Parental ambivalence is approached with sensitivity and guidance is provided regarding how to identify and heal negative patterns.
   
   I highly recommend this book for parents who wish to deepen their relationships with their children and enhance the quality of their lives together. This book is also very useful for anyone working with children.



3. This book helped me gain enormous insight into myself and also create a compassionate space in which to parent. It is not an easy read, but it is important and well worth the effort. I've read some beautiful parenting books, but what many of them lack is what this book presents so beautifully. Until you can understand yourself better, all of the good intentions in the world will just crash down, leaving you feeling like a failure. I am so grateful that this book found me.



4. Really good info for parents concerned with giving their kids the best of their parenting abilities. Kind of a technical read in some spots. Very interesting.



5. If you want to avoid making the same mistakes your parents made, if you know there is a better way of parenting than the one you have been exposed to, if you want to be a better parent. or if you want to parent with compassion and understanding.

5 comments about The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living.

1. This book is worthless, It's best use would be to use the pages to start the fire in your wood stove. The writer wastes more then half the book to expound his religion. The information that is provided is out dated and just a reprint of manufacturers information. Don't waste your money or your time.



2. William Kemp does an excellent job of explaining and organizing your options for renewable energy sources. Even for the beginner, this is an easy to read and understand, and can be used as a reference guide. I bought this book to understand my options for my new build.



3. I would have given this book a four-star rating if not for the preaching that permeated each chapter. I didn't buy this book to learn how to save the planet from evil, wasteful humans. Having written that, the author does a good job explaining varied methods to exist without relying on the commercial power grid. Descriptions on different methods/technologies to accommodate the want to be self-sufficient when it comes to electrical power are comprehensive.



4. Lots of useful info. Gives you a new way to look at the world.



5. Helpful and informative. Easy to understand diagrams and explanations in plain English (i.e. you don't have to be ultra-tech-savvy to understand it).

5 comments about Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan.

1. Urawaza contains dozens of cool tricks, everyday inspirations and ways to impress your friends and family by cleverly doing things better.
   
   I have tried several of the tips. My faves are using a piece of bread to pick up glass (pg. 70)--works like a charm! This weekend I made potato salad and used the super-cool egg-peeling technique (p. 96) and impressed my BBQ guests!
   
   Urawaza is a fun guide that appeals to that part within us all that likes to simultaneously be clever & practical. The book also couples simple scientific explanations that help us understand more about our environment through. It will be a hit with Japanese culture fans, DIY enthusiasts, those who appreciate Everyman wisdom and especially young folks who enjoy exploring our world in new ways.



2. These tips allowed me to carry heavier things, improve my karaoke skills, eliminate excess beer foam, overclock my car battery and cure my hiccups. The tips and the instructions on how they work are so fascinating that they lodge in the mind easily--I may not need to know how to remove gum from someone's hair for five or ten years...but if I ever need to do it, I'll remember the Urawaza method.



3. Love learning the super creative ways to be more efficient in every day living. I think this would also would make a cool & unique gift too.



4. "Urawaza" is a word with a long history in Japan. In martial arts, it means "from the back", an unexpected or tricky move that only experts might know. In the computer gaming world it means programmers' back-doors that let players gain points, levels and advantage by doing something unexpected.
   
   In society in general it represents frugal and clever household techniques. There's been a show on Japanese television for nine years where ordinary people share their tricks with other people. UTube is a great source of videos often taken from this show. The sound is often in Japanese, but the tricks work without sound. I've learned to perfectly fold a tee shirt in a few seconds, for example. An even more amazing video shows how to make babies stop crying by breathing on them after drinking a bit of red or white wine.
   
   This book is an excellent introduction to the genre. The ideas work -- I tried the shallot trick for a stuffy nose and I was cleared up in a few seconds -- and the illustrations are excellent and amusing. Each of these Urawazas comes with a technical explanation of why they may work. The philosophical approach is a commentary on the loss of ingenuity in an era of specialized products, many of which don't work very well.
   
   If you enjoy reading the cooking shortcuts in cooking magazines or the shop hints in "Popular Mechanics", you'll find this a real adventure in human ingenuity.
   
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008



5. This book is like a fun version of Hints from Heloise...little tricks that you're surprised work, that make your every day life a little smoother. I like skimming the book, and I've gotten some good ideas from it already. Another nice thing is the explanation of why each tip works...I picked up some lite science while reading. That said, the book is a little layout heavy, with only one tip per page. If it was more packed, I think I would've given it 5 stars. Even so, it's a fun book to have around when you just wanna thumb through.

5 comments about It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff.

1. I love Peter Walsh! This book is so great! It is really well written. Peter writes as if he is speaking directly to you as a personal friend. The book has great practical ideas for dealing with too much stuff! The stories in it are very inspiring!



2. I found a lot of good suggestions for tackling...stuff! Not so much 'clutter,' but just stuff--and how to cut back on it and rearrange it in a way that is more efficient. I'm taking a lot of it to heart and gradually going through one drawer, one shelf, one closet at a time. And it feels good!



3. Everyone should read this book! Very helpful for all areas of you life. I recommend this book almost daily.



4. I have bought alot of organizing books to only have them sit on the shelf and become part of the clutter. I got the audio of this book to avoid that and it has so motiviated me to get rid of things I don't use or should of gotten rid of years ago. Peter Walsh does it with humor and compassion but the bottom line is... you are not living if you are managing your clutter. If you can't have friends over until you clean your house you will never do that ever...YOU are a slave to your clutter is that really what you want to be?



5. This is the best book I have ever read. My husband is a hoarder, so we read it together. This book will help you systimatically go through your home and eliminate everything that you no longer use or need. I feel so free now, and my home is more peaceful and relaxing. It's a great life when you free yourself of the junk that keeps you from enjoying it.

5 comments about Bunny Williams' Point of View: Three Decades of Decorating Elegant and Comfortable Houses.

1. Bunny Williams is not only a fabulous decorator and accomplished author, she is a warm and charming hostess. She made me right at home with her new book "Point of View". Filled with beautiful pictures it is true, but practical and applicable information can be gleaned in every chapter. She generously shares her experiences and knowledge with the reader, which are extensive to say the least. I will return for a visit often with "Point of View"



2. This was a birthday treat for me and what a treat it is - a visual feast with great words and pictures...just a joy to own! Have read it from cover to cover but I just know it will become an "old friend" - dipped into forever! It is beautifully laid out and the personality and philosophy of Bunny shines on every page. Lovers of antiques, art and gracious warm interiors will adore each and every page.



3. This book is wonderful!
   Bunny Williams is someone who will be studied as an iconic designer of her era.
   No one who is interested in interior design should be without this.



4. I love this book; it is really wonderful eye candy........I haven't read it from "cover to cover" as yet but I am afraid my daughter is going to abscond with it before I get my turn! Many of the accessories/furniture/fabrics are out of my reach, financially, but it's fun to look and dream.
   
   Jones



5. I purchased this book along with another new release at the time, Your Home A Living Canvas: Create Stunning Faux Finishes & Murals with Paint by Curtis Heuser - and almost over dosed on all the inspiring and creative content I found in both books! Though the historic interiors depicted in Heuser's book were a lot more attainable and easier for me to relate to - Bunny's stylish way of assembling a room leaves much to be learned from. Though I don't claim to be anywhere near as talented as this duo, there is amazing unique and enriching faux and mural how-to's intermixed with great decorating perspectives in Heuser's book, while William's eye for detail and balance is unsurpassed. Rarely do I attain such pleasure and excitement from books - but the beautiful photography and easy read in both are remarkably interesting, and I have referred back to both again and again for continual inspiration. Treat yourself to both of these enchanting titles ...just don't get too high from the intoxicating and envious creative talent these wonderful authors/artists bring to life and so generously share with the lucky readers!

5 comments about Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life.

1. This is the best book i have bought in a long time.. Very insightful and life changing.



2. I wanted to like this book, I really did. I found it to be very cute, but a bit of a puff piece.
   
   There's alot of tid bits of information, but nothing substantial. Some information is conflicting - on one page Sophie says she avoids microwaves and doesn't want it altering the molecules in her food. Yet, on another page, she writes that the microwave is the most eco-friendly way to cook, as it uses the least amount of energy.
   
   And yoga sun salutations and exercise instructions don't belong in a green guide. They just don't!
   
   I also purchased Easy Green Living by Renee Loux and found it to be much more substantial and informative - like a mini encyclopedia on what you need to do to live green.



3. The other day, I went to Target, going to my usual Target Aisles: bedding, cosmetics, skin care, and books. I bought a makeup bag to corral my lipgloss, blotting papers and brush in my work totebag and Gorgeously Green.
   
   I almost didn't buy it because I saw it in one of those health food store advertorial magazines and I generally think those are full of nonsense.
   
   Let me tell you: half the book is highlighted with Things I Must Remember. I'm sure it will take me a while to incorporate them all - or even half of them - in to my daily life but I will. There were also a lot of websites where you can buy things and we all know how much I love an internet shopping "trip."
   
   The thing about Uliano is that she isn't preachy and she isn't "all or nothing." For example, while I agree that using plastic or glass dishes is better than Styrofoam, I am not taking my Tupperware to D & W and asking them to put my sandwich in that. Maybe someday I will but not now. I'm also not going to stop flying to cool places for vacations and I'm not quite ready to give up my plan to go on a cruise with my sister. Uliano understands that we aren't all going to Go Granola. Of course, now I also have a new vacation destination, entirely thanks to Uliano: an Eco-Spa!
   
   There were other things that thrilled me that I had no idea existed. For example, Woman's Wonder Bar, which are chocolate candy bars that are supposed to help with PMS and menopause. I am so going to that website and buying some. Eco-friendly poop bags since I must clean up the presents Peggy Sue leaves for the world. There are free ringtones you can download that sound like nature: the mating call of a whale, an owl hooting, various birds. All kinds of things. There is a nonprofit who will take your partially used antibiotics, antifungals, etc and distribute them to developing countries. That's pretty cool.
   
   There are 8 chapters, each covering a different area of life. The chapters are:
   1. Becoming Aware (just what it says.)
   2. Green Goddess (all about beauty.)
   3. Your Green Temple (all about a healthy body. Yoga and weight training routines are included)
   4. Soulful Shopping (self-explanatory, I think!)
   5. Your Palace (about your home and garden.)
   6. Every Last Bite (not surprisingly, all about food.)
   7. Out and About Having Fun (transportation, entertainment and travel.)
   8. Go Supergreen (activism and maintenance.)
   
   I bet you'll find some ways that you can live a more eco-friendly life without driving yourself nuts or becoming one of the Granola Brigade. (Though there *is* a recipe for granola that looks yummy!) You'll likely find some things you never considered and each small change adds up to a big difference.



4. Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life
   
   Excellent book - I bought several copies so I can give away as gifts. It is very informative and has great resources and tips on various aspects of going green - beauty, exercise, nutrition, gardening, etc. Each topic also comes with a list of resources.



5. Maybe going green doesn't mean avoiding unnecessary animal testing especially for beauty and cleaning products, but it is important to me to at least do the best we can for other species. I couldn't find any mention of this cruel and largely unnecessary (with today's technology) practice. In fact, she seems to advocate testing, although she doesn't say what kind. I agree that safety is important, but many ingredients are time-tested or have been tested in the past and no longer need to be tested. We can support companies that make an effort to use only those ingredients instead of supporting unnecessary suffering. Wet n' Wild, Bonne Bell, Physicians Formula, and Prestige cosmetics are examples of inexpensive cosmetics that do not use animal testing. This info from caringconsumer.com.
   
   I do like her discussion of the real "cost" of buying or not buying organic groceries. But I feel some of her recommendations are unrealistic for most of us; she promotes a cosmetic line lavera that makes a sunless tanning product that costs $27.50 for 5 oz.