5 comments about Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen.

1. GREAT BOOK ON KITCHEN INFORMATION. WHAT YOU NEED IN YOUR KITCHEN ETC. I LIKED READING IT. WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT WHEN I FIRST GOT MARRIED TO HAVE A BOOK LIKE THIS. TELLS YOU WHAT IS NEEDED TO START YOUR KITCHEN. HELPFUL INFO.



2. This is a must have for any Alton Brown fan!! The book is full of great information on kitchen must haves and items to pass up. Highly recommended!



3. Outstanding book. A must for cooking enthusiasts. Beware of spending a lot of money on buying stuff though.



4. Being a fan of Mr. Brown's "Good Eats" I was kind of hoping this book would read more like a story.
   It will be kept in the kitchen as a reference for any future purchases but it is not the type of book you read from cover to cover.



5. I got this for the Hubby and he loves it. It has a lot of info on items to make things easier. I'm all for Alton Brown and getting the Hubby in the kitchen.

5 comments about Raising Resilient Children : Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child.

1. Oy! If I have to read one more 'great save' case by these authors/psychologists, I will pull out my hair. This book was one case study after another outlining in great detail what their patients said and did and how wonderfully the authors managed to break through in each case, solving all problems for the troubled family, leaving them all happy and saved as the doctors ride gloriously into the sunset. Ugh! I wanted more substance, more "this is what you need to do". There was plenty of good advice in this book, but usually it came in the first sentence or at the end of a case study. By the end of the book, I was skipping all the case studies and just searching around for the moral of the story and looking for their not bad advice. I think if the authors had simply printed out their observations and suggestions in outline form, the book would be much more helpful and most importantly, shorter.



2. I must say I'm tempted to give away every single other parenting book I own. This book is the first book to ever "speak" to me. I've spent some time trying to figure out why this book touched me so much. It hit me - resilience is the BIG picture - I CAN operate and understand the big picture and then apply it to my life as a parent. I've spent most of my life as a parent searching for solutions to the little picture problems which change daily and spontaneously. I was never ready.
   
   Reading Dr. Brooks' philosophy made me want more than ever to adequately prepare my children for the joys and upsets of life and in two short weeks I'm beginning to feel prepared to do so. In the moments of chaos I feel more connected to the long term and my parenting has changed. Funny how my heart seems to have grown for our two adorable kids as well.



3. I would recommend this book to any mother but especially mother's of young children who feel their kids or their lives with their kids aren't what they imagined they would be. This book helps you love the child you've got without any "but if you'd onlys." This book shows you the possibility of unconditional love and appreciation for your child that can be mixed with guidance and strengthening support.



4. I was really disappointed with this book. In general it's about building up children's self-esteem, but doesn't focus on helping children develop resilience with daily disappointments or problems (bullies, not making a soccer goal, etc.) Self esteem is very different from resilience. Instead, I'd recommend two books: Blessings of the Skinned Knee and Mindset. Blessings is based on practical/current applications from the Torah; I am not Jewish and still found this book to be very helpful/wonderful. The books don't have chapters on "resilience", but the overall info from both has been very helpful in that area.



5. The really refreshing piece of information in ths book is that our kids won't change unless we do. They are our mirrors. So really it's about how to change your parenting style. If what you're doing now is not getting a positive response you need to change what you're doing. As this book points out, this is the strategy we use in all other areas of our lives we should also use it in our parenting. This book shows you how. "Raising Resilient Children" could be called "Becoming an Awesome Parent".

5 comments about The Only Wiccan Spell Book You'll Ever Need: For Love, Happiness, and Prosperity.

1. This book is very useful, and definitely helpful for those who are new to Wicca, and those who have practiced it for years.



2. I bought this book for my daughter who chosen the wiccan path. She really enjoys it almost as much as I do being a green witch. She said it is great for those who are new to the craft as well as to those who have been practicing it their entire life. I often see her reading this book when I go to visit her, infact she has opened it so much that the cover is wore out!



3. Just when you think every possible book on Wicca had been published already.Along comes this fine book on Wiccan spells and interpretation.This spellcraft book is ideal for camping sabbaticals and day-hikes in the wilderness.It's not weighty enough for a serious ponderous look.Yet,it can not be dismissed as a feather-weight either.You can't even use it as a 'Pagan Breviary' really.You can use it as quick resource for your heathen inspirations and ideas for Wiccan devotional ritals.Do yourself a favor,and read a copy of this excellent wicca-craft book.Bright Blessings & Blest Be!



4. It seems to me that magic is just another form of positive affirmations/prayers/spiritual practice. I enjoyed reading this and still refer to it every now and then.



5. It's great wiccan manual for spells, solitAary wicca as well as you can
   find many useful tips and explanations for starting with wiccan rituals.

2 comments about Print Reading for Construction: Residential and Commercial : Write-In Text With 116 Large Prints.

1. I have been teaching print reading for over 4 years, & this is my required text. Print Reading for Construction is written in a very plain English style and works very well in diverse classroom settings. In addition, this text provides a great deal of sample building plans for sharpening your skills.



2. This book shows all aspects of print reading. It can help take away the brain freeze many people get when they look at a set of prints for the first time. However, there is no better practice than to consistently read prints in the field, since many prints still are not written in the same formats and structure.

2 comments about Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A do-it-Ourselves Guide.

1. Wow! I just got this amazing new book written by members of Austin's Rhizome Collective. It's full of highly practical, affordable, and simple designs that can be used by anyone to achieve sustainability in their home, neighborhood or community. There are a number of books on sustainable living, but this one stands apart from the rest - the systems described in it are innovative and unique, many of which I've never come across in any other book. The author's approach to sustainability and permaculture is especially important as they emphasize the interconnectedness between sustainability and social justice, a perspective that is sorely lacking in the movement. Many books sell sustainability as a product, and lead us to believe that our problems can be bought away. Not this one, it cuts away at all that greenwashing propaganda and promotes a genuine, radical sustainability that is accessible to the majority of the people in the world. The introductions to each section are very interesting, giving a general overview of each of its five main sections: Food, Water, Waste, Energy, and Bioremediation (a topic I've never seen covered in anything other than dense,academic texts). The writing is highly informed and intelligent, yet down to earth and accessible.
   One of the most standout features of the book is its incredible artwork - done masterfully by Juan Martinez of the Beehive Collective - the book's many vivid illustrations and helpful diagrams make it a joy to read and look through. Highly recommended!



2. When searching for books on sustainability its easy to find books heavy on opinion while practical application books are few and far between. This is one of the latter, a very accessible project oriented guide to making changes in the way we act. This book is filled with small scale systems that provides a great starting point for people who want to make actual change in their lives and not just read environmental theory, as great as that may be. The real gem in this book is the well organized bibliography, as many of the projects I would feel more comfortable completing with more detailed background knowledge of the processes going on, which is of course beyond the scope of this publication. Not to downplay the information contained in the book itself, which is awesome.
   The key to making change is to make small changes, baby steps, slowly building your new lifestyle. I started with the vermicompostig, which is pretty tame, and moved on from there. Good Luck!

5 comments about Baby Sign Language Basics (Hay House Lifestyles).

1. This is a great started book. I wanted more signs so I researched dictionaries and one of the best ones was Teach Your Tot to Sign. It really doesn't do a lot of teaching but it has tons of signs that I can use with my son. Buy this one to start and then the other to continue.



2. Wonderful pocket size beginner book. It has helped my tremendously with my granddaughter. We've been using this for months. She is now 16-months-old and uses sign language everyday to tell me what she needs. I love being about to take this along with me in her diaper bag.



3. This book is wonderful. It provides great reference for understanding the basics of sign language for babies.



4. My son and daughter-in-law are very excited to begin teaching sign language to their first child.
   Our purchase arrived in a timely manner and it was just as we expected from the information given in the ad.



5. This is a very tiny book. But full of very practical information. I've heard so many good things about it from others too.

5 comments about The New Contented Little Baby Book.

1. A friend swore by this book and recommended it to me. I ready the first few chapters while I was still pregnant and a lot of it made sense. Once my little one arrived, I was completely focused on getting to know him and meeting his needs by "demand feeding" and I didn't use the book at all. At about 5 weeks, I started to incorporate the schedule recommended in the book. It worked! She does NOT advocate leaving a hungry baby hungry. She tells you, if your baby is hungry, feed him! The point is, you want to be able to anticipate your child's needs BEFORE they have to start screaming to let you know what they want. Introducing a routine, gives you and the child predictability. My son was nearly sleeping through the night at 6 weeks--waking up once per night for a short feeding, then falling right back to sleep. He is now 6 months, and while I have modified the schedule a bit to what works for us, the book was a wonderful guide and I highly recommend to any new mom. Thanks Gina Ford!



2. You'll love it or hate it and that's a fact, but I think those that have written poor reviews of this book have taken it too literally or not read it thoroughly.
   
   Admittedly it's written utterly rigidly, but truly, it contains nothing but great advice which I've found to be near perfect for my breast fed son (7 weeks old at time of writing) who is thriving... as am I! I think rather it is the nature of this kind of book which requires it to be written as it has been, and it is up to the reader (who if I remember rightly has their own mind!) to interpret it and apply/adapt what is useful to them.
   
   A gift from my sister, I didn't even look at the book until 2-3 weeks into motherhood and breast feeding when the lack of routine was sending my crazy. I had been noting my son's own 'schedule' but couldn't see any real pattern to it all, but after looking at the routines Gina suggests I could immediately see how, with a few gentle tweaks, J would be right on track for a great eating and sleeping routine.
   
   I then went back and read the whole book rather than just looking at the suggested schedules and actually found Gina's methods to have more flexibility in them than a first glance suggests. Plus, as Mum, I know I can read my son better than anyone or any book, but Gina's advice has helped me understand J and his sleeping/feeding patterns better, and certainly has been far more helpful than any other book I've read (and that's quite a few!)
   
   Since staying loosely (J always gets the final say of course!) with the routine, J and I are both doing well, sleeping well and feeding/lactating well. This book kept me sane when everything felt like it was going to pot.
   
   I have docked one star purely for the fact the book is written so rigidly and would do better to include more clearly how you might adapt the suggested schedules to work for you, since clearly some readers struggle to do so.



3. After 7 months, our Attachment parenting baby was getting crankier day by day, as were we, given that she would wake up at 5 am in our bed and want to play.
   
   At 9 months, we started implementing Gina's routines. ZOMFG! My happy girl was back. I think she was suffering from chronic sleep deprivation. She naps now easily twice as much as she did when she was six months old.
   
   How many people who have negative reviews here have actually TRIED the routines on a baby? Hmmmn? Very few, I bet. It worked for me. It might for you too.



4. I am a mother of beautiful 4 month old twin boys and have been following Gina's methods (the twin version)since the boys were 3 months (when I found out about the book). I wish I had this book from their birth- it helped me become more confident as a mother and my babies are happy and very healthy. The small sacrifices you have to make to keep the babies on schedule are worth it. Prior to purchasing this book, I felt like I was going crazy-feeding and pumping constantly, getting no sleep,and being cranky with my cranky babies. Please take the dr.'s comments w/ a grain of salt- every book I read by a dr. who is an "expert" has different advice, and I usually get another opinion from my own pediatrician (who recently told me to start the boys on solids despite others' recommendations to wait until 6 mos.). As a CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST, I recommend this book- children need routines, it helps them spend more energy on important things like developing thier minds and body.
   
   I may be a little more schedule orientated since I have twins and routines are a necessity, but I think this book is great for any mom.
   
   Thank you Gina



5. I thought this book was great. After reading several books and websites as much as I could before and after my baby was born they all just say don't try to do any type of schedule for the first 3 months and no help on how often to express milk or anything just feed on demand. I was not liking that thought and wanted to make sure my baby got enough milk and wanted to figure out how to build other activities into our lives without making things too difficult. This book has a schedule that is pretty tight in it but I used it as a guide. When we were not doing anything or were struggling with sleeping at night or something we tried to stick closer to it and it helped us figure out when the baby was tired, hungry or what. The rest of the time we loosely followed it and still do. My baby is 7 1/2 months old and I feel that this book is a great resource for those who need help getting their babies to sleep more or plan around naps or introducing solids slowly and carefully. If there is any advice you don't like in it, just don't do it. I think there's lots of advice that almost anyone could use if they don't view it as an all or nothing thing.

5 comments about Drawing for Dummies.

1. This is a nice basic drawing book. This book teaches you how to do tonal drawings by crosshatching. She doesn't smudge her drawings to save time and you can tell by the finished piece. This would be good practice for someone interested in printmaking.



2. I like this book on some levels. On other levels...erm...there are problems. I agree that there are a lot of cartoony drawings, as well as some more realistic ones where she seemed to go through a looong period of giving people strange looking round clown type noses. The effect is off putting...not charming as I think was hoped.
   She also uses what I think is a lot of inappropriate hatching..making her subjects sometimes seem kind of...hairy looking.
   But these are all style issues...I really can't find fault with her technical ability. In fact, many drawings are beautiful.
   As for blending, she feels it is more difficult to do well , and that's why she doesn't really approach it here. On her website she states more or less that to blend or not should be up to the individual artist and gives a reasonable tutorial on blending correctly.
   Her examples are often not illustrated enough...and written instructions seem hurried, without details on how to do what she is talking about.
   Also the pics in the examples are far too small...
   But this is a good book as far as being approachable goes.
   It gives good solid info, and does cover many subjects.
   One book is rarely definitive in any endeavor one tries to learn...and often you can't cover everything in one book.
   Publishers sometimes have to think about the larger market and what it will pay for.As far as we know she may have a limit on how many words and images she can use!
   These books are designed to be inexpensive and general.
   Given that fact, I think this particular "Dummie" book, does pretty well.



3. Well, I really wanted to learn how to draw well, so I picked this up. The first few chapters really help, but then it became was to hard for a beginning artist. Some of the stuff she wants you to draw is insane, and I just gave up on this book. If you want a good drawing book for beginners, don't look at this one.



4. Drawing for Dummies was a gift for my nephew, who likes to draw comic chacters.As you might expect, they are all out of proportion and child-like.He is a teenager now and is looking for some guidance to improve his drawing. When I first received this book, I thumbed through it and read the chapter headings. I'm sure he will profit from this book. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
   A.R.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



5. Drawing for Dummies is a great drawing guide. I am somewhere between beginner and intermediate but no where near advanced in my drawing skills. I found this book to be of great help in learning new things and sharpening skills that I already have.
   It offers many exercises to improve and enhance your drawing style.
   It is a simple read; the author doesn't make it all technical and boring.
   I think this is a book that every aspiring artist should have on their shelves.

No comments about Florence de Dampierre French Chic: The Art of Decorating Houses.

No comments about Regency Redux: High Style Interiors: Napoleonic, Classical Moderne, and Hollywood Regency.