5 comments about Raising Twins: What Parents Want to Know (And What Twins Want to Tell Them).

1. With 4 year old twins that keep me on the run, I've read quite a few books looking for explanations and answers to uniquely twin issues. This is the first book I've found that actually discusses parenting issues unique to twins. Other books have been full of the same advice you'd get in any parenting book even though they market themselves as "twins" books. Don't buy this book looking for all the answers to your questions because you won't find those in any book, but it does give some good insight into issues that I'd never even thought of. I'll be able to plan for the situations which will inevitably arise with my girls now that I've read this book - rather than just getting confronted with them and having to make it up as I go. I'd highly recommend this book above all other "twins" parenting books I've read.



2. This isn't a bad book for parents of fraternal twins, but I found nothing in it that dealt with the issues that can arise with identical twins. I am still trying to find a book that deals more specifically with raising identicals.



3. This book is very good if you know absolutely nothing about twins. It is very broad in its scope. So, if you are looking for general information about twins from conception through adulthood this book is a good overview. If you are looking for specific knowledge about the care of twin infants/babies/toddlers - get a different book.



4. From a mother of 4 year old boy/girl twins... I read this book cover to cover when I was expecting. I felt that the interviews really provided very good insight into what it felt like to be a "twin" and brought up some interesting issues that I had not considered (ie - how to dress, how to help them be individual, etc). I thought it was very good - and entertaining. If you are an experienced mother, then most twin books will not be that useful. The best thing to do is join a twin club and get your practical advice from other parents - as the issues at each developmental stage are soo different. The reality is that there isn't a practical guide out there that really will spell it all out for you... and we are still learning.. Even "twins" can't be classified.
   
   Have fun !



5. The Pearlman book is quite good on many fronts, including the use of interviews with twins and parents and the dispelling of twin myths. The section on twin language and language acquisition is quite good, as are the sections on development of individual personalities. As with many such books, I found that I will need to read it again later as our daughters grow, but one of the merits of the book is that it does address issues of concern at many ages.
   
   Several of the twin interviews seemed to be too short -- the interviewees likely had much more to say and while it would be tedious to read pages and pages unedited, doubling the length of many of them in the next edition would illustrate the points better.
   
   On a minor issue, the book can be annoying in some places where pronoun use renders the passages confusing. Keeping the pronouns straight is especially important when an underlying theme is the complexity of relationships between twins themselves and with family members and other third parties.

5 comments about Looking Good: Wardrobe Planning and Personal Style Development.

1. Very helpful information. Gives guidance on clothing styles that are flattering to particular shapes as well as colors, textures, etc. Quick and easy read with lots of visual examples that made it easy to understand.



2. I owned this and threw it out recently. It was an embarassment. Do not buy it. If you must see it, visit your library. The only thing that's good about this is the descriptions of fashion personality types, which is a fun read. Other than that, save your money and buy the Lucky Manual or Pocket Stylist instead.



3. it is amazing how dated a book that isn't THAT old can be. Some older fasion/style books have a nostalgic charm of their own,not this one. Spend your money elsewhere!



4. I enjoy this book so much that I have decided to give a class on it.



5. This is a book for both the individual trying to improve personal style as well as professionals in the image industry. As an image consultant myself, this is the first book that I have found that really covers every aspect of image. It even includes undergarments something that is lacking in 99% of image books on the market. This is the book to get. I now consider this my image bible. If I am doing workshops, its the only book I take with me in the event I have to answer a question to a subject which my not be the focus of my expertise (e.g. colour)
   Forget the others, buy this book. You will not be sorry.

4 comments about 125 Brain Games for Toddlers and Twos: Simple Games to Promote Early Brain Development (125 Brain Games).

1. This book, written for parents of children ages 12 months to 36 months is packed with fun, simple, creative, and educational games to enhance and promote your child's brain development at this monumental time. Author, Jackie Silberg does a superb job of offering parents an interactive approach to helping their child activate synapses in the child's brain. After reading this book, you'll be pleased to see that as a parent you and your child are probably already willing participants playing many of these games and activities, but after reading the crucial brain research that backs up the importance of these games, you will feel even better. Ms. Silberg provides facts and evidence that clearly indicate spending time with your child at this very young age nurturing, playing, learning, and bonding together will lay the groundwork for a lifetime of learning and positive experiences.

   Readers can easily flip through this step by step manual to sections of brain based learning games targeted to the child's age range and development. Since a child's brain development is explosive at this tender age, parents and caregivers must do all they can to foster a love of learning. These activities will stimulate your child's brain development by creating important neural connections for future learning, develop thinking abilities, language skills, fine and gross motor skills, and problem solving abilities. During this amazing brain growth, your child will be learning, creating, experiencing, and the two of you will be growing closer together. Utilizing the five senses, you are sure to find new and exciting mind games to delight and entertain you and your little one. My child and I have had tons of fun and giggles playing these games and you can adapt them anyway you wish. This book would be a great gift for a parent or caregiver.




2. This book really comes in handy when you are in between activities. It fills in small amounts of time really well. I just wish I had bought it sooner!



3. Very redundant...any normal parent would already do these things. Not worth the money. =(



4. cute book, well done, good information, but the activities aren't always stuff that people will actually do, just ok in that department.

2 comments about Complete Patio (Complete...).

1. I like this book because it has it all. If you want to make a quick patio by laying some flagstones directly into soil and letting plants grow in between them, here is everything you need to know to design it, get the materials, and put it in next weekend. If you are thinking of something elaborate, like pouring a concrete slab, cutting flagstones and embedding them in mortar on it, again, this is a great guide. In between, there is a whole range of possibilities from a round brick accent patio to tuck in the corner of your yard and set a table and chairs on, to detailed instructions for doing the traditional dry-laid stone method on base aggregate with various edgings.
   
   Besides building patios, they have ways to spruce up old concrete slabs like staining them to make them spanking new and pretty, and treatments to make your flagstones last longer and easier to clean. All of this is shown with great, clear color photographs that make it fun to think about all the different possibilities for making your back or front yard more useable. This is a keeper.



2. Excellent book for refurbishing an existing patio or installing a new one. It features good, clear instructions with plenty of illustrations. I was able to get more landscaping ideas from this book than some of my so-called "idea" books. The suggested materials are readily available, in California at least, and there is good analysis of the pros and cons of each type.

5 comments about Shabby Chic.

1. This book will introduce you to Rachel's concepts. It's a good place to start. I enjoyed it more than some of her more recent books.



2. I've find the information in the book (text) very useful in creating a soothing, unfussy, shabby environment at home. However I was expecting it to be the otherway around; I thought there'll be beautiful photographs in the book and the text just going to state the obvious...
   I was expecting more photos of the 'typical shabby' look (white walls, furniture, crystals, pinks, pastel colors, etc.) Instead you'll find a little bit of this and a little bit of that of varous styles mixed with shabby chic(traditional, modern and just a few of that typical romantic style)...so I am a little disapointed about that but on the whole, this book is o.k.



3. This was the first book I bought when I closed on my country home. My style has always been contemporary and I wanted ideas for decorating a turn of the century farmhouse. This and Shabby Chic Home is to decorating what Betty Crocker is to cooking. You will never go hungry again!:)



4. This book protrayed the essence of the Shabby Chic home
   decoration. It has a good balance between the written word
   and photographs. I did enjoy the book and got a lot of
   ideas from it.



5. This is one of those books that is great to flip through in a bookstore or friend's house but never buy. And I am quite a fan of Shabby Chic and Rachel Ashwell. So if you don't even like her stuff, nothing in this book will sustain your interest. There is not much copy to read, her "tips" are very generic or just off-the-mark (she says it's ok to buy termite-ridden antiques because "a simple commercially available spray" gets rid of termites - somehow I don't see many women attempting this), and the book is mostly photos. While pretty, the photos are sourced from the same few celebrity homes she knows, so one feels a bit shortchanged.

5 comments about Construction Business Management: What Every Construction Contractor, Builder & Subcontractor Needs to Know.

1. If you are a person that is just starting out in the Construction industry, this book can help guide you in the right direction. Many mistakes that I have made in the past 10 years are covered in these pages. I wish I would have had this book back then. It would have made our company grow and prosper without the glitches. I highly recommend this book.



2. I purchased this book for my son. He said it was very helpful and very informative. It tells you exactly what you need to know.



3. This book is the source to all of your questions regarding Construction Management. This is a "must buy" all the way! The teachings of this book are valid and mandatory for all Builders, Sub Contractors, and General Contractors. If you want to do things right and boost your potential, than read this book.



4. This book provides a great foundation and overview of the construction industry as well as guiding the reader through the ends and outs of some of the finer details. Potential readers should review the book's index to get an idea of how thorough this book is. Great read!



5. This is a basic book, suitable for technical colleges, but not at university level. The author shares with you his experiences on running a small niche construction business, the dos and don'ts, throughout the entire project cycle. What it lacks is depth (so I knocked off one star), because each topic is often dealt with in one or two pages. But it made up by sharing some gems of wisdom. If you are looking for serious stuff, such as detailed cost estimating for bids or variation orders, this book is not for you. But if you are looking for a basic guide, this book is worth a look.

5 comments about How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery, Third Edition (Model Railroader Books).

1. Dave Frary presents this topic in a logical, progressive manner. Even if you have experience in building scenery, I'm sure you will still find some useful tips.



2. Very good advice. excellent Step by step approach. The book tries hard to keep up with the latest technology and trends. I have the first edition, which I believe to hold a better overall perspective of scenery construction and color theory, which seems to be missing from the current edition. The two editions do complement each other quite well however. This edition goes into a great deal of detail of realistic rock outcropping construction. it would be nice if other aspects of scenery creation were treated with as much detail and finesse, such as trees, water, ground cover and prairie grass.
   
   -BK



3. Full of helpful suggestions, particularly for those who like to scratch build. Innovative use of all sorts of materials to create great scenery. Good color pictures & 'how to' steps. Plus the book names brand name items that have been used in the scenery shown, so you know what to buy & what it can do if you are after a particular effect.
   Highly recommended.



4. This author has done an amazing job going through step by step on how to create realistic scale model scenery. He adds tips and tricks that helped me to build some small scale movie sets I was making. I suggest this book to anyone trying to do what the title implies. It does not go into much detail on any other model railroad facets, but for the money and subject matter, it is well worth the money.



5. this book was late coming but that was due to slow shipping,NOT the seller. they followed up on it when i had concerns that i hadn,t received it. it was in very good condition

5 comments about Small Woodworking Shops (New Best of Fine Woodworking).

1. At first when I started reading the book I thought I was in store for a long treatise on how to build a professional workshop. If you are in the market for that information, I am sure this book will get you started. Where I found the book most useful was in seeing how each person used the space available. In one instance, the shop design was a professional spread with a specific location for each step of the woodworking process. In another instance, the shop design was for a professional who had limited space. Both extremes helped me visualize how my home workshop (my garage) might be better used. I gained a lot from reading the book. Reading it is not a necessity, however. You may gain the same information the authors did by making the same mistakes as they did or you can learn vicariously from them and the examples.
   
   Now, one thing I recommend for most hobbyists; while reading the book, do not get discouraged or dismissive. Read the book for ideas about how to make your workspace more usable and more efficient. If you do, you will not be disappointed.



2. When the first couple reviews for a book are all 5 stars, I tend to wonder whether the author's friends and relatives are doing their part to pump up sales. I'm writing this review in case you're like me in that regard. Fear not, I've got no connection whatsoever with anyone involved with this book.
   
   As a new woodworking hobbyist, I found this book informative and helpful. The writing was clear and readable, the photos and graphics well-done. More importantly, for me the breadth and depth of information was just right. Example: there was a simple, informative piece on the best power tools to start off with -- and then there was another to offer a different perspective. Some goes with coverage of dust control, with several different angles presented.
   
   This book doesn't try to be all things to all people. I doubt anyone with serious woodworking experience would find this book worth buying. On the other hand, if finances or space limit your tool choices to a circular saw and a drill, look elsewhere -- this book really is for folks setting up a shop with the tools to go with it. Its also more oriented towards power tools than hand tools.
   
   I think the ideal reader would be someone with a garage to fill and a $5000 budget to spend. That's not me on either count, and I do wish the book had focused more on small hobbyist starter shops and less on professional, two-car garage shops with every tool.
   
   But I still got a lot out of it, and I'd buy it again without hesitating. However, I don't own any of the other books on setting up a shop, so can't compare their relative merits.
   
   
   --- Coming back to this review a month later, I think I was wrong to give it only 4 stars. This has been the one book I've turned to the most as I continue setting up my shop, and I get something useful out of it every time. Amazon doesn't seem to let you change your star rating after the fact, but now I'd give it 5 stars without hesitation.
   



3. This is a 'second-stage' book suitable for those with potential for plenty of space, time and machinery. It has minimal coverage of basic workbench and hand tools practice, and simple handyman projects, although storage and space-saving ideas are well covered. The book is ideal for those aspiring to make the big jump to a larger, machinery equipped, productive work place, with better and safer work practices (and will certainly guide my future and hopeful aspirations).



4. This book has its positive points, but encouraging someone who wants to create a small workshop is not one of them. Instead it tends to make you feel bad about not having 1000+ sq. ft. of space to allocate to a wood shop. They've reprinted six articles that describe wood shops, but only one fits my definition of "small." The rest describe spaces 600, 720, 1296, and two at 2400 sq. ft. I guess if you are making a "small" commercial shop, 2400 sq. ft. is not out of the question, but if woodworking is just a hobby, 200-400 sq. ft. is a more common limitation.
   
   It also has two (related, overlapping in content) articles on dust collection; one of the articles is useful, but another seems redundant. Seems like the editors were looking for filler articles.
   
   I would have given this book more stars--3 or 4--if it hadn't claimed to be about "small" shops. However I wouldn't have purchased it in that case, because I already have general woodshop design books--and in fact almost all the information in this one I've seen in my other books. And it really is just a collection of articles rather than a coherent whole.
   
   In particular, I find How to Design and Build Your Ideal Woodshop (Popular Woodworking) to be much more appropriate. It talks about how to design a small workshop in much greater detail. I also have an earlier edition of Setting Up Shop, Completely Revised and Updated: A Practical Guide to Designing and Building Your Dream Shop, which is quite good.



5. Like many of Taunton's books in the woodworking arena, this one consists mostly of reprints of Fine Woodworking magazine (FWW) articles. That's not bad in itself, of course, as FWW is a fine magazine, and one to which I subscribe. It does mean that even though the articles are all small shop themed, there isn't a logical flow from beginning to end or article to article. Each stands on its own merits, is written by a different author, and has its own emphasis and style.
   
   Approach this book and these titles as idea and tips generators. This book is most appropriate to those who are not already FWW subscribers. If you are a long-term subscriber, you will have already read the articles. You can also get at most or all of this content by subscribing to FWW's online site.

3 comments about Black & Decker Complete Home Improvement: with 300 Projects and 2,000 Photos (Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide).

1. I recently purchased this book and was a bit disappointed with it. As a beginner, first-time homeowner, I was hoping that it would be a great source for "how-tos" on a lot of major home improvement/repair projects. The book does cover an insane number of different topics. In that regard, it probably is a great "reference" book for people who are not beginners in home improvement. However, for someone like me, I felt like devoting 1-2 pages on EVERY project a lot of times just was nowhere near enough information for me to confidently tackle the project. I mean, they even capped a roofing project (major) to 2 pages. I saw the Home Depot 1-2-3 books and they seem to provide a lot more depth and step by step instructions than this Black & Decker book, albiet with not as many topics.



2. My husband and I are novice DIYers and purchased this book and its companion (Home Repair...in the gold cover which doesn't seem to be on Amazon right now, though we bought it with this book this past fall). We've found both books to be excellent. I agree with the other reviewer that the topics are covered in maybe 1-3 pages, but B&D has done an excellent job of keeping the writing tight and to the point, but also understandable. Additionally, the photography quality is excellent, making the photos very helpful and somewhat of a stand-in for more text. Highly recommended.



3. Not much to say, i bought a book, It was a good experience, i gave them money, they shipped me a book. It was new, so cant complain, it was dirt cheap, which is a PLUS, and thats it..... good stuff

2 comments about Popular Woodworking's Arts & Crafts Furniture: 25 Projects For Every Room In Your Home (Popular Woodworking).

1. I was very challanged to expand my skills after I read this book. The projects were interesting and worthy of handing down to my family as heirlooms.



2. This book has 3 sections: a brief, but good introduction to the major Arts & Crafts furniture makers, with comments on their relative qualities and places in the movement; construction techniques; and projects. All are well illustrated and all pictures are in color (except, obviously, repros of original black and white photos). Alternative techniques are given for a number of joinery types. Helpful advice and tips are given throughout both the techniques and projects sections. The projects range from quite simple (Morris Chair footstool) to middling complex (various chairs). Some unusual items are also included, such as the Limbert Tabouret, which is a table with four interlocking legs, and the "Lost Stickley Side Table", a Stickley prototype with straight legs in back and splayed in front. Only two really modern pieces are included: a Prairie Style coffee table and an outdoor version of the Morris Chair. The included CD has additional plans. Considering the excellent content, the quality of the book itself, and the bonus CD, this book is quite a bargain.