5 comments about Positive Discipline A-Z, Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition: From Toddlers to Teens, 1001 Solutions to Everyday Parenting Problems.

1. I was looking for a book to assist me in "positive discipline" with my toddler. I did not find too much in regard to 2 year olds in this book except the obvious advice of keep your children home if their tired unless you want them to act out in the grocery store. There was much helpful advice for older children. I did see a book specifically for toddlers but will not be sold until April. In a book that is for a wide range of ages it wold have been best to explain in chronologically order (ie: 2-4 year olds/ 5-6 year olds etc.) The book went everywhere.



2. I was a bit skeptical at first, wondering how a Q and A format could possibly be sufficient. Would the book be full of pithy, useless, empty, overly-general advice? No, in fact, it gets right to the point and is relevant and helpful. I'm very impressed with the thoughtful discussion of many of the most difficult parenting problems. It has become on of the first places I turn for advice.
   
   More importantly, because it is quick and easy to read, my husband is willing to read it too, which helps us stay on the same page when it comes to discipline.



3. Great advice and examples for parents who don't want to use corporal punishment!



4. I ALWAYS LIKE THE IDEAS THAT THEY CONVEY IN THE POSITIVE DISIPLINE BOOKS. THIS ONE HAS AN EASY TO ACCESS SET-UP THAT IS GOOD FOR QUICK REFERENCE. REALLY HELPS ME TO THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO CHILD BEHAVIOR ISSUES THAT ARE OUT THERE.



5. Its recommendations are easy enough to understand. But the tough part is for the parent to change so the child benefits.

5 comments about The New Cottage Home: A Tour of Unique American Dwellings.

1. As an avid cottage fan, and living in one while designing a new one to build for myself which is even more zen and simple, I found this book to be one of the best books on cottages around. Although I also admit what was considered a cottage when my place was built someone hundred years ago and what is considered a cottage in 2006 is around five square feet more in size.
   
   Of course I am a purest and go by what my dictionary says a cottage is which is 1 : the dwelling of a farm laborer or small farmer 2 : a usually small frame one-family house. Small being reduced in size. So I was surprised that on page 112 they show a French Hunting Lodge from the Pacific Northwest. Not a cottage at all.
   
   What does make this good sized book useful for anyone looking for ideas on cottage styles is the vast array of examples given. From the coastline of Maine to the San Juan Island of Washington State, to rural Kansas to Massachusetts to favorite areas here in California.
   
   And wonderful examples of simple to elaborate. One of my favorites because of its really simple zen style is the Pumphouse on pages 52-59 on San Juan Island in Washington State that was made into a smooth lined, all in one cottage which I and other minimalists would love to own. Or the wonderful Salvage Yard cottage in Franklin County, Kansas on page 156-161 that would fit in just about anywhere where clean lines and environmental desires are important.
   
   There is even an off the grid cottage and some communities of nothing but cottages like those on Lopez Island in Washington State beginning on page 196, where the cottages are part of a land trust that was set up to allow people on moderate incomes to build small abodes with common greenbelt areas in and area where expensive homes were/are the norm. Heck, this made the book worth the price in itself.
   
   Each cottage is shown inside and out complete with basic blueprints of each cottage so one can see how the space sits and works. The photography and text meld well and makes this a book that is hard to put down.



2. This book is great if you want gables and a structure with more character but more expensive. I am looking for simple structures. I do like the book a lot.



3. the used bookstore wouldn't even want this rubbish- about 5 pages of decent information. it's all coffee table fluff and I don't drink coffee- Boo



4. Some books you love and race right through them. This one I loved so much I dawdled over every page, scrutinized the photos, and extracted every bit of info I could from the written descriptions.
   I pictured myself curled up on the windowseat reading a book. I imagined walking through the woods to my camp cottage, or lounging in the adirondack chair on the porch with an ocean view. This book will fuel any dreams you have of owning a second home, a special retreat from the real world.
   The cottages are grouped into these categories:
   *Cottages by the water
   *Cottages of the forest and mountains
   *Cottages in the field
   *Cottages in town
   The final section covers designing the cottage home (26 pages).
   Each cottage gets 4 to 6 pages. The book describes the owners' vision and tells how the architect created their dream cottage. It might be 500 sq. ft. or 2,000 sq. ft. but each vacation home is a pleasure to view. Besides numerous color photos, there's a floor plan for each cottage. These combine with the descriptive text to give a pretty good picture of each home.
   Savor this book. Even if you never have a cottage, you can dream.



5. I thought it was a little dated for being called "New cottage homes". I know some of the houses built and they were built over 13 years ago. So not so "new" if you know what I mean. If you buy it I am sure you will understand.

5 comments about Lady on the Hill: How Biltmore Estate Became an American Icon.

1. There is not a whole lot of literature around when it comes to the Vanderbilts and the Biltmore. SO this book is a refreshing and very easy to read story about the Vanderbilts and their successes leading up to the building of Biltmore taking 6 years.
   
   Everyone that can find the time and is planning to visit the Biltmore should read this before going. The Biltmore is so large and there are so many things to see that a visit requires some advanced planning to get the whole picture about this family and this American marvel. After our first visit to the Biltmore during this year's Christmas lights, we bought an annual access pass (upgrade while your day pass is still valid and you save a bundle), this and a picture history book. Now we are planning to go back and be prepared to really udnerstand this marvellous site.



2. This book is intriguing for those who enjoy nonfiction. It describes how Biltmore formed a business to keep from being sold and subdivided, what happened to the family members since George's death, and the relationship between Biltmore and the city of Asheville, among other things. It is extremely interesting if you would like to know more about the history of the estate and its families.



3. Half way through the book it just becomes tedious. There is a fair amount of repetition. I had to purchase another book because this one lacks enough photos. We are planning a trip there in the coming weeks
   and now I think I know more than I need to know.



4. I've read and studied regarding the lives of the Vanderbilt families and the Biltmore inparticular. This is truly one of the BEST books I've read. We've all learned about the house and George Vanderbilt's ideas and thinking on building Biltmore. This book describes the life of his wife Edith and their daughter Cornelia after his death and what they had to go through to keep Biltmore after his death. The research is absolutely amazing. For anyone who is interested or obsessed with The Biltmore, this is a MUST read.



5. This book is a good means of learning about the Biltmore family, its history, notable members, the means through which the clan's wealth was acquired, and also about its magnificent chateau near Asheville, North Carolina. (An awe-inspiring place, but staffed by some of the rudest human beings who ever drew breath.) This book's flaws relate to the fact it seems padded to fill out its length and does come close to re-using the same material more than once: and sadly the most dry parts are the ones re-used.

5 comments about Great Wood Finishes: A Step-by-Step Guide to Beautiful Results.

1. This book contains a lot of useful information and it will no doubt improve my finishing skills, but for a 234 page book focused exclusively on finishes, I guess my expectations were higher. I have a couple of broadly focused woodworking books that have almost as much information on quality finishing. In my opinion, the book could be improved by reducing the number of redundant photos and increasing the amount of textual information. The book is filled with very high quality photos but how many photos do you need of someone brushing, wiping or spraying a stain or finish on a piece of wood? I was hoping for more textual information matching fillers, sealers and finishes to various types of wood, e.g., hardwoods vs. softwoods vs burlwoods. A few of the most popular woods are partially covered in this way, but not many.
   
   Still, I would recommend this book, particularly for someone looking for a broad overview of the various options and techniques required to achieve a high quality finish.



2. the book is very good.Very detailed very easy to folow the steps.
   What more can you ask.I am very happy.



3. A must have for anyone that finishes wood. I refer to this every time I get ready to finish a project.



4. To begin, this book has really helped me achieve greater finishing results. One of my favorites is a technique for antiquing maple, which helped make a blanket chest turn out extra beautiful. The book has lots of photos and well-written instructions.
   
   In the past, I would rely on the paint rep in the local hardware store (or home center) for my finishing questions. While helpful, my experience is that they usually only know the basics. Anything else, and you're on your own. So for me, Mr. Jewitt became the next "guide". His advice has helped me reach a whole new level with finishing.
   
   If you haven't experimented around with using many finishes or tried many finishing techniques, this book just might be for you. He focuses primarily on beginning and intermediate levels. (Advanced woodworkers may find other books more helpful.)
   
   Now for the reason I'm not rating it a 5.
   
   The main beef I have with this book is that the page references in the index are almost all wrong. For instance, I was recently trying to find information on "Sealing Glazes", something I wanted to know for a coffee table project. The index referenced two pages, 229 and 333, both of which are pages in the index! I'm still not sure I ever found that section. This is just one example of the many page referencing problems.
   
   And here's where/why it gets annoying.
   
   My favorite section is the last, Section 10 Specialty Finishes. I go here all the time for ideas. It has great examples and techniques such as antiquing maple and cherry, two distressing methods, ebonizing, whitewashing, etc. These mini sections are written in "overviews" style, and so you need to have either read the entire book beforehand (and remembered it all) or, like me, thumb back to find out where he talks about glazes, or sealers, or dyes, or... In other words, I really need to rely on the index because I use this book as a reference. Unfortunately, as explained, the index lacks the finishing touches.
   
   I also wish the author had more examples in section 10, but the ones he includes are great.
   
   It's evident that Jeff Jewitt knows his stuff. Overall, a very helpful book to own.



5. Great guide for specific techniques, I used one of the recommended finishes for Cherry and couldn't be more pleased with the results. I never would have tried a dye stain under a glaze without this book.

2 comments about Construction Manual: Concrete and Formwork.

1. When I first bought this book I wondered if it would be out-of-date. It wasn't. Although there were many tricks I've learned that weren't in the book, I did catch many new formwork techniques from this book. I'd recommend it to anyone learning to set forms on a residential or light commercial construction site.



2. Amzon as always has provided me with excellent service.....
   
   I feel the information in this book is very outdated..

1 comments about The Black & Decker Complete Guide to Masonry & Stonework: Includes Decorative Concrete Treatments (Black & Decker Complete Guide).

1. This book is great because it has pictures for each step of the projects and includes a few fun concrete projects if you're up for it.

5 comments about Clutter Control: Putting Your Home on a Diet.

1. None of the books I ordered to give me pointers didn't seem to tell me much I needed to know about that. My situation didn't fit these how to books as they went through a lot of stuff that didn't pretain to me very much and having boxes strewn all over to sort things can not work here for me as I have roomers and the hall would be blocked doing such a thing. I guess if I had a huge house like some have, but I am in a small 3 bedroom condo and it wasn't helpful for me.
   MomElly



2. Jeff Campbell, guru of The Clean Team, and author of the books *Speed Cleaning* and *Spring Cleaning,* chides and guides the reader to declutter one's domestic existence - the better to clean around, my pretty!
   It's a Holy War against Clutter and Chaos, in which Less really *is* More. If you are tired of living like Fibber McGee, get this book. Then READ it. Don't just leave it lying around in the midst of all the incoming mail clutter.
   Campbell first lies down The Uncluttering Rules, #1 of which is: "When in Doubt, Throw It Out!" and then, with compassion and humour, goes through The Psychology of Clutter. He grants dispensation from guilt of liberating oneself of Gawd Awful gifts from well-meaning friends and relatives. Then there are "Uncluttering Guides: An Alphabetical List" of Clutter Combat Zones. It is a truly emancipating experience.
   Cannonize Campbell!
   TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer



3. Since I am a clutter-aholic, I have read oodles of organizing books and de-cluttering books and this one is the least inspired. He seems to be just filling space with each topic, rather than offering any new insights or ideas. For this particular topic, I recommend the Messie's Manual for a beginner and Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Out for some practical tips. The best part about Clutter Control is a guide on page 137 giving suggestions of how long you should keep certain kinds of documents. I ripped out page 137 and threw the book away. The latest organizing book I've read is David Allen's Getting Things Done. It is awesome for paper clutter, one of my worst problems. I seem to be making progress!
   
   To be fair to Jeff Campbell, his book, Speed Cleaning is THE BEST on the subject of how to clean.



4. I was a little disappointed with the information in the book - it was pretty basic, not much innovative or new material. Just good common sense ways to tackle the clutter in your house. Also a little too much into the "psychology" of clutter instead of practical advice. If you have never read anything else on getting rid of clutter this book would be helpful to you.



5. I would not recommend this book for a client or an organizer to read. I say this because in my opinion the author writes the book with under tones of arrogance and does not explain to the reader that these are methods that may work for him but it is ok to try other ways to find what fits for a particular person. There are many ways to archive success in completing an organizing task and a person should be open-minded.

1 comments about Lawnscapes: Mowing Patterns to Make Your Yard a Work of Art.

1. So we got this book for my father-in-law because this year he finally purchased the John Deer of his dreams. As you see, it went along nicely. It was kind of a gag gift, but with him retiring soon, we all figure the gag will come when he actually uses the directions and makes some elaborate pattern for next Thanksgiving at his house.
   
   Seriously though, without being overly complicated, this tells you the basics of how to make lawn patterns.If you are really looking to learn this skill, you might want to find something with more tips, tricks, hints, etc. But, if you just like playing around in the yard and want some simplie how-to, this is a good choice.

5 comments about North Light Books-How To Organize Your Scrapbook Workspace.

1. This is a great book. Great information for organizing your scrapokking space and items.



2. This book is absolutely fantastic. It is very well organized and well written. It covers everything you can think of, and THEN some.
   I recommend a copy for EVERY scrapbooker ~ no matter how big or small your hobby or crafting space, it is the perfect guide to organizing and utilizing everything.



3. Not that helpful. Dont waste your money unless you can get it for cheap at used book store.



4. this is a great book. its a keeper. and i would buy from the seller again



5. This book was very concise and informative, I followed the suggestions and now have a wonderful organized scrapbook area!

2 comments about Porch & Sunroom Planner (Better Homes & Gardens).

1. I am glad I ordered this book. It gave me a lot of info and ideas.



2. This is a great book got lots of good ideas the pictures really help explain what they are doing with the different rooms.