No comments about Chores Without Wars, 2nd Edition: Turning Housework into Teamwork.

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4 comments about Fine Woodworking on Boxes, Carcases, and Drawers.

1. 40+ reprinted articles from Fine Woodworking magazine by such masters as Tage Frid, Ian Kirby, Mark Duginske, Jim Cummins and many others.

   General subject matter includes:

   Joinery -- box joint jig, blind finger joints, plate joinery, tapered sliding dovetails, hand dovetails.

   Boxes -- bandsawn, box design, bookmatching boards for.

   Carcases -- European style cabinets, blanket chests, open, stereo cabinets.

   Drawers -- general how-to, bottoms, making your own hardware, miters/tape/glue, panels for lids.

   Miscellany -- drawer stop ideas, hanging doors, panel cutting, french fitting.

   All in all, this is a well rounded, authoritative and tremendously helpful volume for the advanced amateur cabinetmaker. I have personally used many of the techniques described herein on my own projects with much success and am all the better craftsman for it.

   Highly recommended.




2. Some of the very best from the early years of Fine Woodworking Magazine by some of the Titans of the Seventies. These techniques are as fresh and informative today as they were when they were written.



3. This isn't a bad book but it,s clearly a load of dated articles stuck together in an attempt to teach those who wish to make drawers & boxes a little something that in my opinion takes a long time to truely master. It's suggested in the book how easy it is to make dovetails, I've been making kitchens for years and it takes a long time to learn what you really NEED to know about these things. Take it from me it's easy to talk the talk.
   There are better books out there that cover this subject in a more informative and enjoyable manner, try any of Jim Tolpin's woodworking books and you,ll see what I mean.



4. If you want to truely refine or up grade your woodworking skills, buy this book! The editors of Fine Woodworking are among,if not "the", leading comtributers to the art of woodworking today.

4 comments about More Sewing for the Home.

1. While many of the books in the Singer Sewing Reference Library are very good, I have found the "Sewing for the Home" series of the books to be the best. These books are lavishly illustrated, with detailed color photographs of every step of the sewing process for home decor items. After purchasing this book, I was able to create lovely custom home decor projects at huge cost savings over custom-made or purchasing ready made items. Even a beginner can achieve very good results with home decor projects using the instructions and methods found in this book. If you are interested in home decor sewing, then you should add this book to your sewing library



2. Although the fabric choices in the pictures are dated, the designs and projects are CLASSIC(swags and jabots, cornices, padded headboards, pinch pleated drapes, bedskirts, pillows and duvet covers...). The step by step, illustrated instructions are VERY easy to follow.



3. I also bought the "Sewing For The Home" book, which is a little more basic, but has far more pillow styles that you can sew. The two books combined are very good references for small projects that you can sew for your home in any room, including the bath.
   
   This book has more projects included (than the first book) that you can sew for your bedroom. There are also suggestions on how to use sheets for your bedroom sewing projects, duvet covers, pleated bedskirts, table covers, etc.
   
   My original intent in getting the books was to learn to sew curtains and drapes. The first book gives you very good basics, but this one goes just a little bit further. I wanted to learn to pleat my own drapes, and this book is the one that shows you how to do that without using pleater tape.
   
   The instructions and photographs in both books are very clear and easy to follow, step by step. There are photos of all the projects in final place, so that you can see what they should look like when complete, and they are somewhat inspirational (idea-wise).
   
   I've been sewing since I was a youngster, and thought I knew a lot, but these books have taught me a great deal. I now look forward to my projects looking professionally done. BTW, most of the things in these books are easy enough for a sewing novice with a desire to learn, to accomplish successfully.
   
   Both books are very good, cover slightly different subjects, and I would recommend that if you buy one, that you buy the other. Between them, they cover just about anything you probably want to sew for your home.



4. Too many patterns for curtains & drapes & not enough other home decor items. Book is well done, just not enough of what I'm looking for.

5 comments about Nurture Your Child's Gift: Inspired Parenting.

1. After reading Nurture Your Child's Gift, by Caron Goode, ED.D., you may never again view your role as a parent the same way again. Dr. Goode reveals how children's dreams and passions, when acknowledged and nurtured, can serve as a beacon forever drawing them towards their highest good and greatest joy. Dr. Goode invites you to experience your parent-child relationship on a higher, more meaningful level. What if your role as a parent served the greater purpose of helping your child discover and fulfill his heart's desire? Only when we know our children's dreams can we fully understand, accept, and celebrate their individual personalities, temperaments, and abilities. We discover how the stages of a child's development beautifully coincide with the blossoming of the dream. Dr. Goode also shares the latest in mindbody research while offering powerful techniques, such as deep breathing, guided imagery, and music therapy, which can help children release stress, gain energy, and create joy. Dr. Goode, whose knowledge and experience is drawn from thirty years in the fields of education, personal empowerment, and therapy, inspires us to open our hearts and minds to more powerful and thoughtful ways of parenting, while promising our children a brighter future than we ever imagined. Every parent should read this book.



2. "Nurture Your Child's Gift" will give you pause for reflection and exploration into and discovery of your own parenting skills; subtly guiding you back to the inspired parenting path. Discover the power of this book by learning and applying the incredible wisdom of Caron Goode.



3. As an author and therapist I'm pretty picky about what I recommend. But I can tell you that Caron Goode's book is one that I recommend to all of my clients and friends. She provides powerful insight and hands-on techniques to help parents reach their goal of raising self-confident, happy children who feel free to follow their dream. In a world so focused on fear, this book should go to the top of your purchase list.



4. In a world filled with parenting books on how to teach kids to stay out of trouble and how to be "good" it is very refreshing to read Dr. Goode's unique approach to inspiring and nurturing kids natural instincts, their intuition, their dreams and their internal wisdom to acheive the highest goal...acheiving their dreams and becoming all they can be. Dr. Goode's book is a fascinating and research based account that no parent should pass up.

   Anne Leedom
   Parentingbookmark.com




5. Your books have touched my heart deeply and show a magnificent pathway for parents to help their children reach the highest potential possible. I highly recommend both books as a beautiful tool to help raise the next generation to greatness.

5 comments about Complete Guide to Lock Picking.

1. I would recommend this book very strongly to the beginner lock picker, a great book in explaining the basic art.



2. The text covers a lot of useful and practical info, and it's worth reading just for that. But, the pictures are very simplistic line drawings that simply don't show enough detail in many cases.



3. In the foreword, the author promises to teach you everything you need to learn to get started in locksmithing -- and he delivers! He describes picking and other bypass strategies for all the major varieties of keyed locks, plus numerous variations. Great for budding locksmiths, curious hobbyists, and people who want to know how that burglar managed to get into their houses.

   The only complaint I can make about this book is that it's steep reading. Eddie's instructions are very compact -- maybe a little too compact. I can't stand overkill, but I think this may have been underkill. You really have to have an actual lock and tools in front of you in order to follow what he says. Perhaps more text and/or more numerous, better detailed, fully captioned diagrams would help.




4. A friend of mine came over and managed to open my front door within ten minutes of his arrival. I was impressed. He said he'd started out with this little book and I paged through his well read copy before getting my own. I haven't managed to open a lock yet, but as Eddie advises, I haven't given up. I think it takes a certain mind set, and I'm working on it. Usually this kind of thing bores me, but Eddie the Wire (what a name!) writes in a way that keeps my interest going and I know I'm going to get it eventually. The Loompanics site has a lot of books like this or call 8003802230.



5. For amateurs who are just interested in lock picking as a past time, this book is pretty good as it covers the normal locks that you will encounter in everyday life- pin tumblers, wafers and others, just the normal ones though.
   
   the only thing bad about this book is that the information is too compact, sometimes even lacking in diagrams, but if u are one who are good at picturing with words, then this book is for you. it is scary to open the book with the pages filled with words!
   
   just note that this book was printed in 1991 (or for some other reasons), do not expect paragraphing like the modern books.
   
   key to lockpicking: patience, patience and more patience. it took me a week to open my first pin tumbler lock! and it only has 3 pins! adjust the torque wrench and ur pick.

1 comments about Food, Cookery, and Dining in Ancient Times: Alexis Soyer's Pantropheon (Dover Cookbook Series).

1. Prepare to be grossed out! If you are a history buff, a teacher or a chef, amateur or professional, this is a really fun book to read. You will what dishes were preferred in Ancient Rome and Greece, and how cuisine developed through the ages.
   
   The section on cooking meat is probably the most horrific; I should warn animal rights activists and vegans to utterly avoid reading this book if they are queasy. Some of our forebears enjoyed gladiator battles as a sort of reality tv, and their idea of party food was equally cruel. I am neither PETA member (unless it's People Eating Tasty Animals) or a vegan but I was utterly dismayed at some of the ways animals were treated. Truly, the Old Testament prohibition against cooking a kid in its mother's milk was to teach people to be mindful about cruelty.
   
   Another fascinating facet was to see how many writers have used this book as a source for historical writing. For example, Taylor Caldwell used one whole section on Roman orgies to write a scene in "Dear and Glorious Physician", a novel about the life of the apostle Luke.
   
   It's interesting reading to find out what was considered good-tasting in Ancient Rome--I was constantly amazed at the use of certain strong herbs for seasoning; perhaps to cover the taste of meat that was not refrigerated, but also to stimulate a jaded palate. If you are curious about cooking through the ages, I recommend this book.

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