5 comments about Make Today Count: The Secret of Your Success Is Determined by Your Daily Agenda.

1. The basic premise of this book is that the secret to your success is determined by your daily agenda.
   
   The author has a list of 12 areas to focus on daily that he believes are critical to success. He calles them the "Daily Dozen." They are:
   
   1. Attitude
   2. Priorities
   3. Health
   4. Family
   5. Thinking
   6. Commitment
   7. Finances
   8. Faith
   9. Relationships
   10. Generosity
   11. Values
   12. Growth
   
   He spends a chapter on each of the Daily Dozen. For each, he notes what decision he has made in each area. As an example, for "attitude," his decision is "I am going to keep a positive attitude and use it to influence others." Then he provides suggestions on how to incorporate the items critical to success into your daily life.
   
   He makes the great point that what you become is the result of what you do today. The only way to change your life is to change what you do daily.
   
   This is a great little book that packs a powerful punch!



2. Was a good book..That's why I was motivated to get this for my recently graduated niece. John Maxwell has written countless books about leadership..and this audio CD didn't fall short of my expectations...



3. I'm a working mom with very little time. The topic of this book appealed to me - how to be successful and reach goals by doing a little bit each day. Maxwell's twelve suggestions for daily goals make you definitely think hard about how to focus your energy. I found I could focus on a lot of change using his program and suggestions. You can incorporate these goals into a busy life.
   
   The audiobook format was key for me. Audiobooks help me read when busy. The narrator had a nice voice, and the sound quality was very good. I highly recommend this to busy moms everywhere!



4. You won't be disappointed by John C. Maxwell's helpful guide to time management. Maxwell's strategies will work for even the most time crunched people. Maxwell's program teaches people how to prioritize 12 things that truly matter and how to follow through daily in these areas. It is easy to feel as though you lack the free time to affect any change in your life, but Maxwell shows how devoting small amounts of time in the proper way can make all the difference. The audiobook version seems especially helpful for the book's audience - people with little free time. You can listen while stuck in traffic or cleaning the house, and figure out how to reorganize your life at the same time. Narrator Lew Grenville is an experienced performer and you might recognize his voice from National Geographic or the Discovery Channel. His voice is authoritative, clear, and pleasant to listen to, and meshes well with the subject matter. At a playing time of 3.5 hours, busy people should find this audiobook well worth their (multi-tasking) time.



5. I really enjoyed these CDs. A great way to go about things if you don;t have lots of spare time to read. Maxwell is a gifted writer and the knowledge he shares is well worth it. I feel I have been able to make a difference in my life after listening to this.

4 comments about Trim Complete (Taunton's Complete).

1. I have several books on Trim and this one seems to be the most updated and exhaustive on the subject. I really enjoy the layout and the way the information is presented.



2. Excellent book. Lots of photos and step by step instructions. Highly recommended for weekend carpenter like me.



3. Previous reviewers are correct in describing this book as the best on the subject of trim work. I have many Taunton publishing books and as usual the photography is excellent! I have looked at other trim books and usually they are full of 'line' drawings. There is nothing like a great pic to illustrate how a project is being done.



4. This is by far one of the best trim carpentry books that I have read. Very well written, with detailed pictures taking you step by step through various projects. I would recommend this book to anyone.

5 comments about 10-Minute Life Lessons for Kids: 52 Fun and Simple Games and Activities to Teach Your Child Honesty, Trust, Love, and Other Important Values.

1. There are quite a few important topics to choose from. Seems to start good conversation with the children. (Ages 9-13)



2. It was very helpful and the activities were really only 10 minues long, at max.



3. I was hoping this book would be a useful resource for developing supplemental activities for an elementary-level (K-5) curriculum on non-violence and conflict resolution. But it is really geared toward parents (as the title indicates), not educators. The activities and required materials are suitable for an interpersonal setting, not really for the average classroom or after school programs. I found that 104 Activities That Build: Self-Esteem, Teamwork, Communication, Anger Management, Self-Discovery, Coping Skills by Alanna Jones, was more useful for my needs/goals.



4. I love this book, it is easy to follow and has fun entertaining was to teach kids values.



5. I bought this book for my daughter and her new growing family. It makes for great interaction and lively discussion. The dialog they have going on now is refreshing. If you have only have 10 quality minutes a day to spend with your child reading this book together will make it well spent! Ann Clarke, author of People Are So Different! based on tolerance and understanding.

5 comments about Building Your Own Home For Dummies.

1. I had never purchased a book from this series because I knew I wasn't a dummy and figured them to have little useful advice. But I decided to take a chance on this one since I know nothing about building a home. Big mistake.
   
   This book is a waste of money for anyone who is seriously thinking about hiring a contractor to build a home. There is no useful advice, but rather obvious suggestions such as "you will pay a higher rate on a loan if you don't have a high down payment" etc. - information that any 12-year old could find by searching the web. Save you money and instead purchase one of the many other books written on this subject by architects, contractors, etc.. Trust me, a book like this which is written for a "dummy" isn't one that will be useful to anyone with half a brain.
   
   It was so bad I'm doing something I've never done before - I'm returning it.



2. This book has exhaustive information about building a home employing a general constructor and sub-contractors. It's more useful as a reference. I say that because of the way it's organized. It's not a sequential read, and has no logical beginning or ending. I bought this book hoping to understand each step that goes into building a home. However, this book is NOT about that. It's more about effectively dealing with things that come along in each step.



3. I am always a fan of anything that puts the complexities of the world back into your hands. That Rocket Science for Dummies was totally awesome! LOL!
   
   This is one of many that better be on your shelf as a beginnig research tool, if you are planning on building a home. It tends to be repetitious about needing massive amounts of money though. It is not that creative about any of processes. It is very straight to the point.
   
   I do own it and it is a great reference that I had to MAKE myself read.



4. Very complete and logical in total scope of the custom home building process. Eye opener to a number of potential pitfalls in the custom home building process. wrgBuilding Your Own Home For Dummies



5. Alot of information packed into this one. Very practical, detailed, useful information. Recommend for anyone buying land or a lot, and building a custom home. Read this before you do...

5 comments about It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living.

1. This little book is an easy and quick read. The best feature is the checklist items at the end, which gives you a lot to think about. It is also a great way to get started on the road to "living green". It has a lot of information and it isn't complicated at all. It actually has some cute drawings and it is so user friendly that my 12 year old niece read it as well. I would definitely recommend it.



2. HElp to get my head out of the sand and make a difference in what I am doing and how I am living



3. This book is quite informational. I definitely enjoyed reading it and obtaining a few new ideas. However, for someone who has been aware of "being green" for a while, it likely won't present a lot of new information. I think it'd be a great gift for someone who is thinking of green but doesn't know where to start.



4. I like to think I'm a bit more informed than the average American in regards to the environment (I'm Canadian and moved here 4 yrs ago) but I must give kudos to this book and suggest that every household keep one on their kitchen counter or coffee table. I'd like to see a page-a-day calendar like this as well. Easy to use, realistic tips.



5. This book is a very interesting little handbook that lists various things that you can do to make your life greener. You can start out with just a couple little things and then just keep making your life greener and greener.

5 comments about Use What You Have Decorating : Transform Your Home in One Hour With Ten Simple Design Principles -- Using the Space You Have, the Things You Like, the Budget You Choose.

1. ...and yet I only give it 4 stars. Why? Because first of all, there is very little advice that applies beyond the living room, and that's a formal living area - not the family gathering and watching TV area. I would love to see a book of hers that will address other areas in the house.
   
   Beyond that though, I love this book. I'm a down to earth person, always looking for a quick and cheap way to re-do things. This book taught me decorating principles that were easy to put into practice. I like the before and after pics, explanations and the occassional room layouts. After studying this book a few times, it took me less than an hour to re-arrange my living room. It's so much more inviting and comfortable now, that I don't want to leave it! As for color vs. black and white photos, of course I'd prefer color. But I can live with it, because the content is so helpful. I have the older version too that has a middle insert of color photos as well.
   
   This book will be helpful if you already have a house of furniture or maybe suffer from TMS syndrome (too much stuff) and if you enjoy being creative with what you have. If not, then this book will probably frustrate you.



2. This is a good book for people who have no experience or formal training with decorating. I found the top 10 tips for avoiding design disaster to be helpful and easy to understand. The pictures in the book are very outdated, but made me feel like I might have a fighting chance with my own space.



3. I am a professional interior designer and I found this book great because it provides great information in a easy to read format. I read more than half the book in one evening. Some people have stated that even though they love the book they wished it was in color. I love the book in black and white because the emphasis really is on the placement and not so much the color. I find that when items are related in color it is easy for the eye to make the "connection" and ignore the real placement of the items. When the pictures are in black and white, it forces the eye to look at where and how the items are placed. This is a great book and I would recommend it to the novice, lay person, or professional designer/decorator looking to add an additional service that they can offer their clients. I give it two thumbs up!



4. I give the book a 4 star rating. Would have been good if we had some colour photos and show some living rooms that do not have the fire place a the focal point of the room but some other feature. Also how do you decorate a room with steep dormer features, that create angles. I like Lauri's books though I have Home Therapy.



5. Laurie Ward has hit on a great idea here - redecorating with your own stuff. And she does give some great advice in this book about creating a conversation area situated around a focal point, and about how high to hang art. I have been "tweaking" my house ever since I read the book and for the most part her suggestions are very helpful. I also enjoyed the "before" and "after" photos of real peoples' homes. But a couple things bothered me about this book. The first two-thirds of the book are basically paraphrased repetitions of this idea: create a U-shaped conversation area around a focal point. By the fifth or sixth example, you're thinking "gee, I wonder what genius furniture arrangement she'll come up with this time...SURPRISE! U-shaped conversation area!" She gives only a little information on how to re-arrange a dining room, bedroom, bathroom, or ANY OTHER room in the house (and what about those of us with open floor plans? throw me a bone here!), and what few suggestions she does give seem to have been added as an afterthought. The other thing I did not like is a matter of taste more than anything else: I thought some of her advice was a bit old-school (and not in a good way), in particular her advice about how to arrange and group art and other decorative objects (i.e., "don't mix media"), but also her advice against using fridge magnets and patterned paper towels comes off as a bit snobby. However, overall I do recommend the book if you need some help rearranging your living room.

5 comments about The Simple Art of Napkin Folding: 94 Fancy Folds for Every Tabletop Occasion.

1. I like this book. It has a lot of cute folds, it is easy to follow and the book is laid out well. It even has a section on some folds for children. The only thing that could possibly make this book better would be if it was in color.



2. Helpful book has many ideas for those who still like to set a nice table and actually use cloth napkins.



3. I got this book as a Christmas gift last year and I love it. I've made many of the folds in the book, the directions are easy to follow and each fold includes some information about the history of napkin folding that is actually fun to read.



4. Great folds for all occasions. We used this over the holidays and it had great ideas to make every meal extra special.



5. The book looks like fun and I will probably get it for a gift for someone else, as well as one for myself. It was a gift.

No comments about William Yeoward on Entertaining.

5 comments about The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction (For Pros By Pros).

1. I am doing an addition and wanted to frame it my self, knew a little about framing but not enough. Great book on the way to frame and how to build walls. highly recomended. There is a video that goes with this book buy it also. I went back and referenced both the book and the video through out the framing of our addition.



2. this is a great resource. it covers the basics and then some. if everyone on your crew was familiar with this system, you could easily frame a house in a week.



3. Mr. Haun certainly knows a great deal about carpentering and he conveys a lot of that knowledge in this book; however, terms are introduced prior to being defined or explained, which makes it a bit difficult to extract the information. If one has the patience to read the entire book, the terms are eventually explained, but it requires you to go back and re-read the parts where these mysterious terms were initially used. A little help from a professional writer/editor would enhance the value of the book.



4. I want a Larry Haun tee shirt, beer mug, calendar, tool bag and special edition saw. It is a pleasure to read a book that was written by someone who knows what he is talking about. It doesn't get any better for me. I'm not kidding, this is one of those rare books that teach a trade in an inspiring way. For what I'm up to, I will never need to look at another framing book.



5. VERY informative, need a slight tweeking for 2008 Guidelines for Los Angeles County. Otherwise I thought it was excellent reading, either at the site or in the kitchen with a cup of Coffee.
   They need to rethink the binding, the pages fall out after awhile, but Otherwise I'm ready for the next edition. Many thanks to the Author.

No comments about Black & Decker Complete Guide to Plumbing: Expanded 4th Edition - Modern Materials and Current Codes - All New Guide to Working with Gas Pipe (Black & Decker Complete Guide).