Books

The Country Home
The Beer Lover's Rating Guide
Drinks Without Liquor
The Cake Mix Doctor
Smith and Hawken: The Gardener's Community Cookbook
Desperation Entertaining
How to Grill
Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor
The RV Cookbook
The Gluten-Free Kitchen: Over 135 Delicious Recipes for People with Gluten Intolerance or Wheat Allergy
Real Food for People with Diabetes
Guide to the Northwest Wine Country
Sonoma Valley: The Secret Wine Country (Travel)
Cooking in the Outdoors (Basic Essentials S.)
The New Food Lover's Companion
MinuteMeals: 5-Ingredient Main Dishes Creative, Steamlined Menus
MinuteMeals: Quick and Healthy, Delicious, Good-For-You Dinners
1000 Indian Recipes
Tamales
30-minute Meals for Dummies
Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies (For Dummies S.)
Jewish Cooking for Dummies (For Dummies S.)
Fat Wars
MinuteMeals: Vegetarian
MinuteMeals: 3 Ways to Dinner

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

Average customer rating:

I finally get it!
Truly a Miracle
A must-have for so many reasons...
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Definitely worth the read.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Barbara Kingsolver , Camille Kingsolver , and Steven L. Hopp
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

ASIN: 0060852550
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Book Description

Bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver returns with her first nonfiction narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.

"As the U.S. population made an unprecedented mad dash for the Sun Belt, one carload of us paddled against the tide, heading for the Promised Land where water falls from the sky and green stuff grows all around. We were about to begin the adventure of realigning our lives with our food chain.

"Naturally, our first stop was to buy junk food and fossil fuel. . . ."

Hang on for the ride: With characteristic poetry and pluck, Barbara Kingsolver and her family sweep readers along on their journey away from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life in which they vow to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Their good-humored search yields surprising discoveries about turkey sex life and overly zealous zucchini plants, en route to a food culture that's better for the neighborhood and also better on the table. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet.

"This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew . . . and of how our family was changed by our first year of deliberately eating food produced from the same place where we worked, went to school, loved our neighbors, drank the water, and breathed the air."

Customer Reviews:

I finally get it!.......2007-06-29

Never paid a premium for organic, never cared where my food came from; I simply hadn't given it any thought. Now this fascinating food and garden diary has changed the paradigm for me. I want fresher, more nutritious, and safer food. I don't need produce that has been trucked or flown across the earth to reach me. I can reduce my carbon footprint just by finding my local farmers markets and growing a little kitchen garden. And get tastier meals in the bargain.

I was expecting my yuppie touchy-feely alarm to go into overdrive (like with "Marley & Me"). Instead, I'm here to thank Ms Kingsolver for quietly sharing her experience and gently smacking me in the face with the obvious. You may read the book and come away unmoved, but do yourself a favor and give her a chance. If nothing else, you'll learn an awful lot about turkey sex.

Truly a Miracle.......2007-06-29

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is honest, compelling, perfectly composed and executed, and I'm fighting an urge to buy more copies for all my friends so I won't have to lend it. This is absolutely the best book I've bought in ages. I buy anything new from Kingsolver and have never been disappointed, but she just keeps getting better.

A must-have for so many reasons..........2007-06-28

This book is a necessity in any household trying to live a gentler, more connected lifestyle. I've found the task of local eating daunting. This book breaks it down and shows you just how easy it can be. I love that it follows the garden year so you can see what is done when. What to plant, how much to plant, how much food you need, animal care, even business. They showed it IS possible to throw a party for 100 people on almost all local ingredients. Fantastic! I loved following the author's journey through their experiment/commitment. I also appreciated that there were recipes and statistical information for a deeper understanding.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.......2007-06-28

Excellent, I'm so glad I read it. I learned so much that helped to be a better gardener and to eat better. Pendleton is a small town surrounded by farms, this book gave me great insight into that advantage. And Barbara is so delightful to read! As a health nut I was re-enforced to go organic, she gave me good ways and reasons to be healthy.

Definitely worth the read........2007-06-28

I heard Barbara Kinsolver's interview on NPR so I was intrigued and I really enjoyed the story of her family's adventure in local and home grown food. I liked the way her husband and daughter wrote sections, and I especially enjoyed her younger daughter's experiences with poultry. It makes me want to have adventure in local food myself.

The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11

Average customer rating:

Pathetic apologist
Get Thee Behind Me Hillary
Interesting theories, but poorly researched.
Conservative hypocrisy
he forgot my sisters

The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11
Dinesh D'Souza
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0385510128
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Book Description

From THE ENEMY AT HOME:

“In this book I make a claim that will seem startling at the outset. The cultural left in this country is responsible for causing 9/11. … In faulting the cultural left, I am not making the absurd accusation that this group blew up the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I am saying that the cultural left and its allies in Congress, the media, Hollywood, the nonprofit sector, and the universities are the primary cause of the volcano of anger toward America that is erupting from the Islamic world. The Muslims who carried out the 9/11 attacks were the product of this visceral rage—some of it based on legitimate concerns, some of it based on wrongful prejudice, but all of it fueled and encouraged by the cultural left. Thus without the cultural left, 9/11 would not have happened.

“I realize that this is a strong charge, one that no one has made before. But it is a neglected aspect of the 9/11 debate, and it is critical to understanding the current controversy over the ‘war against terrorism.’ … I intend to show that the left has actively fostered the intense hatred of America that has led to numerous attacks such as 9/11. If I am right, then no war against terrorism can be effectively fought using the left-wing premises that are now accepted doctrine among mainstream liberals and Democrats.”

Whenever Muslims charge that the war on terror is really a war against Islam, Americans hasten to assure them they are wrong. Yet as Dinesh D’Souza argues in this powerful and timely polemic, there really is a war against Islam. Only this war is not being waged by Christian conservatives bent on a moral crusade to impose democracy abroad but by the American cultural left, which for years has been vigorously exporting its domestic war against religion and traditional morality to the rest of the world.

D’Souza contends that the cultural left is responsible for 9/11 in two ways: by fostering a decadent and depraved American culture that angers and repulses other societies—especially traditional and religious ones— and by promoting, at home and abroad, an anti-American attitude that blames America for all the problems of the world.

Islamic anti-Americanism is not merely a reaction to U.S. foreign policy but is also rooted in a revulsion against what Muslims perceive to be the atheism and moral depravity of American popular culture. Muslims and other traditional people around the world allege that secular American values are being imposed on their societies and that these values undermine religious belief, weaken the traditional family, and corrupt the innocence of children. But it is not “America” that is doing this to them, it is the American cultural left. What traditional societies consider repulsive and immoral, the cultural left considers progressive and liberating.

Taking issue with those on the right who speak of a “clash of civilizations,” D’Souza argues that the war on terror is really a war for the hearts and minds of traditional Muslims—and traditional peoples everywhere. The only way to win the struggle with radical Islam is to convince traditional Muslims that America is on their side.

We are accustomed to thinking of the war on terror and the culture war as two distinct and separate struggles. D’Souza shows that they are really one and the same. Conservatives must recognize that the left is now allied with the Islamic radicals in a combined effort to defeat Bush’s war on terror. A whole new strategy is therefore needed to fight both wars. “In order to defeat the Islamic radicals abroad,” D’Souza writes, “we must defeat the enemy at home.”

Customer Reviews:

Pathetic apologist.......2007-06-27

Dinesh D'Souza's leap in logic would clear the Grand Canyon!

Let me summarise Dinesh D'Souza's pathetic attempt at writing. Its the LEFT (whoever they are) that caused 9/11. It is the LEFT that causes islamic terrorism.

Of course it has nothing to do with the islamic terrorists themselves. Oh no.

And of course Bush is completely innocent. He was hamstrung by the left being in control of..... well not the Congress, Senate or Supreme Court...

As you can see - great analysis in this book. Wait until it hits 0.01c and then use it for toilet paper

Get Thee Behind Me Hillary.......2007-06-21

There is no doubt that Islamic terrorists wish America harm. There is also no doubt that there is a myriad of possible causes for that animus. But there is plenty of doubt about which segment of Islamic society is actively involved in that terror and there is equal doubt about which segment of American society has acted in such a way--either directly or indirectly--to bring about that animus. In THE ENEMY AT HOME, Dinesh D'Souza posits the novel idea that the cultural left has deliberately chosen to side with Osama Bin Laden by ruthlessly calculating the harm that Bin Laden has wrought against the harm that George Bush will wreak against the left's own plans for a continuation of the secular progressive tidal wave that now has thoroughly immersed our society. The conclusion, D'Souza reaches, is that the latter is a far greater danger to that tidal wave that the left sees as an inevitable flowing of tolerance and diversity.

Such an interpretation is bound to anger the left in that the entire range of leftist thought--abortion on demand, Hollywood immorality, and a totally secularized society--stands revealed as the true cause of 9/11. But wait, the left shouts (and D'Souza plays devil's advocate) what about the more traditional reasons bandied about nightly by the major media? Abu Ghraib, torture and detention of Islamic prisoners, America's close ties to Israel. For each of these, D'Souza analyzes their relevance and dismisses them as no more than red herrings that the left insists are the only causes. Far more convincing is D'Souza's contention that Bush is seen as a crusader but not in the historical sense of cross-carrying Christians expelling Moslems from Jerusalem in the 12th century. Rather, he grants that even then, the historical crusaders never were even the slightest threat to eradicate Islam from Europe. But in the excesses of the cultural left, their insistence on forcing its cultural values on a resistant Moslem world, Osama Bin Laden and by extension much of the Islamic world might truly envision that if these leftist excesses were to take permanent root, then the very existence of Islam is directly threatened.

So what can we do to avoid another 9/11? For starters, D'Souza insists that conservatives must publicize the alliance between the left and the terrorists. Further, he suggests that by distancing the right from the cultural excesses of the left that mainstream Islam will cease lumping all Americans into a common stew. Thus, the enemy over there cannot be defeated until the enemy over here is first defeated. Several Amazon.Com reviewers have raised the legitimate question first broached by the left in its insistence that 9/11 is a direct result of cowboy diplomacy by a blood for oil Bush. Yet, such objections could have been raised by those wishing to criticize presidents Carter and Clinton, both of whom dealt with Islam in such a way as to suggest that America was a toothless tiger. THE ENEMY AT HOME is a workable thesis that can stem the tide of a seemingly endless surge of suicide bombers but to do so requires the left to engage in some painful soul searching. And that is not likely to happen, thus D'Souza's plan for the right to act unilaterally to protect this country from itself.

Interesting theories, but poorly researched........2007-06-21

One of D'souza's most often touted theories is that Carter's failure to back the Shah led to Khomeinei's rise to power. This may be true in a manner of speaking, but it takes a very short term view of Iranian history. The West has for intervened when it has seen fit for a long time in Iran. Britain prevented construction of a transnational railroad until it saw fit in the late 19th century, and the Allies briefly occupied Iran during WWII. (perhaps more justifiable given the circumstances) Most heinous was the joint CIA-MI6 1953 'Operation Ajax' which ousted the democratically elected government of Iran because of oil concerns. It should have come as a surprise to now one when the Iranians finally kicked him, and us, out. I hardly think Carter can be blamed for withdrawing support for a such a dictator, though he could perhaps have handled the situation with more care and finesse.
D'Souza takes the short view of history, and uses only the facts supporting his premise.

Conservative hypocrisy.......2007-05-18

Here is the conservative strategy at its best: support the economic and social model that in fact undermines the family (namely: corporate greed, uncontrolled neo-capitalism, unmerciful careerism and competition, aggressive global campaign against welfare), and then lament that loss, and blame those that just wrote or talked against family values. The enemy at home are Mr. D'Souza and his fellow Republicans.

he forgot my sisters.......2007-05-14

great concept and possible truth about 9/11, but D'souza forgot to mention the unspeakable lives of middle eastern women, no pun intended, and the education for boys only.......still makes for an illiterate country.....it was a mans point of view...and how appropo, a middle eastern man wrote it i didnt even finish it b/c even at the mid point of the book.....still no mention of women or education for girls....

The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book

Average customer rating:

It's the Encyclopedia of human existence...
A treasure trove of info.
A Great Book! Entertaining and Informative
Everyone should have a copy!
This is my 'desert island' book

The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book
Carla Emery
Manufacturer: Sasquatch Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 157061377X

Amazon.com

For twenty years people have relied on these hundreds of recipes, instructions, and morsels of invaluable practical advice on all aspects of growing and preparing food. This definitive classic on food, gardening, and self-sufficient living is a complete resource for living off the land with over 800 pages of collected wisdom from country maven, Carla Emery--how to cultivate a garden, buy land, bake bread, raise farm animals, make sausage, milk a goat, grow herbs, churn butter, catch a pig, make soap, work with bees and more. Encyclopedia of Country Living is so basic, so thorough, so reliable, it deserves a place in every home--whether in the country, the city, or somewhere in between.

Book Description

Initially self-published 20 years ago, The Encyclopedia of Country Living has become the trusted guidebook to sustainable, self-sufficient living. Filled with memorable anecdotes, crucial advice, and a generous helping of good humor, this compendium provides detailed information about food production — growing, processing, cooking, and preserving — together with hundreds of illustrations and recipes. With updates of over 1,100 mail order sources, including websites and email addresses, this revised edition is the definitive classic text for living off the land.

Customer Reviews:

It's the Encyclopedia of human existence..........2007-06-14

I've had a small farm all of my life and I find myself referencing this book at least once a week. It's difficult to give a review on something so vast, because there is really nothing else like it. If you can think of a topic, it's covered in The Encyclopedia of Country Living. I will say this, if terrorists ever attack us in a large-scale way, or a large meteor comes crashing to earth, I would not want to be without this comprehensive encyclopedia.

J. P. Landry, author of Hazard 666

A treasure trove of info........2007-05-18

I really like the information in this book. I see complaints that it doesn't go very far in depth on most issues, but it IS intended as an all-encompassing encyclopedia. The book is good as a quick-look reference; and if you have the need for deeper information into any one of the categories, you can search for another book that specifically encompasses that subject.

I think anyone interested in self sufficiency, homesteading, or country living should get this book. It is great for getting an overall sense of what it's like to live these lifestyles while leaving deeper, specialized topics for other books.

A Great Book! Entertaining and Informative.......2007-05-17

I am giving this book 4 stars as I found it to be very informative, easy to read and yes, entertaining. This is a great book for the hobby farmer, the homesteader, the backyard gardener and even the outdoor camp person. This book is a great starting point for basic information on some subjects and also provides very thorough information on other subjects. The only negative thing I have to say about this book (which is why I did not give it 5 stars) is it is very big and awkward especially since it is a paperback. The pages are very, very thin - almost like onion paper. If you're a person living the ranching/farming and/or country life, you want a sturdy book to keep on hand to review if needed. This book itself reminds me of a sleek greyhound - definitely not for the country life. I would of liked to compare this book to a good steady farm dog. This would be a better item if the author broke it down into a 3 or 4 hardback book set rather this this large flimsy book. Again, I loved the information and I think it is one of the best books I have read.

Everyone should have a copy!.......2007-05-12

Fantastic! Why just a few pages of the jam packed book are worth the money. Carla goes into great detail answering almost all the questions you have and if not she gives a book or web to find more! This is a must have for any homesteader!

This is my 'desert island' book.......2007-03-24

If you have to choose only one book for your 'back to the land' bookshelf, make it this one.
I have owned the last three editions of this book, and I have been reading this type of book for over 30 years, now, since I picked up my grandmother's copy of the first 'Foxfire' book. This is the best, most comprehensive book I have ever read. On any topic. And I have read it cover to cover, too many times to count.
I was born and raised in metropolitan Tampa Bay, Florida. Even then, I dreamed of having a farm. I bought this book when my husband was in the military, we were moving every 18 months, and had never owned a house, much less a farm. It gave me something to dream on. I have memorized most of it by now, and my copy is ragged from actually using it to learn from. We now have a very small farm, raising veggies, fruits, goats, ducks, and chickens naturally. 'The Country Recipe Book' gave me the courage to follow my dreams, and enough basic knowledge to figure out how. (Learning to milk the goat, while reading the directions out loud to my husband and 12 year old daughter, was worth every penny I've ever spent on it...).

Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance

Average customer rating:

A SUPER BOOK!
everything you need to know in one book
Storey's Basic Country Skills
excellent seller and product
An Excellent reference book if you are considering living rurally

Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
John Storey , and Martha Storey
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book
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ASIN: 1580172024

Book Description

This is the book for anyone who wants to become more self-reliant, from suburbanites with 1/4 of an acre to country homesteaders with several. The information is easily understood and readily applicable.

More than 150 of Storey's expert authors in gardening, building, animal raising, and homesteading share their specialized knowledge and experience in this ultimate guide to living a more independent, satisfying life.

Readers will find step-by-step, illustrated instructions for every aspect of country living including:

Finding country land

Buying, building, and renovating a home

Developing water sources and systems

Understanding wiring, plumbing, and heating

Using alternative heating and energy sources

Vegetable, flower, and herb gardening

Traditional cooking skills such as baking bread and making maple syrup

Preparing and preserving meat, fruits, and vegetables

Building and maintaining barns, sheds, and outbuildings

Caring for common farm and ranch animals, and pets

Customer Reviews:

A SUPER BOOK!.......2007-06-09

Book is full of great information and advice for the farmer, rancher, homesteader, backyard adventurer and camper. The only thing I did not like about it was that it is a paperback and is so big. While I will continue to refer to it, I will have to be careful. The book is not hardy for the homesteading home, farm or ranch. I would gladly pay more for this book if it was hard bound and had more durable pages. It should be broken up into several books. Other than that, it is a fabulous book and has everything you need to know.

everything you need to know in one book.......2007-05-21

I bought this book after reading Gregg Perry's review of the book (read review below mine). I have to say he was right on the money. This book has way more in it than I thought it would. How to raise goats, chickens/chicken problems, ducks, geese, how to buy the right land, home maintanence, septic systems, composting, how to store grains, and how to farm to to cover the tip of the ice berg. I own a lot of other Storey books, and this book takes a lot of the information from those books and just gets down to the nuts and bolts. My review simply can't help but fall short of just was useful, and how much information is in this book. This is one of the best book purchases I have ever made, and this is coming from a guy who owns multiple books on these subjects. Had I found this book first I could have saved myself a lot of time and money. Do yourself a favor buy this book you won't regret it.

Storey's Basic Country Skills.......2007-05-18

I bought this book in conjunction with Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living. I highly recommend both of them. What one doesn't cover, the other one does. Storey's probably goes into more detail than the average homesteader needs. Also, I was raised on a farm in NC by my grandparents, and some of the ways they suggest doing things seems more complicated and unnecessary (such as the procedure for killing a chicken for meat), but if you've never been exposed to some of this stuff, the advice is invaluable. Also, the info in the back of the book is great. It lists websites and magazines that cater to country living.
This book was well worth the money spent and I would recommend it to everyone!

excellent seller and product.......2007-02-13

Item as described and received in a timely manner... an excellent buying experience!

An Excellent reference book if you are considering living rurally.......2006-12-24

John Storey has created an excellent reference guide for people considering living on the land - if nothing else it gives a vast range of pros and cons - and considerations, which need to be made to live rurally. As it is a massive reference work not everything can be dealt with in huge depth, but it has proved to be enormously useful as a first stop off point on what to do. If we have needed to go further we have then consulted other books, however often that is not necessary.

There are some things such as slaughtering cattle which just aren't really what we want to do anyway! What I really liked is that it has the issues you need to think about, with newbies to rural living like ourselves we had no idea of what we needed to even think about - it has saved us making a lot of huge mistakes! I have felt overwhelmed at times by the amount of information you need to have to live successfully off the land, in the past this would have been passed down from generation to generation - so it is learning a whole lifetime of information in one book. Luckily this book is well set out and well written and illustrated which makes using it a whole lot easier.

Average customer rating:

Totally gripping
Woman in White Book
Wilkie Collins' most captivating oeuvre
Historical experience as well as good story
Highly-recommended!

The Woman in White (Penguin Classics)
Wilkie Collins , and Matthew Sweet
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0141439610
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Matthew Sweet.

Customer Reviews:

Totally gripping.......2007-06-26

I have read this book several times and just reread it after many years. I don't understand those who think it hard to follow. If one pays attention the plot is easily understood. Too many people are used to being spoonfed and have trouble with Dickens and Collins because they demand attention.

This book is frightening and not in any supernatural way but because I wondered what I would do if I had been Laura or Anne, shut away in an asylum against my will. what would I do if I were trapped and unable to reach anyone to help me? It's this helplessness that is so frightening and the inability for the law to do anything without proof.

I highly recommend this book. And Marian Halcamb is a true heroine in a Victorian era, fighting back at injustice. These are characters you won't soon forget although Laura is very much in the Dickens mode: pretty, complaisant, mostly, and depending on others. A woman of her times.

Woman in White Book.......2007-05-25

The book was in very good condition and arrived in a timely manner.

Wilkie Collins' most captivating oeuvre .......2007-02-25

A master craftsman of timeless classics that still garner accolades today, Wilkie Collins' brilliance was often eclipsed by the illustriousness of his well-known contemporary, Charles Dickens. Fortunately Collins' literary tour de force can still be enjoyed and appreciated today.

The Woman In White is unquestionably one of his best works -- a superbly written, gripping gothic mystery that will enthrall Victorian lit and `whodunit' lovers alike. Complex, yet incredibly involving, the novel is full of atmosphere and rich description. Collins is also verified as a superb stylist with his evocative array of unforgettable characters.

Throughout the novel, Collins' allows several of his characters to espouse the role of narrator, which lends an exciting edge, where readers are unsure which characters, can or cannot, be trusted.

When a mysterious woman clad in white, accosts Walter Hartright, a young art master on his way to a new commission to teach two half-sisters, the catalyst emerges upon which the entire narrative turns. The idealist Hartright is soon introduced to and fast becomes close friends with his two new pupils at Limmeridge House? Laura Fairlie, the young naïve maiden and heiress, who abides by her father's deathbed-wish to marry Sir Percival Glyde; and Marian Holcombe, head-strong, independent, and fiercely loyal to her younger half-sister. Despite Marian's belief that her sister's wedding should continue according to their father's wishes, Marian soon becomes suspicious of Sir Percival's intentions in marrying Laura, who she believes is only pursuing Laura for her fortune. Enter the cunning and rapacious Count Fosco from Italy, who is also strangely suave and genial a villain as one is likely to meet in literature. Sir Percival, together with his intelligent ally, Fosco, conspire to ruin the lovely Laura Fairlie, for her family fortune. There is also a secret of Sir Percival's that he will keep, whatever the cost. As a result, the sisters and Hartright are drawn into the intrigue and danger as the plot unfolds. What is Sir Percival's secret? Who is this woman in white? And how will she affect the lives of those at Limmeridge House?

The engaging mystery wrapped up in The Woman In White vies three sanguine youth against the likes of avaricious, black-hearted villains who will stop at nothing to get what they want. It is truly a riveting classic that encompasses romance, drama and mystery. The Woman In White is a timeless favourite and a must-read for any classics lover!

Historical experience as well as good story.......2006-11-04

I had read somewhere that "The Woman In White" was the original mystery novel and was the classic to measure all later ones by. After a slow start I became very engaged with the subtle clues and flowery vocabulary. The book is a chance to experience a Victorian past that adds a special touch to an interesting story.

Highly-recommended!.......2006-10-18

First serialized in 1859, and then published as a novel in 1860, The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins, tellingly, has never been out-of-print since the time of our Civil War.

The Woman in White is a richly-phrased and atmospheric page-turner that, in a complicated and rather unique fashion, reveals its mystery slowly, even luxuriously, through the testimonies of a host of memorable characters, such as the capable Marian Holcombe, and her nemesis, one of literature's more intriguing creations, the suave villain, Count Fosco.

Weighing in at a hefty 600-plus pages, The Woman in White may appear daunting to some; but the pairing of Collins' writing, which is often sublime, and his method of story-telling, which is always interesting, should, if given the chance, prove a winning-combination to most.

Also recommended: The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins; The Winter Queen, by Boris Akunin; Gaston Leroux's The Mystery of the Yellow Room, and The Perfume of the Lady in Black; Caleb Carr's The Alienist, and The Angel of Darkness; Rennie Airth's River of Darkness, and The Blood-Dimmed Tide; and, last, By A Slow River, by Philippe Claudel.

The Moonstone (Modern Library Classics); The Winter Queen: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mysteries); The Mystery of the Yellow Room; The Perfume of the Lady in Black (Dedalus European Classics Series); The Alienist: A Novel; The Angel of Darkness; River of Darkness; The Blood-Dimmed Tide (Penguin Mysteries); By a Slow River: A Novel.

Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America

Average customer rating:

Sun-drenched colors of Southern France
For Americans creating French style, who can't go to France
French Provencal style influences American interiors
Provencal Interiors?????
Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America

Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America
Betty Lou Phillips
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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French by Design
New French Country: A Style and Source Book
Villa Decor: Decidedly French and Italian Style
Secrets of French Design
Unmistakably French

ASIN: 087905848X

Book Description

8 1/2 X 10 In, 160 Pp, 125 Color Photos. Provencal Interiors: Inspired by the sun-drenched colors of southern France, french country, or provencal, decorating is the epitome of understated luxury, as fitting in the city and suburbs as in rural reaches. No matter that it's roots are firmly planted in the small stone farmhouse, or mas, the typical dwelling in the provencal region. It is eqaully appealing in a remote chateau as in a stately manor house, or bastide. The most inviting homes exude comfort,tradition, and grace. Most people, though, say it is charm that best characterizes the french interior. Through stunning photographs, informative text, and an extensive resource list, provincal interiors detail everything necessary for creating this harmonious mingling in america.

Customer Reviews:

Sun-drenched colors of Southern France.......2004-03-03

"French country decorating at its finest is the harmonious mingling of fabrics, textures, and patterns - an artistic blending of the familiar with warmth and sophistication."

As you open this book, you may start to have the desire to suddenly order hundreds of pastel pink tulip bulbs. While this book is not quite as lavish as "Villa Décor" it is much more practical. There are extensive instructions for using color, texture and scale.

Betty Lou Phillips has included a wonderful picture of a library with bookcases spanning the library walls. Her work has appeared in Southern Accents, Traditional Home & Bath, Window and Wall, and Decorating as well as many magazine covers. She is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers.

There are eight main chapters:

What Is Provencal Charm?
Making an Entrance
French Quarters
Table Matters - Kitchens and Dining Rooms
Bedrooms, Bedding, and Baths
French Accents
Outside Interests
Trade Secrets

I loved reading the "Table Matters" section which includes a comparison between French and American kitchens. The bedroom section had me wishing I had some fresh croissants on hand for a breakfast tray.

There is no need to travel to France to buy beautiful fabrics, furnishings and fixtures. A complete list of catalogs is also included.

This is "French Country Style in America," so it is a fusion of various ideas from a variety of locations in France.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

For Americans creating French style, who can't go to France.......2001-12-28

Ok, so this isn't "authentic French Provence design." Suppose you won't be visiting Aix-en-Provence and running around looking for all the pieces you need, and then figuring out how to fill up a shipping container and send it through customs, etc etc, (can you imagine doing this in a foreign country in a foreign language?!) You just aren't going to find a lot of genuine French furnishing and fabrics in the US. What if you want to use French elements in your decorating (as we did) and only have access to American furniture lines and the fabrics sold here?

This book provides a great solution. American houses are DIFFERENT than European, and what's sold in furniture and decorating supply shops is different, too. "Provencal Interiors" shows you how to get that effect with things you can get here. THAT'S great. If it isn't authentic, that's ok. If you don't have unlimited funds for a decorator to buy worldwide to create "real" Provencal, this book works really well. Maybe better.

The pictures give good examples of Provencal style rooms, and there are lists of suppliers that are helpful. The color schemes are perhaps the most useful part. Another useful thing are the fabrics and how to mix them. I myself have problems figuring that out; this helps.

French Provencal style influences American interiors.......2001-10-27

I found this book a wonderful view of French Provencal style, blended with American verve and elegance. Many of us have traveled in France, and know the French are also very influenced by the freshness and ease of American design.

Remember it was not an English, but an AMERICAN interior designer, Nancy Lancaster from Virginia USA, who revolutionized English Country style. She became Lady Colfax and changed the look of country houses from stiff to chintz.

I think the author introduces the beauty of Euro/American design in this book. The French Provencal Style in AMERICA title is a great clue that the pages are not full of 17th century French country village interiors.

Also, it always helps to read a book before you judge it!

Provencal Interiors?????.......2001-08-08

This is a nice book but it does not contain Provencal style interiors! I am not sure how the author came up with that title since anyone who is interested in French country will not find it here. If you are truly looking for Provencal decorating ideas-this is not the book for you. CONFUSED!!!

Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America.......2001-05-23

I haven't even read the book, but I LIVE in PROVENCE, and I have to agree from what I see on the cover that the style is not typical of Provence, however pretty it may be... If the inside is different, then feel free to correct me!

Shades of Country: Designing a Life of Comfort

Average customer rating:

So So
inspiration for your dream home
Beautiful Country Homes
Ho-hum
Just another potpourri book...

Shades of Country: Designing a Life of Comfort
Chippy Irvine
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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For the Love of Old: Living with Chipped, Frayed, Tarnished, Faded, Tattered, Worn and Weathered Things that Bring Comfort, Character and Joy to the Places We Call Home
Modern Country
The New Eighteenth-Century Style: Rediscovering a French Décor
Classic Greenwich Style
The Barefoot Home: Dressed-Down Design for Casual Living

ASIN: 1561588164
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Book Description

Country living and style permeates every aspect of our culture- we yearn for the simplicity and comfort of country style living as seen in the pages of popular publications like Country Living Magazine and in Shabby Chic décor. There are many shades of country to match your personal style and Shades of Country, written by Chippy Irvine, masterfully presents some of America’s most beautiful, charming and fascinating country houses. Chippy introduces six unique country styles; Farmhouse, Grand Country, Cottage, Rusticator, Clean and Simple, and Urban Arcadia; enrich a home with warmth, texture, color and beauty. Shades of Country shows how you can mix and match styles or create a unified look while helping you enjoy the comfort of living in country style.

Customer Reviews:

So So.......2007-06-11

This book was a bit disapointing. The disappointment comes from the intrepetation of Country style or English country style, as shown the the photographs, as being lots of clutter and in some cases not the best of taste. I have many other style books that show how charming Country style, antiques and hodge podge collections can be, but somehow many of the examples in this book miss the mark. Maybe the author's take on Country style is just not my cup of country tea, so to speak. Many photos are from the author's own home and I felt that narrowed the scope of the book somewhat.

inspiration for your dream home.......2007-02-28

I can seldom resist a good décor book, especially one on Country Style. My current excuse is that I'm looking for ideas I can use in my own country house which I've been renovating for the past 5 years.

Shades of Country is perfect for the amateur decorator and it's reasonably priced too. It is profusely illustrated with a wealth of examples of actual American homes -- including the author's own country retreat -- which are not only beautiful but emphasize comfort & practicality. Some of them are derived from European country styles, but most are what we think of as typically American - east coast farmhouses, Shaker simplicity, Montana ranch and rustic Adirondack cabin.

There is something for every taste here; cosy bedrooms with iron beds & antique bureaus & old quilts in muted pastels; walls painted, wallpapered, wainscotted or of varnished logs; walls hung with blue and white platters, old portraits or prints or ornate mirrors; a stair rail made from a birch tree; support posts disguised as palm trees; kitchens with open shelves of china bowls or glassware, and red-painted iron pots hanging from overhead beams; staircases plain or classic; toile's and stripes and rose-bouquet chintzes; floral cushions on a jade green slip-covered sofa; cobalt blue cushions on spruce-green wicker chairs on a white-painted verandah; a window box on a country out-house, and bookshelves - which I seldom see in American decor magazines - including one converted from a fireplace hole-in-the-wall (I guess I'm not the first to think of doing that) and fluted pilasters high-lighting an otherwise plain bookshelf .

Whether you are renovating your home; or still dreaming of that someday home in the country; updating a tired décor or looking for ideas for colour schemes or a knick-knack shelf, this book will inspire you.

Beautiful Country Homes.......2007-01-16

This may not break any new ground in decorating, but I never fail to enjoy browsing one more book on the topic of country style. This shows use of fabrics, accessories, paint and furniture that makes country style what it is. It also defines some sub-genres of country; Farmhouse, Grand Country, Cottage, Rusticator, Clean and Simple, and Urban Arcadia.
If you like Country Living magazine or enjoy the Shabby Chic trend, then you'll find pleasure in this book.

Ho-hum.......2006-12-30

In my opinion, this book did not "live up to" it's cover. Too many of the rooms looked very dated. I love the idea of collecting over time but many of these rooms were very lackluster and boring. I requested it as a Christmas gift and wish I could un-request it!

Just another potpourri book..........2006-10-20

I love interior decorating books, especially Colonial, Regency and Victorian or English Country Style. But this book covers too much territory. A few pictures of each, as well as others styles like Ranch, or French. If you are having trouble deciding on a style, this book might help you. It has lovely illustrations, but again, as it is trying to cover many different styles falling under the broad title of "Country" your information is limited. There are too many books coming out like this. Specialty books are much better. Look to Rizzoli for the best in interior decorating books, or if you want some kind of country, best buy a book that covers that one particular style. I browsed through this at the store, hoping it might make a good Christmas present for me, but it ended up back on the shelf.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic--even better after you've seen the movie!
"I'm sorry, sir, but I am unable to assist in this matter."
A masterpiece
Relatable
A Moving Exploration of Regret

The Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Never Let Me Go
When We Were Orphans
Never Let Me Go (Alex Awards)
The English Patient
An Artist of the Floating World

ASIN: 0679731725
Release Date: 1990-09-12

Amazon.com

The novel's narrator, Stevens, is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession. In a career that spans the second World War, Stevens is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him -- oblivious, for instance, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer. Still, there are even larger matters at stake in this heartbreaking, pitch-perfect novel -- namely, Stevens' own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence.

Book Description

A tragic, spiritual portrait of a perfect English butler and his reaction to his fading insular world in post-war England. A wonderful, wonderful book.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic--even better after you've seen the movie!.......2007-06-27

Usually, movies and novels don't mix. If one is poignant and relevant, the other is utter crap. In the case of The Remains of the Day, though, this is definitely not true: the movie actually *enhances* the book, and vice versa.

This novel takes place in post-WWII England, laden with pre-WWII flashbacks. The story of Stevens, the obedient butler of Lord Darlington, is not for the action-adventure lover: it is a quiet, almost meditative story that contemplates love, war, obedience, the working class, and patriotism. The story is slow but rich; if you liked The English Patient or Schindler's List, you will enjoy this book.

I had seen the movie several times before I settled into the novel; I have found that it's especially pleasant if you can hear Stevens in your mind in the voice of Anthony Hopkins.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I am unable to assist in this matter.".......2007-06-17

Midway through a pivotal scene in "The Remains of the Day," Lord Darlington's young godson confronts the butler, James Stevens, about the nefarious goings-on in Darlington Hall, insisting angrily, "you're not curious. You just let all this go on before you and you never think to look at it for what it is." A gentleman's gentleman to the core, Mr. Stevens serves at the pleasure, and defers to the judgment, of his lord, and this training limits his robotic, repeated replies: "I don't fully understand what it is you're referring to" or "I'm afraid I have not noticed any such development."

"Remains" is basically a British comedy of manners--and there are many episodes that are certainly, if wryly, humorous. Yet Stevens is the anti-Jeeves--a man whose worth in his profession is inversely proportional to the value of his opinions. This point is brought home when one of Darlington's guests, to prove his arguments against England's "present parliamentary system," mockingly asks the butler his stance on several economic and political issues of the day. "I'm sorry, sir, but I am unable to assist in this matter." Whether Stevens has knowledge on these matters is beside the point; he's accepted that it's not his place to offer his own views. He is a man with style, but without substance.

As a result, Stevens proves to be the most unreliable narrator, and it quickly becomes apparent that his defense of his employer's integrity is actually defensiveness. Stevens's lack of "curiosity" and his impassiveness result in the book's three most disquieting subplots: he admires greatly his father (also a butler), but they remain aloof from each other, with heartbreaking consequences; he furtively reads romantic novels, but refuses to entertain the unsubtle overtures from the housekeeper Miss Kenton; he disagrees with his employer's reasons for firing two maids yet refuses to challenge him. For her part, Miss Kenton turns out to be the real hero of the book, trying during her tenure to break through Stevens's emotional barriers and haunting his thoughts long after she's left the household.

Yet, if Ishiguro's novel were simply another upstairs-downstairs tale, it wouldn't be much to recommend. Instead, Stevens is any of us who wanders blindly through life, doing no more than what's expected and leaving "the great affairs of today's world" to others. Indeed, "Remains of the Day" offers a frontal assault on conservative, oligarchic notions of morality. (The endless discussions over the qualities of a good butler and Stevens's arguments for "his lordship's good judgement" seem at times a parody of Edmund Burke's defense of monarchy.)

It's not a coincidence that both Americans in the novel, while behaving like tactless cads, are ultimately being proved right for favoring honesty over "honour." One of the Americans, Stevens's new employer, encourages the butler to drop the stiff upper lip and engage in some friendly banter, offering Stevens a belated opportunity to rejuvenate his own sense of worth. In spite of the novel's focus on aristocracy and servants, its moments like this one that underscore the truly egalitarian nature of Ishiguro's work.

A masterpiece.......2007-04-30

A magnificient book written with wit and great style!
"What I'm interested in is not the actual fact that my characters have done things they later regret. I'm interested in how they come to terms with it" said once the author Kazuo Ishiguro.

Relatable.......2007-03-02

There was something hypnotic about this story. The depth of the feelings behind Steven's carefully weighed speach pulled me in and somehow felt intensely real.

A Moving Exploration of Regret.......2007-02-19

Kazuo Ishiguro once said the following of his desire to write: "I'm always trying to remind myself that while we may be very pleased with ourselves, we may one day look back with a different perspective and ask whether we may have acted out of cowardice or failure of vision. What I'm interested in is not the actual fact that my characters have done things they later regret. I'm interested in how they come to terms with it."

To me the above is an excellent description of what's going on in The Remains of the Day: Mr Stevens, a repressed butler in post-WWII England, is forced near the end of his career to reexamine his entire life. Although there are certainly a number of interesting subplots that keep you asking "what happens next?," the central action of the story revolves around Mr Stevens' attempts to salvage for himself some of the 'dignity' and 'greatness' and 'satisfaction' that he had, until recently, been so sure he'd achieved over the years.

Basically, I read the book as an exploration of regret, a very sad story, although it definitely had its funny moments. Often Mr Stevens will either misinterpret what's happening around him, or else he will repress his feelings to such an extent that he makes happiness impossible for himself. But whether you look at it as a very sad comedy or a very funny tragedy, I thought the book was extremely well written and worthwhile. The first couple of chapters took a bit of patience as I got to know Mr Stevens, but by the end of the story he had become one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. Overall, I'd recommend The Remains of the Day to anyone in the mood for thoughtful, character-driven fiction.

Average customer rating:

Disappointingly Miserable
Julia will break your heart.
Good
She loved him??????
Another good read in the Wideacre series

The Favored Child : A Novel
Philippa Gregory
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Meridon
Wideacre : A Novel
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ASIN: 0743249305

Book Description

The Wideacre estate is bankrupt. The villagers are living in poverty and Wideacre Hall is a smoke-blackened ruin. But, in the Dower House, two children are being raised in protected innocence.

Equal claimants to the estate, rivals for the love of the village, they are tied by a secret childhood betrothal but forbidden to marry. Only one can be the favored child. Only one can inherit the magical understanding between the land and the Lacey family that can make the Sussex village grow green again. Only one can be Beatrice Lacey's true heir.

Sensual, gripping, sometimes mystical, The Favored Child sweeps the reader irresistibly into the eighteenth century, a revolutionary period in English history. This rich and dramatic novel continues the saga of the Lacey family started in Philippa Gregory's bestselling and enduringly popular Wideacre.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointingly Miserable.......2007-06-11

This book did not live up to Gregory's later book, Meridon. I don't know about Wideacre because I haven't read it yet but reading The Favored Child made me not want to go back to the first book.

Julia is just an idiot. I felt really bad for her but she kind of just screwed herself over throughout the entire story. And nothing good ever came out of all of her struggles.

It left me with a really disturbed, and unsatisfied feeling. I do not recommend this novel.

Julia will break your heart........2007-02-24

It's the sign of an extraordinary writer when we find ourselves as readers so affected by the characters that we want to yell at them, slap or shake them, or cry with frustration--and Gregory is an extraordinary writer, as she demonstrates in all three of the Wideacre books. It took me two tries to finish this story; Julia's emotional journey is truly heart-breaking. This is after all the tragic second act, when things are left in a state that seems beyond repair. But her devastated world is held together by the heroic strength of Ralph, the winning charm of James Fortescue, the courage of John and Celia, and the beautiful descriptions of the setting: of plant life, city life, landscape, and the spunky, endearing residents of Acre whose fates touch us as deeply as if they were our friends. I had to finish the story simply to discover how Gregory manages to make everything seem so real. There's an emotional power to these books that seems to be missing in the later Boleyn books, but the evocative description is Gregory's trademark, and is in great evidence here.

Good.......2007-01-10

It is well written and holds your interest. I didn't think it was as good as her Henry VIII era books.

She loved him??????.......2006-10-02

I bought this book because I had read and enjoyed some of Phillipa Gregory's historical novels. This one did not fill the bill for me. As a supposedly independent-thinking woman of spirit, I found Julia to be incredibly naive. Love is not an emotion that any female could possibly feel after being raped - especially after suffering abuse since childhood at the hands of her brother / playmate / husband. I found her characters to be either psychotic or dazed by all that laudunam (sp) they took. After reading THE FAVORED CHILD, I have no desire to read the first or the third in this trilogy.

Another good read in the Wideacre series.......2006-08-03

The Favored Child is the second book in a 3-book series by Phillippa Gregory. The series focuses on three generations of Lacey women who fight for a right to inherit, own, and manage their family estate called Wideacre, at a time in English history when women had no property rights. All three books in the series were interesting beach reads, and Phillippa Gregory is skilled at weaving in period details and language that bring that timeframe in England to life. I found the fact that the Lacey girl married her brother and had healthy children somewhat unbelievable in this book. But, never-the-less, I enjoyed the book because I wanted to see if a Lacey women ever gained control of the Wideacre estate.

Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style

Average customer rating:

Excellent read
Nancy Lancaster:English County House Style
A classic tale of high style
United States to Great Britain: Shared Style
Adrift in the Cozy, Comfortable, Tasteful English Tradition!

Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style
Martin Wood
Manufacturer: Frances Lincoln
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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An Affair with a House
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ASIN: 0711224293

Book Description

This book examines Nancy's contribution to the arts of interior decoration and garden design by chronicling her own homes and gardens. These are Mirador, a Virginian country house, etc.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent read.......2007-06-27

I truly enjoyed this book. The pictures were excellent quality and representative of the text. For the professional decorator or a person interested in house decoration it is funny and informative. I highly recommend this book.

Nancy Lancaster:English County House Style.......2007-02-09

Book was not what I expected. Book was recommended by a decorator who said Nancy Lancaster was her inspiration so I was expecting more decorating and less biography-like book. It does make an excellent coffee table presentation!!

A classic tale of high style.......2007-01-18

This book is sumptuous and entertaining. Martin Wood weaves a fascinating story of the founder of English County House Style. If you love biography, decorating, and history along with beautiful photographs, renderings, and paintings of exquisitely decorated rooms, this book will fit the bill! A lavish feast for sight and soul.

United States to Great Britain: Shared Style.......2006-08-30

This book takes the reader from the style of America in the early years of the 20th century to the life she created in Britain. Many aspects of style were shared in the two countries, but many are unique to each. It is interesting how Nancy Lancaster blended the two worlds into a grand country style that was appreciated by both. Her childhood home in Virginia was her inspiration throughout her life and helped set the style she was so well known for.

Adrift in the Cozy, Comfortable, Tasteful English Tradition!.......2006-04-10

Martin Wood is an excellent biographer and chronicler of style and in this richly illustrated monograph on Nancy Lancaster he makes use of his own credentials as a garden designer and interior designer to praise the virtues of a lady few of us know.

Nancy Lancaster gained her reputation as a gardener and designer of gardens whose only clear rival has been Gertrude Jekyll. But Martin Wood increases her stature by naming her the creator of the English country house style. His writing style is fluid, humorous, tender and informative, giving all the biographical data about Lancaster's heritage, youth, and life in a manner that makes what seems to be a picture essay become a page-turner novel!

Lancaster devoted herself to recreating the English Country atmosphere, though she was a born and bred American. Her own various homes as well as those of people who engaged her expertise demonstrate how even the most modest dwelling can breed the charm of the English Country house. Her gardens are like dream sequences out of Arthur Rackham and her taste in balancing room space with the gracious furniture and window treatments and light is impeccable. The Book is filled with some very lush photography that takes the time to scrutinize her concepts as well as pleasure the eye over her accomplishments. This is far more than a design book. This is a book about a life and how it extended into creating a personal world of quiet dignity and beauty. Grady Harp, April 06

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