House

As a new homeowner and a woman, this book arrived just in the nick of time! It is incredibly well-written, and completely captivating in its style. Most importantly, it provides the key to the previously forbidden, male dominated world of home repair. I hope the team of Warren and Craig provide many sequels. I can't wait for the next one!

At last, a "husband" who understands how to communicate with a lady! Not only does Kaile Warren write in an easy to understand manner that makes home repair tasks seem less daunting, his sense of humor comes through in every chapter! From clever chapter titles to the witty stories of Rent-A-Husbands on the job this book is a pleasure to read. Kaile's Insider Tips are an extra bonus as he dispenses advice that will help readers save time, space and best of all, lots of money! If you never attempt a repair of your own, I still recommend reading this book as you can gain valuable knowledge about how a project should be done. Not a bad way to check up on your own handyman!

Truly helpful and a joyous reading experience.

The classic childrens story of a new toy - The Velveteen Rabbit, and a little boys love for it. Also it was the story of toys and how they become real; when the boy truly loves them. Without giving away too much of the story, I do sense a sadness to the story whenever I read it. Perhaps its in the writing. Yet, nonetheless, there is a classic story here thats been told and retold many times, and this is one of the times that its told well and honestly. Highly reccomened to children and adults.

This is my all-time favorite children's book! A little boy receives a stuffed rabbit for Christmas, and they love each other until one day...This book is so true and honest in its emotion, you will not be able to read it without shedding tears. It deserves much more than 5 stars. Read it aloud with your child...share the beauty and the love.

Most youngsters have a favorite toy, which may be why they have always loved The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real.

Today small eyes and ears will respond just as eagerly to the
reassuring story of a stuffed rabbit miraculously transformed by love.
First published in 1922, this classic tale loses none of its power in today's brightly illustrated abridged version which is more accessible for a younger audience. Ages 3 and up.

This book is a GREAT place to start your journey into wood finishing.

Bob starts by systematically explaining the logic and science behind different types of finish, including oils (varnish "oils" too, polyurethane and such), shellac, lacquer, conversion, waterbase, waxes, and more.

He also explains application methodology IN DEPTH, such as, french polishing, brushing, spraying.

He explains shaping tools (these include scrapers with sharpening methods, spokeshave devices, steel wools, rubbing compounds, sandpapers (all types)) and how to use them to achieve results.

He then goes in depth into suggestions for different woods, limited exotics and many domestics, as well as good rule of thumb's.

Main positives to this book: Mr. Flexner has given in depth and yet layman's explanations of how finishes work and the chemicals involved. This is integral to applying a good finish, in my opinion. This book could stand alone as everything a fledgling finisher needs to tackle any project.

Main negatives: Mr. Flexner is very informative and systematic. That said, he is obviously not a writer by trade. You WILL find yourself treating this as a reference book, its not a "sunday read" for the woodworking inclined. Several times (not many, but a couple) he contradicts himself (there is a passage that "debunks" the myth of better protection from thicker film build of a finish, and then later he suggests building the finish to a thicker film for "better protection...")

These negative in my opinion NO way detract from the book. It is an incredible reference tool for the amateur, and marks a necessary item for the professional finisher's bookshelf.

JTAcoustics

This book is one of the best woodworking books I have ever read on any topic. This book happens to be on wood finishes. Not only does the author tell you about various finishes and what they might be best for, but he tells you why! Not only does this extra information satisfy curiosity, but it helps you learn how to pick a finish even if your exact situation is not listed in the book.

The author provides helpfull tricks like how to tell if a can of finish is an oil or a varnish. (let some dry on a piece of glass and check the results). How to treat pine before staining to prevent blotches. He even revleas the ridiculous labeling practices of the finish makers that often make it hard to buy what you meant to buy. Did you know that many rubbing oils are varnishes, not pure oils?!?

The author has clearly studied the science of finishing. He explains the whys and hows with enough detail for an engineer like me without overly complicating matters. The pictures are helpfull and well done.

This book is definetely on my "must have" list for any woodworker. I just can't say enough good about this book.

The author does not rely upon folklore or tradition in recommending finishes. He researched the chemistry behind the products and spells out the strengths and weakness for each type.

Great information on preparing the surface, stains vs dyes, bleaching, repairing and much more. This book takes the mystery out of finishing wood.

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich is a very amazing book. What I liked was when Old Tallow told Omakayas that she was the only one who survived smallpox. The one other part I liked was when Pinch ate the berries because he ends up saying Andeg(the bird)ate them but it really wasn't. The part that I disliked was when baby Neewo and Ten Snow died. It was really sad. Also the other part I disliked was when the visitor came because that's when everybody got sick. All in all this book was really interesting.

The Birchbark House was a good book and I think Louise Erdrich
is a wonderful author and illustrator. The part I liked the most was when the main character Omakayas's grandmother Nokomis told her a story in the winter. It was about Nokomis when she was a little girl. When the visitor came and brought smallpox and Omakayas's little brother died it was very sad. All in all, everyone should read this book.

A great tale. Author Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa, has written a story of 1847 Ojibwa life. The book is truly a labor of love, including such amazing elements as a detailed map of the area in which her story takes place, a glossary of terms, and multiple sources considered during the writing of this tale. Even more, the book is a compact series of small vignettes of standard Ojibwa life, crushing stereotypes and myths with sure swift prose. Erdrich has written a story that has truly created its own separate niche.

Omakayas (or Little Frog) lives in a sturdy birchbark house in a land doomed one day to become Wisconsin. With her family we see her step through the paces of day to day existence. The book encompasses a single year in Omakayas's life; one filled with as much terror and despair as love and hope. Helping her family to battle smallpox, find food in a desperate winter, and deal with the small details imperative to survival, we watch Omakayas grow from an uncertain young girl to a competent, if still learning, young woman.

The book is almost an answer to the Laura Ingels Wilder tales. Truth be told, the two titles have much in common. Both deal implicitly with Native American/white settler relations. Both look at the details of daily life, realistically describing everything from food preparation to parties. Even the illustrations of the book (drawn by author Erdrich herself) bear a great resemblance to the Garth Williams' pics we remember so well from the Little House books. But Erdrich has the benefit of hindsight and (let's face it) superior knowledge concerning the ways of both the whites and the Ojibwa. Her writing expertly allows her to create interesting variegated personalities that trump the one-dimensional stick figure Indians Wilder relied on so heavily. These characters have a harsh, but really great life. There's the buffoon, Albert LaPautre (half French) who continually claims to have had meaningful visions and dreams. There's Old Tallow, a powerful woman of her own means, surrounded by a pack of wolf-dogs and wearing coats woven from a variety of different furs. And then there's Omakayas herself, dreaming true visions and meeting true woodland creatures, even going so far as to train a crow of her own.

The books ends with this sentence, "Omakayas tucked her hands behind her head, lay back, closed her eyes, and smiled as the song of the white-throated sparrow sank again and again through the air like a shining needle, and sewed up her broken heart". It's an ending that contains a lot of hope for the future. Erdrich does not dwell on the fate that may lay in store for Omakayas and her beloved family. We know what will happen. It's enough to see them happy at this moment alone. "The Birchbark House" is a courageous creation, one that I'm certain will please even the most merciless of Erdrich's critics. Full of well rounded characters, a gripping plot, and wonderful tangents it's one of the best ways to introduce kids to a different time and place.

John Lewis chronicles his ascendancy from the backroads of Alabama to the hallowed halls of Congress - an experience which reads more like carefully contrived fiction than real life events. The struggles, the triumphs, the emotions, the meanings are all skillfully woven to create a soon-to-be American classic literary canon, depicting the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis, described as an American treasure, lives up to the title with his intimate details of the renown leaders of the movement and the not-so-well-known heroes, who fought tirelessly and courageously to end the social injustices of the segregated South. Twenty-first century textbook authors would be remiss, if not negligent, by not including the perspectives of Lewis' Walking with the Wind. Amazingly, Lewis remains humble, despite his successes. He is a role model, and more importantly, a 20th Century American hero. Walking with the Wind is a must-read for all.

I don't like memoirs. They're usually self-serving, ego-driven and full of cheap shots. Walking With the Wind is none of those. John Lewis and his co-author have crafted a marvelously told tale of the civil rights movement. Perhaps no one but Lewis, King and Abernathy could write about the movement with this scope. Lewis was there for all of it, from jails, to voting, to sit-ins. And he describes it beautifully with the perfect pace.

I think the book's best chapters are the ones that cover what happened in Selma. I've read a half-dozen histories of the civil rights movement and none of them have recounted the Selma story better than Lewis does here.

Lewis also gives us insight into several other movement leaders. Not even Taylor Branch (the Pulitzer-winning historian and journalist) tells us about Jim Bevel with this much color. Lewis tells fascinating stories about Diane Nash, Stokely Carmichael and the relations between SNCC and the other movement-leading groups. It's the kind of inside baseball a good memoir delivers.

I'm thrilled that I read this book. It has greatly contributed to my understanding of the civil rights movement.

All I can say is that I LOVE this book. It is a true and chilling first-hand account of the Civil Rights Movement. I suggest that everyone read this book. John Lewis is truly an American hero!!

I have been searching used book stores for years for this book without luck ever since I realized that my original copy was missing. I am so happy that it has been re-released. Mr. Pine's is a story that we all need to hear as a child and again as an adult. How to rise above the desire to be like everyone else and find our own path.I will be happy to share this book with the children in my life. Incidentally, purple has been my favorite color all of my life because of its symbolic meaning in Mr. Pine's and The Color Purple.

I grew up on Mr. Pine, and was thrilled to see it again and share it with my 3-year-old daughter. Unlike many simple stories for young children, this one is fun for adults, too. The text is easy and predictable (a must for pre-readers) but not monotonous. The story is fun. The pictures, although in only two colors (black and, of course, purple) are wonderful. My daughter truly understands this book and talks about it ALL the time. It's amazing that a book can appeal so completely to adults and young children alike.

This is a book I wished my mom had saved. I think Mr. Pine Fan's are a unique brand of people! My cousin and I both grew up with Mr. Pine's Purple House. It taught us to be different from anyone else. We joke about the book often, even now, when we drive down a street with all the houses looking the same. "Must be Vine Street!" It's fun to see the looks on other friends faces when they can't figure out what we are talking about. Then we have to explain ourselves, and the retell the whole story.

I know #131 seems kind of depressing, but I hope there are more books like "The Fire at Mary Anne's House" and this isn't just a fluke.

For the first time, you see the teens in the story step outside of the BSC and take a look at real life. The story was very true to heart and the book made me cry.

I read the next two books in the "Friends Forever" series, and I was amazed. The books aren't like California Diaries or the BSC. There JUST PLAIN GOOD! Not too depressing, but not overly happy either. I loved BSC #131, "Everything Changes" and Friends Forever #1! Keep going Ann! Your readers are coming back!

I've been reading the BSC series for about seven years now. While I like California Diaries, I always knew Ann M. Martin would put some life into the BSC plots again. AND SHE HAS! The Fire at Mary Anne's House was even better then Dawn, Diary Three! In the last book of the BSC series, Mary Anne's house burns down. She has nowhere to live and feels so sad. Even her friends rallying around her doesn't help. Poor Mary Anne! This book made me cry, especially the ending (which I won't give away) Just read the book! I'm telling you that this is better then all of Ann's books combined! I'm pretty sad that this is the last book of the Baby-sitters' Club series. But I'm looking forward to new more young adult changes in the Baby-sitters' Club: Friends Forever series. Who knows? Now we may like both California Diaries AND the BSC. I know I sure do!

In this book Mary Anne's house is burned down by a fire.Which came to a new look for the whole BSC members.And the end of this original series.I love it I read it 17 times.Still good.

Lots of Love,
Fulliem Quach xoxoxo

I cannot help but get the impression that many readers (and perhaps booksellers) regard Homer Hickam's three Coalwood memoirs as techno-rocket volumes suitable only for space-obsessed men and boys. This is simply not the case. Hickam is a storyteller above all else, and with his multiple subplots, intricate story lines, subtle nuances, smooth transitions, and family conflicts that crescendo to emotional realizations and understandings on the part of an intriguing cast of characters, he shows his marvelous expertise as a stylist. The rocket building in "Rocket Boys" (also published as "October Sky," the title of the movie based on the book) was simply the "hook" that he used to capture readers' attention. The real story of not only this memoir but also "The Coalwood Way" and his final volume in the Coalwood trilogy, "Sky of Stone," revolves around the people of his small hometown and how they never failed to come together to help one another and triumph over ever-present hardships. His books are a testimony to the human spirit, proving--as William Faulkner said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech--that men and women "will not merely endure; [they] will prevail." And Hickam himself is prevailing too, producing in "Sky of Stone" his best Coalwood work yet. I think it is unfortunate his books are either placed in the American history section of bookstores (a subject that many people--remembering the textbooks of their youth-- believe to be dry-as-dust and slow moving) or with autobiography/memoirs (volumes that too often are regarded as egotistical paeans to one's accomplishments). Homer Hickam's Coalwood books should almost be shelved with novels, if only so that browsing readers will find these candid and introspective stories that are written by an author who knows how to transform personal truths into universal themes.

And that's it, plain and true. Homer Hickam writes wonderfully rich books filled with prose worthy of Harper Lee or Mark Twain. He's the new Mark Twain in my opinion. They'll be studying him the college a hundred years from now. I'm just glad we have him with us in these days. Sky of Stone kept me awake until I finished it. I love his characters. I love especially his honorable and amazing father. You can tell Mr. Hickam still loves him so much. And Johnny Basso, Jake Mosby, Rita Walicki... these are characters that people will talk about for a very long time. Proud to know you, Homer, if only through your books.

just think how many more wonderful literary masterpieces we would have today if he'd focused on writing instead!

I picked this book up at the library after I happened upon some good reviews here. I must say, I am very much impressed with Homer Hickam. The writing is fluid and very well developed. The story is wholesome and reminiscent of simpler times, and the plot is superb.

I am definitely going to be reading more of Mr. Hickam's works, which, if you notice, all receive 4-5 stars here. America, I think the writing of Homer Hickam will continue to do us proud!

Clay's Quilt is a powerful novel lovingly and masterfully pieced from the lives of the residents of Free Creek, Kentucky. Whether working, playing, laughing, praying, driving, crying, singing, fighting, dancing, hollering, or loving, these people do it passionately and with every fiber of their beings; these people LIVE. As a result, the novel itself lives and breathes and makes a joyful noise through the voices of its people as well as through their music. House's prose is lyrical yet unsentimental, fiercely grounded in real, concrete, sensuous and intimate details of everyday life. As the novel follows Clay Sizemore's struggle to find his place in the world and to make peace with a tragic past, we witness his tender and ferocious love for family and friends, his awe and gratitude at finally finding true love with a fiddle player named Alma, and his determination to make a home and a life for himself and his new family. House's voice is true and Clay's Quilt is a book both joyous and haunting, a story whose characters stayed with me long after I finished reading.

Without a doubt, one of my favorite books of the year. The story of Clay Sizemore coming to terms with himself and his family history is a small, intimate story, but somehow it's also very big and encompassing...like a real family, I suppose. Once I started reading it, I just could not put it down and feel as if I know each of the characters personally. In fact, I wish I could really spend time with Easter, Clay, Alma, Cake (especially Cake!), Dreama, Anneth, Gabe, Lolie, and all of the others. I really liked the use of music in the book (this was the reason I first bought it, because I had heard it was bursting to the seams with music, and I wanted to see how a writer could pull that off); it was expertly done and really added to the scenes, making them even more cinematic than House's beautiful descriptions. I'm glad it's finally out in paperback so my book club will FINALLY buy it for our April selection. This edition has a great interview in the back and questions for book clubs. This novel is poetic and haunting but never heavy-handed or long-winded. I felt like I knew the people within this book, even though I was raised in a much different place (Maryland) than its setting (Kentucky). This book is, in a word, beautiful.

What a beautiful and heart-felt story! I loved this book and I'm excited to see new young writers like this man who can carry the torch for southern fiction. If you love Eudora Welty, Lee Smith, and Robert Morgan then you'll like this book. It stays with you.

Ron Chernow's "The House of Morgan" is both an engaging history of the Morgan banks and a brilliant account of the growth of global finance from Victorian times through the late 1980's. It's every bit as enjoyable as Chernow's "The Warburgs," but provides a better analysis than the Warburg book of key business and political developments of the 20th century.

No one should be intimidated by this book's length or the complexity of its subject. Its pages are rich with lively portraits of the sometimes quirky men who ran the Morgan banks, the high and mighty of the world with whom they did business, and the world's many critics of such concentrated economic might. Pierpont and Jack Morgan and their successors at the top get the most detailed treatment, but figures as diverse as Brandeis, Mussolini, Lindbergh (the son-in-law of a top Morgan partner), Bryan, Theodore Roosevelt and Margaret Thatcher all play a part in the story, not to mention interesting but lesser-known figures like Ferdinand Pecora, Judge Harold Medina and central bankers from Britain, Germany, Italy and Japan.

As a backdrop to the Morgan saga, this book includes accounts of the main events of 20th-century financial history, such as the Panic of 1907, the creation of the Federal Reserve system, the Crash of 1929 and the depression and bank failures that followed it, the New Dealers' attack on banks led by Pecora that resulted in the Glass-Steagall Act and the separation of commercial banking from investment banking, and the rise of hostile takeovers, Eurodollars, petrodollars, Latin American lending, junk bonds and the securitization of debt, all refreshingly written for laymen rather than experts.

"The House of Morgan" has perhaps two overriding themes. The first is that as the years have passed, and the Morgan banks have faced increasing competition, the Morgan bankers' need to maintain their global preeminence has led them to take bigger and bigger risks. Some of these risks have resulted in large financial loss, but more often they have resulted in a loss of both public and customers' confidence, which has eroded the very preeminence that the banks seek to maintain. The second theme is that the top Morgan bankers have consistently underestimated the power of government to control what they do, and even make their lives miserable. From Pierpont on down, they have ignored government at their peril. It's almost a certainty that with the next big economic downturn, the Morgan banks will be attacked again, and I hope that Chernow will be on the scene to provide an account of it.

"The House of Morgan" is one of the best business biography books I've ever read. It is an unbelievably comprehensive piece of research work on an important banking history in the United States. The stories of the people behind JP Morgan & Co give readers so much hopes and belief that anything is possible in your life. Mr. Chernow covers the company's historical and current background in great detail. He also presents a more technical view on what happen in the cycles of US economy that spans over many decades. What I like most about the book is the coverage of individuals involved in building and leading the firms (JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley). These groups of talented individuals are amazing leaders whose stories are worth reading.

I thought that the first 40 pages were pretty slow, but the actions did pick up real soon. By the 700th page, I was hoping there would be a second book written on the House of Morgan. I was especially impressed with Mr. Thomas Lamont that I proceeded to read a separate biography on him. I loved the book so much that I went on to buy some other books related to it - (RJR Nabisco story on Leverage Buyout and The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst). It's a thick book but it's really worth the time to read. You'll be pleased with yourself!

Ron Chernow is arguably the best business historian writing today. His ambitious attempt to tell the story of the famed banking dynasty of J.P Morgan could not have succeeded more brilliantly. Here is a story not of just a bank. It is even more than simply the story of the financial services industry. It is, in fact, the story of the modern era, where everyone from Teddy Roosevelt and Benito Mussolini to Paul Volker and Ivan Boesky figure prominently.

At the heart of this epic is a great paradox: the rise of modern global finance ushered in the demise of the banker. In J.P. Morgan's day, a small group of bankers held sway over giant corporations and the governments of global powers, serving as intimate advisors and self-regulating their industry with a strict but unwritten gentleman banker's code of conduct. The institutions that banks like Morgan created ultimately grew too powerful to control. Whereas once governments and companies were at the mercy of their bankers, today the reverse is true. Chernow tells the story of this transformation in exquisite detail and with admirable clarity.

As interesting and well written as this book is, some may still find it to be a challenge to finish. For those who like to read a few pages before bed every night, you should expect the "House of Morgan" to be on the nightstand for several months. However, if you have the time and commitment, you'll likely find the experience of reading this book to be a worthwhile and fulfilling one.