House

Linda Style has written another terrific book about the love that exists within the family unit. Her characters are vivid and real. The plot is emotionally intense and full of surprises. DADDY IN THE HOUSE is an exceptional story that will bring laughter and tears to your reading experience.

Ms. Style is only getting better. Daddy in the House is her second book and is one I could not put down. The characters are very compelling and well drawn, and the climactic ending sneaks up on you. All in all, a lovely "stylish" book. I look forward to many more books by this wonderful new author.

Unforgettable characters and a compelling second-chance story

Author Linda Style has done it again, (5 stars!) with an unforgettable cast of characters: a clever little girl who will tug at your heart long after the story is over; her mom, a beautiful and brilliant lawyer with a steely exterior and a tender heart; and her dad, a sexy ex-secret agent motivated by a fierce protectiveness and lots of empathy for both his ex-wife and little daughter.

It starts with a bump on the head on the school monkey bars. The bump results in believable amnesia for the little girl, who awakens with no recollection of her life. Love for their daughter thrusts both parents together again in their old house, as they look past their differences to struggle for equal ground and better communication in their parental relationship. They are determined to be a family, even if only temporarily, in the hopes that their little daughter will recover her memories and feel secure in a happy family setting.

There's steamy romance too, the kind that makes you believe that there is order in the universe, if only you can hurtle down the right path at breakneck speed, while simultaneously choosing your words and actions carefully. It's hard to undo the mistakes of relationships past, but these ex-spouses try to fix their marriage using a perfect blend of intelligence, communication, and passion. A great story on its own, but an added intriguing subplot -- DANGER! -- will really get your pulse racing as you read.

Some scary events alarm the parents, and it seems that danger begins to lurk more and more at every turn of the page. Not only must a sweet young girl overcome amnesia, her parents must also protect her from unknown and would-be assailants. With lots of potential enemies who would wish them harm, the story takes on a growing suspenseful edge that will keep you turning the pages, FAST!

I won't do a big spoiler here, but truly, I could not put down this surprising book. Due to Harlequin's "fluffy-slippers" title, I expected the story to be predictable, maybe a little sitcom-y. Not so! -- and super shame on me for thinking it it would be. So don't let the cliched title throw you...

"Daddy in the House" was engrossing and compelling, so much so, that I read this book in one sitting. The only other author who gets a "one sitting read" from me (these days) is Mary Higgins Clark. Linda Style's books are every bit as suspenseful, but definitely not as dark as Clark's, and that's what I like about them. (Don't worry, Linda Style is known for her happy endings -- It's just as satisfying to see how the characters get there, as to know this will be the final reward.)

As an added bonus, there is an insightful interview with Linda Style at the end of the book. The interview topic is writing and publishing. All romance writers and aspiring romance writers, I urge you not to miss the last few pages of this book!

A SUPER READ! Looking forward to reading more novels from this brilliant author. -- Eve Paludan, author of The Romance Writer's Pink Pages

Have reviewed this bible for use in a men's bible study. Excellent tracks that are meaningful for guys in the front, with expansions throughout (a chain reference approach) so you can drill down as deep as need to.

Because it is a NLT (new living translation), somewhat obscure meanings are clearly translated into meaningful every day modern English, which guys can quickly grasp without any extra work.

If you want to study the bible, and if you're a guy, you really should consider this bible. It's laid out for simple usage, but with profound results for men.

Briscoe's daily studies are organized in topical tracks, each of which are connected to a chapter of the Bible. I spent my youth in the pew's of Briscoe's church (Elmbrook, outside of MKE) before moving to the east coast. These daily studies are like a beautiful voice from my past, urging me (with all Briscoe's humor and intelligence) to strive to be the man God wants me to be. If you enjoy Chambers or Tozer, this will be of great use to you.

Very easy to understand. I would like to find a similar version for women as gift.

Here Pomada, with co-author Michael Larsen and photographer Douglas Keister, branches out from her San Francisco roots in search of Painted Ladies in other regions of the country--and finds them. Once again she shows houses of all sizes, degrees of elaboration, and amounts of gaudiness--the quietly lavender Blackberry Inn of Camden, ME, the darkly splendiferous English Queen Anne at 130 Mt. Vernon St., Boston, beach cottages on Martha's Vineyard, a vividly red church in West End, NJ, a crisp turqouise-and-cream confection from Cape May, a wondrously porched house in Savannah, GA, even a brick eclectic in Milwaukee. One wonderful little gem on p. 89 is an Aspen, CO, cottage whose front-porch gable comprises a blending rainbow of 25 colors--"14 blues of the sky and oranges from the sunset." The Morey Mansion of Redlands, the Carson Mansion of Eureka, and several Main Street buildings are here too. Pomada even contrived to get permission to show some interiors from a Portland house. These lovely houses will set you dreaming even if you don't own one of the same vintage yourself.

"Daughters of Painted Ladies" is a beautiful tribute to restored Victorian houses from throughout the United States. Full-color photographs by Douglas Keister are complemented by the commentaries of Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen.

The book focuses on what the authors call the "Colorist Movement" in historic house restoration. In other words, every one of the homes pictured has been painted "in three or more contrasting colors" that "bring out the decorative ruffles and flourishes" of each structure. So if your idea of a Victorian home is a dull, gloomy old mansion in a state of disrepair, be prepared to have that stereotype blown away. These "painted ladies" are some of the most vibrant and beautiful homes I have ever seen.

The book captures many different Victorian era styles: Italianate, Second Empire, Steamboat Gothic, Queen Anne, Octagon, Stick, and Victorian eclectic. And don't miss the special appearance by "Lucy," the elephant-shaped house built by James Lafferty. The colorist approach to these homes truly accentuates the varied vocabulary of Victorian architecture, with its towers, covered verandas, neoclassical pillars, oriel windows, decorated verge boards, and other fanciful details.

The book concludes with some helpful tips and resources for those interested in creating their own painted lady. If you are a lover of Victorian era architecture, buy this spectacular book and prepare to indulge in a decadent symphony of visual splendor.

After I read and enjoyed this beautiful book I painted my home in Victorian style and soon many houses in Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego Argentina, also change the "white walls, black roof" they ever were.Thanks! Virgini

If it hadn't been for this little gem of a book, I'd have ended up with exactly what I thought a deck was: a 10x30' rectangle on stilts outside my back door.

Thanks to the inspiring designs outlined here, I was able to upgrade my $4K do-it-yourself deck with some snazzy details and useful layouts with little additional work and expense. Please do yourself the favor of flipping thru the pages of a book like this - if for nothing else than to see how it can be done by the best designers and builders.

No, just like me you will never be able to afford the hand-sanded grade A redwood beauties that are featured on a couple of these spreads - materials alone would run into six figures. But you will be able to steal the design of the railing, or perhaps the notion of a split level or a nifty little nook for a bench or some other detail from the top end decks. There's enough closeups and sketches of the design to run with a concept that you find appealing, and the narrative will help you think thru the elements of your design that might open up new possibilities.

After reading it from cover to cover a couple of times I shared the book and my comments on post-its with the contractor I had hired to help me complete my project, and it inspired him to come up with some ideas of his own, as well as better understand where I wanted to go with the project.

I almost made the mistake of letting the contractors design my deck. They came up with a big boring rectangle. Thank goodness I bought this book first! It is packed with many wonderful ideas, including photos and tips to making a deck interesting and functional. It covers layout, railing design, and yard and use considerations. It is a very small investment for a big project, I suggest that anyone building a deck take a look at this book before proceeding.

Deck Designs packs in a wealth of deck design ideas and patterns, featuring designer's unique approaches and their tips on how the deck feature was achieved. Color photos of patterns and decks supplement information on design considerations and details on construction techniques for the homeowner who wants to create his own custom deck.

The book I received was in terrific shape and was definitely what I expected. I'd definitely buy from this seller again.

You've got all these quilts! What are you going to do with them? Beautiful color plates show how the movers and shakers in the quilt making and quilt collecting world display quilts around the house. I was particularly intrigued with the chapter on Sewing Studios. They are warm, homey places that employ many antique pieces for storage and decoration. And every idea doesn't require a show place of a home either. On page 35--they show several old quilts tucked into an easy chair and covering a table--it would look cosy anywhere!

This is every quilter's dream book. Beautiful quilts used in very creative settings. From country to contempory - this book's got it all.

If you love Garden and English Country styles this book is a must for your library. It includes information about color and fabric to hanging chandeliers and dealing with contractors and everything between. It also includes a wonderful index that is easy to refer to after you've enjoyed reading it cover to cover. It is written in Alexandra's fun and personal style with bits of wisdom from many of her favorite authors. Don't miss this book!

This book is one of my all-time favorite design books. I read it over and over again. Alexandra's positive style of writing and emphasis on the personal statement a person makes when beautifying one's home is a joy to read. I am converted to her beleif that all homes should have wood floors and a personal collection. Her experiences with various clients are funny and interesting, and her enthusiasm is so catching! A must read!

Stoddard is an interesting writer. She is well-read and her work usually reflects her general rounded background. This book, unlike most of her others, gets down the the nitty-gritty of design. The illustrator does an amazing job rendering the different pieces of furniture, so that the reader can actually decide what style he or she prefers before wandering into stores. Stoddard gives tremendous detail about the basics and the essentials of design, as well as the practical point that if you don't like it you shouldn't do it.

This book is indispensible for people who are decorating or redecorating their home.

This is a wonderful book for beginners, or those like myself whose skills from childhood are extremely rusty. The projects are beautifully photographed and encourage you to dream of the beauty you can create with very simple stitches artfully done! This would make a great gift.

This book has some wonderful, tasteful embroidery ideas. I highly recommend it. The instructions are clear...I completed some of my first projects out of this book (including the pillowcases illustrated on the cover!) ENJOY!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in embroidery at all. The patterns are stylishly simplistic and are really up to date. There are lots of different project ideas. The instructions are thorough and easy to follow. A great buy!

I never write reviews but had to on this one.
This book was an incredible journey through different periods and styles. I appreciate Mr. Jeffrey's sense of design and style. Smart without fussiness, Clean without being cold and then the amazing antiques and art work. Mr. Jeffrey's rooms are like musical masterpieces, harmonious and never tiring!!!!!

This book is just what you would expect from the very talented Noel Jeffrey: beautiful, livable, informative. I've always admired Mr. Jeffrey's work--especially the show houses he has done--and this puts in one place all of his creativity and innovation. Not stuffy, this is a trained and casual elegance; what I think most of us are trying to achieve in our houses. I don't want to live in a museum; I want to live in an environment. With his versatile view of design--Noel Jeffrey offers here about 25 different options.

This is a great read and a great buy.

If you want to get into the mind of a genius, you will have to get this book!!!!!
Discover wonderful interiors which are comprised of amazing nuances - Mr. Jeffrey dares to go when we fear to thread, mixing incredible antiques with remakable examples of modernity!!!
Anyone with an interest or sense of style will want to own this book!!!!

Well worth the money. If you ever get a chance to see her in person, do it. Very Knowledgeable, very practical.

This book takes you through every step you will need to landscape your yard and garden. The format is somewhat like a workbook but with a ton of useful information presented in a way that makes it easy for even a "brown-thumb" like me to understand. I especially like how the author left room for notes and grids for designing the garden. Pair this with "The Encyclopedia for Organic Gardening" and you will need no other gardening literature.

Since moving into a new house, I've been devouring every landscape book on the market, in hopes of acquiring information that will enable me to transform the weed patch and ugly bush that are the only features of my front yard into something beautiful. This is absolutely the best of the "how-to" landscape books! A real laboratory manual of landscape design, this book avoids the two major failures of many others on the market. First, unlike those that offer page after page of photos of beautifully manicured lawns from which I am expected to magically intuit the rudiments of landscape design, this book assumes rightly that I know absolutely nothing about landscaping. Then, the author uses clear diagrams and graphs to gently but methodically guide me through all stages of a design and implementation process that will enable a previously clueless me to transform my ugly view into a photo-worthy scene. Second, this book avoids the weaknesses of landscape books that so overwhelm me with the theoretical intricacies of landscape design that I am tempted to throw in the trowel and hire the work out (perhaps the authors of those books wanted me to do that all along?). By contrast, this book sequences in clear and concrete language the questions requiring decision that I will confront, lays out a range of possible actions, and then offers specific suggestions (with diagrams and graphs) for implementation. This book is sturdy and it needs to be. Rather than grace your coffee table, it will be with you as you get down and dirty in your yard with tape measure, string, and clipboard to work through the pages of this book on your way to something beautiful.

Malcolm Wells' dry wit and characteristic hand-written style appear once again in this collaboration with fellow natural architect, Charles Woods. Well and Woods share common goals of architecture that complements rather than covers the land, and offer myriad ideas and pointers to help you design a cohesive attractive structure, filled with visual balance and not-so-common good sense.

Although the authors don't always agree on the specifics of visual aspects, their playful banter reveals that not all their ideas are steadfast rules, and allows you to witness the brainstorming give-and-take between the authors while offering you enough information to make your own decision.

Few complete home designs are displayed, but they are reprinted from the authors' other books (Natural Architecture by Woods, Underground Designs by Wells), and are placed in context of demonstrating a point. Otherwise, pages are filled with illuminating commentary and ideas on specific components of homes, including roof lines, light fixtures, proportions, window types, door placement, siding, and lot layout.

You will not be told how to build a house, but rather you will develop a designer's critical eye and help you to understand why so many modern homes have visual aspects that just don't look "right". (Example: narrow shutters on wide windows -- how will the shutters ever cover the window space if they are not proportional?...you'd be surprised how often I see this faux pas in local posh neighborhoods).

A helpful bibliography points to other books to fill out your home design repertoir.

(Wells is the grandfather of earth-sheltered/underground architecture and still offers design services from Cape Cod. You can write to him (via snail mail) and he'll kindly reply.)

This inspiring book shows very clearly what kind of decisions can be made in home design.

Whilst not getting into the nuts & bolts of building, innovative ideas are shared page after page.

Humour and how-not-to examples effectively tackle the otherwise so-subjective topic of aesthetics.

An entertaining coffee-table book for wanna-be home builders and a good reference for teams bogged down by discussions of good taste in architecture.

This book is great for someone who is thinking about building a home with common sense.It explains and compares good and bad architecture, and gives examples and sketches of why it is good and bad. Now when I look at buildings and homes that have always seemed unpleasant,I say to myself "Oh, if the roofline was only at a little less of an angle", and so on. It makes you wake up and be more aware of the aesthetic relationship of a stucture to the earth. There are also exciting and innovative home plans in it that you will find nowhere else. The authors respond to inquiries and have a great sense of humor.