On-the-money

I'm going to have to deviate a bit from the general consensus of these reviews. The book is good. It's interesting. It contains a lot of information, some of it is plain common sense and some of it is insightful and clever.

I wish they had written more on the actual building of their boat, but I guess that would break away from the topic.

Would you visit a neighboring anchored boat with the intention of getting a meal?

If you can tolerate the authur's rambling style and frequent use of British expressions which at times I didn't understand, I think you'll get something out of the book. (Did you know the British term for kerosene is parafin?)

HOWEVER, please do some more research before you follow their lead. For example, I do not want to trigger a rescue operation at sea anymore than the Hills do. But that's what the rescuers are for and that's what we pay taxes for. If all else fails, don't hesitate to call for help.

Some of their ways can either get you killed or in big trouble. For example, at the time of the writing, they did not have an EPIRB, or a life raft, or even liability insurance. Imagine what kind of problems you face if you're adrift or your home built dory holes the hull of a ...passagemaker?

It's a good read, entertaining and interesting. But not a book that I would consider packed with wisdom.

I'm 37, going on 38, with the dreams that many twice my age are now fulfilling. Nearly 20 years of sailing experience on San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento River delta, I've read a lot of books that might one day help me achieve one goal, to sail past the Golden Gate for destinations beyond, to live a simple and modest life among fellow cruisers, and on a boat that isn't born of the cookie cutter-mold. Annie and Pete Hill have echoed what my father and mother always believed, it is possible to own a simple sailboat and cruise far on a small budget. All it takes is the will and discipline to live within means and a very organized and well thought-out budget. In VOASI, Ms. Hill puts it in plain English, even if some of the terms are British, the plans and thoughts that went into building and equipping 'Badger' the way they did and how their decisions not only saved them money, but were sound.

Read this book with care, because it will blow your mind to know that one hundred years after Joshua Slocum, this brave couple are able to cruise simply and simply cruise on a small budget. Lots of great ideas, good examples of the decisions they made and why, and an appendix adorned with study plans of sailing dories from Jay Benford and Group.

If you're looking for a book that explains why you should outfit your boat with expensive electronics and fancy galley appliances, you may want to read one of the thousands of books that echo status quo advice. But, if you really want to know why you don't necessarily need all those fancy gadgets, then "Voyaging on a Small Income" is a MUST READ!

Thanks Annie and Pete.
Enjoy. As always, Fair winds and happy cruising.

For anyone thinking of setting off for an extended period of small boat cruising (or voyaging, as Annie more accurately calls it), and not starting with a 6, or even 5 figure bank balance, this book is essential reading. It describes a philosophy of living very different from that maybe experienced before on a cruising holiday, weekend sailing, or even daily life. It starts from the point of view that long term, live-aboard life is both possible and sustainable, providing certain perspectives are adopted. These include rejecting any item of equipment not capable of extended, reliable, cost-effective performance on board a boat (this for example rules out most modern electronics, for entirely sensible and logical, rather than 'back to mother nature' reasons), selecting, buying, storing and preparing food from the point of view of where you are, what's available, and how long you may be at sea, and most importantly, managing your limited finances using the most rigorous criteria possible.

Here, Annie applies the basic principles of sound commercial management to all financial decisions (is this a better buy than that over time? can I buy now and save later?) and demonstrates a complete and intuitive grasp of what in the parlance of modern management theory would be called 'Total Cost of Ownership Investment Appraisal' - a valuable object lesson for many senior management in some of the largest corporations. She writes about it in her own unique and forthright style, clearly based on many years of real experience, that demands attention and respect.

This is not a 'go there, do that, buy the t-shirt' kind of sailing book, but for anyone seriously contemplating long term voyaging on a small budget, or simply wanting a unique insight into an alternative lifestyle from the comfort and security of their armchair, and brave enough to venture past the warning on the cover that this might cause you to challenge some of your most basic beliefs in what passes for 'normal' existence, Voyaging on a Small Income, as a useful reference source or a good read, is a must.

This is a pretty good book. I had never heard of this dude but was refered to him by other Raymond Chandler fans. Pleasent surprise.

Just re-read Black Money... perhaps it is MacDonald at his zenith, a bit before great fame found him, but after he had fully developed his stride. Some of his later books seem too contrived. In Black Money, not all the youth are innocents corrupted by curdled California elders... the Martel character in particular is refreshingly different from MacDonald's usual suspects. That many of the middle-aged American characters end up dead (or worse) certainly rings the bell for me. Very highly recommended.

As a mystery author with my first novel in initial release, I want to state here that Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer series ruined my life. It showed me how powerful mystery writing can be and led me to my writing aspirations in this literary field. BLACK MONEY is among my favorite Macdonald books. It's an updated version of THE GREAT GATSBY, moved to the southern California coast. Archer is hired to investigate a young man who arrives in an affluent coastal city presenting himself as an aristocratic Frenchman. He wins the heart of the most desirable maiden in town, and people are suspicious about this aristocrat's background. Archer investigates and uncovers to sorry truth about several different people. BLACK MONEY is an American crime fiction classic.

I rank Dick Francis in the top 5 fiction authors writing. He consistently puts out great mysteries with characters devoted to their values and plots interesting enough to keep me coming back for more.
"Hot Money" is not one of his best. I found his main character in this novel too willing to compromise on issues that I wouldn't have expected Francis to compromise on. I still recommend this book but with some minor reservations.

For whatever reason this novel has gone out of print. One can hope that the publisher will reprint. The main character, Malcomb Pembroke, has a knack for making money, particularly in investments in gold, and has become very wealthy (by 1987 standards, when the novel was written). The problem is the fact that he doesn't get along with his ex-wives and children. He won't increase allowances set when he was merely rich rather than filthy rich. His first three ex-wives and their seven children seem to hover about like greedy vultures waiting for him to die so they can inherit the estate. This is compounded by sibling rivalries, ex-wives poisoning their childrens' minds, and various mental attitudes. The children are furious when Malcomb starts donating money to charities and spending millions on racehorses.

The novel is an interesting whodunit as first Malcomb's fifth wife is murdered, and then attempts are made on his life. There are many people with motives, mainly in the family. His son Ian, the only child he trusts, helps unravel the mystery. The story illustrates how money can corrupt a family. While the reader can make some guesses, the ending is not obvious.

A rich patriarch and his estranged son rebuild their relationship while trying to find out which of the family asssortment of ex-wives and offspring is trying to kill them. One of his best books (and they are all good), with the smooth flow, wry wit, sustained tension, and consummate storytelling which are the hallmarks of Dick Francis. Most highly recommended.

As for the story, I think it's a bit far-fetched...But, being from 'Booger' County, I am tempted to believe most of it...

My main problem with this book is the writing. I truly think that I can find a word spelled incorrectly on at least 85% of the pages. Was there an editor?

I loved the way the story was told. I was a former Madison County resident that turned to worse drugs that David Mac wrote about and walked away from them before things got so bad but truly believe they are as bad or worse than he depicted. I witnessed them first hand!! I also witnessed the way back roads Madison County lives and LOVED it. I would return in a heart beat if the situation came back to me. I wish he would write a book about those people who did walk the straight and arrow path after going through what we have went through and now that he is in that situation, maybe look into book #2!! I didn't know it was pulled from the shelves but thank God I got my copy before it did. What's up with that?????!!!!

Good reading for a redneck who lived in Madison County.

I was attracted to this book's title as I am a fan of the show Sex and The City. However, I found this work a complete disappointment and somewhat condescending to women.

Most of us know the difference between a TV fantasy and real life, but Ms Fairly doesn't seem to think that we do. Throughout the book, Ms Fairley not makes the presumption that ALL women are trifling love starved fashion victims with no common sense, she also perpetuates insulting and ridiculous stereotypes about women living in rural areas by comparing them unfavorably with women who live in major cities. What she says about city and rural lifestyles may have been true about 50 years ago, but nowadays, we Oregon "hayseeds" are also able to enjoy many of the amenities that our big city sisters have at their well manicured fingertips. We're able to shop at Bloomingdales, Dean and DeLuca or even Harrod's on line, and even the smallest of towns now boast of having least one manicurist,day spa and gourmet coffee house, plus we have the added benefit of beautiful forest, clean air and water reasonable cost of living and a low crime rate!

Thanks to Oprahs book club, amazon.com, cable TV and the Internet, we are just as was well informed as the average city dweller. Someday, we may even order Manolos on line, but why someone would want to spend the equivalent of two paychecks on a pair of shoes is beyond me!

Many of us "country bumpkins" enjoy arts, culture, fashion, and the other pleasures of city life. We just have an antipathy toward paying overpriced rents, noise, congestion, high crime, incessant rudeness, plastic people and the relentless competition for questionable men and for pithy "assistant" jobs which are really coverups for mundane office jobs. Women who live in rural areas are not necessarily "unsophisticated hicks with no ambitions or dreams"--it just may mean we are SANE! Even Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor) on the 60's sitcom "Green Acres" never gave up her pegnoirs and champagne, dahlink!

Also, I wonder what makes Ms Fairley such an expert on all men? My man happens to LOVE flowers as well as cats! Real men like women who aren't afraid to be themselves instead of ones who knuckle under pressure to be what some media produced "image" tells them to be.

The actual financial advice given in the book is sound, but it's hard to sift through all the hubris to get to it. There are many great well written books out there offering cogent and sensible financial advice to young women. Sadly,I can't say this book is one of them.

I read the positive reviews of "Cash in the City" and I have to admit, they were pretty helpful. I am starting over in profession and am looking for a way to spend money without having to break the bank. Like the women featured in the book, I worry about not having enough money to get by as I re-enter college and seek a career which may start out at entry level. But I know what I want and strive to get there. Rather than worry about what I don't have, I make do with what I have and save on the things that I want. CITC offers that piece of information I am looking for when I get out there into the real world. Thank you amazon.com reviewers for recommending this book. It is greatly appreciated.

Cash in the City is a pithy conglomerate of all the diverse money-saving tips interspersed in fashion mags and brought together in one entertaining volume, divided into chapters. There are inventive ideas on clothes-buying, restaurant meals, decorating an apartment, etc as well as websites to help you out.

There are also great tips worthy of any other personal finance tome on how to start saving, investing and buying real estate.

I do disagree with the generalizations of what men want i.e. too many pets scare away guys. They're stereotypes and detract from the otherwise smart content of the book. My guy friend actually urges me to adopt a cat!

this book was good for the firt 6 chapters it was intersting but from than on he was saying the same thing stay out of the joint dont get caught and the fact that he is callin the people that are readin the book stupid is just outraugosley rude he thinks he knows everything well owell its not my fault u were sellin drugs in the first place i give it 2 out 5 stars

Hi, My name is John and I attend a highschool for kids who are/were bad, pregnant, or just cant learn like everyone else. Today(2/17), my school had an assembly that was featuring Ron Glodoski. I went in and sat down thinking "Man, today sucks." and came out almost in tears because I know alot of what this man has been through. I have been on drugs and I have stopped. I know the pressure. This man can put into words what every A.D.D. kid is thinking. He can tell you how to be happy in the end. If you want to die happy then you should read this book. If you just want to die, then do the things he did when he was a teen.

I think this book is very interesting. Ron came to my school and talked with us about a year ago. All of the kids still talk about him and his life until this day. It is amazing. I would suggest this book to many people who are interested in this sort of subject. He lived through alot and if you think you have it bad at home....Then WAKE UP and read this book about how he lived his life.

Let me start by saying I love Richard Foster. His books "The Freedom of Simplicity" and "The Celebration of the Disciplines" have been live-changing for me. I expected the same things of this book, but was horrified by a lot of the content. I hadn't begun to read the book yet, but I saw a quote from it in an article I was reading about sex, and had to make sure it was accurate. It was. Some of Foster's views is this book are not Biblical at all. I was thoroughly appalled! Mind you, I'm 28 years old and I've been a Christian for 4 years. I'm not a prude who think people shouldn't hold hands or kiss before they're married, but Foster saying that purity is a impossible burden to place on Christian singles is over the top. God told us, "Be Holy, for I am Holy." I recognize that that is impossible, but God still tells us to try.

Stick with the other 2 books I mentioned, but please do not expect to get any Biblical guidance from "The Challenge of the Disciplined Life."

I have read the Chinese translation of the book. In fact, the translation is sold in a set of three different books. I have read them at different times. It provides direct and biblical insights into how Christians should view money, sex and power. Richard's writing is succinct. If you want to dive further into a topic, a rather extensive bibliography is provided.

PLOT: Money, Sex, & Power, these are the three big temptations of church leadership. The early monks battled these with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Protestants today are more likely to use the tools of simplicity, fidelity, and servanthood. Foster does an excellent job exploring these three dangerous areas.

POSITIVES: Foster draws from Scripture, other authors, and his own excellent understanding of theology. This is a book I find myself coming back to again and again.

PROBLEMS: Foster is given to strong statements. I didn't agree with all of them. I found myself highlighting certain passages and writing notes of praise. I found myself highlighting other passages and disagreeing with them. This is not a problem for me. I often interact with the books I read and sometimes go back years later and interact with my own notes as I wrestle with myself. But this could be a problem with some readers, who either feel they have a handle on theology or are threatened by ideas they disagree with. Let the buyer beware.

Clearly a simpleton's view of the world that caters to the simpleton audience of victimized men. If you've failed at most the meaningful things in your life, and tend to blame others, you will love this book. Underlying sentiments are jaundiced as it attempts to preach on and aggrandize all that would seem painfully obvious to even the mildly secure and marginally successful man. These guys sound as if their world is dominated by women as they appear to yearn for an all-male utopia. Skip this book entirely...or better yet, go hang out with Jimmy in his bar with a bunch of "guys" while you get drunk and bad advice as the world passes by. What else would you expect from a bartender? PS: Jimmy's Bar is not on the Upper West Side.

If you read Jimmy's column in Men's Health magazine, you'll enjoy this book. It was well-spent [money], I must say. Humorous, clever advice from Jimmy made for entertaining, if less than profound, reading. Definitely worth purchasing.

This guy has good common sense when it comes to giving the right answers to men who have problems with women, the job, money etc. I first heard of him through Men's Health magazine, where he has his monthly column. Just about all of his answers to the men's questions on everyday problems will have you shaking your head in agreement. A great, entertaining book. I wish this guy was my bartender.

Alexander Elder,a New York-based, Russian immigrant provides a fascinating view of one of the most extraordinary developments of the late 20th century. The emergence of capitalism and democracy in Russian will be one of history's great chapters, full of stories about fortunes won and lost by intelligent investors. Elders' book captures all the hope and potential as well as the difficulties of the Russian people as they struggle with new ways of doing things and new ways of living. Written in clear, easy style, the book takes you through Russia's new economic structure; markets, stock offerings, investment options, etc. Additionally, since Elder is a pyschiatrist as well as investor, the book is full of insight into the Russian personality and the emerging struggle for economic stability.This book is fascinating for those with a global perspective, for those interested in developing countries, or for those interested in finding the next remarkable investment opportunity.

Dr. Elder's book, "Rubles to Dollars", was presented to me before my first trip to Russia four years ago. I was skeptical about reading it because it was supposed to be about the economy and financial markets. Not being a "finance person" I figured the book would be a bit on the dull side; consequently, I let it sit on the shelf for four years. During my summer break from the university, where I presently teach in Petrozavodsk, Russia, I decided to pick up the book again. I read it critically cover to cover and was actually quite impressed.
About the first three fourths of the book are all his insights into what doing business in Russia is like today and how Russia's history has shaped this misunderstood topic. The historical analysis and his observations on Russian psychology are dead on. The chapters that deal with the transition from the Soviet Era and present day Russian attitudes to the government and crime are particularly accurate and enriching.
The only problem with the book is its last few chapters on financial advice. The problem arises because the book went to print right before the 1998 currency collapse, which changed the whole country. However, in the last four years, by all appearances, Russia is back to where Dr. Elder was writing about before the collapse. In the book he acknowledges this timeliness of the financial information and how his advise could be obsolete by the time the reader gets the book, but, all in all, I agree with his insight and predictions for Russia's future.
Even if the specific financial advice is dated the overall theme is still acurate and his insights, though mostly about Moscow, would give you an idea about what it means to live in Russia on a daily basis. I haven't read a book that better explains what modern Russian life is like and I would look forward to a new addition to see to Dr. Elder has to say about Russia's financial situation today.

Dr. Elder has done it again. Just as he did in Trading for a Living he has taken a complex subject and made it amazingly clear. This however, is not a book for beginning traders. Because of his unique background as both Russian and American Dr. Elder is able to dig out information about the Russian economy and political situation that few others could. He paints, with a fine brush, an incredible picture of a sleeping giant in the process of awakening. The picture isn't always rosey and he let's us know the inherent dangers associated with the political instability and the role the crimminal element plays in the financial markets and business world. The opportunities are not sugar coated and yet are presented with such clarity that a shrewd investor has enough detailed information to allow him get right in and start making money. Long term investors with deep pockets have a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only line their own pockets but, to help a hard working and well educated people. If you want to really get to know the Russian people this is your book. Our politicians would do well to read this book and take notes. Once I began reading this book I couldn't put it down.

This is not just a how-to book. Or strategy book. But a complete description of what you are dealing with book. This has all the technical descriptions and examples. This book also has, " Did you know this", gray boxes. For example:" Bet you didn't know. More certificates of deposit mature in April and October any other time of year."

First of all i recomend that you read the Complete idiot's guide to investing like a pro before progessing to this book. You could get by without it since some material is very similar. The only part of this book that is diffucult to understand is the section on options and futures, but this is the best attempt to explain that very difficult investment play. I am writing this on 7/23/2002 when the market is doing horrible, but since reading the book, even though like most investors i am losing some money i am beating the market averages.

This book was fantastic! It was simple reading on a very confusing subject. This book combined very informative straight talk with just the right amount of humor. It held my attention. I can now watch financial review shows on TV and know what they are talking about.