Book Description
Get to know the colorful cast of characters at the Granite State Trailerpark, where Flora in number 11 keeps more than a hundred guinea pigs andscreams at people to stay away from her babies, Claudel in number 5 thinks he is lucky until his wife burns down their trailer and runs off with Howie Leeke, and Noni in number 7 has telephone conversations with Jesus and tells the police about them. In this series of related short stories, Russell Banks offers gripping, realistic portrayals of individual Americans and paints a portrait of New England life that is at once dark, witty, and revealing.
Customer Reviews:
Some of the most amaZING short stories ever.......2005-11-13
I picked this book up at a used book store in Greece more than 10 years ago, and it has stuck with me as one of the most memorable books I've ever read. But, you should know I am a fan of dark fiction and tales of addiction and insanity. Anyway, I think you'll enjoy it -- much better than Banks' later work, in my opinion.
short cuts on paper.......2005-09-30
Certainly one of Banks`most interesting books. Reminiscent of Altman's Short Cuts movie, it centers around life in a New Hampshire trailer-park. A great cast of characters and a true feeling for the land make this a memorable read. Written with deep sympathy for the underdogs of American society and some sparkling dialogues. Highly recommended!!
A Beautiful Modern-Day Tragedy.......2005-09-08
I bought this book expecting it to be a hilarious, quirky look at life in a New Hampshire trailer park (Noni Hubner's conversations with Jesus, Flora's Guinea pigs) and was I ever wrong. I got to the end of "The Guinea Pig Lady" almost in tears, and was sobbing by the time I got to the last one, "The Fisherman." Although it wasn't what I expected, it was one the most amzing books ever! The stories are beautifully human, nothing short of marvelous and was full of scenes so unmercifully gritty, it's real. I stongly recommend this book to anyone willing to read such sorrow, but it's totally worth it!
Haunting and wonderful.......2004-06-24
The stories in this book have stayed with me for years. Russell Banks writes beautiful, improbable and totally realistic characters that suck you in and who you will carry them around with you for a long time afterward.
This just gets sadder and sadder..........2002-03-01
Not sure if there's a certain "order" one should read Banks' books in, but I started with "Rule of the Bone" which I enjoyed so much I immediately bought "Trailerpark" and then "Book of Jamaica" (which I have not yet read). In this collection of short stories, we see a cast of characters that, at first glance, could be from Anytown USA. As the stories develop, at first humourous then getting progressively more bleak, we begin to realize that what makes the characters unique, as in "Rule of the Bone," is their life in the rural northeast. I love the way the lives of the tenants of the Granite State Trailerpark are intertwined; it's just a fabulous read.
Average customer rating:
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Trailerpark
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 999293137X |
Book Description
Is it possible to find that perfect once-in-a-lifetime love twice?
Gert Healy thought she was finished with dating. She thought she'd never again have to worry about what to wear and what to say and whether she was pretty enough. She thought that she'd be picking out strollers and booties for the children she and her husband were planning to have. Instead, she's mourning his loss and coming to terms with being a widow at twenty-nine.
It's been over a year now, and her friends -- with the best of intentions, really -- have convinced her it's time to get back into the swing of things (even though looking for love is the last thing she wants to do). Although they've developed many a dating rule between them, now that Gert's a part of their single-girl crew, she's beginning to realize they don't know the first thing about men. Of course, Gert doesn't know the first thing about dating, since she married her college sweetheart, so maybe joining forces will work out after all. But does Gert have it in her to fight her way through the leather-jacketed and miniskirted crowds in search of a second miracle?
It's back to square one on everything. Well, actually she's done it all before. Square two, then.
From the author of Carrie Pilby comes this charming and bittersweet tale of love, loss and starting over.
Customer Reviews:
Touched on my emotions..........2007-08-15
As a woman who fell in love when she was 16 and married the same man when she was 19, I can definitely identify with Gert's confusion and agony after her husband's death. Losing my own husband is one of my greatest fears, and I found myself captivated and uplifted by this tale of second chances and life after widowhood. I pray that I am never in the same situation, however it is great to read a tale of hope for a young widow anyway.
Sweet, interesting, and thoughtful portrait of searching for love. .......2007-05-04
Considering that the book was about a young widow, I expected this novel to make me cry. It didn't. Some parts of the plot actually felt rushed, but clearly all the ingredients were there. I love stories about love, and they are rarely this thoughtful and honest. Even better, it isn't just about romantic love, but also about friendship, holding on, letting go, appreciating what you have. All the characters are real, complicated, and human-- there is no villian. That was also refreshing.
If I hadn't already read CARRIE PILBY, I think I would have been more than satisfied, but expected a lot from the author of CARRIE PILBY. STARTING is not as original or surprising, but the thoughtfulness, the realness -- the down to earth truth -- is still here. I don't think that this manuscript was really ready to go, but I enjoyed it nevertheless, and I still plan to read whatever Caren Lissner writes next.
Fun.......2006-01-25
This is a fun and light read. It keeps you guessing about the end
Skip It.......2005-08-21
This was a serious chick-lit book and, unlike Carrie Pilby (by this same author), not very fun to read. The subject covered here is widowhood; Gert, a 29 year old, loses her husband Marc in a car crash and has to begin dating again in NYC. There is tremendous focus on Gert and her status as a widow - in fact, this could easy be a self-help book/guidance book for widows themselves. Unless you are particularly engaged by this author or this sad subject matter I would advise skipping the book. Because, in addition to being a sad subject (and the author makes it sad), Gert has 2 'friends' who aren't very friendly at all. Her friends, Ericka and Hallie, are so opposite to Gert in terms of kindness and authenticity, that you marvel at why Gert would even hang out with them. The friendship between the 3 girls was another facet of the book that seemed out of place and unbelievable. Also, when Gert decides to date again, she meets Tom, a train conductor, on her first night out - it seems impossible to meet 'the one' so quickly, but she remains with Tom throughout the book. I'm a bit perplexed by this book - what exactly is this author intending us to get from her writing? The book is far more serious than most chick-lit out there and not many women in the 20something age range will find it easy to identify with Gert. I would steer clear of this one unless you have a reason for reading it.
Poignant tale of moving on after losing your first love.......2005-06-20
Gert never thought she'd have to date again, but her world came crashing down when her husband Marc is killed in a car accident. Wracked with survivor guilt, she reluctantly bar hops with her single friends who try to teach her the ins and outs of dating. The only problem is that Gert hasn't been on a date in almost ten years. She's also struggling with the disintegration of her relationship with Marc's family - when he died, her role in their family ceased to exist.
On her first outing, she meets Todd and they hit it off, much to the dismay of her friends. Apparently their rules state you cannot date the first guy you meet. Soon her friend Hallie is asking to be set up with his friend. Gert's relationship with Todd is sweet - the polar opposite of Marc. As they get closer, she realizes that she must eventually tell him about Marc. When she finally does, he appears understanding, and then slowly seems to drift away (but perhaps it is all in her mind).
Meanwhile, Erika is stalking former boyfriend Ben and his wife. She dumped Ben in college, and after three months, decided he was her soul mate. Of course, he found another soul mate, married her, and now has a second baby on the way. Ben's wife is so happy that she has created a webpage that Erika becomes obsessed with, which eventually takes it's toll on Erika's sanity.
The story is heart wrenching, particularly Gert's moments of reflective solitude, her participation in grief counseling comprised primarily of young widows from the 9/11 tragedy (Marc died a few days prior), and the feeling that while her friends mean well, they really don't have a clue what she's going through. Notht ekind of friends a widow would want to surround herself with. Another book with a similar theme is "Good Grief" by Lolly Winston.
Average customer rating:
- Something Funny Going On Here
- Pirates and Logics and Kangaroos
- Excellent
- Predicts the Internet in 1946!
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Logic Named Joe
Murray Leinster
Manufacturer: Baen
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ASIN: 0743499107 |
Book Description
Three complete novels, one of them a Hugo Award finalist, with a number of short stories. The Pirates of Zan - When a young man is accused of being one of the Pirates of Zan and jailed unjustly, he is given a secret offer-in return for being permitted to "escape," he must shake up the establishment, which is getting set in its ways. He succeeds beyond anyone's wildest expectations, becoming not just a pirate, but the deadliest do-gooder in the galaxy. Gateway to Elsewhere - Suppose that in another dimension, the world of the Arabian Nights is real, including very powerful and very dangerous djinns, who are nothing like Aladdin's big blue pal. A man from our world wouldn't have a chance against them . . . or, would he? The Duplicators - A planet with a machine which can duplicate anything would be the wealthiest world in the galaxy, right? Wrong. And unless the hapless voyager who's trapped on the planet can find a solution to its problem, he isn't going to live to leave again. Plus three short stories, including "A Logic Named Joe," an uncannily prophetic story of home computers and the internet - written in 1946!
Customer Reviews:
Something Funny Going On Here.......2007-09-09
Eric Flint of Baen Books was bound and determined to bring Murray Leinster's prophetic 1946 story "A Logic Named Joe" back into print, and this collection was how he did it. "A Logic Named Joe" became the title story of a collection of some of Leinster's best humorous science fiction. As other reviewers have noted, the title story has gained a great deal of notoriety now that the internet revolution it predicted has come to pass. The story itself concerns a happily married computer technician who struggles to avoid a predatory ex-girlfriend.
1935's "The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator" finds a happy-go-lucky young man with a money-hungry fiancee and a tobacco-eating pet kangaroo dealing with a time-transporter-cum-duplicating-machine he has inherited from his late mad-scientist uncle. If Lucille Ball had had George Lucas' special-effects budget, every episode of _The Lucy Show_ would have been like this story.
1953's "Dear Charles" is a time-travel story that takes the Grandfather Paradox and turns it on its head. Imagine Heinlein's "All You Zombies" written in the style of "And He Built a Crooked House".
If John Campbell's fantasy magazine _Unknown_ had survived the World War II paper shortage, the 1952 novel _Gateway to Elsewhere_ would have appeared there. It bears an uncanny resemblance to de Camp and Pratt's Harold Shea stories in both tone and subject matter.
1959's _The Pirates of Zan_ and 1964's _The Duplicators_ are both set in Leinster's all-purpose interstellar civilization, in which his Colonial Survey and Med stories are also set. Both novels deal with clever young men who find themselves stuck on primitive planets in need of some quick and dirty social engineering. _The Pirates of Zan_ has a definite space opera feel to it, while _The Duplicators_ is more of a planetary romance.
Six tales, all of them witty, and all of them excellent. Go ahead and order this book.
Pirates and Logics and Kangaroos.......2006-08-05
I should state at the outset that I am an unabashed Murray Leinster fan, so I am likely to look with a measure of approval on _any_ venture intended to keep his stories and novels in print. _A Logic Named Joe_ (2004) is an omnibus consisting of three short stories and three novels. The short stories are: "The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator" (_Astounding_, 1935), "A Logic Named Joe" (_Astounding_, 1946), and "Dear Charles" (_Fantastic_, 1953). The novels are: _Gateway to Elsewhere_ (originally "Journey to Barkut," _Startling_, 1952), _The Pirates of Zan_ (originally "The Pirates of Ersatz," _Astounding_, 1959), and _The Duplicators_ (originally "Lord of the Uffts," _Worlds of Tomorrow_, 1964).
Let us take the novels first. Why should you want to read them? To be sure, none of them are classics. But they are all... well, _fun_. _Gateway to Elsewhere_ is the story of the consciencious young man who learns to live a little and who travels from the world of Baghdad-on-the-Hudson to the Baghdad of the Arabian Nights. _The Pirates of Zan_ is a delightful reworking of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta into a space opera format, and is easily the best of the three. _The Duplicators_ is a gentle spoof of communist pigs and southern aristocrats. It raises some problems about the economic and social effects of matter duplication that are not really solved by the end of the novel. But then, I'm not sure that they could be solved.
The short stories, like the novels, all have a light touch. "Dear Charles" is a slight but clever account of the distant ancestor who snakes the girl of his not-too-bright descendant. The other two stories are much more substantial. "The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator" is a marvelous piece of slapstick comedy involving time travel, matter duplication, and demented kangaroos. And "A Logic Named Joe" is a computer story written before computers were known-- before the word "computer" was even a part of our language. Read it and see how well Leinster managed to predict this technology-- and the problems that it would bring.
This is a wonderful book for hammock reading or for a lazy day or for a time when you want a good excuse to laugh. And it is a reminder of what the Dean of Science Fiction could do when he was working with all cylinders going.
Excellent.......2005-07-12
I recommend this book highly for those new to SIFI books. The sroties are witty and fresh. They often reminded me of other books but they are newer and no doubt were influenced by this one. This is a really terrific book.
Predicts the Internet in 1946!.......2005-06-30
This collection of short stories represents a sampling of short fiction that still stands up today. I am very glad that the publisher; Baen Books has the rights to publish some of these older works. There is a lot of good material out there only it's never recognized or buried never to be seen again. We can thank Jim Baen for having the vision of a good science fiction publisher. I can sum up this collection by saying it's very thought provoking and should be read by science fiction readers who like intriguing work.
Book Description
This biography of Helen Schucman focuses on the lifetime conflict between her spiritual nature and her ego, and includes excerpts from her recollections, dreams, letters, and personal messages from Jesus -- all never before in print. The book gives a detailed account of Helen's personal experiences of Jesus, her relationship with William Thetford, and her scribing of the Course. The last part contains reminiscences of Helen by Kenneth Wapnick, which draw upon their intimate relationship that spanned the last eight years of her life.
Customer Reviews:
Absence from Interest.......2007-07-18
You had better be obsessed with Helen Schucman before you take on this dead, dull book. Is there a more boring subject that someone else's dreams? How about having them delivered, once after the other, in excruciating detail, along with questionable psychological commentary? The remainder of the book is like a trip to the dentist. Here is the truth: I was a fairly serious ACIM student. I've read the Course itself, used Workbook commentaries, and have read a number of books about the Course. I read this book and dropped the whole thing. Nisargadatta was never so precious as all this.I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta
A must-have for ACIM students.......2006-11-27
This is one of those indispensable books, along with Gary Renard's DU and YIR, that the serious ACIM student should definitely consider having. I had a rather different impression of Helen Shucman until I read Absence from Felicity. It puts into perspective the scribing of the Course, the events that led up to and ensued during the scribing, and the complexities surrounding Helen's relationship with Bill Thetford and others. Compared to Kenneth Wapnick's other companion guide books to the Course whose academic tone is sometimes difficult to follow, this book reads smoothly and includes a lot of Helen's personal notes, mostly letters written to Bill throughout their relationship. Most of all, Absence from Felicity shows us that Helen was just as neurotic (or, 'ego-driven,' to put it in Course terms) as any of us and that she herself made a tremendous effort to undertake the teachings of the Course. It's an informative source of encouragement that I recommend for anyone interested in A Course In Miracles.
An invaluable historical resource.......1999-11-16
This work is an invaluable historical resource for students of A Course In Miracles. Mr. Wapnick painstakingly details the life of Helen Schucman and the scribing of ACIM. He also provides many valuable examples of personal material between Helen and Jesus. Although difficult reading, it is essential for anyone who wants to know the story of how the Course came to be. Students of the Course the world over are grateful to Mr. Wapnick for his loving efforts in the area of A Course In Miracles. Highly recommended for serious students of ACIM.
Excellent!.......1999-10-08
Although I am Catholic and do not believe in "A Course in Miracles", I think this book is the best reference to anyone who wants to know about Helen Schucman's life and her writing of the Course. I know Mr. Wapnick personally and know that he is very sincere in telling us about his experiences with Helen.
Book Description
An inspiring look behind the scenes at one of the great restaurants of New York City, and indeed of the world: Daniel. We follow Daniel Boulud, one of the most renowned chefs of our time, through an average day: his breakfast meeting with his staff, discussions with suppliers delivering fresh fish and meat, and a visit to the neighborhood farmer's market, where he picks out the best seasonal vegetables offered that day. This lavishly illustrated volume is both a cookbook (with 100 recipes) and a celebration of a chef and his restaurant. The book provides an intimate, backstage tour of the restaurant and illustrates how Daniel Boulud prepares his impeccable menus, selects the wines, and chooses the flowers - whether it's a romantic dinner for two or a party for 50. This practical yet inspiring book will transport you into the mind of a superb chef and bon vivant. Packed full of easy but impressive recipes, menus, amusing photos and anecdotes from the restaurant's life, this book will appeal to both serious cooks and to those "gourmands" who would prefer to have 3-star chefs cook for them in glamourous surroundings.
Customer Reviews:
Buy it.......2005-09-13
Much more than a typical cookbook,but if you want to know what makes Daniel Boulud the best chef in New York City-read this book. Great chef- great man-great book.
Wm. Altshuler.MD
Don't try these at home kids, just enjoy the glorious ride........2004-04-12
At first glance many of the recipes in this book appear surprisingly complex,in fact the kinds of dishes only professional chefs would prepare in a world class restaurant kitchen. As you flip the pages, you realize this is the whole point. This lively book is, in fact, meant to be a glimpse into the kitchens and wine cellars and dining rooms of Daniel Boulud's three NYC restaurants. The photo journalistic approach has gives you the impression you are watching a documentary about life behind the scenes in these wonderful fairy tale like places where every hors d'oeuvre, soup, terrine, entree, dessert, petits fours, etc, etc is the result of complex preparation, incredible attention to detail and the font of creativity and spirit that are conjured up beind the scenes by master chef, Daniel Boulud.
If you're looking for great recipes by Daniel Boulud that you can actually and easily cook at home, try "Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook" or his more recent "Daniel's Dish". It's clear from these that the chef has as great a talent for the simple as for the sublime. The former will be a joy to try for your next dinner party the latter are better left to Boulud and his brigade of 40 or more cooks. Vive la difference !
Don't waste your money.......2003-11-06
I expected a lot form this book, as Mr. Boulud's previous book was very good. But this one is not so much a book of recipes or cooking techniques as it is a lot of pictures of wine bottles, Mr.Boulud's daily life and so on. Also, a lot of pages made up of huge fonts which say too little but look too much. Recipes are not good at all, if you can find any. For example between pages 240 and 260 there is no single recipe but a lot of photographs of everything except recipes. I personally wouldn't give a try to any one of his recipes. The price for this book should be no more than $5. Hence, please don't waste your money.
Too Expensive, for too small a portion.......2003-11-02
This book may look like a work of culinary photojournalism, being a chronicle of a day in the life of Chef Boulud at his three Manhattan restaurants. While the book has some of the ingredients which would comprise such a work, it is actually a book of recipes from his three restaurants hung on a rather thin framework of the day in the life of a major restaurant kitchen.
The framework text can be read in less than an hour and contains several errors in punctuation and word usage which a copy editor should have corrected. The design of the text presentation is equally poor. There are shifts in font to signify changes in topic or voice. Some pages of text look like something out of Alice in Wonderland or Monty Python with staggered letters and words and poor choices of text / background color contrasts. Very difficult to read, what little of it there is.
As in some other recipe books I've seen, a minority of the photographs display the food and it's preparation while the majority of the photographs show restaurant workers and celebrity friends of Chef Daniel hamming it up for the camera.
This leaves the recipes. In 234 pages, there are a scant 80 recipes, all of which are presented as being from one of Boulud's restaurants, and, most are indeed recipes one would not likely make at home. There is a high incidence of unusual and expensive ingredients such as pig's head, and some downright bizarre, such as piballes worms. Many of the recipes are also very long in the preparation. Unlike every other cookbook I have reviewed up until now, I did not bother to actually make any of the recipes therein, as it was apparent that except for a few, mostly breads and desserts, these were not the kind of dishes the average person would make, even for entertaining. (This is not typical of restaurant cookbooks, as I find no difficulty making many of the recipes in Mario Batali's Babbo cookbook.) A good case in point is the db hamburger made with truffles, foie gras, and comfit, oh my.
Most recipes include a wine recommendation giving a specific vineyard and year, about which I can have no opinion except that it does nothing to enhance the value of the book for me. A type of wine such as `chardonnay' or `merlot' would have been quite good enough. I will give a small nod to their wine recommendation of `beer' for some of the dishes.
The book includes a list of sources, a requirement for these recipes with many unusual ingredients.
In all, I think the only value to purchasing this book is if one wishes to dine at one or more of Daniel Boulud's restaurants often and wish to know what goes into his stuff or, if one wishes to create a restaurant menu very similar to Boulud's fare. One may find some value to looking through this book at a library if one wants to research variations on a particular recipe.
In sum, recipes may be good, but there are too few and the presentation is poor. Other restaurant / celebrity chef books do much better.
four stars.......2003-08-03
What a delight to peek behind the swinging door at one of the top restaurants in the world. The people who make Daniel run day to day - that's what intrigued me about this book. These men and women take feeding people very seriously. The philosophy of Daniel Boulud radiates in everything that is done at Daniel - soigne. They take care of people and don't miss a beat from the flowers to the wine, the great service, and of course the food. Brenner introduces the reader to all of the people who make it work from the farmers to the seafood purveyors, cheese shops, wine reps, cooks, maitre d's, pastry chefs, pr people, owners, and of course the guests (don't forget the VIPs). Brenner does a fabulous job of putting the reader behind the scenes.
Being a novice food person, many many of the terms I didn't know. It might be helpful to have a glossary or even a floorplan of the restaurant (maybe the hardcover edition has this). Also, when writing dialog, Brenner often has one person asking a question of someone else but it never gets answered. Or there might be an answer but it's to a different question in a different conversation altogether. I'm sure the confusion of the reader parallels the confusion of a worker in a restaurant kitchen. Regardless, it was at times very hard to follow. I would have liked to have read more about the servers, who are called captains at Daniel. The sommelier, reservationists, bartender, maitre d', cheese person and many others all had a lot of coverage, but the servers, who really present the face of the restaurant to the client, were not covered in detail.
Book Description
North Korean stamps are listed for the first time in Volume 4 of the 2004 Scott Catalogue. Appearing for the first time are 1,289 major listings for Korean Democratic Peoples Republic stamps and hundreds of varieties, from the countrys first issue in 1946 to its first issue of 1975. Later issues from North Korea will be added to the 2005 edition the catalogue. Value activity is spread fairly evenly throughout the catalogue with more than 9,000 value changes recorded.
Book Description
-Innovative and do-able approach for turning photos into quilted photos
-Builds on interest generated by previous guides including Fabric Landscapes by Machine which produced sales of $170,000+
Fun and functional format for displaying and savoring family photos, the 10 projects featured in this book offer quilters a new and easy way to embellish quilted photos. Beginners and veteran quilters, as well as sewers, will quickly pick up the easy-to-follow method of creating stunning appliquéd quilt projects.
Readers will find:
-Easy instructions to fuse, cut, and appliqué special photos to quilts
-Steps to add unique embellishments, such as leaves, embroidered fireworks, netting and beading, to create a realistic scene
-Inspiring ideas for items to use as wall hangings, and embellishments to add to any vest, jacket or handbag.
Quilt Your Favorite Photos helps quilters add a personal part of themselves to any quilt they create.
Customer Reviews:
I am impressed with this book............2007-02-02
I agree with Juan's assessment that using "Interior Design" in the title could mislead potential readers. Since Juan sufficiently addressed this issue in his review, let's now assume that this book is titled more correctly, "How to Start a Home-Based Interior Decorating Business".
After a successful 11-year career in apparel design/production, I found myself jobless due to corporate downsizing. After soul-searching and research, I decided that I wanted to go into business for myself and that becoming an interior decorator would be a perfect fit for my skills and interests. So I purchased this book several months ago and have referred to it on an almost daily basis as I take steps to set up my business.
Ms. Phillips has a clear, concise writing style. There is no "fluff" in this book. Even though I already know some of the details on business/home office set-up, it was helpful to read it in this format and in the context of interior decorating.
There is so much I do NOT know about this industry, and that is where this book shines. The author does a stellar job of explaining the day-to-day nature of interior decorating, how to decide if this business is right for you, and the importance of writing a detailed business plan.
The book also provides business form templates that you can copy and use. Finally, the Product Overview section outlines specific instructions on measuring and costing out your projects.
I strongly recommend this book as a starting point and ongoing reference guide for anyone interested in starting a home decorating business from home.
how to start a home-based interior design business 4th.......2006-09-07
Before I purchased this book I read Juan's review, but being the"Doubting Thomas" kind of person I am, I bought it anyway. I should have listened to Juan. His review is completely accurate.
The title should have been: "How to Start a Home-Based Decorating Business".......2006-03-08
An even better title would have been "What You Need to Start and Maintain a Successful Home-Based Decorative Surface & Window Treatment Retail Business". If it had that title, I would have given it 5 stars! Why do publishers encourage such deception?
The dust jacket information about this book leads you to think it is all about Interior Design, and it is not. For example: Ms. Phillips states one of the key differences between the designation of "Interior Designer" and "Decorator" is becoming a member of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) which requires Interior Design or Architecture related education and experience in related fields.
I would assume most readers picking up this book have little of either if any. Then she decides to use the term "designer" throughout the book, instead of the more appropriate and realistic term of "decorator". Why? Is there a stigma about being a decorator? (By the way, one can also become a member of IIDA (International Interior Design Association) as well and legally be called an Interior Designer.)
As for a home-based surface treatment and/or decorating business, this book is good. The listed topics are important and Ms. Phillips does a good job of covering the details in simple language. She has some good questions on whether running your own business is for you and the pros and cons of entrepreneurship. Obviously she has been there, and has sweated it out too! Also featured are smart advertising and marketing ideas.
I felt the information on office set-up and computing was behind the times, but then again I am a gadget guy and tend to be up on these matters.
In conclusion, a person, without any experience, wishing to start and effectively run an interior decorating business that focuses on surface treatment decoration products and services (such as flooring, carpets, textiles, fabrics, wall coverings, wallpaper, and window treatments) would do quite well with this book. I think it is a great business, and there is great potential for a lucrative business.
However for someone wanting to do "Interior Design" (more than just surface treatments), they will be left dissatisfied. I advise you to look elsewhere.
Book Description
Completely revised and updated, this guide includes the author's experiences and advice on every aspect of setting up and running a thriving home-based interior design business. It covers everything from developing a business plan and estimating start-up costs to pricing the services and staying profitable once in business.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty Accurate Vision of Managing a Design Business.......2007-06-18
Suzanne DeWalt really hits some key elements regarding running a home-based design business. For example, her advice regarding setting up an agreement before giving the client all your ideas is very good advice. True, she does emphasize window treatments as being your entrance into the clients home and that may not apply to every designer. So I took off one star. But the honest and practical advice she gives is well worth the price of the book. You can't just be "creative" you have to run a professional firm. As I am the owner of a seven-year old design firm, I say she is accurate on her advice.
how to start a home drapery business.......2003-08-08
i definitely agree with the other comment that it's all about window coverings. interior design is not all about window treatments and trying to sell products to your clients. interior design is about designing the homes of your clients. definitely a misleading book.
This book gave me the courage!.......2002-08-27
This is exactly the book I've been looking for. I completed my degree, but still felt
that I needed some "real world" guidance. This book did that. The author explained
the how to things that I couldn't figure out, like where to find the business, how to
estimate jobs, where to buy the stuff, etc. I love this book!
Awesome.......2002-03-02
I thought this book was excellent! I read it completely in 2 days! I am just considering starting my own business and I appreciated Suzanne sharing such valuable infomation. I don't think a designer "in the business" would share any of this information with you. I would recommend it to anyone just starting out in the business.
Should be called "How to Start a Drapery Business".......2000-01-17
The title is truly misleading. The authors "Interior Design" Business is a window covering business. She sells window coverings, flooring and wallcoverings but is apparantly not a designer. Don't expect any in depth advice on working with clients creating integrated room plans, using trade-only showrooms etc. If you want to focus on one aspect of the business, simply selling floor or window coverings, great. But, I feel cheated even though this book was inexpensive
Product Description
First published in January, 2002, Rearrange It has just been updated for 2007. Top interior redesign and home staging expert and author, Barbara Jennings of
Decorate-Redecorate.Com, teaches you the best and most profitable ways to start, grow, manage and maintain an interior redesign business from home, based on 35 years in design and home business development. Interior Redesign is the creative use of professional furniture and accessory placement techniques to transform a client's home from ordinary into extraordinary using the furniture and accessories they already own. A very simple business to learn, readers will discover how to transform a home in a matter of hours using just what the client already has in the home, then making suggestions as to what additional products and services the homeowner could purchase, if needed. No college degree is needed for this fun and creative business though extensive training in design theory is recommended by the author. Some practical arrangement training is included in the manual, but readers are encouraged to also acquire more indepth training from
Decor Secrets Revealed, also written by the author as an electronic book.
Written in a no-nonsense, high energy but conversational style,
Rearrange It! teaches readers who want a thriving interior redesign business:
- how to prepare themselves professionally
- how to get clients and referrals
- how to conduct consultations the right way
- how to set up their business and protect themselves
- how to hang art and pictures properly
- how to market their services in a variety of ways
- how to get free publicity for their business
- and so much more.
This detailed, straight-talking, hassle-free guide is the 1st in a series by Jennings, who also teaches through other books how to start a home staging business and how to become a corporate art consultant.
In Rearrange It!, readers will learn:
- how to reach potential clients and qualify them
- how to assess a room quickly and know how to solve the problems
- 31 examples of arrangement techniques used by professionals (including the most popular furniture arrangement configurations, one of which should solve even the most complicated room)
- 20 questions to ask homeowners before starting a redesign consult
- practical do's and don'ts
- questions and answers
- important legalities and set up guidance
- how to develop a business plan
- the proper business etiquette
- an extensive furniture and accessory moving tips segment
- how to charge for services
- how to get referrals and testimonials
- how to get other tools and resources she has created to help promote and manage the business
- and much more.
This 8.5x11 manual includes many photos but focuses mainly on the business procedures readers should know before starting a redesign business, but it also suggests additional training and sales aids and tools also available by the author to strengthen the reader's skill sets and eliminate the need for seminars, classes or memberships in associations or organizations with annual renewal fees and regulations.
Customer Reviews:
empty nester fun.......2007-10-04
Nice transaction and very interesting and enjoyable book. Would love to take the author's classes.
Exceptionally Good Training.......2007-08-21
I was one of those people who almost took an expensive seminar to learn how to do this business. How fortunate I am to have run across this excellent book on the subject instead. It was much larger than I expected it to be and packed full of just the kind of information I was hoping to find from how to get started, how to conduct appointment, how to set up and so forth. Not only does the author share her knowledge and experience generously, but she provides access to many additional resources she also provides to give you a well-rounded education to do the business with confidence. This book is filled with practical guidance and I will refer to it often, I'm sure.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I expected ..........2001-09-06
I sent the book back because it did not offer me any new information. However, someone just starting out, may find it to be a helpful primer to their Graphic Design foundation.
to much "less" for my taste!.......2000-09-21
I think that the book showcases work that would normaly place third in a design show. The idea of New Simplicity is simply a nice way of saying little color, little visual metaphore, little interest. If you are buying this book because you think that this is a swiss simplistic book DON'T! If you are buying this book because you think it's of the likes of Jan Tischold, or of the Bauhause regime, DON'T. This is a book that can add another inch to your design library, and give you a few ideas for how to make a few colors, and minimal design have some minimal impact.
Less Boring No More?.......2000-01-03
The maxim "less is more" has long been associated with Modernism, while a more appropriate slogan for Postmodernism (said Robert Venturi) is "less is a bore" or "more is more." This is hardly a new dichotomy because, as this book explains, the primary squabbles in art and design have been about complexity (more) versus simplicity (less). "The histories of art and design are replete with epochs, movements and styles that employ clutter as an ideological or aesthetic reaction to purity," the authors argue, and since the 1980s (Postmodern, Retro, New Wave), "visual clutter has reigned supreme." Using scores of examples of graphic design, the authors predict that the pendulum has caromed off "more is more" and is now swinging back toward a simpler, less layered approach to design. If so, this is one of the earliest books to announce the new paradigm. (Copyright © by Roy R. Behrens, from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol 15 No 2, Winter 1999-2000.)
Average customer rating:
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Notes from a Small Soprano
Lesley Garrett
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0340739010 |
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Notes from a Small Soprano
Lesley Garret
Manufacturer: Chivers Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0754043258 |
Books:
- Vernon God Little: A 21st Century Comedy in the Presence of Death (Man Booker Prize)
- Windward Heights
- Women of Sand and Myrrh: A Novel
- A Circle of Angels Workbook: Designed for the Little People of the World, Waiting to Join and Share in the Light (The Little Angel Book Series)
- A Day Late and a Dollar Short
- A Million Nightingales: A Novel
- A Tale of the Dispossessed/La Multitud Errante: A Novel
- A Very Easy Death (Pantheon Modern Writers Series)
- A Window Across the River
- Affairs at Thrush Green (Miss Read)
Books Index
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