Manstealing for Fat Girls

Book Description

This off-kilter novel centers on three girls who are definitely not part of the in crowd: one’s fat, one’s a dyke, and one is missing a breast. Nicknamed “Lezzylard” by her classmates, Angie is seduced by the prettiest girl in school, an anorexic who just wants to make imaginary grocery lists. Inez, the school’s pot dealer, can’t shoplift because security guards are mesmerized by her single enormous breast. Shelby and Angie can’t be together, because then everyone will think Angie’s only a dyke because she’s too fat to get a guy. Manstealing for Fat Girls explodes the locus where patriarchal and class violence intersect, while embracing all that is magical — and dangerous — about adolescence. Set in a working class suburb of St. Louis in the 1980s, the book is replete with music and pop culture references of the era, but the bullying, lunch table treachery, and desperate desire to fit in ring true for every generation.

Customer Reviews:

MsFrisby, you missed the point.......2006-06-27

As this book's editor, I'm hardly objective. That said, I'm also a reader and my opinion of the review below is that MsFrisby missed the point. Manstealing for Fat Girls has sex, drinking and drugs in it. So do most kids lives these days. Whether they do or don't engage in any of the above, they know kids who do. The book shows how a real, literary heroine navigates these dangers as well as unnamable ones--patriarchy, homophobia and a class system that also negates her worth as a human being. The "lessons" for young readers--and there are many--involve watching a young woman figure out that she's ultimately stronger than all of the above. Also that she will continue to have to fight these battles her whole life. That is the reality MsFrisby and those who visit her library also deal with, and naming these things, through literature, ultimately makes all of us stronger (and saner). I've spoken to countless librarians about this book who are jumping up and down excited about it because its books like these that make kids want to read.

MsFisby, I agree with you that the examples above are disturbing (though some are a bit misquoted). That's why the author put them in the book. That's the function of literature: to show a mirror to the world and then to show us the alteratives.

As for my take on this book, I adore it. Its smart and political, but mostly its really, really funny.

Selling schlock and shock.......2006-02-10

Manstealing For Fat Girls works very hard to be a gritty young-adult book. The author, Michelle Embree, stretches to make the book appealing through a deviant and even dysfunctional flair, and can't seem to help but cram the grit in to surplus and inessential levels. I'm hard pressed to find a page that doesn't contain cursing, drug talk, or teenage sex. It apparently works on the premise that this unsoftened, graphic portrayal can better transfer an unyielding commentary on the lifestyle of the characters, but when you pack the grit on to such gratuitous levels, it ends up reading like the book's trying to sell itself with schlock and shock.

At best, this overzealous literary technique makes the lessons in the book oblique. At worst, it makes the book's character portrayal seem hollow and artificial. Myself, I'd like to comment on the biggest issues I had with the themes and characters. Angie, the main character, is sixteen and lives with her mother. Her father left her mother when he found out she was pregnant, and Angie has had to deal with a long string of her mother's boyfriends. The current one, Rudy, has just moved in after announcing that he and Rita, Angie's mom, are going to be getting married. Angie is a definite outsider at her school, and largely moves in the outsider circle of friends. She is the only one in her circle that does not smoke marijuana, although she is offered several times. While this behavior is a decent example of someone sidestepping peer pressure, and the peer pressure is presented far more realistically than seen in many a book containing drug use, she usually turns down these offers solely because she's concerned with her weight and how getting the munchies would affect her weight loss efforts. Angie shows evidence of eating disorders throughout the book: anorexia and bulimia. She avoids eating to the point of getting light-headed and is obsessed with calories. She also forces herself to vomit after an episode of binging following a particularly traumatic event at school. This is a little distressing because it never get addressed in the novel. She is complimented on the weight she has lost. In some ways, it feels like an anorexic's how-to novel at times.

Angie's best friend is Shelby, a lesbian in her class. She gets teased because of Shelby's sexuality, which does not help her already poor self image. Angie really only spends time with Shelby at the beginning of the book. She seems to pick up a number of outsider friends and by the time the story is over, Angie has gathered a much wider circle of friends very quickly. And she needs some of them after she is beaten and sexually abused at school by a jock and his girlfriend in one of the bathrooms before school. Carrie runs in the popular crowd with Mindy, the girl who helps beat Angie. But Carrie has struck up a barely plausible lunchtime friendship with Angie before the bathroom incident and helps her get her revenge on Mindy and her boyfriend. The reaction of friends and family after her beating is a bit frightful, including comments such as "A shiner like that? Some guy callin'? Sounds like a boyfriend to me," from Rudy. Shelby's sister, Robyn, replies to Angie after being told the bruise is a long story, "Always is when someone knocks you around." Such a blasé attitude towards relationship violence is painful and these reactions are paired with a strong sense of either a lack of concern or cluelessness on the part of adults who should notice. Her mom fails to notice that Angie is skipping school nearly every day before the bathroom incident and it escalates into full-scale drop-out mode afterwards. Rudy is written very clearly and realistically, a perfect portrait of a dysfunctional character who is not all bad and who does not completely reform through the course of the book. Rita, Angie's mother, just does not seem to be written with the same intensity, and she tends to fade into the woodwork. Whether this is an intentional ploy of the author to show her wishy-washy character in the face of emotional abuse from Rudy or not, Rita could be written much more memorably. The same could be said for a great number of Angie's other friends. Some have memorable characteristics, such as Pike, a dropout who enjoys sketching people, but seems to have no family. Inez also has some memorable characteristics, such as yelling into payphones outrageous conversations in order to unnerve passers-by. But by and large, the side characters are largely forgettable. The characters are not written in a stereotypical good or bad dichotomy; almost all of them have negative characteristics as well as some redeeming quality, including the main character. The only truly one-dimensionally written characters are Mindy and her boyfriend, Troy. Overall, while there are definitely aspects that shine, the book is a disappointment.

Average customer rating:

Repressed Catholics Sell Books -- No One Ever Went Broke Underestimating ...

Crying Time and Guessing Games

A good read

Fiction Stranger Than Truth

Gripping and Sexy
Johnnie Ray and Miss Kilgallen
Bonnie Hill
Manufacturer: Durban House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1930754191

Book Description

He was the world's biggest singing star. She was the most renowned female journalist of her time. They had fame, power, money, connections. The last thing they needed was love.

Customer Reviews:

Repressed Catholics Sell Books -- No One Ever Went Broke Underestimating ..........2005-10-12

[...]

"Johnnie and Dorothy met on the show [What's My Line mystery guest segment]." Co-authors Larry and Bonnie Hearn Hill have their characters meet that way, but the Hills' premise demonstrates their ignorance of Hearst news reporting. I will explain.

The reason Johnnie Ray appeared on What's My Line for the first time was to plug his first movie: There's No Business Like Show Business. The year was 1954, and it was a Hollywood creation. It started production two years after Johnnie first became famous, and that initial fame happened on the Broadway circuit and in jukeboxes. He sold a record number of tickets at the Copacabana nightclub (a mile away from Broadway but part of the Broadway club circuit) in April 1952 followed by a stint at the Paramount, then a major part of Times Square.

The point is, Johnnie Ray and Dorothy Kilgallen had at least one conversation in the spring of 1952, long before What's My Line united them. Part of her job was to interview every singer who sold a lot of tickets at those clubs. Had she neglected this job duty in 1952, her bosses would have lost all faith in her.

Catholic Dorothy's bosses were the Catholic sons of the recently expired William Randolph Hearst Sr., and they hadn't started mismanaging their empire yet. In 1952 Hearst plus those nightclubs plus Toast of the Town had absolute control over which recording artist became a teen idol. Johnnie Ray became one; Merv Griffin didn't. They were almost the same age.

So why would Dorothy Kilgallen pass up a Johnnie Ray interview until he'd toured the world and finished a movie shoot on the Fox lot? No way. The authors screwed up this initial incident in their plot. Selling many tickets at the Paramount by itself warranted interviews with Kilgallen, Sullivan, Winchell, etc. Were the Hearsts that dumb in 1952? They had a monopoly on entertainment journalism then.

My reasoning supports the claim of Miami - based comedian George Hopkins. Nobody has published his eyewitness account of Johnnie and Dorothy meeting at a press party for his new 45 single that sold more copies than any 45 single on the Columbia label up to that time. Party took place at the old Astor Hotel across the street from the Paramount marquee that shouted "Johnnie Ray." Also present: Vic Damone, Tony Bennett, Kitty Kallen and many others who passed long ago.

The Hills paint Dorothy's search for Lee Oswald's delusions/accomplices as an obsession that started in November 1963, blocking every other story within her reach. In truth, she devoted an entire column to the kidnapping and rescue of Frank Sinatra Jr. just weeks after Oswald died. You don't see any traces of her feud with Frank Sr. in it. She lambasted TV reporters for asking police officials the wrong questions. She wanted them to ask why the kidnappers set up the ransom drop at a highway overpass that was well - lit at night.

I'm well aware the Hills always write fiction. You can see a list of their titles. Why did they devote their very first novel to transforming a smart, worldly woman into a horny Catholic who sees paths to paradise and conspiracy everywhere? Bonnie Hearn Hill proves what Shirley Chisholm said about more people picking on her for being a successful woman than for being a successful African American.

Ms. Chisholm and Ms. Kilgallen were New Yorkers and contemporaries, and Ms. Chisholm made her famous observation just a few years after the Voice of Broadway expired. Sadly, the reality of sexism trumping racism burns brightly in 2005. When was the last time you read in the Sunday New York Times that James Baldwin was ugly with bulging eyes? His looks don't matter, but Ms. Kilgallen's weak chin does.

Dorothy referred to James Baldwin during her testimony on behalf of Lenny Bruce's First Amendment rights, but that's yet another episode the Hills ignored while they painted their Kennedy / Marilyn / bisexual chic portrait. No one ever went broke underestimating ...

Crying Time and Guessing Games.......2005-10-02

A relationship between Johnnie Ray and Dorothy Kilgallen sounds almost absurd. He was one of the most acclaimed pop singers of the early 1950s, best known as the "Cry Guy" due to his huge #1 smash, "Cry." She was the proper and overly mannered journalist who wrote the influential New York gossip column, "Voice of Broadway." Today's readers, however, are more likely to recall her 1950-1965 stint as the rather humorless panelist on the long-running game-show "What's My Line." The Game Show Network has been re-running that show for a few years; that's how I become aware of Dorothy Kilgallen, or "Miss Kilgallen" as the host John Daly generally referred to her.

Johnnie and Dorothy met on the show; he was the mystery guest (the panelists had to blindfold themselves during this portion of the show), and I saw this episode a few months before reading this book. Apparently, an affair soon blossomed between the two, which caused scandal for both of them. The fact that Johnnie was bisexual and arrested several times for solicitation didn't help matters. Their affair probably hurt both of their careers, although the rise of rock probably signaled the end of Johnnie's career as well.

"Johnnie Ray and Miss Kilgallen" is a fictionalized account of their relationship. The married authors, Bonnie Hearn Hill and Larry Hill, apparently did extensive research, but the book is clearly more novel than biography. The writing is quite good, and the topic is interesting. Johnnie and Dorothy were celebrities during a fascinating time period, and they were pals with icons like Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner. Frank Sinatra also came into their lives: as an enemy, after Dorothy wrote critical items about him in her column. To the public, the much older Dorothy presented herself as a mentor of sort to the troubled Johnnie. Out of the limelight, they lived a life flitting from one celebrity party to another, usually flaunting their affair and totally drunk from too many martinis. Toward the end, Dorothy's career careens toward oblivion as she becomes increasingly involved in chasing JFK assassination conspiracies. How much of this book is fictionalized is never completely apparent, but I suppose it's fruitless to quibble or wonder at this point.

Although I enjoyed this novel, there are a few flaws, particularly the structure. Each chapter contains sections told through the characters' eyes - not really a "he said, she said" novel per se, but along those lines. What I dislike is that Johnnie's sections are told in the first person, whereas Dorothy's sections are second-person narrative. I suppose that choice makes sense - Johnnie was a swinging, ring-a-ding kind of guy, and Dorothy was remote. However, it's simply jarring at times. The other problem concerns Dorothy herself. On television, Dorothy was an icy woman, and although handsome in a patrician manner, she is hardly the type of woman around whom a fairly sexually explicit novel probably should be based. Nevertheless, I mostly enjoyed this novel, and it's strengths far outweigh any misgivings I had. If you're interested in Johnnie Ray or Dorothy Kilgallen or celebrity life during this time period, then you'll probably enjoy "Johnnie Ray and Miss Kilgallen."

A good read.......2003-08-24

A good read. Kilgallen was a looker though it is hard to tell from watching the old kinescopes of What's My Line? She was a great reporter who had many successes but is best remembered for her Voice of Broadway column in the old New York Journal American. Johnny Ray was a so-so singer and never could believe the rumors of his affair with DK. Anyhow, not a bad read for those who remember Kilgallen, Ray, and What's My Line?

Fiction Stranger Than Truth.......2003-08-14

Mr. and Ms. Hill are vivid writers, but the logic they use when they create fiction leaves something to be desired.

Let's see if I understand the scene at the Washington, DC fundraiser on the night before John F. Kennedy took the oath of office. Would the next reviewer please tell me if I got it right ?

Dorothy Kilgallen became physically ill while she angrily accused her boyfriend Johnnie Ray of cheating on her. Dorothy was shouting and wailing into a coin telephone inside a Washington, DC building where Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford and their many friends were singing and laughing and drinking. Dorothy had the right to be angry because a few moments earlier Frank Sinatra had uncharacteristically treated her nicely.

Kilgallen and Sinatra had been enemies for several years at this point, and he regularly told his audiences in Las Vegas that she was as ugly as a chipmunk, but he decided to be nice to her at the inaugural celebration. Dorothy figured out that the reason he was being nice was that his ex - wife Ava Gardner had forced him to act that way after Johnnie Ray had issued the order while having sex with Ava. They had that roll in the hay on his New York City hospital bed where he was emaciated and deathly ill with cirrhosis of the liver. And that's why Frank Sinatra's good manners made Dorothy so angry that she got sick.

Say what ? Even John Charles Daly never used such feeble - minded logic on the many occasions that he answered Dorothy's intelligent questions. It is true that reading well - written books can enhance one's verbiage more successfully than basic cable TV can. But there is also such a thing as truth. You will get more of it by tuning in to the Game Show Network on which Dorothy Kilgallen does her job every morning at 4:30.

Gripping and Sexy.......2003-08-02

This one really surprised me. I was intrigued by the pairing of Ray and Killgallen, but didn't figure on such a well-written treatment of the unlikely duo. Tough to put aside. Very cinematic.

...

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Mind Control patents and Info.......2001-01-21

Sauder is an excellant researcher into black projects and government documents as evidenced by his book Underground Bases and Tunnels. In this book, Sauder goes after mind control devices and various black projects. A strange book, but enjoyable. Worth it just for the patent section in the back.

Kundalini Tales.......2000-09-12

Having previously perused Sauders Underground Bases And Tunnels I figured this book would be at least a decent read. Oh man! This book is not worth the paper it is printed on. 121 of 212 pages are strictly patents on electronic equipment which can be used for mind control. Unless you are interested in researching the patents this book is to no avail. The narration is disconnected, aimless, nomadic, stuttering, and (this bears repeating;) aimless. It appears that Whitley Strieber (who's blurb appears on the front cover) did not read this book. This book will soon be in a nearby landfill. You have been duly warned.

Oh man, what a waste of time.......2000-02-24

I bought this book with the hope that it would shed new light on areas of consciousness exploration. I was prepared for it to be somewhat sensationalized, but good god!

Basically, Sauder has managed to thoroughly mystify several commonly known neuro-technical innovations and make people like Bob Monroe seem like dangerous wizards. I've worked in the neuro-tech industry for years and am very familiar with the technologies Sauder tries to explain. While most of us are trying to DE-mystify brainwave science, Sauder only digs us deeper into the realms of fiction and fear, making it seem like altering brainwaves and having out-of-body experiences are the result of some kind of pseudo-covert, black op government program. Who knows what goes on behind closed doors? Not Sauder, I can assure you.

As I read the book I was struck by how many times his forays into neuro-science were prompted by a "dream" or "vision" or better yet a disembodied "voice" compelling him to look deeper. This is done, it seems to me, to supply some sort of cosmic validation for his painfully weak rendition of "research," or to appeal to some readers interest in paranoia-fueled theorizing.

Sorry to be so harsh folks, but I have a library full of these kinds of books, and this one is the worst.

It's one thing to write a book about bogus or absurd phenomena and try to sell it to the reader as legitimate science or rational speculation. Sauder's done something worse, in my opinion; he's taken factual, well-documented phenomena which is gradually being researched and turned it into a circus side-show.

For those of us truly interested in the nature of altered states (including the physiological/spiritual/psychological aspects of these states), Sauder's book is a disservice.

Prospective buyers should note that over half the book is taken-up with copies of patents on several neuro-tech devices. This is interesting information, but it's also readily obtainable for free over the internet.

At least the title is apt. With the emphasis on "tales."

If you still want a copy of Sauder's book, mine will soon be available for free in my recycling bin.

adventures with perception.......2000-01-25

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Richard Sauder's Kundalini Tales. This book reveals the adventures of one person exploring reality and perception with courage. Mr. Sauder describes a myriad of experiences where he perceives alternate realities and suggests possible connections to research with mind control patents. It takes a bold person in American society today to suggest that perception and reality as we know it may have alternate tiers and textures to be discovered. This book presents facts gathered via the Freedom of Information Act revealing U.S. patents which describe technologies for mind manipulation. Mr. Sauder presents the reader with both research into mind control along with his own personal journey of civil disobedience, meditation techniques and out of body experiences. This book is an education and well as thought provoking.

Excellent combo of self-exploration and black budget expose.......1999-01-05

Kundalini Tales is an excellent follow-up to Richard Sauder's Underground Bases and Tunnels. As much of a personal journey than an expose, Sauder mixes the inner exploration of his self with the outer exploration of CIA mind control projects and other nefarious black budget deeds, and leaves you wondering how much these two explorations are intertwined. Of particular interest is his unraveling of the occult underpinnings of the space program, which those with a love for James Shelby Downard's mind-boggling essays on military-industrial komplex sorcery will truly enjoy. This book has a place in any unusual book collection library.

- Robert Sterling Editor, The Konformist.

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An Overcomer

Moving Mountains-seeing beyond everyday experiences

Fascinating Book

Moving Forward is the Key

Fun story, even if a bit farout

Moving Mountains: a personal tale of healing through dreams, guides, kundalini and the music of Donovan
Lucy D'Mot
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0595447309

Book Description

Moving Mountains a personal story of stillness, faith, healing and everyday miracles.

In summer of 2003, author Lucy D'Mot was on the verge of abandoning her music career. Struggling with physical, emotional and spiritual health, as well as the death of her music partner and friend, she entered into a time stillness to seek direction for her life.Within weeks she received a remarkable message in the dream state to present the music of 1960s singer-songwriter Donovan Leitch in a new format.

This project, Great Songs of the Sky, became the medium for Lucy to experience many miracles, which she had always intellectually believed possible, but never personally experienced. Over the next three years, while mounting this Donovan Tribute Concert, she faced the challenges of acting in faith and accepting the messages of dream states, animals guides, and her own personal spiritual guardians, often while doubting her own sanity.

As miracles large and small became the everyday norm, Lucy developed the faith to accept what was happening within, to learn to "know that you know what you know," and that in the most literal sense, God has no limitations.

www.greatsongsofthesky.org

Customer Reviews:

An Overcomer.......2007-09-26

I found this book so compelling that I just couldn't put it down. So many of the thoughts expressed resonated with me as well. Inspiration really does come to those who seek it, and people really are drawn together for a reason - even if that reason is only understood in retrospect. So many people talk of writing a book, or pursuing some other dream, but never do it. Ms. D'Mot has led a fascinating life, and has done things others only dream of. Her courage and creativity enabled her not only to overcome grief, but to touch the lives of others in a positive way. Her life demonstrates, in a most uplifting way, that it CAN be done!

Moving Mountains-seeing beyond everyday experiences.......2007-09-11

I found this an engaging book, one that I could hardly put down once I started reading. Although this is Lucy's first published book, her writing style flows like a conversation with a friend. A friend who sees evidence of a higher mind at work in everyday happenings. I found this book strengthening my metaphysical faith in a force for good at work in the universe. This book is inspirational to all who desire to follow their own path. Lucy certainly did, but it takes much courage. A wonderful read, highly recommended.

Fascinating Book.......2007-09-05

I've been a Donovan-fan since first hearing Catch the Wind 40 years ago. My wife and I visited California two years ago and saw the tribute to Donovan and loved that too. This book tells the story of the making in an entertaining, easy to read, conversational style that makes you feel like you're sitting in the author's living room. As she describes her every day miracles, it gives one pause to take notice of the special things in our own lives that we might be overlooking. The author's humor is evident throughout. I'm touched by this this book, by Donovan's music and the tribute music and hope they all continue forever.

Moving Forward is the Key.......2007-09-01

There is an old saying that a moving target is hard to hit. I think this also holds true for both life and Lucy D'Mot's book Moving Mountains. It's a great first-hand tale of being open to the universe, even while having a doubting streak. I hope this book allows other folks to be able to have the courage to listen to those voices, omens, signs (no matter what manifestation they come in) to pursue their dreams.

Fun story, even if a bit farout.......2007-08-29

This book moves along at a rapid clip and is an easy, fun read. Lucy Dmot's story has all the elements of a good book.It keeps your interest, you care about the people in the story, it has a full range of emotion, humorous, it's hard to put down, and when the happy ending arrives, you really don't want it to end.

My only problem with the story are the fantastic conclusions Dmot draws from her dreams, coincidences and other supposedly spiritual happenings as she believes she is lead to put on a Donovan tribute.This makes the book seem more like sci-fi or fantasy, which I'm a big fan of, rather than an autobiography.But then again while on the one hand I have difficulty making the same leaps of faith that she does, in the end it clearly works for her as she steps towards her goals and happiness as a result of the conclusions she draws from her farout beliefs. And anyone familiar with Donovan knows his music has an ethereal bent too so maybe it is a good match afterall. It's hard to argue with a real life happy ending.

Book Description

With 354,000 copies in print, Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me is the really successful book of sandbox wisdom. Now it is reissued with three fresh, appealing covers.

Collected and edited by Cynthia L. Copeland, author of The Diaper Diaries and Fun on the Run, together with 170,000 copies in print, Really Important Stuff is filled with clear-eyed common sense that can make us start with surprise and delight. Here are children saying things that are smart, funny, innocent, completely sensible in a way adults just aren’t. Things like: “Bees shouldn’t be so nice and fuzzy.” “You can either keep pedaling, get off the bike, or fall over.” “Pants with pockets are better.” Things like: “It’s more fun to color outside the lines.” “Lick your ice-cream cone before it gets a chance to melt.” “You’re only little until someone littler comes along.” And, “Milk tastes better through a straw.”

Customer Reviews:

Great for Adults Too.......2005-03-05

I gave this book to my entire business unit. I think most books on business, how to make a company better, etc. make things too complicated. If you really read each point in this book, it just applies to everything we do in both our personal and business lives. It's how I want my co-workers to behave and treat others. Take for example, the first one- "Jump right in or you might change your mind about swimming." In other words- Sometimes don't anaylze too much, just do it. Or "Ask why until you understand"- In other words, if you don't understand, keep talking until everyone does.....etc.. A GREAT BOOK!

Sweet and Funny.......2005-01-23

So CUTE!! I felt like I was sitting in a school yard listening in on children talking!! Made me fell young again... lol.

Simple Yet Sweet.......2004-03-20

I felt this is a good book as a review for kids thoughts and ideas. It is a nice book for a waiting area or, well, in the bathroom or such. I rated it a 3 for the simple reason that I felt some of what she lists are her thoughts, not her kids. Yet, these things may have been inspired by what she saw her kids going.

It is a cute book that deserves to be read.

Neato, Wally; from a Cleaver fan.......2002-04-12

Every good piece of parental advice June and Ward Cleaver didn't get a chance to share. Reminds one of Robert Fulghum's works, but Ms. Lewis is much, much funnier and just as wise!

Neato, Wally; from a Cleaver fan.......2002-04-12

Every good piece of parental advice June and Ward Cleaver didn't get a chance to share. Reminds one of Robert Fulghum's works, but Ms. Lewis is much, much funnier and just as wise!

Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me

Average customer rating:

Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me

Manufacturer: Workman Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HK3OAG

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Really Important Stuff: My Kids Have Taught Me
Cynthia Copeland Lewis
Manufacturer: Workman Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKTW0U

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Beautiful pictures, multi culture recipes, lots of fish!!!!!

Australia the Beautiful Cookbook
Elise Pascoe , and Cherry Ripe
Manufacturer: Collins Pub San Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0002553724

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful pictures, multi culture recipes, lots of fish!!!!!.......1999-09-30

Not just a book about kangeroo steaks and gator burgers like I thought. All the imigrants have added to the Australian cuisine, so you get Thai, Italian, Vietnamese and lots more! Gorgeous pictures as most "Beautiful cookbook" collectors like me :-) will know. You get lots of fish, lots of low fat lots of spice.

A "must have" for your kitchen, you get about ten cuisines in one.

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Australia The Beautiful Cookbook
Julie Gorrick Joy Hayes
Manufacturer: Ure Smith
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0725408014

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Australia the Beautiful Cookbook
Elise and Ripe, Cherry Pascoe
Manufacturer: Collins Pub San Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8WTHK

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Australia the Beautiful Cookbook
Joe Hayes , and Julie Corrick
Manufacturer: Lansdowne Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0949708003

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AUSTRALIA, THE BEAUTIFUL COOKBOOK
Unknown
Manufacturer: URE SMITH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SGDSCS

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Goebel salt & Pepper Shakers (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Hubert Mchugh , and Clara Mchugh
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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The Big Book of Salt and Pepper Shaker Series (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

ASIN: 0764322281

Book Description

A collector's delight, this comprehensive volume is devoted to the wide variety of charming salt and pepper shakers produced by Goebel Porzellanfabrik*r of Germany, from the 1920s through the 1980s. Nearly 600 color photos display shakers and condiment sets in the forms of animals, birds, fish, people, flowers, fruits and vegetables, and more. Variations in color or size are included, as well as many scarce or rare sets. Captions contain identification numbers, artist's name where known, date of manufacture, and current market value. Also includes a helpful explanation of Goebel's numbering system, trademarks used from 1923 to the present, and tips for identifying and pricing Goebel sets. A wonderful resource for all collectors and admirers of novelty salt and pepper shakers.

Goebel salt and pepper shakers: Identification and value guide

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Goebel salt and pepper shakers: Identification and value guide
Hubert McHugh
Manufacturer: Vintage Machinery Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006EZ262

Book Description

Memorable outfits from the designer who dazzled the fashion world with such imaginative creations as the sack dress, the balloon dress, the kimono-sleeve coat, and other innovations. 3 dolls, including a figure of the noted designer and two models, accompany 27 outfits from the 30s through the 60s.

Customer Reviews:

Balenciaga.......2005-04-15

Being a great admirer of Balenciaga's work, I really enjoyed seeing his creations drawn by Tom Tierney. The illustrations are lovely.
Balenciaga was renowned for his sparing use of color (he used a lot of black), and Tom Tierney has changed a number of the designs from their original sombre colors into bright ones (eg the "cabbage" cape is drawn in red, but it was actually black, the 1949 pink gown was origainally a subdued chestnut brown, etc).
I was also disappointed by the omission of details (like pockets, buttons, etc) in some illustrations, which are clearly visible in photos of the designs in books about Balenciaga.

Average customer rating:

Good book for information on natural materials

Highly recommended reading for the novice homeowner

Brings out the nature lover in all of us

The review of Naturally modern

Naturally Modern: Creating Interiors with Wood, Leather, Stone, and Natural Fabrics
Ros Byam Shaw
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Residential | Building Types & Styles | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Interior Design | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Modernism Reborn: Mid-Century American Houses

Living Modern: Bringing Modernism Home

Interior Details

Contemporary Details (Whitney Library of Design)

Mid-Century Modern: Interiors, Furniture, Design Details (Conran Octopus Interiors)

ASIN: 0810936682

Book Description

A style book, a wish book, and a practical how-to guide to creating handsome and functional interiors, Naturally Modern offers a fresh approach to decorating with natural materials, including wood, leather, stone, and textiles like cotton, linen, and wool.

In a world dominated by technology, nature's raw materials are back in fashion0and with them a taste for interiors that minimize clutter and accentuate sensual appeal. Design writer Ros Byam Shaw offers a wealth of useful and inspirational decorating ideas to help the reader bring the colors and textures of nature into the home. As illustrated in some 250 photographs of contemporary American, European, and Asian rooms, natural materials bring a warmth and intimacy to both country and city dwellings-and a look that will wear beyond the vagaries of fashion.

With its emphasis on simplicity, durability, and comfort, this is an interior design manual perfectly suited to today's lifestyles.

ROS BYAM SHAW is a former features editor of World of Interiors. She is now a freelance journalist and writes on design and interiors for Country Life, House & Garden, and various other publications. She lives in London.

ANDREW WOOD specializes in interior and fashion photography.

250 illustrations in full color, 91/4 x 9"

Customer Reviews:

Good book for information on natural materials.......2006-02-24

This book is helpful if you want to know how to use and care for natural materials in and oustside the home. There were some good photos featuring modern interiors but not very many photos relating to modern retro, as I had hoped for. I would recomend this book to anyone wanting ideas on using different types of natural materials for their home.

Highly recommended reading for the novice homeowner.......2001-02-02

Naturally Modern: Creating Interiors With Wood, Leather, Stone, And Natural Fabrics is a practical how-to guide for creating handsome, functional home interiors using natural materials including wood, leather, stone, as well as textiles such as cotton, linen, and wool. Design writer Ros Shaw's "reader friendly", informative, and occasionally inspiring text is enhanced with 250 photographs of contemporary American, European, and Asian rooms that offer concepts and appearances that are beyond the vagaries of short-term fads and transient fashions. Highly recommended reading for the novice homeowner as well as the experienced interior designer, Naturally Modern is a welcome and invaluable contribution to any personal, professional, and community library interior design reference book collection.

Brings out the nature lover in all of us.......2000-12-16

This books explores ways in which we can substitute man-made materials for those that are found in nature, offering the reasons why nature is almost alwasy best. The book is aimed towards a contemporary design oriented audience, but the ideas can be adjusted to fit most decors. Beautifully photographed and well written, this book is a great addition to any design library.

The review of Naturally modern.......2000-11-17

A fantastic book. Provides lots of information of the various materials and textures and information on how the materials are processed and how to maintain them. Features unique products and accessories like calfskin chessboard and leather tiles.

Naturally Creative Candles: Discover the Craft of Candle Making and Decorating Using Nature's Bounty

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
Decent Guide
Great pictures and Ideas

Naturally Creative Candles: Discover the Craft of Candle Making and Decorating Using Nature's Bounty
Letty Oates
Manufacturer: Chilton Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Candlemaking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0801990459

Amazon.com

Letty Oates's Naturally Creative Candles focuses on the use of natural materials in making and decorating candles. Projects incorporate such items as pebbles, seashells, herbs, pressed and fresh flowers, wheat, pinecones, starfish, rustic fabrics, and even carved fruits and vegetables to create striking candles, holders, and table displays, all shown in beautiful photos.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2005-10-03

This looks to be a really beautiful book. But if you are intending to try and make the really nice looking swirly candle o nthe front cover in the centre, you will be very disappointed. The cover of this book is very deceiving. It shows how to make most of the ones advertised on the front, but not the real pretty which is only in the book for display purposes only. I find that highly deceitful to print pictures on a book of how to make candles.

Decent Guide.......2000-06-08

A decent guide to candlemaking. The book is rather short on text and consists mostly of pretty pictures, and that's a little irritating. Still, there is enough here to teach you to make your own tapers, although I was rather surprised at how easy it was. Great of you've never done it before.

Great pictures and Ideas.......2000-03-11

This is a great book, with wonderfull pictures and a lot of step by step ideas and instructions. If you are looking to get into candle making this is should be your first book.

The Naturally Scented Home: Creating Traditional Scented Products with a Modern Twist

Average customer rating:

VERY Helpful
For pleasure!

The Naturally Scented Home: Creating Traditional Scented Products with a Modern Twist
Julia Bird
Manufacturer: Collins & Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aromatherapy | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Potpourri | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Green Housecleaning | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

ASIN: 1855857979

Book Description

Any real estate agent will advise you boiling lemons or oranges will provide a "welcome" scent, while masking any unpleasant ones. It works, and drawing from the highly popular tradition of aromatherapy, a top interior designer shows how to keep a home smelling fresh and sweet and pure--emphasizing the use of easy, effective, and 100-percent-natural recipes. Beyond simple solutions to handling nasty odors, from banishing cooking smells to deodorizing a dog's bed, she offers exotic ideas (scented inks, pampering bath oils) for increasing your domestic pleasures. Concoct your own fragrant insecticides, air fresheners, furniture creams, laundry soap, moth bags, and more, and in addition make the most of flowers and incense. A Selection of the Country Home Book Club.

Customer Reviews:

VERY Helpful.......2007-05-27

You know you've been led astray before. Other books in this genre rely heavily on expensive, hard to find ingredients you've never heard of, forcing you to spend far more on searching and supplies than store bought versions of the finished products. This book is so simple and easy to follow, you'll smack yourself on the head and wonder "Why didn't I think of that?" Within an hour of cracking open this book, I had already tried out three different ideas. A handful of fresh Verbena on a string perfumed my living room, a new spray bottle of dryer scent was blessing my clothes with amber, and I was cleaning my kitchen counters with citrus scrub. The next day I was experimenting with creating new tea blends with the herbs in my garden. As days progressed, store bought sprays and cleaners were pushed aside and forgotten. I was so pleased! My only additional expenditure was a whole ten bucks on the two ingredients I didn't have - Borax and Soap Flakes - and now I can make all but two of the recipes in this book.

Speaking of recipes, the Tudor Lemon soap is probably the easisest, and thankfully, Julia Bird skips the animal fat and burning lye steps I've seen in other books. Just soap flakes and lemons, really, that's all you need. No need to endanger yourself at all. No need for goggles and a burn kit. None.

I love this book, and I feel I made a good investment by buying it. I think you'll like it too.

For pleasure!.......2002-04-18

For anyone who wants a useful index of how to mix scentful herbs for food, oils for aromatherapy, natural and effectful house cleaners, keeping bugs out, etc - close to hand. It's got beautiful photography to illustrate it and it is very easy to follow, lots of tips on 'how to', psychological as well as physical impacts of the different scents. Basically an instruction for beeing one with nature in your everyday life making things a lot easier:-)

Your Naturally Healthy Home: Stylish, Safe, Simple

Average customer rating:

Your Naturally Healthy Home
For Those Concerned with Health
No suggestions for traditional-looking interiors

Your Naturally Healthy Home: Stylish, Safe, Simple
Alan Berman
Manufacturer: Rodale Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Green Housecleaning | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Healthy Living | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office

ASIN: 0875969313

Book Description

Whether you're building a new house or upgrading the one you've already got, Your Naturally Healthy Home will help you create a home that is comfortable to live in as well as kind to your health and to the planet. With more than 200 lush color photographs for inspiration, you'll find all this and more in this essential handbook for the environmentally conscious homeowner:

Expert guidance from an architect who is actively involved in environmental design
Practical advice on how to choose materials, furnishings, and fixtures
Detailed charts that will help you evaluate the materials and products available and select what is best for your healthy home
Information on household appliances and their effect on your home environment
An extensive list of suppliers so that you'll know where to turn to investigate products or comparison-shop for ones you want for your home

Customer Reviews:

Your Naturally Healthy Home.......2007-01-19

I love this book. I love the information. I love the photos. After checking it out 30 times from the library, I knew I had to buy it.

This is not written in the Ed Begley Jr. School of Green Living. It talks about ways to adapt your home to the local style, economy and ecology; a gentle reminder to live where you are - buy locally, live locally and you'll do the planet some good too.

For Those Concerned with Health.......2003-02-10

This book is an excellent. It is both a guide to bulding home, and at the same time a guide to the toxins in our home furnishing and ways to minimize our exposure. More and more people are concerned about the chemicals impregnated in the fabrics, woods, paints, and plastics we buy. For instance, many new carpets give off toxic fumes for the first month of installation. After reading that, I realized why I had a chronic sore throat right after we insalled our new carpet.

It gives alternative materials to look for when buying bedding, shelving, wood stains, and other products. It talks about electric fields and why we should not put our bed on a wall with a power-box on the other side. It also lists which plants are best to purify the air.

This is a must-have for people who are going to build their own home, and very helpful for people who are refurnishing their home or apartment. Many suggestions do seem centered on elaborate renovations, but even within those suggestions there is information about things such as wall-paints, furnature, and house-hold ventilation. Some of the ideas, like unbleached organic cotten towels are certianly more expensive than regular store-bought towels, but it is a trade off that you can make after reading the book and reviewing your budget.

No suggestions for traditional-looking interiors.......2002-02-20

This is great if you're not worried about reselling your home or if you're in a market that supports a lot of the kind of things they show in this book, but it's short on practical suggestions for folks who want to incorporate healthy ideas into a regular-looking house.

Average customer rating:

This book is a "classic"

Decorating Naturally
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Crescent
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Home Improvement | Home & Garden | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0517142864
Release Date: 1996-02-05

Customer Reviews:

This book is a "classic".......2000-05-20

Many books like "white on white" or "white and blue" re-used the theme that was wonderfully exposed hire. The argument is the following: "the simple home is about living with ease, space and light...It is simply created by using whites and natural materials as the foundations for each room. Within this framework other colours can then be introduced according to the season and how your mood fluctuates".

Madderlake's Trade Secrets: Finding & Arranging Flowers Naturally

Average customer rating:

A book for lorists

Madderlake's Trade Secrets: Finding & Arranging Flowers Naturally
Tom Pritchard , and Billy Jarecki
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flower Arranging | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0517881586
Release Date: 1994-02-01

Book Description

Madderlake's Trade Secrets reveals how to find the best flower resources, how to choose containers, how and when to cut from branches, shrubs, and plants from the garden and from nature, how to place a phone order with a florist, and countless other trade secrets that have kept Madderlake at the top of its field for twenty years. Throughout, noted gardeners and writers Ken Druse, Lee Bailey, Linda Yang, Timothy Mawson, and Alice Waters give advice on everything from flower markets to gardening resources. Easy-to-spot sidebars, step-by-step instructions, and more than 240 full-color photographs guide the reader through natural flower arranging.

Customer Reviews:

A book for lorists.......2000-04-14

This is a book dedicated to the flower business.The authordetails his own experiences, observations and personal view about howto buy and sell flowers.The basic idea is to use the best and unsual flowers to create occasional arrangements.

The book presents some chapters about natural flower arrangemnts.It is presented the Madderlake style, maybe a mix of English and French style.. It is not a book for beginners.The book is quite philosophical and should be read with attention.

If you love flower arrangements, I recommend:Ikebana Expressions by Akane Teshigahara.

Average customer rating:
WOOD CUTOUTS PLAID'S APPLEBITS COLLECTION NATURALLY COUNTRY DECORATING PROJECTS
Jackie April Stephens
Manufacturer: PLaid Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WH2NGU

Average customer rating:
Home living: Decorating with nature, in control of your own, naturally neat, enjoying others ([Ja-1])
Annette L Bach
Manufacturer: Cooperative Extension Service, North Dakota State University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00072V29O

Book Description

Created by the people at The Designers Republic, one of today's most revered design firms, 3D-2D/Designers Republic explores new ways of communicating architecture. By recreating a three-dimensional building in the form of a printed publication, this innovative book attempts to expand and open up new approaches to presenting and experiencing architectural products, based on the firm's own products and research from over the past ten years.

The book takes as its subject the CCIS Office Building (Chamber of Commerce and industry of Slovenia) which was designed by Sadar + Vuga, an up-and-coming architectural practice. Both provocative and interactive, this unique case study reinvents the architectural drawing in ways that force the reader to rethink his relationship to buildings, to drawings, and to space in general. As visionary as it is plain fun to read, 3D-2D is a user-friendly book in a post electronic, post-CD-ROM, post-DVD era—one that challenges the potentials of a book as a medium in itself.

Customer Reviews:

A disappointment..........2004-02-25

I first found out about the tDR when I stumbled across an issue of Emigre #29. It contained dense complex illustrations with very interesting and unique vector illustrations. It was perhaps one of the most innovative books I had seen in some time. However, the 3D-2D book I had purchased is not even close in regard to the work I had seen in the Emigre #29. This book, in comparision is a stripped down verson of the tDR style so many people are familiar with. I doesn't contain the unique caricatures or the funky vector illustrations but rather, plain and minimalist rectalinear designs that are often boring and dull. If you like tDR stuff then I would suggest trying to find Emigre #29. Otherwise, purchase Buro Destruct I or II if you're looking for some innovative vector based artwork.

3D-2D/Designers Republic.......2003-01-14

I am a huge fan of the designers republic's earlier work and let me tell you, this is NOTHING like what I had expected. I purchased it right when it came out hoping to get a great book with great design and I must say that I was sorely disappointed. If you're looking for the old style TDR design with the fun icons and arrows this is not the book. Decent design, but nothing amazing by any means. Get the Futura book or a Ryan McGuinness book instead.

FASHION DESIGNERS. Watson-Guptill Publications,2001.......2002-01-17

FASHION DESIGNERS. Watson-Guptill Publications,2001

typical designers republic.......2001-10-04

which means it's good!
i've always been a fan of their stuff, while this is more mature than some of their earlier stuff design-wise, it's still a great work overall. techno typographic excellence.
the book includes some posters and other goodies in it, which, thanks to the spiral binding, you can remove easily for decoration without having to tear anything out.

Book Description

Including hit film songs and stories by Ben Weisman, this first-time collection features Elvis' hits from films such as: Loving You * Jailhouse Rock * King Creole * Roustabout and more!

Elvis, from Memphis to Hollywood: Memories from My Eleven Years With Elvis Presley (Rock & Roll Remembrances Series, No 10)

Average customer rating:

Hollywood Elvis

Elvis, from Memphis to Hollywood: Memories from My Eleven Years With Elvis Presley (Rock & Roll Remembrances Series, No 10)
Alan Fortas
Manufacturer: Popular Culture Ink
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 156075026X

Customer Reviews:

Hollywood Elvis.......2004-11-06

I gave this book 4 stars. I did like the book it was good. but I felt it got better towards the end. at the start of the book I felt like I was reading more about other people than Elvis. I wanted to hear a little more about Elvis. but if you are an Elvis fan and want to know more about Elvis in hollywood and his movies then this is the book for you.

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