Furniture Books

Shaker Run By Karen Harper

I needed to take a break from the other books I am reading and I picked up this paperback novel my daughter in law gave me. I really enjoyed it. This is the kind of book you start on a whim and in the middle of it you just can't put it down till your done.

It was about a lady, Kate Marburn, who finds a wonderful job as a rosarian, rose gardener, on a lovely estate owned by Sarah Denbigh. Sarah quickly becomes more then an employee or friend; she becomes the mother Kate hasn't had since she was a toddler. Sarah and Kate share the love for roses and Shaker furniture. Sarah helps Kate get over a terrible divorce from Mike who swindled most of the people in her town, his faked death, allegations that Kate killed him and mending Erin, Mikes teenage daughter, heart after Mike left them. Kate thinks she has finally gotten over the whole ordeal, enjoys the beautiful rose gardens, sees Erin mend, helps her step daughter enroll in college, and then rids herself of those paranoid feelings that she is being followed and watched. Every thing is coming up roses you could say.

That is until Sarah mysteriously dies during a party at her home. The police think she was killed, Sarah's children think Kate might have something to do with Sarah's death, Kate inherits all of Sarah's Shaker furniture, and then Kate starts to feel those old paranoid feelings again. Kate escapes to Shaker Run, a historical Shaker village, where she is in charge of bringing back the vast antique rose the Shakers used to make rose water. Things are not completely right at the peaceful village and a mysterious black car begins to follow Kate around.

Kate meets Jack Kilcourse, a furniture maker, and together they solve the mystery at Shaker Run, the black car, Sarah's death, a trail of fake Shaker furniture, and Erin's new animosity for her step-mom. As the back of the book says "Kate's dream job just might become her worst nightmare...."


Enjoy.

Two years ago Katherine and Mike Marburn were new kids swimming in the elite social pool of Toledo. That crumbled when the SEC decided Mike committed fraud. He swindled clients out of millions, vanished, leaving behind a suicide note, but no corpse. The furor reigned on Katherine who also was left with Mike's daughter from a previous marriage.

Kate takes a job as companion to the elderly Sarah Denbigh. However when Sarah mysteriously dies, the police feel Kate killed her because the senior citizen changed her will and left everything to Kate rather than her two own children. In the midst of her second public furor, Kate accepts a job at historical Shaker Run where she meets Jack Kilcourse. She quickly realizes that something is not right with her co-workers and soon turns to Jake, a person she is beginning to fall in love with, for help.

SHAKER RUN provides an engaging look at an interesting segment of American History. The story line is loaded with action, but a meander or two too many makes it difficult at times to follow. The lead characters are warm and will hook the reader early on, but Sarah's children especially her daughter is just too obnoxious to be real. Still, fans will enjoy Karen Harper's romantic suspense because Kate and Jack make wonderful romantic guides escorting the audience into a piece of Americana.

Harriet Klausner

Kate Marburn learned to protect herself carefully after the horrible disgrace that her ex-husband left behind. While he absconded with millions, Kate was left to face charges of fraud in court, plunging from Toledo's elite society to scandal. Her ex-husband also left behind a suicide note but no body, and a daughter whom Kate loves as if the teenager were her own. Making a new start as the rose gardener on the estate of Sarah Denbigh, a wealthy widow, Kate enjoys her new quite life.

Unfortunately, Kate again plunges into the murky world of lawsuits and fear when Sara dies under mysterious circumstances. Subsequently, Shaker Run, a village originally owned by the Shakers and now restored offers Kate a position as their rosarian. There she meets Jack Kilcourse, an expert on Shaker furniture and a gifted furniture builder. Jack's kisses are as dark as they are delicious. Despite not revealing anything about his past or hidden pain, Jack proves entirely too alluring. Little do Kate or Jack suspect the dangerous criminal element that will threaten both of their lives.

SHAKER RUN provides an intriguing look into America past, and while the creative license lends its own shading to the facts, the sparkling originality of the background proves tempting and fascinating. Shakers, as the author clearly states in her note, did not use hallucinogenic drugs, but the shading of history provides a remarkable background for fraud and murder. SHAKER RUN has a couple of distracting weaknesses. Despite defrauding his clients for millions, we never clearly learn what the antihero did with his money, or why he wants Kate's money. In addition, the daughter truly got on my nerves and I wanted to throttle her selfish ways. Nevertheless, SHAKER RUN is enormously entertaining and engaging. Highly recommended.

I was fascinated by the details of Shaker life--the customs, the lifestyle, the furniture. What spoiled it all was the unrealistic dialog of the characters. Their words were not realistic speech; the dialog was there to convey meaning, but one would never hear people speak in such a way. There was no discernible difference between the characters' speech. So often after a good author has a book sell well, she/he rushes to get the next one on the market without tending to the details that made the first one good. I fear this is what happened here. Too bad. I feel cheated, and probably won't buy anything by this author again.

I bought this book because I needed some new patio furniture. The price of 'store bought' furniture is so exhorbitant, I asked my husband to make this for me. I bought the wood and waited for over 6 months. I ended up making it myself...(and I cannot usually saw a board in half with a hand saw!!). I found the directions fairly straightforward. I made my patio chairs and they look good if I must say so myself! My next project is to make a dog house for my husband..

This book has some good designs for outdoor furniture, including a swing, double rocker, two part patio chair, and an outdoor chair and table. Good, complete instructions are included and the size can be easily modified to meet your needs.

The reason I didn't rate this as five stars is that the book also includes way too many bird houses and a whirligig. Personally, I feel that bird houses and whirligigs should be banned from these kind of books.

The book isn't too expensive so I feel that the worthwhile designs are worth the price. If you want some good designs for a swing, rocker, and a few other items, buy this book.

i find this book very illustrated in the constrction of building outdoor crafts. it is very defined in the exact measurements in every cut with precision. i would recommend this book to any person in the beginning and skilled nature of wood working.

While this book has some very beautiful gliders, rockers, and chairs, it was not designed for a beginner in woodworking. I had trouble with the terminology used and wouldn't even attempt these projects. In addition the book has an over abundance of bird houses and feeders (9 patterns). So if you are looking to build easy, strait forward lawn furniture this is not the book for you.

When we purchased our first home we had a million things to purchase and plan out when it came to rooms. This workbook has nice large grid pages as well ad"budget sheets" to help you figure out how much you are spending on paint/accessories.

This book went everywhere with me from getting carpet estimates to picking up gallons of paint.

The book even has a few pages of pockets to hold inspiration pictures as well as plastic furniture pop outs in the back to use when planning.

In terms of all the work books of this type I looked at I was most happy with this simply designed medium sized one.

I was hoping for something that could be used for our designers and maybe I was looking for to much. I own a Home Decor store along wiht my wife and have tried to use different project planning guides/books. This space planner though well laid out and offering good prompting questions for the non-professional, had little new info. If you are non-computer literate and want to play with a few ideas it may be just fine but rather laborsome to use on a regular basis.

if u just got a new home, or u are planning a move in the future this book is for you, it helps u decide how to organize and decorate every room, you cant go wrong with this one, great tips and ideas!!

Pretty cool, wish it had a dry erase marker with it and less book. I mainly just wanted the stickers to map out models I do.

Photography is extraordinary. The people featured therein, not so much. Still, it's a beautifully done publication and worth the cash but buy it at discount.
Stylemaven

There is no disputing that this is a sumptuous volume. Lavishly produced, its oversized 384 pages are crammed with images of exquisite rooms and lush gardens from 36 unique homes, owned by the rich and/or famous in Europe, America and North Africa and into the likes of which you and I will never set foot. (Which is the reason, thankfully, such books are produced and why we lesser mortals buy them.)

There are rooms modern and rooms classic, arranged with the taste, elegance and restraint of the world's best decorators and captured by the world's greatest photographers. And yet the rooms are not museum pieces, but are demonstrably inhabited by their owners, their well-scrubbed children and their adorable dogs, such as the greyhound on page 317 filching a piece of cheese from the dinner table.

My favourite room which is featured on the front jacket cover is of Janet de Botton's breakfast room in Provence, its French chateau décor a study in white, cream and faded pastel, the background, literally a wall of china - floral motifed white plates and platters displayed on white-painted, floor-to-ceiling wooden plate racks built into the walls. (Already I've been measuring my walls to see how I can incorporate something similar - though less vast - into my old house).

At the opposite end of the décor spectrum is Amanda Brooks NYC loft, all kitsch and brash eye-popping colour like a Barbie Doll house with Brooks herself photographed in a Barbie Doll style gown in a Barbie Doll pose. (It's not to my personal taste but cleverly done & I had to look twice to be sure the figure lying stiffly across the bed wasn't a mannequin).

If you are a fan of décor books you will find plenty more here to inspire, amuse and entertain you and your like-minded friends and family.

So why did I hold back from a five star rating? My quibble is with the empty 14 pages devoted to Madonna which might have been put to better use: Madonna's cow pastures, M. with (admittedly cute) children; a gowned & high-heeled & coiffed M. feeding the chickens (as if!); M. canoodling with husband, a double-page shot of M's sheep -- & only one tiny interior shot, a sitting room that was rearranged by the photographer & does not reflect the actual décor of Madonna's house - which might have been of real interest even to a non-fan like me.
Thus the book falls just a little short of being, for me, the epitome of the coffee-table décor genre.

you have to love decor and fashion to understand this book.it is Vogue after all!!!! the book is full of fabulous properties and fabulous people.I went through it already many times and got inspired by it.
Buy it f you are a fan of vogue magazine !!!

Flash review: The perfect gift book for this season.

This new book, timed for Xmas giving, features a selection of the best homes shown in Vogue in the past several years. It is a large-scale book, filled with wonderful color photography. Although Elle Decor and Architectural Digest have come out with similar books this season, neither can hold a candle to Vogue's tome. If you are familiar with the 1968 publication, "Vogue's Book of Houses, Gardens, People", which now sells for $400 and up if you can find it, you will know what is in store for you.

Maximum emphasis on homes you would love to see in person, owned by people of impeccable style: Janet de Botton in the south of France, Marella Agnelli in Marrakech, David Cholmondeley's stately, etc.; minimal number of celebrity digs done by decorators of questionable taste which you tend to see in Architectural Digest. The style and taste of the featured houses, gardens (and, yes, people) are on an entirely different plane than those shown in the new books by the other two lifestyle magazines.

Hi RJB,

Wondering if you could tell me if the marking on my dining chairs is in the book American Cabinetmakers:Marked American Furniture.

The mark is on the corner blocks (under the seat cushion) and are pressed into the wood. The mark is "F. C." It also has the roman numerals (I), (II), (III) etc. but I've read those markings were used to match the chair with the seat cushion.

The Santa Clara Library system doesn't have the book, and I don't want to buy it unless the "F.C." mark is included.

Thanks, Jean

In book are manny colour pictures but low qwality information. I don't recomend to bay this book.

"American Cabinetmakers" catalogues marked American furniture from 1640-1940 and is an unparalleled reference book for antique collectors and dealers. The information is organized alphabetically for easy reference. Each cabinetmaker's entry contains information about his furniture markings. The marks take many forms from a name or initials scratched into wood, a hand-stamped brand in pencil, ink, paint, or chalk to elaborate labels made of paper and metal. Additional information about his life and work is often provided and there are numerous black and white photographs of furniture and cabinetmaker marks. There are over 1,600 artisans included in the book and photographs of 400 marked pieces. It's a treasure!

This book ia a great addition for your antique price guide and references. Wonderful color pictures and easy to read prices. Highly recommended!

This is a comprehensive, well illustrated guide. Like all guides of this sort, it can't cover everything. If you have a particular interest in a specific field then this book will not work for you (e.g. if you collect Silver E.P. from the 30's this book covers off on one manufacturer well). If you want a general price guide, can draw inferences from items of a similar age, quality, style and market this book helps.

In both style and content it is similar to Miller's: Antiques Price Guide 2005 by Elizabeth Norfolk. I think Norfolk's book has a definate edge; although it is a little more expensive.

Neither book is a "how to appraise" guide - they don't claim to be. Neither are they completely comprehensive - they couldn't be. They are illustrative guides of current market prices. If you are buying for this purpose you wont be dissapointed with either.

This book has hundreds of very impressive photos of specific items, noting their defects, markings, and value. However, unless you happened to run across the exact same item, the information is next to useless. While it is interesting to see an unusual art deco lamp, I'd be more interested in meatier topics, such as (1) how prevalent is art deco?; how hard to find?; (2) what should you be looking for in an art deco piece?; (3) what are the trends? Is this passe? Up-and-coming? Likewise depression glass, Shaker furniture, Americana, and old toys. Instead of a pretty coffee table book, I'd appreciate the value of the author's experienced guidance much more

Bought the book for a variety of reasons. We have this awesome cottage with three areas that we wanted to develop into what we call outside rooms. And in reading this book the author provides ideas that are actually working, not to mention the book is simply a joy to read while laying in the hammock or having tea and scones on the morning deck that overlooks the stream behind the cottage. She also provides cottage garden look we wanted.

The section on water fixtures was something we love since we have a massive Japanese clay pot in the front porch area that we have used along with the semi sun plants she recommended.

The author also covers an often overlook area on most garden books and that has to do with choosing outdoor furniture that will fit in the area and actually help enhance the natural beauty of the plants. None of her suggestions overpower the garden. They are like the small details on the well set table.

The book is 159 pages long and covers everything from bringing your home into the garden, effective entranceways, designing the space, entertain areas for the out of doors, and serene spaces. Oh and she has a nice resources section.

I was quite uninspired by this book. I found the title to be quite misleading, as the gardens depicted in the book were mostly close ups of plants, or vignettes, and very few garden "rooms." There are no design layouts illlustrated, nor photos of a garden as a whole to give you an idea of how it was divided into outdoor rooms. The book is primarily text, with one or two large photos per chapter - - not enough to illustrate the concept being discussed. I am a visual person and look at garden books for inspiration. I needed more photographs, less information on how to decorate my dining room table or how to do bonsai. It wasn't what I expected or hoped for in a book about creating stylish outdoor rooms.

This book is a bargain, especially if you pick up a used copy. At first glance, I thought the book was too full of gorgeous green ferns, hostas, and other plants that don't thrive in our dry climate. However, the firescaping section helped us choose Lily of the Nile to plant around our home. The knot gardens inspired our garden layout.

You may not need all the information in "at Home in the Garden," but if you love beautiful garden settings, you'll love the stunning pictures.

Creative, unique and with easy to follow directions, this book was the 'easiest' to build. I highly recommend.

I was really disappointed in this book - I thought the designs were too complicated for a beginning builder. I think this book is more suited to an advanced builder, who wants to make exactly these patterns.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a book to help me in my quest to build my own birdhouse. I have a large yard with lots of trees and a few "store" bought birdhouses but I was not satisfied. When I got the book, "Birdhouses: 20 Unique . . .", I imediately noticed how easy it was to follow the designs and the ideas. The hints on how to build were easy to follow and had good detail. From material to tools to locations, it was full of facts and even gave me many ideas on how to expand on my own creations. All in all, this was the best book I found on the beginning woodworker's desire to build birdhouses. I would recomend it to any hobbiest.

this is a pretty basic primer for those just beginning to collect oriental carpets. There are quite a few pictures/examples, although the book is less than comprehensive.

This book looks like a beginner level general rug book but it is actually very useful. Of all of my beginner books this is one I still go back to...

This is probably the most frequently used carpet book I have. I'm not a dealer or serious collector - just wanted to buy nice rugs for the house but I wanted to know what I was buying. I first found this at the library and ended up buying it (along with 2 others that are bigger and different). I go to this book first every time I have a question. This book has great maps of the areas, history of the people in each of the areas, great drawings and explainations of the different symbols and motifs, discussions on the knots/weaves and what to look for in terms of quality, typical indications of what to look for in each type of carpet, and more. We recently returned from a trip to Turkey/Istanbul where we went to the Grand Bazaar and bought carpets for the house - it was lots of fun (great people)- and I feel that this book really helped me not only appreciate the rug making and understand some of the history but also make more informed decisions when shopping. Highly recommeded!

After looking at design book after design book after design book, kitchens, baths, living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, sitting rooms and on and on, (You get the idea) I hit the jackpot with this book. This book is not merely about kitchens. Nearly every kitchen, including the details, represented the aesthetic that I am seeking for my kitchen remodeling project. I kept turning the pages, somewhat in disbelief that I loved them all, especially the larger architecture encompassing the kitchens and sometimes the beautiful views. I couldn't understand why this design book finally hit on what I was looking for. Then I read the back cover about Mr. Mee, being from Phoenix. That was my ah ha moment - these pictures were taken from the beautiful homes of Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona. Communities in which the natural beauty of the Sonoran desert and architectural beauty honoring the spirit of the old Southwest converge to create
a place on this earth that has captured my imagination and continuously calls to my soul. Right now I'm working on a kitchen in a 200 year old historic colonial home in Virginia where I plan to incorporate the details from Mr. Mee's book. And then sometime in the future I hope to do the same thing all over again in a new home in the breathtaking Arizona desert.

This is a great book with gorgeous photos. As a budding designer I found these designs sophisticated and a greate source of inspiration. Therefore, I would have to disagree with the other reviewer. Personally, I dont care for Chris Madden designs. I guess it is all about personal taste. Overall, this book is worht taking a look at.

I find the Kitchens in this book to be so overdone that its painful! I'm an Interior Designer and was looking for ideas and inspiration. Neither were supplied by the content of this book. The details actually become overwhelming rather than working as an integral part of beautifully pioneered spaces!
I would recommend Kitchens by Chris Casson Madden. Might be a little dated now but still helpful.