Amateur Books

Jude and Carole are back as the amateur sleuths of Feathering, and this time they find themselves involved in deadly horseplay when Jude finds a body at Long Bamber Stables. The police figure it's the mysterious "Horse Ripper," someone who's been mutilating mares across the county, but Jude and Carol suspect the killer might be someone closer to home.

Sonia Dalrymple's has hired Jude to heal her horse's bad knee. Jude's never tried to heal a horse before but she's willing to give it a go. But, since she's supposed to meet her client at Long Bamber Stables after dark, she gets her friend Carole Seddon to give her a ride. The stables are dark and no one is around. When Jude checks inside just in case she got the meeting place confused, she finds a body. Then the night is filled with people as the police arrive just after Sonia and before Lucinda Fleet - the new widow, but one who doesn't appear that upset about her husband's demise.

Once again Jude and Carole are outsiders in a murder investigation. For once, these amateur sleuths are believable. They're totally aware they have no information and that they are cut off from the real investigation. So, they try to gather clues from others who are peripheral to the case: Imogen Potton, a young girl who exercises the horses and mucks out the stable; Lucinda Fleet, wife of the murder victim; Sonia, who boards two horses at the stables and seems to know more than she's saying; Donal, a horse-wise Irishman whom the police questioned; Hilary Potton, Imogen's mother who seems a bit of a drama queen; and Ted Crisp, who runs the local pub and hears lots of interesting gossip.

While Jude would like to find the killer, she's not overly enthused about it. Carole on the other hand is worried about her son Stephen's marriage to Gabe. She's throwing herself into the investigation to stop herself from thinking about her son and daughter-in-law.

There are twists and turns and lots of the usual. The mystery itself is multi-layered with clues from unrelated incidents to throw the reader off as well as Jude and Carole. It's not a challenging mystery for the reader, but the characters are so interesting and the inter-relationships so intriguing that as long as the story is strong and engaging it's a nice chance to see and learn new things about the world of Feathering as well as of Jude and Carole -- it seems opposites do make the best friends after all.

Simon Brett is an accomplished writer and has several mystery series. The Feathering series features two middle-aged, but otherwise completely different, amateur detectives, Carole and Jude. Carole is a highly-controlled, reserved, retired former civil servant. Her neighbor and accomplice, Jude, is a free-wheeling, new-age "healer".

Part of the humor and fun of this series is in the interactions between these two and watching the gradual "loosening" of Carole. (Egads, she is now drinking wine in the kitchen!)

I always enjoy this series, but this book was particularly engaging. Carole and Jude come upon a murder victim only minutes after the murder at a stable where Jude was going to attempt the healing of a horse. The cast of characters drawn into the book was interesting and engaging: an angry, sullen adolecent, a gorgeous but troubled society matron, a central casting drunken Irishman who's a little more than what he seems.

Lots of fun and totally engrossing. Read it and enjoy.

I look forward to reading everything by Simon Brett. He is a recent discovery for me and I like all three of his series. Stabbing in the Stables is a Fethering mystery, featuring Jude (an alternative therapist) and Carole Seddon (an uptight Home Office retiree). This interesting duo becomes involved in a murder at a stable after Jude has been called upon to look at, and possibly heal, a horse.

I love the relationship between the two women. Jude is a very accepting Earth mother sort with healing hands and Carole is a very rigid type who is learning to unwind as she spends time with Jude. And she, like the rest of us unbelievers, is skeptical of Jude's abilities (a good move on Brett's part as this built-in skeptic keeps the reader from balking and moves the story along). And both Carole and Jude have a need to find out answers and can't resist the lure of a mystery.

Brett populates this entire book with interesting characters. They all have depth because they all have needs, desires, and conflicts (with the possible exception of the villain of the piece, who is obvious fairly early on). The character of Donal is fantastic and is slowly revealed like a peeled onion, changing the way he is regarded by both the other characters and the reader.

This is not a book for the extremely squeamish. While not explained in gory detail, it does have violence against both humans and animals in it. But if you can handle a dose of reality in your mystery, the writing makes this one quite worthwhile.

Did I guess it? Sort of. Any more detail would ruin it for you. Will I read more? Absolutely.

"The Stabbing in the Stables," the latest of Simon Brett's forays into the lives of Jude and Carole in the fictional Sussex town of Fethering, is as fresh and clever as the first in the series. As others have mentioned, usually series begin to become tired (witness the once-great Agatha Raisin series) or parodies of themselves (e.g., the "Cat Who" mysteries). But Simon Brett seems immune to any of that.

The sign of a truly great series is when you can't wait for the next one. That's certainly the case here! I hope Mr. Brett hurries up with the next mystery.

Simon Brett's expertise is exceptional. Yes, I know he's written a lot, but not every prolific author improves with successive books. Brett, however, is one who does. In this series, he takes a fairly unlikable character (Carole)and compels us to follow her no matter how unlikely we would if we knew her in real life. Cleverly, Brett adds a more likable character (Jude) but keeps much of her life hidden. Add a compelling tale and you've got a great read!

Eleanor Sullivan, author of Assumed Dead

With the advances in High Definition and HDV, staying ahead of the learning curve might seem a daunting task. "Working with HDV" is a god-send. Seven chapters of technical wizardry, yet it's incredibly approachable; allowing even the most novice of film makers to grasp it. This is a MUST HAVE for any one considering whether or not to shoot on HDV for your next project!

Chuck Gloman has definitely helped me,a non-technical person, understand the basics of working with HDV. I have begun my project with a new confidence, and he has showed me this can be real simple.

I am just starting to explore using HDV and purchasing some equipment. The book "Working with HDV" was a great introduction to HDV but the overal quality of the book was very mixed. The author did seem very knowledgeable about the subject matter and parts of the writing were excellent. The first few chapters which provide a historical perspective and overview of HDV was really excellent with the right balance of technical detail. the middle portion on HDV production techniques was marginally useful as it did not go into enough detail to be really helpful. The last portion on post production and delivery was awful. It seemed like the deadline was approaching and the last few chapters were just thrown together. It was just a bunch of disjointed information on various options without any flow to it whatsoever. Some sections seemed incomplete and without any clear purpose in the text (e.g. some of the case studies). Maybe it was because there are so many software and hardware products on the market it was not possible to go into any detail. One of the problems was several terms were used which were not defined unlike the first chapters which explained everything thoroughly. There were also a fair number of editing mistakes which I found a bit annyoing (example: page 59 second paragraph last sentence should read "384-Kbps").

Overall I found the book useful and the first few chapters alone were worth the cost...but barely.

This is an excellent book. It covers the topic of High Definition very thoroughly.
It is copyright 2007. At the time of this review (July, 2007) it seems very much up to date.
It reviews ALL the high definition cameras on the market today. It covers the best video editing programs (Sopny Vegas, Adobe Premiere Pro2, Avid Xpress ProHD, Apple Final Cut Pro HD 5, Ulead Media Studio Pro 8).
Dr. Pescatore does a masterful job of describing the various Digital Video formats. (Did you know that you can have digital video without it being High Definition)?
Chapter 5 deals with shooting with HDV, and could have used a few more rewrites. It seems to lack coherence.
HDV is the wave of the future, and you need this book to prepare you for this technology

I am a computer professional, and bought this book to learn how to get started in HDV. To my dismay I found numerous errors when the authors referred to computing. e.g. in one place they call RAID, Random Access Internal Drives, yet in the glossary they correctly call it Redundant Array of Independent Disks. They claim that USB 2 is faster than Firewire (not true, although the theoretical maximum speed in USB is higher, in actual use Firewire is much faster for sustained data transfer, such as one sees with digital video.) They also say that Mac files cannot be accessed from Windows. This is also not, strictly speaking, true (although it is not easy).

As I am the son of the author,and also the stonemason who's work is featured in some of the pictures in the book ,I have to give the book the highest rating possible.I know my father spent at least 10 years drafting , planning and trying to find a publisher, and now that the book is out of print it is astounding to see how much its value has increased.I have the original drawings my father made (all framed of course) and also the original draft and photos that are featured in the book. I am very proud to have been a small part in what was a very succesful publication.Maybe one day I'll write a sequel !! might call it "the craft of the stonemason",but thats something I'll have to sit down and think about.

This is an excellent book, a stonemason myself, it really does give a true insight of the art or skill involved in stonemasonary. The illustration are excellent, with several cross sections to show the reader how stone walls are built.

Another good book on traditional stone masonry. I wish there was some some colour photos in it. It does have some information that is not found in other stone mason books. Add it to your Stone Masonry library.

The author provides hard and fast do's and don'ts derived from his experience of many years. If you want to learn how to build a traditional mortared stone wall this is the best book around. With or without the color photos, buy it.

I became interested in the art of stone masonry a couple of years ago. This book is by far the most excellent one I have seen, and I have researched back as far as the 1870's. Mr. Cramb is definitely an artisan beyond compare.

If for aesthetic value alone, this book would be worth every penny.

I can't believe this book! I have learned more about tiling in the 3-4 hours it took me to read the book, than in the previous tile projects I have done. Mr. Bridge covers it all. I found the section on laying out a project worth the entire price of the book. By following his layout method, I have saved considerable time. Mr. Bridge uses humor, simple explanations, and a great knowledge of tiling to make a do-it-yourselfer feel comfortable about taking on a large project.

I am a Maintenance Superintendent for the largest publicly owned utility in the Nation. I have read way more manuals than I care to think about. Very seldom do I actually learn anything. This book covers not only the very basics, but also some of the more complex projects of tiling. It not only tells you what to do; it also explains why you want to do it. An excellent book I highly recommend to anyone. Just don't ask to borrow my book, BUY your own!

I've never done any tile work and wanted to find out more about it. After reading this book, I feel like I can get started without a lot of confusion. For anyone wanting to learn more about tilework, even if your going to hire it done, this book is a must.

I am planning a mud-set ceramic tile project and it was suggested that I buy this book. I did and it is a GREAT book; sure wish I had known about it several years ago when I did my first tile project! I recommend it to anyone starting a tile project. It's written in a way that most anyone can understand and the small cost is worth the time and potential mistakes that will be saved.

I purchased this book hoping to get valueable information on the understanding of tile work.In addition to aquire ideas that would benefit me in achieving such goals.This book I found to be poorly written, the examples (pictures)provided were outdated and poorly presented to say the least.
Save your hard earned money, this to me was Not worth the price !!

If you are just starting out, or are wanting to learn more about the tiling do's and don'ts, then this book is for you.

As a DIY person, I found the book covered all those little details that other books didn't. And when it comes to tiling, it is all about detail.

It is written in a fun informative manner, and is easy to read and follow. If you buy one book only on tiling, this is the one to get.

I found this book refereshing. While she makes a few brief comments in the book that are a bit unexpected, I believe they were to cause the reader to think. I liked Kirk's honest evaluation of what caused her to 'lose' her faith and how she then came to a personal relationship with Christ. This book made me think abot my own faith and how we, as sinners, are all alike - save by God's grace.

Some people dive into Christianity with a big splash. Others step into the river of faith one toe at a time. Patty Kirk would probably classify herself as the latter --- a kind of reluctant believer who found herself undeniably saturated with the reality of God.

In CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR BELIEVER, she recounts her journey of faith --- one that highlights the pain and struggles of her past. Despite growing up around the church, Patty became a self-proclaimed atheist. She felt that the God of her childhood had abandoned her and she was in charge of her own life.

To compound matters, during Kirk's first year of college, her mother developed a brain tumor. A surgery to repair the damage left her mom almost blind and unable to regulate her own appetite. In the midst of so much suffering, Kirk describes:

"When I went home to see her, I would find her at my sister's kitchen table with a Bible in her lap. She couldn't read it, couldn't recognize me from my voice except, hesitantly, as 'my Patty,' a teenage version of myself if I no longer remembered. She couldn't even hold onto any one thought except to say over and over, as confiding and joyful as a child, 'Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me.' It was the most pathetic sight I had ever seen, this wreck of my mom, sitting cock-eyed and broken and patting her Bible, claiming this obvious lie to be true. I was always glad to get back on the plane and leave that part of my life behind me."

Kirk didn't just run hard and fast --- she ran as far as she could, living overseas for years. But Kirk couldn't shake the sense that God was present in her life. Present in her grief, anger, loneliness and pain. Ever present.

She writes:

"I became a Christian in my thirties. I wish I could say that I welcomed Jesus as my Savior from the moment I heard his name as a child and that I submitted to him eagerly and dedicated my life to glorifying him, but in truth I would have to admit that I have always struggled to remain my own boss. I had to fight him off for an entire lifetime before I finally recognized my own ridiculous inadequacy to save myself and gave up the struggle. What a joy it is to exchange fighting for rest!"

CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR BELIEVER chronicles this faith journey. The book itself is divided into four sections: Meeting God, Struggling, Progress, and Rest. While the majority of chapters tells Kirk's story, there are interludes of brief chapters that reflect on God and life. One of the best compares leaving everyday phone messages to communicating with God.

This book is well-written and teaches valuable faith lessons without a hint of being preachy. The raw, honest and vulnerable stories are relatable yet enjoyable to read. At times it seems a little bit jumpy --- adding pieces that are clever within themselves but don't necessarily fit within the overall flow of the book. But the journey is one worth taking for the reader --- one littered with rich nuggets of wisdom and wit.

CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR BELIEVER would make a great rainy-day read. Many will be able to relate to the ups and downs of the author's life and find themselves within the story.

--- Reviewed by Margaret Oines.

I loved Patty Kirk's Confessions! I started with the idea that one chapter at a time would make a nice bedtime reading before falling asleep. Instead I found myself drawn to the next chapter, and the next... and the next...

The use of everyday life and everyday events of a daughter, sister, wife, and mother made the book seem very personal. Other accounts of places and experiences I've never dreamed of made the reading intriguing. The questions and doubts the author admitted to were often those I have secretly harbored though often kept to myself. The 'theology' reflects that of a genuine new believer (passionate, questioning, searching, sometimes immature), but with frequent insight and inspiration that would be expected of a much deeper understanding of God and Truth. I loved the frankness, openness, and startling honesty she shows as she tells her story.

I eagerly look forward to more Patty Kirk books!

This book is a spiritual memoir of someone brave enough to admit she doesn't have all the answers and never will.

Although Patty Kirk grew up going to Catholic church, she fell away from her early faith and became an atheist for over a decade. Two tragic events occurred in her personal life that cut to the very core of her being, and she didn't see how God could let these things happen.

She became a drifter, wandering from country to country overseas, longing for what she lost, yet not knowing how to get back home. She rediscovered her faith in her 30s through the witness of her husband, who prays daily in his walk-in closet.

Now a professor at a Christian college, Kirk's lyrical essays are fresh and edgy, offering a peek into her current role as mother, wife, and amateur believer. Fans of C.S. Lewis' nonfiction will find delight in Kirk's writing.

--Christian Women Online Book Buzz

The title is what caught my eye, and I must say the cover was catchy as well, but what's inside is worth every piece of paper on which Mrs. Kirk's faith journey is printed. Although I'm usually only a page-turner with very good fiction, I had a hard time putting down this honest and very real account of seeking and finding God.

i'm in the process of building a second home for our family. at first, i was very afraid that going to an architect, an "expert" was going to be expensive and potentially frustrating - how could they know what i wanted, how could i know to trust that they were "that" good and wouldn't charge me an arm and a leg for some design-y house? this book provided the education - the vocabulary, the concepts, the rationale - that any non-architect needs. after reading its chapters, i feel more confident both in my own ability to find the right architect and building professionals, and that i really do want to work with an architect.

even if you aren't building a house, this book will help you understand the one you currently have. it gives you enough context so that, the next time you see a funny stain on the floor, you'll be able to better guess if its water or a present from the dog.

As a residential designer and builder I read a lot of how-to books and this is the first and only one of its kind - informative as well as entertaining. I picked it up after dinner one evening and when I next looked up it was four in the morning! Homing Instinct seems to have it all - stick building, timber framing, log homes, straw bales....even geodesic domes. It covers the foundation work, the energy systems, plumbing, electrical and , best of all, gives loads of alternatives in every area. Connell writes in a very humorous way which is refreshingly different from so many techno-texts. And the illustrations by themselves are worth the price. I know it's just one guy's opinion, but I think this book is worth half a dozen of those others.

The book presents a good high-level approach of the design/building process. Mr. Connell does a great job of presenting various alternatives of all aspects of designing and building your home, all the while taking great care in never restricting creativity. For those who are in need of an overall discussion the book aquits itself splendidly. If your purpose, however, is to dig deep in technical matters, then look elsewhere. Even Mr.Connell acknowledges the lack of micro-content, when in the final chapter (and I am paraphrasing) he writes that we cannot be done (the book that is), that there are many questions unanswered, like how to build stairs, and floors, and windows, and doors ... (you get the idea). Well, these questions remain unanswered, meaning you have to buy another book. In all fairness to Mr.Connell, I fully understand that a technical discussion of every house building aspect is beyond the scope of his book, but I just wish I could get more information on let us say, windows, other than design issues. Great starting book.

Y2K might be topical, but "Homing Instinct"(McGraw Hill) is evergreen. Connell, founder of the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vermont recently updated the original book published by Time Warner in 1993 (see author's review). Yestermorrow students learn skills and philosophies necessary for designing or building a home. "Homing Instinct" is the next best thing to a month at building camp. Anyone planning to bypass architectural services can benefit from this conversational text with clear illustrations and imaginative chapter titles like: "A Window for Your Spririt, A Door for the Dance" or "Walls and Wallness". And don't skip the glossary. Someday a "Jeopardy!" title might hinge on mortise, kerf or zonohedra!

Designing and building your own home is an exciting, albeit stressful undertaking. Designing and building a home in sync with a natural lifestyle makes the undertaking overwhelming. HOMING INSTINCT provides a detailed overview of the home planning, design, and construction process, but has several distinct advantages over the typical building book. It begins by detailing homebuilders' needs according to their values and lifestyles. Then, throughout the book, homebuilders are offered design and construction choices based on those needs. HOMING INSTINCT presents sustainable building and construction methods as well as conventional choices so homebuilders can make chocies each step of the way. The book is not only educational and comprehensive, more importantly, it makes the decisions associated with building a home effortless and deeply personal

I loved this book. I bought it for my father for christmas, then bought one for myself. I actually read it front to back (like a novel), it's so well-written. Even though my dream cabin is financially a few years off and geographically a few more, I will be following many of the guidelines set out in this book, with some more green ideas (solar panels, reusing water, etc). I would recommend this to anyone wanting to build a cabin of their own, or just know more about them. Great book for anyone. I loved it.

Refreshing approach to cabin-making and cabin living. A clue: nothing over 1000 sq. ft. is a cabin. Those interested in palatial McCabins need not bother. Practical advice on building or purchasing a small rustic cabin- planning, furnishing and maintaining. Also tips on cabin living- with or without electricity or running water! Highly recommended.

If you are interested in building a cabin one day, already own a cabin, or simply a dreamer like me, this book will be most beneficial to you.

I have read a few books on cabins and this one is by far the best. I recieved this book less than a week ago and had all 200 pages or so read in two days, and I've only finished a few books to the end in my life time.

I highly suggest this book. Everything about it is practical and not one sided.

The book was very helpful. It was packed with much needed information for would be cabin builders. The photos could have been better and there wasn't alot of actual building or construction information about cabins. It did make me think about most of what has to be done if your really going to build a cabin some where. There were lots of adresses for places you can go to to get additional information about building and owning a cabin.

I bought and read at least 5 different books on cabins and this one by far was the best, most informative and hence most useful of them all.

If you want to take on a large task like paint the whole interior of a home or just want to paint a room, this is a good primer to make sure you don't miss something that may only be obvious after the fact so you don't paint yourself into the proverbial corner. If you think you can just buy a brush and a can of paint and go to work, this book will show you what you may miss by simply not having been shown the details before so you are properly prepared. It's a home improvement book on painting for home owners, not for professional painters. I bought this book as I have a family estate home that needs to be updated after years of lived in wear and tear. I bought this book to get a primer on painting to help make the task easier. I'm already glad I did in my first evening of reading. It is well worth the money, even if you pay more than the $7 including shipping that I paid here on amazon. It's not a home interior designer book, it's a methodical text and practice for painting your home with excellent diagrams and illustrations. They are not photos of an author's project, but very well done diagrams to go with the text. The photos in the book are specific in detail to the situation and not the least bit vague. If you have a home painting project and don't quite know where to start, this is the book to help you get you started. If you want help with interior design, look for a book on interior design. This is very good book for the do it yourself home owner with an interior painting project.

This book is for the person who is paintng for the first time. There are very few tips for the person who has actually painted in the past.

The book really goes into details on how to get quality of a painting surface. It tells how to prepare the surface, different types of walls, different types of paints, tips from professional painters and even some decorative painting techniques.

If a person has never done any painting on his/her own, this is the book you definitely need. Even if you've painted before and you are not satisfied or you did a sloppy job, this book will tell you about your mistakes.

This book will really teach you how to get best quality of a paint job that you can match it up with a paint job done by a professional painter. I will highly recommend this book if you are thinking of starting a painting business or even doing a home project on your own. But for a business along with this book you'll need "Painting Contractor's Handbook".

Home Improvement books tend to be either too verbose or deal with multiple subjects that are just too vague and off the subject. This is one of the exceptions. All common interior painting techniques are discussed, along with great pictures. The book doesn't stray from the subject at hand by showing you the author's home remodeling project.

In addition, there is a discussion of color and what it does to a space with a great sequence of photographs of the same room in different shades.

Having purchased many books on home improvement, this one gets top honors.

I bought this book thinking it would show many different decorating/painting techniques. This isn't really the case. It mainly shows how to prepare a room for decorating.

This book is a good buy and actually gives you sample forms. The only thing it lacks is a fundraising guidance and that's really important in the formation of a good community theater. Still for the price, it's a good start.

Very nelpful in organizing a sucessful play. Eliminates or reduces the 'fine art of forgetting something'.

I discovered this book through a fellow theatre professor and was immediately impressed with its scope of information. So impressed, in fact, that I'm planning to adopt it as the textbook for an advanced directing course I teach that culminates with the production of a one-act play.

The authors have covered everything a director needs to know, from selecting the play through rehearsals, peformances,and marketing. This book would be especially helpful for high school/community theatre directors, or those in similar situations where the director is expected to assume some of the responsibilites usually handled by a producer. (The sample forms are especially good for these organizations.)

Although not a substitute for a more thorough book on the pure basics of directing (blocking, composition, etc.), this is an excellent supplement that reviews those basics and enhances them with elements that often aren't covered in directing classes but are faced in production (putting together program copy, for example). Although I've been directing professionally for over 12 years, I immediately ordered a copy for myself after examining it.

This book is very practical and easy to understand. Parts might be a little basic, but they're definitely helpful. This book was recommended for a Directing 2 class in which Directors in Rehearsal (Cole), The Open Door (Brook), and A Director Prepares (Bogart) were all required. Which one do you think I read first, AND w/ the greatest of ease? Great for those just beginning to direct as well as teachers.

I wish someone had recommended this book before I directed half a dozen musicals and learned its contents the hard way...trial and error. While the information is largely common sense, the organization saves the time of having to figure it out yourself. I recommend it highly...especially for school and community theatre.

This has to be the first 5 star review I've ever done. It covers the things that every other plumbing book doesn't cover; except text books for use in trade colleges.
This is not a book for changing a faucet or unclogging a drain (there are plenty of other books that cover those topics). This is for the guy who's ripping out a tub or shower, adding a toilet, tapping into a supply line or a DWV line, or redoing all the plumbing.

I'm a big fan of This Old House and many times, the plumbers gloss over things or move too quickly. This is the book to look up to see what they did: not everything they do, but much of it.
The tool guide is great too - especially the part about right angle drills.

I bought this book because it is part of the really useful "For Pros by Pros" series. I had high expectations for this book before it arrived and I was not disappointed.

The book covers plumbing in great detail, and gives enough information to let you really understand what is going on. The writing style is relaxed and pleasurable to read.

I would highly recommend both this book, and the whole "For Pros by Pros" series.

I give 3 stars because this book has several tips but missing the whole picture. I read all the good reviews and bought the book but I'm a little disappointed.

The book is an easy read, great diagrams and pictures. The author is a pro and his writing is easy to understand. A lot of information on how to do things the right way, often times better than codes or needs require.
A very handy resource.

I am not a professional plumber and am in the midst of a forced renovation. I have read other plumbing books but none addressed retrofit plumbing as this one does. The way he described procedures, such as installing new shut-off valves gave me the confidence to at least undertake such a project. I am better able to see the whole picture of how a repair fits into or affects the overall system. His coverage of Pex pipe made it possible for me to consider replacing the feed to a second storey bathtub; the current copper climbs the wall at a 5 to 10 degree angle making it impossible to correctly fit the faucets to the wall.