Amateur Books

I purchased this book as I move into my first apartment. Even though the book itself is old, there isn't much new that I would be required to know other than what's in this book. Good "new to home improvement" book.

This is the greatest book I have ever read. Absolutely essential for any homeowner, especially if you have to replace a toilet.

Striking out on designing one's own house is a lonely prospect. I read every book I could get my hands on. Most provide cursory information, which left me hungry. This book goes into much greater detail on the process than any other. So start with it and then wander over to [...] and go to the home forum. That is where you'll get a major education from people who are building homes whether with book plans, and architect, or their own design.

This book is a very helpful, easy to understand, and comprehensive guide to home design and renovation. Mr. Drapaca's excellent sense of esthetics, great negotiation skills and committment to high quality projects evidently inspired the content of this book. We had the pleasure to work with Mr. Drapaca on the renovation of our apartment and found in the book many of the things we learned thanks to his advice.

This book can inspire you to do that tile project you have always wanted to do. I read it and went to the local hardware store, bought my supplies, and made a nice tile addition to my kitchen. It is as easy as it looks in the book.

Whether you like this book or not will depend on whether you are looking for design ideas or a how-to book. If the latter, then you will find this a source for all the basic techniques. After short introductory chapters on the various kinds of tile (ceramic, stone, vinyl, laminate, etc.) and the tools needed to work with them, Steve Corey starts right in with chapters on tiling floors, walls, countertops, and patios. A short chapter on care and repair wraps everything up. The discussions are clear and well illustrated.

Where the book falls short is in discussing design principles and providing lots of examples. Anyone who has ever wandered into a tile store has found an almost limitless number of possibilities and alternatives. And price tags from pennies all the way to horrendous. What is really needed is a book that makes order out of this chaos and helps the reader understand how best to fulfill a set of requirements. Otherwise, the potential tiler is left to a great deal of guesswork.

In the final analysis, more than one book is needed. While this is an excellent technical resource, be prepared to turn to other resources. The more information and ideas the merrier until you find the style that best suits your one needs.

Well I was expecting a book that would give me a lot of mantel building basics and maybe a lot of pictures of different mantels. What I got was entirely different.

Constructing a Fireplace Mantel takes you step by step through building the mantel on the cover. It even gives all measurements for that mantel so if you don't have a lot of woodworking experience to be able to change the design for your space it might not be the correct book. If you do have some experience it is great.

It does show several things you can do to the mantel to give it a different look if you don't want it to look exactly like the pictured mantel. It does have a small gallery of other mantels too look at but that is pretty useless - you can get the same thing with a web search.

This is a real how-to book with great illustrations and pictures which make the construction techniques really come to life. It is a great resource for those who want to create a classic look with readily available and easy to work with materials such as plywood and stock lumber. I appreciated the step-by-step narrative supporting the illustrations and the practically endless options provided for personalizing the mantel with finishes and detail moldings. The book is a must have for those who want to replace their exising mantel with a new look at a low cost but, at the same time, want to draw praise for their handywork. A great addition to your woodworking library.

My husband is a construction type but I'm not and the deck was my project to plan. This book was great! I looked at a couple of dozen deck books and this was the only one that explained how to build a deck in a way that my contruction-impaired mind could comprehend. Very specific, step by step building instructions, a thorough review of the planning process and wonderful ideas for extra features. My only wishes are more photograhs and more information on alternative decking materials.

This is a great book for someone thinking about building a deck or patio cover. I'm pretty good around the house with tools and backyard projects, but there are some great tricks in this book that I didn't know. I would recommend this book for those who need a little added confidence to take on a deck or patio project.

I have many books on murals, decorative painting, and trompe l'oeil. This book provides info not seen in others. It is a good companion to the Donna Dewberry One-Stroke method of decorative painting. It is perhaps a little too advanced for the brand new beginner.

Here are the projects shown in the book:
*a bunny triptych
*trompe l'oeil window shade
*schoolhouse notebook
*goldfinch frame
*covered bridge box
*mountain view lodge
*Tuscany hatbox
*trompe l'oeil cat
*Shaker clock
*trompe l'oeil wall shelf
The designs demonstrated in the book could be applied to many different situations, not just the projects listed. The art is exquisite and she really does tell you how to do the different brushstrokes for everything from blades of grass to chimney smoke. She tells exactly what color to use for each, and what kind of brush.
As a beginner, I just don't have the confidence to tackle these. I think I'll try stenciling first and maybe build up my comfort level. The artist has a website where you can see her portfolio and get an idea of the kind of painting this book covers.

This is a wonderful book with a lot of different projects, techniques and styles. It is great for anyone wanting to add special touches and effects to their home.

The book starts out overview of materials including color photos of all the tools you will need. There is also guide to mixing paints and a great chart on various materials for painting. There are many wonderful effects that can be achieved by adding your own pigments or otherwise modifying standard off the shelf paints. Numerous techniques follow including colorwashing, dry brushing, rubbing off, sponging, graining, aging, stippling, combing, stucco, embossing, stenciling, stamping and creating a few stone finishes. There are also instructions for painting on glass and using masks or resists such as wax.

Over 25 projects are included for walls, floors, windows, furniture and accessories as well. Some projects include striped Greek vases, checkerboard wall, slot-machine counter front, and colorwashed flowers, daisy-strewn floorboards, cork-tile games floor, and a mosaic border. My favorite projects were the whimsical window frame, fossil tabletop and a beautiful Japanese style fabric screen. There are also some great design motifs such as shells, artichokes, and boats. Conveniently, small templates, which you can enlarge, are included for all the projects.

Most of the projects use latex or acrylic paint, only a few use oils. Step-by-step directions are given for each of these techniques or projects. Close-up photos show each technique in a few different colors and recipes are given for each one. Some of the effects and projects have pictures of finished rooms or objects done with them.

Almost all of the techniques here, and more, are also covered in Chronicle's companion book, Paint Recipes. What sets this book apart is that it is project oriented, focusing on the application of the recipes to the many decorative projects I've described. This is a great source of technical know how and artistic inspiration.

This book is packed with innovative ideas for simple paint makeovers. I normally do not involve myself with painting tasks and even my own projects turned out nicely.
The only thing that might have helped is more of an explaination on what kind of and where to purchase some of the paints and quality brushes.
This is a BUY book. It would make a wonderful gift for people who like to work with there hands around the home.

I really like the pictures in this book. It gives you a list of what you need and pretty good details on how to do the effect. Overall, it's good for a beginner and someone not looking to do TOO MUCH work. Simple, Elegant and Satisfactory.

A book with good illustrations and instuctions for fun and unique decorative finishes for the do it yourselfer!

Once again, James Waller enlists the aid of his partners, Verve and Wit, to present his views on the enjoyment of alcohol consumption. Every few pages I felt inspired to go out and buy a bottle of wine, but I couldn't put down the book.

Being a happy drinker myself, I'm delighted when one of my favorite comestibles is described by a connoisseur with a sense of humor. Oenologists can seem drier than their wines. To the dry, I prefer the droll.

Enjoy the reading. It's (almost) as much fun as the drinking.

Once again, you find yourself in a restaurant, looking down at the wine list-or standing in the middle of your local wine shop, staring at the endless bottles of wine. But you don't know the first thing about wine. That's where Drinkology WINE comes in. In the introduction, Waller starts with a few promises. He promises not to assume that the reader knows anything about wine. And he promises to focus on wines in a moderate price range, for the average drinker (as opposed to the wine collector). And, for the most part, he sticks to his promises.

The book starts with the basics. You'll learn about the vocabulary as well as the winemaking process. Then you get into the details-and this is where you'll want to get out your highlighters and a pen and paper. Waller goes on to describe the main varieties of both red and white wines-with advice about which ones to try and which ones to avoid. And he ends with a trip through your local wine shop, traveling from one winemaking country to another.

Waller puts readers right at ease. There's nothing snobbish about him. His style is light and relaxing, with even a little bit of humor thrown in from time to time. That's not to say, of course, that the book isn't still overwhelming at times. With all the different varieties and vintages and wine-makers to cover, how can it not be? But Drinkology WINE does an excellent job of making such a vast topic feel a little more manageable.

After reading this book, you won't be an expert, but you'll definitely feel more knowledgeable. More importantly, you'll feel more confident about stepping into the wine shop-or choosing from the wine list. And that's a big step in the right direction.

O'Neil continues in a string of powerful novels with great twists and turns in the plot. Frank Cole is fast becoming my favorite character in the published world. I won't spolil the story but I read this in one sitting. Just could not stop turning pages. You can "Trust" O'Neil to keep the plot moving and the action too.
Mr. O'Neil, please keep them coming! and soon!

In Exile, Florida, bank manager Ollie Morton is concerned that the auditors will find discrepancies especially with the safe deposit boxes as the owners have vanished and payments not received. Police Chief Denny Dannon recommends Ollie hire Frank Cole, who needs work due to REDUCED CIRCUMSTANCES, to find the missing clients. The bank's safe-deposit manager Susan Wilmington also informs Frank how a strange person with proper identity claimed to be the husband of Dorothea Freehoffer and emptied her box; soon afterward, they learned Dorothea just died in an accident and her spouse was buried two years ago.

Frank investigates the Freehoffer scam that leads him to a real-estate swindle and a two decade old cold case homicide. He begins digging deeper angering those who want illegal activities including fraud and murder to remain a concealed scam.

Frank is terrific as he always is (see MURDER IN EXILE) although the plot is so linear, a reader can see the ending almost from the beginning; on a cloudy day you can see forever (or at least the ending) as there are no twists or red herrings. Still Frank is at his best as his simple tracking job turns into an investigation into fraud and murder. Fans of the series will enjoy his latest efforts in Exile.

Harriet Klausner