Customer Comments

This book has some interesting ideas and may spur further creative redesign, but it is for the more serious crafter or sewer. Not that professional skill is required, but there is a certain level of dedication necessary. The instructions are clear, the illustrations seem adequate. Most of the items are pretty fashion-forward. You have to be adventurous to wear some of these styles, but, with clever tweaking, they could probably be toned down a bit. It is certainly worth adding to the library if you like to play around with textiles.

Laurie Notaro says right out loud what you're thinking but are too polite to say. Notaro has an amusing, snide writing style which slides down easily. And just when you think you're getting a little tired of the snippy comments and clever phrasings, she makes you laugh right out loud. Then laugh again. This is a really fun book and it just whizzes by, but don't read it in public unless you don't mind people looking at you like you're crazy.

An enjoyable read, Boyd ties together the complicated plot well. Ultimately, I was disappointed that I was unable to care very deeply about the characters, but the plot was intriguing enough to carry me to the end. Boyd has clearly done his research into the pre-War II spy game and he made a good choice to intertwine life in 1970s Britain with the notion that history is not easily escaped. A straightforward telling of his tale wouldn't have been as effective. Restless is smoothly written and well-played.

"The Book of Air and Shadows" is certainly in the Top 5 of books I've read in the last few years. Gruber does a masterful job of tying together an intriguing plot which certainly took a fair amount of research. He is good with contemporary idiom, lacking the self-consciousness so many authors have about using cultural references. The book moves along briskly and ties up pretty nicely without undue rush. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

How much you like this book will probably depend. It will depend upon how flexible your attitude is toward several genres is, how much you like books with a slightly unusual style, how you tolerate loose ends. Personally, I probably fall in about the middle of the curve for all of the above, and thus enjoyed The Keep, but I can't say it was a really great book. Your mileage may differ. It is certainly an interesting premise and Jennifer Egan is a graceful writer. I sailed through the book well enough, but at the end I said, Okay, that's that. The Keep puts a nice spin on Gothic-style books, giving it a modern sensibility. There's enough mystery to keep readers who enjoy a little mystery interested, the characters are clearly enough drawn. It's certainly a cut above a lot of "summer reads." I expect that most readers will like the book, some will love it and some, like me, will just say, Okay.

This is a sweet little book. It's one of those "there but the grace of God" kind of books, or maybe, the grace of God didn't shine on you. Either way, it's a nice story of the way life is for most of us, one way or the other, and how, well, that's okay. If you care about such things, this is a quick read, but it has surprising depth.

Although I'm not sure I love this book as much as other reviewers, I found much to like here. The characters are well-drawn, with a real peeking-in-the-window quality. I did have a few moments where I felt that the author seemed to run out of steam a bit, but they were fleeting. This did not, however, seriously affect my enjoyment of the book. It is absorbing and imaginative. I certainly recommend it.

This is a fine book about writing that will inspire you and make you both dig deep into your soul and free you from constricting chains. If you have writer's block, if you feel that you're just not getting what you want out of your writing, if you want to write but don't know where to start--this is the book for you. The book has advice for writers plummed from the depths of Schneider's experience and a number of writing exercises, which you can take or leave. If you are teaching writing or want to start a workshop, this book is a must-have. This is the kind of work that you will reference time and again over the years; an excellent investment.

This is a certain kind of book. If you like novels that have "high style," very British, very early 20th Century, with a sly wit, you're likely to enjoy this book. If you like a measure of realism, more Hemingwayesque, not so much. It is an enjoyable read with a glimpse into the morals and styles that still roll as an undercurrent through British society. It's fun in a P. G. Wodehouse kind of way.

I hate throwing away t-shirts. Most of them have sentimental value or a memory (or two or three) attached. Yet they're not always the right look (baggy, saggy, too tight, too short, too long). That's why I am so excited about this book, because it has some very practical and easy ways to transform those tees and give them new wardrobe life. Even I, clumsy with a needle and scissors, can follow the very well-laid out instructions. Next step: T-shirt Transformation Party!

I did not want to like this book. I read it because it was so appealingly recommended to me. Here is another one of those Princess Di exploitation books, I thought. As I began, this notion was reinforced. Oh dear, a superficial rich woman--here we go. Yet I didn't stop reading. The prose slid down the throat like an oyster on the half shell and began to draw me into the story. Perhaps if the book had been denser, had attempted to be loftier, I would have it put it aside. But I found it increasingly interesting to see where the author was going to go with this and, just like that oyster, quickly finished it off. His Lovely Wife is well-written, certainly well-crafted, nimble. While not the finest literature ever, it is a high step above most middle-aged women in crisis adventures. Not too taxing on the intellect, but enough substance to keep it interesting.

The valuable insight Alpert provides into abduction-survival skills generally makes up for his arrogance and forced cleverness. The book began to wear on me after awhile, especially during Alpert's overly detailed rendering of the police investigation (which seemed like it was padded to flesh out the book), but I must rather grudgingly admit that it was a worthwhile read (and it goes by fast).

While not for the easily offended, Harrison uses her gift for literary description to weave her autobiographical tale, taking the hard edges off yet still haunting the reader with repulsive imagery. While the relationship with her father adds another layer of complexity, this book is also an excellent examination of obsession, secrecy and taboo.

Long Way Down takes a few nips at some of the shallowness of our times through people who think they're in despair, who think they've hit bottom, who want to end it all--but don't. Hornby has a clever way with words. This is a weirdly amusing read with some food for thought. It is not, perhaps, quite as meaningful as the author would like, but it is nicely done and slides down easy.

Mr. Ferris, have you been peeking through walls of my workplace? This book is eerily spot-on with regard to office life. Ferris masterfully handles the minutiae of life and the rather convoluted sense of real-life storytelling while keeping it interesting. For once a book that lives up to the hype.

This is the first digital photography how-to that I've found helpful. My previous attempts at learning more have either been too basic or too advanced. But Shooting Digital's prose is very clear and informative. Aaland doesn't fall prey to using too much jargon or go too deep. He has a nice grasp of who his reader is: an "interested" photographer, someone who takes photography seriously but isn't necessarily ready to go pro. The book is well-laid out, with nice sidebars of information (in fact, you could just read the sidebars and get a pretty good education) and excellent illustrative photographs. Shooting Digital is jam-packed with information, so much so that it's very hard to take in all at once, and Aalund does a good job with repeating important points without being bland or obnoxious. I picked up some pointers for taking photos, but it's clear that my current low-end camera isn't really good enough to get the shots I want. So now I have to buy a new camera. Curse you, Mikkel Aalund!

An engaging read, Daniel Gilbert explores notions of happiness from defining it (not an easy task) to measuring it (also not easy) to how to get it (ditto). The writing is brisk and light, even when discussing neuroscience, but the seemingly endless recital of happiness studies compelled me to start skimming over the down-in-the-weeds details a bit toward the end of the book. Makes good conversation material and I learned a little something, not the least of which is that "you can be happy if you've a mind to."

Naslund has taken the notion of this character, this unknown woman who we would presume is merely waiting and watching for the fabled whaler Ahab to return, and fleshed her into an amazing person in her own right, living in a fully formed world of hardy survivors. Although in many ways the book strains credulity, the gorgeous writing holds us and makes us believe. It is not an historical novel, even though some mistake it for that because Naslund so fully places us in Ahab's world. What has stayed with me most about this novel is the inspiration of people who are fulfilling their potential despite harsh circumstances and societal pressures. Highly recommended.

The author does a fine job of making interesting what could be a dry subject . The story is fascinating and not particularly gruesome as told unless one is particularly squeamish. This book does a nice job of putting us into the historical perspective, which we moderns often have trouble doing on our own (oh why can't our ancestors be clever and enlightened like us!). My biggest complaint: Just about 2/3s through, he runs out of material about the Ghost Map and, since the publisher apparently thought he should go on, the rest of the book is fluffed up with dissertation about cities and the advantages and dangers that lurk therein. It's interesting enough stuff, but gets a little tiresome. Overall, however, a very good and surprisingly quick read.