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Animal House Style : Designing a Home to Share With Your Pets
Animal House Style : Designing a Home to Share With Your Pets
Author: Julia Szabo
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 5/29/2012
Helpful Score: 1


Basically, this is a coffee table book with lovely photos of lovely pets and stylish owners in lovely expensive stylish homes. I was hoping for more creative ideas for hiding the necessities of pet life, like the litterbox. But at least it made me feel better about having a slipcovered couch, and this might be where I got the inspiration to pick a sofa color that matched the fur of my furry creatures.


Beloved Homes!
Review Date: 3/24/2010


This book, printed on heavy stock, showcases some of IKEA's best-known furniture in real homes. I was hoping for some daring, inspirational ideas for combining IKEA's modern style with vintage furniture, like the late great Domino magazine would do. But this just felt like a glossier reprint of an IKEA catalog. At least the cover makes it a pretty addition to a coffee table.


Candyfreak : A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
Candyfreak : A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
Author: Steve Almond
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 48
Review Date: 6/11/2009
Helpful Score: 1


If you're a Food Network lover, a candyholic, a baker, or otherwise love foods with sugar, you will find this fascinating. I am none of those things, yet I still found this fascinating! The business of candy is not only delicious, it's a study in mass marketing and automation and the power of brands.

Warning: Do not read with candy in the house.


Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste (33 1/3)
Review Date: 8/3/2009
Helpful Score: 1


If you've ever wondered why hearing some music makes your skin crawl, or how music that set off riots when first performed could become treasured art, or how "schmaltz" grew into a huge force in music, this book is a great overview. Whatever moves you -- pop, rock, hip-hop, country, jazz, classical, and of course Celine-- there's something in this book for you.


Disapproving Rabbits
Disapproving Rabbits
Author: Sharon Stiteler
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 2.6/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 1/18/2011
Helpful Score: 1


Some jokes work better online. To me, this is one of those books. The original blog was hilarious online during lunch but not as satisfying in book length. (Note: My rabbit does not approve of this review.)


The Downsizing of America
The Downsizing of America
Author: New York Times
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 2/23/2009


A compelling look back at 1996, when "layoffs" were renamed "downsizing." This is a good read for anyone who follows politics, economics, American history, or the labor movement.


Froggy Va a La Escuela
Froggy Va a La Escuela
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.8/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 2/6/2012


A Spanish-language humorous take on the first day of school, which starts with Froggy having a classic school-anxiety nightmare!


Funny Bunnies
Funny Bunnies
Author: Laurie Frankel
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 3/23/2008


Glossy, gorgeous photographs that make you wonder, "How did she capture that?" A sweet treat for any bunny lover!


The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History
Review Date: 7/3/2010


Not only is this about the devastating influenza outbreak, it's an excellent introduction to the history of germ theory and the development of the scientific method in the early 1900s. It's striking how little we knew back then and how relatively quickly we learned. Those false starts and blind alleys that the pioneers in labs struggle with are full of drama and tragedy. The author's prose can turn a little purple on occasion, but it's still a fascinating work.

If you have a choice between this and "Flu : The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic" by Gina Kolata, skip Kolata's book. This is the one to read.


Hairdos of the Mildly Depressed
Hairdos of the Mildly Depressed
Author: Doug Crandell
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 2.8/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 2/8/2009


Some reviewers compared Crandell to Sedaris. While Crandell mines the same sort of material -- family situations that weave truth and whimsy -- his novel comes out much more dark than light. This story of a man with a brain-injured brother asks which one really needs rescuing, and it's a solid, quick read.


He Loved Me He Loves Me Not
He Loved Me He Loves Me Not
Author: L Harris, Lynn Harris
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 9/22/2008
Helpful Score: 1


A great companion to heartbreak and Haagen Daaz. This is more like a comic book than chick lit, with funny illustrations of the guy you broke it off with and the guys still out there (not to mention the drawings of all your girlfriends -- the Boyfriend Hater, the Boyfriend Lover, etc). Breakup Girl was a '90s Internet phenomenon with an advice column, cartoons, and message boards to massage sore hearts back to health. She lives on both at BreakupGirl.net and in this book.


Hop to It: A Guide to Training Your Pet Rabbit
Hop to It: A Guide to Training Your Pet Rabbit
Author: Samantha Hunter
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 9
Review Date: 2/12/2008


This book is apparently based on one author's experience with a single rabbit. Although some of the information is incorrect or outdated (or just wishful thinking), it's still an interesting book to have in conjunction with others.


Hors D'Oeuvres  Appetizers
Hors D'Oeuvres Appetizers
Author: Williams-Sonoma Editorial Staff
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 11
Review Date: 1/4/2011
Helpful Score: 1


These really look easy and delicious! I got some excellent ideas here.


House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live with an Urban Rabbit
House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live with an Urban Rabbit
Author: Marinell Harriman
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 2/13/2008
Helpful Score: 1


One of the very best books for owners of house rabbits. I still refer to it years later, even though rabbits have been in our family for more than a decade!


The Informant: A True Story
The Informant: A True Story
Author: Kurt Eichenwald
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 7/23/2009
Helpful Score: 1


A bizarre and readable tale. It's not the screwball comedy that its film version promises, and it's dense with the facts and details you expect from a top newspaper reporter. Still it fascinates. Who knew corn could lead to crime?


Laughing Matters: A Celebration of American Humor
Laughing Matters: A Celebration of American Humor
Author: Gene Shalit (Editor)
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 3/6/2008
Helpful Score: 1


A wonderful collection of some of the funniest writers of the 20th century. I especially like the fact that these are short stories, making them perfect bedtime reading material. Recommended for aspiring writers who want to see what the craft looked like before the rise of "snark," as well as anyone who likes to laugh.


The Lion Book of Wisdom Stories from Around the World
The Lion Book of Wisdom Stories from Around the World
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 2/6/2012


Marvelous illustrations. The lessons range from a spider who learns to share the wisdom he collected, a argument solved over what three hungry men should buy to eat, animals sharing the fruits of a tree, and so on.

For reading aloud, I would have liked pronunciation guides on names (such as Ntikuma or Anansi) and the country of origin below each title (it's in the table of contents but not always included in the body of the story).


Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn-Of-The-Millennium
Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn-Of-The-Millennium
Author: Judith Martin
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 2/19/2008


This has been one of my favorite book since I was a teenager. When I was younger, it was like a handbook to adult customs. Then as I grew older, I loved its pitch-perfect wit. I still read it today. (I'm pretty sure I stole mine from my mom.)


The New Apartment Book : Inspiring Ideas and Practical Projects for Decorating Your Home
Review Date: 2/7/2008
Helpful Score: 2


I've had this book for many years, and I often go back to it to look at the photos and be inspired. Even though a few trends have changed, many of the styles are timeless and colorful. Lovely!


The Number : A Completely Different Way to Think About the Rest of Your Life
Review Date: 6/11/2008
Helpful Score: 4


I definitely want to know what a hedge fund manager, a Wall Street broker, a couple of New York attorneys, a prominent media executive, a chairman of a management firm with a $3 billion investment portfolio, a Hamptons summer-home owner, a psychiatrist, various money managers, and all their friends think about The Number. (After all, it wasn't until reading this book that I knew that, unless you have an income above $10 million, you should not buy and maintain two luxury properties.) The rest of us? We'll have to wait for another book.


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