Buyers' Choice

October 2007

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Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Hiroshige : 100 views of Edo by Melanie Trede.
"Literally meaning "pictures of the floating world", ukiyo-e refers to the famous Japanese woodblock print genre that originated in the 17th century and is practically synonymous with the Western world's visual characterization of Japan. Because they could be mass produced, ukiyo-e works were often used as designs for fans, New Year's greeting cards, single prints, and book illustrations, and traditionally they depicted city life, entertainment, beautiful women, kabuki actors, and landscapes. The influence of ukiyo-e in Europe and the USA, often referred to as Japonisme, can be seen in everything from impressionist painting to today's manga and anime illustration.Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) was one of the last great artists in the ukiyo-e tradition. Though he captured a variety of subjects, his greatest talent was in creating landscapes of his native Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and his final masterpiece was a series known as "100 Famous Views of Edo" (1856-1858). This resplendent complete reprint pairs each of the 120 large-scale illustrations with a description, allowing readers to plunge themselves into Hiroshige's beautifully vibrant landscapes." (Synopsis, Amazon UK)

Simple style: fresh looks for a pure natural home by Lindsay Porter.
"This work features white-washed floorboards covered by a loosely woven rug, a flower stem in a pewter jug - natural, charming and pure. Today, many of the qualities we find visually pleasing are also ones that work to create a beautiful, tranquil home environment while taking into account the requirements of real people. Simple Style is a guide to creating this simple natural look in every area of the house, offering step-by-step features on refurbishing old surfaces, customising furniture, making the most of soft furnishings, and adding the final details. Reclaim pieces of lace and linen for beautiful bedding, rub colour into shutters to recreate the feel of the seaside or collect driftwood for some simple bathroom shelving. Over 35 practical step-by-step projects are accompanied by stunning examples of pared-down interiors that make the most of natural materials. A comprehensive section on looking at colour and texture suggests ways of drawing inspiration from natural elements and introducing them into the home." (Synopsis, Amazon UK)

1001 little ways to look younger by Esme Floyd.
"1001 Little Ways to Look Younger offers top-to-toe tips that will help you make small changes to your health and beauty regimes that reap big benefits, both in the way you look and how you feel. With direct remedies for such beauty problems as wrinkles and eye bags, as well as advice on everything from improving your mental sharpness to battling the effects of ageing on the body, the book shows short, simple ways to stay young and physically fit. With information on the best age-defying cosmetics and treatments, and solutions to the particular problems you face from the age of 30 on, you will discover how to avoid fashion and makeup pitfalls that make you appear older than you are." (Synopsis, Amazon UK)

1001 great buildings you must see before you die.
"This book is a one-stop guide to the world's greatest architectural achievements. Comprehensive and concise, it contains reviews of the most influential structures ever built worldwide. Covering a diverse array of architectural traditions and construction styles - from the bold and brash to the spiritual and reserved, from Angkor Wat to the Parthenon, from Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater to Frank Gehry's Bilbao Guggenheim - the book celebrates the vision and achievement of world architecture. Entries are organized chronologically and include essential information on the featured building, as well as the social, political, cultural, and geographical considerations that influenced the design. Stunning illustrations and photographs highlight the technical feats and aesthetic brilliance of architects past and present. This comprehensive collection is an accessible reference for anyone interested in the history of architecture." (Book Description, Amazon US)

Good behavior book for dogs: the most annoying dog behaviors...solved by Colleen Paige.
"The Good Behavior Book for Dogs provides illustrated, down-to-earth and practical advice for dog owners with not-so-perfect pups. With an accessible, fun and easy approach, the author helps owners and their dogs learn how to affect proper manners and behaviour management in a respectful and loving environment. Dogs will happily engage in the training activities advocated, creating a bridge to happiness, freedom and friendship between dogs and their owners. This book will provide dog owners with the instruction and information that will allow them to solve behaviour problems that in many cases have resulted in giving up the dog. Training your dog to break undesirable habits doesn't need to be stressful. It is an easy way to strengthen the bond between the dog caregiver and dog. The reader will be taken on a sensitive and sometimes comical journey to understand their beloved pooch and get back that 'Puppy Love'." (Synopsis, Amazon UK)

Vacation homes and perfect weekend hideaways by Karen Howes.
"This stunningly illustrated book features over 40 vacation homes from around the world, reflecting a wide range of cultures, styles and ways of life. From Sweden to South Africa, New England to Mexico and Provence to Lamu, Vacation Homes and Perfect Weekend Hideaways reveals the extraordinary variety of places where people go to get away from it all. While some of the properties are highly sophisticated, others are altogether more vernacular or even 'shabby chic', their individuality a testament to each owner's unique sense of style. Elegantly written by interiors expert Karen Howes, and illustrated throughout by today's top interiors photographers, this book will appeal as much to the armchair traveller as to those wishing to do up their own home-away-from-home in the sun. It features over 40 inspirational homes from around the world that perfectly capture the essence of vacation living." (Synopsis, Amazon UK)

Comrades : communism : a world history by Robert Service.
"Comrades tells the story of communism from its inception to the present day. It offers a succession of incisive pen-portraits of outstanding leaders and decisive events, and spans the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. Comrades ranges across not only the high politics and ideology of the most prominent communist regimes but also daily life under communism, culture, and propaganda. Service ends by showing that there was more to communism than mere brutality and demonstrates the causes of its ability to gather support among intellectuals and ordinary people (economic poverty and political oppression) have not vanished. The lasting message of the book is that something must be done to eradicate poverty and oppression if the world is to avoid a repetition of totalitarianism in some new form." (Book Description, Amazon US)

My China: a feast for all the senses by Kylie Kwong.
"Travel with Kylie Kwong as she rediscovers her Chinese heritage, exploring the food and culture of a vast and enigmatic country. Her inspiring journey takes her from the rural simplicity of her ancestral village in China's southwest to the wilds of the Tibetan plateau and the stylish modernity of Hong Kong and Shanghai. Whether searching for the perfect dumpling in Shanghai, exploring the contemporary art scene in Beijing and Hong Kong, rifling through sacks of spices the size of a mattress in Chengdu, or marvelling at the silkiness of freshly made noodles in Xi'an, Kylie is tireless in her quest for new experiences and encounters, cooking up a storm and winning hearts wherever she goes." (Book jacket)

$1 million for life : how to make it, manage it, maximise it by Ashley Ormond.
"Want to build wealth that will last you a lifetime? Then $1 Million for Life is the book for you! In this step-by-step guide to financial freedom, investor and best-selling author Ashley Ormond, outlines dozens of practical ways to increase your wealth by tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of dollars. It doesn't matter how much you earn - it's what you do with the money you have that makes the difference." (Back cover)

Runway knits : 30 fashion-forward designs by Berta Karapetyan.
"From ruffled sweaters to fur-trimmed scarves and serious jackets, there's something for everyone in this stunning collection of thirty designs. The book is divided into four sections: spirited, featuring bold and adventurous outfits that demand attention; playful, which includes lively and eye-catching items of all kinds; demure, designs for the modest girls or those who just like to play coy; and driven, outfits for career-minded women. Packed with plenty of lavish color photographs as well as clear techniques and construction methods for creating thirty must-have designs, Runway Knits is sure to inspire any level of knitter - novice, intermediate, or expert." (Book Description, Amazon US)

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