Average customer rating:
- Thinking about your food
- Powerful Read
- Great book and fun to read!
- Lifechanging book
- Totally Awesome!
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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Barbara Kingsolver ,
Camille Kingsolver , and
Steven L. Hopp
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
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Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally
ASIN: 0060852550
Release Date: 2007-05-01 |
Book Description
Bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver returns with her first nonfiction narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.
"As the U.S. population made an unprecedented mad dash for the Sun Belt, one carload of us paddled against the tide, heading for the Promised Land where water falls from the sky and green stuff grows all around. We were about to begin the adventure of realigning our lives with our food chain.
"Naturally, our first stop was to buy junk food and fossil fuel. . . ."
Hang on for the ride: With characteristic poetry and pluck, Barbara Kingsolver and her family sweep readers along on their journey away from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life in which they vow to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Their good-humored search yields surprising discoveries about turkey sex life and overly zealous zucchini plants, en route to a food culture that's better for the neighborhood and also better on the table. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet.
"This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew . . . and of how our family was changed by our first year of deliberately eating food produced from the same place where we worked, went to school, loved our neighbors, drank the water, and breathed the air."
Customer Reviews:
Thinking about your food.......2007-10-05
Ms Kingsolver writes smoothly and with passion about organic farming. Sidebars from her college age daughter cover practical personal concerns, complete with recipes to enjoy the seasonal bounty of the land; while ones from her husband give the political overview of how farming policies affect us all on a world level. All in my book group enjoyed the book as a whole. It was obviously edited tightly to be easy and fast to read while still introducing ideas that would be unusual to most people in North America. As one with a extensive backyard fruit and vegetable garden in California, I would have enjoyed more detailed planning information on how she decided what and how much to plant, why she did not try to raise more and different animals for food, (e.g., rabbits, sheep, or even guinea pigs)and what she could have done with a greenhouse and solar or wind power.
Powerful Read.......2007-10-04
I think this is an important book about our society, economy and values. While it can be a bit preachy at times, Barbara's humor is wonderfully dry. I highly recommend.
Great book and fun to read! .......2007-10-01
I loved the book, it was informative and entertaining. Everyone can benefit from reading it and trying to follow Barbara's lead.
Lifechanging book.......2007-10-01
I heard an interview on NPR with the author and purchased this book because her ideas were very interesting to me. I was not disappointed. This book was riveting and eye opening. I've been checking out the websites suggested in the book to find local harvest information and I intend to frequent my local farmers and farmers markets during next years growing season and maybe even try my hand at canning. I'm hooked. Thank you so much for this wonderful informative book.
Totally Awesome!.......2007-09-29
This is one of the best books on what's wrong with our Farm Bill and our Standard American Diet (SAD) and how to fix it! The Kingsolver family have done a great and wonderful service for our country and the world by creating this wonderful book. It should be required reading in every school in the country!
Book Description
This well-established guide to electrical distribution and utilization systems is written from the perspective of someone designing and installing electrical wiring and provides a thorough overview of the National Electrical Code. Important safety systems are addressed and explained, as are techniques for making the best use of electrical tools. In particular, residential and farm wiring is addressed, including instructions for how to select service equipment, modern lighting, and common motors. Extensive coverage is also given to commercial wiring, with a discussion of how to select wires to match anticipated loads so detailed that it will appear as an example in the 2005 National Electrical Code. Throughout, advice is accessible enough for the amateur and meticulous enough for a professional.
Customer Reviews:
Too vague.......2007-08-15
Some very good information , but very vague on a lot of subjects. It would be nice to have more pictures and details of subject matter I have yet to find a really good electrical book other that the NEC CODE BOOK
Great book for future electrician!.......2007-01-10
I bought this book while in Iraq to study before I get out of the army and try to get under an apprenticeship. This book has helped me learn a LOT about the trade of inside wireman and the basic fundamentals of electricity from fomulas to installation of panel boxes to wiring an entire house and to which lamps will give the best lighting effect in a room. I am really looking forward to learning more about the trade. So far I have read it once and am already half way thru for my second time around. I highly recommend this book however, what I have learned about electrical is only from this book so I do not have a comparison.
an excellent book.......2007-01-10
It is an excellent book not only for electricians but also for general construction professionals to understand electrical details.
Big step to learn........2007-01-05
This book is amazing, we can read about to many real points in electrical wiring, actual information help about National Electrical Code 2005. Read this book is a big step to electrical wiring.
Best Book for All-Purpose Electrical Wiring. .......2006-09-23
If you need an excellent book for understanding domicile wiring and most other applications,then PEW is for you.The NEC book reads like Black's Law Dictionary ,fairly dry and abstract information.This electrical reference is the most facilitative wiring book ,i had the pleasure to read through yet.The most dependable wiring information listed around.
Book Description
Using vegetable oils as a fuel for home heating and transportation is a hundred years old: Rudolf Diesel's original engine was operated on plant oils due to the lack of fossil fuels. Later, plant and animal oils were converted into a petrodiesel-compatible fuel known as biodiesel: a clean, low-carbon fuel.
In the early 1980s, home brewers discovered they could transform waste restaurant fryer oils into crude biodiesel and use it in automobiles at 100% concentrations at one quarter the cost of petrodiesel. Yet automotive and engine manufacturers insist that late-model vehicles may be damaged when run on high concentrations of biodiesel and may not honor engine warranties where biodiesel fuel has been used.
Biodiesel Basics and Beyond aims to separate fact from fiction and to educate potential home, farm and cooperative manufacturers on the economic production of quality biodiesel from both waste and virgin oil feedstock. The book includes:
- Detailed processes and lists of equipment required to produce biodiesel that meets North American standards
- How farmers can use excess oilseed as a feedstock for biodiesel production
- The use of the co-byproduct glycerin in making soap
- A guide to numerous reference materials and a list of supplier data.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding Biodiesel Primer.......2007-06-05
I was looking at a BioDiesel business opportunity and needed to increase my knowledge base. I was very impressed with the organization and detail presented in the text. The author was an advocate of biodiesel but did a good job of identifying some of the challenging issues associated with biodiesel production. I have recommended this book to several others.
bio basics and beyond .......2007-03-14
the only bio diesel book you'll need it covers everything,I've purchased several books on the subject none have come close to the amount of information in this book.
Biodiesel.......2007-02-17
Excellent introduction as well as excellent coverage of misunderstandings and pitfalls. Don't brew diesel until you've read this book!
This is the one to buy.......2007-02-10
Wow...this book is loaded with great information and a step by step guide for making your own biodiesel with loads of pictures to make sure you understand the process. There is even a section on making a small "sample" batch just to make sure you know the process before you begin a larger production. I haven't tried making any biodiesel yet but I definitely feel like I have the information necessary to give it a go when I am ready.
Excellent overall book.......2007-01-11
If you need to know what Biodiesel is from the begining to advance, this is the book.
Starts from very simple and understandable explaination up to advanced stuff as you read on.
Average customer rating:
- Make This Your 1st Book on Wind Power
- Buy this book before investing in wind power!
- Great book
- Wind Power, Revised Edition: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business
- The Book to Have on Wind Power Systems
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Wind Power, Revised Edition: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business
Paul Gipe
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
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Similar Items:
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Wind Energy Basics: A Guide to Small and Micro Wind Systems
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Photovoltaics Design And Installation Manual: Renewable Energy Education for a Sustainable Future
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The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy: Achieving Energy Independence Through Solar, Wind, Biomass And Hydropower (Mother Earth News Wiser Living)
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Windpower Workshop: Building Your Own Wind Turbine
ASIN: 1931498148 |
Book Description
Wind energy today is a booming worldwide industry. The technology has truly come of age, with better, more reliable machinery and a greater understanding of how and where wind power makes sense--from the independent homestead to a grid-connected utility-wide perspective. Heightened concerns about our environment mean that this resurgence of interest in wind--a natural and widespread power source--is here to stay. Wind Power is the completely revised and expanded edition of Paul Gipe's definitive 1993 book, Wind Power for Home and Business. In addition to expanded sections on gauging wind resources and siting wind turbines, this edition includes new examples and case studies of successful wind systems, international sources for new and used equipment, and hundreds of color photographs and illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Make This Your 1st Book on Wind Power.......2007-01-26
Paul Gipe truly knows his industry. Whether you're thinking about installing a small wind turbine or want to invest in a megawatt model, you should make this your first purchase. You'll feel like you've completed a college course on wind power after reading this book.
Buy this book before investing in wind power!.......2006-02-17
Unless you already work in the wind industry (and even if you do) this book is invaluable. It contains very detailed information of nearly all aspects of wind power. I've only had this book several weeks and have not yet purchased a wind mill. I especially like the sections on towers, safety and the comparison charts for many models of turbines.
Great book.......2005-10-07
Its bulk information & know-how represented in the most fluent manner possible. Its like getting a course of wind energy.
Fully recommend for wind passionates.
Wind Power, Revised Edition: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business.......2005-09-16
This is a very practical book for the wind energy enthusiast, thinking of setting up their own wind generator. It has got plenty of advice on the wind generators to buy and the models to avoid. The book has loads of web references, photographs and safety information. All the information in the book is presented in a clear and concise fashion. You don't need an engineering degree to understand this book. Overall I found this book to be a really good reference and well worth the money. I would recommend it to readers interested in renewable energy.
The Book to Have on Wind Power Systems.......2005-08-24
This reviewer was very pleased with the quality and thoroughness of this title. The level of detail presented herein was very helpful in giving the reader a complete picture of whats really involved in putting up, operating and using a wind-based Renewable Energy (RE) system. Very helpful are the many graphs and charts which provide organization and understanding of the numerous technical aspects of the subject.
Some of the often overlooked but very important subjects covered in Wind Power are the: tower installation and tower types, location selection, mounting on RVs, wind turbine design, do-it-yourself wind turbines and how to select a prebuilt wind turbine. All of these subjects and many more are covered in great detail, usually with one or more color photographs to support and demonstrate the author's points.
Wind Power is full of common sense safety tips for the homeowner and also points out some hazards that might not be so readily apparent to the untrained eye. Also included is loads of good advice from start to finish with regard to locating, selecting, purchasing, installing, operating and servicing your wind turbine.
At nearly five hundred pages, Wind Power leaves no stones unturned in its quest to document all aspects of the booming industry of wind-based RE systems. As oil prices continue to soar and citizens continue to search for ways to increase their quality of life (and health of their pocketbook), wind-based RE systems will continue to grow in popularity. Wind Power provides the reader with the opportunity to get ahead of the curve and learn important information not readily available now.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent resource for building barns
- Makes everything so clear
- Covers all of the essentials of 'how to'
- great book
- How to Build Small Barns & Outbuildings
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How to Build Small Barns & Outbuildings
Monte Burch
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
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Similar Items:
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Barns, Sheds and Outbuildings: Plan, Design, Build (Ultimate Guide To...)
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Building a Multi-Use Barn: For Garage, Animals, Workshop, Studio
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Low Cost Pole Building Construction: The Complete How-To Book
ASIN: 0882667734 |
Book Description
Building your own barns and outbuildings offers many benefits, perhaps the most obvious being the money you can save. About half the costs of any building project is the labor, and, by doing it yourself, you can construct your building more economically, or even put up a larger building on the same budget.
But another important benefit of building it yourself is the satisfaction that comes from improving your own landscape and surroundings. A well-constructed barn, shed, or outbuilding can be a source of pride for many years -- and will also enhance the value of your property.
In How to Build Small Barns & Outbuildings, Monte Burch takes readers step by step through the fundamentals of general construction -- from planning and laying out a site to do-it-yourself instructions on framing, roofing, wiring, plumbing, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent resource for building barns.......2007-07-23
Although all the details are there I don't think this is a beginner's book. There are a lot of terms and language that is not familiar to someone not in the construction industry. For a beginner I think there should have been more pictures and diagrams and maybe more explanation of the terms used. It's not unclear but I had to do some digging to understand everything.
Makes everything so clear.......2006-01-01
Clear writing, accompanied by excellent illustrations for all the steps. Everything is included: planning, foundation, material, tools, foundation, windows, wiring and finishing. If you're a newbie, you're not wasting your money by buying this.
Covers all of the essentials of 'how to'.......2005-08-25
This book is written with simple jargon, clear illustrations and concise instructions. A great spring-board book for those new to construction.
great book.......2003-06-19
I never built a building before, I did help build a deck.
I bought this book to build a small music studio (16'x24')
and it was easy to read. It had everything I needed in it to build the building and the project came out great. After reading this book you will think it is easy to build small buildings.
How to Build Small Barns & Outbuildings.......2000-11-18
This is a great general building reference book. I pull it out whenever I'm starting something new or if I want a refresher. This book has helpful detailed information on all phases of building design and construction. This includes: 1. Foundation design layout and pouring for slabs, piers, & footings of all sorts; 2. Framing design & construction-- whether pole or platform framing, roof trusses or rafters; 3. Siding & roofing options, design & construction details for each; 4. Wiring details from power to the service panel to switches, lighting and outlets; 5.Plumbing from the well to the septic leach field.
It also has over 20 plans for various buildings ranging from pole barns and equipment sheds to guest houses, garages and studios. I have built several sheds from plans in this book and plan to build more.
Book Description
Covers tools, materials, foundations, framing, sheathing, wiring, plumbing, and finish work for barns, woodsheds, garages, fencing, and animal housing. 264,000 copies in print.
Customer Reviews:
small barns.......2005-08-14
I was under the impression that it had COMPLETE plans It shows you bits and pieces of the constrution .
The book itself (for being used was in ex condition almost new condition).all in all it was worth the 8.00 bucks
fairly good.......2004-12-17
This is not a bad book, but about half is on basic building skills which anyone who is going to build a sizable strucuture ought to have acquired first. You can get that from a Time Life or Readers Digest 'Home improvement' book on basic carpentry skills. Very general instructions without a lot of detail- for example, window fininshing details, roof details- you have to figure out the details yourself, and everyone knows that is where the devil is! And when the chapter on electrical wiring starts out by reccomending that you shouldn't do it yourself, well... it's just a sign of too many lawyers in the USA.
The sections on barns and other strucuture are interesting, with lots of ideas that one can adapt to your specific needs. Most are reworked from USDA Cooperative extension plans- which you can view a huge number for free from Univ of North Dakota at this link-
http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/plans/index.htm
Since I found this website, my opinion of the book has gone down a lot, since so much is not original material.
The other challenge I would have is on pole frame constuction- all his plans show huge concerte footings 16-24" dia 8-12" thick under poles for his buildings. Digging/drilling and pouring these negates the advanage in work/cost saving of pole frame building. In the area where I live, poles are commonly set in our heavy clay with a little cement or just well tamped soil around them. I understand the concern about bearing ability, and I'm not an engineer, but these poles function as pilings- they hold up the load not just from their bottom surface area, but also from the friction of the post in the ground. Any professional can correct me if they feel otherwise.
All in all, it is an interesting book but he could omit the first half and flesh out the rest.
A great guide book.......2000-04-26
From permits to the finish coat of paint, this book will guide you through your building process. Burch describes the advantages of different framing methods, roof styles and materials and backs his text with useful reference tables and concise construction details. The book presents plans for five small barns, two two-stall stables, a root and storm cellar, a carport, a tool shed, a woodshed, a smokehouse and shelters for hens, pigs and rabbits.
Very Impressed with this book.......1999-06-18
If you are a "do it your selfer" you need this book. In my opinion, the title is no accurate. This book contains much more than just info on how to build small buildings. It includes how to build a good fence, how to build a smoke house, how to wire a two way switch, ect. It contains everything that is not common knowledge to the common man, and it has lots of pictures. If you live on the farm and do most things yourself, this book is a required tool.
Book Description
A magnificant book of full-color photographs and text show the history, architecture, and beauty of the barn. BARN is a celebration of an ancient symbol of shelter and harvest, with more than two hundred full-color photographs and an informed text by two expert practitioners of the art and craft of barn restoration.
Customer Reviews:
Best Ever Barn Book.......2001-01-03
Endersby and fellow authors, using an intelligent combination of pictures, drawings, and text to successfully depict both finished buildings and structural detail, have written the definitive book on barns. They trace the lineage of American barns from their European roots in a lively, readable, informative format. In addition to it's functional qualities, the book is quite handsome, a stunning addition to the library of anyone who likes barns. Quite simply, this is the best book on barns I have ever seen.
Barn, the art of a working building.......2000-06-18
This book is truely an inspiration... the images and descriptions will bring great memories of Barns to your mind, will bring tears to your eyes if you spent childhood fantasies in "the barn", and might inspire you to save, build, or restore a barn someday... thank you Elric, Alexander , and David, whoever and wherever you are for presenting such a work...It stays on the table, within easy reach...
Amazon.com
Originally published in 1909, "Handy Farm Devices" is more than an engaging trip down memory lane. For any small farmer or homesteader, the techniques and devices described in detail are just as useful, durable, and fully functional today as they were 75 years ago. You will learn to build a portable chicken coop, a stone boat (for moving stone), a lightweight orchard ladder, gates that don't sag, and a handy wood splitter, as well as rudimentary farm structures, well houses, bee hives, a baby's cradle, a cheese press and much more. The charming, turn-of-the-century language and useful and inspirational quotes from Shakespeare, the Bible, Bacon, Longfellow and many others make this book a delight to read. --Mark A. Hetts
Book Description
Practical projects as useful today as when first published 75 years ago.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic book that can save you time and money.......2007-09-25
"Success comes to the man who so works that his efforts will bring the most and the best results-not to the man who simply works hard." Very elequently stated by the author from page three in the introduction of this gem of a little book.
Call me a survivalist, but I feel books such as these are going to become imperative in the future of america for both the suburbanite and country boy alike. Handy Farm Devices by Rolfe Cobleigh is a must own to anyone who owns or is even thinking about owning their own homestead. This book allows you to make just about anything you could possibly need around a private farm/homestead. Just to name a few things that are tucked away in the pages of this litte gem are How To: use a carpenters square, build stairs, temporary animal housing, a cellar, make your own dresser drawers, feeders for your animals, make a chicken coop from a barrel (and other chicken, pig, horse, and cattle housing designs as well), laying cement foundations, simple housing plans, how to build a concrete stone house for $400 dollars, build your own wheelbarrel, plus various orchard and planting ideas as well as other ideas that are so numerous I can't possibly mention them all.
The only thing this book will not do is give you a step by step guide on how to go about doing X,Y, and Z. It gives you pointers and a general push in the right direction, but it doesn't give you in depth direction. I only see this becoming problematic if you were to take on the task of building one of the houses described in this book. However, I don't see in depth directions being an issue for most of the devices mentioned. Even a modest amount of ingenuity should be sufficient in most cases. In the end this book delievers all that it reasonably can in less than 300 pages. A must have for those interested in homesteading, and those who believe that true self-sufficiency will become a necessary skill in the future of this country.
Great!.......2007-09-06
This book is a "must have" because of all the great ideas.
Today you can just buy all the stuff but this would be very costly.
This little book shows how to build everything you need by yourself.
I'm starting a very small farm for selfsuffiency and was desparate about the costs of all the needy things.
This book will spare me hundreds of $, it's really great.
Historical and functional.......2007-08-13
This book is full of historical information about devices, buildings and just useful things. This guide would be useful in areas or farms trying to live without elecrical equipment and in cases of disasters to make do until some assistance with more modern means arrives. I enjoyed the writing and would recommend the book to those looking to do things more "natural".
Great Ideas...don't expect to build them........2007-05-12
This is a great and fun little book full of old fashion devices. Treat it as an idea book, but don't expect explanations of how-to here. For at least half of the devices you won't need any explanation, the others look the info up somewhere else.
Depends on what you're looking for..........2007-01-10
This was a nice, fun book to read... but it was essentially useless for actually helping you build any of the things it talks about (and gives interesting history and info about). So for a practical DIY book, it's useless, but for a book just to learn a bit about this stuff and it's history and get a frame of reference, it's not bad at all.
Book Description
When Carol Drinkwater and her fiancé, Michel, are given the opportunity to purchase ten acres of an abandoned olive farm in the South of France, they find the region's splendor impossible to resist. Using their entire savings as a down payment, the couple embark on an adventure that brings them in contact with the charming countryside of Provence, its querulous personalities, petty bureaucracies, and extraordinary wildlife. From the glamour of Cannes and the Isles of Lérins to the charm of her own small plot of land-which she transforms from overgrown weeds into a thriving farm-Drinkwater triumphantly relates how she realized her dream of a peaceful, meaningful life.
"A fantasy come true, as it will be for many of the readers who yearn to experience the magic of southern France." (Austin Chronicle)
"Good-humored and well written." (The Washington Post Book World)
"Following [Drinkwater's] engaging story is like driving the hairpin turns that climb the hills above the French Riviera: the views are breathtaking, the blind curves frightening, and the safe arrival to the top a joyous relief." (Library Journal)
Customer Reviews:
Delightful Read.......2007-01-29
The other night I was listening to an audio commentary which featured Robert Hardy and Carol Drinkwater. During the commentary Carol mentioned she had authored a series of books about she and her husbands experience rennovating/operating an olive farm in the south of France. Intriged by what Carol had said I checked the first book "The Olive Farm" out from the public library and began to read. First of all I must say the book is a delightful read. Carol has the ability to communicate on paper in the form of easy conversation, as two friends would have over a cup of tea. You will laugh and cry along with Carol as you read her story of restoring "Appassionata" to its former glory. I would love to see the BBC make a television series out of her books, they are a total delight!
Helen Harriot goes south.......2006-11-11
This is a wonderful book. If you have ever dreamed of running off and creating a brand new life filled with love, laughter and more than a few bumps along the way then this is a book that you'll love. In fact, I recommend all her books-they are that good.
Lyrical Tribute to Life in Cannes.......2006-07-05
The Olive Farm is a well-executed memoir in the fashion of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in Provence. In it, actress Carol Drinkwater and her fiance, Michel, a film producer, impetuously purchase a rundown olive farm in the south of France and begin the process of restoring it to comfort and fecundity.
This memoir will not disappoint-- Carol and her fiance face the difficulties of limited finances, needed repairs well in excess of initial estimates, and frustrations with the local workforce. All of these, of course, are transcended by the satisfactions of nursing the olive trees into production and the triumphs of beginning to restore the farmhouse to its previous grandeur.
This ground has been trodden before, but Carol Drinkwater tells her tale engagingly, drawing likable portraits of her family, friends and neighbors in Cannes. Sit back, relax and enjoy the journey to Drinkwater's Cannes.
The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Olive Oil in the South of France.......2006-02-22
Ms Drinkwater writes a uncomplicated and enjoyable tale of her adventures in old houses,the French, olive oil and love. She brings the same pleasantness to the written word that she did to the small screen in All Creatures Great and Small.
More than just the South of France and Olives!.......2004-09-27
Initially, this book caught my eye because the story takes place in the French town where I was born and raised.
While I found interesting and informative to re-discover my hometown through the eyes of the writer, I was totally captured by the many sides to this book: the story about a foreigner adapting to a different culture (which I can relate to, having made my home in the USA...), a international love story between a French man and an English woman (I am French and my husband American), the author learning to become a stepmother, the huge task of nursing back to life a beautiful property which had been abandoned by its previous owners....
There are lots of stories within the main story... All so well written, I lost track of time a lot while reading this book...
I also, through her descriptions, recognized some of the characters!! (small town... VERY small town!!)
It was a true feast and I am ordering the sequel as soon as I am finished writing this review!!
Get this book, it will literally absorb you into its own world... Getting a glimpse of the South of France without leaving your armchair should be enticing enough... I could smell the lavender in the breeze, hear the ciccadas, and almost taste the local foods I so miss here in the US...
I recommend it to you all without any reservation!
Book Description
America's quintessential house style is reinvented for the 21st century family in this book. Farmhouses evoke nostalgic memories, real or imagined, of a simpler life, and deep, nourishing connections to the seasons and the land. This remarkable collection details and celebrates today's interpretation of the American farmhouse by focusing on traditional elements as adapted for modern needs, such as porches, roofs, windows, mudrooms, doorways, vestibules, fireplaces, and nooks. The 20 homes in this book represent today's best interpretations of this classic style in new and renovated homes designed for modern living. In suburban and rural communities from Maine to California, The Farmhouse celebrates an enduring American icon. This engaging tour, including over 300 color photographs and drawings that vividly showcase the farmhouse of today in a variety of settings and seasons, will delight, instruct, and inspire homeowners, architects, designers, and builders alike. Site and floor plans plus sidebars with historical detail are also included.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing - Full of Great Ideas.......2006-10-14
This book is a valuable resource as my husband and I plan our "farmhouse" that we intend to build next year beginning in February. It gives examples of restorations, new construction built to look like the old classical farmhouses across the midwest, and amazing interiors. I love the shaded boxes of information, emphasizing the importance of features such as shape, the color white, porches, etc. It is a lesson book for those wanting a basic education on how to talk farmhouses. We bought three books, and this one is far superior to the others.
Perfect and Invaluable.......2006-01-03
One of over $1,000 worth of books I ordered prior to starting our remodel, The Farmhouse is above and beyond the best book I bought for our tastes, and is the primary resource I have given to our architect. No country shabby chic here -- the style is spare, warm, and elegant. Great photos and text. This book will save us thousands by beautifully getting across our ideas for our new Boulder, Colorado home. Those who like this book would also like Jeremiah Eck's The Distinctive Home.
Review-The Farmhouse: New Inspiration for the Classic American Home.......2005-11-02
An informative book with good examples and photos.
Beautiful Inspirational Book!.......2004-11-29
This book is a great quality hardcover full of spectacular color photos of the traditional farm style. I found it's content and pictures insipiring and it would make a great gift for any 'farm-style' enthusiast... or it's great for any coffee table! Really an excellent book, un-beatable in terms of conveying a classic style and delivering inspiring ideas!
Not for those looking for a "classic" farmhouse style.......2004-09-14
This book, although well detailed and presented left something to be desired as far as I was concerned. Appreciating the "classic farmhouse" style, which covers a wide variety of architectural detail, I did not like many of the homes highlighted in this book. They were much too contemporized for my "Yankee" preferences. Oddly, the house most resembling a traditional farmhouse style inside & out was a California Greek Revival.The unusual angling of portions of 1 house, the strange selection of plastic siding for another, the glass & steel addition to an otherwise beautiful famhouse, left me wanting more. I'm sure some people like this style, but they were "cold" buildings. If you are looking for a book on beautifully detailed, classic farmhouses, look no further than "American Farmhouses" by Leah Rosch. I believe a modern day farmhouse can be built with an eye to the past and livability for today without sacrificing the warmth and traditional look.
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