Winifred Gallagher's House Thinking: A Room by Room Look at How We Live is a book that goes into great detail about the history of the house - looking at interior and exterior design. She deals with mostly American homes, and why things have evolved into the homes that are stylish today.
Who knew the psychological aspects of room interiors? Some people can't stand the "great room" concept, while others thrive on the largesse of the space. And you learn how the car, family dining practices, and the different parts of the country can effect how your house has been designed.
What was interesting was the theory that some people pefer their "home" environment at work to their actual living address. This book gives you something to think about...and makes you look around at your dwelling.
Flowers and bee
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Red Beans and Vice
I'm reading some mysteries that are set in New Orleans for a particular project and came across the Lou Jane Temple book called Red Beans and Vice. Temple's main sleuth is Heaven Lee and she is a former lawyer turned chef in Kansas City. She comes to New Orleans to help cook at a charity dinner shindig, and to stay with a former classmate. Then of course there are threats, a bit of violence and a murder! And then there are recipes! And a mini tour of some of the highlights of the once vibrant city.
Temple has some fun characters and she involves you with the secondary characters left behind in Kansas City pretty easily. I would recommend this for a fast read, and it looks like a series that would be enjoyable to get into!
Temple has some fun characters and she involves you with the secondary characters left behind in Kansas City pretty easily. I would recommend this for a fast read, and it looks like a series that would be enjoyable to get into!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Target or How did I End Up Spending So Much, When I Went in For One Item?
A history of Target? What is there to know? Actually there is quite a lot really, to learn about their founding brothers/owners - the Daytons (one of whom created B. Dalton Booksellers), and how they run the company today. The book, On Target : How the World's Hottest Retailer Hit a Bull's-Eye, by Laura Rowley is pro Target - how could it not be? - they let her in their offices - but it is not overwhelming enough to make one scream "BIASED!" at the top of their lungs. And for all the company bios, or puff piece articles in business magazines, that is saying something.
I felt like the reader was getting a glimpse in to the mightly "Tar jey" and how they have decided to focus on design and good value, as opposed to the "as cheap as you can and you get what you pay for" attitude that some other retailers have. Is every store or item perfect? Of course not - within any chain there are good store managers and bad ones. But if the bad attitude is coming from up on top, it evently drifts down to the customer service level.
It was interesting how their owning Marshall Field's was a bit glossed over - the Chicagoland area is not pleased with the Dayton Hudson/Target folks about that. But whether you believe all the management plans and "missions" or not, the story of their prowess in gathering and developing designers is something worth looking at. And to be very successful in this highly competitive market called retail is a big deal.
I felt like the reader was getting a glimpse in to the mightly "Tar jey" and how they have decided to focus on design and good value, as opposed to the "as cheap as you can and you get what you pay for" attitude that some other retailers have. Is every store or item perfect? Of course not - within any chain there are good store managers and bad ones. But if the bad attitude is coming from up on top, it evently drifts down to the customer service level.
It was interesting how their owning Marshall Field's was a bit glossed over - the Chicagoland area is not pleased with the Dayton Hudson/Target folks about that. But whether you believe all the management plans and "missions" or not, the story of their prowess in gathering and developing designers is something worth looking at. And to be very successful in this highly competitive market called retail is a big deal.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Mr. Adams, damn you Mr. Adams ; You're obnoxious and disliked; that cannot be denied...
Yes - a little lyric from the musical 1776. An interesting portrayal of John Adams to be sure, but David McCullough's John Adams is a bit more authentic. Yes - it is a long book - but worth the read to discover Mr. J. Adams.
McCullough's smartest move was to let Adams explain things for himself. He was a prodigious letter writer and so was Abigail, and McCullough has used the Adams' correspondence to fill his book and let them tell the story of their times. It really is quite amazing when you realize all that Adams lived through, the Declaration of Independence, the Revolution, the French Revolution, and the vice presidency and being President of a newly formed nation that some people did not think would make it. And along the way, he was the nation's representative to England, Holland and France; he helped write the constitution of Massachusetts and established the U.S. Navy. Oh - yes he had six children, one of whom became president, too! Yeah, a busy guy. And all done with out computers and modern communication. Makes today's politicians seem like wimps in comparison.
McCullough mentioned in his press interviews for this book that he fell in love with Abigail, and the reader does too. It was remarkable the life she lead, while maintaining the homestead while John was traveling or overseas, but still keeping up on the politics of the moment. They had a unique and loving relationship for their time.
John Adams and Abigail come alive in this book. If you really want a sense of how the world was during this period, McCullough's prose makes you feel as if you were there, looking over their shoulders at their writings. He makes some of the more complicated issues, clearer and makes you care for these people and their passions for liberty. And he made me cry, when he wrote about John's twilight years. It is a talent to make someone care about a person who died over 180 years ago...
A book worth your time and effort.
McCullough's smartest move was to let Adams explain things for himself. He was a prodigious letter writer and so was Abigail, and McCullough has used the Adams' correspondence to fill his book and let them tell the story of their times. It really is quite amazing when you realize all that Adams lived through, the Declaration of Independence, the Revolution, the French Revolution, and the vice presidency and being President of a newly formed nation that some people did not think would make it. And along the way, he was the nation's representative to England, Holland and France; he helped write the constitution of Massachusetts and established the U.S. Navy. Oh - yes he had six children, one of whom became president, too! Yeah, a busy guy. And all done with out computers and modern communication. Makes today's politicians seem like wimps in comparison.
McCullough mentioned in his press interviews for this book that he fell in love with Abigail, and the reader does too. It was remarkable the life she lead, while maintaining the homestead while John was traveling or overseas, but still keeping up on the politics of the moment. They had a unique and loving relationship for their time.
John Adams and Abigail come alive in this book. If you really want a sense of how the world was during this period, McCullough's prose makes you feel as if you were there, looking over their shoulders at their writings. He makes some of the more complicated issues, clearer and makes you care for these people and their passions for liberty. And he made me cry, when he wrote about John's twilight years. It is a talent to make someone care about a person who died over 180 years ago...
A book worth your time and effort.
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