Book Description
"Upon a foundation of not being able to change the world, the Nyerges have changed themselves, along the lines, that is, of Tolstoy's observation that everybody thinks of changing the world, and nobody thinks of changing himself. They provide simple, natural, and cheap ways to live in the city, partly as survivalists, partly as environmentalists, by recounting the tale of their newly-acquired dilapidated duplex in LA. Their first step was removing the energy-wasting dishwashers, disposals, and central heating units and gradually beginning beekeeping, rainwater collecting, and organic/natural gardening." --Book News, April 2003
Here is an upbeat, unabashedly outrageous book about applying the principles of self-reliance, more often associated with rural back-to-the-landers and wilderness campers, to life in suburban Los Angeles. By telling their own homesteading story, the Nyergeses have created a blueprint that will help city-dwellers anywhere live more independently.
The book is organized more like a how-to or self-help book than a personal memoir. The authors present self-sufficient and ecological approaches to commonly defined areas of a household: The House, The Yard, Homegrown Foods (and wild edibles), Domestic Animals, The Garden, Water, Energy, and Recycling. A concluding chapter takes on larger lifestyle questions of livelihood and healthy relationships with money and security.
Here are some basic tips that are covered:
--Save water, gasoline, and fertilizers by substituting a traditional, water-lavish grass lawn with more low-growing plants which require very little upkeep, and which are pleasant-smelling and wonderful food sources. New Zealand spinach, red clover, mint, and thyme are some examples.
--Lower your power and gas bills by using solar energy to heat water, bake bread, and generate electricity for other purposes.
--Get rid of your costly garbage disposal and recycle your own garbage. Give food scraps to your animals. And you can go as far as making a compost pit of kitchen scraps and pet manure with a joint rabbit hutch and worm-farm.
--Allow cooler air to flow through the house without having a pricey and high-powered central cooling system. Replace regular screen doors with steel security screens, so you can leave the doors open all night without worrying about a break-in. You can also paint your dark-colored roof with a white coat to keep down solar heat absorption.
--Don't rake your yard. By keeping the area heavily mulched, you don't have to water as often or use any hazardous chemicals. The organic matter in the mulch replenishes grass.
-- Plant shade trees. This increases the fragrance and beauty of your yard and lessens the need for mechanically cooling your house. Consider citrus trees. They are drought-tolerant and yield delicious, fresh, natural fruits.
Customer Reviews:
Must own for any wantabe urban homesteader.......2006-01-28
This is a timeless and well written book for anyone interested in the idea of living as self sufficient as one can within an urban or suburban area, especially in California.
The authors writing style is a combination of journal and how to genre. From fruits, vegetables, flowers, small livestock, water and unexpected issues like how to protect what you have the authors lay out a cornucopia of facts and think ahead ideas that will help anyone interested in urban homesteading.
Loved reading how they started with a fixer upper home and made it into a home to be proud of and how they took a totally neglected yard and made it into an Eden to be proud of as well as an inspiration to the rest of the neighborhood.
Also nice to read how their efforts also saved open space around them that was a dumping ground for junk but became a safe haven for wild birds etc.
A bit limited, but still useful..........2005-01-06
First of all, it's nice to see a book that deals with urban/suburban (rather than rural) homesteading! Some of what the authors suggest is not terribly practical in my region, such as going without air conditioning in the summer (Michigan's humidity can be pretty unbearable), but there are plenty of good suggestions that can be adapted for any climate.
A great overview.......2003-12-30
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but beware; it's not really a how-to manual. It's the personal and very specific homesteading experiences of the authors. There is some good how-to information but it is not covered in any depth; there are whole books dedicated to topics that "Extreme Simplicity" covers in a page or two. This is the book for you if you are looking for an extensive overview, personal anecdotes and ideas to get you started in your homesteading lifestyle.
I only gave it 4 stars because I felt the title was a bit misleading. I purchased the book based on the subtitle "Homesteading in the City". What they really mean is "Homesteading in the Suburbs of a Major City Where You Have a Bit of Land and Own Your Own Home". I was hoping to be able to recommend this book to my apartment bound friends in NYC but if you don't have even a bit of land or you are in a rental, this book won't help much. Still, it's a good read if you are interested in the topic. Kudos to the authors for what they are doing.
Book Description
Profusely illustrated guide, newly revised, offers detailed coverage of basic tools and techniques of welded sculpture. Abstract shapes, modeling solid figures, arc welding, large-scale welding, more. 196 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
More brazed than welded.......2004-05-08
I bought this book to get technique and how-to ideas and found it gave extensive how-to directions for HIS method of build-up brazed sculpture using oxy/acet torches. His instructions on building basic structures, frameworks, melting/dribbling on brazing rod to fill-in/surface the framework, and mounting/finishing your sculpture are well done. BUT, it only gave (very) limited technique ideas on other metal sculpture techniques. If you are interested in using electric based welding techniques to build steel, stainless or alum sculptures, you may want to look elsewhere.
Visual learners beware.......2001-04-10
I purchased this book with the intent of learning to weld as a sculptor. What I found was a book that tried to be several things at once and mostly confused me. There is a dearth of technical info that goes into lengthy explanations of welding techiniques. But the illustrations in support of it are somewhat simplistic and even sometimes counter to the written explanation. There are also several 'projects' which are intended to help the student progress from simple to complex. But the projects seem to make great leaps forward in complexity without sufficient explanation. I get the feeling this would be a great course supplemental in the hands of a skilled instructor, but for a novice or even intermediate seeking self-education I would not recommend it.
Product Description
Ellen Kreidman, Ph.D., founder of the courses "Light His Fire" and "Light Her Fire" and author of the best-selling books by the same name, has been presenting her seminars for over 20 years. She is a frequent keynote speaker at conventions and corporate seminars. Often speaking to standing room only crowds, she is able to mesmerize an audience with her energy and enthusiasm from the moment she steps on stage. Through humor and personal experiences, she captivates her audiences and helps them to literally transform their personal lives. Ellen does not speak or write about theory. She teaches exactly what to do and say in order for life to be a rewarding experience. Most importantly, she practices what she teaches, having had a 30 year "love affair" with her husband Steve, and she is the mother of three children.
By popular demand Ellen Kreidman has finally created a program specifically designed to make you feel great!
LIGHT YOUR OWN FIRE WILL HELP YOU DISCOVER:
* How to finally take control of your life and give you the tools you need to make your dreams come true.
* How to improve your self confidence and build your self esteem... You will have the Power to "Go For It"..
* How to replace worry, stress, and fear with passion, excitement and a new zest for life.
* Light Your Own Fire will teach you how to overcome and deal with crises, and overcome many of the obstacles to your happiness.
Don't waste your life on wishes: "I hope things get better", "I hope it will all work out", "Things", and "It" don't change or get better! It's all up to you, and with Ellen's program "Light Your Own Fire", she will be there with you every step of the way to help and coach you along your path to success, happiness, and prosperity!
Now is the time for you to invest in your own Happiness. Everyone deserves to be happy. Ellen's program will show you how truly special you really are.
Customer Reviews:
So Beautiful..........2007-02-03
This is a beautiful collection of artwork from Youka Nitta. Iwaki and Katou are a sweet couple, and some pictures are so tender that it makes me want to cry. There is some adult content, but not much, so be sure that's what you want to purchase. Two thumbs up for this book! I love it!
For all Harudaki fans...........2006-11-10
High quality pictures with very beautiful illustrations. It's almost like another chapter to the story since it includes Katou's love confession (in forms of letters and notes) to Iwaki.
ALso includes some images from "Winter Cicada"...
A MUST-HAVE if you are a youka nitta or Harudaki fans......:)
Beautiful Artwork--better layout needed.......2006-10-25
This volume features the two main characters from the Embracing Love Yaoi series: Iwaki and Katou. The book is designed to look like a photo layout of the two "models" with little love notes from Katou to Iwaki.
Nitta's artwork is beautiful, and there are a lot of new images, but I do have one criticism. MANY of the pictures extend across two pages. This is unfortunate because the bend where the book is bound blocks part of the image. I would have preferred these images to be sized smaller and landscaped. Despite this, I still recommend the book and the author.
Gorgeous !.......2006-10-13
If you love Embracing Love, you will love this.
Her colored drawings/artwork is simply gorgeous. Iwaki and Katou are so sexy and hot. But it is not merely drawings of our two boys. The pictures, connected by pieces of romantic messages, do tell a few stories, one of them such a great romantic surprise.
Personally I need this to tie me over to Jan 2007, the latest announced release date of Embracing Love 4. Come on Bebeauifulmanga! Give us fans a break! Does anyone know whether bebeautifulmanga is still in business, the way they keep delaying the publishing of both Embracing Love and Kizuna.
Book Description
A rare view of the romantic side of sadomasochism, Barbara Nitke's photographs explore the intimacy, trust, and great joy found in these relationships. The work is presented here in a beautiful edition of about 70 duotones, with text by A.D. Coleman.
Barbara Nitke is also a co-plaintiff in an important challenge to the Communications Decency Act, a law limiting free expression on the Internet. The case is expected to go to the Supreme Court and is already garnering considerable national press.
A.D. Coleman is one of the most important photography critics of our time. He has published numerous books and collections of essays; his internationally syndicated columns and essays have appeared in publications such as ARTnews and the New York Times.
Customer Reviews:
Possibly the best fetish images ever........2004-04-25
Lovers.
Barbara Nitke uses the word almost immediately in her introduction. Each time she writes it, she makes it seem so simple, as if the emotional bonds that seal the people she photographs were visible as the light that bathes them, palpable as the breath they share. In the most striking of her images, those emotions, and feelings - the love being celebrated and exchanged truly is a tangible character in the scene, proudly declaring its validity. From image to image the language of the lovers changes: The eager light of a woman tensed for the next sensation from her Master, near monolithic in his anonymity. We wonder what it is that she recognizes as she gazes into the face hidden from us. A powerfully built woman, clad all in black leather gently catches the body of her slave, cat of tails still in hand. Having just administered blows to his nude back, she regards him gently as he reclines into her embrace, drunk in the sensation. A tiny Asian woman almost glows as she cradles her much lover, bearded and burly, but rapt in possession - he has given himself to her bound and gagged. The light of her face and shower of her hair pour over him as they drift in a Pieta of trust and desire. A regally statuesque Domina bends to her fragile female sub, dangling a kiss just above the thirsty mouth of her charge, made totally naked and vulnerable as she sits on the commode. There is no doubt in the mind of the photographer or her subjects, what they are telling us are love stories, perhaps not in the idiom we are most used to, but love stories regardless.
Kiss of Fire is a collection of love stories every bit as valid and timeless and the Song of Solomon. The plates are the result of an odyssey Nitke has willingly taken over the last decade through the BDSM underground in New York City. She made her way to this otherworld through an early career stint as a still photographer on over 300 porn films. Befriending porn legend Rick Savage led to her introduction to The Eulenspeigel Society, the oldest and largest SM support and educational group in the nation. It was at their twice-weekly meetings that she discovered the truly "normal" people - teachers, nurses, businessmen, husbands, wives - who made up the leather "underground" and populated SM clubs such as Hellfire and the Vault. Nitke attended meetings, clubs and parties for months before asking members to allow her to photograph them in their play, always making clear her intentions to publish the final images. Many refused, justifiably fearful of losing jobs and perhaps their very families should they be seen in the resulting images. Soon though Nitke found a small group of lovers (her word) brave and proud and curious enough to include her in their scenes. For the next decade, Nitke and her camera submerged in the darkly beautiful, swirling currents where sensation, love and trust mix with flesh.
Nitke approaches each scene as a friend, a participant, a fellow artist, even as a lover in ways, but never as a mere spectator or even a journalist. She uses infrared film for the soft, glowing quality it lends to living things. In fact, the lovers truly seem to radiate the sensations and emotions they revel in to the point of joyous immolation. Nitke rejects the "mechanics" of SM in favor of capturing "the lovers...lost in each other." In every image, she does exactly that - disappearing so thoroughly into each image that we are alone in our watching. Nitke, embraced by the lovers in their covenant of trust and excitement, migrates to the other side with them. She does allow us her heart and eyes to see with: The affection and tenderness she depicts her lovers (why not?) with grants them something higher than mere dignity. What she brings to this world is the ultimate benediction - normalcy. She sees them as men and women, loving and being loved. Just like us...only better.
*Note: Barbara Nitke is also a co-plaintiff in an important challenge to the Communications Decency Act, a law limiting free expression on the Internet. The case is expected to go to the Supreme Court and is already garnering considerable national press. For more information, log on to Nitke's website, http://barbaranitke.com/ or http://www.ncsfreedom.org/
Capturing the intimacy.......2004-02-08
Barbara Nitke has done her homework. She has spent countless hours with the BDSM community gathering these images. She has grown to understand the intimacy in these connections and captures them in her pictures. I was amazed at how well she caught moments that are usually so fleeting. Definitely a book for anyone wondering why people do this stuff.
A beautiful portrayal of different loving.......2003-10-24
This book blew me away.
I am a kinky woman who does not normally enjoy visual erotica. Mostly I find it cliched, sexist, disturbing, or some combination of the three. When I received this book as a present, I thought, "Oh, well, maybe my partner will like it." But, paging through it, I was delighted and moved by what I found. This is unlike any other book of visual erotica that I've ever encountered.
These are candid images - real pictures of what the BDSM scene looks like on the inside. She shows people of different body types and levels of conventional attractiveness engaged in a wide variety of BDSM activities. The compositions are excellent. And, as only a few photographers are skilled enough to do, Nitke captures the moments when her subjects have their souls in their eyes.
This book is a must-have for any kinky person! I was moved almost to tears. "Finally, someone who gets it!" was the foremost thought in my head, and it will be in yours, too.
I believe that if mainstream folks see these images, it could cause a real change in how our lifestyle is perceived. The passion, love, and joy that we bring to our scenes is often not obvious to outsiders and casual observers, but she makes it plain for all to see. Simply amazing.
Bravo, Nitke - I'll be looking forward eagerly to your next offering.
KISS OF FIRE - Scorching Beauty.......2003-09-23
Barbara Nitke's long awaited book KISS OF FIRE (Kehrer Verlag, Germany 2003) is finally here and it is a scorcher. Nitke, a fine art photographer of the SM experience depicts her controversial subject matter with sensitivity, wit, and utter seriousness. It's neither porn nor fetish fashion, but the genuine human experience of SM as a living breathing, reality. Her camera peers into the seldom seen hidden lives and loves of her subjects participating vicariously, and viscerally. Her work documents a wide variety of SM activities: floggings, spankings, ponyplay, crossdressing, fisting, piercing, fireplay...as broad a spectrum as human diversity itself. When working, she provides no direction or choreography on her shoots; she watches the scene as it unfolds and captures the pivotal moments on the fly. It is never posed or choreographed. As journalism it is as close to the real sadoerotic experience as you can get without witnessing an SM scene yourself. Her deliberate use of a hard dark border burned around the imagery of her prints creates a sort of keyhole effect, inviting us to share her voyeurism, peeking into private encounters, into hidden worlds.
But Nitke is no mere photojournalist. She aims for the *feeling* of SM, capturing beautifully the trancelike languor, the moments of catharsis, of utter connectedness, of blinding sensation, that can occur in SM at its best, where time seems to stretch and spirit energies feel as palpable as heat. She shoots with long exposures that leave ghostly trails and uses unusual infrared films that make skin tones glimmer with an ethereal light. Some of her figures feel more like energy clouds than blocks of solid mass. Her viewfinder tends to go where the rapture is, often seeking out the faces of the submissive partners, sometimes letting the dominants become large anonymous forces of nature. Echoes of religious art are sprinkled throughout: a beautiful dominatrix cradling the blindfolded head of her lover - a fetishized pieta; A male submissive being caned and soaring, tattooed angel wings spreading across his back; Jim Mitchell, master flogger, as a younger, hotter Merlin, his flogger tresses spreading like a energy waves flowing from a magic staff; Bernadette W in rapturous surrender, A contemporary St Thersa in ecstasy. There is even what appears to be a penitent kneeling before a priest (actually a moment of reflection before a shoe shine).
This blend of raw documentary subject matter and surreal rendering fuses into an unusual style that is both naturalistic and otherworldly. For folks involved in, curious about, or intrigued by the SM lifestyle, I give "Kiss of Fire" my highest rating. For those who simply love any art with an edge, Nitke is amassing a body of work that ranks with the most powerful passionate contemporary art being made today. You don't need to be kinky to be swept away by Ms. Nitke's visionary spell.
"Kiss of Fire" contains 70 beautiful duotones and two essays: one by Nitke, and one by esteemed photography critic A.D. Coleman. It also includes a lovely frame by frame commentary by the artist herself, providing - in miniature - the fascinating, intimate, often hilarious slide show, Nitke has been presenting in art forums for years. "Kiss of Fire" is the steamy, provocative, alluring coffee-table-book-to-end-all-coffee table-books. May it send you somewhere sublime.
Beautiful and titilating.......2003-09-15
Ever since Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs were used to help justify the defunding of the National Endowment of the Arts, there has been a question whether sadomasochism is a fit subject for art. Barbara Nitke answers with a resounding YES! in this new book. With over 60 duotone photographs beautifully published on heavy stock, Nitke presents a world of sadomasochism that few will ever see.
Nitke's photographs can be shocking at times in their frankness. A bound man cries out in pleasure and agony as another man behind him, naked to the waist, plays upon his body. A pale woman is seated on a toilet, vulnerable and timid, with all of her attention focused on the woman leaning over her.
Each of Nitke's photographs is attuned to the interplay between the partners and the love that manifests even in the most extreme sexual encounters. Their interaction feels spontaneous; a charged moment frozen in time. Yet each scene is framed in a gently formal composition that makes even the most outrageous accruements seem beautiful.
I enjoyed how Nitke writes of her experience exploring the SM community and her increasing desire to photograph the lovers she saw. "I loved watching them float around together at parties," Nitke says, "Flying on their endorphins, lost in each other. I loved the ones who would spend days cooking up intricate, delicious scenes to tantalize the other and then tell you about it afterwards like mischievous kids."
Nitke has captured the intense energy of these couples' passion as well as the deep intimacy and trust that is required to engage in SM. For anyone who has ever wanted a deeper look into the glorious contradictions of kinky sexuality, KISS OF FIRE is a must.
Average customer rating:
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Carla Neggers Collection, A Set of 14 Romantic Suspense Novels (Night Scents, Kiss the Moon, The Waterfall, Carriage House, The Cabin, Stonebrook Cottage, Cold Ridge, The Harbor, On Fire, Night's Landing, The Rapids, Dark Sky, Breakwater, Cut and Run)
Carla Neggers
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000RFQV3I |
Average customer rating:
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Fire's Tender Kiss
Patricia Pellicane
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0821735349 |
Customer Reviews:
Disturbing.......2006-01-25
From the back cover:
Reclusive ranger...
Rough and rugged rancher Thaddeus Payne lived as a recluse in the Colorado mountains, needing nothing but his warm cabin. He'd vowed he'd never allow another faithless woman into his home or his heart--until he rescued a nearly frozen beauty and laid her down on his bed. Come spring, he'd send Sarah on her way, but during the cold winter nights, her warm creamy flesh was more than the lustly mountain man could resist. His first touch of her silken skin ignited a fire in his blood that soon blazed out of his kisses with fervor that nearly matched his own.
Snowbound seductress...
With nowhere to go and a blizzard raging, Sarah Carlton was snowbound with a man as big as a bear! The delicate, tawny-haired beauty knew she owed Thad her life, but it wasn't gratitude that made her yearn for his warm kisses and the hard length of his hot, muscular body pressed against her soft skin. Spring was just months away, and then Thad would want her gone...unless their long nights of loving convinced him to go on savoring her sweet red lips and silken caresses, and to stay in her arms forever!
And my review:
When I picked this up at a thrift store, I thought this would be an average historical romance. After all, its theme is a familiar one: a woman-hating man learns to fall in love when he rescues a woman in dire straits.
Not that I expected to be disspointed. Just because a plot has been used before doesn't mean that it will be boring. A good writer can breathe life into an old plot. At first, it seemed as if this author was capable of doing that. The clashes between the lead characters was quite well written, and believable without making either character unlikeable.
However, the author's writing style left a bit to be desired. It was as if someone had forgotten to proofread this book before it was printed. There were lots of grammar mistakes (something that really bugs me), like missing commas or commas that shouldn't be there. Mistakes like that confuse and annoy readers, as they draw the reader out of the story when they notice the mistake.
Bad grammar wasn't the only problem here, either. A lot of the things in the book just didn't make sense. Like how the heroine stays in bed for three days before needing the bathroom. Or that she manages to breast-feed her baby two days before her milk comes in. Huh? Again, errors like this destroy the flow of the story.
But the thing that made me stop reading this book was the hero's all-consuming lust for a woman recovering from childbirth. Yes, he can find her attractive, but getting aroused (numerous times) from watching her feed her baby? Eww. But it gets even worse than that. There's a scene when she's feeding the baby (again), and he sees her breast and is overcome with a desire to (brace yourself) DRINK HER MILK! No, I am NOT kidding!
How gross! I was wondering what on earth Freud would have said! It was just so out of place in a romance novel. A man wanting to drink a woman's breastmilk is NOT ROMANTIC, it's disturbing. I stopped reading at this point, and I don't think I'll bother to try to read anything else by this author.
Average customer rating:
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Kiss Of Fire
Charlotte Lamb
Manufacturer: Mills and Boon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PD26RW |
Average customer rating:
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A Kiss of Fire
Masako Togawa
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0345355806
Release Date: 1989-11-13 |
Book Description
There's plenty of action in this series as trainers Red and Blue explore forests, jungles, cities, and caves in search of excitement — and Pokemon. But can Red and Blue foil the schemes of Team Rocket, a mysterious group of villains who want to use Pokemon for evil? In this latest adventure, Blue encounters Agatha of the Elite Four in an abandoned power plant, where he gets more than he bargained for. Rescue arrives in the form of a little boy. Then Yellow and Blue set off across the ocean on the S.S. Anne, where they encounter Team Rocket, a most unwelcome guest. Are the two young trainers prepared for battle on the high seas? “This comic book [is] charming. Children of all ages and fans of Pokemon will thoroughly enjoy this.” — Comics Buyer's Guide
Books:
- Finding the Houses that Sears Built; A Guide to the 60 Most Popular Designs
- Florida Architecture of Addison Mizner (Dover Books on Architecture)
- Frank Lloyd Wright's Glass Designs (Wright at a Glance)
- French Touch, The
- Grand Hotels of the Jazz Age: The Architecture of Schultze and Weaver
- Great Camps of the Adirondacks
- Hip Hotels: City, Revised Edition
- Hot Wheels: 35 Years of Speed, Power Performance and Attitude
- How to Plan, Contract and Build Your Own Home
- Hypnerotomachia Poliphili: The Strife of Love in a Dream
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature
- The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Uni
- Lizard Social Behavior
- New Homes for Today: A Collection of House Plans
- Official Nintendo Animal Crossing: Wild World Player's Guide
- Telling Ain't Training
- Strangled Prose: A Claire Malloy Mystery
- Searching for Ancient Egypt: Art, Architecture, and Artifacts from the University of Pennsylvania Mu
- Landscape Architecture Theory: An Evolving Body of Thought
- A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers: Northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia
How to Survive Without a Salary: Learning How to Live the Conserver Lifestyle
Living Well on Practically Nothing: Revised and Updated Edition
Better Off : Flipping the Switch on Technology
When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance and Planetary Survival
Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth
