If you’re looking for a book to inspire you, these have to be the ones to do it: ‘Firelight and Woodsmoke’ is the first book in the trilogy, a truly delightful read that transforms you back to Brive’s farm around the turn of the century. XX.
Continuing in a similar vein, how many of us got lost in the delightfully evocative story of Mary, Dickon, and Colin and the magic that unfolds in ‘The Secret Garden’? Well now there is a sequel, written by Susan Webb. The book tells the story of what happened to Mary, Dickon, and Colin when they met ten years later in Misselthwaite. The book is called “Until All Seas Run Dry: A Sequel to” The Secret Garden. “If you enjoyed” The Secret Garden, “you will love the sequel.
Animal and pet care
What do Rowberrow, Saska, and Shantung have in common with a chiffon dress and a kettle in the fridge? Doreen Tovey, that’s it! You’ll find a variety of these delightful and fun books in our Home & Garden section under Animal & Pet Care. Doreen very sadly passed away in January 2008 and I am sure the many readers who avidly followed the stories of her family of Siamese cats miss her greatly. Many times I have laughed out loud at his antics, chasing one of his donkeys while wearing a chiffon dress and hoping to read more about Mrs. Binney and Father Adams.
From ‘Cats in the Bell Tower’ to ‘More Cats in the Bell Tower’, ‘Cats in May’ and ‘Working with Donkeys’, Doreen Tovey certainly entertained her readers – you’ll find all these titles in our Animal & Pet Care section. When Doreen Tovey wasn’t busy writing and tending to her mischievous felines, she was president of the North Somerset RSPCA and president of the Siamese Cat Club and also the West of England Cat Club, a busy woman who will be greatly missed.
On moving from England to the United States, César Millán seems to be someone who inspires very powerful feelings in people: they love him or they hate him! Either way, it is popularly visible and a force to be reckoned with. Let us know what your own opinions are; meanwhile, we have a good variety of Cesar Millan books, such as’ Puppyhood: Through Puppyhood and Beyond ‘by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier and’ Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar’s Way to Transform Your Dog … and Your lifetime ‘. These are excellent books on caring for animals and pets focus on Caesar’s style and despite much criticism directed at his methods, I have used these methods to train my own dogs since they were puppies and now when are approaching 12 months. I have a pack of charming and well-mannered dogs that show me respect and love as the leader of the pack.
Antiques and collectibles
You may have a collection of vinyl record albums that you collected as a young adult and wonder if your collection is worth anything. If so, you may be interested in the ‘Rare Records Pricing Guide 2010’, compiled from Record Collector Magazine and edited by Ian Shirley. This collection of price guides consists of 1,400 pages containing 100,000 entries so you can verify the value of each of your precious records. You never know, you may be sitting on a fortune! However, despite the wide variety of entries, there seem to be some missing that you would have thought should be included, such as punk singles. You will no doubt also notice large variations in the guide prices of various albums. Use this book as a guide only, but it should give you an idea of the price of your precious record collection.
There are many other antiques and collectibles out there. ‘Toys for Children: An Illustrated History of Little Things That Pleased Great Minds’ by Jed Novick is another excellent book in this category. It features traditional toys from the 60s, 70s and 80s that provided so much pleasure at the time and have now become collectibles in their own right. Another book that you will find interesting if clocks and watches are your thing is the book written by Anthony Whiten: ‘Repair of clocks and antique clocks’. In the meantime, of interest to celebrity watchers, take a look at ‘Secrets of Contacting Celebrities and Public Figures: 101 Ways to Reach the Rich and Famous’. These books are just the tip of the iceberg – this section within the Home & Garden category is rich in an astonishing diversity of topics – dive in and see what comes to mind!
Property purchase and development
What better way to start this section than a book on cleaning and managing household chores – you can also learn how to do it before you get bogged down in the task of buying and developing a property. Written by Kim Woodburn, ‘The Cleaning Bible: Kim and Aggie Complete Guide to Modern Household Management’ gives you all kinds of work-saving tips on how to clean your home and wonderful ways with baking soda and white vinegar. There are also a host of other topics in various sections within the Home and Garden category, sections such as Woodworking and Woodworking; Crafts; DIY and home improvement; Gardening; and Interior Design and Decoration.
However, when you are buying and developing a property, each of these sections is worth delving into – you never know when you will need ideas on color schemes, provided by Kevin McCloud in his book ‘Kevin McCloud’s Color Now: An Expert Guide to Choosing colors for your home ‘or learn to perform simple plumbing with RD Treloar’s book’ RD Treloar Plumbing 3rd Edition: Heating and Gas Installations’. There are a host of books on our website to help you when you are buying and developing a property, with books to help you with decorating ideas; color ideas and even decorating ideas; in fact, lots of things to keep you busy on all your projects from now on.