Review: Log Home Care and Maintenance

Until recently, most log homes were either self-built or constructed by contractors affiliated with a local sawmill. Consequently, most were vacation homes built in or near a forest; only a few were built for year-round residence.

Much has changed in the last 20 years and the log home industry has matured considerably. The advent of new caulks and sealants coupled with improved designs and components has made the log home a more practical and affordable residence almost anywhere in the country.

Log Home Care and Maintenance 

Everything You Need to Know to Buy,  

Maintain, and Enjoy Your Log Home 

by Jim Olsen Davis  

The Lyons Press, 2004

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Review: Costume Jewelry

This large format volume presents over 500 pieces of costume jewelry from more than a dozen distinctive periods in sharp color photos with descriptions and values.

"Costume jewelry is an art form unto itself," writes author Leigh Leshner. "Each piece is representative of not only the designer's imagination, but of the culture and customs of the times."

Costume Jewelry

Identification And Price Guide 

by Leigh Leshner 

Krause Publications, 2004

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Review: Crustacean Farming

Crustacean farming is one of the world's fastest growing forms of aquaculture. It is a high-risk industry with potential for both substantial profits and serious losses.

"Crustacean Farming," authored by John Wickins and Dan Lee, has been a principal reference for the commercial cultivation of shrimp, prawns, caryfish, lobsters, crabs and spiny lobsters.

This edition of Wickins and Lee's authoritative text, published by Blackwell Science, builds on the success of the 1992 edition with chapters on ranching and re-stocking operations as well as raising ornamental shrimp and small crustaceans for live food in fish and shellfish hatcheries.

Crustacean Farming 

Ranching and Culture  

by John F. Wickins and Daniel O'C. Lee  

Blackwell Science Inc., 2002.

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Seafood and Fish
Lobsters: Biology, Management, Aquaculture and Fisheries

Review: Apothecary Cocktails

The first cocktails were concocted centuries ago by apothecaries, physicians, pharmacists, and anyone who specialized in healing ailments. They blended alcohol and liqueurs with herbs, fruit, flowers, spices and more to create  tinctures, bitters, elixirs, and tonics touted to cure tummy troubles, respiratory ailments, aches, pains, and more.

Not all of these potions were effective, any more than today's medicines cure all, and some were downright dangerous, but the better curatives prevailed and became the basis for many modern prescriptions and nightclub cocktails.

Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today

by Warren Bobrow.

Fair Winds Press, 2013

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Review: Jewelry Making

Beautiful jewelry does not have to be costly; homemade pieces can be crafted as finely anything store-bought and are often more unique and meaningful.

This how-to-do-it reference explains the basics of crafting rings, pendants, earrings, brooches and more from inexpensive materials like wire, acrylic, pewter and silver. Step-by-step instructions are provided for 35 beginner-level projects. More detailed techniques and instructions are provided for those who want to craft their own designs.

Jewelry Making: Tips and Tricks of the Trade
by Stephen O'Keeffe
Krause Publications, 2002

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Review: The Brand Called You

Your Personal Brand is the powerful, clear, positive idea that comes to mind whenever other people think of you. It's what you stand for -- the values, abilities and actions that others associate with you. It's a professional alter ego designed for the purpose of influencing how others perceive you, and turning that perception into opportunity."

Peter Montoya takes the concept of "branding" -- a marketing buzz word for creating an identity for a product in the minds of consumers -- and applies it to ambitious individuals or entrepreneurs who want to be known for their specific traits and abilities.

The Brand Called You 

The Ultimate Brand-Building and Business Development Handbook  

to Transform Anyone into an Indispensable Personal Brand 

by Peter Montoya with Tim Vandehey 

Personal Branding Press, 2003

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Now Reading "Ignoring Nature No More"

For far too long humans have been ignoring nature. As the most dominant, overproducing, overconsuming, big-brained, big-footed, arrogant, and invasive species ever known, we are wrecking the planet at an unprecedented rate. And while science is important to our understanding of the impact we have on our environment, it alone does not hold the answers to the current crisis, nor does it get people to act.

In Ignoring Nature No More, Marc Bekoff and a host of renowned contributors argue that we need a new mind-set about nature, one that centers on empathy, compassion, and being proactive.

Ignoring Nature No More

The Case for Compassionate Conservation

by Marc Bekoff

University Of Chicago Press, 2013

Nature Writing and Natural Histories
Science Writing
The Nature Pages
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