CLEO: The Cat Who Mended a Family

"We're just going to." Helen Brown had no intention of adopting a pet when she brought her sons, Sam and Rob, to visit a friend's new kittens. But the runt of the litter was irresistible, with her overlarge ears and dainty chin.

When Cleo was delivered weeks later, she had no way of knowing that her new family had just been hit by a tragedy. Helen was sure she couldn't keep her-until she saw something she thought had vanished from the earth forever: her son's smile The reckless, rambunctious kitten stayed.

Through happiness and heartbreak, changes and new beginnings, Cleo turned out to be the unlikely glue the affectionately held Helen's family together. Rich in wisdom, wit, heart, and healing, here is the story of a cat with an extraordinary gift for knowing just where she was needed the most.

List Price: $ 15.95

Price: $ 6.87

One Magic Square: The Easy, Organic Way to Grow Your Own Food on a 3-Foot Square

A Hands-On Guide to Growing Organic Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs—Starting with Just One Square Yard!

Lolo Houbein has been growing food for more than 30 years—and now, drawing on her wide learning and hard-earned experience, she offers a wealth of information on how to turn small plots of land into sources of nourishing, inexpensive, organic food. Amateur gardeners wondering how to get started and veteran gardeners looking for new ideas will be inspired by Houbein’s practical, often charming, and always optimistic advice. One Magic Square includes:

• Earth-friendly tips, tricks, and solutions for establishing and maintaining an organic garden
• Illustrated, annotated plans for 30 plots with different themes—including perennials and “pick-and-come-again” plants, anti-cancer and anti-oxidant-rich vegetables, and salad, pizza, pasta, and stir-fry ingredients
• Comprehensive information about every plant in every plot
• Color photographs of the author’s own garden—plus helpful illustrations
• Houbein family recipes for making the most of your bounty—including salad dressings, fruit and vegetable juices, stir-fries, and more.

List Price: $ 18.95

Price: $ 12.89

A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories (Newbery Honor Book)

What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice -- two city slickers from Chicago -- make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town? August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgill boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back.
August 1931: Joey and Mary Alice help Grandma trespass, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry -- all in one day. And there's more, as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's -- each one funnier than the year before -- in self-contained chapters that readers can enjoy as short stories or take together for a rollicking good novel. In the tradition of American humorists from Mark Twain to Flannery O'Connor, popular author Richard Peck has created a memorable world filled with characters who, like Grandma herself, are larger than life and twice as entertaining. Richard Peck lives in New York City.

List Price: $ 16.99

Price: $ 5.99

Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs

Dogs have always been our friends and changed our lives for the better. But they may save our lives as well. Seamlessly weaving scientific research with compelling narrative, Paws & Effect tells incredibly moving stories of beloved pets who have supported their people through periods of ill health and other crises—with miraculous results:

*Little Ben, a Chihuahua who can sense impending epileptic seizures

*Abdul, a Golden Retriever/Lab mix, who was the world’s first service dog and helped his owner by retrieving keys and phones, medicine from countertops, water from the refrigerator, and could even hand in credit cards at the grocery store

*A Dalmation named Trudii, whose obsessive behavior prompted her owner to seek a medical examination that revealed melanoma

List Price: $ 15.00

Price: $ 8.44

The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

A practical guide to all aspects of edible wild plants: finding and identifying them, their seasons of harvest, and their methods of collection and preparation. Each plant is discussed in great detail and accompanied by excellent color photographs. Includes an index, illustrated glossary, bibliography, and harvest calendar. The perfect guide for all experience levels.

List Price: $ 22.95

Price: $ 13.65

The Aloha Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel

Another season of Elm Creek Quilt Camp has come to a close, and Bonnie Markham faces a bleak and lonely winter ahead, with her quilt shop out of business and her divorce looming. A welcome escape comes when Claire, a beloved college friend, unexpectedly invites her to Maui to help launch an exciting new business: a quilter’s retreat set at a bed and breakfast amid the vibrant colors and balmy breezes of the Hawaiian Islands. Soon Bonnie finds herself looking out on sparkling waters and banyan trees, planning quilting courses, and learning the history and intricacies of Hawaiian quilting, all the while helping Claire run the inn.

As Bonnie’s adventure unfolds, it quickly becomes clear that Claire’s new business isn’t the only excitement in store for her. Her cheating, soon-to-be ex-husband decides he wants her stake in Elm Creek Quilts, which threatens not only her financial well-being but her dearest friendships as well. Luckily she has the artistic challenge of creating her own unique Hawaiian quilt pattern to distract her—and new friends like Hinano Paoa, owner of the Nä Mele Hawai‘i Music Shop, who introduces Bonnie to the fascinating traditions of Hawaiian culture and reminds her that love can be found when and where you least expect it.

List Price: $ 24.00

Price: $ 4.96

Garden Wisdom and Know-How: Everything You Need to Know to Plant, Grow, and Harvest

The latest addition to the bestselling Wisdom & Know-How series is a complete home reference for everything you need to know about gardening - from soil and fertilizers to growing flowers and vegetables

Garden Wisdom & Know-How is a large-scale practical guide to planting and maintaining a garden, indoors or out. The chapters are organized by topic—garden techniques and tricks, the flower garden, the edible garden, container gardening, garden design and landscaping, attracting wildlife, and so on—and packed with information. Readers will discover tips and techniques for maintaining a garden year-round; harvesting herbs; designing by bloom season; turning garden refuse into garden rewards; building teepees, trellises, and other plant supports; and much more.

Featuring handpicked selections from dozens of publications from Rodale Books, this massive collection is full of indispensable and trusted advice from some of the most respected gardening authors in the world. And with hundreds of black-and-white illustrations and photographs as well as step-by-step projects, key gardening resources, and essential information on countless plant species, Garden Wisdom & Know-How is a must-have volume for both the aspiring and the experienced gardener.

List Price: $ 19.95

Price: $ 2.07

Kovels' Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2011: America's Most Authoritative Antiques Annual! (Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide)

The 43rd edition of America's leading price guide on antiques and collectibles, featuring all new actual prices in 700 categories and with more than 2,500 photographs

Kovels' is the only guide that lists actual prices collected from the previous year's sales. It is the best illustrated—with 2,500 full-color photographs—most complete, and easiest-to-use guide to finding the value of what every collector, from the casual hobbyist to the antiques professional, owns or discovers.

Kovels' is the only source for the most current, actual prices. No website, not even the Kovels' own, has this information. The most trusted source in the antiques and collectibles pricing business, Kovels' also has more tips, marks, logos, and photographs of items—in all price ranges—than any other book on the market.

Organized into 700 categories that cover an enormous range of interests, from Pressed Glass, Pottery & Porcelain, and Jewelry to Furniture, Photography, and Sports Memoribilia, this guide includes user-friendly sidebars, cross-references, and expert insider comments and tips throughout, allowing readers to buy, sell, and collect with confidence.

"Kovels' guides are considered the bibles of the field." —The New York Times

List Price: $ 27.95

Price: $ 16.94

The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, And Treats (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

Become the best bird host in your neighborhood. Let The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible be your guide to the foods and feeders, plants and projects that will guarantee you a yard that's absolutely brimming with birds!

List Price: $ 21.99

Price: $ 7.98

Japanese Taupe Quilts: 125 Blocks in Calm and Neutral Colors

With their beautiful, soft sepia color range, contemporary Japanese quilts stand out for their sophisticated reinvention of patchwork and appliqué blocks. These cool, calm quilts are as much at home in modern country style as they are in chic, urban settings. The harmonious fabrics are easily combined, often with accents of brick red, olive green, or yellow ocher, to create a new yet nostalgic style that resonates with quilters all over the world.

In Japanese Taupe Quilts, acclaimed textile artist Susan Briscoe offers a wealth of tips, techniques, and ideas for both the beginner and the experienced quilter. The block patterns have been drafted from a variety of traditional block sources, including Japanese fabric, paper and architectural designs, and kamon family crests. For each block there is a photograph, a clear instructional diagram or template, fabric palette and cutting guide, as well as detailed instructions for making the block. At-a-glance icons indicate skill level and techniques used. Patchwork, appliqué, embellishment, and quilting techniques are clearly explained with step-by-step photographs, from cutting out to finishing off.

The blocks can be mixed and matched, tessellated for allover patterns, or combined into sampler quilts. Combination ideas are supplied throughout the block directory, together with six simple projects -- a pillow, lap quilt, tote bag, table runner, wall hanging and satchel handbag -- to inspire readers to create exquisite quilts in the distinctive Japanese taupe style.

List Price: $ 26.95

Price: $ 17.26

Sherry Serafini's Sensational Bead Embroidery: 25 Inspiring Jewelry Projects (Beadweaving Master Class)

In this entry in Lark Jewelry & Beading's celebrated Beadweaving Master Class series, one of the world's top bead embroiderers and teachers has produced an accessible guide to her techniques and art for beginners and advanced beaders alike. Sherry Serafini's wonderful pieces have won admirers--including many celebrities--for their lavish beaded surfaces. Serafini explains the fundamentals behind her work, from stitches to color theory, and lays out 25 beautifully textured projects that feature fabulous focal-point beads. Other authors in the Beadweaving Master Class series are Diane Fitzgerald, Marcia DeCoster, Laura McCabe, Maggie Meister, and Rachel Nelson-Smith.

List Price: $ 24.95

Price: $ 12.25

One-Block Wonders: One Fabric, One Shape, One-of-a-Kind Quilts

A single print, cut randomly with no fussy cutting, is pieced together with gorgeous results.

List Price: $ 23.95

Price: $ 11.99

Wrapped in Lace: Knitted Heirloom Designs from Around the World

The spectacular knitted lace designs of New Zealand designer Margaret Stove are truly the pinnacle of the craft. InWrapped in Lace, dive into Margaret’s love fo learning and creating knitted lace, then begin your own journey to master lace knitting with 12 original patterns.

To appreciate the history of knitted lace, follow Margaret’s quest to design and knit the legendary “wedding ring shawl”—a large lace shawl so fine and delicate that it can be drawn through a wedding ring.Wrapped in Laceshares the art of designing patterns and the characteristics of lace traditions from around the world.

Framed by an engaging narrative of learning to create knitted lace from scratch,Wrapped in Lacedescribes each set of lace techniques, patterns, and traditions in depth and offers Margaret’s spectacular patterns for lace shawls, stoles, and scarves. These projects illustrate knitted lace from the Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Orenburg, Estonia, and lace motifs of New Zealand, as well as more contemporary European work. As an added bonus,Wrapped in Laceincludes Margaret’s tips for preserving, restoring, and remaking knitted lace heirlooms.

List Price: $ 26.95

Price: $ 15.00

Ion

SOCRATES: I often envy the profession of a rhapsode, Ion; for you have always to wear fine clothes, and to look as beautiful as you can is a part of your art. Then, again, you are obliged to be continually in the company of many good poets; and especially of Homer, who is the best and most divine of them; and to understand him, and not merely learn his words by rote, is a thing greatly to be envied.

List Price: $ 10.00

Price: $ 10.00

The Bride Instructional Manual: How to Survive and Possibly Even Enjoy the Biggest Day in Your Life (Owner's and Instruction Manual)

Feuding in-laws, manipulative wedding planners, rehearsal dinner meltdowns there's no end to the ways a wedding can go wrong. But have no fear: The Bride's Instruction Manual covers all the topics you need to know to march down the aisle with confidence.

In a concise and irreverent approach, noted wedding expert Carrie Denny offers advice for setting the date, choosing the dress, selecting attendants, deciding on a wedding site, drafting a guest list, designing invitations, and more. And it's all illustrated in the trademark "techy" style that has helped Quirk Owner s and Instruction Manuals sell more than one million copies around the world.

Complete with tons of useful information (and chock-full of cheat sheets to keep you on track and on budget), The Bride's Instruction Manual is the perfect shower gift for every blushing bride-to-be.

List Price: $ 16.95

Price: $ 2.77

Coastal Living Beach House Style: Designing Spaces That Bring the Beach to You

This treasure trove of decorating inspiration showcases coastal homes from the shores of New England down to Key West and the Caribbean. It explores the unique design of seaside homes along the rugged coastline of the Pacific Northwest down to the sunny beaches of Southern California, letting readers experience how the architectural vernacular of a region influences the design of its homes.

Step inside these homes to see how the coastal way of life dictates the décor-from thoughtfully designed porches that are an extension of the home, punches of citrus green and seaglass blue in a whimsical room for children, to kitchens and living rooms that are casual gathering places in the truest sense. Get ideas for infusing your own home with a similar laid-back sense of style. See how simple updates like the choice of paint color or lighting can truly make a room, and gather ideas for your own redo with our inspiring makeovers.

List Price: $ 24.95

Price: $ 15.13

Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living

Organized Simplicity's aim is to convince its readers that simple living is the absolute best way to live.  Be it with house cleaning, family schedule management, personal finances, and managing the "stuff" you allow within your four walls, the only way to live well is to do so intentionally and simply.  The first half of the book delves into the why behind realistic simple living, giving the reader a nail to then hang the how of living simply discussed in the second half.  And by redefining the too often-used phrase "simple living," a busy home manager living in the real world can then make practical changes that work for the whole family.  There are chapters for cleaning and organizing the home room-by-room, and future project ideas will inspire readers to turn their house in a haven they love.

List Price: $ 16.99

Price: $ 10.05

Animal Reiki: Using Energy to Heal the Animals in Your Life

“Animal Reiki is a great introduction to the growing field of energy medicine. Written in an easy-to-read style, this book will be enjoyed by animal guardians and veterinarians alike.”
--SHAWN MESSONNIER, DVM, author of The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats

“I learned a lot from Animal Reiki and highly recommend it to a wide audience.”
--MARC BEKOFF, University of Colorado, author of Minding Animals and editor of the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior

“Fulton and Prasad have created a much needed guide to a method of helping animals heal that is gentle, intuitive, safe and powerful.”
--SUSAN CHERNAK McELROY, author of All My Relations: Living with Animals as Teachers and Healers

WHETHER YOU’RE A NEWCOMER TO THE FIELD OF energy medicine, an experienced practitioner or an animal lover committed to learning everything you can about your companion’s health, Animal Reiki will open your eyes to a new level of healing and well-being. From dogs and cats to horses and birds, this book is everything you need to understand and appreciate the power of Reiki to heal and deepen the bond with the animals in your life.

List Price: $ 14.95

Price: $ 9.43

The Quilter's Color Club: Secrets of Value, Temperature & Special Effects -- 12 Hands-On Exercises -- 8 Projects

Christine's quilter-friendly approach will open your customers' eyes to new and exciting ways to apply simple color concepts to their work. See successful color combinations in action with an inspiring gallery of eye-catching quilts. Chock full of hands-on exercises, this book teaches how to use value, temperature, and intensity to make quilts luminous and full of movement.

List Price: $ 27.95

Price: $ 16.99

Making Beautiful Hemp & Bead Jewelry (Jewelry Crafts)

“Directions, all shown in color, are clear and simple, and the knotting pattern is shown in a schematic diagram. ...There are styles here to please all ages and tastes. A wide variety of closure options are also shown. I particularly like several of the lacy necklaces, the watch strap, and the amulet pouch.”—Bead & Button. “All ages will enjoy the projects, teens to those of us who remember macrame from many years ago.”—Quick & Easy Crafts.

The retro chic of the 1970s has once again made macramé hemp jewelry popular. But far from looking dated, the designs in this book offer a fresh take on a traditional craft, giving new life to an old fiber art with a few dozen easy projects. With simple knotting, braiding, and cord-weaving techniques; several yards of hemp cord; and some interesting beads, you can create necklaces, bracelets, earrings, eyeglass chains, and other accessories. Straightforward directions, helpful diagrams, and color photos of all the finished pieces offer such choices as the Ocean Waves Choker, Millefiori Twist Necklace, Touch of Nature Anklet, Cat Toy Watch Holder (a wonderfully dangly necklace that sports a watch for a pendant), African Amulet, or Carnival Ride key ring. The items also make nice gifts, especially for retro-captivated but hard-to-shop-for teenagers. --Amy Handy

List Price: $ 12.95

Price: $ 4.50

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Crochet (Teach Yourself VISUALLY Consumer)

The visual way to get hooked on crochet

The art of crocheting is timeless-and its popularity is evident in the surge of modern, sophisticated techniques like amigurumi and Tunisian crochet. So if you yearn for the skills to join this crafting revolution, this easy-to-follow guide is for you!

With new patterns and even more techniques explained step by step, this updated edition is your go-to guide for learning how to crochet.

• Concise, two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review
• Detailed color photos demonstrate each step and helpful tips provide additional guidance
• New patterns, more techniques, and refreshed interior design

Packed with tons of step-by-step instructions and fun, innovative patterns, Teach Yourself VISUALLY Crochet, 2nd Edition, gives you the tools you need to create one-of-a-kind crochet projects that will add handmade flair to your home and wardrobe.

List Price: $ 24.99

Price: $ 14.72

Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens

It’s the natural inconsistencies—the accidental differences between one finished piece and another—that make hand-printed fabrics, papers, furniture, and works of art so interesting. The quirks are what show the maker’s intimate involvement in the process, and it’s that unique quality that first attracted textile designer and illustrator Lena Corwin to hand-printing.

 

Even though decorative prints are more in vogue than ever, there was until now no up-to-date hand-printing guide—no single source explaining the tools and materials that are used today, or reflecting a contemporary aesthetic. Corwin has given us that guide.

 

Using step-by-step instructions and up-close photos, Corwin teaches crafters everything they need to know to master stamping, stenciling, and screen printing, from making their own printing devices to trouble-shooting when plans go awry. Her inimitable collection of projects ranges from stamped stationery and simple-to-sew pouches, to stenciled tote bags and furniture, to screen-printed bed linens and upholstery fabric. There’s even a silk-screened dog bed. The author has created original artwork for each project (full-size patterns are included in an envelope at the back of the book), so that every crafter can achieve the same beautiful results. Or maybe not quite the same. Remember: It’s the subtle differences that make hand-printing so special and alluring.

List Price: $ 29.95

Price: $ 13.49

The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden

For every gardener desiring to add apples, pears, cherries, and other tree fruit to their landscape here are hints and solid information from a professional horticulturist and experienced fruit grower. The Backyard Orchardist includes help on selecting the best fruit trees and information about each stage of growth and development, along with tips on harvest and storage of the fruit. Those with limited space will learn about growing dwarf fruit trees in containers.
Appendices include a fruit-growers monthly calendar, a trouble-shooting guide for reviving ailing trees, and a resource list of nurseries selling fruit trees.

List Price: $ 16.95

Price: $ 10.48

The Gun Digest Book Of Concealed Carry

In addition to tactical aspects of self-defense, practical information like choosing the right firearm and ammunition, used gun purchases, and all legal aspects of self-defense with a gun are also extensively covered in this complete and authoritative look at concealed carry.

List Price: $ 24.99

Price: $ 14.72

Landscaping With Fruit: Strawberry ground covers, blueberry hedges, grape arbors, and 39 other luscious fruits to make your yard an edible paradise. (A Homeowners Guide)

Fruit trees, shrubs, and vines are true two-for-one plants. Many varieties are strikingly beautiful — well suited to doing double duty as delicious sources of sweet, organic fruit and as ornamental additions to the home landscape. Backyard fruit plants also tie in perfectly with the growing locavore movement. It's difficult to find food that's more local than one's own backyard!

"Luscious landscaping," as author Lee Reich calls it, takes fruit-bearing plants off the commercial farm and replants the prettiest and tastiest specimens in suburban and rural yards. Spring blossoms, summer and fall fruit, and the year-round presence of the plants themselves bring a special magic to the home landscape. Pillowy pink blossoms on peach branches or the bright orange fruit of persimmon trees perk up their surroundings with color and drama.

Beautiful plants, yes, but these landscaping additions also provide sweet, nutritious fruit. Homegrown, organic varieties bear almost no resemblance to commercially produced fruits,which are bred and selected to withstand shipping and refrigerated storage conditions. It's hard to believe that Alpine strawberries and those grown in California and shipped across the country are even related!

Fruitscaping is a complete, no-nonsense guide to growing temperate-zone fruit, with information on everything from planting and pruning to pest control and harvesting. Readers will find all the basics of landscaping with fruit — site analysis, climate assessment, understanding soil and sun, plant selection, and optimizing growing conditions. An encyclopedia of 38 plants includes information for each entry on hardiness, size, potential pests, special care and pruning, harvesting, and visual appeal.

List Price: $ 19.95

Price: $ 11.19