Sunday, August 24, 2014

A Book Review for You: Toyota FJ Cruiser Hardcover by Larry Edsall 5 out of 5 stars.


Toyota FJ Cruiser Hardcover        by Larry Edsall   5 Out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Amazon.com: 


"Toyota’s legendary FJ40, the rugged off-road two-door Landcruiser introduced in 1960, sold more than one million models in its lifetime—and is still in service in the roughest parts of the world, nearly a quarter of a century after the last one rolled off the assembly line. As Toyota prepares to roll out its new version of this classic, this book offers a close-up, behind-the-scenes look at the development and production of the new FJ Cruiser, a retro 4x4 that combines its famous predecessor’s unparalleled style with solid off-road capabilities and all the convenience and comfort that today's technology offers.                          
                                             With interviews from the designers, engineers, and executives involved in making the FJ Cruiser, as well as more than 150 photos of the new vehicle and details on the 4x4’s specifications, this book puts readers into the driver’s seat of Toyota’s next classic Cruiser.” 

 
  My Review:  Five Stars out of Five. This book is a treasure for the 4x4 and/or Toyota FJ enthusiast. There are lots of color photos and diagrams to peruse. This is a great book on the Cruiser. It's a bit dated from 2006, but contains a wealth of information. There are a lot of great photos and schematics of the original concept vehicle.
This is a great book for the Cruiser enthusiast. I have no hesitation is recommending it to others.


 
 
Until next review, stay safe. Smile! Show compassion to others. Be nice to one another. Read a book and pass it on. Review it. Cheers!
Regards,
S.J. Francis
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.
My Black Opal Books Author Page:
View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM
A Book Review 4 U: abookreview4u.blogspot.com
A Consumer's View: aconsumersview.blogspot.com
OnefortheAnimals:    onefortheanimals.blogspot.com
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

I blog for books; do you?




             Hello! Love Books? Have a blog? I do too, which is why I just signed up to join blogging for books. It's easy to do.

Blog for books: Pick a book for free and write a review. No strings, just free books. And no, I don't and you won't receive any money for the reviews: Just free books for a review on your blog. First come, first served in all genres, fiction and non-fiction-e-books and paper books
.
I blog for books-You can too!
Check out the website www.bloggingforbooks.com.

Let me know what you think of it.

So  far I've received (3) books and reviewed to date.


Regards,
S. J. Francis
 
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.
My Black Opal Books Author Page:
View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM
A Book Review 4 U: abookreview4u.blogspot.com
A Consumer's View: aconsumersview.blogspot.com
OnefortheAnimals:    onefortheanimals.blogspot.com
 
 
 

Monday, August 4, 2014





Here is the first book review for you: Out of five stars, I give it just three (3).


Book Reviewed:  America's Doll House: The Miniature World of Faith Bradford (Paperback)

Sorry, but I was disappointed with this book & can't recommend it!!,

Dollhouse miniatures are a fascination in my household. I had to say that outright in order for my review to be evenly weighed. I ordered this book with great anticipation because I had heard good things about it, "great example of dollhouse miniatures," "a must read". The book is okay. It is nothing fancy. There are lots of other books on dollhouse miniatures that delve into the subject more thoroughly and make the subject worth reading about. Though, the dollhouse of the title is a nice house, it is nothing special to warrant such a book. There are, even back then when Bradford made her donation, other nicer, better dollhouses. At just 127 pages, including references, credits and acknowledgments, this book leaves a great deal to be desired. It is nowhere worth the cover price of $24.95, nor the much cheaper Amazon price of $14 I paid.

Faith Bradford is purported to have been a librarian that donated her unique dollhouse of 23 rooms, that she designed and decorated, to the Smithsonian Museum. In fact, she was recently retired from the Library of Congress, where in fact, she was more of an archivist than a librarian, and who no doubt had contacts to get her dollhouse into the Smithsonian, so her effort was really no big achievement.

The dollhouse she donated, never really made it to the museum, as it was no longer presentable, but the miniatures inside did, into a replica that the Museum paid for and had made for her in order to accept her dollhouse donation.

This book had promise, especially since it was written by the Smithsonian Curator, but it lost a great deal in execution. There are color photos along with black and white. There should have been a large overleaf, perhaps, one oversized color page of the whole house in order for the reader to delve into it. There is not. There is just one color photo of 8x10, which ones needs a magnifying glass to view the innards of the house. There is mention of another more modern house that Bradford also donated, but no digging into either. There is also a bit of history about the Smithsonian that wastes space.
Overall, this was a disappointing purchase and unless you are a serious miniaturist, whom enjoys keeping varied books on the subject on your book shelf, I can not recommend this one. See if you can locate it in your library instead and spend your money on a better book.
Product Details:
  • Paperback: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press (October 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1568989741
  • ISBN-13: 978-1568989747

Until next review, stay safe. Smile! Show compassion to others. Be nice to one another. Read a book and pass it on, review it. Cheers!
Regards,
S.J. Francis
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.
My Black Opal Books Author Page:
View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM
A Book Review 4 U: abookreview4u.blogspot.com
A Consumer's View: aconsumersview.blogspot.com
OnefortheAnimals:    onefortheanimals.blogspot.com