...and reading Mr. Silbers book has convinced me of this. Mr. Silber shows you how to set goals for money management and artistic endeavors without putting your life on hold. You can pay your bills and still pursue your art. This book shows you the way and explains how it is all about choices. The choices we make. The author's writing style makes the book fun to read and his easy to understand philosophy makes it believable.

When reading a book about finance, you'd think the writing style would be dry and boring. Not so with Lee Silber's MONEY MANAGEMENT FOR THE CREATIVE PERSON! Mr. Silber has written a book that's full of useful financial info, and being one who makes a living as an artist, I found myself nodding in agreement on many of the pages. The book was really easy to read, full of humor and wisdom, and I found myself laughing out loud numerous times! I enjoyed this book so much that I've begun reading his other title, SELF-PROMOTION FOR THE CREATIVE PERSON.

As a novelist and short story writer, and as a college writing instructor, I have read--literally--hundreds of books on the writing craft, the writing life, grammar, inspiration, technique, biographies of writers, finding an agent, and on and on and on.

However, until now, no one--until Mr. Silber, that is--has spent any time talking about the four most important aspects of a creative life: career management, time management, self-promotion, and now, MONEY MANAGEMENT FOR THE CREATIVE PERSON. As someone who has read and seen remarkable results from his previous three books, I am equally excited about putting into practice the principles Silber describes in Money Management.

Too often among "creative" people, topics like self-promotion and money are considered dirty, somehow beneath them. "Leave us alone," they say, "we want to work on our art." If there is one principle or theme that runs through Money Management, it's this: in order to sustain a situation that will support your creativity, you have to earn money. From there, Lee gives us creatives dozens of new paradigms for how we can and should view money. While Silber's book provides excellent, practical examples on how you can begin attracting more money into your life, his main mission seems to be changing your thinking. Because he knows that if he can change your thinking process about money to a more productive one, the details will follow.

Do yourself a favor and buy all of Lee Silber's books. If you're temporarily short on cash (that is, until you finish Money Management), just buy MM and Self-Promotion for the Creative Person. Good luck.

This book most definitely is good value for money.

The text is very short, but informative. It gives a quick overview of tattoo history and other related aspects. (If you want to delve further into said topic, check out Steve Gilbert's "Tattoo History Source Book".)

The photos are also very nice; there is a mixture of 20th century flash, indigenous peoples and their (tribal) tattoos, Japanese tattoos, etc.

However - if I were you, I would part with a few bucks more and buy "1000 Tattoos" instead. (Also by Henk Schiffmacher aka Hanky Panky.)

You wonder why? Well, it is very simple. Because all the photographs included here have already appeared in "1000 Tattoos", but the latter has a lot more of them! The only difference is the printing. The publication reviewed here has the black/white photographs printed in black/white, whereas in "1000 Tattoos" those are printed in a more photorealistic brownish/yellowish kind of black/white. (The only other difference I noticed was two photos being swapped on a double page...)

Rich in illustration, this book charts the development of tattooing throughout the ages and across the world - from tribal origins to Japanese breathtaking full-body art to fried eggs on someone's head. The pictures are breathtaking and definitely showcase the work of many terrific artists worldwide. This book would be a perfect gift for the tattoo collector or as a purchase for yourself as a small "coffee table book" and conversation starter.

I can't recommend this book enough. Full of history and ideas, it's sure to please those of us caught in the counter-cultural fringe. It's a high-quality book as well - attractive and sturdy. Definitely a good deal ...

The projects in this book are definitely cool. However, I encountered two substantial problems.

First, it was difficult to find some of the supplies. I live in a metropolitan area (2 million people) and could only find one place that sold liming wax. I spent an hour on the phone calling places looking for it. I finally found a supplier 40 miles away.

Second, the colors in the book are quite different than in person. I added the specified amount of artist's paint to create the terracota fresco. The color was suppose to be orangish. It turned out to be pink. Let me tell you, my husband did not appreciate that at all.

My recommendation, take her ideas, but don't use her colors.

...

I have both of her books and they are both great, helpful etc..the life-lesson i learned is...if it doesn't work out..paint over it and start again. ...

This is a wonderful book for anyone wanting to decorate or redecorate their home with style. It is great value because it is literally packed with techniques and ideas to suit anyone's taste. Most effects are surprisingly easy to create.

The book starts out with a through explanation of materials. This includes color photos of all the tools, as well as charts with great information on mixing and thinning paint types, primers, undercoats, solvents, glazes, varnishes, sealants, and metallic finishes. Information about toxicity, uses and whether it should be used indoors or out is included as well. There are even several excellent charts on preparing almost any surface for painting.

Numerous techniques for painting walls including colorwashing, sponging, dragging, rag rolling, stippling, limewashing, dry brushing, fade-away washing, loose-glaze, mock and rubbed back plaster are included. Effects such as Fresco, Mediterranean and Egyptian are also covered as well as creating borders, stone blocking and making distressed plaster patterns.

Then wood effects such as aging, spattering, graining, crackling, combing, and staining are covered. The Scandinavian and Shaker color pallets and styles are demonstrated here too. Stone finishes such as marbling, lapis lazuli, sandstone, porphyry, granite and terracotta follow. Then there are metal finishes including patina, verdigris, rust, lead, iron and bronzing. Finally, lacquer, tortoiseshell, shagreen, leather, stenciling, and gilding techniques are shown.

Most of the projects use latex or acrylic paint, only a few use oils. Step-by-step directions are given for each of these techniques or effects. Close-up photos show the each style in a few different colors and recipes are given for each one. Some styles have pictures of finished rooms or objects done with them.

Since printing accurate colors is tricky and there are so many variables in materials and surfaces, I know that results can vary. I would recommend experimenting on a small scale and tweaking the recipe to get things the color you want. All in all this is fabulous and inspirational book at an excellent price for anyone who wants to do more than brush on off-the-shelf paint.

I have read all of the previous Arkady Renko books by Martin Cruz Smith, as well as the enjoyable change of pace Rose, so I eagerly looking forward to reading this latest installment in the Renko series. While a subpar effort by a skilled mystery writer like Smith is still better than most novels in the genre, Havana Bay is definitely not his best work.

The book takes place in Havana, as the title would suggest, although it is never really explained to the reader's satisfaction exactly what compelled Arkady to travel to Cuba, on his own dime, to investigate the death of an old comrade.

As is usual in the series, Arkady meets his share of corruption at higher levels, attempted cover-ups, attractive mysterious women who somehow are drawn to him and his rumpled appearance, etc. Renko seems to be going through the motions even more than usual here, driven to seek the truth by some sense of duty to ascertain whether his friend was murdered or died naturally , (even if it kills him), in a strange land with no cooperation by the authorities.

I thought the strongest character of the novel was Cuba itself, in all its faded glory. The sights, sounds and smells of the island come alive in Smith's talented hands, as did the frozen skating pond of Gorky Park and the arctic fishing boat of Polar Star. The problem here is that the other characters in the novel are a forgettable bunch, and the plot is more convoluted than even Smith fans can expect.

I enjoyed passages of this book, and I feel like I know Cuba almost as if I visited the island. However the story of the novel was pretty forgettable, and I would only recommend this one to real fans of the Renko series. For all you others, if you've already read Gorky Park, read Rose instead.

O.K., the combination of Martin Cruz Smith and Arkady Renko pretty much generates two stars by default. The intriguing setting gets another (although Havana is rendered with considerably less authority than Moscow was...or even a fishing trawler), but the author struggled with much of the rest.

The cast of characters was weak. New Renko readers will particulary suffer from a sketchy portrait of the (dead) Pribluda. Renko's actions lack motive, and something more creative should have been done with the narrative to bring their relationship back to life. The love interest seems to be thrown in as an after thought. (The climate seems to generate most of the steaminess despite myriad references to, and descriptions of, nubile Cuban women.) Again, those who missed the original depiction of Irena will wonder about what kind of nut would constantly wear a cashmere coat in the Carribean. I didn't struggle with the plot as much as others, but the "peeling the layers of an onion" feeling was not rewarded by the conclusion. It was literally an anticlimax. On the other hand, if you read Smith for fireworks, you're missing most of the pleasure anyway. This book is not really a mystery; still less is it a thriller. It's a novel set in an exotic local with an archtypal Russian detective.

Read it for the mix of familiar (Arkady) and exotic (Havana), plus some high grade commercial prose, and you won't be disappointed...but if you are not already a friend of Renko, read Gorky Park and be utterly captivated instead.

The first three novels about Arkady Renko were strengthened by a powerful story arc that developed throughout the books--his banishment from and return to mainstream Russian society and the slow development and eventual cosummation of his romance with Irina. Irina's presence figured heavily in Arkady's life throughout those books; even when she was not present, her presence was strongly felt.

With those story arcs concluded, "Havana Bay" feels a bit superfluous. Worse than that, Irina has been eliminated before the events of the novel even begin. Was this really necessary? For those of us who followed Arkady as he struggled through that difficult romance, this is a very disappointing choice on the part of the author. Couldn't Irina have been waiting at home while Renko had his Cuban adventure? Is the idea of a happy Renko so intolerable? Cut the man a little slack, Mr. Smith!

Nevertheless, this book is very enjoyable. The mileau is perfect: decadent, sleazy opportunists scheming in the midst of a crumbling society. Although Martin's Cuba isn't as fully realized as his European locales, his eye for telling detail and interesting local color remains sharp. Arkady's ally, Ofelia Osorio, is a fascinating protagonist--I would be happy to read a book about her alone. She possesses the passion for finding the truth that seems to be somewhat dimmed in Renko this time around.