January 20, 2009 at 5:33 am · Filed under Uncategorized and tagged: mortgage, subprime mortgage, mortgage rates, mortgage lenders, bad credit mortgage, mortgages, mortgage loan, mortgage home loan
Title: Confessions of a Mortgage Insider
Author: Denny Andrews
Publisher: Aviva Publishing
Date: 2008
Price: 24.95
Have you wondered why the mortgage and banking industry are in their current shape of disarray? Did you ever wonder how some people managed to get something for nothing and leave us the average tax payer footing the bill? Are you curious why the once respectable mortgage industry became so corrupt and brought the US economy so quickly to its knees? Denny Andrew’s first book, Confessions of a Mortgage Insider, explores how the mortgage brokerage industry went into a spiraling failure that resulted in a complete meltdown of epidemic proportions. Confessions of a Mortgage Insider uncovers more than the excesses of the industry. It explores the people and personalities of those who worked in the industry through the personal stories of leaders, followers, slimy wheeler-dealers, and the victims. It tells the story through the eyes of mortgage broker Rick Agnew. Agnew goes from naïve freshman loan application agent to a diamond level broker whose life is filled with fast cars, fast women and fast parties. His up close and personal experiences with the industry open his eyes to the rampant fraud and chicanery of the industry.
Part story collection, part instruction, and part personal discovery, Andrew’s book is a fun and interesting book that makes you angry with the money lust of the brokers, makes you cry for those who are victimized, and laugh at the antics of Rick Agnew the half man/half naughty child protagonist. Using illustrative stories and hilarious hi-jinx this book instructs even the most casual reader on the dangers of the current mortgage failure to the housing market. This book can be that ‘tell all’ source the casual reader has been seeking to establish some sanity from the current economic crisis in the mortgage industry.
Confessions of a Mortgage Insider prompts the reader to really assess where they are currently in their mortgage and financial stability and then to make a specific plan to get where they want to be. Living in the house of your dreams is not just a wish if you plan carefully and shop wisely for a mortgage and a mortgage broker, according to Andrews. The American dream is not over…it has just become something that once again is only realized through hard work and a good savings plan.
The mortgage bubble has been broken and according to Denny Andrews, it is not a bad thing that the party is over. His exposure of the ugly secrets of such a sleekly designed profiteering machine clearly illustrates the symptoms of our society’s pervasive illness: excess. This fast moving book encourages responsible lending and commanding the life choices that promotes accountability and fiduciary common sense. Andrews captures the madness and mayhem through his original stories and then provides sound business advice that everyone can understand.
January 18, 2009 at 8:57 pm · Filed under authors, book review, non-fiction and tagged: felted knitting, knitting, knitting as art, knitting how to, shibori, shibori knits
Author: Gina W. Wilde
Publisher: Potter Craft 2008
ISBN: 978-0-307-39354-8
Reviewer: P. Shannon Evans
Shibori Knits – The Art of Exquisite Felted Knits is an artistic exploration of the art and craft of incorporating shibori weaving techniques with knitting. Author Gina Wilde takes the reader on a transformational exploration where old myths about texture and finishing are abandoned and results in the reader reinterpreting their own creative responsibilities. Old stereotypes for color and content are abandoned as author and reader embark on parallel journeys of discovery of “new” techniques and combinations of wool, color, and creative uniqueness.
A clear-cut, easy to follow resource guide for the serious as well as the more casual knitter this work guides the reader through the maze of felting and non-felting fibers. The techniques and directions covered help readers to develop an awareness of their own knitting preferences as well as to enable them to navigate their own interpretations of patterns and fibers with confidence and grace. This inspiring book gives unparalleled insight into the intricate challenges of fusing fabrics through felting and expands the possibility to create new combinations of felting and non-felting fibers.
Influenced by her physical environment as well as by her own professional experiences weaving and sculpting, Wilde has applied her artistic skills in new ways to create sophisticated, intricate knitted designs. Facing the monumental task of fusing her love of color, texture, and nature Wilde wanted to create designs that were transformational and innovative. She slogged through the process without the benefit of any guidebooks or resources learning through trial and error and even accident to mix colors and fibers. As she went through the process she began creating combinations and permutations that resulted in innovative designs that resembled works of art rather than embellished knitwear. As she went through the methods over and over Wilde refined her processes and began to create more checklists to help her and others with the herculean task of designing manageable patterns for others to follow. Soon she had a straightforward, well developed plan for each shibori knit design. Based on her more than 200 previous designs and her vast experience at fusing textures and color, Wilde methodically approached each design included in this book.
Shibori Knits provides a sensation laden introduction to this ancient Japanese artistic philosophy of color and texture. Wilde’s own flirtatiously sophisticated personality shines through in each interpretive design making this book sparkle and stand out from the many other knitting books on the market today. Versatile, sophisticated, and unique, each pattern will provide the knitter with an unforgettable garment and a truly personal creative experience. This book sets a new standard for process and design books in knitting resulting in a positive transformation for future audiences. Wilde’s Shibori Knits – The Art of Exquisite Felted Knits is more than a knitters ‘how to’ book; it is a deeply satisfying experience of color, texture, and technique that brings a new depth of dimension to knitting design books.
