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Title: Helpful How To's
Review: Want to know how to fold a fitted sheet? This book will tell you!Each chapter unfolds as a series of mini-essays on the home life by experts, with the COO of a pest control company teaching how to prevent household pests, a field editor for Audubon explaining how to select and use a birdfeeder, Dr. Joy Browne offering suggestions for learning how to compromise, pediatrics professor Harvey Knapp instructing on how to discipline your children, etc. The pieces are compact, and most have at least one "take-away," so it's easy to pick the book up, read for five minutes and glean some useful bit of info. On the downside, a few areas beg for a more in-depth explanation, and the vast array of advice covered means that there are some odd juxtapositions (e.g., "increase your energy" is followed by "secure a mortgage"). Still, few books can manage to instruct readers on selecting window treatments, making time for yourself and hosting a dinner party with such streamlined simplicity.
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