GeekSugar

Top 5 Ditziest Personal Finance Book Titles

Emily Co — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:05:00 PST

It's a personal finance book. No, it's a chick lit novel. Wait a minute, I think it's both! A lot of publishers and writers try to make the title of their books hip and fun, because a cute cover and title is more likely to draw your eye than a dry one, right? Personal finance can be hard to dress up, but take a look at some of the more creative titles for women:

Shoo, Jimmy Choo!: The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More
Does This Make My Assets Look Fat?: A Woman's Guide to Finding Financial Empowerment and Success
Hot (broke) Messes: How to Have Your Latte and Drink It Too
A Purse of Your Own: An Easy Guide to Financial Security
The Frugalista Files: How One Woman Got Out of Debt Without Giving Up the Fabulous Life

What do you think - do these titles make the topic more appealing?

New Year Resolution: Enrich Your Brain With Personal Finance

SavvySugar — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:00:09 PST

You can resolve to do many personal finance-related things, but if you're not sure what you're doing, it's going to be a tough resolution to follow. Have this one simple savvy goal for 2011, and that's learning more about managing your personal finances. One of the best ways to do that is read up on it. Here are some money book favorites for your consideration:

I Will Teach You to be Rich - Ramit Sethi
Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez, and Monique Tilford
Get a Financial Life - Beth Kobliner
Your Money: The Missing Manual - J.D. Roth
Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny - Suze Orman
Generation Earn - Kimberly Palmer

Todd Selby Shares a Preview of His Book Online Until Friday!

Julia Walsh — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:00:24 PST

Until this Friday at 9 a.m. EST, photographer Todd Selby's book, The Selby Is in Your Place ($23), will be available in its entirely online for your reading pleasure. If you haven't already bought the book, which was released in April, then after previewing it online, you'll certainly be convinced to pick up a copy for yourself - or for a friend for the holidays!

I was excited to finally get a glimpse of Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler's paisley ping pong table, which I'd read about in interviews but never seen. Meanwhile, the massive amount of books in Karl Lagerfeld's studio truly astounded me. And, I was intrigued to see the home of director and curator Aaron Rose, whose film Beautiful Losers is a favorite of mine. Selby's photographs are so candid, and the interiors he selects are all so eclectic and personal that even the homes of those I'm unfamiliar with are fascinating to look at. Check out a few of my favorite photographs from the book below, and be sure to preview the book online before Friday!

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Rantings of a Single Girl's Book Club: The Help

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:00:16 PDT

Here's an excerpt from OnSugar blog Rantings of a Single Girl.

The Help had been suggested by several people for me to read, but I just hadn't picked it up yet. So when y'all started suggesting it for the Book Club, I decided that would be my next pick. After reading the book in 2 days, I'm so happy that it was suggested.

I can't even begin to tell you how much this book hit home with me. At first I thought Stockett wouldn't have any idea about what she's writing about. I've found most authors who try to write about the South and racial struggles (who aren't from the South) can't do it. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, MS. Even if I didn't know she was, I would have been able to tell from her writing. The beauty of how she described Mississippi was so wonderful to read.

While I wasn't around in 1960s Mississippi, my father was. I can still hear his stories about the desegregation of schools and so on. I can still hear the anger in his voice when he talks about those times . . . and unfortunately that anger is a racial anger. He was raised to believe that people of color were not equal to him. My grandparents taught him that black people were quite literally the help.

Read the rest here.

Want to see more? Start following Rantings of a Single Girl or start your own OnSugar blog. Maybe your stories will be posted here on TrèsSugar!

5 Sneaky Fitness Tips to Get Your Lil One Going!

LilSugar — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:00:26 PDT

If you've got a lil couch potato on your hands, Sneaky Fitness has the cure! Little ones can be resistant to exercise, especially when it feels forced, but authors Missy Chase Lapine and fitness expert, Larysa DiDio have a few sneaky-fun solutions to get your kids in gear. Rather than force kids to be active, this creative team authored a book of tips that harness your kids' natural fidgeting impulses to get them moving - and having fun - with simple, everyday, at home activities that require little more than what's at your house or around the yard and help strengthen coordination, flexibility, and overall physical fitness. Click through to get my favorite five activities and how-tos from Sneaky Fitness!

Make Your Own Printed Book From Wikipedia Pages

GeekSugar — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:47:42 PDT

Now you can create an actual printed book from your favorite or most-read content on Wikipedia with PediaPress, an online service allowing you to create a printed book from any online wiki content. To get started, enable the Book Creator, a bar that will appear on any Wikipedia entry you're reading. To add that page to your book, simply click the button marked "add this page to your book."

You can add pages without visiting them, too. If you're reading a page on one topic and want to include the page written about a certain link on that page, hover over the link until the add page button appears. You can add whole categories in similar fashion. Book prices vary depending on the number of pages, and start at $8.90 for a paperback; hardcover books will be offered soon.

I don't think that I'll be making a printed book any time soon, though this could be a fun gift for a history buff, band or celebrity superfan, or just a kooky keepsake for a friend with an eclectic interest. For a cool video tutorial on creating your own, visit the PediaPress site.

I Lego N.Y. Book is Adorable

GeekSugar — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:30:40 PST

A copy of I Lego N.Y. ended up on my desk today, and I love it. It's a funny look at NYC through simple Lego designs like "Statue of Liberty" and "Man on Subway Platform, Seeing a Critter on the Tracks." The book was conceived and designed by children's author Christoph Niemann and was inspired by his sons' toys after he had left the city. The book is comprised of photos posted on the New York Times website along with new creations. Handwritten explanations and arrows designate each object.

The book, which retails for $15, is a great gift for any geeky New Yorker (or geeky New York-lover, for that matter). I love the simplicity of the designs and the witty the way they're presented. My favorite? The page of "$200 Parking Ticket Under Windshield Wiper," featuring an orange Lego under long, thin gray Lego resembling a wiper blade. As anyone who's driven in NYC will tell you - spotting the dreaded orange parking ticket on your car from afar is more anxiety-producing than parking in the city.

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Home Library: Speed Decorating

CasaSugar — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:00:31 PST

A good decorating book can't exist without beautiful photography for inspiration. Though a shutterbug is not the only ingredient in the secret sauce, to be honest, I often do judge shelter books primarily on imagery. But, there are exceptions.

Professional stager Jill Vegas's new book, Speed Decorating: A Pro Stager's Tips and Trade Secrets For a Fabulous Home in a Week or Less, is one of those, meant to be tutorial-based. Her step-by-step approach to decorating seems like it would be a relief for anyone who doesn't know where to start. The volume offers practical advice that's easy to apply to arranging every room in your home, and it attempts to demystify a process that for many is daunting.

But while I did find a few "trade secrets" here, such as product recommendations and tips on things like how to remove indentations on carpeting from furniture, I felt like much of Vegas's advice was just common sense - clean, organize, hire a professional. Some tips like "make a shopping list" seemed a little too obvious.

Read the rest of my review.

12 Works of Art Made From Books

CasaSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 PST

You needn't spend top dollar on oil paints and horsehair brushes to prove your artistic skill. These days, plenty of artists are creating magnificent works of art from things as simple as books and X-acto knives. Some of you may think that books are sacrilegious, and that they should remain as they were printed, from cover to cover. But don't forget that books are printed en masse - and these days, available for download - and one-of-a-kind artwork made from books can be much, much more than the sum of their parts. Let me show you!

Home Library: Downtown Chic

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:47 PDT

No academic course will teach you how to give a derelict house a gut renovation and turn it into a fantastically unique, high-style home. That skill comes with experience and serious design savvy, something which Robert and Cortney Novogratz accidentally learned they had.

After renovating their first home in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood 10 years ago, which then was a neglected, not-so-fashionable area, they realized they had a knack for building and decorating, together. Since then, they've renovated and designed numerous buildings in and around NYC, including an entire block in SoHo and a house in the country, and founded their own design powerhouse, Sixx Design. As a memoir of sorts chronicling seven of the couple's projects, the Novogratz clan - did I mention they have seven children? - published Downtown Chic: Designing Your Dream Home, From Wreck to Ravishing. Hear my thoughts on the volume when you