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Archive for the ‘Book Recommendations’ Category

Haynes Repair Manuals

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Save money in 2010 with Haynes Repair Manuals.

Haynes

Haynes

How? If you or someone in your family is handy you can save a lot of money by maintaining or repairing your vehicle yourself.  Of course you’re not going to save anything if you don’t know what you’re doing and end up damaging your vehicle instead. That’s where the Haynes Repair Manuals come in.

Chilton

There are two major publishers of do it yourself auto repair manuals, Haynes and Chiltons.  Hayne’s repair manuals seem to be easier to follow with more pictures and step by step instructions; that’s why I’m recommending them.  Chilton’s repair manuals also have step by step instruction but seem to include more detailed information.  All of that information is great if you’re a mechanic but it seems to just get in the way when you’re trying to stumble through a basic repair job.  Although, both publishers try to cover all the vehicles you may only be able to find one or the other for your vehicle depending on the make & model, popularity, etc.  I’ve also noticed that Haynes Publishing has recently bought Chilton’s Publishing so these two seemingly different types of repair manuals may merge together over time.  If you can’t find a Haynes or Chiltons manual for your vehicle, there is another option out there, the factory manual. Manuals from the factory are what the mechanics themselves use but they are very expensive, detailed, and even more complicated.

Whether you like to maintain your vehicle yourself or not I still recommend that everyone have a repair manual for each vehicle.  Why? That little “Vehicle Handbook” that came in your glove box with the cartoon pictures showing you how to press the brake pedal before hitting a tree is completely worthless if you ask me.  Isn’t it funny how the most expensive items have the smallest instruction/repair manuals?  My blender instruction booklet is better than that little book in my glove box.

Here is a small sample of what’s available on PBS:


Haynes  Repair Manuals: Chevrolet and GMC Pickup, Suburban Blazer and Jimmy,  1967-1987 Owners' Workshop Manual
Chevrolet and GMC Pickup, Suburban Blazer and Jimmy, 1967-1987
Haynes Repair Manuals: Xtreme Customizing In-Car Entertainment
Isuzu Rodeo, Amigo; Honda Passport Automotive Repair Manual: 1989-1997

Books of Love

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Zing!  Went the strings of my heart! Try one of these love-themed books, available in The PBS Market right now:

Things I Want My  Daughters to Know


Things I Want My Daughters to Know How powerful is a mother’s love…  When Barbara realizes time is running out, she writes letters to her four daughters, aware that they’ll be facing the trials and triumphs of life without her at their side. This heartfelt novel by bestselling author Elizabeth Noble celebrates the glorious, endless possibilities of life.  See other general fiction offerings currently available in the Market.


Psyche  in a Dress

Psyche in a Dress The Goddess of Love…. A Young Adult book with mature themes, this is a contemporary retelling of the myths of Psyche, Echo, Eurydice and Persephone, weaving them together to create one story about love and the human soul.  For mature teens or adults, written in Francesca Lia Block’s hauntingly lyrical prose.  Browse other Young Adult books currently available in the Market.


A Killer's Kiss

A Killer’s Kiss (Large Print) Dangerous Love. Once upon a time, Victor was engaged to a woman named Julia. She was beautiful and elegant and Victor always assumed she’d burn him, and she did. Now she’s back…her husband has been murdered, her fingerprints are all over the crime scene, and $1.7 million in cash is missing.  Suddenly, Victor Carl is no longer fighting to rekindle a lost love. He’s fighting to save his life.  See other Large Print selections currently available in the Market.
The Island of Eternal Love

The Island of Eternal Love Mythical love.... Alone in a city that haunts her, far from her family, her history, and the island she left behind, Cecelia seeks refuge in a mysterious old woman’s fascinating tale…the saga of three families from far-flung pieces of the world forms a story of legendary, unbreakable love. As Cecelia falls under the story’s heady sway, she discovers the source of the visions that plague her, and a link to the past she cannot shake.. See other books in the Psychological Suspense category, available in the Market.
The Love Spell

The Love Spell : An Erotic Memoir of Spiritual Awakening Magic love... This is the true story of a love spell that worked. Ivy League lawyer Phyllis Curott has a super-charged career, but one thing is missing: love. She casts a spell  and her dream lover soon arrives…  This wise and erotic memoir is a story that will speak to every woman who has dreamed of her Prince Charming.  See more memoirs available in the Market now.

PBS News

Friday, February 5th, 2010

We got more photos from the Books for Schools donation program, showing us the delivery of the books you so generously donated credits to get for them!

Above, Upward Elementary School says Thank You! See photographs from Cloverdale and NIxyaawii in the Photo Gallery on the site. The kids are really happy with the books!  Some of the books will go into the classrooms and libraries, and some will go home with students to keep.  From the first two rounds, member credit donations to the program supplied over 20,000 books to needy schools! Thanks to all who donated credits for this program.  We’ll let the membership know when we’re ready for the third round of Books for Schools – stay tuned!  You can read more about Books for Schools here.

The wrapping always works twice…and three times… We are happy to report that members are recycling packaging materials and not just books here!  One member told us, “I wanted to suggest giving a big WELL DONE to all the people who recycle not just their books, but packaging and printing as well. I just mailed a book this morning that is the third PBS journey for the bubblewrap envelope… I would love to see kudos to all the folks who go the extra mile to recycle.” Yes, kudos to all of you who create sturdy packaging for your books out of already-used materials!  The planet is happier because of it.

The love of reading brings people together.. We have a PBS marriage that we know of, and many many examples of friendships that started here.  We heard from one group of ladies who became friends through PBS. They got together for the first time last December, and had such a great time they plan to make this an annual event. From left to right, we have Liana T (bukwurm), her mom Leilani R (hiker-Leilani) and Ella S  (sls).

Dear Members; Introducing PBS Market – NEW overstock books at bargain prices

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

We are really happy about what we got for you for St. Valentine’s Day this year! It’s a very special addition to the site: the PBS Market. The Market offers NEW overstock books at bargain prices – many of the books are on your Wish Lists right now!
The Market is not like any bookstore you’ve ever been to – we’ve integrated it with your PaperBackSwap account so you can

  • Opt to use a Book Credit for each book purchase to lower the cost of that book even further
  • See at a glance if any of your Wish List books are currently available in the Market
  • Sort your Wish and Reminder Lists to show books available in the Market at the top of the list
  • Use the Buy from PBS Market button wherever it appears on any listing on the site, to buy a book from the Market
  • Support PBS with every purchase you make

Get books for your friends and family, and really share the love! Encourage them to shop the Market too – every purchase supports the club and helps to keep it free. Books are mailed to any valid USPS address. The shipping is Media Mail (in our testing so far the transit times have been quick), and you can save greatly on shipping and handling by ordering more than one book in a shipment.
You can find the Market under the Search option in the grey menu bar at the top of any page on the site, you can see Market books during your regular book searches, and you can also browse Market books on your Member Homepage by clicking the “New Books for Purchase” link below the lower sliding display.
Head to the Market to browse the selection (over 8000 titles)! New books are added every hour, so check back often. Please note – supplies of some books are limited, so if you see a book you want, you might be wise to grab it. You can read more about the Market in the Help Center.

We hope you’ll love this new feature and the newest way to support the club!

Happy reading to you, your friends and your family,
Richard
and the PaperBackSwap Team

Dear Librarian: Refund Credit, Book Reviews, No images,

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Dear Librarian-  I sent a book I shouldn’t have sent, I admit it. It had writing in it and I didn’t really pay attention to that when I posted it.  So the other member complained and I realized I hadn’t checked the book for writing before posting it!  I’ll be more careful next time and I won’t ever post another book that doesn’t meet the club criteria again.  I refunded her credit using the Give Refund button on the problem swap in my transaction archive, but she says I didn’t refund!  How can I prove that I did?  – Repentant in Rehoboth

Dear Hobey,

We’re glad to hear that you have learned the error of your ways. 🙂  You can tell this member that she can look in her Credit Registry (by clicking credits at the top of any page on the site) to see the credit you gave her.  And if you have to refund (or if someone refunds to you) in the future, this will be easier – an email will be sent when the Give Refund button is used, to tell the member that the refund was given.

For anyone reading who doesn’t know where the Give Refund button is – it is on the Request Details page on every completed outgoing transaction in your Transaction Archive.   Go to My Account > Transaction Archive  and click Request Details on any book you sent that was received (whether or not it was marked received with a problem).  You will see the Give Refund button at the top of the Request Details page.

Dear Librarian – I ran across a Book Review that was great.  The reviewer said EXACTLY what i think about the book.   Now I want to know what that reviewer thinks about other books.  But there’s no link on the review to show me that member’s other reviews.  Why not?  – Disappointed in Denver

Dear Denny,

If the link is not there it means that either (1) this member has not reviewed any other books or (2) the member has the option for “show other members my list of reviews” set to Private or Buddies Only in his or her privacy controls.

We know this is disappointing!  You should check his or her profile, if that is public, to see what books are on the Bookshelf and Wish List there, and check out your similarity index to this member.  You can invite him or her to be a Buddy, since you liked that review so much.  If she or he allows Buddies to see his or her review list, then you will have the “inside scoop”!

Dear Librarian – Something is seriously wrong with PBS when I try to get on from my work computer.  There aren’t any images and it’s just a bunch of text on white background.   It works fine from my computer at home.  What’s up and how do I fix it? – Officeworker in Orlando

Dear Lando,

Your office’s computer system must be set to block unfamiliar domains.  We have images stored in a number of places, and your work system must be refusing to let those domains be accessed to show you the site properly.  If it is OK for you to access PaperBackSwap from work, you should ask your IT person to unblock the following domains:

www.paperbackswap.com
secure.paperbackswap.com
a.pbsstatic.com
b.pbsstatic.com
ca.pbsstatic.com
cb.pbsstatic.com
cc.pbsstatic.com
yui.yahooapis.com
cd.pbsstatic.com

These are the domains that host the site’s images, among other things.  It is safe to allow access to these domains.

We add new subdomains when necessary to balance the workload across our servers, so this list can change over time, which is why accessing PBS from a very strict location such as a workplace or a school may pose difficulties intermittently.

We hope your boss is OK with letting you use the site during work hours, but if not, PaperBackSwap is always there for you when you get home!

COMING SOON:

  • Audio Author Interviews
  • More ways to find you your next favorite book!
  • Here are some more “new” themed books to browse…

New Moon Moon Bk 7All New PeopleI'm Not the New MeNew Day RisingA New LuNew GirlsBraveNew CardiffA New DayA New LeafThe New WomanAnnie's New Life

Books for the New Year

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Out with the old and in with the New! Try one of these books, available to request right now.



A New Song Father Tim, longtime Episcopal priest for Mitford (the ‘small town with the big heart’), retires.  He agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island, and new challenges and adventures await…  Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters.  In this fifth novel of the beloved series, fans old and new will discover that a trip to Mitford and Whitecap is twice as good for the soul. Christian Fiction/Contemporary Fiction


A New Attitude Marilee Abernathy’s life is a mess!  Everyone in Chickpea, South Carolina, knows of her husband’s affair with the town floozy. And when her dignified farewell goes awry, Marilee decides a better way to cope is a new attitude. Sexy neighbor Sam Brewer couldn’t agree more… Contemporary Romance




The New Father: A Dad’s Guide to the First Year Know a new dad or an about-to-be dad?  This is the closest thing to a “baby instruction manual” there is, addressing child development, juggling work and family, and much more. Illustrated with delightful cartoons that underscore the joys and challenges of parenting, The New Father: A Dad’s Guide to the First Year is an essential sourcebook for every dad. It’s might even give moms some fresh insights as well!  Parenting and Families.


The New Centurions The year is 1960. A class of new police recruits doesn’t have time to learn the ropes. The streets are burning with rage; before they can grow old on this job, they’ll have to fight for their lives.  A stunning, raw, and unforgettable depiction of life behind the thin blue line from ex-cop Joseph Wambaugh. Police Procedurals


2010: Odyssey Two No, it’s not “new”…but it’s timely! Nine years after the disastrous Discovery mission to Jupiter in 2001, a joint U.S.-Soviet expedition sets out to rendezvous with the spacecraft to search the memory banks of the mutinous computer HAL 9000 for clues to what went wrong . . . and what became of Commander Dave Bowman.  Science Fiction

Books for Schools donation program photos

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

We got some photos from our first round of Books for Schools donation program. Here is Clear Creek Elementary showing us the delivery of the books you so generously donated credits to get for them! Clear Water Creek Elementary was just one of the lucky first round of donations.

What it's all about!

They’re thrilled with the books, and it looks like they had a lot of fun sorting through them. The school received more than a thousand books — some will go into their classrooms and library, and some will go home with students to keep.  From the first two rounds, member credit donations to the program got books for 25 needy schools. We’ll let the membership know when we’re ready for the third round of Books for Schools- stay tuned!  Read more about Books for Schools donation program.  See more photos of Clear Creek getting the books below: (click for a larger image)

books for schoolsbooks for schoolsbooks for schoolsbooks for schoolsbooks for schoolsbooks for schools