Tina SkinnerReseñas

Folk Art from found objects

I was a mere lass in the mid and late 1970s, but I remember a lot of these fashions from what my grandmother, my mother and the original Charlie's Angels used to wear. I wanted to dress like them so badly and couldn't wait until I grew up. While looking at this book, I think that I still want to dress like this. lol.

The author of a number of adult books about architecture and interior design, Tina Skinner turns her hand to picture-books in Christopher Wren: The Avian Architect, a rhyming tale in which the eponymous bird hero builds a series of homes, experimenting with different architectural styles. Eventually he also experiments with interior design, and raise his chicks to study these subjects as well...

Although not particularly drawn in by the cover art - to be honest, I found it flat and unappealing - I gave this one a try as part of a project at work, curious to see what author Tina Skinner and illustrator Lou Lou (a pseudonym for Lou Marshall) would do with their story. Unfortunately, I found the text quite poor - the rhymes were forced and awkward, the rhythm completely off, and the story itself uninteresting - and the interior artwork no more appealing than the cover illustration. Here's a sample, from midway through the story: "His first project was a log cabin, / Each log carefully dovetail jointed. / He used clay to chink the gaps within, / and as an architect he was anointed." The rest is just as dreadful. I applaud the intention of creating a story to teach young children the basics of architecture, and appreciated the inclusion of a list of terms at the rear of the book, but that was pretty much all I liked about Christopher Wren. Not recommended.½

My fascination with Geisha enhanced with this gorgeous book illustrating the enigmatic and exquisite world of Geisha, principally in Meiji era when they were a vital part of Japanese society. The skillful and ultra-feminine stride of these alluring women is depicted amid beautifully crafted pictures in a rich layout clarifying every myth and misconceptions associated with them. I am simply enamored by these exotic creatures.

Some very beautiful hand work is featured. The quality of this Schiffer published book is superior to most of the other books in this sub-genre. I see that some of Whitsitt's photos are now popular on Pinterest. Both Skinner and Whitsitt have spent their professional lives documenting the high-end domestic architecture that most people, including themselves, cannot afford. So this book was a labor of love for both of them. And it shows.½

From publisher: There has been growing interest and concern about the topic of violence against women, reflected in a number of government policy initiatives and research projects on the subject. A wide range of methodological issues has arisen from this, but there remains a large gap in the literature for a book which addresses these issues head on. This book aims to meet this need, focusing on research methodology and approaches in this complex and sensitive area, and providing important insights into, and critical approaches to, the evidence base for policy and practice. The book consists of chapters from leading authorities in the field. It contains chapters linking issues of epistemology, theory and method in relation to women and violence; and then builds on these areas to explore how the evidence base provided by feminist research on women and violence has impacted on and been translated into policy and practice, the barriers encountered, and how it contributes to our understanding and theorising of violence against women.