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FINANCIAL FREEDOM

Name: FINANCIAL FREEDOM
Author: Merlon Harper
ISBN: 978-1-4834-3455-1

A GUIDE FOR PERSONAL FINANCES

by Merlon Harper ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 8, 2016

A solid, informative, and practical advice manual, appropriate for readers who want to know the basics.

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A straightforward guide to the fundamentals of personal finance.

In this debut work, Harper presents sound guidance to readers looking for basic information about establishing credit, working with a budget, compounding interest, and balancing a checking account. Drawing on decades of experience in business and finance, she clearly presents advice on other topics as well, such as car loans, insurance, retirement savings options, and common financial scams. The book never assumes that readers already have extensive financial knowledge, so it thoroughly explains the mechanics of banking, lending, investing, and taxation at the most fundamental level (“An overdraft occurs when you don’t have enough money in your account to cover transactions you have made”). It escorts readers through various standards and procedures by using fictional case studies as well as stories that draw on Harper’s own experiences or those of her family members. She’s consistently strong when presenting complex topics, but she does especially well when detailing the many factors that shape one’s credit history and credit score; specifically, she shows how readers can make standard practices work to their advantage (“Late payments hurt a good credit score more than they do a bad credit score”). Because of the book’s focus on practical aspects of personal finance, it largely stays away from questions of consumer protection and reform. Instead, it acknowledges the power imbalance between consumers and banks, credit agencies, and insurance companies by using cautionary tales and strategic advice. With its emphasis on personal responsibility and sound decision-making, the book specifically addresses itself to the concerns of consumers who are looking to survive the current financial system.

A solid, informative, and practical advice manual, appropriate for readers who want to know the basics.

Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3455-1

Page Count: 152

Publisher: Lulu

Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.