One of The New York Times Book Review's Ten Best Books of 2015 One of Jezebel's Favorite Books of 2016 A Manual for Cleaning Women compiles the best work of the legendary short-story writer Lucia Berlin. With the grit of Raymond Carver, the humor of Grace Paley, and a blend of wit and melancholy all her own, Berlin crafts miracles from the everyday, uncovering moments of grace in the Laundromats and halfway houses of the American Southwest, in the homes of the Bay Area upper class, among switchboard operators and struggling mothers, hitchhikers and bad Christians. Readers will revel in this remarkable collection from a master of the form and wonder how they'd ever overlooked her in the first place. "Perhaps, with the present collection, Lucia Berlin will begin to gain the attention she deserves." -Lydia Davis

With The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking, it's possible and even convenient to create an inviting space for living and entertaining on a budget. From unique decor ideas to growing strawberries on your fire escape, Kate Payne shares fun, low-cost (and often free!) creative solutions that will make anyone feel more accomplished in minutes. Inside this savvy motivational guide filled to the brim with small-scale creative home projects, Kate's tongue-in-cheek tone will keep you tuned in to her much-needed advice. In three easy sections, you'll learn how to create a comfortable space while being time- and budget-conscious. Section One, Home-ify Your Pad, features quick, convenient ways to make your place cozier with low-cost, special touches to help you tap into and show off your inner artist. Section Two, Impressive Acts of Domesticity, teaches how to impress others (and yourself) with the gratifying pleasures of self-sufficiency—a first-time guide to cleaning, sewing, repairing, and other previously out-of-the-question tasks. Section Three, Life After Restaurants, frees you to release the take-out menu, avoid pricey bar tabs, and entertain others in the space you've so thoughtfully and gorgeously created. User-friendly "how-to" sidebars, illustrations, and tips and tricks throughout the book offer easy-to-follow recipes and do-it-yourself craft suggestions for making your home hip, comfortable, and inviting. Keep in mind that this is not your grandmother's handbook and it's not the kind of wisdom your mom knows how to impart. Modern women need a modern approach to domestic pleasures—a guide to doing household things on our own terms, because most of this stuff isn't as hard as we've been led to believe. Don't worry, she's not asking you to host Tupperware parties or iron your underwear. But as all beginning home keepers know, a sure fire way to feel bad about ourselves is to consult Martha Stewart. So ditch that 2-inch thick handbook, dust off your pots and pans, and join Kate on this journey to incorporating creativity and self-sufficiency on the home front.

Use the Latest Tools and Techniques to Troubleshoot and Repair Major Appliances, Microwaves, and Room Air Conditioners! Now covering both gas and electric appliances, the updated second edition of Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances offers you a complete guide to the latest tools, techniques, and parts for troubleshooting and repairing any appliance. Packed with over 200 illustrations, the book includes step-by-step procedures for testing and replacing parts... instructions for reading wiring diagrams... charts with troubleshooting solutions... advice on using tools and test meters... safety techniques... and more. The second edition of Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances features: Expert coverage of major appliances Cutting-edge guidance on appliance operation, testing and repairing, wiring, preventive maintenance, and tools and test meters New to this edition: information on both gas and electric appliances; 10 entirely new chapters; new illustrations throughout Inside This Updated Troubleshooting and Repair Manual • Fundamentals of Service: Selection, Purchase, and Installation of Appliances and Air Conditioners • Safety Precautions • Tools for Installation and Repair • Basic Techniques • Fundamentals of Electric, Electronic, and Gas Appliances, and Room Air Conditioners: Electricity • Electronics • Gas • Principles of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration • Electric, Electronic, and Gas Appliance Parts • Appliance Service, Installation, and Preventive Maintenance Procedures: Dishwashers • Garbage Disposers • Electric and Gas Water Heaters • Washers • Electric and Gas Dryers • Electric and Gas Ranges/Ovens • Microwave Ovens • Refrigerators and Freezers • Ice Makers • Room Air Conditioners

Spine title: Chilton small appliance repair and maintenance. Explains how to maintain, diagnose problems, and fix electric appliances.

This is NOT your father's home repair book! And it's not your husband's, your brother's, your boyfriend's, or the guy's next door. Dare to Repair is a do-it-herself book for every woman who would rather be self-reliant than rely on a super or contractor. No matter the depth of your pockets or the size of your home, a toilet will get clogged, a circuit breaker will trip, and a smoke detector will stop working. It's up to you how you'll deal with them -- live in denial, pay the piper, or get real and do it yourself. Dare to Repair demystifies these home repairs by providing information that other books leave out. In Dare to Repair, you'll learn how to: Take the plunge -- from fixing a leaky faucet to cleaning the gutters. Lighten up -- from removing a broken light bulb to installing a dimmer switch. Keep your cool -- from maintaining a refrigerator's gasket to changing the rotation of a ceiling fan. Get a handle on it -- from replacing a doorknob to repairing a broken window. Play it safe -- from planning a fire escape route to installing a smoke detector. Filled with detailed illustrations, Dare to Repair provides even the most repair-challenged woman with the ability to successfully fix things around the home. Once you start, you won't want to stop.

With passion, wit, and good common sense, the celebrated poet Mary Oliver tells of the basic ways a poem is built-meter and rhyme, form and diction, sound and sense. Drawing on poems from Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, and others, Oliver imparts an extraordinary amount of information in a remarkably short space. "Stunning" (Los Angeles Times). Index.

Author of the nationally syndicated column "Ask Ms. Fix-It," Lyn Herrick describes basic repairs for appliances, wiring and lighting, plumbing and heating, walls and floors, windows and doors, and more. Readers will learn how to fix creaky floors, dripping faucets, clogged drains, broken windows, and all those other things that can, and will, go wrong in and around the home.

"Ablaze with humor" (New York Magazine), Lupton traces the practice of marketing towards women