Customer Reviews

The Thrift Book: Live Well and Spend Less. India Knight

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I bought this for my Kindle after reading the very interesting sample. It contained anecdotes and tips that I thought would be useful as I embarked on a year of eco living (I've since largely given up on that one for many different reasons). After the first few chapters, though, this book really loses it. It turned into just a long list of web references (many of which are no longer valid, of course) with very little substance. The first chapter is the best. I can safely say you are missing out on nothing you could not find yourself with a quick google search if you skip the rest of the book.

Of all the Kindle books I have read so far, this is the absoulte worst for formatting. The text jumps all over the place with hefty secions relocated to later in the chapter and many words cut out. I do wish people who release books via the Kindle would ensure they were up to standard before taking our money.

I loved India Knight's "The Shops" and visited several of the recommended shops on my next trip to London. This book is basically a budget-minded version of "The Shops" with a few tips repeated. It's enjoyable, but many of the recommendations are specific to the UK, and even just to London. The book isn't edited for the American audience and the recipes use metric measurements. Much of the generally applicable advice is basic common sense - buy used, garden, use the library, etc. The book goes into the most detail on Knight's personal interests in fashion, beauty, and crafts.

This book is very entertaining, funny, and practical. Knight lives in London, but most of her recommendations can be applied in the US. She has a great deal of joie de vivre, and doesn't lose her sense of humor as many American authors on the topic often do. Her explanation of finance and the economy are for the UK, but otherwise, it's a very useful book.

They said the books were in good condition, but they were scratched, had marker on them and the majority of them looked like they had been stolen from various libraries. Also I bought several books to save on shipping through the same company, but I was charged for shipping on each book. I would not buy from this company, good condition to them is very very poor quality in my opinion.