Reading Recommendations:

Never Enough, Joe McGinniss -

At thirty-nine, Nancy Kissel had it all: glamour, gusto, garishly flaunted wealth, and the royal lifestyle of the expatriate wife. Not to mention three young children and what a friend described as "the best marriage in the universe."

That marriage to Merrill Lynch and former Goldman Sachs investment banker Robert Kissel, ended abruptly one November night in 2003 in the bedroom of their luxury apartment high above Hong Kong's glittering Victoria Harbour.

Why?

Hong Kong's prosecutors, who charged Nancy with murder, said she wanted to inherit Rob's millions and start a new life with a blue collar lover who lived in a New Hampshire trailer park.

She said she killed in self-defense while fighting for her life against an abusive cocaine addicted husband who had forced her for years to submit to his demands.

Her 2005 trial, lasting for months and rich in lurid detail, captivated Hong Kong's expatriate community and attracted attention worldwide. Less than a year after the jury of seven Chinese citizens returned an unexpected verdict, Rob's brother, Andrew, a Connecticut real estate tycoon facing prison for fraud and embezzlement, was also found dead: stabbed in the back in the basement of his multi-million dollar Greenwich mansion by person or persons unknown.

Never Enough is the harrowing true story of these two brothers, Robert and Andrew Kissel, who grew up wanting to own the world but instead wound up murdered half a world apart, and of Nancy Kissel, a riddle wrapped inside an enigma, a modern American woman for whom having it all might not be enough.

And, Don't Throw It Out, Recycle, Renew, and Reuse To Make Things Last, Lori Baird and The Editors of Yankee Magazine -

Is there a gadget graveyard in your house? Want to get the most mileage out of your electrical appliances? Tired of having to choose between paying high prices for repairs or good money for a cheap replacement? Well, no more! These savvy secrets help you make the most of your purchases, and your money by making things last longer, and work better - you'll discover:

• More than a 1000 ways to maximize the value of everything you own, from furniture and fishing reels, to cell phones and ceiling fans, to iPods and earrings.

• Practical money saving ideas for making things last longer, from giving batteries staying power to keeping a washing machine in top condition.

• How to say good-bye to possessions when it's time, whether by recycling, selling or tossing, and much more!

Be planet friendly!

And, a beautiful new decorating book: Mexican Country Style, Karen Witynski, Joe P. Carr -

For decades, Mexico's countryside has startled visitor's senses with the rich flavor of its tradition bound world. Charmed by the character and ingenuity of the Mexican people, lovers of country style are irresistibly drawn to the rugged, romantic beauty of the native architecture and the soulful antiquity of their handcrafted elements. The markings and texture that decades of time and wear have left on the indigenous furnishings and objects are character marks, alive with history, color, and personality.

Pictured in this fascinating book are homes and offices belonging to Jane Fonda, Ted Turner, Ralph Lauren, Val Kilmer, Gene Hackman, Nelson A. Rockefeller, and Austin, Texas designers, Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr.

See you at Rylander!