Booking Through Thursday - Manual Labor

So I missed last weeks Booking theme but I'm back on board this week. I was not feeling very much like a blogger when all I posted was my weekly Booking and Friday Fun so I resolved I was not posting again until I got a few of the accrued reviews out of the way. I still have a few more to post but at least I got several under my belt and I don't feel to guilty.

This weeks Booking through Thursday follows up on last weeks entry (which I missed but will post here this week anyway.. Sue me!)

Last Weeks read:

Writing guides, grammar books, punctuation how-tos . . . do you read them? Not read them? How many writing books, grammar books, dictionaries–if any–do you have in your library?

Guilty! I have lots of writing guides. I went on a binge of these books a few years ago and I bought enough of them to fill a shelf on my bookcase. Since I moved to Texas I have not unpacked them.
When they were unpacked, did I read them? Nope. The only writing reference book that I have opened in the last ten years has been the Student Writing Guide my daughter bought in her freshman year of High school.
Dictionaries? Why?? Spell check works (most of the time).

This weeks follow-up:

Scenario: You’ve just bought some complicated gadget home . . . do you read the accompanying documentation? Or not?

Do you ever read manuals?

How-to books?

Self-help guides?

Anything at all?

If I buy any new gadget I do read MOST of the manual. I use the index to decide what part of the manual I need to read to get my gadget to do what I want it to do.

Okay more confessions of a gatherer. I love software manuals. I will go to Barnes & Noble and dive into the software manuals. Those that I buy, will be read and then saved as reference guides.
I also love Quilting/Craft books. I have so many How-to books on crafts in my library I don't have any place to put them. Other types of books I collect... Cookbooks. Love Love Love cookbooks with Lots of pictures. If it doesn't have pictures, I won't buy it.

Self Help books? Nope. Not a one. I just don't put much credit into them. I think if i ever feel the need Self Help I will go to a professional (Therapist, Financial Advisor, Dating Service, etc). I have seen too many fads pass by and what one person says will help you today will be a no-no tomorrow (like the dieting industry). I will pick up and inspirational book of poems or a motivational book (like Chicken Soup for the Soul) but beyond that... nope.

What do you read to improve yourself?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves