Rating: 
Summary: Stylish, expensive and uncomfortable
Review: This book seemed to me to mainly be an essay on how to hire an architect to create a trendy, uncomfortable home. Some of the layout ideas do appear to have value, but it tends to be masked by the very uncomfortable looking designs. One specific comment would be that she writes about consideration for the lifestyle changes that are (nearly) inevitable as one gets older, but then gushes about children's rooms that are clearly designed in a way that will never be usable after the last child is more than about 9 years old.I would recommend American Bungalow Style or something similar before this.
Rating: 
Summary: The World Writ Small, and Pleasant
Review: For everyone who has stood in a model home, seen the beautiful decor, and realized that Harry Potter had a more livable space beneath his uncle's stair, this book is a must. She isn't about building on the cheap, so much as getting the best living use from your money by thinking differently about what a house is and how it works. We had been looking at 2500 to 3500 sq.ft. houses before this, and now are looking at about half that space on roughly the same budget. She seems quite influenced by Christopher Alexander, et al's "A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction ", which is a great place to explore her principles in depth.
Rating: 
Summary: Chicken Soup for the Homeowner's Soul
Review: Shows the latest trends in home design. Nothing you're likely to be able to afford, of course, but the pleasant commentary and artfully composed photographs will carry you away to a wonderful world of make-believe. You'll learn why wealthy folks prefer large but impersonal homes, why an open floor plan makes rooms *seem* larger, no doubt helped by the fact that they actually *are* larger. See why the styles shown in these pages will never be as outdated and amusing as a boomerang coffee table. Plus, why it's OK to build a 4000 sq ft one-bedroom home--as long as that's what "suits your lifestyle". Just kidding of course. Follows the long tradition of style books aimed at homemakers, as opposed to builders guides aimed at carpenters. If you're buying it for the pictures though, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A must read before you build
Review: If you're in the market for a new house, do yourself a favor and read this book. Frank Lloyd Wright fixation or not, there are great ideas in this book that will change your mind about common home building fallacies that permeate much of today's new designs. As far as I'm concerned, a formal dining and living room are not just a waste of space, they're a waste of furniture, paintings, air conditioning, etc. Eliminating such waste may provide extra money to spend on upgrades that everyone will notice. This book is full of great ideas and the pictures are awesome.
Rating: 
Summary: The way we really live - not just for homeowners.
Review: Read this book during my house search last month. It completely changed my views about the kinds of home that I am looking for. I am glad that I picked up this book. I too was a big fan of high ceilings and huge living room. After reading this book, I started to ask myself why I would need so much space - and how I would ever be able to fill it up (with huge furniture, of course). There is space in my current apartment now that I barely spend time in. (And I have never figured out what to do with the fireplace when the temperature never goes below 50F.) Her suggestion about designing homes/living space around one's life-style is an absolute an eye opener. I have since turned my living room into a reading room. I cleaned out my patio and spend more time out there. I will keep looking but the apartment seems to suit my life-style for now.
Rating:
Summary: An important book on modern architecture
Review: Sarah Susanka's basic idea is fundamentally sound - that the large formal spaces of modern houses make them more expensive and less livable, and that home architecture should concentrate on comfort and detail. Unfortunately, it's somewhat lost in the glossy coffee-table format and her general focus on quite expensive houses. Still, the fact that this book struck a real chord among homeowners is apparent in its broad success and acceptance. What i'd like to see is a collection of her short, to-the-point, and highly practical magazine articles!
Rating:
Summary: Re-inventing MY NSB house
Review: I live in a small Cape style house, and I am constantly moving furniture from room to room to make it work for me. The Not So Big House book helps me convert space based on my own needs, rather than the constrictions of the original design of the house. It gives many excellent suggestions, and reveals options I hadn't considered. And it gives me the confidence to execute some of the more outrageous decorating ideas I've had! Anyone who lives in a small house should spend many hours with this book, just absorbing the extremely valuable information and guidance.
Rating:
Summary: Not for owner of the "Not so Big House"
Review: The title of this book is misleading. If you truly have a "not so big house" this book does not offer any usefull suggestions for creating useful space in a small home. Compared to our little 1918 bungalow, the houses in this book seem like spacious. While the book offers many beautiful photos of space saving ideas- they are all applied to houses that don't really qualify as "not so big". I didn't find any of the concepts applied to our "not so big" home. Very disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Smaller can be better
Review: I'll admit it -- I live in a modest, aging tract home, built in a cookie-cutter neighborhood during the suburban boom of the late 1950s. If the dot-com boom hadn't turned into the dot-con bust, I'd probably be in a better neighborhood, but I'm really glad that I read this book before I went out looking for a 4,000 square foot mausoleum to live in. The "not so big" house is a home that puts more emphasis on quality of surroundings and use of space that do current trendy home designs. While the book was written more as an architectural guide for envisioning and planning a home, there's a wealth of information in it that do-it-yourselfers like me can benefit from. Not only does Ms. Susanka explain what makes a not so big house feel bigger and better, she explains the artistic and architectural principles upon which her philosophy is based. With detailed case studies, photos, and illustrations, she gets her point across clearly, concisely, and quite pleasantly. Whether you're preparing to build a new home, remodel an existing one, or just improve your quality of life in your current surroundings, this book has a wealth of helpful information.
Rating:
Summary: Makes Sense....Bigger is Not Always Better! ;)
Review: This book is well-written and balanced with creativity-inducing photos. The author contends that "cozy" and "practical" are preferable, and she makes a good case for it. Great idea book.
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