Owens Books

I am completely in awe of the power this book has to improve your golf game and make it FUN. You won't learn any mechanics here; but the combination of emotional, mental and course management is magic. It also happens to be simple - no "practice" time involved. Just think about what Dede (sadly, now deceased) and Dan propose. Read the first chapter this morning, play better and have more fun this afternoon. Really. I wish I could give this book to all my golfing friends who love the game.

By applying the principles covered in this book you will take your golf game to the next level. Assuming you know how to execute various golf shots, playing smart golf means getting your mind into the game in a positive way to enable your abilities to shine through. Not only will you shoot lower your scores, but you will increase your enjoyment of the game. Brilliantly written in a clear, concise manner. Get this book, that is, unless you happen to be one of my match-play opponents!

Before I even finished the first chapter I knew this technique was going to work. The first chapter alone is worth the cover price. I was able to apply the techniques immediately, take it to the course and the results just had me doing double-takes. It's that effective. In barely of month having half-read this book I've already taken 8 strokes off my avg game, setting or tying new personal bests each time out.

Before I read this book I was the typical golf course hot-head, maybe a little worse than typical. I would spend half the round fuming over one poor shot or another, which of course led to others, which in turn mad me even angrier. Before I knew it I would be out-scoring the Lakers. Those days are gone. People hardly recognize me now because the program laid out in this book gives you constructive, positive factors to think about. You just don't have the time or inclination to worry about one bad shot because you now have a much better idea of what is happening to you and how you can combat it. It's a wonderful book. It does for the mental game what Ben Hogan's 5 Lessons does for the swing.

-ep

The authors present a simple, logical, easy to understand approach to the mental side of golf. Following their guidelines enables the golfer to focus on his/her successes--as opposed to dwelling on the miss-hits. Positive feedback encourages relaxation and a feeling of self worth--and lower scores follow.

This is definitely one of the best of the many books on the mental approach to golf. There is no zen mumbo-jumbo here. This book presents a very straightforward technique in a very straightforward style. There is far more "meat" to this book than to the run-of-the-mill books on the mental approach, which tend to be long on generalities and platitudes. I enjoyed the part where they take you through the actual playing of a round -- their recommendations are more conservative than would have occurred to me in my most conservative moments on the course. Their technique of rating yourself in various categories on a hole-by-hole basis gets a little too involved for me, but it would be a great help if you were willing to stick with it. Even though I haven't adopted the technique, I have benefitted from reading and re-reading the book and applying the principles. DeDe Owens was a true teacher, and her recent death was a great loss.

Everything you wanted to know and more. A must have for his fans. Good, clear photographs. Experience his up's and down's on the road to making it big. An easy, quick read but, satisfying like good, chocolate flavored, vanilla ice cream.

THIS IS A VERY CASUAL AND PICTORAL LOOK AT THE VERY POPULAR ACTOR. IT IS NOT IN GREAT DETAIL BECAUSE VIN WANTS HIS PRIVATE LIFE TO REMAIN PRIVATE. I FOUND THE BOOK TO BE VERY INTERESTING AND ENTERTAINING. VIN IS A VERY LIKABLE GUY WHO IS VERY UNDERRATED AS AN ACTOR. THIS IS A MUST FOR FANS OF VIN. VERY RECOMMENDED.

This book gives a better look at the man behind the best movies. It tells you what he did when he was young and what he wanted to do as a career. It also tells you about his family and hrad work that they endured all togetherto help make dreams come true. This book is great!

Easy to read. A must have for his fans. Everything you wanted to know and more. Experience the up's, down's, etc. of making it big. Good clear pitures. A quick read which was rather gratifying (like chocolate and vanilla ice cream treat).

There really isn't much that I cannot say for this book. It was great. Every avid Vin Diesel (Mark Vincent) fan out there has to read this book. It is a must have for all fans and it lends a great deal of personal history to this mysterious actor taking Hollywood by storm. It even gives a little heads up on future films he may be in, and we all wanna know that before hand, right? Anyway, enough said, worth every penny!

This is a beautiful tale. It takes a little getting used to at first because the prose is somewhat stilted and obscure...and then you are taken in, and the characters and beauty and tragedy all unfold. A classic.

This short book is about Mattis, a bit of a simpleton that lives out in the woods with his sister; Hege. They've lived this way for many a year and they are both in their 40's by now. Mattis has a hard time getting a job and getting along with others in their modernizing society of rural Norway. Then one day a big bird flies over Mattis' cabin, and he knows in his contemplative mind that "everything is going to change now, the bird didn't fly over my house for no reason". And bit by bit we get to know Mattis and Hege, and their life in the small cabin of the woods.

The book is just great, and it should not be read as a novel that glorifies simpletons, but simply a book that asks us to slow down and find that we as Europeans are still a part of an omnipotent nature. We are surrounded by so much marvel, we need a "simpleton" like Mattis to remind us that we are a part of the great whole. Highly recommended!

(I read a different edition of the book)

This is one of the greatest novels I have ever read in my life. It is deeply human. It tells a simple story of a man and his sister living in the wilderness of Norway. The man is somewhat of a simpleton -- but he is sensitive and reflective all the same. His sister is lonely...until a woodsman comes....
This is a classic tale, and I loved every word.

This book is so tender and sensitive that I could not read more than a few pages in one sitting. It is very simple and easy to read at the same time, but it is important to be concentrated when reading it or else the beauty might be lost.
I have read this book twice now, and I am sure I will read it many more times in my life. I can not say that about any other book.

A masterpiece of Norwegian literature. It's an exploration of the boundaries between madness and "normality", and the story of a young man's sacrifice on the altar of common sense and social unwritten rules. How much reality can we stand before loosing our mind? And how much nature, with its power that dances on our fears and on our weaknesses. It would be a great book to read in the language it was written: a bodily and full consistent Telemark dialect. Something goes lost in the traslation, though it couldn't have been otherwise and the trans-cultural re-codificatoion must have been a hard work. I suggest this book to everybody, especially to those who sometimes ask themselves questions about life.

I love this book. I have read through it many times and would recomend this book to anyone who has horses. It teaches you how to train a green horse from square one. He teaches you how to lead your horse, how to do a high stepping trot, how to longe, how to do flying lead changes, and so on. Jam packed with lots of good information.

This book was the most facinating book on training a horse I have ever read. Once you understand the process; put it to work; you will be amazed at how easy it is to train by this method. Uses all leg aids, body shifting, no pressure on mouth, no kicking or tugging. I have used it on a number of horses with great results. Horses learn with no stress. Be sure they know what you are asking of them before you go on to next levels. Wonderful basic training for either western or english riding - using snaffle or curb bit. It's the body language that works with horse and rider, not the equipment. I swear by Mr. Williamson's methods. Would work real well with Monty Roberts gentle approach to communicating with the horses' natural senses.

Having been a horse trainer and riding instructor for the past 20 years, this is the best book I have found to use for both new horse owners and riders. it should be a "have to" for all horse people.

Extermely well written book that allows the reader to gain the knowledge to train their own horse. His easy to use well explained methods are great for the novice and begineer alike. He always has the horses best interest in mind. He covers the basics as well as many advanced manuvers. He was far ahead of his times with his horse training abilities. Master horseman Roy Yates is a Charles O'Williamson practioner if any are interested. END

When we started Greentree Ranch in 1962, a dear friend gave us a copy of this book. After reading and using the methods described herein we discovered how dear that friend really was. My mother always said, "It is the only book the horses have read, too." and she was right. We have used it as the basis of our training here on the ranch since we began and will probably use it forever.

The combination of a book that summerize skills and a DVD that shows how to do in details, is the best I know to learn any skill.

I watched the video last night and it was excellent - very professional production and content. I don't normally write reviews but was inspired to do so on this occasion since my expectations were far exceeded.

It was so helpful to be able to see how to build a green home from start to finish. It gave me so much hope that I will be able to do this for myself one day.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is something everyone should see.

DVD shows how to build a straw bale house step by step. This DVD and guidebook make me easier to understand the process of the building.

This is one of the TOP 2-3 resources I have come across for an owner/builder that wants to see ALL STEPS of the construction of a house using adobe and/or straw. While the primary envelope of this small house is straw bale, it includes a mass wall of adobe and the project included a workshop built with adobe. It is disappointing that they did not include the construction of this workshop from the ground up in the detailed video presentation.

The video and the small format book (the size of a DVD case) are packed with information and detail. From the layout of the foundation, digging, forming and pouring of the grade beam and ALL other parts of the construction of the house this is a great way to get a complete understanding of all the parts of building a house. Straw bale builders will probably get more info from this since you see the post and beam structure of the house raised and framed the infill of the walls with bales, wiring, and scratch and finishing color plaster ideas. They show the construction of a rain collection system using a buried plastic septic tank for non-potable use (don't know why this limitation).

For the price ($24 at the time of this writing) this is better than 99% of other resources I've come across. For adobe construction, Tibbets' Earthbuilders Encyclopedia CD has much more detail on adobe construction, but does not have any video like this item. FIVE STARS only because I can't award six!

John Billheimer is off to a great start here with a first novel that includes another first, a transportation thriller. It features a good plot that keeps moving at all times, some fresh material for those of us who can't stand another serial killer, and sense of humor. Not everybody could get a good weekend read out of the misadventures of a federally subsidized bus company in West Virginia, but Billheimer certainly can and does.

Especially after having met John Billheimer, I am in awe over his initial offering into the world of mystery fiction. CONTRARY BLUES wonderfully captures the essence of small-town West Virginia life and what goes on in ingenious yet simple minds over the incursions of modern-day life. This is a great first effort and if you are like me, you'll be captured into reading the next four of his Owen Allison series. An easy read, a page-turner of exceptional quality and a real sense of West Virginia everyday life brought to you by someone who 25 years ago called West Virginia home.

A SEASON TO INVESTIGATE FIRST-TIME NOVELISTS - Boston Globe. A fine beginning, funny, irreverent, written with an ear well-tuned to authentic West Virginia dialogue and an eye for small, accumulating scenes...Billheimer unfolds his wry tale steadily, with just the right mix of humor and menace, and his Department of Transportation investigator-auditor, Owen Allison, is convincing and likable.

The Contrary Blues is such a page-turner that you might not realize until you reach the end how cleverly it is constructed. Humor, colorful West Virginia colloquialisms, and poignant characterization make this book a lot more interesting than the average mystery.

John Billheimer's first Mystery novel, Contrary Blues, leaves you feeling satisfied and wanting more. Fans of Rick Boyer, Bill Crider, and Bill Tapply will recognize the sure fire formula that made their writing a success. A fast moving plot taken to sudden and unexpected turns, characters who jump out of the pages into your living room, and an unassuming hero that Mr. Middle America can relate to. Billheimer tells his story in a quick but enjoyable pace, giving the reader a glimpse into everyday life in a region of the country most of us have never stepped foot in, and with the subtle humor and true to life street dialog that show his respect for his characters and his reader alike. This one is sure to be enjoyed.

This "thriller" makes a thoroughly entertaining read. And when you are done you will have increased your insight into the present divide between Western and Islamic culture. Enjoy!

Loved this book! Engineering Evil combines political terrorism and intrigue for a roller coaster ride you won't soon forget. The characters are sharply etched (Jason Talbot is a Dirk Pitt with 007 flair!)and Owen's use of timely social issues is both informative and frighteningly real! Leaves the hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you race to the next page!

Engineering Evil is a nail-biting thriller with high suspense and engrossing drama. Owen has the ability to keep the reader flipping pages long into the night. A masterfully crafted tale of villainy, chucked full of military technology, historical fact, current events, and roller-coaster action. Imaginative and suspenseful from one hair raising scene to another. An excellent adventure.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was fast paced and contained interesting detailed knowledge of military special operations, terrorism using computer software systems, and ideas from the Islamic religion. I was entertained as well as informed.

This book was much more than I expected as I am not a regular reader of terrorist-type literature. However, having read a Tom Clancy and a Robert Ludlum book recently, I believe this writer can tell a story as well as any I have read. I particularly liked the way the author educated me on several technical subjects and helped me to understand a bit of Islam. The overall story went from one exciting part to the next in a clever manner. Buy it!! Read it!!

Wildlife researchers and conservationists Delia and Mark Owens have spent much of their lives since 1974 in the African bush, first in the Kalahari Desert from which came their best seller "Cry of the Kalahari" and then in the North Luangwa Valley in Zambia, the setting of this 1992 book.

The Owens' passion leads them to risk their lives routinely. In searching for a suitable camp in North Luangwa they set out in an ancient truck with no radio and inadequate gear. After a grueling trek that would have sent sane mortals packing for home they separate so Mark can fly his Cessna to a site that "would make Cessna's insurance company shudder" while Delia makes the two-day trip alone with the old truck and a trailer over trackless hilly, bushy, gully-filled flood-plain terrain. Tracking animals they are constantly walking smack into a startled lion or buffalo or cornered elephant.

But the real danger comes from people. "The Eye of the Elephant," while filled with wildlife anecdotes and tidbits of information about elephants and lions, is really about the poaching war the Owens conducted on behalf of the besieged North Luangwa elephants.

The poachers are villagers, many armed with AK47s, backed by the local government and assisted by the corrupt and underequipped local game guards. The Owens' weapons are education, cottage industry projects financed by the Owens Foundation for Wildlife Conservation and the Cessna.

The battle starts genially with children exclaiming over magazine pictures and their parents joining sewing circles and carpentry workshops. But it quickly escalates until Mark drives Delia from him with his obsession for highly dangerous and only modestly effective night flights, and the poachers organize an assassination squad to rid themselves of the Owens once and for all.

The book is organized in alternating first-person chapters between Delia and Mark. The tone is brutally honest, touching when one admits to mistakes which endanger the other, disturbing when their frank discussion of anti-poaching tactics veers from the politically correct. The Owens' care more for the animals and the landscape than the people. But since the people are there, their needs must be faced. Their singlemindedness will outrage some, but their strong personalities and sheer stamina will awe almost everyone.

York County Coast Star

The Eye of the Elephant is a wonderful, adventurous journey into the heart and soul of Africa seen through Mark and Delia's eyes. From the very first page you are caught up in their heroic quests to protect the animals they are there to observe. In spite of the unbelievable odds against them, they persevered and put the safety and security of the highly endangered animals FIRST. The elephants in the Luanga Valley are very fortunate to have had Mark and Delia watch over them and be their heroes. I have loved Africa and the African elephant my entire life and I am so grateful for these two selfless, dedicated people who have become the protectors of our most precious wildlife. This is one of my most treasured African stories.

You will immediately be drawn into their story! I was so involved reading this book that I missed my train station stop...you'll feel like you're there with them!

This book is laden with fascinating information on African Wildlife and how to survive as human and animal in harsh conditions. Excellent read.

I wish these authors would write more books about their adventures in Africa. Truly riveting page-turners!

There is something for players and GM's in this book. The new weapons, feats, and tallents are a real plus to any game. If you want to add really hard to kill sith to your game then look here.

This truly was a great purchase. This is one of the easiet time periods to run a campaign and your players heroes are not shadowed by obi wan or luke. Your heroes make the difference and set the table for new hope. A wise purchase for Star Wars gamers.

As in the title, the greatest of witch is the unleashed one. A must have if you're running the Dawn of Defiance adventures. Optimum product by WOTC as always!

Hands down a great book. Wizards has been hitting homers all the way to the galaxy far far away with their new campaign guides, but The Force Unleashed guide is just pure awesome.

The most notable addition of the Unleashed abilities puts SE into a new level of cool.

If the Dark Times are your times, get The TFU guide. If they aren't, Get the TFU guide. You won't regret it.

And come on, stats for the first droid with Jedi levels. How can you say no.

I am a casual SW:SE player and I find that I truly enjoy the two recent campaign settings that WotC has put out for it (This and Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide (Star Wars Roleplaying Game)). Each adds a great deal to your options, has splendid flavor and lore intertwined and seems like it had some decent production value (especially Force Unleashed, as it has actual concept art from the game of the same name Star Wars: The Force Unleashed). But now, onto the review.

Chapter 0: Introduction
The introduction is done exceedingly well. It begins by giving a short situation report on the status of the galaxy; How the Republic has fallen and the Dark Times are upon the beings of the galaxy. Then, it goes on to summarize what you will find in each chapter of the book. It then explains how a Force Unleashed campaign is markedly different from the other era's you might play in. Much more so than the Rebellion Era, the Empire is supreme. There's no Rebel Alliance to help you when you're in dire straights, it's quite an epic set up for You vs The Empire. The last part of this chapter is six item timeline of events that span the Dark Times. It begins with the execution of Order 66 and Palpatine's New Order speech, and ends with the Corellian Treaty, where the Rebel Alliance was born. This is an excellent primer for the rest of the book.

Chapter 1: Species
We have 10 new species for everyone to try out. Each species block is approximately a page long, give or take, and they're as detailed as they were in the Core Rulebook. I found each of their descriptions to be brief, but full of good information about their species and important events in their history. It's a very nice smattering of races that cover a good bit of the spectrum, from feral Felucians to the pacifistic Caamasi and the mysterious Yarkoa. Other races include the Aleena, Gran, Nosaurian, Talz, Togorian, Togruta, and Whiphid.

Chapter 2: Heroic Traits
This chapter begins with ideas for character origins, such as what first made your character start upon the path of a hero. It continues into a section tailored to each Heroic class, explaining their lots in the new order and offering new options for talents, or even new talent trees! Jedi get two new talents for each the Consular, Guardian and Sentinel trees. Nobles get a single new Inspiration talent, two Lineage talents and a new Ideologue tree. Smugglers make out with three Slicer talents, and five new talents from a Smuggling talent tree. Scouts get a single Awareness talent and a six-talent tree called Spy. Soldiers get five skills from the Mercenary talent tree. After this, there are new ways to use current skills, such as Acrobatics helping out in Low/High gravity or how to conceal large items with Stealth. 20 new feats await your discriminating eye, a couple new Destinies, and, of course, the much awaited Unleashed Abilities. The Unleashed abilities seem very interesting. They are very cinematic and can potentially turn a very dire situation into a favorable one.

Chapter 3: Prestige Classes
Bounty Hunters, Elite Troopers, Force Adepts and Jedi Knights get new talents to fill out their own trees, while new classes are introduced. Enforcer, Independent Droid, Infiltrator, Master Privateer, Medic and Saboteur are what you have to look forward to.

Chapter 4: Organizations
The Rebel Alliance is not around yet, but this chapter gives you the tools to create your own small resistance group, planetary rebellion or even, should it tickle your fancy, a group that spans the entire galaxy. it explains what benefits, risks and power levels such bodies will represent and what the players can do with them. It goes on to describe organizations such as the Antarian Rangers, Black Sun, Bothan Spynet, Bounty Hunters Guild, Car'das Smugglers, House Organa, Kota's Militia, and he Lok Revenants. Each has a section on history, what type of group it is, Enemies and Allies, Operational Scale, Criteria for positive and negative modifiers for the group, Titles, Benefits, Duties and Roleplaying applications. Very good stuff here.

Chapter 5: The Force
A section on how Jedi are living, how the Force is viewed in game, six new Force powers, six new Force talents, ten new Force Techniques, five new Force Secrets, and yes, even eleven new Unleashed Force powers. There are even two more Force using traditions to round out the chapter.

Chapter 6: Equipment and Droids and Chapter 7: Vehicles and Starships
The are both lumped together simply because they're both equipment and it's easier this way. There's a good bit of new equipment, droids and ships. Enough to keep most players busy, at the least.

Chapter 8: Campaign Guidelines
From here you can mine quite a bit of inspiration for character histories. It can also help figure out how to get your group together to begin with. Following that are common campaign elements such as trying to remain hidden from the Empire, scarce resources and garnering allies. The end of the chapter has a few challenges that you might throw at your heroes in game.

Chapter 9: Galactic Gazetteer
A good bit of information on new planets, and additional information on previously described planets, but with the Dark Times in focus.

Chapter 10: The Empire
Everything you'd want to know about the galaxies best Monolithic Authoritarian Regime. It explains the Imperial Government, personnel such as the Dark Troopers and the 501st Stormtrooper Division. It even goes on to detail the Death Star. Fans of Timothy Zahn will be happy to find stat blocks for the Noghri and Chiss in this section. At the end of the chapter you'll find Stat Blocks for Admiral Thrawn and Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, and the big ships of the Empire during this time.

Chapter 11: Allies and Opponents
This chapter finishes the book and relates to you a few important characters, such as Bail Organa and Garm Bel Iblis. It also gives you some NPC people to use with or against your heroes.

Overall, an amazing book. There are a few shortcomings: I wish the Chiss and Noghri stat blocks were included with the other ones for ease of use. I wish some of the Imperial/Droid equipment was thrown into the equipment chapter, but all-in-all, this is a fantastic buy. It's a very well made campaign setting, it's well written and it inspires excitement in me to play this game. What more can you really ask for?

This book is wonderful both for its content and ability to describe the Coast's landscape and lifestyle perfectly. I travel to the Coast regularly, and Owen's descriptions are right on target. I read the book in about three days, it was so good. Not only are the books descriptions of the Coast spectacular, the story is great too. I thoroughly enjoyed every character, plot twist, surprise, and shock. He also inserted enough interesting facts to the work that I actually learned something as I read.

A wonderfully warm, human, and quirky cast of characters populate these pages. The plot is full of twists, surprises, and moments of sublime, perfect absurdity that will have you laughing out loud. Highly recommended.

I live just a few miles from Gulfport and have spent a great deal of time there. I work and used to live in New Orleans. I was really impressed with Mr. Owen's ability to describe the area and to catch the essence of these places.

Rory, his main character, is both interesting and funny. How Mr. Owen knows all the stuff he knows is amazing. I kept thinking when I read it how great a movie this would be. It has it all-humor, mystery, suspense, romance and surprises. In fact, I liked all his characters. I am going to buy another couple of books to give to friends as gifts. I am hoping that there will be more of his books in the future.

I found the main character believable and funny. The author's descriptions of the gulf coast are right on target. I live a few miles from there and am very familiar with the area. I recommend this book to all.

The Funniest book I've read all year! The characters are novel and the book is offbeat and different. I'd like to read more about Rory Ripple and friends.