Travis Books

Good DVD about what takes place in Burning Man. If you have never been there (which I have not) but plane to go. This DVD lets you know what you are in for.

Based on the images of Holly Kreuter, Drama In The Desert: The Sights And Sounds Of Burning Man is a book and DVD set collecting full-color visuals and personal memories drawn from the harsh desert of Black Rock City, Nevada. Capturing the sometimes quizzical, sometimes cruel, sometimes dramatic art and documentary efforts of seventy contributors, Drama In The Desert is strongly recommended as an eclectic, unique, and vibrant experience impressing its fiery artistic message upon the reader's spirit.

Kreuter's photography really captures the diversity, creativity and 'out of the box' off the wall craziness of Burning Man. The CD is first class too.

This book will take you back to Burning Man but it's the DVD that I want to rave about. Watch it over and over. Beautifully done. A wonderful effort. Thanks to Holly and thanks to Bam Bam!

My husband and I starting our Burning Man experience in 1997 and have gone every year since. We've had 4 different theme camps alone or in collaboration with friends. We will have to miss the 2005 burn, as we will be relocating, so we bought books and DVD's to remember the fun times until we can come home again. Holly's book is wonderful and the DVD is sooo much better than anything else out there. It really just blew me away! We popped it into the DVD player one morning and were mesmerized and drawn in by the music, the images, the clouds and the incredible artistry of the whole production-it brings back the feeling of being there. I appreciate that she separated the interviews from the flow of images in the main movie.

A must have for anyone interested in Burning Man!

Melanie Travis is living life grandly. She has the perfect job at the Howard Academy, her son is developing wonderfully; her romance with Sam Driver is thriving (he is now her fiancee); and her dog is winning championship points in the dog show circuit! Life is grand!

One day she notices the Academy janitor arguing with a kid. Next thing she knows, the janitor is murdered, the kids disappears, her fiancee's ex-wife shows up in her town, someone tries to burn her up, her dog loses her show hair during this fire, and the police are chasing drug dealers and murderers that seem to be swirling around her. What's a girl to do? Well, in the case of these books, the girl will roll up her sleeves and use her skills in solving the crime and arresting the perpetrator!

This book is rollicking good fun. The pace is good, the characters believable, the plot rolls along in a good way, and you never feel that you are being cheated by having someone figure something out that you could not. One thing I like to do is put the book down about midway though it and attempt to figure out the whodunit. In this case, I had a pretty good idea of how the major points of the plot interacted, but the author managed to fool me on a couple of major items. That is a good thing. Especially when you consider that the twists that she put in between what I believed would happen and what actually did were completely believable. There were no red herrings that were disturbing.

So, I rate this as a fun book to read and recommend it highly.

Laurien Berenson has hit her stride and I hope the rest of the series is at least as good as this one!

Having read every book of the Melanie Travis Mystery Series I was quite eager to open this book up and start reading. Once again it proved that Laurien Berenson can write. This book is so interesting and it honestly will keep you guessing up until the very end. I know my jaw must have dropped at least ten times throughout it. It will keep you on your toes whether you are a dog person or not. Melanie Travis is so real and so much like your nextdoor neighbor. I can't even explain how good this and all the other books in the series are. If you are new to this series though I would suggest that you start reading with the first book "Hair of the Dog" It too proved to be very interesting.

"Hush Puppy" is my first in the Melanie Travis and it is one that will have me coming back for another visit. Laurien Berenson keeps the reader guessing with one jump to another. Her relationship with the police is not caustic, which is a device I'm becoming bored with seeing so frequently in regards to amateur sleuths.
Aunt Peg is a favorite character with loads of spunk, a formidable lady who sets her mind on a goal and it remains there. Sam, the friend, does manage to make it past dense. A sound story for avid page turners who enjoy their mysteries light.
Yes, this is a series I will read again.
Nash Black, author of "Sins of the Fathers" and "Travelers."

As someone who normally reads cat mysteries, I was hesitant to read this series. However, Berenson weaves the dogs into the mystery and the overall plot, unlike so many which seem contrived - "the mystery was soved by the pet" The realism and Berenson's background, intense knowledge of her subject, and honesty of characters make this series a standout. Save them for an afternoon/evening when you don't have much to do, because you won't want to put it down!

Having read every book of the Melanie Travis Mystery Series I was quite eager to open this book up and start reading. Once again it proved that Laurien Berenson can write. This book is so interesting and it honestly will keep you guessing up until the very end. I know my jaw must have dropped at least ten times throughout it. It will keep you on your toes whether you are a dog person or not. Melanie Travis is so real and so much like your nextdoor neighbor. I can't even explain how good this and all the other books in the series are. If you are new to this series though I would suggest that you start reading with the first book "A Pedigree to Die For" It too proved to be very interesting.

Ah, too soon was this book over! I finished this one in a very short amount of time (it's just over 200 pages), and was so totally engrossed that I forgot I was sitting on a beautiful, tropical beach in San Juan for a while. Although very disturbing in regards to the picture it paints of a Stalinist USSR, it was an incredible book and I would recommend it highly.
Isaac Babel, an author whose works probably need little or no introduction, has been arrested and now sits in the Lubyanka prison as the novel opens. Pavel Dubrov, the archivist of the title, has been sent to speak to Babel to verify that one of the stories the NKVD has confiscated actually is one of his. In this way, Pavel (aka Pasha) tells Babel, it can be assigned to the proper file in the archives. Out of curiosity, Pavel begins reading it and discovers the beauty of Babel's work and decides to save it, rather than to let it molder in some file or worse, find its way into the constantly-stoked incinerators where thousands of manuscripts and other works found a final home. Pavel knows that doing so will place himself in danger, but things in his past and events in his present lead him to believe that he can perhaps not only redeem himself by saving some of Babel's work, but also (and this gets into the central theme of the novel, imho) perhaps do his bit to change the flow of the history in which he has been caught up on some miniscule level. As he watches those he loves most get caught up in the Stalinist paranoia machine (and these were still in the early days of Stalin's time), he knows he has to do something.
An amazing book, truly. I think anyone interested in the former Soviet Union would really enjoy this book, as well as anyone interested in the topic of censorship. It is very well written; I hope Holland puts out something new very shortly. Highly recommended.

One of the best books I have read in a long time. From the first page I was drawn in and knew this was going to be hard to stop reading till the end. And it was. This book will stay with me for a long time.

Reading The Archivist's Story left me feeling very tender towards books--the treasures that they are. Holland's story of an archivist torn between his love of literature and his desire to survive (requiring that he destroy unapproved manuscripts) made me very thankful for all the books I have access to, and Holland's exquisite writing made me very glad I had found his book. I'll be recommending this book to my reading friends.

Given its context of Stalinist Russia, I knew that it was unlikely that The Archivist's Story would be a happy or humorous novel, and I was right. Travis Holland has captured the deadening effect of collectivization on the Russia people and the inhumanity of a society where trust and friendship are rare and fear of authority a daily concern. And yet, it's a story of the power of one man to act courageously in the face of such fear and reprisal, treating decently and humanely even one who hates him.

Pavel Dubrov is a former teacher now assigned to the archives of the infamous Lubyanka Prison, the hellhole into which countless political dissidents, intellectuals, and writers are cast. Pavel works under the insufferable Lieutenant Kutyrev, a true believer in the Revolution. Every day he organizes files containing the manuscripts of writers imprisoned in the Lubyanka, and then, one by one, carries files to the incinerator. It's a particularly distressing task for a teacher, for one who loves books, and it comes to a head over his encounter with an unknown manuscript written by Issac Babel, the well-known writer of Red Calvary. Holland chronicles Pavel's lonely and anguished existence well, contrasting it with the continued humanity he exhibits.

Travis Holland has done well. His prose is accessible and persuasive in rendering 1939 Moscow and lives caught in that place and time. It's a profound first novel and one I recommend.

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book, and immediately started reading it that day. Others have commented about the plot here. I will just say that the story totally drew me in. Like the best of books, it was as if I was right there living the moment with Pavel. I could feel it as the world around him closed in.

I was very sad when I came to the last page. The story stayed with me for a long time after, and very much look forward to Mr. Holland's next novel.

Highly recommended.

For many years I am interested in a megachurch phenomenon and like to read different books on subject. This book is different. Drawn from a research and destroying the myths surrounding the megachurches, I found this volume worth all the money and highly informative and refreshing. A great study for all the pastors and leaders.

Even though I am not a pastor of megachurch myself (in my country there is no single church with over 500 people in attendance), I have learned a lot about the proccess and principles beyond the growth of the megachurches. I wish someone would do a similar study on world megachurches as well from different cultural tradition. That would be a great volume 2!

I think this piece adequately demonstrated that many of the popular negative impressions people hold of megachurches are false. I've believed that for a long time. Some of the books that came out in the late 90's suggesting that these churches are nothing but marketing and entertainment were clearly exaggerated. I wondered if the authors had actually visited and studied the churches they were slamming.

On the other hand, their claim that megachurches don't grow mainly by transfer from area evangelical churches doesn't square with our studies. So far, in studies of nearly 30 megachurches, we have found only two that had over 10% of their people stating that they met Christ in that church: Willow Creek at 23% and Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa at 60%. Our own church is also over 60%. All the others had less than 10% converts, and many had less than 5%.

Taking the word of pastors and staff on how many in the church are converts vs. transfers doesn't work. Only on the ground interviews of meaningful samples of attendees can be trusted.

Dennis McCallum, author Organic Disciplemaking: How to promote Christian leadership development through personal relationships, biblical discipleship, mentoring, and Christian community

As a missionary who works with many churches, I found Beyond Megachurch Myths to be very helpful in increasing my understanding of the church today. I would recommend it to anyone involved in ministry and/or Christian leadership. In addition to enhancing my understanding of the megachurch, I found many practical observations to strengthen my own ministry. I'm already looking forward to Dr. Thumma's next book!

Rev. Jack Landis

There are a lot of opinions about megachurches, but this is the first complete assessment of the megachurch phenomenon. It draws together extensive information and other available research to correct assumptions. It also includes practical questions and considerations for all pastors and church leaders. As a broad overview, it doesn't get better than this.

This book goes well with several others. I suggest Seeker Churches: Promoting Traditional Religion in a Nontraditional Way by Kimon Sargean, A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church as well as Hollywood Faith: Holiness, Prosperity, and Ambition in a Los Angeles Church by Gerardo Marti, The Megachurch and the Mainline: Remaking Religious Tradition in the Twenty-first Century by Stephen Ellingson, When Church Became Theatre: The Transformation of Evangelical Architecture and Worship in Nineteenth-Century America by Jeanne Kilde, and Donald Miller's Reinventing American Protestantism: Christianity in the New Millennium.

This book is long on analysis and full of helpful lessons that any church can apply regardless of size. You could spend several months and thousands of dollars visiting the fastest growing churches in America and trying to gather what they've learned OR you can spend a few bucks and get it all in this book. Reading this book will challenge your assumptions and leave you inspired about the tremendous potential of the local church, including yours.

If you are searching for a book to inspire, inform and clearly break down the making of a film and the relationship between the many creative entities that go into that process, look no further. Mark Travis has written a literate, thoughtful and experienced guide to how to approach issues relating to written material, casting, performance, production values...really everthing you need to work intelligently on a project. Whatever stage of your career you're in, you will find yourself referring to this book again and again.

If you're at all serious about directing, look no further, this is the book. Mark Travis will guide, inform, inspire you...and all done with such a light and humorous touch, as well as great enthusiasm, you can't wait to try it yourself. Really, of all the 1000's of books out there on the subject, this is the best. The information is presented so clearly, you wonder why everybody doesn't work this way. Mark Travis obviously has a deep respect for actors and writers, and how best to work with them in a collaborative spirit . He also appears to have a great wealth of knowledge from years in the business, which he openly shares. I loved this book, and often refer back to it. I'd highly recommend it, and would give it to anyone interested in directing.

I've read many books on filmmaking, especially directing. But Mark is one of the few authors that actually was able to talk to me directly. This book has a way to surpass the bull#@!% and talk straight. It shows me how clear directing can be when understood on the level that Mark writes about. I would recommend - and for that matter already have - this book to anyone who's interested in getting down to the core of directing.

I love this book! I'm going to have to buy another one, because I've bent the pages all over in returning to refer to advice again and again. I'm an emerging film-maker, and this book is the secret key that unlocks to door to the skills and steps crucial in directing. It's pragmatic, comprehensive, and applicable. I applied Mark's advice on rehearsals, collaboration, pre-production, and script breakdown to my film and saw immediate deep improvements. The Director's Journey is more than a manual for making great films though, it's a support to the person going through the process. Mark Travis illuminates the psychology, relationships, objectives and pitfalls inherent in this work, and he offers the creative traveler excellent personal guidance.

About 12 years ago, my directing partner (who is also my wife) and I attended an incredible, intensive directing workshop. For three days we ate, drank, slept, and lived filmmaking from script analysis to post-production, under the tutelage of a very intimidating instructor - Mark Travis. I say intimidating because this guy was direct, succinct, focused and INTENSE. Not only that, but he was brilliant. His insights, technique, innovations, and even the simple fundamentals were so solid, and straight-forward, there was NO way you could have walked away from the experience without being a better director. If there every was one, Mark Travis is a virtuoso director... a Mozart of actors, stage and celluloid, if you will.

Now, 12 years, 4 films, 19 theatrical productions, and a handful of awards later, we use this book nearly every day. Be it on the set or stage, or just from inspiration and brush-up, this magnificent book encapsulates everything about Mark's talents. He is no primadonna, unwilling to divulge more than a few vaguaries of his techniques, nor does he preach to you about his own successful career and how wonderful he is. What he does do if layout technique, approach, execution and adjustment in a no-nonsense fashion that yields one of the best "How-To" books on directing (not only film but more specifically actors), and achieving the vision of a director, ever written.

If you are looking for a book to keep in your hip-pocket on the set, or something to refer back to for inspiration, ideas, and fixes, then look no further. This is it.

For years, companies and individuals alike have struggled to understand ERP concepts and systems. Many books have been written to assist the readers with everything from selecting an ERP solution to implementing the solution. None have addressed these issues as completely as this book.

The simple, concise, easy-to-understand way in which the author, Travis Anderegg, presents the information slowly `strips' away the layers of mystery and misunderstanding that have often been associated with ERP projects - small or large. Not only does a reader gain insight into the history of ERP but also is introduced to definitions and terminology associated with Enterprise Resource Planning.

It is a known fact that approximately 80% of all ERP projects fail. Many times, companies will blame the vendor (they misled us), the software (it does not fit our business), the consultant (they should have told us not to pick this package), etc. Often times, no one was `truly' at fault; it is a matter of not understanding how to plan, select, implement, maintain, and take ownership of an ERP system. This book covers all these areas from the initial decision to consider a company's ERP software strategy through planning, evaluation, decision, negotiation, implementation, and change management. Various critical success factors are identified throughout the chapters.

It also provides diagrams, charts, and questions to aid the reader in `gleaning' the pertinent points from the chapters. The book also points out the `pitfalls' and how to avoid making costly mistakes. The concepts presented in this book can be applied not only to ERP but also to other major IT procurements, such as HR/PR systems, CRM, and DPM. This book can also prepare individuals to pass the CIERP examination and be recognized as CIERP (certified implementer of enterprise resource planning) certified.

As the book shows ERP is very much a people system - not just software. The more educated people are, in regards to ERP, the more likely that a company will be successful. This book is an invaluable resource for anyone who is or will be involved with Enterprise Resource Planning:

· Business executives, senior decision makers, IT/IS managers, Department managers, and Project managers who are or will be in the market for an ERP solution

· Consultants, industry analysts, software vendors, and their staff who are in some way connected with the sales of ERP, as it provides insight into the buying cycle and the "contortions" that companies go through when purchasing this type of technology

· College and University level professors or students in Marketing, Information Systems/Technology and Project Management

This book is filled with all the knowledge anyone would need for preparing and successfully implementing Enterprise Resource Planning.

The 20 chapters in this remarkable book make this a true A to Z implementation guide. The author starts with a clearly written intoduction to ERP and follows this with a detailed overview of concepts and design. The third chapter covers functional modules that need to be incorporated into ERP systems, which completes the foundation.

Chapters 4 through 8 cover the implemention details, beginning with life cycles and sequences, addressing project teams and transition strategies, and the nuts and bolts considerations of data conversion, prototyping and testing. The information in these chapters is a good basis for an implementation work breakdown structure.

I liked the chapters on organizational change management and consultants, which are critical success factors for implementing an ERP system. I also thought that the chapter on project planning sessions was a highlight of this book and something that anyone who is involved in managing the implementation needs to carefully read.

The remainder of the book covers developing a request for proposal and evaluating vendor responses, total quality management, ROI and other factors that are extremely important to ERP (or any system) implementation project.

Some of the things that make this book invaluable include: (1) clear writing and innovative use of graphics to display relationships, comparisons and workflow; (2) the fact that each chapter can stand alone as a focused and complete discussion of the topic covered, and (3) the common sense approach taken by the author.

I strongly recommend that this book be augmented by Scorecard System For World Class Enterprise Resource Management by the same author. These two books combined with provide you with all of the information you need to select and successfully implement an ERP system that fully meets your requirements.

The book provides you all you need to know about the implementation of ERP and it'll greatly help build your background on this issue. The book is not about "how" to implement for a specific software but is about "why" and "what" you should know about implemenation. You need retain sufficient knowledge to help your company make wise decisions, rather than let consultants make decision for you and your company. I am a recent MBA graduate and I found this book is a great supplement to the area that I lack from my education.

A must for everybody who is involved in ERP project. once you start reading it you don't want to stop. so smooth and understandable, the writing is very clear and the graphics will help you a lot to understand each chapter. There are 20 chapters each will take you automatically to the other i highly recommend to start reading chapter by chapter. chapter 1-3 gives detailed information about ERP definition and differences between ERP & ERM, ERP concepts and design, and ERP functional modules.

Implementation details are cover in chapters 4 to 8, starting with life cycle, building your project team, prototype and testing and other important implementation issues. I think this is the best book ever written about ERP, don't waste your time searching for other books. You will find everything related to the ERP in "ERP: A-Z Implementer's Guide For Success"

This is a great introduction to the world of ERP. After reading the book I bought copies for all the members of the team implementing the new ERP at my company. It helps you get a handle on the whole process from 20,000 ft, and makes the idea of totally changing the company not so scary. The only problem I had with the book is that the binding was terrible. The book fell apart on my first reading. But I liked it so much, I put in in a two ring binder.

If you have been asked to work on your company's ERP and are not sure what you got into, this is the book for you.

This is another good book By Travis Thrasher. I have been really impressed so far with his writing. I have only read two of his books but they have been good. He really shows alot of depth to his charcters and portrays them rather well. This book does have a lot of characters but he draws them all together in the end. The main story is of 5 escaped criminals on the run who head for Gun Lake. There is also a local cop on the outs with his wife, a young woman who escapes from a abusive life, and a women who takes her son to the lake to try to reconnect with him. Trasher again makes all of them connect and intertwine in the end and it is worth the wait.

Gun Lake is (as I'm writing this) the newest novel by Travis Thrasher. I'd read all the others and was eager to get this one, as it represented a change of style for the writer. His previous works have been romantic stories about redemption, and while those traditional elements are present here, this novel is more suspenseful.

Gun Lake ambitiously weaves multiple story lines that are initially unrelated, but (of course) begin to crash in on each other as the story progresses. The "main" story is that of a group of 5 escaped convicts on the run from the law. The central question in this story line is whether these men will escape, or gain anything like a normal life back (maybe even redemption?) Thrasher does a good job of making you both despise and empathize with the cons, important to the suspense of the novel.

While I won't give away the plot, the stories have many parallels, and so comment on and enrich each other. The struggles of a parent to control her rebellious teen intermingle with a broken man's struggle with the bottle, and so on. My only gripe would be that at times these transitions are unclear. I had the benefit of reading this book in one sitting, which made it easier to keep characters straight, but I could see the many names and stories getting confusing, and there's not always a clear distinction between a new paragraph versus a change of characters.

Thrasher has once again made a great piece of Christian fiction. The Message is there, but neither oversimplified nor sugarcoated: this book contains violence, alcohol, and profanity (not explicitly but alluded to i.e. "X swore bitterly at Y, then finished his beer.") I can't see it offending the mature reader, though parents may want to peruse it before letting kids read. The novel is good reading, and the ending's satisfying and plausible. I look forward to more from this author.

This is an exciting read for fans that love suspense and action. The many personalities from various walks of life involved in the story are skillfully developed as the story weaves to a climax. Thrasher shows a unique talent for character development, displaying his insight into human nature. The book shows examples of the consequences of choices of ordinary people, yet offers hope even within overwhelming hopelessness. Congratulations to this rising author for another great story with lessons for all to learn!

This book, masterfully written by novel master Travis Thrasher, is absolutely in my top ten all time favorite books. This novel redefines the classic crime/suspense tale. Read this book! It has strong action, mystery, romance, and best of all--a powerful redemtive message of love and forgiveness. The realism of this story reminds us all what a truly great novel is made of. I highly suggest this book for lovers of all genres!

I spend my summers at Gun Lake Michigan at my cottage which is what made me first pick up this book. I started reading in the evening and finished it in less than 24 hours. I could not put it down, the characters were very real, they had a lot of depth -all people I could believe existed and could imagining knowing. The interaction between them was genius. Very suspenseful, very interesting, unpredictable. Also while there is a lot of crime in it - it is not gratuitously violent. One of the best books I have ever read, definitely worth it.

Raghubir Singh's River of Colour is a book that beautiful in many ways. Not only was he a very talented photographer, he also brings out a tremendous sense of patriotism with his book. His photographs capture the essence of Indian culture.

I was given this book (softcover edition) by a friend some years ago, and it has resonated with me as one of the finest compilations of documentary photography on India. Raghubir Singh's photograph captures moments in the lives of ordinary Indians, in a way that is without a doubt timeless. This book is a collection of his best works from his many years of photography in India and it's simply a marvel, especially for anyone who has a special interest in India or comes from India, who can really appreciate the imagery.

I hands down recommend this book to anyone and everyone and always show it off to friends. Try and get some of his other works as well - Bombay, The Grand Trunk Road, Kerala, Banares, Kashmir, if you can find them. You will be equally impressed.

Raghubir Singh was born in India and began his photography career in 1965 - but until this collection, very few of his works reached audiences outside the country. RIVER OF COLOUR: THE INDIA OF RAGHUBIR SINGH uses a wide-angle panoramic layout which will prove a shelving challenge to most art library collections - but a delight to any who seek fine display materials. It's the only retrospective of Singh's works and by choosing an elongated, oversized display format, the color photos of Indian topics come to life and nearly spring off the page. RIVER OF COLOUR is recommended not just for art photography libraries, but for any collection strong on India history or culture.

I first bought this book in its paperback edition... I was so taken by the photographs that on learning that Phaidon was re-releasing the book, I gave my pbk copy to an Indian friend of mine (who loves it, as it reminds him of home). Looking forward to the re-release of this book, I was eagerly looking for it to become available.

The re-release arrived just the other day. I can say that the photos are just as moving, heart-melting, and colorful as the original copy. HOWEVER, Amazon's "shrink-wraping process" ruined the cover of the book, and many of the pages of the book.

So, I paid full Amazon price for the book, but were I to try to re-sell it, it would be "damaged."

To say that I'm a little piss#d is an understatement.

It _is_ a beautiful book, with a wonderful overview of Singh's work - my favorites are the boys diving from the tops of submerged temples on a flooded Ganges, and a pic of a muscician from Tamil Nadu...

I just wish the condition of the book were better.

India is a difficult country to understand and even more difficult to explain, in words or pictures! Rughubir Singh has captured the chaos of India which take you right into the bylanes of Varanasi/Banaras. This is my favourite(infact the only picture book) gift to a lot of my western friends, most of whom have visited India before. The pictures are simply too powerful. If you have any facination for that land, you cant afford not to have a look at Mr. Singh's pictures.

I am a 59 year old male in search of receipes that will yeild the memories of my childhood in Alabama. I have found it in the
Southern Cook's Handbook. This cook book is the answer to "how did they do that?". I thought I knew how to bake a ham, but then I tried the step-by-step guide to baking a ham, and boy what a difference it made. The spiral cut ham I baked for Easter was tender, moist, and flovoralbe. I tried the corn bread step-by step instructions and the corn bread turned out terrific( I didn't think my corn bread could get any better, but it did). This is a cookbook that will be used and past around. Thank you Courtney Tayor.

A must have cookbook for anyone who's interested in learning to cook Southern food. The methods section of this book takes you step-by-step though making the all the staples, such as cornbread, gravies, biscuits, etc. and you'll find recipes for many of the favorite Southern dishes.

I've tried a lot of the recipes in this book and they have all worked out great.

Recently received my copy of the Southern Cook's Handbook, and I am delighted to recommend it to anyone interested in Southern home cooking. Not only excellent recipes, but a step-by-step guide to the methods of southern cooking as well. I have quite a collection of cookbooks, but I can see that I will be referring to this one quite frequently. Even after 40 years of marriage, I have gained new ideas after reading this book. Last night I made the creamy chicken salad, and we loved it! I will definitely be ordering more to give as wedding presents!

Southerners pour so much heart and soul into their food that sometimes they forget to measure. They are notorious for attempting to teach their offspring recipes while using vague terms like, a pinch of this, or a dab of that, or "til the dough feels right"(Thanks Mama!). Sometimes passed down recipes list ingredients without telling us exactly how to prepare the dish or maybe the author really didn't want everyone knowing their "secret". Courtney Taylor's The Southern Cook's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Old-Fashioned Southern Cooking clears up these fuzzy areas for you. Not only will you have some scrumptious tried and true recipes, you will also learn some basic old fashioned skills that will help you apply today's tools and methods to all of your old recipes.

If you haven't prepared this type of food in a long time and you need to brush up on your skills, this book is for you. If you have never made a biscuit from scratch but would like to know how, this book is for you too. This is a must have cookbook for anyone who loves southern cuisine.

I highly suggest that Courtney Taylor's The Southern Cook's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Old-Fashioned Southern Cooking be added to your shelf. Do your female family members a favor and order them copies as well. They will need it to translate your secretly coded index cards that make sense to you, but not to them.

This book covers all the basics that I grew up with, from mom's meatloaf, to the real secret to great cornbread. It is full of useful information regarding techniques used in the south and to some extent the southwest (I grew up in Texas and this is the food we ate) The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is the lack of pictures.

Wellness is a whole way of looking at the world of health and well being and it is really about lifestyle change. Jack Travis & Regina Sara Ryan's Wellness Workbook stands alone as THE reference for anyone in the wellness field who wants a total picture, a sound theoretical foundation, and engaging & practical ways to make healthy changes.

The illness/wellness continuum, the "iceberg" model of health and disease, and especially the model for understanding the wellness energy system are absolutely essential for any professional to truly understand what wellness is and how it works. Travis has always "gotten it" that wellness is about many things, not just diet and exercise. His emphasis on the psychological factors are critical for without self-understanding and motivation behavioral change is most unlikely.

As the field of wellness coaching grows those delivering these services need this book at arm's length on their shelves.

Michael Arloski, Ph.D., PCC Author of Wellness Coaching For Lasting Lifestyle Change

I love this book! and am grateful for its reintroduction into the marketplace. With its new look and updated content I can now use the Wellness Workbook in my college health classes without fear of being labeled out of date. The Wellness Workbook was one of the original shapers of the Wellness Movement in the early 1980s, and promoted the idea that health was more than the absence of disease. Authors Travis and Ryan encouraged, and still encourage, readers to think, "Why settle for getting by, when your one precious life could be so much more?" They present Wellness as a jouney, a way of living and thinking, rather than a destination. The Wellness Workbook gracefully suggests that we take a mindful look at our lifestyles, and consider the impact our lifestyles have, in every fine detail, on ourselves, our families, our communities, and our world.
When most people hear the word "Wellness," they think healthful diet, exercise, and maybe a little stress management. This book goes far beyond the standard superficial health advice found in most books with Wellness in their title. The Wellness Workbook presents the most holistic and integrated view of wellness I have ever found in my twenty plus years as a health educator. As an example of this, take a look at the chapter on Wellness and Eating, where Travis and Ryan encourage you to consider the many meanings of hunger and nourishment. Along with a discussion of Eating for High-Level Wellness you will also find sections on Food as a Pain Reliever, Filling Up the Emptiness, and Food as Emotional Insulation. Although these sections may sound somewhat gloomy, the thoughtful writing is nonjudgmental and interesting, and the humor found throughout the book allows the book to "walk its talk" and consider the many sides of every issue, and understand how the many facets of Wellness are related one to another.

This book was recommended to my coworker for an adjunt book for teaching a mental health recovery class. We had an older copy. The new revised edition is even better than before. Many of the participants have liked it so much I have purchased additional copies for their own use. It is a great holistic approach towards wellness and can apply to a lot of differant populations.

The New Wellness Workbook, which was new to me with this 3rd edition, is the most comprehensive book that I have ever seen on wellness. Going far beyond cultural and medical ideas of health, the authors inspire us to look at our own wellbeing from the widest perspective, including emotional, social, and spiritual perspectives. As a holistic GP (family MD) I know that this book will be at the top of my recommended reading list.

I am a Certified HypnoBirthing® Childbirth Educator and I am sharing this with every person I know personally and every couple I come into contact professionally. I look forward to sharing it with my young daughter someday 10 years from now [hopefully Dr. Travis & Ms. Ryan will write future editions too]! I ate up each and every page, looking forward to the next. Plus it was easy to read and the index was so detailed that I could locate specific concerns quickly as if Dr. Travis was personally answering my inquiry. I loved the personal pictures from the authors' childhood and the last page [Grand Certificate] deserves to be on everyone's wall. If more parents followed the information in this book, the result would be lots of happier children, better balanced and less angry teenagers and less violent and money/status starved adults in our world. I know I will be referring to my copy for years to come ...or until the cover falls off! Perhaps by then the 4th edition will be birthed. I'm also planning to give copies as gifts since what it better but the gift of health!