Travis Books

This is a fantastic resource for anyone wishing to better understand the Constitution. It's written at a level middle graders will comprehend, but it would also be useful for teenagers and adults who may not always 'get' the wording in the original document. The side-by-side format is ingenious, allowing the reader to easily find specific sections or Amendments.

As a homeschooling mom, I particularly appreciate the exercise section at the end which provides proposed Amendments and points of discussion. There's also a page of hypothetical situations which will allow the student to determine what if any Constitutional privileges are violated. My only complaint is that for that particular section there's no answer key - it would have been helpful just to make sure I'm not overlooking anything. But, aside from that one tiny thing, I thought the book was an exceptional tool that would be extremely useful to teachers and anyone interested in learning more about the foundation of the U.S. government.

This book was recommended by another home schooling mom as we embark upon the study of our constitution and government. It is a concise, clear and very helpful course, in understanding and teaching the various branches and functions of our government. We appreciate the use of a curriculum that is not only easy to use but factual and accurate. Very pleased.

I teach middle school Civics. When I heard Cathy Travis' interview on NPR, I ordered the book for my classes that were studying the Constitution. The students loved the book's explanations.

In a few weeks Americans will once again be going to the polls to elect their forty-fourth President. For those of us who are not familiar with the American Constitution, Cathy Travis's Constitution Translated for Kids: Third Edition is an excellent starting point even though the title may be misleading in that it implies that it is only written for children.

As the Forward states, "the U.S. Constitution is the most revolutionary document ever produced by free people, and it set the stage of upheaval in the way nations all over the world governed the people they served. With the advent of the Constitution, for the first time people who were `governed' were the ones who chose their leaders."

Beginning with the Birth of Democracy and the timeline leading to constitutional government, Travis proceeds to present on the left hand side of each page the actual text of the constitution as well as its amendments and on right hand side their translations in a way that children as well as adults can easily grasp their meanings. It should be pointed out, as mentioned, the U.S. Constitution is the shortest, and the oldest Constitution of any government in the world. It comprises seven articles, however, there are now twenty-seven amendments wherein the first ten are known as The Bill of Rights.

As an example of how accessible Travis has made the U.S. Constitution to children as well as adults, lets look at some of the provisions of Article Two and the matter of the President's salary. The actual words state: "The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them." Now lets look at the translation that basically tells us the President receives a salary by serving as President, and this cannot be increased or deceased while he serves as President. We are also informed that the President cannot get paid anything but a salary from the United States while President. Furthermore, he cannot receive any money from any state. In other words, the President of the USA may be the chief executive officer, however, unlike CEOs of public companies, his salary is very much controlled and there are no stock options or nice bonuses.

Section Four bluntly reminds us that the President or Vice President and even other officers of the United States can be "kicked out of office (impeached) if they are found guilt of double-crossing (betraying) the country, offering people money, or getting money to do something dishonest, or any other really big crimes.

After presenting the U.S. Constitution in its entirety, Travis gives us a brief synopsis of how the three separate branches of the US Government work. And as we are informed, by having these three entities, the founding fathers made sure that the power of the United States government was never in the hands of just one person, or one group of people. This is called "separation of powers." The recent economic problems is testimony to how the system works wherein the hands of the President were tied until he received the consent of Congress pertaining to his wish to bail out financial institutions.

A very helpful section is "Words to Look at While You Are Reading." Thirty eight words are listed that help us navigate the workings of the Constitution. Did you know that the President's cabinet is made up of appointees that is unlike my own Canadian Parliamentary system wherein cabinet ministers are generally elected by the people? Another useful section is that devoted to the Executive Branch or as we know it, the Presidency. What many of us don't realize, especially if we are not Americans, is that when people vote for president, they aren't really voting for a person running for president; they vote for Electors, the people who make up the Electoral College. Here is where it becomes very interesting for it is possible to lose the popular vote yet still be elected president. The Twelfth Amendment discusses in further detail the workings of the Electoral College.

As the Constitution is a living document, it is never finished and thus there are entire sections devoted to the Amendments as well as proposed Amendments as for example a proposed Amendment to lower the voting age to sixteen. It is here where the pros and cons are also presented.

The final pages of the book show how in practice separation of powers work, a breakdown of the number of electoral votes each state controls, and a list of questions that violate Constitution Privilege. For example, someone gets arrested, but the police don't tell him or her the reason for the arrest.

Travis has worked on Capital Hill for many years, most recently as Communications Director of Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz of Texas. She has also worked on several political campaigns and she certainly knows her U.S. Constitution. Parents, teachers, and other educators will certainly welcome this book as a quick and informative read and no doubt will support discussion and learning about many topics related to the U.S. Constitution.

Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures

This excellent and easy to comprehend book is a MUST if you're learning or teaching the constitution. The pages are split down the middle. On the left are the words of the constitution, on the right is a reworded translation for children to easily understand the verbage without changing it's meaning. It is very clear, consise, and NON-INTIMIDATING! After struggling to create an interest in learning the constitution with my 3 homeschooled children ages 9-13, this has been what causes them to proclain History to be their favorite subject. I recommend this book.

John D. MacDonald's TRAVIS McGEE series doesn't just offer good reading but great reading in the thriller/mystery genre. When modern day writers disappoint I like to return to the series to once again shake my head in amazement at how MacDonald's writing transcends time with keen insight to humanity, its virtues and, of course, its darker side.
McGee is everybody's favorite friend and MacDonald made him available to all of us. While THE LONELY SILVER RAIN is good book start at the beginning of the series and work your way through the title colors. If you can't find them on-line then used bookstores usually have a few at ridiculously low prices. Enjoy!

I read JDM for his musings, his rants and his take and insight. The stories are secondary. I have learned a lot about criminals, more than I wanted to know which makes you wonder how he researched his books. The reason I sought out JDM books was from seeing him referenced in other books one of which is Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews. She "gets" MacDonald and I love the romance of remembering him so fondly.

Love all the references to the pre-Disney Florida in his earlier books.

OH yeah, I liked this book, too. Travis is more in touch with his frailty and the changes that losing your invincibility brings. If you love JDM Travis McGee series you will love this one just as much.

There will never be another John D. MacDonald. This is the last of the Travis McGee series, an exciting and dynamic read. McGee finds himself pitted against the usual evils, but also finds out an important fact from his past. Great read!

Dragging my feet to finish this one `cause I know it is the last. I have come to know Travis McGee well, as all of us have who've read the novels. He and Meyer confide in me. I give him advice which he rarely follows. But that's OK because it seems he always comes out OK.
I have read J.D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books- all of them beginning with "The Deep Blue Good-By" over the past year and am now at the end of the line- "The Lonely Silver Rain." A truly good author sucks you in, makes you feel as though you know the characters and would like to have a Boodles on ice with them (or Plymouth in the earlier books). It's been 21 books in all and I don't know if Travis dies in this one yet (would be truly great writing if he did) but either way he will die for me and for all of us or just fade into the sunset after this final book. John D. died himself barely two years after publishing this one. Who knows if he knew the end was near?
But others have carried on. I only began reading MacDonald because an author I had been introduced to earlier, Randy Wayne White, had been referred to in reviews as "the rightful heir to John D. MacDonald." Having read all the Doc Ford books prior to embarking on Travis McGee's adventures, I can see that Randy borrowed much from Mr. MacDonald. I think he would have been honored rather than perturbed.
I could make you an ordered list of the Travis McGee books, but all you need do is buy the first, "The Deep Blue Good-By" (yes, I always thought it was "Good-Bye" too) and it has the list in the front cover for you. The only one I had difficulty getting was "The Empty Copper Sea." I speculate that this is because that book was made into a TV movie and the producers probably still own the rights. You can get it used on Amazon, or I will sell you my first edition for a nice price- nice for me, that is. But I'll only accept half of the value if I recover your lost copy for you (if you haven't read at least the first book you probably don't know what I'm talking about).
In honor of the Busted Flush, slip F-18 Bahia Mar I sail the Garden of Idun, rack 65, Home Port Marina whenever I can. She is smaller and runs a bit faster than the Flush, but my wife and I enjoy her no less. Cheers to all of you who love the sea and all she brings to our lives!

No one has or will write better in this genre. Almost every novel is a gift, and this one is as good as any.

My first encounter with Travis Thrasher; the plot is sugary and predictable; a recipe for literary gagging, but there is something so infinitely gentle, sweet and poetic about Travis Thrasher's writing and the graceful way he handles his characters and story that keeps you engaged. I finished 'The Promise Remains' with a long, delicious and poignant sigh.

This book starts off with a hook. It brings you in questioning and wanting to know what it all means. I had so much fun reading this book I couldn't put it down. After reading the last page I went on line and bought the only two other books that Travis Trasher wrote. I am like every other woman out there that thinks that a man writing a romance novel won't be as good as a woman who writes one. I felt like the story pulled at my heart and I wanted more. The references to GOD and life made me realize what I forgot as a Christian. It made me want to make my realtionship with GOD stonger. Also it reminded me that I should trust in GOD more.

I'm 14, and I read this book. It looks like an adult book, but I think Christian teen girls would love it. This book was one of the best romances I have every read. I would totally recommend this book. I can't wait to read other books by Travis Thrasher.

I enjoyed reading the book.It was a little sappy in some parts, but overall a touching love story.

This book was very refreshing. I Loved it I think everyone should try it.

Cinnamon Skin by John D. MacDonald is entry number 20 in the popular Travis McGee series.
Early in the narrative Norma Lawrence, niece of Travis McGee's friend the economist Dr. Meyer, dies in an explosion at sea. Soon after that McGee and a heartbroken Meyer leave Ft. Lauderdale to take on the seemingly impossible task of finding Norma's killer. The trail, an exceedingly faint one, takes them to several cities and towns in Texas, the outskirts of Utica, NY and ultimately to Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
MacDonald has McGee and Meyer perform some very clever detective work along the way while introducing a number of interesting supporting characters. More than just a detective story, Cinnamon Skin succeeds in delivering some very interesting takes on human nature as the captivating plot unfolds.
This is a very well written novel. Fascinating characters, evocative prose and a page turner of a plot all make Cinnamon Skin a must read for mystery lovers and fans of great fiction in general. Highly recommended.

For fans of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series, this entry will not disappoint. This was the second-to-last McGee novel that MacDonald wrote, and it has been my experience that they kept getting better and better as they went along (the first of the series were good, although a little chauvinistic and dated due to being written and set in the early 1960's).

What makes this novel so compelling is that villain is incredibly fascinating. The story is not so much a typical whodunit mystery, as McGee knows fairly early in the book who the bad guy is, but rather a character study of a complex and superbly realized antagonist. In this case, the culprit concerned is a charismatic and manipulative sociopath who seduces women, marries them, and kills them for their money. The story is propelled mainly by McGee's search for this elusive monster and the gradual unwraveling of the events that made him the way he is.

I whole-heartedly recommend this book. The only reason it lost a star is because I found MacDonald's dialogue to be unremarkable in the sense that most of the characters talk pretty much the same way. In other words, he doesn't really know how to do voice.

If there's anywhere I'd rather go with Travis McGee other than Florida, it's Mexico. John D. MacDonald dives into the country's culture and landscape in "Cinnamon Skin" with his patented combination of cynicism, idealism, lechery and expertly rendered action, and you'll be really glad you came along for the ride.

"Cinnamon" is one of the later books in the series, and finds Travis and Meyer a little the worse for wear, time and loss having taken a toll. Travis starts the book by losing yet another good woman, and Meyer's still traumatized by events in the book before. That's what makes this series so great--the author's willingness to bring us along as his characters age, suffer and make mistakes.

I'm a younger, female reader, but have yet to find any mystery writer working today who even comes close to MacDonald. Basically, when I need a mystery fix, I'm more likely to re-read one of these than bother with the hacks that clutter the best-seller lists. Warm thanks to the publishers who brought out these spiffy new editions--even though a big part of the fun of discovering MacDonald is stumbling across the tattered original paperbacks with 1970s reciepts used as bookmarks and "Valley of the Dolls"-like babes on the covers.
Enjoy, and don't waste any more time on the inferior imitations!

To paraphrase a cliche: Travis McGee books are like pizza; even when they're not great, they're still pretty good.

But usually the major narrative faults don't fully occur to me until after I've finished them. During "Cinnamon Skin," though, I was noticing them left and right.

The main villain -- a chameleon who marries women, drains their money and murders them -- is pretty old hat. The story is extremely low on action (one clumsy fight; one badly sketched death by auto accident; one shoot-out that ends rather ludicrously). And did this book really need the appearance of a well-connected Mayan princess? Well, maybe... but it strains credibility.

"Cinnamon" isn't without its virtues: It's cool to see Meyer get such a big supporting role; cool, also, to see the rare sight of McGee clearly botching a relationship and, later, baiting his ex in a pretty high school way. He's not the fresh tough guy he used to be and even, at one point, gets mad at younger characters for moving too fast for him.

This was the first McGee I'd read that was written in the 80s. It's funny because whenever I visualize MacDonald's novels, I always see them in stark, CinemaScope, Technicolor terms. I visualize them existing in much the same, bright, 60s, go-go world as "Point Blank" and "Harper," with the later jaunts perhaps resembling "The Parallax View." So it was funny to me to read references to things whose appearance in the pop culture world I remember: McGee actually reads "Cujo" at one point, and grouses about the loser kids at a videogame arcade. Startling at first, but eventually pretty amusing.

"My God, McGee, can't you come up with something more original?"
"I thought it was."
"It's a song, you idiot. Piel Canela: Cinnamon Skin. They sing it all over Mexico."
- sometimes a compliment just doesn't work

CINNAMON SKIN begins on an ominous note; McGee's gentle, scholarly friend Meyer, a year after the events of FREE FALL IN CRIMSON, is still suffering from having broken in the face of some very heavy threats by a particularly murderous psychopath. (As CINNAMON SKIN is self-contained - McGee summarizes Meyer's situation for his current, unusually long-running girlfriend Annie Renzetti at the start of the book - it isn't necessary to read CRIMSON first, although since it introduced Annie as well as Meyer's problem I'd recommend having it handy at least to read afterward.)

However, just as the reader may begin to suspect that this book will follow a predicable formula - Meyer helps McGee with a salvage operation, regains his self-respect - two separate plans to try to help Meyer out yield unexpected results. An old friend and colleague has arranged for Meyer to give a talk in Canada, while Meyer's only living relative, his niece Norma, arranged to visit with her new husband Evan Lawrence, and thanks to crossed wires Meyer's out of town for part of Norma's visit while she and Evan stay aboard his houseboat, the JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES.

Consequently, when Meyer's boat is bombed and lost with all aboard while on a fishing jaunt, Meyer himself isn't there. He's lost the last of his family, his home, and nearly everything he owns thanks to a self-proclaimed terrorist attack - but *that* snaps him out of his frozen depression. He's determined to see Norma avenged, and McGee (of course) is in on this from the start.

But the facts don't add up. The supposed Chilean outfit that claimed responsibility doesn't seem to exist, and nobody else involved in Meyer's only Chilean-related project has ever been threatened. Who was the intended victim? Hacksaw Jenkins, a straight-arrow charterboat row captain known to stay away from drug action? Norma, a rising young field geologist for a Texas oil company? Evan, a footloose good ol' boy?

The scene quickly moves from Florida to Texas as Meyer and McGee begin digging into the recent past of Norma and Evan. The necessary formalities of settling Norma's estate quickly set them on the beginning of a very long trail, where the missing pieces are the most significant of all: missing people, and missing money. The most notable settings in the book are Texas in high summer (various places, Meyer and McGee do a lot of driving without many fast-talking scams) and Cancun (which was a very new development at the time of the action of the book).

Several nice touches, a few of which I'll mention. McGee's relationship with Annie, the very successful manager of a hotel in Naples, has issues other than his long field trips for his job: *her* job involves working for a large company, with up-and-out promotion prospects. Various discourses all over the map, from a brief chat with a farm equipment supplier on the smartest farmer in his county (who works his land with mules) to time-shares in Cancun to various grieving relatives of several people who surely would hate for the state to take several years to try this case and then call it second-degree.

I rather enjoy Michael Pritchard as a reader for unabridged McGee stories, but tastes may vary.

many thanks for great item & price, and for prompt service A +++

This book is NOT RELATED AT ALL to the John Lee Hancock's movie, altough Frank Thompson was involved in that film and other books about the movie.
Thanks to Ned Huthmatcher for his review and comments.
This book is about the real history and also has some interesting facts about the Alamo in our culture. I like it, is concise and I recommend it for anyone looking for an good introduction to the Alamo. 128 pages and many color pictures, almost like the type DK books publish, but well formatted for adults.

A really great informative book on every aspect of the battle of the Alamo on what led up to the battle, and what happened after the Alamo was taken and the defeat of Santa Anna at San Jacinto. The good thing about this book is the pictures and the biographys of the main characters inside the Alamo namely David Crockett James Bowie and William Barrett Travis. All in All it is one of my best books on the Alamo and I have a considerable Library that I am now building up on a part of American History which will never diminish as long as I live.

Lavishly illustrated, this is a quality publication. An introduction to the story of the Alamo for the general reader who knows little or nothing about it already, it spreads its net wide to include the cinema; how commerce has used the story and the Alamo Museum. If you are looking for a Christmas or birthday gift then this could well be for you. Recommended.

The Alamo is an illustrated history of the fort that became a symbol of courage and sacrifice for freedom. Though the Alamo fell in battle to the Mexican army forces of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, it ultimately bought time for the Texas Army under Sam Houston to consolidate forces, and two months later "Remember the Alamo!" was the rallying cry for Santa Anna's rout at the Battle of San Jacinto. The Alamo explores the site of Alamo itself, as well as what history has to say about the men and women who lived there, then reflects upon the Alamo as it is immortalized in popular culture to this day. Illustrated in full color throughout with photographs and artworks, and thoroughly researched with the latest known historical detail, The Alamo is a welcome contribution to both private and library American history shelves.

Ahh! What a delightful read! Travis sure does get himself in deep doo-doo from time to time, but typically, rises above the goop to salvage the broken lady. Good work, Trav!

While I still find "Flash of Green" to be my favorite MacDonald book, there's something so appealing about the Travis McGee series that keeps me coming back to them. And "Darker than Amber" has such a quick pace, that you cannot put this mystery down. And Travis, well, he's just Travis--you gotta love this guy! I just hope that MacDonald continues to gain in popularity, as I feel he is horribly overlooked.

The Travis McGee series is a very extensive (21 books) series by John D. MacDonald; the main character is a delightful personality, something of a cross between a standard hero and a con man antihero, and the books are all well-written and enjoyable, something of a cross between action-adventure and detective-mystery. There are certain similarities between the plots of the books, but there are generally enough differences to keep them from being truly formulaic.

The books are all capable of standing on their own; a new reader can start with any one of them without feeling that he is missing anything, and this book is a perfectly good place to start, although it is the seventh written. The stories were set in the contemporary world, and are thus a bit dated now as they were written in the sixties and seventies, but this book is less jarringly so than some of the others.

"In that light the color of her eyes surprised me. Light shrunk the pupils small. The irises were not as dark as I had imagined. They were a strange yellow-brown, a curious shade, just a little darker than amber...She looked across at me and accepted the appraisal with the same professional disinterest with which the model looks into the camera lens while they are taking light readings."
- McGee sizing up Vangie, a very professional new acquaintance

I began reading the Travis McGee series at the wrong point - THE DREADFUL LEMON SKY - so it's a bit difficult for me to quite grasp the notion that Meyer, McGee's closest friend and a neighbour in the Bahia Mar marina, wasn't built into the series from the beginning. DARKER THAN AMBER introduces Meyer to the series as an already long-time friend, obscuring the fact that he's a new character, participating for the first time in one of McGee's cases from the moment a joint fishing jaunt turns into the rescue of a very tough pretty girl dumped off a bridge with a concrete block wired to her feet.

"I'm in the logic business, McGee. I deduce possibilities and probabilities from what I can observe. My God, man, compared to the mists and smokes of economic theory and practice, the world of actual events seems almost oversimplified. A corporate financial statement is the most nonspecific thing there is. If a man can't read the lines between the lines between the lines, he might as well stuff his money into a hollow tree."

Neither Meyer (whose preferred dealings with women are described here and seldom referred to again) nor McGee (who's just finished a short fling with a woman fleeing a bad marriage) are interested in a relationship with Vangie, but having saved her life and being impressed by her calm endurance, they'd like to help her if they could. A sometime call girl who turns out mysteriously to take frequent jaunts on cruise ships, she's been used as bait in a very complicated and profitable scheme a few too many times, and was being disposed of before her vestigial conscience could inconvenience, let alone threaten, some slick operators. Unfortunately (though perfectly in character), Vangie doesn't open up to Meyer and McGee, and McGee only begins uncovering the truth in the wake of a supposed hit-and-run, frustrated at the waste of someone he rather liked and wished well. "You feel good to do a thing like that. And then when they take what you saved and see how high they can splash it against a stone building, you get annoyed."

The first third of the book sketches in McGee's immediate past and introduces Meyer, then details their first successful rescue attempt, including a lot of analysis in passing about what type of situation Vangie must be mixed up in for such a murder attempt to occur, McGee's odd streak of prudery about women, and Meyer's coexisting cold-blooded analytic turn of mind and his ability to make friends with nearly anyone, anywhere. Investigating Vangie's place and her acquaintances turns up the only story elements that really fix it in time at 1966: a member of the housekeeping staff who's an undercover civil rights activist.

McGee's self-image as a knight in somewhat tarnished tomato-can armor fits well with this story, as the damsel in distress has been involved in the seamy side of the entertainment industry most of her life and the scam that brought about her death is *very* sleazy indeed.

Notable story elements:
- Florida's cruise ship industry is featured quite a bit, since it's integral to the scam Vangie was involved in.
- Oddly enough, Vangie's short stay on the Busted Flush isn't the point at which MacDonald brings in one of his standard sex scenes; that's done earlier in flashback as McGee reviews his recent first-aid fling with a newly separated woman.
- Interesting contrast between Noreen Walker, maid by day and civil rights activist by night, and various characters of color in THE GIRL IN THE PLAIN BROWN WRAPPER, a few books on.
- Some very clever bits of detective work, from Meyer and McGee's joint analysis of Vangie's character to McGee's location of Vangie's financial stash to the solving of the main puzzle.

"Time for one game?"
"If you promise if you get white not to open with that infuriating queen's gambit."
- McGee and Meyer

Travis McGee is at it again in John D. MacDonald's 7th book in the McGee series, Darker Than Amber. McGee and his sidekick, Meyer, are minding their own business when a case is pretty much dropped in their laps. As the two men are fishing while tied up to a bridge, a woman is thrown off the bridge and sinks right in front of them like a stone. McGee dives overboard and is able to rescue the woman-despite the fact that her feet are wired to a cement block. The woman, Vangie, turns out to be a high-priced prostitute who was involved in a scam gone bad. It takes sometime, but McGee and Meyer are finally able to get the gist of Vangie's story, and they of course decide to help.

MacDonald does his usual job of providing a great tale of mystery, murder and intrigue. But one of the things I most enjoyed about Darker than Amber is that after having several cameo appearances in earlier books, we finally get to meet a fleshed-out Meyer. McGee and Meyer perform a good Dr. Watson/Sherlock Holmes routine, and their camaraderie rivals many of the other detective-sidekick combinations including Spenser and Hawk, and Poirot and Captain Hastings.

I am now 1/3 of the way through this 21 book series, and I have not been disappointed in a one. In fact, MacDonald just gets stronger and stronger with each subsequent book. It won't be long until I finish the entire series.

My read was well timed. I was reading the manuscript for review during the 2008 election cycle and waited to published this review until I was able to see if the concepts in chapter three were valid. A favorite line in the book, "But when it comes right down to it, voters are far less concerned with eating than they are being eaten, and that makes them much more attentive to danger than the dinner bell." Needless to say, Tasler's "THE IMPULSE FACTOR" was right on.

Although politics isn't the core of this great book, it does help you understand all the political ads we distain! As I read through the book, I found more and more examples with well written explanations why people tend to do what they do. We all have some risk taking in us, some more than others. What's interesting is the WHY some do what they do and others don't. You'll see yourself in many examples and those examples will clearly help you understand yourself and others.

This book is not only an enjoyable read for any reader interested in behavior, but for those that want to better understand people in general. It will help you identify the `instincts' you have about someone into understandable theory. Although packed with great information and sourced examples, the book is not a complicated read.

THE IMPULSE FACTOR joins the great company of the works of Dr. Robert Cialdini, Dr. William Bridges and Dr. Victor Vroom and Dr. Daniel Goldman.I yellow pened this book so much I bought a second copy and the audio CD for myself and another copy for my family to read. The Impulse Factor is that good a book. A top five book for 2008.

The Impulse Factor is a research based book from Nick Tasler of TalentSmart. At its core, it offers a quantifiable measure of decision making tendencies based on one's personal tendencies toward impulsiveness. It is a very logically structured book. It starts out with five chapters that provide the motivation based on research and observation of both man and animal throughout history. The final four chapters deal with the "Impulse Factor" test and how it applies to everyday life. Each chapter begins with a real world example that sets the stage for the particular topic, and the remainder of the chapter provides the technical details in light of the example. In addition, each copy of the book comes with a unique code on the inside cover of the dust jacket that gives access to take the online version of the Impulse Factor assessment. Afterward, you have unlimited access to your results as well as tools to help you improve your own decision making based on your results.

I liked the book overall. Tasler has a good writing style, and I never felt that the book bogged down even when he was dealing with genetics or psychology. As a result, I found that it was a fairly quick read in spite of the fact that it is fairly technical in these areas. One area for readers to be cognizant of is that Tasler bases a lot of his ideas on the theory of evolution. The data and current observation and research that he presents stand on their own, but you may find that you draw conclusions about their origins differently based on your own worldview. However, I found that the insights and online tools were worth the effort, and most people will find The Impulse Factor useful regardless of their worldview. Given the importance of decision making in the business world, people in leadership positions stand to gain the most from reading this book. That's not to say that other decisions are less important, but they do tend to be less frequent.

Nick Tasler says the world divides into two kinds of people: the risk managers and the potential seekers. Risk managers avoid getting hurt and prefer sure but small gains to big gambles. Potential seekers make the big gambles that can change the world, but that can also leave you landing flat on your face. Which is better? Neither. Without the potential seekers, we'd never risk trying anything new - perhaps the most dangerous course in an ever-changing world. On the other hand, the world - and especially the potential seekers - often need someone at hand to ask, "Is this really a good idea?"

It's nice to know there are potential seekers and risk managers, but the more important question is what to do about it. The first thing, Tasler says, is to find out which one you are. Then you need to figure out how to emphasize the strengths that come with your approach. One thing you don't want to do is to try to become the other personality type - the only sure thing this will bring you is ulcers. Better for a risk taker/potential seeker to learn to identify smart gambles and a risk manager to learn the risks of indecision.

Whether you're a risk taker or a risk manager, this book has some great strategies for seeing how with a new perspective on the world and your approach to it you can make better decisions and feel better about them, both in the short term and in the long term.

Warning - it's very easy to start to read for a few minutes and then discover that you've read through your lunch. I particularly liked the real world and historical anecdotes used to illustrate the different ideas - such as the story of Henry Dunant or why tulips once hurt the Dutch economy. I would recommend this as a good week-end read or maybe one to take and read while traveling.

The world, says author Nick Tasler, is divided into two types of people: the potential seekers and the risk managers. The former comprise about 25% of the population and these types tend to be more impulsive and take greater risks in order to achieve a perceived higher reward, than do the majority group, the risk managers, who favor safety and certainty over risk and reward. There's evidence that much of this is genetic; that certain people simply have a natural tendency towards being more impulsive due to their genetic structure.

Being a potential seeker can be a good or bad thing, depending on how one utilizes this disposition. Be too careless and you wind up eliminating yourself from the population. But channel it the right way and you may wind up developing that innovation that takes humanity forward.

The author has an online test to measure your degree of impulsiveness and how much of a potential seeker you are. I took it and discovered I am one of the 25% who is more of an impulsive potential seeker. I found myself nodding my head at the description in the book of this type of person. I also read the risk manager description and while I saw a part of me in this as well, I agreed with the test in that overall I am more of an impulsive type.

The author states various ways in which those who fall under one or the other category can make the most of that tendency, to maximize their productivity. I found this useful although I felt the author did get long winded at times. I found the research he cited to be fascinating.

I would recommend this book to anyone whose attention is captured by the title. If the title makes you interested in what the book is about, I'd say you would most likely benefit from reading it. If it doesn't, then perhaps it is too risky for you to read.

I really enjoyed this more classic McDonald book. I had just finished 'Dress Her in Indigo' and was very disturbed by that book. It was too dark for me, too mean, violent and too much senseless descriptive sex and musings thereof. Also, too many characters to keep track of most of them left you wondering at the end what their pertinence was, but I digress, this is a review of 'Bright Orange for the Shroud'. With the name of this book I couldn't imagine what it would be about and was completely surprised with the book and when the meaning of what it meant was revealed. It was all pretty sad.

This book took me back to the days of the "land deal" when you went to Florida in those days you were sure to be sharked by someone hustling you off to some "free" steak dinner to then con you into a purchase of a lot in one of these phony developments. Looking back on it I can't understand why nothing was done about it and why Florida was allowed to be raped by so many con artists. It was in a way a bad place, a taken advantage of place seems to be so to this day. It's all rather depressing which I think is what drove McD to write and muse about it and it colored his whole life and thoughts. To see such destruction so fast, so close up and to be there when poverty, ambivalence, shock, disbelief and naïvety prevented much being done about anything by the locals, was pretty sad indeed.

So anyway, it was a really good book and one this time I could relate more to the characters. One thing about Travis is that he seems attracted to sleazy women, they disappoint him, turn him off in the end and this keeps him free and clear of commitment...clever. One other observation is that Trav claims to have a "Calvinistic" conscience that keeps him from letting himself go too long out of shape physically but doesn't seem to apply to having a steady job with same work ethic. Pretty funny!

A friend of Travis McGee has been fleeced of all his money by a group of con artists. McGee promises to try and recover the pilfered money. Originally his plan is to con the cons, but he soon realizes that one of the gang is capable of murder.

This is a very good entry in the Travis McGee series (the sixth, I believe). In `Bright Orange for the Shroud' McGee faces one of the most brutal and memorable antagonists in Boone Waxwell, a local Floridian who is familiar with all the swampways, and is rumoured to have buried a few bodies there. The result is one of the darker and more violent of the McGee novels I have read.

I've read almost every title in the McGee series, and this is surely one of McGee's more disturbing adventures. As in 'A Fearful Yellow Eye', one of the villains is a rapist, so the reader should be prepared to read about that particular evil. (But it is just one aspect to the story, though.)
I concur with other reviewers -- the plot is straightforward. And the characters -- particularly the protagonists -- are easy to identify with and enjoy.
One thing was missing, however: MacDonald, through the worldview of McGee, usually works in a few mini-essays into the narrative. These insightful asides are usually about people, politics, or life in general. I don't recall any from this particular McGee mystery.

In Bright Orange for the Shroud, intrepid investigator Travis McGee uses brains and brawn to restore dignity and self respect to Arthur Wilkinson, a former McGee acquaintance who has lost everything in a real estate swindle. Not only did Wilkinson lose every last cent he ever had but he must live with the knowledge that one of the swindlers was his own wife.

This is a page turner of a novel that is part sting operation and part action adventure. Much of the book's interest quotient derives from the presence of Boone Waxwell, a menacing criminal who will remind readers and moviegoers of the villian in Cape Fear, another John D. MacDonald creation.

The action unfolds entirely within Travis McGee's beloved home state of Florida and is chock full of lush descriptions of the beaches, swamps and waterways that go to make up the Sunshine State. Bright Orange for the Shroud is an excellent example of crime writing. One that holds up well even after 40+ years. Recommended to fans of hardboiled crime.

I have read the entire McGee series and am now working my way through the unabridged audiobooks which were published by books on tape.

This is perhaps the simplest plot of the entire series. The fewest characters. No visit from Meyer, the economist.

Just three good guys, some medium bad guys, and one really memorable, but believable, super bad guy.

John MacDonald demonstrates that a uncomplicated and realistic plot with great and convincing characterizations is a much better read than a complicated, hard to believe plot. When you finish, you will muse that this could have been true, and suspect the author heard the germ of this story over a few beers in South Florida 50 years ago.

Jake Williams to wakes up one critical morning during Spring Break with in his car, his clothes bloodied, and a gun on the floor. Jake doesn't remember how he got there and wills it out of his mind. But do his college buddies follow suit or do they carry the truth away at graduation? That's the question Jake seeks an answer for as he takes on the mission of finding his school buddy, Alec, who's disappeared with a wealthy businessman's daughter.
In present time, we follow a concise timeline to meet the buddies that Jake ran with in college. He seeks them out one by one to discover if anyone has heard from Alec. Thrasher alternates this present time hunt with a detailed look at the past where Thrasher reveals Jakes fun-seeking senior year, building up chapter by chapter to the fateful bloody morning.
Thrasher uses changes in point of view to differentiate between the time periods. I have to admit the change in POV caught me off guard. I enjoy reading first person and when Thrasher switched to third person, I had to remind myself that Jake was not speaking about himself in the third person, a dorky trait to be sure. But it was worth the effort to lay the changes aside and immerse myself in the plot, which for the most part moves along and definitely reaches a surprising yet satisfying ending.
Mystery aside, Thrasher uses real life, real people to draw the reader in. His characters are appealing and quirky. He shows us that those who think they have everything in their spiritual lives figured out often end up in the same throws of uncertainty as those who toss their faith aside for a time and reclaim it when life throws a curveball; that few of us ever figure it out, ever attain a level of spiritual trust that gives us ultimate peace 365 days per year.
For me the spiritual take away is, live real, live honest, but live for God. If you do, you'll provide a much more compelling witness than if you profess to have it all together. God can use your failures, your mistakes, and ultimately your new life in Christ to bring others close to him.
I highly recommend this book.

I loved it! Thrasher's innovative style is masterful in building suspense and weaving together a captivating story of intrigue. Although I happened upon Admission completely by accident and had never heard of the author, once I began reading his book, I was hooked.

While walking through parallel time periods in the shoes of the protagonist, the reader wrestles with the character's very real confusion, anxiety and doubts as he plucks away the cobwebs of mystery that enshroud his past in order to discover the truth of an event that has plagued him for years. With authentic characters, realistic life situations, and riveting suspense, Admission begs you to delve deeper into life's inexplicable complexities. Travis Thrasher is an author that deserves to be discovered by anyone who enjoys good suspense and a great story.

Travis Thrasher's latest book, Admission is simply amazing. I highly recommend reading this book. Jake Rivers is on a search for a long lost friend and also trying to recover memories from a college Spring Break trip that went terribly wrong. All the while, he meets up with the love of his life once again, but can he reconcile past mishaps and start over again, or will the consequences of trying to uncover the past ruin his chance? Travis Thrashers weaves a suspenseful and thrilling story, one that keeps you on your toes for sure.

Sorry I couldnt help myself with the title of this review. This is the first book of Travis thrashers that I have read and it grabs you from the start and you cant put it down. I read the book in less than a day. It it the story of Jake Rivers who after about 10 years being out of college gets a call to help find a missing girl who was last seen with a friend from college. Jake hasnt really spoke to any of his old college buddys since the graduated. They had a one night camping trip were noone really seems to remember what happened and what they did. The author does a great job of making the characters interesting and easy to relate to. Would seriously recommend checking this book out.

Admission by Travis Thrasher is a well-written psychological thriller. Jake Williams left college 15 years ago and hasn't spoken to any of his friends since. But he's blackmailed into searching for his former best friend by events that he can't remember regarding their last days in school and the death of another friend. Thrasher does a great job of feeding out only a little information at a time to the reader, and because even the narrator doesn't have the answers, it doesn't feel forced. He also does a good job of dealing with Williams' faith in God: the faith of a new believer uncertain how to talk about it and still struggling to stay on the narrow path. The true flaw in the book is the overly quick resolution. The story quickly jumps ahead after the killer is revealed, and I felt shortchanged. Just one more chapter could have smoothed over those rough spots.

I really wanted to like this book, but it really doesn't hold up well enough after 30 years for me to recommend it. There is very little suspense in it. After I discovered that even Agatha Christie just kept writing the same book over and over, I gave up on mysteries altogether. There are some main problems with them: 1) How different can a murder mystery be than all the others 2) In a series of books, like a TV series, the hero can be battered, but never really faces the possibility of death, unless it's the last in the series, and that is announced before you even read it 4) Television mysteries became so popular since the 70s ( and especially in the 70s) and ripped off all elements of writers like MacDonald that for a 45-year-old man (me) picking up The Empty Copper Sea, published in 1978, in 2007 there is no way for this to be fresh. I have to admit that some elements of this took me back to my junior year in high school ('78) but there were three Billy Carter jokes in this novel and that kind of thing just attached it too carefully to a fleeting time in history. The reason to read this book is if you have read many or all of the other McGee novels and you want to read the one in which he deals with the self-doubt and reanalysis of middle age. It's all about the character. Even the Macguffin of this book is that nearly everyone in it is having a midlife crisis. There is plenty of male fantasy going on (McGee has no trouble bedding women much younger than he, and they are never homely, fat, or crazy like in real life). Most disappointing of all for me was that the mystery wasn't that mysterious. SPOILER ALERT: MacDonald makes nearly everyone in the novel so convinced that Hub Lawless skipped to Mexico that it's obvious he didn't, and when one character says that, it sticks out like such a sore thumb that you know the guy is dead one way or another. MacDonald also makes weird decisions about what miniscule details to put in and what big scenes to leave out. He chickens out of sex scenes like an embarassed nun and lays on the blood and gore like a 14-year-old. He also writes in a fairly old-fashioned way that just doesn't stand up. I'm sure that before every TV private eye and mystery show stole much of his good material this was an entertaining book (the title is beautiful for one thing), but the passage of time and the evolution of crime fiction has not really been kind to John D. MacDonald. Much of the political and social concern he tries to put in the novel through his characters (Meyer's hilariously out of date rant about angel dust) has been deflated by history. Even in 1978 it was cornball to refer to marijuana as "grass" and it instantly makes his characters such squares that it's hard to think of McGee as this street-toughened, shadowy, crime-fighting advocate of the down-trodden when he sounds so out of touch and country clubby. I was hoping that delving back into the mystery genre with one of the greats would be a nice experience, but the truth is that if you read any literature outside this genre, the characterizations you come to expect from top-notch writers like Faulkner, Pynchon, Wallace, Amis, McGuane, Franzen, Chabon, et al, really make a novel like this seem more like a fluffed-up pamphlet in which you start looking for paragraphs you can skip over. Or in other words, like a script for a TV show, not a novel.

Can someone, anyone, explain to me why it is impossible to get a "new" copy of this mass market paperback? This book was supposedly re-issued in the mid-90s with the other 20 McGee books...you can find new copies of the other 20 anywhere (including on Amazon), but you can't find a new copy of this book anywhere (again, including on Amazon).

I don't get it. Does this have something to do with the movie studio withholding rights to publish or something (I know this is one of the McGee books that was made into a movie)? Again, would someone please shed light on this matter for me...I'd love to get a new copy.

John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books are something that current authors should try to emulate. They are usually 250 pages long, actually give the reader food for thought and tell a good story. There is no padding in the book, no gratuitous sex scenes (although Travis meets heaps of women) and violence is kept to a minimum.

In this novel, Travis is approached by an old friend in need of help. The story centres around the search for a man who has gone missing, presumed dead but doubts have arisen over the possible large insurance payout and rumours that the man is hiding out in Mexico.

This leads to Travis and Meyer setting out to gather more information and at the same time, making interesting observations about the human condition (a trademark of MacDonald's writings).

Warmly recommended.

Over the years I've read hundreds of novels in a variety of genres, but for pure fun and enjoyment it's hard to beat Travis McGee. Some of the books are better than others, but they're nearly all worth a couple of lazy summer days. They are the ultimate summer time, quick-read beach books. At their core, they're good mysteries and this is one of the best. But Travis McGee is such a great character, with such a wry outlook on life, that often the mystery seems secondary to McGee's views on whatever topic author John D. McDonald has selected for his soap box. Most of them take place in Florida, (a Florida no one will ever see again given they were written mostly in the 60s and 70s) and all have a color in the title. Don't take them too seriously, just have fun in the sun.

What could be better than a beach book where a large chunk of the action takes place--you guessed it--on the Beach? Travis and pal Meyer endeavor to clear the name of ship captain, Van Harder. His client, Hub Lawless, was lost at sea and Harder was accused of being passed out drunk at the time of the accident. Van claims he was doped, not drunk, and now has lost his license and means of livelihood. Meyer engineers a neat scam whereby he and Trav get access to all the powers-that-be in Timber Bay, the town where the unfortunate Mr. Lawless was a king pin. His disappearance has left the town holding the bag and severely depressed. There is a serious question whether he engineered his own disappearance, and the insurance company is holding up the payment of a $2 million policy to the widow.

The book is fast paced with excellent dialogue, and if that isn't enough--Enter the Girls! First Trav hooks up with the lady piano player in a bar. He and MacDonald dance around for a few pages trying to absolve Trav of taking advantage of the dreaded, non-sensitive One Night Stand. Then come two good-time girls, Mishy & Licia who were on the boat at the time of the disappearance. Licia, though lovely, has a teeth problem. Much to her dismay one crude fellow told her "with teeth like that, you could eat a Big Mac through a venetian blind." (Not our Trav, of course). Then, saving the best until last, Gretel who brings Trav to his knees in instant adoration. I always get nervous when Trav finds true love; they seem to have a very short life span.

"The Empty Copper Sea" is vintage Travis McGee with more turns than a corkscrew and surprises to match. MacDonald sets up one of his trademark scenes of macabre horror right when you least expect it. He wipes that smile off your face, just in case you thought this was going to be only a lighthearted ramble. Recommended.