Travis Books

I've loved each book in the Melanie Travis Mysteries series, and this book doesn't disappoint. The only things I really missed in this book were the poodles! But don't worry, "Aunt Peg" finds a stray German Shepherd for you to worry about, and a pampered little Chihuahua saves the day for its owner.

Berenson's latest novel, a type of "closed-room" mystery set in a mountain resort, serves up the usual dog world shenanigans. But what I appreciate most about the series is the basic decency of the main characters (what I wouldn't do for an "Aunt Peg" in my family!). The small-town atmosphere of Melanie and Sam's world is frankly refreshing;
it's a place where Melanie's first husband co-exists nicely with her second, and her formerly aimless brother finds true love with the gorgeous handler, Bertie and even establishes a thriving business for himself. And then there's Aunt Peg...with her critical eye yet unconditional love. I'm looking forward to the next installment as the Travis/Driver family grows!

This series is terrific. The books are so well-written, you will enjoy them even if you are not a dog lover. If you are a dog lover, you will love the author's hilarious insights into dog ownership and dog shows. The characters are hysterical and likeable, the mysteries are well developed, and there is enough "real life" issues to keep the books from being cheesy. You won't be disappointed.

Her husband Sam and her Aunt Peg persuade four months pregnant Melanie Travis to take a break from all her activities. She agrees and goes with Peg and her sister-in-law Bertie to a symposium for dog show judges and those who want to be one in the Pocono's. Melanie is shocked to learn that Peg is going to meet Richard Donner, whom she corresponds with on the internet; he brought his mother, who is very possessive of her son and her she also brought her Chihuahua with her.

When Melanie goes for a walk she finds an abandoned German Shepard who is terrified of people. That night they try to find him buit instead come across well known dog judge Charlie Evans floating dead in the Jacuzzi. The police discover it's a homicide and everyone at the symposium expects Melanie to find out who the killer is. Many people think the controversial keynote speech he gave led to his murder; but Melanie thinks otherwise. Although she tries to stay out of the investigation, she keeps getting pulled into it until she finally surrenders and aggressively investigates wondering whose bite was louder than their bark amidst the many canine loving suspects.

Fans of dog lovers and amateur sleuth mysteries will thoroughly enjoy HOUNDED TO DEATH, a doggedly good who-done it. There is lots of humor in this book as the author plays up the pitfalls of the heroine's pregnancy (an amusing salute to Fargo) to the enjoyment of the audience. The abandoned German Shepard and the adorable Chihuahua also are played for laughs although dogs play an important role in protecting humans. Laurien Berenson keeps her series fresh by having her key characters change.

Harriet Klausner

Hounded to Death is the fourteenth in the Melanie Travis series by poodle owner Berenson.

Melanie, her Aunt Peg (a dog show judge), and her sister-in-law Bertie all travel to a five-day-long symposium in the mountains of Pennsylvania that is about everything to do with judging dogs. Peg drops a bomb while they are on the road: she is going to meet a man she met on the Internet, another dog show judge, for the first time.

The reception holds a few surprises: Richard, the Internet interest, has come with his mother, also a judge; he travels with her everywhere. His mother, Florence, has decided opinions on her son's welfare, and Peg is not judged to be good enough for him. While taking a walk, Melanie meets a scared and thin German shepherd, and after telling her Aunt Peg and Bertie, they decide to go out that night and try to find him. Instead they discover keynote speaker Charles Evans dead, face down and naked in the hot tub!

Charles had stunned the audience a few hours before with his speech about the "future" of dog shows. He was beginning to see the point of view of the animal rights activists who feel that purebred show dogs are genetically manipulated by breeders into parodies of their original uses. Originally dog shows were tests of the dog's function and usefulness. Now they had become, according to Evans, little more than "puppets for human entertainment!" The crowd was astounded that one of their own, a respected handler and judge, had turned his beliefs around so much. Caroline Evans, his wife, also a dog show judge, slipped out of the talk and disappeared.

Alanna Bennet, a beautiful blonde flirt who lives on the fringes of the dog show world and a friend of Bertie's, is not as shocked by the speech as everyone else. Why was Charles naked? Was he meeting someone? There had been talk of a judge asking for bribes. Was this scandal related to his death? And who bops the obnoxious Florence on the head?

Armchair Interviews says: Anyone who loves dogs--and interesting settings and characters--will enjoy this series.

This book is funny, one flatulence joke after another. Most of the book has a recipe that supposedly causes flatulence on the left and a cartoon of the same on the right. Each recipe has an associated "fluff meter", which describes the level of action it will produce. Occasionally there are pages containing "fart facts", some of which might even be true. I laughed my way through this book, many of the cartoons are accurate, representing the ways in which we try to handle and occasionally profit from the most embarrassing body noise.

Outstanding book of recipes, fart history and little known facts. Each recipe is rated. Humorous comments about each recipe are included. Something for everyone. My favorite is Thunder Wafers!

Not only does this book contain recipes, any man would love, it was fun to read as well. Wonderful entertainment, made me laugh until I cried. My family's favorite recipe, Those Stadium Stinkers!

It has really good food platters and they all have nice sideeffects. One of the recipes made me do a SonicBoom

As a long-time petomaine, I'd searched for years to find a book filled with recipes that not only taste good but give a little added "entertainment" as well. This is such a book! I've had my copy for years, its pages now well-smudged from heavy use in the kitchen. My favorite? "The Treasure of Sierra Madre", an 8.8 on the fluff-o-meter!

Get a copy! May the farts be with you!

Mr. Sentell writes an astounding and foundation-shaking take on the essence of the universe, spirituality, and humanity as a whole, connected entity. It is nothing short of pure brilliance. Though I cannot seem to find anything else here by Mr. Sentell, I am very excited to see what he has coming out in the future, assuming he is still around.

This book starts by deconstructing the axiomatic notions of our world and analyzing them from a simultaneous objective and subjective view. The brilliance is contained in Sentell's awareness that the observer innately affects the observed. Without disclosing too much, for I think everyone should read this book, Sentell offers a new-world way of thinking that abandons old, traditional views of spirituality and brings them into the 21st century. Integration is key for Sentell, leaving no religion or theology behind in this surprisingly short read.

The book is concise, thought-provoking, and a truly useful resource to anyone who has ever asked the question, "Why are we here?"

I knew of Mr. Sentell's acting chops (and his Broadway.com exploits), but I didn't know he was such a thoughtful and thought-provoking writer. Highly recommended!!!

Travis Sentell's book is a must for anyone who feels that the constraints of religious and cultural ideologies impede on a greater understanding of life. Sentell takes aspects and ideas from various world views and synthesizes them into a cohesive and comprehensive ideal. While combining the notions of auras, ESP and telekinesis with textual anaylsis of Bible, Sentell carefully and effectively asks the reader, "What are you believing?" but "Why are you disregarding this?" Judgment Day Manifesto is a vital reading for anyone who wants to truly find out and come to terms with what they actually believe in.

This is a book of significant value to those of us interested in exploring the controversial, the mysterious and the most significant aspects of living and dying. The author's first published work, it is a thoughtful and revealing view of one young man's struggle to make sense of the conflicting religions and philosophies surrounding the meaning of life, and of death. In the end, it is a comforting and hopeful view of life, not only as we know it here, but in all of its forms. Additional mysteries exlored include auras, ghosts, aliens, ESP, out of body and near death experiences and a host of other fascinating subjects. The book is well researched and referenced. I am anxious to see what Mr. Sentell will write next.

I read Sentell's book pretty soon after it was published and was excited about how he creates a new framework for spiritual thought without denying the wide variety of views out there-- religious, philosophical, and scientific views. The reason I give the book five stars is not necessarily because of the writing prowess (although it is good, it is his first book), but because of the broad background it gave me into various areas of thought and how he connected all of them. It caused me to go out and buy many other books on reincarnation, comparitive religion, and auras (among other topics). His extensive bibliography is extremely helpful in offering other sources for research into or personal curiousity about any of the topics he addresses.

I like Debbie Travis's style, but the homeowner faced with a kitchen smaller than about 15x15 or a bathroom smaller than 8x10 might find the design ideas difficult to incorporate into his or her own home. As the owner of a tract home with a (very typical for this city) 4x6 bathroom and a 9x10 kitchen, I didn't find much of use.

I loved this book, and any other books that Debbie Travis has on the market. Her ideas are fantastic, and she will get your creativity juices flowing to start other projects.

Lots of pictures of differant styles to really spark ideas for any style of kitchen. And of course, she has unique projects in this book as well.

I highly recommend this book. Directions are clear and concise. You have LOTS of choices of innovative projects that are adaptable for many different lifestyles. Good for young, young at heart AND older people who want something different in homes.

This was supposed to be one of the best of the series. I saw it listed on some mystery sites as a must read for this genre.

I liked it generally speaking and gave it an OK rating. It isn't a classic by any means but it has a good story, with good twists, believable characters, some action, good detective work. I dont' care for the authors frequent editorializing on issues that he deemed imporatant, but then again quite a few authors do this so I just accept it as their "thing".

In all I found that it was a good, cheap, PI novel. That's what the guy wrote. Readable and I would recommend it if you want a quick, throwaway read.

"Dreadful Lemon Sky," MacDonald's 13th in the Travis McGee series, is vintage McGee. I would put it right up there with the best of them, "Green Ripper" and "Bright Orange Shroud." It boggles my mind that MacDonald could write the abominable loser "Turquoise Lament" in 1973, and turn around and write this sparkling gem in 1974.

Carrie, a blast from the past, pays McGee a surprise visit aboard the Busted Flush with a suitcase full of suspicious money. She asks him to keep it safe for her, keep a $10,000 "fee," and if she does not return for it in two weeks, send it to her sister. Two weeks later and no Carrie; McGee goes out to earn his fee. Carrie has died in a car "accident." McGee mounts his white horse and vows vengeance for the lady. He finds drugs, danger, more action than even he bargained for, and meets a load of fascinating (if not righteous) characters. He discovers an all too happy singles only apartment complex apparently fueled by marijuana and presided over by a Big Daddy who is the benevolent landlord. A mysterious newly widowed Cindy Birdsong plays his Bond girl role, if somewhat diffidently. The locale is all Florida, purely Florida.

"Dreadful Lemon Sky" is superbly plotted with a surprising number of twists and turns for a MacDonald book. The character vignettes are sharp and right on the money. This is a Travis McGee not to be missed.

This happened to be the first novel of the Travis McGee series I read, back in the 80's, and I was instantly hooked. I grew up in Florida, and McDonald, as every reader familiar with Florida notices, knew the state intimately and paints that strange place with a master's touch. Travis McGee is probably the most perfectly realized character in series fiction, but what really grabbed me about this novel was the ultra-frightening villain. In fact, I think McDonald's greatest talent was the invention and development of his horrifying bad guys.

Travis McGee is visited late one night by a girl he knew years ago. She appears concerned for here safety, not allowing McGee to turn any lights on and continually checking over her shoulder as if someone might be following her. It turns out she is carrying a large sum of money that she asks McGee to hide for her. She adds to the intrigue by instructing him that should anything happen to her, he was to get in touch with her sister and give the money to her.

Inevitably she is killed a week later prompting McGee to take The Busted Flush and his neighbour and regular party fiend, Meyer south to Bayside to try to find out what happened to her.

What he and Meyer stumble into is an amateur marijuana smuggling racket that is starting to get out of hand. While McGee is stirring the hornets nest bodies begin to pile up at an alarming rate. He plays the avenging white knight to perfection here without becoming overly sentimental or judgemental; he simply does what he has to do, taking his bruises in the process.

The inclusion of his fellow Lauderdale resident and party buddy on this particular caper adds a nice balance to Travis' usual introspection. They each bounce their deep philosophies off the other keeping both each other and us amused. A fast moving Travis McGee is a good Travis McGee and this one certainly zips by with alacrity.

A finely printed book that features more than the regular images that every other book has. The essay is a very worthwhile read. It offers wonderful insites to the photogrpaher at the end of his working career.A real must to any Weston colection of books.

Edward Weston was one of the most squirelly, yet most talented photographers in the history of the medium - he rarely smiled, wore women's clothes, never learned to drive, married a woman 30 years his junior, lived in a shack in Carmel and loved philandering with Tina Modotti and others. He died with $300 in the bank in 1958, yet his photograph of a Circus Tent went at auction a few years ago for $266,000. His influence on photography and photographers was immense. Two of his four sons, Brett and Cole, became accomplished image makers and his grandson now carries on that same tradition, even living in the same shack on Wildcat Hill in Carmel. This book covers roughly the last 10 years of his photographs 1938-1948. The images are superbly produced and well-chosen but the text was a bit overbearing and heavy on the theory that in the last years Weston was overly concerned with death which was represented in his images. Certainly his images of Point Lobos are a bit dark and morose with pictures of dead trees and pelicans, but that's Point Lobos! During this period he also made whimsical images of his wife wearing a gas mask in the nude and playing a flute while a cat looks on with a surprised glance. Weston was full of LIFE, not death. Thirty years before his death in 1958 he made an image of a corpse at a time when his relationship with his future wife was rosy and he was spending time with his beloved sons. His final work does not seem any more concerned with death than it was in his earlier years. But, forget the text! Photography books are similar to Playboy magazines anyway - we buy them to look at the pictures, not read the text!! This is a terrific book and I can't wait to view the actual images at The Art Institute of Chicago.

This is a catalog for a show currently at San Francisco MOMA, launched in Chicago last year. (Weston came from Illinois and did most of his work in California.) It is essentially a re-edition of Weston's My Camera On Point Lobos, published in 1951 and again in 1968. The major change is text by David Travis replacing excerpts from Weston's daybooks in the original.

The text is intended to humanize someone who is mostly mythical by describing and interpreting events in the last years of his life at Point Lobos. It presents the author's analysis of Weston's career, state of mind and the evolution of his late style. There is little or no new material here and the analysis is strained, but thoughtful.

There are some intelligent comparisons presented of Weston's late and early views of the same subject. As a collection this is not a good introduction to Weston. It is a good final chapter to the Daybooks and a beautiful collection of reproductions. It is also a good companion to Ansel Adams at 100, showing how these two friends viewed many of the same subjects so differently. It would be a good addition to reading Charis Wilson's Through Another Lens, showing many pictures of domestic life including Weston's children, cats, and many of Charis Wilson. There is a lot of "inside baseball" here, both explicit and implied.

There is at least one important image in the show that is not in the catalog and there are many important omissions from the show itself, which make this a poor place to start studying Weston's work. For the record, both Weston and Adams experimented with color in the late 40s, shooting the same images in color and black and white. The color images aren't good but they are a very good way to show why their respective monochrome images are so strong.

It is worth repeating that while the printed images are as good as any you'll see, they are not even close to the 8X10 contact prints in the show. This really matters in Weston's work. If you have a chance to see the San Francisco show, before it is put away for another 10 years, you will also see additional earlier prints from SFMOMA's outstanding permanent collection which put the theme of the show into context that is missing from the book.

This is Weston when he was only satisfying his own search for meaning, not making statements or presenting his vision to the world. These are his final meditations and he knew it. They are by far his richest and most abstract work and worthy of a lot of study.

Not just a great presentation of Weston's last productive years, the essay by the Chicago Art Institute's Curator of Photography provides the best understanding to date of what it means to be a mature artist - and why it was that Weston was viewed by his peers, including Ansel Adams, Minor White, Imogen Cunningham as the consummate photographer, the proof that photography like other forms was capable of synthesizing interior and exterior realities into works of profound emotional and aesthetic power. A great contribution!

Excellent book for anyone involved in the planning of worship. Masterfully created by using the artful principles encouraged and putting it into published form.

THANK YOU!

Every pastor responsible for planning and leading a worship service should buy this book, read it, and then do two things. First, find an artist in your congregation who will help you understand how important this book is. Let that artist, or better yet several artists, teach you how the arts can assist you in creating moments of transformation and wonder during that hour on Sunday. Second, honestly respond to the "Questions to Explore" at the end of each chapter. Write out your answers. Discuss them with your staff or leadership team. They are outstanding discussion starters for weekly staff or leadership meetings or even for use in a retreat setting. Dealing with these questions will intensify the impact of this entertaining and informative read.

I read this book from the mindset of a Christian educator who fears that an hour on Sunday is what the average Christian invests in their Christian education. Nancy Beach has provided a timely challenge for we who teach to embrace the value of creativity. She writes from her passion and experience as one dedicated to communicating the truth of God's Word to a culture overwhelmed by information and to generations who learn as much by seeing and experiencing as they do by listening. If you want to make the most of an hour on Sunday you'll be well served by this book.

P.S. If you lead creative people, the bovine metaphor on page 80 is worth the price of the book!

This is one of the most delightful "how to" books I have read in a long time! This book will help both ministers and lay leaders in the planning of the Sunday morning service. The suggestions given are sound, biblical, and can apply to both a traditional setting or a more contemporary setting. The reader is challenged to make the worship hour on Sunday morning more meaningful by first examining his own heart and motive. The goal is to have the worshiper leave the church changed in a more positive way than when they first came. The advice of this book is both timely and easy to follow.
Many times "how to" books are dry and boring to read. The delivery of the material in this book is as entertaining as it is enlightening. The use of illustrations and drawings are intermingled with the text, many times becoming the text. For example, when the book discusses music, you find the text in a sheet of music, like the lyrics of a song. Humor is very much a part of this book. In the first part of the book, the author gives you permission to skip to a page later in the book if you feel you don't need to read that particular section. When you skip to the page indicated, you are admonished and told to return to the section you wanted to skip. All in good humor, of course. There are also thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter that enable you to celebrate the good things you are currently doing in your organization and encourage you to explore new ground.

Good book to give you an idea of how to lead and work with artists in worship.

I had read all of the manuals that came with LabVIEW, but still needed something more to get me over the initial learning curve; something to answer the "Why should I do it that way?" questions .vs. the "Here's how to do it." The latter part of "LabVIEW for Everyone" did just that, in addition to providing more detail in how to perform basic operations.

Gives excellent overview and lets you see the potential of the software.

I've been programming data acquisition systems for a long time and was daunted by the scope of learning yet another programming language. LabView product literature seemed difficult to understand. But, with the help of LabView for Everyone, I got into the project quickly and get results immediately. The book is easy to read, sometimes cutsey, but filled with good examples that work! They point out pitfalls, problem areas, and provide examples of how-to for many situations (for example, why the wires are different colors and sizes; common errors that result from broken wires, and so forth). Their examples were invaluable for getting my project done in a reasonable amount of time. I'd strongly recommend this book for people faced with getting going with LabView. I developed my project typing with one hand and leafing through this book with the other. I guess it saved me 4 weeks of work. That alone makes it worth the price, several-fold.

Being new to LabVIEW this book was a great help in learning. It starts with the basics and step through each phase. Excellent for any LabVIEW user.

"One Man's Soul, Lessons of A Lifetime is an interesting collection of essays and insights that readers can derive some benefit from."

"Each essay addresses life challenges and provides useful approaches to overcome them. The author skillfully uses wisdom achieved from life experiences as a way to encourage one to live their best life. Providing lessons that deal with faith, dreams and love."

"Presenting examples and instructions on how one can achieve substantial fulfillment by reassessing how we think and handle challenges in life."

"A great read with helpful guides that readers will be able to implement in their journey to reach their full potential."

When was the last time you read a book that honestly spoke to your heart about true-life lessons? Well, that's too long. ONE MAN'S SOUL: LESSONS OF A LIFETIME will propel your thinking forward a hundred times over. The motivating words will allow you to see your life in an innovative and exceptional way. The coaching of Travis Otey is clearly revealed giving you a new viewpoint on your most interpersonal struggles. The essays will give you ideas, strategies, and thinking points that will turn your life around.

Otey offers short essays that are easy to read while relating to males and females both. As you enter a new season of your life you will be able to employ the wisdom he presents about - love, relationships, success, family, adversity, men and much more. This is a book that you will highlight, dog ear and talk about with friends, family and coworkers for years. Want to change your life? Run out and buy ONE MAN'S LIFE: LESSONS OF A LIFETIME and have a personal encourager my your side at all times.
[...]

Travis Otey's, One Man's Soul: Lessons of a Lifetime, is truly a
soul stirring book, which will hit home with readers of all ages
seeking answers to life's challenges. His divine lyrical writing style is
showcased in this piece; there is a tremendous motherlode of wisdom and
discernment packed into an inspirational collection of essays designed
to curdle a spiritual revival - a reformation of how we handle the
various relationships in life.

The reader is refreshed by his passion to reach deep down in that
hidden space where life's trials and tribulations can kill hope
instantly. With a deep and abiding faith in God, Otey opens his life lessons so the reader can make choices that reflect their own heart's truest priorities and highest goals in life.

Otey doesn't shy away from taboo topics like:
-turning your life around from addiction to total abstinence and the burden of all addictions.
- fear of being judged by others or living up to the standards of others
- enduring the pain of a broken heart or divorce or family strife
-facing adversity at work, at home, financially and personally

If you've ever anguished over life's trials then this book is for
you. There's a healing affect in its words. It won't magically heal you
from the pains of life, nor give you rose-colored perceptions regarding
life's adversities, but it will help you understand that all things
can be turned to good ... and that the hardest lessons bring the biggest
benefit to the maturing and deepening of one's faith. It will set you
on the healing path and encourage you to take the higher, better road to
a more fulfilling life.

I recommend this book to everyone who've gone through adversities in
life, have been wounded deeply by others, or who just simply find life
hard to live. I'm sure you'll treasure this book; as much as I do... it
is a Godsend to all.

This book is a collection of short essays written to give readers courage and guidance as they face life's obstacles. It is a testimonial of the author's wisdom learned through facing life with faith in God, belief in family values and use of good judgment.

Both males and females will enjoy reading this book. Males will be able to instantly identify with the realistic situations. They will also find comfort in the fact that the book is written from a male perspective. Females will treasure the honesty the author expresses in each essay. They will enjoy reading the writings of a man that is not afraid to express emotions men normally hold-in.

There are not any standout chapters in this book, which is not a negative, because each chapter holds its own by sticking to its topic and providing information of how best to intelligently accept life's challenges and boldly face them.

The author doesn't leave any stone unturned in his quest to write an all-encompassing book about life lessons. There are chapters dealing with " Success, What Is It?" "Manly Needs," "Communication," "A Child's Needs," etc. Almost every life situation is covered between the pages of this book.

The beauty of this book is the author's ability to provide guidance for almost all situations without coming off as a know-it-all. Even in the chapter titled "The Savior's Importance: Faith," his advice flows without sounding "preachy" or making him appear to be self-righteous. Also, the author never allows the reader to forget that taking personal responsibility for all your actions is the first step to achieving success.

I would not recommend that anyone read this book as a novel; hurriedly from start to finish. The book would much better serve readers as a reference guide in times of needs. It doesn't even need to be read in chronological order. The reader should browse the table of contents and decide what situation in his/her life they can use encouragement and advice in and read that chapter.

I found it refreshing to read an encouraging book written by an African American male. Move over Iyanla Vanzant, the brothers finally have someone we can relate to.

Reviewed by Granderson Glenn II
for RAWSISTAZ (BMR)

Very fast paced with nice twists. I liked the characters, but I think some of them could have shown more depth like Quantum Connection/Warp Speed. I will absolutely pick up Doc Taylor's future novels as he has a wonderful talent for describing future tech that appears just around the corner and is understandable to a lay person.
Great job!

The author's writing style takes some getting used to, but once you do, this is one of the best military sci-fi books out there. A definite recommended read.

Move over Star Trek and thank God, Someone can write Science fiction that
is believable but is willing to blow things up! Thank the stars there is
no Prime Directive in his books and if he puts one in I'll quit reading him. The Disney opener was a good twist but John Ringo used it as well in
one of his books so I think there is some sharing going on but it still made for some good action. From there no let up. Great science brought out
great action. Would love to see a Battle of Midway written into his next
book that would be a great scenario but that is a personal preference. I love the end who would have thought? Read the book, and no other reviewer
should give it away either!

If you are looking for heroes and technology, look no further. Hard-edged combat covering an entire battlefield. Heroic acts of sacrifice abound. Then the last chapter opens and spins everything 90 degrees.

My only concern was a lack of character depth. There was no weakness on the 'good' side - no idiots, no cowards, no craven acts. The Separatists had more range, but even that was a single character acting selfishly.

I will buy everything Doc writes.