Pet Books

This book is well presented and the pictures are great. Detailed and well written with understandable instructions. A great book to have.

This is a great book if you are taking lessons from an instructor and you want additional things to practice. Beginners may not find it as helpful as they were hoping.

I tend to not be very creative and this book really helps with giving many ideas for practical lessons that improve both horse and rider. There are enough quality lessons for months of practice. Well written and organized.

This book was very informative and gives me the proper mindset to bring to the barn for my horse to learn one step at a time. A great reference book and guide.

This book is well written for the layperson with excellent diagrams, and was shipped promptly as promised.

Kozloff's book is a classic and a bible for anyone who studies intertidal and coastal organisms in the Pacific Northwest. Professor Sean used this book when he took Kozloff's Marine Biology class at the University of Washington and it has been one of his favorites ever since. Kozloff's insights and anecdotes on marine organisms, accompanied by his encyclopedic knowledge, blend to create an outstanding book for identifying and learning more about marine life. If you simply want to know the names of the organisms, there are plenty of cheap field books out there. But if you want to truly know and understand marine organisms and the role they play in the ocean, then this is the book for you.

This book is really geared more toward the academic. I would not find it useful as a field guide, though it makes for fairly interesting biological reading. It is not laid out in a "field guide" fashion, with species listed and illustrations for each provided. It would be frustrating to take the kids to the beach at low tide and attempt to use this unless you are very well acquainted with your marine taxonomy. Most species are not identified by a common name, and the color plates and illustrations are not necessarily near the species text.
This book reads as a textbook for students rather than a useful tool for laymen who just need to know what critter they just found under a rock, and want the information before the tide comes back in.

Though published in the early 1980s, this book does a wonderful job of introducing the active naturalist to the nearshore marine life of the Pacific Northwest. This book includes good illustrations and photographs, descriptions of where marine flora and fauna live and what they do there. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to go the seashore of the Pacific Northwest and figure out what they are looking at. Kozloff has been there and seen everything he's writing about. I use this book as my primary text when I take students to Puget Sound, Washington, for my marine ecology field course. A top notch field guide!

Being a believer already that there is more to dogs then meets the naked eye, this book grabbed me by the heart and made me revisit each dog that has ever been in my life. I recommend this book to anyone who is open to learning about themselves and their canine friends.

I bought this book two days before I found the perfect dog at the local animal shelter. I started reading and I cried over the front of the book that tells the story of the man meeting at the gates of Heaven and asking for his faithful companion to enter with him. My dog jumped on the sofa next to me and licked my tears. I haven't been the same since. I can't recommend this book enough.

This book could be life-changing for those people who believe that animals have powers beyond the simple realm of their daily reality. I was most impressed with her writing, her worldly experiences and her genuineness. I actually went on her website and listened to a conference she had that had been taped. WOW. This is one dynamic human being with a heart as big as Texas. I love dogs--always have--and she captures something about them that even I hadn't given them credit for. It's definitely not an easy read, however and you must pause, put the book down and reflect on her ideas.

Jean Houston is one of the most remarkable figures in Humanistic Psychology and consciousness studies of the 20th and 21st century. This book is simply luminous and a great treasure. Anybody who seeks the spiritual path and/or adores four legged friends will love this book. The pictures of Jean and her dogs are also truly wonderful. Hats off to Jean and her brilliant and loyal canine friends.

Mystical Dogs: Animals As Guides To Our Inner Life by Jean Houston is about the transcendental value of animal companionship in general, and the love of dogs in particular. Indeed, our animal companions can be the starting point to a mystical gateway and an awakened consciousness. An absorbing saga of metaphysical enlightenment and abiding memories for beloved animal companions, Mystical Dogs is enthusiastically recommended reading for New Age animal lovers.

Painting Pets on Rocks is a fabulous step by step instructional book. My students (1st through 7th grade) created fabulous rock paintings following these easy-to-follow instructions.

I couldn't help it, it sounded so fascinating when I was invited to a "rock party". A friend held it, and all of us got together at her place. She had a bunch of field rock, (though I've heard smooth river rock is good also) and she had cleaned them all up and they sat, waiting on her front step. We took turns choosing the rock that "spoke to us" and brought it into the house for some good old fashioned gossip and a fun project with friends. Oh, yes, we had doubts! Halfway through those rocks were UGLY, and we took a few chip and salsa breaks so we could look at them from a distance (they looked better that way- Laugh!). But- amazingly enough- when we finished the last step, perfectly outlined in the book- our rocks looked GREAT!! I actually DISPLAY mine in my little rock garden, and get so many comments on their "uniqueness". What a fun idea! And takes almost no $ to get started, if you're like me, you already have the simple materials lying around from previous projects!! Great book, simple instructions, great tips and pointers- even for the novice.

It has beautiful painted rocks in it and shows just how easy it is to paint rocks. I am not a real good painter but, I do plan to give it a try. Instructions and ideas in this book are great even for a beginner like me.

Super, these books by Ms. Wellford are illustrated so beautifully that ANYONE could paint animals and such on rocks. Her directions are not only the written word, but also demonstrated by showing the drawing from the stones to use, preparing the stones, sketching from "square one" on thru the completed reproduction. These books are a MUST for any rock painter enthusiast.

A new meaning to the words "Pet Rock":

Lin Wellford has out-done herself again! I just can't get enough of her books! For those of you who have not read any of Lin Wellford's books, let me tell you, IT'S TIME TO START! In "Painting Pets on Rocks" you learn how to paint your dog, cat, fish, and even your pet bird! The book doesn't just show you one type of dog, or only one cat. Lin gives you instructions on how to create many different rock pets. From Dalmations to bulldogs, tabby cat to siamese...this book has it all.

Even if you have never painted before, you can do these projects. The book has full color, nearly step by step photos with the step by step instructions. As with all Lin Wellford books, her instructions are written for the beginner and it is amazing how well your pet rocks come out.

This book was recommended to me by several people who are into tarantulas. I had no interest in reading any more than the care of tarantulas, but I've now read the whole book, simply because it was so interesting.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the critters, and especially to anyone considering keeping one as a pet, or breeding them.

As a psychologist specializing in treating people for spider phobia, I found this book brilliant in teaching how to look after the tarantulas I own. As time is an issue for me, I wanted a book that would cut to the chase about keeping tarantulas so I could learn quickly about how to keep them so I could use them in therapy. This book delivered the goods and has allowed me to happily keep tarantulas so as to treat spider phobics. A must for anyone interested in keeping tarantulas.

Anthony Gunn, psychologist and author of Fear Is Power: Turn Your Fears Into Success

a very useful and understandable book. An essential text for the lovers of the tarantulas

Being new to the tarantula keeping world I found Mr. Stanley's book an excellent source of information on all aspects of spider keeping. Especially helpful was the chapter on raising spider babies when my pet store bought Chilian Rose Hair decided she wanted to suddenly and quite unexpectedly give birth! If you are thinking about raising tarantulas I urge you to read this book first; you will enjoy the hobby so much more if you do.

Best reference on Tarantula's I've found. Answers most questions. Will be the most used book on my reference shelf.

I spent much of my life as a cowgirl. Back then, no one considered dressage for basic training. Now that I am learning dressage, I needed someone to visually explain the maneuvers and the reason for how to execute them. This ol' cowgirl needed plain basic instructions and this book is the only one I consider easy to understand. That's a mouthful when it comes to dressage, but the book delivers. Within a year, we are working on 3 rd level, and I have much to thank the book that backs up what my trainer tries to explain.
the author of: Roses and Locoweed: The Life of a Cowboy's Wife and The Winter Years of World War II

Every horse person can benefit from Jane Savoie's "Cross Train Your Horse: Book One:Simple Dressage for Every Horse, Every Sport. This a clearly written "guide" for any discipline. I am planning on using it as one of the text books for a college course: Dressage for the Competition Horse

This book was exactly what I wanted. I've ridden hunters for all of my life but am starting to train in dressage. Though this cover basic dressage work such as turn-on-the-forehand, leg yielding, etc, it gives you details from a dressage point of view. I recommend it for anyone(English or Western) that has a stiff horse in need of suppling work through basic dressage.

I really enjoyed this book for it's easy to follow exercises and well thoughtout training plan. I can actually see what the author is talking about in my own horses.

I purchased Cross-Train and More Crossing Training by Jane Savoie about two years ago based on all the 5 star reviews these books received.

Unfortunately, these books were a disappointment to me. I struggled to finish Cross-Train and I never could get into reading More Cross Training. The text, even though helpful to most people, just seemed to drag on for me. Perhaps this was caused by Ms. Savoie's writing style; perhaps it was just me. (I have found Feeling Dressage by Ruth Sabine Schaefer more to my liking.)

On a positive note, these books have many nice pictures and illustrations which many people should find helpful.

OK but don't expect to be able to SAFELY adjust your horse or pony after reading this book only.

Great little book, packed with info and diagrams that all work towards solving problems before they become major issues. VERY easy to read and refer to. Highly recommended diagnosis book!

This is an absolutely must have for all horse owners! As an equine massage therapist, I found it extremely beneficial for understanding how massage and chiropractics can help and influence each other. As a horse owner, it helped me to understand when to call the "other" alternative healer for advice and help. It is written in a witty, easy to understand, comprehensive manner. I strongly recommend this book.

I am an Equine Physical Therapist. I frequently encounter chiropractic issues in my horses and have had to rely on waiting for someone else to come out and assess/ treat the horse. I thought I could do alot of this myself but I needed more detailed instruction. Although I do not consider myself a replacement for the chiropractor, I believe I can treat quite a few of these problems without the long wait. This book is extremely useful but I would not recommend trying the techniques without an extensive anatomy background. I have a Masters in Physical Therapy and have done human therapy for years--- this enables me to apply those techniques to this instructional manual.
This is a great book with the correct background knowledge.

Dr. Kamen gives a lot of useful anatomical overview and techniques for equine chiropractic, but the book is laced with attempts at humor that are distracting for the serious horse owner looking for good information. If you can pick through the antecdotes and get down to the "meat" of the book, it will prove worthwhile, but this is not for the serious student of horse anatomy and chiropractic.

This is a most beautiful book, with content by a mystic, gathered by a scholar and illustrated delicately by an artist. Our post-modern world is one where we, the human species, are beginning to realise the damage we have done to the natural world. This book draws us back to an appreciation of all we are missing in our daily lives.

My excpectations for this book may have been a little too high. Merton's work pepper my shelves, put this one I think will go up for resale. Other than a precious few noteable quotes, it read more like a nature walk than a spiritual path for enlightenment. Ah well, compilations of the works of others can be a very tricky business. Nice try though Ms. Deignan.

Kathleen Deignan's When the Trees Say Nothing
is a fresh rendition of Thomas Merton's writings evoked from creation. In times when chatter is normative and being alone is mistaken for loneliness we have a wonderful lectio book of quotes and context of 'seeing' from the inside.

This book will live beyond the writer but not without chanigng many readers into the vast beauty of 'silence'.

Kathleen Deignan, a professor of religious studies at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, really outdid herself here in compiling and editing some THREE HUNDRED works by Thomas Merton in this text. It's not a particularly long book, surprisingly, with only 190 some odd pages in it. With that being said, not much is left out here, either. It's by all means complete. There are chapters on the four seasons - on the mountains and the forests. Nature herself.

Merton even likens a mountain to sainthood, seeing God`s creative beauty and wonder all throughout nature. If you have ever been to the Abbey of Gethsemani, you may understand why that is, too. The monastery is surrounded by absolutely stunning and expanding landscape, the perfect spot for the kind of reflection and introspection Merton apparently did in this work. He urges us to be engaged with nature. That probably means for us modernists to get out there off of our sometimes lazy butts and take a walk; go ride our bike. Whatever it is feel your connection to nature in a very raw sense. It opens up the sunshine that is already within. Merton's helpful finger pointing us the way in this work on how wonderful nature really is, serves as truly a great inspiration to do just that.

Very good read, with a 5 star being his The Seven Storey Mountain. This is a great collection for anyone looking to group Merton's works in to topics, seasons, or just short chapters. This is a definite "must get" for anyone into Merton or nature, even if they are not looking to use it for prayer and meditation. This is the book you sit and read as Merton walks you through the woods of beautiful landscape and little creatures, taking you away from the kids, city life and traffic.

In the 12th book in The Cat Who...mystery series with KoKo and Yum Yum, James Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats move into their newly converted apple barn, and are celebrating the successful first run production by the Pickax Theatre Club. When the entire cast (except for one) shows up at Qwilleran's new home for a wrap-party and informal housewarming, he is happy to entertain many of his close friends. The party lasts well into the early morning hours, and when the last guest drives away, KoKo starts his impressive "death howl". Walking outdoors, Qwilleran learns there has been a shooting on his property, and the controversial high school principle has been murdered. Qwilleran and his amazing cats begin to investigate, and quickly dig into some truths buried in the nearby town of Lockmaster. And when Polly returns a day late from a wedding she attended in the town, Qwilleran starts to get suspicious about what is happening in Lockmaster. In between bird watching with KoKo, a cat pageant to find a look-alike for Tippy's beloved mascot, and a steeplechase, Qwilleran puts the pieces together on another murder in sleepy Moose County.

This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. The stories are charming, and I have fallen in love with Moose County and all of its residents. The mysteries themselves are not always very difficult to figure out...but that is not the allure of the series for many. The characters are endearing, and as you read the books in the series, you will feel like you know each one. The books are also a great read for pre-teens or those that have read and enjoyed the Nancy Drew series. I feel this series is the benchmark for many cozy mysteries today, and hope to enjoy this series for years to come. I highly recommend any (and all) of the books in this series.


The 1st book in the series is called "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!

Qwill and the Siamese move into the apple barn. It is spectacular! The cats and Qwill seem to be very cozy. Qwill gets ready for bed and looks out the window to see a caravan of carlights heading his way. It happens to be the cast of Henry VIII, dropping by for a barn warming party.

The party lasts quite late. After they leave the cats get jumpy and look out the window to see a leftover car. After several minutes, Qwill decides to go investigate. He discovers the dead body of the high school principal. Qwill and Koko work to solve the crime.

Qwill comments about Polly being jealous. Read this book to see if, in fact, Qwill is the jealous party.

This was a very enjoyable book. You will enjoy it too.

Another enjoyable quick reading mystery story by Lilian Jackson Braun featuring Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats Koko and Yum-Yum. In this episode, Hilary VanBrook, the disliked Principle of PickAx is found murdered in Qwilleran's orchard the morning after a cast party is thrown. Koko was the one to find the body and Qwilleran begins to piece together the clues. A cardinal singing outside the window holds the key to the suspect.

The 12th book of this series starts with Qwilleran settled into his new home, an old apple barn that has been restored and turned into living quarters. The upper beams are about forty feet above the ground and the cats are in seventh heaven. Qwilleran's other project, building a community theater, has also been completed and a successful run of "Henry VIII" has just finished. When the director, school principal Hilary VanBrook had proposed this play nobody thought it would fly, but the unpopular director had pulled it off in high fashion.

Following the final performance the cast and crew descended on Qwilleran's barn for the cast party. As was normal, the much-maligned VanBrook kept pretty much to himself but for some reason Koko found him very interesting. Once the party guests had all departed, Koko called Qwilleran's attention to a single car that was still outside. Going out to investigate, Qwilleran found a body with a very fresh gunshot wound inside the abandoned car. Determined to mind his own business this time the former reporter called the police and tried to stay out of the investigation. Koko however would have none of that and started leaving clues.

Despite Koko's clues however, Qwilleran continued his hands off approach except for sniffing around the victim's house looking for an old book. Finally though, Qwilleran gave in and started to sniff around because a friend of his was being falsely accused of the crime. This time our amateur sleuth solves the mystery on his own, not picking up on Koko's clues until it was all over. Yum Yum actually provides the most important clue, although completely by accident and once again the cats rush in to save the day when Qwilleran gets into deep trouble.

Along the road to solving this murder Qwilleran runs into several sub-plots that add a great deal to the story. There is a suicide that may or may not be connected to the murder, a cat beauty pageant that turns into a riot and a horse race down in Lockmaster. On top of everything else, Qwilleran and Polly seem to be on the outs and Qwilleran is sure that the librarian has a new love interest.

Like the previous books in this series, this book is filled with quirky and fun characters and features the wonderful backdrop of Moose County. The interaction between the characters is cleaver and imaginative and the cats are superbly portrayed. I am also happy to report that the mystery, while not always the center of the plot, is interesting and it is solvable. The clues are all there and if the reader pays close attention he/she can solve the mystery before Qwilleran.

On the negative side, there are some questions involving the victim that are never answered. Maybe however, these questions will be answered in a future book because Qwilleran is thinking about doing a biography of the deceased. Given what he has already found out he just might have a best seller on his hands.

Jim Qwilleran, the star of this series, is the heir to the vast Klingenschoen fortune. He lives with his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum in Moose County, 400 miles north of everywhere.

The action opens with the Qwill and the cats settling in to their latest residence, the newly remodeled apple barn. The peace is shattered as the Theater Club drops by for a house (barn) warming party. When the last of the party goers leave Qwill discovers that one is unable to go on his own power, he has been murdered just outside Qwill's door! The story then focuses on the deceased, Hilary VanBrook, principal of Pickax High School and director of the latest Theater Club production. When a fellow actor disappears he becomes the chief suspect. Qwill, of course, believes that the answer lies elsewhere and, aided by the cats, begins to investigate.

His attention is divided however, his latest lady friend, Polly Duncan, is acting strangely - perhaps he has a rival for her affections. Koko and Yum Yum are similiarly distracted by a new activity - bird watching, especially cardinals. The trio presses on, even traveling out of Moose County looking for answers. In the end the mysteries are solved and life in Moose County continues.

I found this one of the less satisfying books in the series. The action begins nearly a year after the end of the previous book. The character of the second victim, Dennis Hough, who was Iris Cobb's son - introduced in The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts - has changed character slightly, and earned Qwill's trust and respect since we first met him. The motive for his death is weak and there is no real explanation given for the breakup of his family.

Qwill's relationship with Polly is one of the themes of this story and though it is given quite a bit of attention I felt that it was more of a tease. Also, as with the previous novel, I felt that the ending had been rushed with some of the threads left a bit loose.

If you are a devotee of the series you will want to read this one, especially for the Polly and Qwill story. If you are new to series perhaps starting elsewhere would be better, but if you a just looking for a good mystery this may not be your best choice.

This history of evolutionary thought is good at showing how the idea developed in Darwin's particular society, influenced by thinkers before Darwin such as Malthus. The book, also shows how Darwin's thinking evolved, how the idea itself evolved from outside influences (particularly plate tectonics and cosmology), and how it influenced non-biological thinking (such at utilitarianism, capitalism, Marxism) sometimes in scary ways such as eugenics.

Throughout the book, it seems like philosophers (at least in the West) desired a purpose and direction of evolution, if not a Director. Lamarckianism (inheritance of acquired characteristics) also seemed to have continual appeal and in the later editions of the Origin of Species, Darwin himself was leaning more that way. The continual difficulty of direct evidence and incomplete fossil record, leads to ongoing speculations.

Although generally dry/scholarly there are a few fun side-diversions, such as Kammerer's midwife toad. Bowler also highlights other key figures such as paleontologist Georges Cuvier and "Darwin's bulldog" Thomas Huxley. I would have like more history of how the general public accepted the idea, perhaps by tracing the teaching in schools or textbooks. Readers of this might also enjoy Dawkins "The Blind Watchmaker".

Peter Bowler is an Irish historian of science who is known for his studies of evolution as an "-ism". This is undoubtedly his magnum opus and is one of the best introductory texts on this subject available. But, a word of caution- reviews on this website are full of superlatives. Many books are advertised by reader-critics shouting "everyone should read this book!" Setting aside the obvious absurdity of that statement, I will state quite clearly that this book is not for everyone. With notes and index, it comes to 432 pages, and, as Bowler himself notes in the preface, it is intended for undergraduate students or as a survey text for the specialist. That having been said, his prose is approachable and one does not need to have a background in history or science to follow the argument.

Also, unlike many other texts on this subject, Bowler does not descend into triumphalist or other such ideologies that remove science from its own social context. In the words of the author, "Finally, we must look more closely at the problems the historian faces as he tries to chart the rise of scientific evolutionism. In particular, these problems arise from the normal view of science as an objective search for knowledge and the suspicions of many critics that scientific theories are themselves value-laden contributions to philosophical and ideological debates" (Bowler, pg.4). He does an excellent job of explaining not only the theories and their evidence but does so by relating them to their own social and historical context. His analysis is also distinguished from many of its predescessors (and descendents, unfortunately) by its breadth and scope. Bowler does not confine his study to the merely biological, but begins at the beginning with geology and early modern ideas of nature and change, or more appropriately, the lack thereof. Furthermore, he brings the reader up to the date of publication with a healthy discussion of the current debates, which once again stresses the idea of "evolution" as an "evolving" concept.

Thus, this book is for the novice, whether intially hostile to the concept of common descent through natural selection or not, who wants a comprehensive and scholarly introduction to the material. Note that this is a history text, however, and not science. This book is also for the biologist who finds herself caught in the throes of "biology as ideology," and wishes to read a scholarly text testing science's absolute claim to truth.

This one is recommanded by my professor. It is written with detailed history and analysis. It not only provides a basic knowledge of how the theory of evolution develops, but also offers a great perspective to the history.