5 comments about The Diana Chronicles (Random House Large Print (Cloth/Paper)).

1. No, 'The Diana Chronicles' doesn't break any new ground on the telling of the life and death of Princess Diana. Most everything Tina Brown writes has been written before. But for people like me who haven't read previous works about Diana Spencer this book is a very good, concise telling of the very famous and troubled woman. And the author is a very gifted journalist. She remains generally objective throughout and doesn't pull the reader into the gutter with regards to Princess Diana's somewhat salacious relationships. However the author's overall disdain of British aristocracy shines through.
   
   
   Bottom line: if you want to read only one biographical account of Princess Diana I think this book would be a prudent choice.



2. I had just returned from a dinner. The media was rife with the coverage: black metal gnarled from the unforgiving concrete pillars in a Parisian tunnel on a humid August night. A princess whose fate was unknown. With bated breath, I kept the news on as the "princess of the people" was laid to rest.
   
   Three years later, I rode through the very tunnel, overwhelmed at the lives ended in this seemingly innocuous location.
   
   The difficulty when reading a biography--or an autobiography, for that matter--is discerning fact from fiction. Tina Brown's The Diana Chronicles, however, whether 100 percent accurate or not, seems to ring true in that she does an excellent job in making Diana three-dimensional.
   
   We see Diana the lover, the mother, the humanitarian. We also see her as the woman--the princess--who knew how to groom the media to further her status. This affair became tragically toxic one night in a Parisian tunnel.
   
   The Diana Chronicles, now available in paperback, enjoyed success on the bestseller lists upon its initial 2007 publication.
   
   Tina Brown, who met Diana 10 months before her untimely death, has become an expert on the royals, candidly uncovering the prevailing attitudes and dalliances of Britain's monarchy--and those in close proximity to its power.
   
   Brown didn't need much help in spinning a tale thick with twists: Diana's life reads more like a soap opera script. We see Diana, the doe-eyed child, abandoned by a mother and raised by English nannies. Diana the teenager, who captivated a young Prince Charles. Then there's the bride who captivated the world with her real-life fairy tale wedding turned sour divorce when the roving-eyed Charles falls back into the arms of Camilla.
   
   Throw in a handsome Egyptian playboy, a handful of paparazzi and extravagance. Lies, betrayal, affairs -it was all a recipe for tragedy--a tragedy that made two rosy-cheeked blond children casualties in the war of the Windsors.
   
   The bottom line is: Even more than a decade after Diana's death, the princess of the people still has the ability to captivate.
   
   Armchair Interviews agrees.



3. Tina Brown's book combines history with pop culture and brings the reader a whole new presentation of Princess Diana. I was wary about purchasing it at first, fearing that it would be too gossipy but instead I found that I was touched by her story. The attention to detail is remarkable and covers the life of Princess Diana with a true journalist's touch. I highly suggest it for anyone who has even a remote interest in Princess Diana or the current British Royal Family in general.



4. I started THE DIANA CHRONICLES by Tina Brown by reading it in the store in parts. I figured it was ANOTHER Diana book, and I could pass some pleasant hours in the bookstore sitting in a chair going over some familiar ground. But I was surprised: Brown is an insightful, clear and unflinching writer who has the ability, due to her experience in print journalism, to view the famous through a cynical but knowledgeable media lens. This book was so good, that when I got 300 pages in to the 500-plus-page book, I bought it. It was getting hard to find, and I NEEDED to finish it.
   
   The plotline of Diana's life does not need to be repeated here. What this book is good for is the way it examines her life and her responses to the events of her life as influenced by the media and the media coverage of the her every move. It's as if it weren't Diana and the media professionals who were in a relationship, but Diana and the media coverage who influenced each other. This study is a fascinating examination of how media attention can become a character in the narrative of a famous person's life. According to Brown, Diana made decisions not just in response to the other people in her life, but in reaction to press and how her actions might be reported and perceived. She lost the goal, at some points, of how press attention can influence individuals and became focused on the press itself.
   
   This book presents a strong narrative, a plotline of a life that is compelling and cogent. Though we know the story well, Brown's reportage is complete and portrays not only a whole Diana, but a complete Charles and other royals who had to orbit her star while she was alive.
   
   This was a fascinating book to read as an examination of a woman of fame who could not help but respond to the expectations of women in the times in which she lived. Reading THE DIANA CHRONICLES, one cannot help but think of the price some women pay to be the feminine, compassionate women the world wants them to be. When that world is personified by papparazzi and reporters in fragile woman's day-to-day life, her response can be astonishing.



5. This is an even handed, rich portrait of a very complicated young woman. I purchased the audio thinking it was a fluff piece I could listen to while working out, but found the book fascinating and was sorry when it was over. Tina Brown presents each of the major characters in this tragedy as multifaceted individuals, making this not the usual tabloid nonsense, but a sociological study of a very interesting and often self-destructive family.

5 comments about The Last Dive: A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths.

1. I first read this book while my son was still doing a lot of diving. The book resonated with me as it is as much about the relationship of a father and son as it is about diving. It also is set in the context of the U-Who German Submarine that divers were trying to identify at the time so it contains WWII history info and local dive history. I thought it was a great book and recommend it.



2. One of my favorite dive books. The story of a father and son dive team and their tragic accident. Well written and gripping story of what happens when you get complacent. Just a good book that really pulls you in and keeps you in till the end. Written in a way to really get you attached to the characters.



3. "The Last Dive" is a very engaging read that is every bit as much about why people take risks at the edge of human ability (diving, mountain climbing, racing, etc.), their personalities, and their weaknesses, as it is about Chris and Chrissy Rouse and their fatal dive on the U-Who.
   
   Although I found "Shadow Divers" and "Deep Descent" a bit more riveting; after the somewhat flowery prose of the initial couple of chapters, "The Last Dive" did an excellent job of bringing me into the club of elite cave and wreck divers, introducing the history and exploits of the key divers including the Rouses, helping to understand a bit of what motivates these divers to make the deep dives and take the risks they do, introducing some of the key wrecks that help to set the stage, and taking you inside the head of the author as he experiences the same fascination, thrill, fever, risk, and pain of a dive gone bad.
   
   The author is a friend of many of the key divers and has personally made many of the same cave and wreck dives and has been through a serious episode of the bends, so he knows what he is talking about. He does a good job of describing technical issues in lay terms, so "The Last Dive" will engage the diver and non-diver alike.
   
   While the lives and personalities of Chris and Chrissy Rouse are a thread running through "The Last Dive"; it is just as much the author's story and that of the other deep wreck divers who take the same risks, and their inner needs and drive to do so. Once you get through the first two chapters, you will find "The Last Dive" to be a page-turning adventure.
   
   Definitely read the postlog chapter, "Ever Deeper". It's not the same rate of adventure as the rest of the book, but the additional information about many of the divers, advances in the science and psychology of deep wreck diving, and further information about identifying the U-Who (covered better in Shadow Divers) is worth the additional reading.



4. If you are looking for a great book about scuba diving you search has ended. The last dive is amazing and is a great story about a diving family and their quest for improvement.



5. This isn't Shadow Divers. This isn't written like a NY Times bestseller. It doesn't intensify or create drama like some other books do to try to captivate your interest. This book is written by a diver and is most appreciated by a fellow diver. Some complain of tangents which they say detract from the father and son story. These only serve to richen the experience for me. It not only tells the story but teaches valuable lessons and makes a diver desire further understanding on the many subject which are touched upon.

No comments about The Story of My Life (Large Print Edition): with her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education including passages from the reports ... Anne Mansfield Sullivan by John Albert Macy.

5 comments about A Severe Mercy.

1. Not only is this a beautiful story, but it is a rich and profound study in the theology of joy, on par with C.S. Lewis' 'Surprised by Joy'. Really, the book is a fleshing out of Lewis' theology of joy through the life and mind of Vanauken. It is so moving and so well done that I snatch up used copies whenever I see them to give away as gifts. If you enjoyed this book see also Peter Kreeft, 'Heaven: The Heart's Deepest Longing'; Humphrey Carpenter, 'The Inklings'; G.K. Chesterton, 'The Everlasting Man'; and, of course C.S. Lewis, 'Surprised by Joy'.



2. (I gave away this latest copy I bought, but did read it a few years ago.)
   Great reading material for any couple starting to develop and defend their own shining barrier around their love as well as for anyone with a serious contemplation about what faith in God really means.
   Makes a great gift or discussion topic.



3. A Sever Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken is perhaps my favorite book. It is a autobiography of the author's life, focusing especially on his relationship with his wife, Davy, and how it evolved throughout their conversion to Christianity. An English professor and poet, Vanauken is a terrific writer who will have you alternately laughing and crying. The story is beautiful, and the message is timeless. It is definitely worth buying and reading. Note: this is a Christian book, from a Christian point fo view, so don't buy it expecting just a romance story. It is theologically deep, and quite moving. It will give you a new frame of thinking about one's relationship to both Christ and one's spouse.



4. I have to be honest, I'm kind of a book snob. I buy a lot of books, read a lot of books, and dislike a lot of books. Rarely does a book catch my heart and my mind as quickly and as totally as this did. Many times when my husband and I were dating and even in our earliest days and weeks of marriage we talked about protecting our little delicate love and we set up ground rules in order to help our love endure. This book puts into words what we felt as we were trying to set our "no plan B" marriage into motion. This love story is love found on many levels and I plan on picking it up again and again in years to come...
   If you want a honest and beautiful and well-written story of love and marriage, buy this book today.



5. Breathtaking... Read the ideal dream of love, read your deepest fears, wear your most passionate tears.
   
   A true story, an autobiography of a Love, written by the husband after his wife's untimely death. The wife's death was the destiny of a jealosy the husband felt for his wife's love for God that arose from their unity in pursuit of beauty. It was a severe mercy for God to take her, to save their love for eternity.
   
   This book is ripe with poetry fruiting from the Tree of Love. This book is truly the miracle concealed in the years of their marriage, their child. This book is the banner of romance, to war the apathy that complacent love dies from so frequently.
   
   I raised my teacup and said, "If it's half as good as the half we've known..." and she said "Here's 'Hail!' to the rest of the road." We drank to that in Darjeeling.
   
   Many will read this book because of the letters from C.S.Lewis. Some will read it because of the story of their conversion from "pagan lovers" to Christians. But, I pray you read it for the Adventure of Love.

No comments about Cecil Rhodes (Large Print Edition): Man and Empire-Maker.

5 comments about Bean Blossom Dreams: A City Family's Search for a Simple Country Life (Thorndike Press Large Print Paperback Series).

1. Hi, this is Charley Murphey - the daughter :) I may be nearly twenty now and heading toward my sophomore year in college, but I remember those years which Bean Blossom Dreams so aptly describes better than I remember the past five and I can tell you completely honestly that we were never once arrogant about our ability as farmers. I can only remember my mom's infamous enthusiasm at work, her total and complete optimism and hope that we could really have a farm. We have since eased off of that - especially when my mom became deathly allergic to bee stings and we had to completely change our expectations of the garden - but my father is starting a new business producing organic plant food and I've been learning all I can about gardening to help out my mother. I'm sorry that there are those who feel that farm work is not something to be celebrated the way we do, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that we were not glamourizing our life here, or trying to pass ourselves off as great farmers. I know what real farmwork is, I've seen it at home and at the farms of our friends - and I know I'm not cut out for it. But having humor and joy for something that is underappreciated as a profession and way of life is not making a mockery of it - it is simply making it real and something people can smile about and relate to on the smaller level we were working at, so that they would understand and appreciate what we were trying to accomplish. This farm means more to me than anywhere else in the world. The things my mother and father gave to me by coming here, by trying so hard, by having the grace to giggle at themselves when they made mistakes - is priceless. I will never forget what they did for me/us and I will be a part of this farm - as well as try to make it a part of my children someday - forever.



2. Well, geez, the previous reviewer was a little harsh. I don't think Ms. Murphey glamorized or made light of the serious work she had to do on the farm. Rather, I thought she did a great job of showing how difficult it really is. I enjoyed the book and thought it was very touching.



3. My daughter picked this book up from a garage sale for fifty cents and left it in the "reading room" in our modest house in a modest city in the modest midwest. Growing up on a farm and being raised in a climate where work was expected and birth/life/death were daily events and where weather determined how many presents would be under the Christmas tree, and as well, how much canning would be done in the fall from the family garden, I hold little respect from someone who makes light of being an organic farmer and makes "potpourri" from rose petals.
   
   I realize it's been 10 years or so since Ms. Murphey wrote her book, but I would likely enjoy reading or listening to what she has to say today. Yes, neighbors were family and we lived and breathed next to them. The vet was next to God and God was next to the dinner table every single night when my Dad said Grace. A life on the farm is not romantic when there is no other livelihood. Too bad most people don't recognize this.
   
   I spent just today working on tearing down an old chicken coop at my folks place. The mouse dirt, the years of chicken filth and the constant wind out on the prairie are NOT romantic and not to be trifled with.
   This book goes to the next grange sale fund raiser.



4. Isn't quitting your boring 9 to 5 office job, moving to the country and living a quieter, humbler existence, everyone's secret dream? Well it has always been one of mine, and reading this book was absolutely a treat for me. In addition to thouroughly enjoying every page of this story, I actually learned many things from this book and was delighted to find that Sallyann included her recipes and tips from the story in the back of the book (although it did mean that the book ended too soon). I was especially dying to know the recipe for her Gorganzola and Leek Soup, and now I can't wait to try it out. I will fondly remember the Murphey's story as I try out her many wonderful recipes. I look forward to her next book, and hopefully a sequel to this story is in her plans.



5. I grew up in the country, so I knew Sallyann was in trouble when she named her turkeys! LOL I really did enjoy this book. I now live in the "big city" (Atlanta), and often dream of doing what the Murphey's did. I hope that if I ever get the chance, I will have neighbors as great as theirs. This is a wonderful book to read.

5 comments about Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers.

1. I was amazed at the depth of feeling shown by Elizabeth after such trajic events. She gave herself time to grieve - but continued to live at the same time. Very powerful.



2. I love this woman, I've met her and had no idea what suffering she endured because she is strong and intelligent. I cried throughout the book.



3. Elizabeth writes an excellent book, however after reading it I really don't think I like her. I really didn't like the message she gave to her son's friends about being "good friends" and not owning up to their mistakes. She basically said they should lie to protect their friends. Not the message I want in the White House.



4. In writing "Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers," Elizabeth Edwards gives the reader what she has found, strength and solace from a stranger. Elizabeth Edwards may have started out as a stranger to me, but withing a few chapters of the book she seemed like a friend. There is laughter, but there are also tears. The chapters dealing with the loss of her son Wade were heart wrenching. Yet, I think they would also be a comfort to those who have exerienced such a loss. She talks about so many of the feelings that most friends and families overlook or don't notice in the grieving process. This book is a must read for anyone who has lost a child.
   
   Highly recommended...



5. I have only recently received this book having sourced it from Amazon.com after seeing it reviewed on the Oprah show. I am currently enjoying reading it very much. The death of one's child is a particularly sensitive subject ( we have lost two sons - one a new baby in 1986 the other a 21 year old from cancer in 2006) and it provides great comfort to read how others have coped in such tragic situations.
   
   I would also like to commend you on your excellent service - so much more efficient than a large and well known distributor in Australia that couldn't even send the parcel to the correct address!!!! I look forward to further purchases. My son also recommends your internet service as he has bought quite a lot of stock from Amazon.com
   Jan Kay Australia

5 comments about Lucky Man (Random House Large Print (Cloth/Paper)).

1. Michael J. Fox's memoir "Lucky Man" is a great and inspiring read. One thing I admire about Fox is that he's basically an average guy who was dealt some wild cards and has managed to thrive in life - including, not in spite of, his circumstances. One thing I found consistently striking and inspiring is Fox's courage throughout all of his life experiences to be true to himself. In some instances, this meant following his natural instincts in his career, and in others it meant hiding his disease from the public as a delicately-timed and balanced lifestyle. His honesty and lack of pretension is also refreshing; he talks not only of the Hollywood lifestyle he had when his career took off, but also of his self-doubts and fears.
   
   If you were also inspired by this honest perspective on enjoying life to
   the fullest, I highly recommend the books Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, as well as Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Can Instantaneously Transform Your Life, by Ariel & Shya Kane. The Kanes talk specifically about living in the moment as a way of discovering magic in your life - how to do it, how to not do it, and how it is easy and effortless. In his book, Fox talks about how "his 'job' is whatever he happens to be doing at the moment - whether it's giving a speech, changing a diaper, writing a book," etc. If you'd like to discover a sense of truly being here for each moment and living your life as wholly as possible (without having to experience a major tragedy or disease), look no further than these wonderful books.



2. I was amazed at what an excellent writer Michael J. Fox is -- his story was candidly written with insightful accounts of his incredible journey. I was also impressed that the proceeds from the book all go to research for a cure for Parkinson's disease. Way to go, Michael!



3. I bought this book on the recommendation of my Medical Terminology teacher. We were discussing neurological diseases and when we got to Parkinson's Disease (PD) she mentioned that she had read his book and how much she enjoyed it. So I got it. I was not a huge "Family Ties" fan but I have paid attention to Michael J. Fox's career especially of late since his disclosure of having PD. In the last few years he has been on a show here and there as a guest. He was on Boston Legal and I thought he was superb! You could clearly see that the camera did not stay on him very long but his acting was top-notch nonetheless.
   
   That said, his book is written with extreme openness, heart and humor. He has such a wonderful outlook on life especially in the wake of learning he has PD. He writes from a place that we wish more stars would be able to go - the very sincerest depth of his being - so much so that I found myself in tears a few times as I read. He writes as if he were telling you, the reader, the story in person. He is himself more in this book than I've ever seen him in an interview on TV. This is a very true, revealing, heart-warming story that definitely gives the definition of what it takes to be considered a Lucky Man today. I highly recommend the book.



4. Michael J. Fox opens his 2002 memoir in late 1990, in the moment he first notices the pinky-finger tremor that leads, a year later at age 30, to a diagnosis of Young Onset Parkinson's Disease (PD).
   
   Then he backs up for a hundred pages to describe his growing-up years in Canada and rising-star experiences in Hollywood -- including an interesting theory of "celebrity" (that it is a gone-haywire extension of the suspension of disbelief/emotional connection that are required of an audience during a performance). He devotes chapters to his PD diagnosis and treatment (including his concealment of it) and to his descent into career and personal crisis. Though it seems PD would top his list of problems then, he notices it doesn't even make the list which includes alcoholism. Fox finishes by describing his redemption, his "coming out" about PD, and his work toward PD research.
   
   The memoir's structure and writing exceeded my expectations and I wondered about a ghostwriter -- until I read Fox's acknowledgements, where he mentions the writing of it and thanks his writing-mentor brother-in-law ... Michael ("Omnivore's Dilemma") Pollan! Lucky Man is an informative, engaging, and insightful memoir.



5. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Would it be just about Michael J Fox's life or would it center too much on his Parkinson's disease. I'm not usually big on reading celebrity autobiographies and memoirs.
   This one is definitely worth reading! Mr. Fox shares his story with humor and humility and a wonderful honesty. He speaks honestly about his struggles with Parkinson's and trying to hide it in order to continue working. He also speaks honestly about his personal struggles with alcohol and depression. But the struggles don't dominate the book. There are many fun anecdotes about his years growing up in Canada and about the world of acting.
   In the end, what made the biggest impression on me was his gratitude. Gratitude for the life he was able to have as an actor, for his family, and ultimately, even for the disease that changed his life.
   This is a book that I would recommend for anyone who is interested in celebrity biographies. And I would especially recommend it for anyone who has Parkinson's disease or has a family member or friend who has this disease. When you have a disease such as this, it can be difficult to articulate to others just what it is you go through without sounding sorry for yourself.
   Now when I need to explain this to someone, I can just hand them this book and say, "READ IT. NOW."
   Thanks, Mr. Fox!!

3 comments about Rosa's Miracle Mouse: The True Story of a WWII Undercover Teenager.

1. This book contains an amazing story. You have to be willing to wade through a little family history to get to the meat, but once you do, it is an engaging and amazing story. My kids' book club loved it too, and we were honored with a visit by the author herself!



2. Thank you for sharing your story, Mrs. Daluge. It's amazing to think that you could do so much to help the Jews and POW's right under the noses of their enemies. My 86-year-old father read it first, and he insisted the rest of the family HAD to read it. He was right.



3. This is a definite MUST read for adults and children alike. Agnes Daluge tells her story as a teenage spy with such spirit it is hard to put down. The happenings of World War II as seen through the eyes of a teenager can provide an excellent opportunity to review with your children and grandchildren. Not only does she give a factual account of her trials and tribulations but Agnes has a way of weaving humor within. Her down to earth writing makes you realize she was a child at heart first, and a spy and god-send for hundreds second. It's an amazing story that enables you to review history in a unique way. Thank you, Agnes, for opening up your life to your readers!

No comments about Marilyn: The Last Take.