5 comments about Bunny Tales.

1. This is a review from Germany. I like the show "the girls next door" and read the book Bunny Tales in one day. It's exciting to read the views of a bunny, who left the mansion. I always thought, there must be mobbing between the girlfriends and in the book is a lot of mobbing.



2. This book was really good. I couldnt stop reading it. Im a fan of the show Girls Next Door and the author mentions things about all the them (since she was a girlfriend at one time too). Many other celebrties are mentioned. Color photos.



3. Not for me...This book was very self involved. She spent a majority of her time explaining the reasons she had for being there. She seemed very whiney and unappreciative of her benefactor. I would recomend checking this out at the library or borrowing it from someone. Skip buying it.



4. This book was aweful. She acts as though it was so terrible there. But she liked the money, people and attention. But she wants you to believe she NEVER did anything bad. She was a good girl. She lives in her very own world..... Don't waste your money.



5. This book is actually quite boring. It's mean spirited and BORING. It has a few details that are interesting to know, but she talks WAY too much about herself as a child.

5 comments about The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive.

1. Marvelyn shares the truth about being naive, just wanting to be loved and how one endures alot to find one's self. Her book shares a journey to God's Divine plan for her. A great read for everyone, especially young women!



2. First, I really enjoyed this book. There is nothing better than telling "The Naked Truth". When I get the chance to meet Ms. Marvelyn,I will give her a friendly hug because she is very special. I believe that she was placed here on earth to tell this story. Her story was very entertaining and educational at the same time. I watched her when she made an appearance on 106 and Park. I really admire Ms.Brown for sharing her personal life story with the whole world. This book was well worth the price at the bookstore. This book should be at every library around the world. This story is a prime example of how PEOPLE will turn their backs on you just when you need them most! It also shows how people will fight reality even when it means lying to loved ones. Even today in (2008), PEOPLE are still very uneducated about HIV and AIDS. It surprises me that so many adults fail to educated themselves on AIDS. The bottom line is that PEOPLE are so focused on LIFE and not the REALITY of it. Over all, I enjoyed this book and will continue to pass it along. THANKS MARVELYN



3. It is my belief that this book should be required reading for every teenager and their parent(s)and that they should sit down afterward to discuss the contents.
   
   I can only imagine that it isn't easy trailblazing a path to erasing the stigma attached to being HIV+.
   
   Marvelyn Brown is a very brave young women and I'm willing to bet that if you were to spend time talking with her she would say that she doesn't see herself as being brave but rather as someone telling the 'Truth' about her life.



4. I thought this book was remarkable and I praise Marvelyn Brown for coming forward so that she can educate women like myself. You won't want to put this book down.



5. I was introduced to Ms. Marvelyn Brown and her story during CNN's 'Black in America' special that aired in July. Marvelyn Brown and Courtney Martin have written a book that is both riveting and shocking in it's candid description of the choices and events that led to Ms. Brown's positive HIV test.
   
   The authors have shined a light on the continuing ignorance and naiveté of many people in this country as it relates to understanding HIV. Marvelyn's story could be the difference between a positive and negative test for a lot of sexually active teens (and adults) in this country.
   
   I pray that many will read this book and share this story with people they love. It is truly a cautionary tale.

5 comments about The Vixen Diaries.

1. When I read Karrine's first book, I felt that she was delusional to believe that she had evolved into something other than a wounded, promiscuous "vixen". In her second book, it cemented my first belief about her. She is probably the most delusional person I have ever had the misfortune to read about. She believes her stories about the various men she slept with for money has made her a "celebrity", instead of the joke she is. I have never seen someone refer to themselves as "best selling author" so many times in a book! She comes off bitter, childish, and still doesnt get why she is the girl a man calls for some fun, but marries someone else! Every chapter outlined her emotional merry go rounds that was usually tied to a man-if she wasnt at a party, she was in a man's bed or in a psych ward, and I felt sorry for her son every chapter. I cringe to think of the values he is learning from this person. Her happiness,self worth and beliefs directly coincides with her possessions and how much money she has in the bank. Andthen for her to out "Papa" at the end, the man she claims she loves and respects so much and who now has to face his wife, was deplorable(even though it was widely rumored it was this person, anyway). To wrap this up, I found myself rolling my eyes as I read chapter after chapter of her self proclaimed celebritydom, and was glad when it ended. I felt sorry for her son throughout, and my only hope for Karrine is that she gets some true help so that she can be the mother her son deserves.



2. Karrine Steffans has written another book about her personal life. This book was much different but yet quite the same as Confessions of a Video Vixen. She shares very intimate parts of her life and her love in the spotlight with her readers. In some ways you see a growth in her and in other ways you don't.
   
   This book goes into details of relationships and the effects that they have on her. She clearly displays how damaging and destructive they are for her and how addicted she is to them. Through the eyes of a reader I see the pain she is in, not for failed relationship but for the lack of them. She seems to equate love and sex as one of the same. As one reads they see the confusion that dwells inside and it makes you empathize with her and also makes you wonder why or what happened that has left her scared to the point that she has not opened her eyes to see.
   
   Karrine Steffans, leave much to be desired of her parenting practices. Even though she don't go into many details of her son's life it leads me to believe that she may not be parenting but simply allowing her child to live under her roof. Unfortunately, this happens in a lot of households of especially young parents. I also wonder who is with him during her nights out.
   
   After reading this book I felt a need to try and reach out to Ms. Steffans. I wanted to give her words of encouragement to keep pressing forward. I was particularly concerned in the first book about the drug usage and how was she going to clean that portion of her life up. However, reading Vixen Diaries I realize she was not addicted to the drugs but more addicted to a lifestyle. The drugs were just apart of it but never a real issue. Her underlying issues seem to still be ever so present in her life yet, she is learning new ways to deal with them.
   
   I would recommend this book only if you have read the first one. I would love to read more as this young lady continue to press forward in life. My prayers are definitely with her and more importantly Naiim her son.



3. This book is an excellent example of how a person can easily be distracted when trying to accomplish certain goals.
   While Karrine's story may be considered an extreme; she is a mirror of the many women that have a problem distinguishing the difference between love and sex.
   This book is also a great read for all the juicy celebrity gossip as well!



4. Well where do I start? This book was absolutely garbage. It was written in the form of Diary entries. Who really cares what Karrine does in her everyday life. This book gets a big fat yawn from me and is now proudly propped up underneath my air conditioner to help hold it in place.
   
   It is obvious this author did not write the first book and even more obvious she was locked in a two book deal and had to throw something together quick before she had to give all the money back she constantly talked about in the book.
   
   Borrow do not buy!



5. What a waste. All she talked about was Bill (old), Bobby Brown (played out), and Ray J (lame-o). Then she talks about how she's a celebrity, all about class and culture, and doesn't need to depend on anybody to provide for her. Yet, she's still quick to jump in the sack with anyone who shows any kind of interest in her. The majority of the time these guys only want her for one thing: sex. Then they go back home to their wives and girlfriends. It's amazing that a so-called accomplished career woman who has it "all" would be so desperate enough to sleep with any guy who crosses her path. I see a pattern here, but obviously she doesn't. She talks about how how much she loves her son, yet she continues to have many strange men coming in and out of their loves, using her for a cheap thrill. What type of an example is she setting for her son? Despite her whorish reputation I'm surprised that a lot of guys want to be with her. Jamie Fox was smart not to touch that. From what I've heard she's now writing a book called "Vixen Manuals"- "a book about love, sex and relationships through the eyes of a woman". Is that a joke? Think twice before spending any money on her books.

No comments about Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice.

1 comments about Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China.

1. In summary, Factory Girls is very difficult and slow to read, and the content is highly suspect. There are too many simple sentences that make the reading choppy, making the author's thoughts disjointed and lacking in cohesion. Complex sentences are often used at awkward places in the paragraph, contributing to the difficult reading. The author's experience as a factory girl was approximately 20 years ago, not a couple of years ago like she tries to make it in the content. I have worked and lived in China for many years and have traveled for both work and leisure to over 30 cities in China. I can tell you this: Most (as in 90%) of the girls who work in factories do so because of one primary reason - money. Secondary reasons would be for personal development or what have you, but it would be intellectually dishonest to say that money is not the only primary reason. Maybe that is true for a small number of the girls (as in 10%), who go to work in factories for personal development and "see the world," but I can assure you, from first-hand experience and having been in the trenches, most are motivated by money as THE primary reason to migrate to the cities and work in factories. Other items (content) are also suspect, but I don't need to make this review an essay.

5 comments about Prophet's Daughter: My Life with Elizabeth Clare Prophet Inside the Church Universal and Triumphant.

1. Sadly, although one may empathize with her difficulties, Erin seems to have missed the inspirational messages and experiences that have been enjoyed by thousands who felt the beautiful, peaceful, scintillating presence of Archangels and Ascended Masters through dictations given by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. One may get the impression that Erin reveals from the beginning that she does not seem to understand Elizabeth Clare Prophet's dictations from the Ascended Masters by referring to them as being channelled. In channelling, a person's consciousness leaves the body while a disembodied entity takes over and speaks. Elizabeth was trained and elevated by the ascended masters to their level of spirituality and she was fully conscious while taking messages.
   
   Erin refers to the "hubristic title Pearls of Wisdom" as if the title is arrogant, yet this term has been used for many years for wise sayings. She wrote that she "bought into" her "Mother's vision derived from a philosophy of New Thought which influenced Christian Science". She also refers to her mother's teachings as coming from "Theosophy which cribbed from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Kabbalah" as if Theosophists pilfered from these instead of being an accepted organization based on ancient information. When she mentions church members not swearing and having "good vibes" during a traffic jam, it does not sound like a genuine compliment. She may write in an educated way, using terms such as "right of primogeniture" in reference to her brother, and lovely landscape descriptions, but the sardonic use of words such as "bought into", "hubristic", "cribbed" and "good vibes" set the tone.
   
   Later on in the book one may get the definite impression, from her own words, she just does not understand the writings of the I AM activity, or the Rosicrucians. She wrote about music that was allowed, such as Sibelius and Beethoven; the reasons for listening to the inspired composers are given in David Tame's book The Secret Power of Music which is available on Amazon.
   
   The purpose of "New Thought", as she calls it, is to individually learn the teachings of the Masters given in progressive revelation, not to criticize the messengers, their personal lives or give unkind physical descriptions. Her mother is not the first mother who has attempted to influence the choice of marriage partners.
   
   She wrote about being human but many have experienced the purpose of this activity that is not to be good humans but to be good spiritual beings as demonstrated by the life and love of Jesus Christ and his respect for women and the Divine Mother, as revealed in the dictations given through Elizabeth Clare Prophet.



2. The writer keeps you captivated. She exposes her sex life and that of her parent.



3. I finished this book in pretty much one sitting. It is very well written, Erin Prophet is a great writer. Even when she wrote letters and other things for the organization, her style was sober and to the point. It's an easy (juicy) read, especially for someone familiar with the story from the outside. I'm an ex member, fairly active in local study groups and teaching centers of the organization (as board member and volunteer).
   
   It's clear the book was written without malice, and with complete honesty. It was confusing to me, a few times, when it doesn't follow the time line from the first to the last page, but rather by segment. I did get used to that though, and it does help understand the different segments of the author's experience.
   
   A great book, highly recommended.



4. Tremendous reading. Seems some however need to move on through this old time piscean judgment and get on with this AGE!!! HELLO, so last age folks to judge in this unproductive way! It's a new Day and Erin Prophet has told her story and its wonderful! Bless her in the Great Light the Always WINS!



5. On 8/29/08 I wrote: Last night, I asked to go to Serapis Bey's retreat two times, and because I got up to go to the bathroom two times, I could remember. I saw Elizabeth at Serapis' retreat. (The place looked just like the book cover.) We surrounded her in a celebration--She is preparing for her ascension.
   
   We were so happy, like the old conference days when we got together! Happy as a mandala. Happy around our brothers and sisters on the path...just like the Camelot days. I recognized it was a retreat because Elizabeth used to teach in the etheric retreats and I attended her classes. But this event was a celebration, not a classroom.
   
   ...You see, on 7/4/08, Saint Germain said that God Harmony went before the Karmic Board for a dispensation. The result? Everybody got ten years of karma balanced...I cried for three days for our glorious path--and dear Elizabeth.
   
   Thanks Mark and Elizabeth for showing us the way. That last drama, of the worse ten years, is over. Count me in as one to follow in your footsteps--through thick and thin--to the ascension. Count me in!

5 comments about Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life (Ballantine Reader's Circle).

1. This biography of a wonderful historical figure is well written and an enjoyable read. When facts about the central figure become gray the author turns to her husbands, political climate and children to draw upon more understanding of Eleanor.
   
   Touching on the political geography of the time as well as the crusades, this book was enjoyable. VERY ENJOYABLE.



2. I expected to learn more about the person when I read "this is a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine." Although Eleanor is mentioned in every chapter,this is a history of Henry II and his conquests in war and lust. Eleanor and her children become peripheral characters in the tale of Henry,Beckett,Louis,Rosamund, and war,battles and conquest.In this book, Eleanor of Aquitaine is lost among the far too many other characters. Ms. Weir writes well researched and utterly dull history books. The kind of reading required in high school and responsible for so many students losing interest in medieval history.I am plodding through her books because I enjoy English history and in between the page after page of detail, I occasionally find an interesting fact.



3. Alison Weir's book *Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life,* which places Eleanor in the context of her times, provides a microcosm for the medieval world and can be used in a variety of ways to study European culture and history in the Middle Ages. Here are a dozen ways this book can be used: (1) the use of Chapter 7, "All the Business of the Kingdom," as a stand-alone piece, laying out all aspects of medieval culture: kingship, the Church, knighthood, political geography, crime and punishment, art, architecture, music, towns, economy, diet, and science; (2) the conflict between Church and State that so dominated the High Middle Ages, including Henry II's infamous murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury; (3) a study of the Crusades that focuses on the territorial ambitions of the European nobility; (4) the role of marriage as political alliance, including the near arrangement of a marriage between Eleanor's daughter and the Muslim leader Saladin; (5) the importance of genealogy to the study of history, including eight genealogical tables that help the reader understand the relationships of the many individuals in Eleanor's story; (6) the importance of geography to the study of history for which three maps are included; (7) a refutation of the idealistic image of Richard the Lionhearted as portrayed in the Robin Hood legend; (8) a study of the ways that the Arthurian legend served as an influence on the lives of the French and English nobility; (9) an insight into the way historians evaluate and use primary sources of history; (10) a reality check for the usual Hilary-esque treatment of Eleanor of Aquitataine; (11) an insight into the way the foibles of an individual can influence world events; and (12) a heightened awareness of the ways in which medieval women in the Church and the State influenced and even directed history through both beauty and intellect. Weir has given a highly readable, solidly researched, footnoted account of the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of two kings and mother of three, which is both entertaining and educational.



4. This book purports to be a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and in that respect it is deceptive. As the author states several times throughout the work, there is virtually no source material on the subject. How then to fill almost 400 pages on a subject for which there is no reliable history beyond the obvious?
   
   First, the author fills the book with general 12th century history and facts. There is every bit as much, if not more written about Henry II, the second husband of Eleanor than there is about Eleanor herself. In truth, the book should have been entitled "12th Century European History." The author writes extensively about the Second Crusade, undertaken by Eleanor's then husband, Louis of France, but has virtually nothing to say about Eleanor's role. Understandable, since there are no sources that speak of it. The book deals primarily with the political and martial dealings between the various Kings, Dukes, Earls and Counts of Europe and England.
   
   Second, the author writes generally about the role of women in 12th century Europe and tries to compare and contrast Eleanor's activities in an attempt to paint her as a much more politically savvy and active member of society than most women of the age.
   
   Finally, the author takes very flimsy historical information and tries to expand it to fill the historical gaps and flesh out the subject of the "biography". To her credit, she uses this technique very sparingly and avoids wholesale fiction.
   
   With respect to the author's writing style, I found it to be very dry and at times, merely a recitation of historical facts running for pages at a time. The plethora of names and titles were at times confusing, a situation that was compounded by the style utilized by the author.
   
   We know about Eleanor's family, her titles and estates and and the rough timeline of her marriages, divorce, children and death. Beyond that, with respect to Eleanor herself, we know very little. We do not even have a reliable likeness of her appearance. To sell this work as a "biography" is to give the word a definition with which I am unfamiliar.



5. A woman ahead of her time. Compelling biography that sheds light on both Eleanor of Acquitaine, as well as much information about the age in which she lived.
   
   Who needs soap operas - the lives of royals are always intriguing - scheming, treachery, and plots abound within the royal family and amongst friends and neighbors. A good read, well researched, a fascinating character with a plot line that spans the reaches of both France and England for 80 years - with a Crusade in between.

5 comments about Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year.

1. Excellent Book! I read it all in one sitting. I enjoyed it so much I bought a copy for my sister. Good advice and it will have you laughing aloud.



2. "Educating Esme" is a great book for any new or perspective teacher. She uses humor to demonstrate the struggles of a first year teacher, and yet the book isn't entirely about those struggles. It also includes some cute anecdotes about the little things that make you want to be a teacher and some great classroom ideas! This book is a great read if you want to be inspired as a teacher!



3. Things have fallen to a very low level indeed when the best an institution has going for it is a single star. Think of a ballet company, a baseball team, or even a corporation. What would it be like if only of person in the group was doing a good job? This is the premise of Esme's memoir. "Look at me! I'm edumacating 'em!" Mind you, this has been a trend in American education now for some thirty years. These earnest Antioch College types with zebra leotards and high-top tennis shoes want to dance on their desks. It's the Robin Williams to-the-rescue syndrome. Meanwhile the schools fall apart: there is no discipline, no curriculum, no learning. Ms Esme's is a name-caller, whose deepest insight is that her principal is "homophobic." Of course. But she'll straighten them all out with her philosophy of inclusion and her love of diversity. The career teachers are dismissed by these walk-through reformers as standing in the way of change, with the result that most inner-schools are revolving doors of "burned-out" do-gooders who take Fridays off to recharge their batteries. After two years they hit the road and tell everyone they miss the kids. How long can a society survive such an assault?



4. This book is a great book for anyone looking at the teaching profession. I used it in an education introduction class and it is very insightful as well as just a great read. This is a real life personal experience in the first year of teaching for Esme, and shows the good and the bad of teaching as well as effective and ineffective teaching strategies. Great for education, thought, or just enjoyment!



5. Everthing that Esme says really hits me hard because I'm a student in the typical public school. I really wish I had a teacher like this, who could make boring subjects interesting, instead of reading everything straight out of the text book.
   I didn't think she was too self-absorbed, as many reviewers have said, I think her need for approval is very appropriate. I mean, I would just scream having to be in the unhealthy enviroment Esme is in. She handled everything with confidence and was always there for her "children."
   This is a great read for anyone who has ever stepped foot in a public school. All of her stories are either entertaining or shocking, and definitely worth reading twice.

5 comments about My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams.

1. I am very pleased with the quality of this book. I watched the John Adams series on HBO and this makes a nice companion piece to that miniseries.



2. A collection of authentic letters between a man and his wife documenting the actual events as they occur from their first meeting, the beginning of the revolutionary war, the first meeting of Congress to negotiaing a system of government through freedom of our liberties through the written and signed Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Although early years were spent much apart, this extraordinary couple persevered a deep love, an emotional partnership and friendship while enduring personal tragedies of early Colonial life in the 1700's. These letters are Historical Documents. This was the life of Abigail and John Adams. A story that aided this reader in understanding a period of History so unassuming, so important in acknowledging the birth of our nation.



3. A beautiful book as I was sure it would be. Now in the possession of another John Adams admirer who happens to be a resident of Cornwall, England.



4. I must shamefully admit that prior to the renewed interest in John Adams with the recent miniseries, I really had only a general knowledge of his role and importance in the founding of our country. This book gives a private, personal and wonderful view of the strength,deep,abiding love of this first family. I could not put it down & would highly recommend it to anyone.



5. If you are a history buff or just a little interested in the history of our nation you will love this book. The letters exchanged between John and Abigail Adams are wonderful. Abigail was definitely John's rock. She kept him focused and steady. John was a very passionate man in his beliefs and at times would become a tyrant trying to convince people that his way of thnking was the only way to think. Thank goodness he had Abigail as he ran everything by her to see how she thought the people would react to his perception. Abigail would let him know when he needed to press an issue or just be quiet and let it happen on its own. Besides being lovers as husband and wife they were truly best friends. An inspirational read.

5 comments about Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood.

1. Sickened is a story displaying the depth of a child's love for her mother and the strength it took to ultimately break away and save herself. I will not give away the story. It is enough to say this is a very interesting, well written book.



2. The book was a very easy/quick read. The stories are heart breaking and tragic but good information for others to know. It is hard to imagine a mother like the one in the book but there are a lot of very sick people in the world that pass for 'normal.' Good to know that the author made it out and is recovering from the trauma.



3. It amazes me that this was allowed to go on as long as it did. Doctors, Nurses etc.. Just sad, and this is far from an isolated case, my heart goes out to this girl who is now a woman and I hope she has been able to truly put this behind her, but I'm not sure that is possible. Children are innocents and need protection, just sad.



4. I loved this book! I couldn't put it down! It really showed how this disease affected one family. The pictures in the book made it all very real!



5. Horrible story and yet inspiring that this little girl who suffered such abuse and missed so much valuable education came out the other side to become an educated, talented writer, and a normal, healthy person.