Queen The Books

My daughter has read this book over half a dozen times. It is a charming story, well-paced and interesting. As a Mom, I am so happy to find a wholesome book that my children love to read - and I really enjoyed it, too!

Catherine is the granddaughter of the Grand Duke of Letzenstein, a very small imaginary country in Europe in 1848. She is summoned from England to be the Grand Duke's heir after the death of his previously appointed heir. His wise, older son is not considered, for his father perceives him to be a threat to his authority. Catherine is intended to be a pawn in the game for power, but she understands that all is not right, and becomes active in the intrigue at the palace.

The book was written to give an idea of European politics at this time, but on a smaller scale so as to be more easily understood by younger readers. Although Letzenstein is imaginary, it is set in a historical time frame, as well as actually seeming like part of Europe. Catherine asks questions of the princess of another small, imaginary country. The princess says she must marry the heir of the Grand Duke, to forge an alliance between the countries. Did she like the Grand Duke's son that died, Catherine asks. She was puzzled by the response. No, the princess did not like him, but it did not matter, because the alliance was more important.

Despite ideas you may get from the title, this is not a fantasy. The title comes from a gift the prince gives to Catherine, a crystal globe with a castle inside; when she turned the ball she saw a snowstorm in over the castle, which settled after she put it down. The title is appropriate to the rest of the book because of the political turmoil in Letzenstein that winter.

The story never lags for interest, and once I opened it, I had to finish it the same night. Now I can't wait the get the other three in the series.

John Wolf crafts a historical novel that has elements of a mystery thriller, filled with suspense and intrique. There is just enough imagery for a fantasy novel that compels you to keep turning the pages. Although we know the fate of Mary, Queens of Scots, her conflict with Elizabeth I, and how James I became King, Mr. Wolf's vivid imagination conjures up intimate details of how these events unfolded. In spite of this "dark" history, a bit of humor creeps through. How many courageous, romantic, time-traveling knights are named Widsip? Mr. Wolf's writing flows nicely as he introduces us to a cast of scheming characters, such as greedy bishops who lie, spies who spy, and other unsavory scoundrels. Curl up with this book by a fire, a pint of ale or a cup of tea by your side, and let your imagination soar. John Wolf did. A good read.

Elements of fantasy, suspense, and medieval wrongdoing of the murderous kind kept me turning the pages. Shocking plot twists place obstacles to challenge every skill our Dark and Stormy Knight has carried from his own mysterious existence. Courage, bonds of friendship, and love triumph over the harsh reality of 16th century England and Scotland. Some twisted characters are so evil that I cheered when they met the fate they had created for themselves. Our hero could not change the sad fate of Mary, Queen of Scots, but other strong, likeable, "good people" round out this tale. We must hear more about them, especially Lord Byron and Oliver. Prequel and sequel requested for Widsip Osbearn and the Universal Time Office!

Par ses illustrations et par son recit simple et vif, l'auteur David Guard, musicien du Trio Kingston des 1950s, nous explique pourquoi le conte de la reine irlandaise la plus reconnue nous attire une vingtaine de siecles apres sa mort. La courageuse rentre chez elle, de l'exile heureux en Ecosse, pour que le massacre de son amant avec les autres fils heroiques d'Uisnach reste oppose, temoigne et lamente. Elle veut que les ecossais soit protege de la vengeance du mari qu'elle n'aurait pas du epouser, le roi Conchobar macNessa. Elle veut que les traditions et le peuple irlandais survivent a la tyrannie de ce roi gros, fou, egoiste et cruel. L'auteur nous dit que la reine Deirdre en sait et en comprend de tout, meme les echecs et les insectes! Cela m'interesse puisque l'auteur contemporain Annie Dillard nous ecrit, dans A PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK, que ceux qui comprennent les insectes - tellement agacants, nombreux et repandus - comprennent le tout de l'univers.

David Guard's musical background shows in the angrily, bravely, happily and tragically dancing drawings and text of DEIRDRE: A CELTIC LEGEND. The former Kingston Trio member makes it clear why this story has gone through so many retellings: the skilled chess-playing daughter of Elva and storytelling harper Fedlimid macDall, Queen Deirdre returned from a seven-year exile so that her lover's murder with the other heroic sons of Uisnach would be opposed, witnessed and mourned; the old ways would not be forgotten; the people of Scotland would be safe from her husband, Red Branch Chief and Ulster High King Conchobar macNessa; and the suffering would end among her people in Ireland. I find it interesting that the author included understanding insects when talking about how much Deirdre knew: Annie Dillard says in PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK that the key to figuring out life might be in understanding bugs. The beautifully simple book, along with the song "Deirdre" on the Beach Boy's "Sunflower/Surf's Up" album, can help readers tackle Randy Lee Eickhoff's THE RAID, THE FEAST, and THE SORROWS; Morgan Llywelyn's RED BRANCH; and the classic versions of DEIRDRE by James Stephens, John M. Synge, and William Butler Yeats.

The Victorian Era's literature filled my childhood, and its poets (along with the Romantics) remain my favorites. I picked up this biography knowing I would find it interesting, but I didn't anticipate reading it as I would a novel.

That's just what happened, though. The author achieves such readability (even, I would think, for those who don't share my interest in European history) by focusing on her subject as if Victoria were a fictional protagonist. While Woodham-Smith supplies the necessary level of detail and background, and demonstrates the solid research skills that make this a serious work, she never forgets that the reason most readers pick up this book is - Victoria! A monarch who was also girl and woman, daughter and sister, wife and mother, in an era when each of those roles conflicted wildly with the one that destiny called on her to play.

Long out of print, but well worth tracking down.

The age of Queen Victoria is frought with myths and legends about the woman and her court. Mrs. Woodham-Smith brings the era alive with a personalized look at the queen and the many goings on before, during and after her reign. There are many stories about her and her famous consort, Prince Albert. This book also brings to light the persons that shaped Queen Victoria. You will truely understand why this was the Victorian Era after reading this book.

It's easy to think of others before reading this book but Dethroning The Queen deals with the "queen bee" and mean girl within every woman. Not only does the author do an excellent job at exposing bee-like tendencies but goes on to provide the necessary tools to exterminate them. At the end of every chapter there's a study guide with things to memorize, reflection questions, an action plan and more...making Dethroning The Queen an excellent personal resource and a great book for group study.
While the issues discussed in depth in this book would also apply to many men, because women of all ages are higly relational beings it truly speaks to the core of what so many women experience and deeply desire to get rid of in order to fully embrace life and one another.

I used to be the type of woman who had more male friends then female friends. Men were just easier to get along with and women were always so messy, petty and hard to befriend. This book really helped me deal with that and has left me excited about the beauty of female to female relationships. I love the way Alicia delicately exposes the root of the problem and allows the reader to evaluate their own character without chastising, condemning or presenting another "what women need to do" list. She really spoke to the heart of the matter in away that left me enthusiastic about being a better sister and friend and excited about being a woman!!! This book not only helps you with your female relationships.. but really helps you grow in all your relationships by allowing you to really evaluate your character without feeling ashamed, condemned or discouraged to change. I recommend this book to all women who want to better their relationships and live in the fullness of their feminine identity!

"Digital Play" critically analyzes the video and computer game industry and theorizes about its significance in contemporary society. The book is somewhat unusual in that it is the collaborative product of three authors, but the writing seems to blend perfectly and makes for a consistent and high-quality read. The end product is an accessible and entertaining book that could serve to introduce a wide audience to critical postmodern analysis.

Nick Dyer-Witheford of "Cyber-Marx" fame is one of the authors. Mr. Dyer-Witheford's influence is discernable in at least several sections where the post-Marxist themes of corporate control versus freedom that are evident in "Cyber-Marx" are used to very good effect. First, he deflates the wildly optimistic claims of techno-utopians such as Alvin Toffler, reminding us that technology remains in service to corporate profits and therefore narrows and limits the possibility of "choice, interactivity and empowerment" that digital games purportedly offer. Second, Mr. Dyer-Witheford points to piracy and hacking as evidence that freedom from corporate control and a return to "play" in its purest sense may yet remain possible.

The authors contend that video games are worthy of serious study because they represent the "ideal-type" postmodern commodity. So whereas the automobile is closely associated with the "industrial capitalism" of the Fordist era, the video game embodies the "information capitalism" of today's "perpetual innovation" society.

The ideal-type commodity does not mean that it avoids crisis, however. The authors posit that the accelerating "circuits" of technology, culture and marketing that drive postmodern society in general and the video game business in particular "can be broken or come into contradiction" in numerous ways. The authors go on to critique each of these three circuits and produce many pages of very thoughtful analysis.

For example, an interesting aspect of the industry that is often overlooked is manufacturing and the international division of labor. Electronic game equipment is often produced by proletariat labor in the poor countries of the South for the benefit of relatively wealthy consumers in the North. The authors point out that the game industry, like most capitalist enterprises that exploit the so-called free trade system in search of higher profits, will find it difficult to develop new markets for its products until it is willing to pay its third-world factory workers enough money to stimulate demand. In fact, the authors state that corporate managers should not be too surprised when intellectual property gets pirated by people who feel that they have been cheated by the economic system.

But probably the most stinging criticism concerns the close connection of games with Cold War research and development. The "militarized masculinity" that characterizes so many games originated here and has been perpetuated by corporate marketing in pursuit of profits. But the authors point out that if the industry fails to find successful alternative game genres and graphic violence continues to escalate, future interest in gaming may be jeopardized even as the potential damage to children exposed to such psychic intensity remains unknown.

In short, "Digital Play" is highly recommended to everyone interested in deconstructing the multi-faceted and increasingly fantastical world that has been brought to us by the "military and entertainment" complex.

Books on electronic gaming and video game culture predominantly concentrate on the history of the industry or on nostalgic returns to retro gaming, often punctuated with coloured photos and screenshots. Digital Play is one of the few books currently available that provides an insightful look into the social, cultural, and economic relationships between game players, and the engaging game texts, technologies, and market forces of the information age. As interactive gaming continues to establish itself as a major global media business, it becomes increasingly important for us to employ a critical perspective of the blossoming industry. Kline, Witheford, and Peuter's Digital Play couldn't have arrived at a better time.

Digital Play is cleverly divided into three segments, each focusing on different bearings of interactive gaming but effectively converging into a single conclusive "coda." Discussion begins with a theoretical approach to analyzing gaming and its industry as it relates to circuits of interactivity including culture, technology, and marketing. Theoretical concepts collected from media theorists Marshall McLuhan and Raymond Williams, are successfully transferred to the medium of the videogame. What follows is a look at the existence of interactive gaming in a post-Fordist, and postmodern society of information technology and hyper-reality. This facilitates the understanding of historical circumstances of developing circuits of interactivity outlined in earlier chapters. While the first segment may seem theoretically and linguistically intense, it remains deeply involving and is ever mindful of the topic at hand: video games.

The second segment of Digital Play covers the historical background of games from their early beginnings in the military-industrial complex to the relentless corporate firefight known to many as the "console wars." However, unlike previous electronic gaming texts, the historical accounts are retold stressing the importance of technology, culture, and marketing. Digital Play thus provides a fresh and extremely entertaining parade through electronic gaming's past. What readers may find most absorbing in this stretch are the political-economic struggles endured by the gaming companies (Atari for example) who pioneered the industry only to meet with fierce competition and an unstable market for interactive entertainment.

The initial chapters of Digital Play concentrated on technology and communication studies, and the following chapters zeroed-in on history and marketing practices. However, this theoretical triad could not be complete without the presence of one more area of study: game culture as an industry and practice. In a chapter entitled "Workers and Warez" the authors examine gaming technologies on global levels of production and consumption, such as the exploitation of off-shore labourers and increasing levels of hacking, console "modding", and software piracy. Subsequent chapters provide studies in branding and licensing, violence and gender, and my personal favourite...political economy. Chapter 12 assembles the major themes of Digital Play, suggesting that Electronic Arts' best-selling game "The Sims" can be viewed as a microcosm of our own capitalist society, wrought with consumerist ideology. While we manipulate the digital Barbie dolls of our virtual technology, so too does a system of communication technologies, global enterprise, and postmodern digital culture manipulate our symbolic relationship with the logic of a capitalist system.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Digital Play and wouldn't hesitate to purchase any game-related books that any of the authors might publish in the future. Digital Play offers an engaging critical look at the gaming world's industry, technology, and culture, and should not be ignored by those looking to study interactive games from an academic viewpoint or by those simply looking for enjoyable reading.

My daughter who is going to be 5 very soon loves this item. It combines her loves - Princess motif and music in an electronic device!

Even though I didn't enjoy the stories that much, I enjoyed the music. It was insturmental music as well as an insurmental version of a song from the movies. I hope someday there will be more MYPODs with books

My 8 year old daughter and I loved this book! We laughed and had a special time reading it to eachother. It was fun to see Snow White a bit more modern and the last picture in her story is a hoot!

I picked this book up for my 8 month old the other day. As a "Bookie Monster" (i.e. "One who passionately devours anything with a cover and pages!") and children's writer, I tend to be choosy over the books I purchase for my daughter; I will spend hours in bookstores previewing potential books and picking them apart: "How on earth does drivel like this get the greenlighted by an editor? I've found four words spelled wrong on the first three pages!"

I can't begin to tell you what a surprise this book was. It is beautifully illustrated and written in a no-nonsense, non-dumbed down conversational style. Any adult with a hearty sense of humor will be able to appreciate this work. I laughed out loud more than once as I read through the first page; the classic view of the Queen we grew up with is shattered as she tells her story: She doesn't want your pity; as a single mother, The Queen has had little support in raising Snow White, but has done her best.

A interesting gem from the Queen points out how regular mothers are allowed to fly off of the handle now and then, and folks don't give it a second thought. Stepmothers, however, are not afforded that luxury and branded as evil when they do likewise. That's deep thinking for a children's book, but then again, I am a firm believer in not watering things down for children. They are smarter than most adults would care to admit. Any book that provokes deeper thought in a child's mind gets a huge golf clap from me.

In conclusion, this is a fresh work and a new way of seeing the flip side of the bad guys. If you are weary of tedious tales and the fruitless garbage that clutters the bookshelves of the children's section these days, I highly recommend you pick this one up. I do not have any of the other titles in this series as of yet, but that will change!

I have a very good friend who was sexually abused for years, and have read a number of books on the subject. Some good, some bad. Why I liked this book, is: 1) it talks about specific cases, the fall out, and what recovery came about 2) helps understand the emotions within an abused man, 3) by understanding more about what happened, it has brought my closer to my friend.

This book is recommended, although I wish it hadn't needed to be written and that all of these kids are getting abused.....it is terrible, and heartbreaking.

"Nearly one male in six has been the victim of sexual abuse during childhood or adolescence--and yet this abuse remains a taboo subject, even among victims. In Don't Tell, Michel Dorais gives the victims a voice, providing a sensitive analysis of their traumas and self-questioning, and offering strategies for coping.
"Don't Tell examines the effects of sexual abuse on the emotional and sexual life of men, including their sense of self and their personal relationships. Using the first-hand accounts of victims Dorais shows that certain reactions are specific to male victims of abuse as they attempt to preserve a sense of physical integrity and masculinity. He also provides innovative strategies for both prevention and treatment that will be of use to those who have suffered abuse as well as to their families and all those who are trying to help them--spouses, friends, social workers, and therapists."

I have a very good friend who was sexually abused for years, and have read a number of books on the subject. Some good, some bad. Why I liked this book, is: 1) it talks about specific cases, the fall out, and what recovery came about 2) helps understand the emotions within an abused man, 3) by understanding more about what happened, it has brought my closer to my friend.

This book is recommended, although I wish it hadn't needed to be written and that all of these kids are getting abused.....it is terrible, and heartbreaking.

"Nearly one male in six has been the victim of sexual abuse during childhood or adolescence--and yet this abuse remains a taboo subject, even among victims. In Don't Tell, Michel Dorais gives the victims a voice, providing a sensitive analysis of their traumas and self-questioning, and offering strategies for coping.
"Don't Tell examines the effects of sexual abuse on the emotional and sexual life of men, including their sense of self and their personal relationships. Using the first-hand accounts of victims Dorais shows that certain reactions are specific to male victims of abuse as they attempt to preserve a sense of physical integrity and masculinity. He also provides innovative strategies for both prevention and treatment that will be of use to those who have suffered abuse as well as to their families and all those who are trying to help them--spouses, friends, social workers, and therapists."