Queen The Books

Ellen Freudenheim's "Queens: What to Do, Where to Go (And How Not to Get Lost) in New York's Undiscovered Borough" is a delightful guidebook to an often forgotten part of New York City. As the author points out, "were it to secede from New York City today, Queens would be the fourth largest city in America." If you enjoy diversity and value history and culture, Queens is the place for you: 120 languages are spoken here, ethnic food stores and restaurants abound, and Queens features cultural institutions, historic sites, and sports venues that are well worth a visit. Like so many formerly underappreciated parts of New York City (many in Brooklyn), Queens is being rediscovered and is on the upswing.

After an informative and witty introduction, Freudenheim devotes thirteen chapters to neighborhoods from Astoria (named after the wealthy fur trader, John Jacob Astor) to Woodside. Within these chapters, she covers the basics: where the neighborhood is located, how to get there, its history, things to see and do, where to shop, points of cultural interest, restaurants, and nightlife. Sprinkled throughout the chapters are lively anecdotes and essays, some written in the first person by Queens residents. At the back of the book are sections about JFK and LaGuardia Airports, tours you can take, and recommended Web sites. The detailed and well-organized subject and alphabetical indexes make the book easy to navigate.

Even if you plan never to set foot in Queens, this guidebook is fun to read solely for its entertainment value. The author has a brisk and spunky writing style that makes "Queens" a browser's delight. Turn to any page, and you will find a fascinating tidbit of information presented with wit and verve. Did you know that jazz great Louis Armstrong lived in Queens for for twenty-eight years and that his house is a National Historic Landmark open to the public? I love New York (especially Brooklyn), but Ellen Freudenheim tempts me to board one of the many subway lines leading to the "hidden gems" of Queens.

I'm told Queens is the new Brooklyn, and as a long-time Brooklyn resident I thought, Fuggedaboudit! But that was until I read Freudenheim's book. Wow. And I thought Queens was famous for Shea Stadium, the old Worlds Fair and two airports. I stand corrected, and after reading just one part of the book I'm hungry. Having already wet my whistle at the beer garden I think I'll head over to Flushing for some authentic Asian cuisine. I suggest you read this book and head to Queens too, before all the trustafarians and folks priced out of Brooklyn and Manhattan over-run the place.

Quest for the Silver Castle is a excellent and capivating story. It follows two young children whom are in search for the King. The only way of knowing there is a King is by a Silver Castle that appears on special occasions. The children run into tough trials and wonderful experiences as well. Through the search the children become great and friend and help and encourage each other through each circumstance. This story has a wonderful allegory with excellent meaning behind it. This book is excellent for all ages and genders.

This book is amazingly well written. Arlen and Theodora are soreal that I would not be suprised to meet them on the street. It tellswonderfully the power of Jesus's love for his children. I am very glad that there is more in this series.

The doll family in the old dollhouse doesn't mind when Cynthia gets Tidy Castle as a present, even when she dismisses their house as Racketty-Packetty House and sticks it behind the door. They had fallen from the "gay and fashionable life" and become shabby over the years since Cynthia's Grandmamma first owned them, but it does not dampen their spirits one bit! They dance in circles until they're hysterical and all fall down laughing, and have much more fun than the lords and ladies in Tidy Castle.

When Cynthia gives the Tidy Castle dolls scarlet fever, the old dolls are quite kind-hearted to their fancy neighbors and all manage to become friends. But when Cynthia expects an important visitor and wants the nurse to burn Racketty-Packetty house, things look quite serious, even for the ever-optimistic old doll family. Fortunately, Queen Crosspatch and her Fairies are quite fond of the Racketty-Packetty dolls, and they will find a way to save Racketty-Packetty House.

This is one of the goofiest, most frenetic doll books ever, with spectacular illustrations by Harrison Cady.

How many of us have awakened to find that our dolls were NOT where we left them the night before? A wonderful read aloud that piques the imagination and prompts great kid discussions of what exactly they DO all night(you are playing with them in the daytime!) Timeless.

From the moment I received this book in the mail, I couldn't put it down. It's written in a relaxed, interesting style that draws the reader into the narrative and won't let go. If you like Jung, myths, Joseph Campbell types of writings, you'll want this book.

Annette's new book is a collection of poems, stories, recipes, and other bits of goodness with a central theme of home-spun fairy tales and mythology. I especially enjoy the explanations accompanying most of the entries explaining some of the creative insight and thought behind the pieces. It's a real look into the author's mind and I'm pleased that she's so open to share such intimate thoughts with us.

The book also has a central theme focusing on feminism and the beauty that is woman in general. I like to think that we live in a modern world by now, but you'll certainly agree that we still have a long way to go. Gender inequality and the extra struggle it entails bring out a strong voice of opinion in this collection, but not in an overpowering way. It's subtle and secondary to the child-like charm each story and poem deliver.

I love the book becuse I love Reba McEntire

If you can't get enough of Reba you'll enjoy this book. Mr. Cusic gets his information from people who know her well, and most of the events discribed agree with her autobiography, "Reba:My Story" ( read it first!). If you get the chance to read this ,do, just keep in mind Reba didn't authorize this so some things may be a little exaggerated.If you're not a fan already reading her story will make you one!

I feel very fortunate to have this book as it is now out of print. I bought it in 1993 at a book store and just ran into it on a whim. I enjoyed the book as it had a lot of information about Reba and her journey through life so far. Up to this point I have every book that has been written about her and find this one to be very informative.

Luckily for me, my husband found a copy of this book in perfect condition at a used book store. I cried while reading it. They were both tears of happiness and tears of sadness. The book talks about her life as a young woman followed by her start in Nashville all the way through to her darkest moment when her crew's plane went down. It also goes into some of the acting she did in the 1990's. I truly enjoyed this book. If you are a Reba fan, it is a MUST have. Enjoy!

I will not bore you with a lengthy review. This is a great book with lots of rare and candid pics you normally don't see. A MUST PICK-UP for anyone who is interested in the subject. I got lucky enough to have mine signed by the author!

Eric Queen's "Red Shines the Sun: A Pictorial History of the Fallschirm-Infanterie" is much more than a photo collection of the German airborne infantry in World War II. It is in fact a fairly authoritative history and source reference, containing interviews with German WWII paratroopers as well as photographs of dozens of contemporary documents.

Queen covers the creation and training of the German airborne corps and its use in various campaigns. But the strength of this book is his reliance on surviving veterans to tell their story, beginning with why they volunteered to be paratroopers to their battles in the various theaters and campaigns of the war.

From the beginning to the end of the war, Germany's paratroopers were Hitler's elite soldiers and the Allies learned to expect fanatical resistance wherever they encountered them - from North Africa to Northwestern Europe.

For those interested in the German airborne in World War II - this volume is well worth the price!

Margarets' writings are truly a gift from God!!!
"Reflections of a Queen" demonstrates there is healing for the 'Soul' one encouraging word at time...

Be blessed my sister and I encourage you to continue to allow God's words of healing to flow through you...

Shelia Haywood

Margaret, is an awesome writter. She speaks to your heart and soul. Very uplifting and powerful. Looking forward to future writings by this great author. A definet gift for any woman at any stage of her life. I hope to get my book autographed one day.

Few figures in ancient history are as enticing as Cleopatra VII (69-30 BCE), who came to power in Egypt at a time when the Hellenistic world was colliding with a rising Roman empire. She has been remembered largely as the sexy, beautiful lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and this aspect of her life is relayed in this book, but what is less well known is how superb a monarch she was for ancient Egypt. She successfully negotiated the shoals of war and diplomacy with Rome, other Middle Eastern empires, and her own realm's dissident elements. "The Reign of Cleopatra" is a fine introduction to this intriguing leader's life and times. In it we see a woman who possessed a unique talent for diplomacy, leadership, and power brokering. In a world dominated by strong and sometimes brutal men, Cleopatra was every bit as dominant and sometimes brutal as those she encountered.

This book offers a window into a world long gone and all but forgotten. It was a pre-Christian world in which values were far different from what has existed since. In it she was viewed as a god incarnate by her subjects, she was married to her brother for a short time, and she had other lovers, notably Julius Caesar and Mark Antony with whom she had children. Her ability to seduce and make an alliance with Julius Caesar was critical to her early reign. After his death by assassination her relationship to Mark Antony, even closer than that with Caesar, was critical to her reign and ultimately led to her suicide in 30 BCE after Antony's defeat by Octavian.

"The Reign of Cleopatra" is very much a primer on the era and its politics and society. There are chapters on Cleopatra as an individual, on Egypt under the Ptolemys, the social character of Egypt, the role of Alexandria as the capital, a collection of key documents illuminating various aspects of the story, and a biographical section offering thumbnail descriptions of key actors. This is a fine introduction to a complex and fascinating subject.

Cleopatra was an enigma in her own time, and has remained so throughout two thousand years of subsequent history. As the Elizabeth Taylor film about Cleopatra concluded, she 'was the last of so many noble rulers.' In fact, she represented the close of several chapters of history - she was the last of the Ptolemiac line to rule Egypt, the last of the independent ruler/monarchs or pharoahs, and the last the major threats to Rome before it became a consolidated empire under Augustus.

Yet this is not the primary source of her fame. Her fame comes largely from her legendary sexual allure, which according to Burstein's research, was less due to her physical beauty (apparently she was rather ordinary looking) as it was from her intelligence and charm. An extraordinarily educated and wise woman, she survived intrigues and reached pinnacles of power beyond that of most, especially of women during her period of history. Cleopatra's personal life is an very complicated one - married to several different men (including, in true Ptolemaic fashion, her own brother), she had four children (one by Julius Caesar, and three by Mark Antony), and following the family history of Cleopatra is a real trick - there were no fewer than 14 kings named Ptolemy, at least seven Cleopatras, and numerous Arsinoes and Berenikes. It is easy to get lost in the history.

Stanley Burstein does a good job at keeping this history straight. The first chapter gives a brief introduction to Ptolemaic Egypt, beginning with Ptolemy I, friend of Alexander the Great, and proceeding up through the various descendents and their waxing and waning fortunes in the eastern Mediterranean. The wars amongst the successors of Alexander gave way to family intrigues among the Ptolemies at times, and included involvement in the various civil wars of the Romans, which would eventually end with the fall of Cleopatra and Antony and the rise of Augustus. Cleopatra's three children by Antony would survive; her grandson (also named Ptolemy) would succeed as king of Mauretania, until one of Augustus' successors (Caligula) would assassinate him.

In addition to presenting the international and foreign political history involving Cleopatra, Burstein presents essays on the internal structures and cultures in Egypt, with special emphasis on the city of Alexandria. Alexandria was home of the Great Lighthouse and the Great Library (two of the Ancient Wonders of the World) in addition to other magnificent structures; it was the most cosmopolitan place in the world known to the Romans (and, mostly likely, the entire world at the time). There were rumours at different times that the capital of the empire might be moved from Rome to Alexandria - such rumours were exploited in Rome at convenient times. Burstein concludes his essays with a discussion of the way Cleopatra has been viewed over time, including modern discussions of her prominence as an early figure of feminist activity (a woman in history who acted in her own right, and not through the agency of a man) as well as a figure of pride for African Americans, many of whom have taken her as one of their own history as an early African ruler.

Indeed, far from being the sexually predatory figure as she was often portrayed, most evidence seems to indicate she was only involved with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and was faithful to each while involved with them. She was also faithful to her children, and to Egypt itself. It was politically expedient for her to be portrayed as wanton and licentious at the time, and has served later times in various ways to play up this image, but the real Cleopatra is quite different from that which has become a legend down to our own times.

Burstein provides, as is characteristic of the Greenwood Guides, biographical snapshots of key figures of the time (this includes Egyptians, Romans, and even mythical figures such as Isis), a glossary of terms, listings of primary sources materials, an extensive annotated bibliography, an index, and various maps and images that help put some visual context for the stories.

A very useful book, written at a level that advanced high school and undergraduate students can find accessible, but also useful to general readers.

Upon the first read, I was actually disappointed with this book, mainly because it wasn't what I had expected it to be. But I went back to it and fell in love with it. I have read these stories again and again. So simple yet sophisticated. They are gentle, loving, warm, feel good stories that remind you to celebrate the joy of living. I return to this book when I feel down and it always brightens my spirit. It has remained a constant favorite since the early 1990's.

I had the pleasure to work with Andrea Carlisle as a student, and her very sincere personality shines throughout the pages of this book. Lazy LaRue and Pubah dance liltingly and gaze at the world with one another, one foot slightly in reality but always light-heartedly. These are two women who really love their lives, and through deceptively simple description and dialogue (the characters sneak up on you with subtle epiphanies on existence!), you learn to perhaps appreciate your own world more. I do dearly reccomend this well-loved book------ it is peaceful, loving, and a delight.