Clubs Books

I have always loved the books on Mary Ann. I am, like Mary Ann, also very shy and sensitive. After reading this book I walked away feeling braver and stronger. I love the new Mary Ann because she is not only her caring old self but also a new more confident person. This book is really an insperation. It also shows you that when you belive in yourself, with a little help from your friends, you can do anything. This book is a true treasure.

I love this book! Somehow,as I was reading along,it made me feel stonger about myself. I didn't know how to stick up for myself,but after reading it,I did. A so must read.

By far this is the best book in the bscff series. Mary Annedefinately proved she not just meek shy girl always behind someone todefend her. This time that punk Cokie finally was cut down to size, by Mary Anne. First Cokie made fun her by her big breakup with Logan,then lied about Logan saying that she begged him to get back with him. Also said he going with another girl{which was true}, then she sabotaged the yearbook ballots! . That's when Mary Anne did her own scheming as well, along with the BSC's rival, Cary.In this book you could see Mary Anne try on new attitudes and maturing from the old quiet Mary Anne! She even snuck out of her house! Now that's major improvement! Also in this book Mary Anne and her parents settled long overdue conflicts.Mary Anne has proven herself to Logan, BSC, Cokie, the whole school,... and herself that she is here and here to stay!

Here's the deal. MaryAnne, as you know, has broken up with Logan. Cokie is still after Logan, and she's also still attacking MaryAnne (you know what I mean).

Both MaryAnne and Cokie are on the yearbook team, or whatever you call it (I read this a few days ago). Cokie is in charge, and she's most enthusiastic about the parts like "Most sporty", "Most likely to be seen in Beverly Hills", etc. Cokie is convinced that she fits in most of this categories, and is being mean to MaryAnne, spreading rumours and everything.

MaryAnne teams up (sort of) with Cary Retlin to get her revenge on Cokie. But in the end...
It really is Sweet Revenge. Read it and find out. The Real New MaryAnne is much better than the Old MaryAnne or the Not Good New MaryAnne. Hope you liked this review.Br

This is book number eight in the series.

In this installment, Mary Anne, Cokie, and some other people are on the yearbook commitee at school. The school nominated categories are being updated this year- so in addition to all the categories like best dressed and most likely to succeed, they have other categories like Most Artistic and Most Likely to Be Seen in Hollywood. Cokie, unfortunately, sabotages the votes so that she and her friends will get all the categories to themselves. Mary Anne and Abby figure this out, though, and go to the vice-principal to get a recount.

Cokie, furious (as always), spreads a rumor around the school that Mary Anne begged Logan to take her back, sending him e-mail messages and hundreds of messages on his answering machines. Logan, reportedly, had said 'no, there is another girl, and I don't like you any more'. This isn't true, and Mary Anne and the BSC get Cary Retlin to help them think up a way to pay her back just in time for the huge party that Cokie's throwing.

Mary Anne's dad grounds Mary Anne just before the party, so Mary Anne sneaks out and arrives there, where she tells the truth to Cokie once and for all- that Cokie's a brat that no one likes and that even though she thinks that telling lies about other people will make her seem cool, they don't.

Mary Anne finally gets over her nightmares, and learns that her dad had recently been experiencing the same flashbacks to the night of the fire.

A good book, and a lot more serious and realistic than the original BSC series.

I discovered Joseph Finder by reading Power Play. Typically, I exhaust each new author I discover. Finder is a very good author. When it came to The Moscow Club, I found it riveting but scattered.

Wonderful Soviet background information, but it just didn't live up to my expectations from reading nearly all of his previous novels. I understand this was his first novel, and I'm glad I found Power Play before I read this one, or I may not have become as big a fan of Finder as I am now.

The subplots were interesting, and the premise was really unique, which is part of what makes Finder such a good author, he comes up with really good basic plots. It kept my interest, but I always felt like it was very scattered and difficult to follow. I have not found that in his subsequent novels.

I definitely recommend it in terms of a good read, but some of his later writings will get you hooked on his writing style more readily.

As other reviewers have pointed out, this novel is addictive, as long as the occasional leaps of credibility don't interfere with the reader's ability to suspend belief.

Joseph Finder knows his stuff! I am an avid reader who reads 1-2 novels a week. After polishing off several Grishams and Pattersons, I was looking for something new. My mom gave me an old copy of The Moscow Club. I could not put it down. The details that Finder weaves through the story are amazing and the pace is breathtakingly quick. There are no places to take a breather and I am still tired from missing way too much sleep. I am about finished with his second book, Extraordinary Powers, and it is just as fine. Time to order his third....

It's a shame that such a book is out of print. When I read The Moscow Club, I was litteraly flipping the pages one after another. It keeps you alert all the time because you never know what is going to happen. An excellent way to kill time while you're on a boring trip.

Charlie Stone is a CIA analyst who is asked by his boss to find more information on a document reference called "the Lenin testament". Charlie is reluctant to pursue this, even though he is aware that both his father and another old family friend might be able to help him, because of old scandals within his family.

However, against his better judgement, he does follow up this information, which leads him deeper and deeper into a conspiracy involving people in high places in both the USA and Russia - where people's motives are not what they seem.

Finder has crafted a well written, well paced and enjoyable post cold war novel with this book. It's a what-if situation that could have happened in Russia - but if it did we would probably never know about it. His use of terrorists as scare-mongers to initiate official action is almost eerie in the light of events over the last few years, yet this book was written in 1991, when terrorists did not have the cachet they have now.

With a great story and characters you care about this book is worth picking up to read if you enjoy a good thriller.

Wow! I liked Dawson's other books. But this one. . .She blew me over. I laughed and cried, but mostly I hoped if I ever found myself in the place she put her characters I'd find Bathroom Friends like that.
Buy it. Keep it. And thank Dawson for being a sensitive woman, an articulate spokesperson for all women.
Jody Payne

I have to admit I picked up this book because of its title. But a few pages into this book, I was so riveted that I simply couldn't put it down, I couldn't stop reading. Then I went back and re-read it slowly and carefully, to the very last page, because this is one of the best books I have ever read.

This book *is* about "The Make a Wish Foundation", and about breast cancer, but on the other hand, it is also about so much more, and it was so well-written, so beautifully and realistically categorized, that, like some previous reviewers, I would love to see another book on these characters. Ms. Dawson, Encore, please!

This book starts off about Holly, but she quickly meets Maggie and Grace, and they soon turn into a three-some of good friends, cemented by the fact that they are all going through some kind of crisis in their life. Holly is twenty-five, Maggie is forty-five, and Grace is in her mid-sixties, so that we get a very good snapshot of three women at three very crucial stages of their life - Holly, who is entering adulthood, Maggie, facing her empty nest, and Grace, dealing with the inevitable problems of aging and sickness. We also get some very cute conversations as they explore the generation gap - and their different attitudes towards work, marriage, husbands, children.

I loved, loved, loved this book. I have to admit that I like books with more than one plot-thread, I tend to get bored easily and I like books like this that have more than one primary character that can keep my interest. Add to that some extremely realistic characters, and excellent writing, and I, at least, have found a real keeper. There is something about each of these three women's dilemma's that ring true, that feel real. While I have been in Holly's shoes, and I can tell you that that is *exactly* how I felt, I can feel that Maggie and Grace, too, were extremely realistically portrayed.

I did not feel that this book had too little of the men-in-their-lives, I think that that would have made it a little too complicated, and besides, this book was all about the women.

No matter what your tastes, I really don't think that you can go wrong with this truly exceptional novel!

The Pink Magnolia Club, a wonderful story of women's friendships, is one of the most moving books I have read. I have never felt the need to review a book on line before, but it is my duty to praise Dawson for her service to the special friendships that we as women have and the magnificent work of the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.
I have learned so much about this organization and its good works from Dawson's Book. The Pink Magnolia Club not only touched my heart but also my soul. I cried at the ups and downs in the friendships among the three women and recalled such friendships with older and younger women that I have been blessed to have. I am ordering this book for those women, ages 17-82, I am lucky enough to call my friends for 1 year to 43 years so they can have a good cry, remember our friendship and learn what to do with those rings still stored in their drawers.

It begins with Holly setting out to check off to check off at least one and maybe two goals on her life list. When she reaches the room where she plans to begin this goal, having sex in an improper setting with her boyfriend, Justin, he ruins it by proposing to her in front of a ballroom full fo people. She reacts by running from the room and getting sick in the bathroom. There, she meets two older women. Both are there as part of the Dresses for Dreams sale, where old wedding gowns are donated and sold to make wishes come true for breast cancer patients. Grace, the elder of the two, is working there, and Maggie has donated her dress, though it was hard for her.

They get to witness a spectacular to do when Jusin follows Holly into the ladies room then storms off, leaving the girl confused and hurt. They form a bond and continue to meet, sharing their problems and woes. Maggie's big problem is she and her husband Mike have drifted apart, so much so that he forgot their twenty fifth annerversary and has now bought a boat, intending to sail the Caribean for a few months, alone. He needs some time. Grace and her Ben are still happily married, except for one problem. He is in denial about her fatal prognosis with cancer.

As the story progresses, the three women work on putting together a fiftieth annerversary party for Grace and Ben, though Holly and Maggie secretly plan for it to be a second wedding to make up for the big one she did not have. Maggie tries dating and also has a few attempts at dealing with Mike, while Holly confronts the fear that keeps her from marrying Justin, or anyone, with a clear mind. They make more life lists, go to jail together, and eat lots of chocolate.

***** A favorite author makes a change of pace in this heart warming, sometimes funny, sometimes painful novel that no woman should miss. This is one of those books where a lot happens, but it's hard to describe. It is a gentle walk that will renew something inside you and make you appreciate life. Does Grace get her dream wedding? What happens to the two estranged couples? Read it and find out, just keep some tissue and chocolate handy. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

In Fort Worth, three women meet in the ladies room of the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation meeting hall. Middle aged Maggie Prescott is giving away her wedding gown that she wore twenty-five years ago because she believes her husband Mike no longer cares about her. Holly Weeks is stunned because the man she loves has proposed, a request that goes contrary to her life list and heats up her fears following her mother's death years ago from breast cancer. The third bathroom buddy sixty-five year old Grace Hardeman suffers from breast cancer.

Though from three different generations, the trio becomes friends. Grace provides a role model for her younger buddies as her philosophy of "today is a gift that's why it's called the present" resonates in all she does. However, even she fears dying as it is a matter of time before she must enter the hospital with her beloved loyal husband and her two pals providing her support.

Readers who enjoy a wonderful relationship drama that emphasizes the importance of loved ones during a health crisis will want to read THE PINK MAGNOLIA CLUB and donate to the Making Memories Foundation. The story line moves the audience through the three women confronting varying traumas in different ways. The characters seem genuine and fans will hope for the best whatever that might be for each one. Geralyn Dawson provides a powerfully emotional tale that will bring her much praise from fans and reviewers (and tissue companies) for this courageous tale.

Harriet Klausner

Playtime is an erotic novel combined with a really good story about relationships. I thought Mona was a great character becuase she took chances and did her own thing. I loved it!!

Playtime was a very good and very smart read about one woman who decides it's her "playtime" and doesn't let anyone--not even her husband!!!--stand in her way. I liked the concept and some of the theories behind what the character does as well.

I didn't expect Playtime to be so radical--non-traditional relationship story. But I found myself drawn into the character's motivation and loving what she was doing for herself--freeing herself sexually. It was such an interesting concept and not one I've ever seen in erotica before. I say good for the author for writing this book and staying away from the "typcial" storylines of "typical" erotica. I'd love to read another of her works.

Playtimes is like nothing I've ever read before. It goes beyond the whole "sowing your wild oats" thing and really gets in there and tells what it feels like when feelings change and a person starts to look around. The situations/fantasies were sexy and humorous and I loved the character of Mona, who was just like a real person to me. This is definitely a different sort of book, but one well worth reading, esp. if a person was married at a young age.

Kim Corum's Playtime is one of the steamiest erotic novels ever written. The novel about a woman's quest to shatter all sexual inhibitions satisfied me from beginning to end - so to speak. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to act on every deviant and taboo sexual desire then this is the book for you. Corum does an excellent job chronicling the life of the proverbial bad girl. Even though it doesn't exceed Corum's Breaking the Girl, Playtime is insatiable erotica nevertheless. Highly recommended to all erotic fiction enthusiasts...

Diane's book is great fun and practical, too. The recipes are short and to the point. I haven't screwed up one yet. In addition, the information on the aphrodisiacs takes just the right tone to spark some playful romance.

This book is perfect for a romantic dinner for two. It is sexy, fun and entertaining.

This book tells you step by step how to prepare Recipes and them are pretty easy to make.
Erotic entrees include Scallops with Asparagus and Ginger Beurre Blance and Sausages in Red Wine. And if you make it to dessert, try replacing low-carb with "low-garb" by enjoying the sweet sensation of Strawberries. yummy..
Other book very yummy it's Sex and the perfect lover by MabeL Iam( hardcover)

The ritual of cooking and dining have not been explored enough in our American culture in terms of romance. This book is about preparing sensual dishes (tastes and presentations) with the right atmosphere (candles, soft music, flowers, beautiful settings). All the recipes are simple and are clearly displayed on only one page thus freeing the cook to spend less time in the kitchen and more time at the table with a loved one.

A good book, but I find that I refer to other "aphrodisiac" cookbooks more because they have photos. (After all, so much of our sensuality is from the pleasures of the eyes!)

This book is an autobiographical account of the author, Jo Ann Schneider-Farris. In particular, she takes the reader with avid captivation into the world of an organization few get exposed to in the way she has. She does so revealing personal aspects of her and organized religious organizations. She confirms for me concerns that I had in dealing with this particular organization years ago. The brilliance of her prose in self revelation brings a light of honesty to the transcript. Jo Ann's journey takes the reader along with her in a delightful timeline fashion. I am left, knowing that her life's journey is only in progress. I want to know more. It would be nice if Jo Ann were to publish a sequel or additional autobiographical release. I would recommend this book to anyone. On a personal note, I would like to thank Jo Ann for sharing this. I have found it tremendously uplifting!

Jo Ann Farris' story is thoroughly captivating! It's not often that we get a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes of religious organizations such as Jews for Jesus. In addition, Jo Ann shows us how determination and love from her family allowed her to overcome her hardships and keep moving forward toward a happier life. The story is quite inspirational and I heartily recommend it.

As an acquaintance of the author's I rejoice that she has come through her ordeals and is again the happy person I knew long before the events she described. As a Christian, however, I was left deeply saddened that yet another person has failed to have Jesus come into her heart because of the "agendas" of some so-called Christian and religious organizations. The "Jesus-drug" she mentions as the basis of extreme fundamentalist churches, and the personality-directed groups "Jews for Jesus" and "Focus on the Family" left her with an incorrect view of true Christianty. I urge all Christians who read this book to pray that we can better learn to share the glory of Jesus without obscuring His love and death for our sins by our own "agendas".

A couple weeks ago I decided to re-read this book looking for information I encountered in my past. It was there. It is not often one can read text that is honest, very complete and accurate in presentation. Additionally, this script is actually pleasingly fun to read! (15-Sep-05KK) Reviewed first: 01-Jan-2003This book is an autobiographical account of the author, Jo Ann Schneider-Farris. In particular, she takes the reader with avid captivation into the world of an organization few get exposed to in the way she has. She does so revealing personal aspects of her and organized religious organizations. She confirms for me concerns that I had in dealing with this particular organization years ago. The brilliance of her prose in self revelation brings a light of honesty to the transcript. Jo Ann's journey takes the reader along with her in a delightful timeline fashion. I am left, knowing that her life's journey is only in progress. I want to know more. It would be nice if Jo Ann were to publish a sequel or additional autobiographical release. I would recommend this book to anyone. On a personal note, I would like to thank Jo Ann for sharing this. I have found it tremendously uplifting!

Jo Ann Farris' story is thoroughly captivating! It's not often that we get a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes of religious organizations such as Jews for Jesus. In addition, Jo Ann shows us how determination and love from her family allowed her to overcome her hardships and keep moving forward toward a happier life. The story is quite inspirational and I heartily recommend it.

A lot was learned about the subject matter of Shed No Tears. It seems not all the facts of the era had been fully exposed, until the writing of this book. I also enjoyed learning the cast of characters. Some I dispised, some I fell in love with. To this day, I still think of them. I highly recommend it.

Like all good historical novels, Shed No Tears has enough event driven momentum to make readers forget that they know its historical stream. Beyond that, it incorporates some important historical aspects of the American Revolution for the reader to ponder. Moral, ethical and political problems haunt the novel's background and this helps give depth to the characters. Finally, this novel develops its characters in such a way that the reader really does care and worry about them. Solomon, the free, black, commercially successful protagonist is strong almost too strong but his discovery of himself and his place in the times makes him a sympathetic as well as admirable figure. Several of his friends and enemies are drawn with enough depth to allow us to know them as people whether we love or hate them. Romantic momentum the book has and most readers will be diverted from their other activities to read it through as quickly as possible.

EXCELLENT - A GOOD BOOK FOR YOUNG MINDS - UNDERSTAND ABOUT HISTORY!

This novel is an atypical account of the American Revolution from the perspective of a free Black coloinal male. It provides a unique perspective not published in most historical accounts recounting the birth of this nation.

Shed No Tears is a rich tapestry of adventure, love, saddness, hatred and the human spirit. It evokes, thought, emotions and reations at every turn.

I strongly recommend this book to all critical thinkers, and socially conscientious readers. It's well-woven tapestry provides something for all; regardless of your individual perspective and knowledge of the birth of this nation.

Definitely not your typical story about U.S. history! Nor of the African-American experience during revolutionary times. No handkerchief head negroes here or those trying to get along to "get along". "Shed No Tears" will hold your attention from page one to the end and have you begging for a sequel(which I hear is in the works).

The lead character is a strong no-nonsense, intelligent African-American male, who truly lives in a world of hypocrisy that at times verges on the fringes of madness. Solomon Cooke, cool, calm and collected yet ready to drop the hammer on any fool when life or love is in danger. Not only must he deal with the madness going on around him he must also deal with the challenges of finding a true love and happiness.

Romance, drama, suspense, humor and unfortunately tragedy are all here. And yes, I agree with several of the other reviewers, however with one caveat, I believe "Shed No Tears" WILL BE an excellent movie. Truly a great work.

Ron Fay, through his own experience, saves us the pitfalls of trial and error. Taking us through the planning process, he covers everthing from Market analysis, financial and tax considerations, equipment, and space planning, to personal training and membership retention. Other helpful tools include a section of forms and templates. As a Personal Trainer I knew the service end of the business but felt less sure of myself in terms of managing an entire facility. I took this book and have used it as a roadmap to open and successfully run a small club here in rural Upstate NY. Must Have reading for any trainer considering their own club.

THIS BOOK HAS SO MUCH SOUND INFO FOR THE NOVICE OR SEASONED TRAINER.I RUN A PERSONAL TRAINING BUSINESS FROM MY HOME . I WANTED TO TAKE THE LEAP OF FAITH INTO A LARGER BUILDING AND WAS LOADED DOWN WITH SO MUCH INFO I DID NOT NO WHERE TO START.THIS BOOK LAYS THE GROUND WORK FOR "THINGS THAT MAY BE FORGOTTEN" WHILE SPENDING YOUR FAMILIES LAST MONEY ON A FITNESS PLACE.THIS BOOK TOUCHES ON ALL OF WHAT WILL BE NEEDED TO OPEN THE DOORS OF A SMALL CLUB OR WORK OUT OF YOUR HOUSE IF NEEDED. THE FAYS DID NOT LEAVE ANY STONES LEFT UNTURNED. GREAT BOOK DERRICK BROWN

If you are thinking about starting a gym, regardless of size, this book is a MUST HAVE. I read it over a weekend. It is clear and concise and touched on many important aspects I never really thought about. Whether you are planning on a small home based gym or a large commercial one, this book gives great insights into equipment, financing, marketing, etc., AND a realistic view of what to expect from your business. Before you dive into a business, read this book. The information is well worth the money, and then some.

Excellent blue print for the person, that wants to start a business, without laying their financial life on the line.
This book shows how to start with little financial backing and build with the monies earned.
By following the advise given, many of the stops and starts of a new business can be avoided.
Highly reccomended for a small town successful business.

In researching my new idea to open a small gym, I was overwhelmed with information on the web and after perusing the SBA website and printing a full 3-ring binder's worth of research articles off the internet until I LUCKILY found this book. I was stunned to come across a book especially designed to guide me in my new idea to open a small gym. Then I was surprised at how completely applicable it was and how informative and practical the information was-these guys really share their secrets to success! Its a step by step easy to read well thought out book that guides your thoughts and decisions by helping you build a business plan based on your personal principles and desires for your gym. Its nothing short of amazing, and easily the most important bit of research I have done. I read the book and treated it like a text book, taking notes and when answering every question and carefully thinking about each point they recommend considering sot hat I read a little bit each day and wrote a lot and hammered out my own ideas in the process. I had all the ideas, but had not articulated them, organized them and nd built on them until I read this book. I am now 6 to 8 months from opening my gym but after reading this book, I have now articulated my true reasons for opening my own gym, and kept those reasons firmly in mind as I have analyzed my target market, competition and developed the marketing plan. I feel I am head and shoulders above most small business owners when they start out. I look forward to reporting back with the huge success of my new small gym!! Thanks to Ron and Barb Fay for not only sharing their experiences and lessons learned from them but for presenting these lessons clearly and in a concise book that gets the job done.

This is an amazing first hand account of the horrors of the Holocaust. Very candidly, Magda shares about what happened to her, her family and loved ones, as the unbelievable events of the world unfolded in the early 1940's. As a survivor of the tragedy, she proclaims her faith in God, and the hope of being reunited with her family and friends as the unseen strengths that kept her alive, and brought her through. She has made it her purpose and calling in life to make others aware of the reality of what happened, and she does a great job issuing a warning of the capabilities of what humans can do if evil is allowed to reign in their hearts.

My praise for this book! A must read!

I've known Magda Herzberger almost 30 years and during that time I saw in her compassion, a love of life, an intellect and a strong heroic desire to be a voice and tell what happened to 6 million Jews in Hitler's death camps of Auschwitz, Bremen and Bergen-Belsen. She can be that voice because she was there from 1944 to 1945.

"Survival" begins with 18 year old Magda writing about her loving family, mother, father and aunts and uncles. It is memories of these peaceful and happy days that will help Magda in the death camps where horror, humiliation and cruelty reign.

To write this book Magda had to summon all the horrors she endured in the camps back into her conscious mind and relive them. While writing the book, she endured many nightmares as she summoned the grisly past to the present. To continue on writing this autobiography is a tribute to her courage.

She writes she was shipped with thousands of other Jews jammed into cattle cars that would take them to the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In her book, she takes us through a week by week account of the "work" assigned to her in the camp. Death was next to her every moment. The daily living was so abhorrent that many of the women found themselves in deep depression and committed suicide. Magda's strong belief in the Almighty kept her from doing the same. The reader will see how Magda uses many different positive thinking techniques to keep her sanity.

The reader will find a book that gives living testament to what it was like in the camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the streets of bombed Bremen and finally, the trip to the camp of starvation in Bergen Belsen.

This book begins with a wholesome, loving teenager who is snatched along with her family and other Jews to arrive at a death camps and end a year later with an emaciated woman with her arms wrapped around a birch tree coming to terms with death knowing it is not far away.

This is not to be her end. She does find happiness.

I think this book should be in every library, school, and book store.

Survival

This is not just another Holocaust book. Magda's story is a slap in the face to the "historians" and racists who deny that the Holocaust ever took place. But this book is so much more than a historical document; it is the story about one woman's courageous life, and a life that has been lived to the full.

I had the pleasure of hearing Magda share her story at our Messianic Congregation. Magda is willing to share her story with both Christians and Messianic Jews because she loves God and loves people. She is a bundle of energy, and if you ever get the chance to see her in person, I would highly recommend that you do so.

The book seems to fly by as we see the life of Magda transition from a happy, athletic child to a left-for-dead survivor, to her development into vibrant adulthood. The part where she is re-united with her mother is priceless; Magda's mother saved a change of clothes and some chocolates in case her daughter would ever return, and Baruch HaShem she did. Magda is also a poet, and she has many poems mixed in; one that stuck me in particular was one she recited when she thought she would die near the camps. The poem is a chilling reminder of the powerful emotions one would feel at that time when normal words cannot adequately explain our emotions.

What I really loved about her work, oral and written, is that she has a wonderful balance of remembrance and hope. She does not forget or ignore the past, but neither does she let it impede her. We remember the horror, but we also get to hear about how after the war she went to medical college, found the love of her life (recently celebrating 60 years of marriage), and became a poet and an inspirational speaker.

This book is important for both Jews and Christians to read. Both will walk away blessed. But also to those who feel that there is no hope in the world, this is a great example to demonstrate the opposite. Don't miss an opportunity to see what one woman did who was described as "saved by God." It will warm your heart.

This is a must read for Jews and non Jews alike. For Jews, to reinforce the motto "NEVER AGAIN" and for all non Jews so that they may understand. It took only a few years of indoctrination by the Nazis for a people to learn to hate a culture and religion so intensely. They were able to justify the denegration, torture and murder of millions of Jews Gypseys and others. One may wonder how much worse it may become for us, Jews and non Jews alike, in today's world where children are studying the same hateful rhetoric in madrasses (sp)...but for years and years. Enough hate and vitriol so that they are willing to give up their lives in order to murder innnocent people. I had to put this book down periodically because it so clearly illustrated "man's inhumanity to man". I am personally acquainted with Magda. She is wonderful, incredibly resiliant human being. There is a glow in her face and demeanor. Her father's message of "FAITH, LOVE & HOPE...foregiveness and tolerance...no mater what happens" is almost impossible to imagine under those circumstances...but if Magda can do it...maybe...we all can.

"Survival" is chilling! The contents give grizly details of three Nazi prison camps.But Magda Herzberger's superb ability to pen her thoughts takes the reader throuh her journey of awe and wonderment that led to her hell-hole of nearly unsurvivable torture.And then she brings us back to the real world.
When I read about Magda's background [ off a well connected family with above average attitudes to make a positive difference in their community],I mentally engaged in that same strength.The when I read how she was shoved into the brink of near insanity,I felt her deep dark pain,and at the same time,I appreciated her tender-hearted goodness throughout the book.I applaud the author's courage to spill her gut-wrenching experiences onto the printed page and show the reader how she maintained her God-loving dignity.
Magda does not give a world-involved view of the war;she writes her daily account from the frame of a teenager.She places the reader within her,so we experience the pain of her flesh and the light of her soul.Her prose throughout the book captures additional heart-felt thoughts that give support to her storyline.
I recommend his book for teenagers as well as adults.We can learn from Magda Herzberger;she doesn't live in a prison of unforgiveness;instead,she looks for life and lives it.I suggest we all take a thankful attitude for the air we breathe.

If you like CROWNS then this is the book for you! I actually bought the book for a gift & now the book is the talk of the town! Everyone wants to look at it!
Great detailed photos of many Queens, Princesses, & other Crowns. The book is nicely written up.
Also if you are a designer it's a great idea book too!

Tiaras a History of Splendour by my friend Geoffrey C. Munn director of the famed store Wartski is a Must for serious collectors and historians. Through its symbol of Power and Royalty the reader is sure to travel in time and learn so much about the past, present and future. You can even see my personal Comb Tiara which belonged to Princess Pauline Borghese, favorite sister of Napoleon on page 38 plate 23 which was also a hit for the Chinese People when Chaumet presented it at the opening of the Museum in Hongkong last year in December...The buckle and belt were also stolen at my father's estate during World War II not by the Nazis but by french collaborators, jalous of dad's connection with De Gaulle...
Comte Alexandre de Bothuri

What fabulous photographs! Many of them in colour and close up to show the beautiful detail! Anyone who has a interest in royalty or jewels will love this book. I certainly do. Munn writes an informative text as well and makes for an interesting read.

For those who are either royal or Jewelry collectable enthusiast. Geoffrey C. Munn's coffe table book on the history of the tiara is a must have. Rich colour plated illustrations with close ups of the masterpieces created to adorn the heads of royalty and the aristocracy throughout the ages. Resourceful information about the history behind the creation of the jewel,& the owner's family history and heritage as well.

This is a large coffee table book which would grace any table in the world with its magnificent photographs of the tiaras belonging to royalty, the rich and famous and museums. The display of diamonds and precious gemstones is breathtaking, showing the many different styles which came and went in fashion, some delicate and dainty and others, gaudy and cumbersome, but all of them with jewels which are stunning in their beauty. I enjoyed the written descriptions and stories which accompany them as much as the photos, as I hadn't any idea that these magnificent pieces were so often broken up and reassembled to suit a new owner's taste, and the history of the jewels are a lesson in history on their own, with the shape and size of the headpieces reflecting the fashion of the day as well as the prevailing life style of the owner. Even tiaras given by Queen Elizabeth 2 to members of her own family have been altered to suit the taste of the recipient, as one I noticed...the aquamarine and diamond tiara given to Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, has been reduced in size from a full tiara to a more comfortable diadem which sits more easily on the front of the head. This is a book which one could have on a coffee table for years, to browse through and never tire of looking at it.