This was the first personal account of a victim of the Holocaust that I ever read. I bet that is probably the case for a lot of people, because this was required reading in high school. I have read a lot more detailed books than this one, but one must bear in mind the author was a child facing the same things that all girls her age face, while also facing one of the most difficult times in history. This book is tragic for that fact alone, and then to learn that she died to close to liberation from illness. I think this is a good starting point for those who want to get into reading Holocaust memoirs. 

 I read this book quite a while back. I really liked reading about the exploits of Motley Crue. There were a lot of things that went on with rock bands and being on the road that would not fly today. It was an interesting read, and I would recommend it to any fan. 

 I checked this book out from the library. Half of the book was conspiracy theory based stuff and the other half were facts. I did not enjoy this book, and I am glad I did not purchase it. I was not impressed with the content or style of writing. It was disappointing, because I had hoped to learn more about the Vietnam conflict, but alas. 

 I know Marilyn Manson is currently in the news for abuse charges, but I read this book some years ago and I thought it was interesting. It has always been evident that Manson is into some alternative lifestyle choices, and I do not think that he has ever really tried to hide that. This book came out around the time of Golden Age of Grotesque, I believe, and I like his music so I thought I would read this book. It was entertaining.

 Diana Spencer was born in 1961. She had a somewhat tumultuous home life, as her parents were distraught over the death of one child and the lack of a male heir. (It is so annoying to me that male heirs are the most valuable.) Her parents divorced when she was seven. Her father gained custody, and remarried. Diana did not get along with her stepmother, Raine, Countess of Dartmouth. She met Prince Charles in 1977 while he was dating Diana's older sister, Sarah. (Gross.) He was 29 and Diana was 16. (Gross.) He proposed to her in 1981, to which her unfortunate reply was yes. Her introduction into royal life was depressing. She was alone, ridiculed for her behaviors that were not "proper" enough. Her future husband did not love her, just married her because she was a more acceptable bride than his skank of a mistress. She became pregnant with her first son, Prince William. She had another son, Prince Harry, after that. She did not defer to the royal family in choosing their names, which was a break from tradition that was not accepted happily. She also made decisions regarding their schools, nannies, outings, and other activities that were generally controlled by the royal family. She suffered from an eating disorder and depression, and none of her treatment by members of the royal family or her sorry husband helped that. She engaged in affairs, and that was just so terrible, but her sorry husband could and it was FINE. She was hounded by the media, especially once she started dating someone who wasn't white. She did a lot of charity work, and was generally seen as a very kind and loving person to children, women, all races, and those who had AIDS. It was so sad that her life was so sad and that it ended when she was so young.

I have several books by Andrew Morton, and I have enjoyed the ones that I have read. I enjoyed this book as well, even though it is not my favorite book of his. I've read a few reviews about how this is one side of the story and it is biased. Perhaps, but it is HER story. It's not the story that is presented by the palace or by the tabloids. It is HER story. Her voice was taken from her by being married into what she married into. Her voice was taken by gossip, speculation, and hounding. Her voice was taken away by her death at the hands of people who didn't care about the safety of others, but their own interests. What happened to this HUMAN BEING was disgusting. Just because people are celebrities or royals does not mean that they are not human beings, entitled to life. I liked this book well enough, and I am looking forward to reading the couple of other books that I own by him. 

 The story of Diana, like so many others in the public eye, is quite tragic. Everyone knows about her unfortunate marriage to Prince Charles, and certainly about her untimely death. People often put her on a pedestal, but she was a human being. She had struggles, a crap marriage, the pressure of everything in her life being public, marrying into a royal family, and chased by the press. She had affairs, and, while I do not condone that, I also cannot blame her. It was an impossible situation. This book was an okay read about a certain time period in her life. I do like Andrew Morton, and his book 17 Carnations has been my favorite so far. 

 Diana Mitford was a member of the high society Mitford family. She was married to Bryan Guinness, the heir to the Guinness Brewery. She left her husband for Sir Oswald Mosley, a member of the British Fascists and ardent supporter of Hitler and Mussolini. Her sister, Unity, was also taken with Hitler, and both girls spent a great amount of time in the circle of top ranking Nazis. She was eventually arrested and jailed for her Nazi connections. I was looking for ward to learning more about Diana and her story, partly because of my interest in European history and partly because of my extreme interest in World War II. Anne de Courcy is one of my favorite authors. I love her writing style. She does her research well and weaves a wonderful story out of factual information. I am working my way through the rest of her books, and am pleased to be doing so. 

 This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The bond between brothers in service is something that I have never experienced first hand, but I have seen first hand. It spans all generations and all conflicts. The bond these guys had with each other and what they went through in their personal lives and their lives together is remarkable. I love Adam Makos, and truly hope that he writes many more books and shares many more stories of bonds like this. 

 John Henry Browne is an American criminal defense attorney, who is still practicing in Seattle, Washington. He has tried hundreds of criminal cases, some of which were very notable. One of those cases was of Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, a member of the United States Armed Forces, who killed sixteen Afghan civilians in Kandahar. He wound up pleading guilty to sixteen counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder, and seven counts of assault. Browne claimed he did this because he may have been upset about seeing his friend injured, but not because he had mental problems or hated Muslims. (It was announced in 2019 that he would be seeking a new trial in civilian court with the defense that anti malaria drugs caused him to do this.) He also participated in the defense of serial killer Ted Bundy, which is what drew me to this book in the first place. (I thought his thoughts about his conversations about Bundy were really interesting.) He represented more distasteful characters than this, so if you are interested in stuff like that, you may want to check this book out.

This book was included in the Audible Plus catalog. I think it was a four hour listen. I listened to part of it last night and finished it up this afternoon. I have always wondered what motivated defense attorneys to defend people they very clearly know are guilty of heinous crimes. Browne has found himself the subject of a lot of controversy and public criticism. He attempts to take the focus away from his very guilty client and focus on their backgrounds in order to gain some measure of sympathy and relief in the sentencing process. I suppose that no matter what side of the law your client is on, you work for the best result for your client. I think that is hard for a lot of people to reconcile when they are confronted with the terrible crimes of someone, say like Ted Bundy. I thought the personal conversations and case facts included in this book were very interesting, but then I am interested in true crime stuff in general. (Thanks to my sister.) This was a great, quick little book for me to listen to while waiting on my kid to fall asleep. 

 I bought this book because I love Erik Larson and his other works. This book talks about the 1893 World's Fair, which was very interesting. I learned a lot about the exhibitions and hassles that went into putting a World's Fair together. I have never been to a World's Fair, and this book made me want to go. As an added bonus, this book featured serial killer H. H. Holmes, and noted how he used the World's Fair to find victims. This book was mention on the reading list for The Last Podcast On The Left (Episodes 200-202). Holmes was one of the first recognized serial killers of modern times, and claimed to have killed nearly thirty people. He was only legally responsible for seven murders. I like reading about these historical crimes, and I thought the connection between such a well known serial killer and another major historical event was very interesting. There were a lot of complaints about the back and forth between the two subjects, but that didn't bother me at all. I thought the book was very good.