Book Description
The market leader among all books for Step 3, Crush is an easy-to-use and effective high yield review for USMLE Step 3. The concise presentation is perfect for the busy house officer who needs a review that hits all the commonly tested concepts. The coverage also weaves in the case-based scenarios that are important part of Step 3.
Customer Reviews:
Preparation for Step 3.......2007-09-12
I am finishing my preparation for Step 3. It's September. The application process started already. I am doing a rotation in Mount Sinai Hospital Miami in Critical Care and at the same time I am studing for my Step 3, which I must take before January to have chance of H Visa. I have done Qbank with USMLE World and Kaplan, I have read First Aid and I bought Crush Step 3 as one the the last points before getting ready to take the exam. Pleasantly, I found this book very helpful. I really recommend it.
concise, quick, sufficient.......2007-05-22
crush is a well-written, succinct, adequate step 3 review source. i used it along with some online questions, and after having taken the exam, feel that it prepared me well.
Good, but overrated........2007-03-31
This book has been the "gold standard" for USMLE step 3 for a long time, mainly due to its size. It is a good book and contains a lot of information in a small volume, but it is NOT enough. The pediatrics and OB&GYN parts are very incomplete, and unless you are a resident in those specialties, you will have problems. The pictures are not enough. In my opinion, Kaplan Notes are better. If you have time, it is better to read Peds and OB&GYN from Step 2 Kaplan notes, and then review Step 3 Kaplan notes. At the end, use this book for rapid review. It would be nice if this book had a CCS section like "First Aid to USMLE Step 3"First Aid for the USMLE Step 3 (First Aid). Bottomline: Don't rely on it as the only source for preparation.
Nice concise read.......2007-03-28
A great, fast, and easy review. Great for step 2, not just step3.
Quick review for USMLE Step 3.......2007-03-09
Crush Step 3 is an excellent book for rapid, high yield review of material commonly tested on the exam. The material is presented in a nicely organized semi-textbook format which makes for easy reading. This is in contrast to the material in First Aid for Step 3 where the material is poorly presented although high yield as well. In summary, Crush Step 3 is an ideal book for last minute review for the USMLE Step 3 and a great add on to more substantial preparatory material.
Book Description
If you know all of the concepts in this book, you should do much better than pass USMLE Step 2: You should CRUSH STEP 2! Bestselling author Adam Brochert, MD, who scored in the 99th percentile in Steps 1 and 2 of the USMLE, offers you high-yield coverage of all of the specialty and subspecialty knowledge tested on the most recent administrations of the USMLE Step 2 exam. A well-written, easily accessible approach, with plenty of helpful lists and tables, makes studying easy. You'll also find numerous tips, insights, and guidance on maximizing your score and on getting the most benefit from computer-based simulations.
Customer Reviews:
Just what I needed!.......2007-07-08
This is a great review book. It isn't swarming in details and really outlines the high yield stuff for step 2 without being overwhelming. Format is similar to a text book...but there are lots of memorization charts that are helpful.
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!.......2006-11-30
This book is amazing. I used for the USMLE Step 2 CK and get a 220. I used with the First Aid, because this book has different information than the FA. I highly recomend to read chapter 29-34 a couple of time they are very helpful.
Good Luck!!!!!
Well presented chapter but .............2006-11-06
If you are looking to add further information to this book ( as is needed from other sources ) the fact that the contents are not in alphabetical order might waste allot of time flipping back and forth and on every occassion having to look to the content table. Unlike First Aid, where the contents are in alphbetical order ( ex: Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Endocrine .... etc.). If it was alphabetical it would allow for faster and more efficient stydying as is needed in preperation of a Step exam. Best of luck.
useful book.......2006-08-07
The format is excellent. Concise and easy to read; a lot of pertinent information for the step 2 preparation.
great book.......2006-07-10
everything it claims to be, and a great brush up before step 2.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful Teen Book.......2007-03-10
I really liked this book because it helped me understand relationships with boys and answered a lot of questions that I had.
Great Series of Books.......2007-01-19
Good book bought it for my daughter she really enjoyed reading it. A+++++++++
It is really good.......2006-11-06
I have loads of american girl books at home this book was really really good i recomend this book for under 12s
Loving this series............2006-08-30
I wasn't going to get this title for my nine year old. I thought she was too young. But she REALLY wanted it, telling me, "Mom, I've had tons of crushes already!" I bought it and read it first. While I still think she's a little young for some of the information (especially the "going together" section toward the end), a lot of it was very age appropriate. Rather than just give it to her, we are reading it together. (Thankfully I have a very open and trusting daughter who doesn't get embarrassed by "growing up" issues.) I explained to her that reading about these things does not give her permission to do them.
I strongly disagree with the review on July 13, 2006. I feel that this is an empowering book for girls. It (like most of the books in this series) aids in building self esteem. I found it full of great advice, reinforcing my values and beliefs.
And, for this age group, I appreciate that it doesn't go into sexual relationships. There is a time and place for those books. I am relieved to be able to give her a book about the feelings and situations with boys that come BEFORE intimate relationships.
Excuse Me.......2006-07-28
Ummm to the lady who said not to buy this I have a question for you; why do u care how its worded? This is a book for girls to be comfortable with, not something from a psychology book! consider that! and your knitpicking! U must have no life to complain about wording. Anyway the book is awesome! It helped my daughter become comfortable enough to talk to me about her crushes! She is totally ready!~
Average customer rating:
- I got a "Crush" now
- Fantastic Fantasy
- A Mighty Love (4.5 stars)
- Crush on Lucas Fletcher
- Excellent
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Crush (Indigo: Sensuous Love Stories)
Crystal Hubbard
Manufacturer: Genesis Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1585712434 |
Customer Reviews:
I got a "Crush" now.......2007-10-08
When I picked up this book, I was a bit skeptical. This will be the first non Harlequin interracial book that I've read and I wasn't sure how the race issue would be address and how big of a role it would play. Even in Harlequin the race issue seems to be MAIN problem instead of something that needs to be talked about but not beaten over to death. However, Crush had more going for it. The main problem in this book wasn't race (it wasn't even a problem but it was address) it was the lead heroine, Miranda, emotional issues/wounds that she couldn't (or wouldn't) get past which was keeping her from accepting what her and Lucas had and that he wouldn't cheat on her unlike her previous boyfriend and father. A lot of the stereotype that most IR books portray wasn't an issue and for that I'm eternally grateful to Crystal Hubbard for going against the grain. The black woman wasn't stubborn (well she was but not in the usual way), mean, always having a attitude for nothing and Lucas wasn't the passive white guy that was trying to prove to the angry black woman that they could work. Im not saying Lucas didn't try to show her that they could work because he did but that's just normal romance book esq behavior. The guy trying to show the girl that they could have the "happily ever after" when she is not a believer. What I love most about this book was that they were just a man and a woman getting together not a black/hispanic woman getting together with a white man. I highly recommend this book and I'd be MORE than happy to read another book by this author.
Fantastic Fantasy.......2007-10-07
Crush is the kind of story that all romance readers will enjoy, not just those interested in interracial relationships. This story of sportswriter Miranda Penney and rock superstar Lucas Fletcher is romantic, funny, and very well written, more so than most romance novels where plot is held above the ability to tell a coherent tale. The book opens with the meeting of Miranda and Lucas. He rescues her from the crush of the crowd at his Boston concert. It's fascination at first sight for Lucas, who "falls into her eyes and can't climb back out" when Miranda opens hers and looks at him. After a dinner date in which Lucas flies Miranda to his home in Wales, real life begins to press in on Miranda. Having dated a sports celebrity in the past, it's hard for her to take a chance on someone as desired and well known as Lucas. Like every good prince, Lucas wears Miranda down with his patience, desire, intelligence and faith in their feelings for each other. Characters like Lucas' best friend and bandmate Len Feast, Miranda's best friend Bernard Reilly, and the diabolic duo of gossip columnists add texture to the story. Crystal Hubbard has an insane sense of humor that adds to the story without overshadowing the romance of it. And the love scenes between Lucas and Miranda range from the subtle and sweet to the steaming and explosive.
The story is enhanced by the behind-the-scenes looks at the lives Miranda and Lucas lead as celebrities. Crush is simply a very good read.
A Mighty Love (4.5 stars).......2007-08-26
CRUSH might be compared to another Indigo favorite, Rock Star since both hero's are White lead singers for a popular rock band but that for me is where the comparison ends. Lucas Fletcher bass guitarist and lead singer of Karmic Echo for over two decades is not the typical bad boy rocker. He's a man of principal, one who believes in the kind of love he witnessed by devoted parents that after years of marriage still maintain more than just the flicker of a flame in their relationship. Miranda Penney is the talented sports reporter and eldest daughter of a former professional baseball player turned scout whose best game may not have always been played on the baseball field but the field of bedrooms with his more than admiring female fans.
I've read quite a few interracial romances that focus conflict around the ethnic aspect, not so with CRUSH. Miranda's heart tittered on edge from the moment Sir Lucas breathed life back into her lungs. But her fear of the kind of betrayal she witnessed in her parents marriage and her own bitter breakup with star baseball player Jordan Durquette has her holding back from a complete fall over luscious Lucas. I was won over by Lucas' determination to win Miranda's love and trust and the patience he showed despite all her insecurities.
CRUSH took me beyond the color line into the essence of a wonderful romance that made me glad I bought this book. KUDO's Mz Hubbard for a well written love story.
Crush on Lucas Fletcher.......2007-07-13
Miranda Penney is the only female and person of color in the Sportswriting department of the Boston Herald-Star. She's a tomboy and she gets her job done well. Incredibly beautiful,intelligent,ambitious but extremely jaded by men,she feels like she'll never love again.
Lucas Fletcher is a world-famous lead singer/bass player of the band Karmic Echo. Immensely talented,disgustingly rich (the man lives in a castle),and beautiful to the point where he has hoards of men and women falling @ his feet.
One night,their paths cross as he saves Miranda...pulling her on stage @ his Boston concert,helping to save her life from a crush. From that moment on,Lucas' heart was gone.
This book was so awesome to read. It reminded me of Rock Star but the male lead is Welsh. Their courtship was sweet and Lucas goes out of his way to prove to Miranda that he's so serious about her. Miranda still holds onto the past and is certain that Lucas will hurt her in a way no man ever has,hurting her heart and soul in a way that she'll never recover.
Lucas kept winning my heart over and over. If I were Miranda,I wouldn't have denyed this man anything. He was sweet,intelligent,and so intune to Miranda's feelings. He saw the woman as she was and in a way no other person has. I loved that about him.
The secondary characters were great and added to the story,especially Bernie. He was just adorable all the way around. I recommend this story to everyone.
Excellent.......2007-06-14
Because of her gender and race, Miranda finds it difficult to be taken seriously as a sportswriter in a primarily male dominated pastime. After being dragged to a rock concert by her friend and coworker Bernie, she nearly gets killed by an overeager crowd of rock fans. Rock legend Lucas Fletcher manages to save her life and loose his heart to her simultaneously. I have to admit that I was reluctant to read this novel at first. The title alone conjured up images of me as an awkward teenager. I decided to take a crack at this book because of the glowing reviews that it was getting from other readers. Guys, these folks are not lying. I consumed this book in one day! This book was one of the BEST romances that I have read in a long time. It has been a while since a book has made me laugh, cry, and get really mad. I have to agree with other reviewers that said that Miranda's insecurities were very exasperating at times, but the book truly is good read.
Book Description
Parents, teachers, and librarians are often puzzled by the seemingly endless choices for reading material for young people. What’s good, what’s trash, what’s going to hold their interest? Nancy Pearl, America’s favorite librarian, has read widely in all the genres and happily points the way in Book Crush. Divided into three sections — Easy Books, Middle-Grade Readers, and Young Adult — Book Crush makes wonderful reading connections by theme, setting, voice, and ideas. For horse lovers, Pearl recalls the classics (Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague), but in a creative twist connects Mr. Revere and I to the list. For middle-grade readers, she explores updated retellings of Greek myths and the best coming-of-age stories. Young adult readers get to know chick lit and much more. For those adults who feel stuck in a rut with Caldecott and Newberry winners and the ubiquitous Harry Potters, this fun, informed book offers new ways to stimulate young readers.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2007-08-24
As Nancy Pearl makes clear in her introduction, children's and teen books aren't her specialty, and it shows. She lumps books into only three categories (!) for ages 1-18: babies to age eight; 8-12; and 13-18. Those are huge ranges; most books for an 18-year-old are not suitable for a 13-year-old. So good luck figuring out which one is actually for your child's age and reading level. She gives little information beyond author, title, sometimes the illustrator, and a line or two about the book. She doesn't give number of pages, publisher, date of publication, etc. I assume it didn't take her long to throw this together. I know she has a lot of fans, and I find her books for adults well-informed if cluttered. But this "guide" is truly disappointing.
Excellent for teens.......2007-06-26
My daughter is at that tough age for books... too old for kids books and too young for adult books. And the world of Young Adult books is a bit bewildering. This book helped her find some great summer reads - it was worth every bit we paid for it. One recommendation: 13 Little Blue Envelopes
A Must for Teachers & Librarians.......2007-06-18
Professionals who work with children and teens will find Nancy Pearl's latest book a treasure. Parents, grandparents, doting aunt's will discover a bounty of books to purchase or suggest to the children in your life. Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl tells about her favorite books from childhood and today with contagious enthusiasm. Every school and public library should have a copy at hand.
Wonderful guide.......2007-06-14
I'm always looking for good information on books for my granddaughters...Book Crush: for kids and teens is the best I've seen.
Lame and Disorganized.......2007-06-13
I picked up this book because I am doing research on what young people read and what people think they should read. I heard rave reviews about Nancy Pearl's book Book Lust, so I picked this one up. It is terrible. There are far too many categories with lame titles and themes like "Dragooned by Dragons" and "Cry me a River". The bold book titles in the middle of the paragraph make it hard to find what book she is talking about and is terrible formatting. Her writing leaves something to be desired. This book is more about breadth than depth and if you actually want to know what a book is about then back away. Its just a kitschy version of the Dewey Decimal System.
Average customer rating:
- Hilarious, Entertaining and Just Good Reading
- "Who are you?"
- Very Political Heavy Satire Compared to Dorsey's Other Novels
- I have no idea how this guy's brain works, but it's one interesting ride
- Sartorial, Monty-Pythonesque humor - don't miss this one!
|
Orange Crush
Tim Dorsey
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0061031542
Release Date: 2002-04-02 |
Amazon.com
Maybe you can't be too outrageous when the subject is Florida politics, but Tim Dorsey (Florida Roadkill, Hammerhead Ranch Motel) manages to go so far over the top in this satirical page burner that even diehard fans of Carl Hiaasen, Laurence Shames, and Dave Barry may find their patience wearing thin after the first couple of chapters. When Republican Governor Marlon Conrad is inexplicably called up by the reserve unit he joined for a reelection photo-op and sent to Bosnia, he suffers a midlife crisis that has his campaign staff totally flummoxed. Not that they're playing with a full deck either; Conrad's closest adviser is a crazed serial killer who happens to be an expert in Florida folklore, and the rest of the boys on the bus--the Orange Crush, Marlon's joyride across the Sunshine State--aren't much saner.
While Conrad's the main character, there are enough second-string oddballs to keep this road trip going until the denouement, a bizarre debate between the governor and his opponent, Gomer Tatum, whose idea of intelligent political discourse is a WWF death match. They include Helmut Von Zeppelin, a multimillionaire who owns most of the politicians in Florida; Jackie Monroeville, a trailer queen determined to get her man into the governor's mansion; and Gottfried Escrow, Marlon's chief of staff. There's plenty of mayhem but not much mystery in this comic novel that proves there can be too much of a good thing. While Dorsey keeps the belly laughs coming, he doesn't stop long enough for the reader to give much of a hoot about any of his characters, much less root for the good guys to win. --Jane Adams
Book Description
The Republicans' "golden boy" -- and a loyal, unquestioning tool of the powerful special interests -- handsome, unthreatening, Florida governor-by-default Marlon Conrad seems a virtual shoo-in for re-election. That is, until he undergoes a radical personality shift during a bloody military action in the Balkans. Now it's just three weeks before the election and Marlon is suddenly talking about "issues" and "reform" as he crosses the length and breadth of his home state with an amnesiac speechwriter and a chief of staff who turns catatonic in the presence of minorities. The governor's new-found conscience might well cost him the election, though. And it appears that pretty much everybody from Tallahassee to Miami Beach is trying to kill him...
Download Description
The Republicans' "golden boy" -- and a loyal, unquestioning tool of the powerful special interests -- handsome, unthreatening, Florida governor-by-default Marlon Conrad seems a virtual shoo-in for re-election. That is, until he undergoes a radical personality shift during a bloody military action in the Balkans. Now it's just three weeks before the election and Marlon is suddenly talking about "issues" and "reform" as he crosses the length and breadth of his home state with an amnesiac speechwriter and a chief of staff who turns catatonic in the presence of minorities. The governor's new-found conscience might well cost him the election, though. And it appears that pretty much everybody from Tallahassee to Miami Beach is trying to kill him...
Customer Reviews:
Hilarious, Entertaining and Just Good Reading.......2007-10-08
Tim Dorsey is just great. His series of books about Serge and Florida are very entertaining and great for a laugh. If you take your life too seriously then Tim is not for you. Although there is much more drama in this novel than in his previous books (which I loved) the silliness is still there. Serge has no idea who he is and works for Governor Marlon as Pimento, his Press Secretary. People are popping up dead everywhere while Mahoney tries to track down the killer. Meanwhile Pimento, Escrow and Marlon are traveling around Florida trying to win the upcoming elections. As funny and wacky as ever this is a book you must read.
"Who are you?".......2007-08-02
That is the question that Dorsey's character Serge A. Storms asks himself constantly in this book while looking at the mirror. Serge has amnesia and therefore does not remember he is the craziest serial killer around. Instead he is working as press secretary for Marlon Conrad, the Florida governor, who is in a race to get reelected.
Dorsey's over the top humor has a lot more leeway when the subject matter is Florida politics, so if you have read any of the two previous books, you can imagine the level of insanity in this one. With a set of characters that only Dorsey can create, including corrupt politicians, serial killers, rich bullies, and plastic bimbos, this installment is a roller coaster worth riding.
I am aware that a lot of reviewers compare Dorsey with Hiaasen, and they pick sides. In my case, I think that both authors are worth reading and that the differences between the two are worth embracing instead of being used to discard one of the two. I am certainly going to keep reading both authors!
Very Political Heavy Satire Compared to Dorsey's Other Novels .......2007-06-01
A lot more American political satire than Dorsey's other novels made this a little bit less enjoyable for me than his other novels. Serge Storms the reoccurring character in this series plays a really minor word count in Orange Crush. I would recommend reading Florida Roadkill instead or better yet the book written after this which was a prequel to that first book called Triggerfish Twist.
I have no idea how this guy's brain works, but it's one interesting ride.......2006-12-28
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I inhaled it. The first chapters introduced a lot of characters and background, and I was having a hard time getting into any of the stories. But once they started becoming intertwined, everything broke loose, and it was extremely enjoyable. I'm glad to have found this author and I'm sure that I'll be reading a lot of his stuff in the future. It is a little confusing, which is why I'm only giving it four stars and not five; but overall, it's hilarious.
Sartorial, Monty-Pythonesque humor - don't miss this one!.......2006-08-25
Marlon Conrad never had to do any real work in his life, being raised in the traditional Ultra Conservative Way ("Marlon Conrad learned everything he knew about life from his father . . . Rule Number One: At any given moment, poor people, somewhere, somehow, were screwing them. From this maxim all other rules flowed."), until - while running for Lt. Governor - a reporter uncovered the fact that he had not registered for Selective Service. In order to get some extra votes, his father decided he should join the National Reserve and get things set up so that he wouldn't actually be called to duty. However, in a remarkable chain of events, Marlon was not only called to active duty in the Balkans, but his unit ended up in bloody conflict. Initially refusing to have anything to do with the rest of the men in his unit, Marlon bonded with them one night over a bottle of vodka disguised as Scope that had been smuggled to him, and after they were attacked and most of his unit killed, Marlon returned to Florida a changed man, much to the chagrin and consternation of his former friends. Things just became worse when the governor was killed in a jet crash.
This book pokes fun at all things government, particularly having to do with the running of a political campaign. Even the character's names fit in with the satire - Jackie Monroeville is the rags-to-government crowd girl who is determined to see Marlon's competition (Gomer Tatum) win; Helmut von Zepplin is the ultimate mega developer and big money that everyone kow-tows to; Gottfried Escrow is Marlon's chief of staff, etc. Tatum challenges Marlon to a "smack-down" on live TV at "Raw is War!" to which Marlon remarks "So this is where we've evolved" only to have his press secretary reply "Actually, it can't help but add dignity to the process."
Dorsey's descriptions are a form of art, albeit occasionally more in line with surrealism than reality. The timeline tends to jump from past to present, which can be jarring at times, but it all ends up flowing seamlessly together. Marlon buys an RV with the Orange Crush logo and goes on the road, traveling Florida to meet the masses; he ends up having several people decide to kill him (unbeknownst to him), only to meet ignominous ends themselves. A homicide detective from Miami wanders along behind, following the trail of bodies and trading strange wise cracks with the local guys.
Each character that spoke was developed by his or her lines; even if they didn't speak, if they were there long enough, their actions developed them. Mr. Dorsey has a genius for characterization that goes a long way. I also loved that fact that fun was poked equally at all politicos - Albert Fresco, the independent party candidate, when asked what he thought about the need to increase staffing for child protective services, responds "No, no, no! I can't be bothered with that pointy-headed *issue* stuff! I've got common sense and I've had it up to here! . . . Did I already mention that I'm madder than a sumbitch? . . ." while Gomer Tatum readily switches his position on issues whenever he feels it will garner him more votes. Anyone who feels that this book is unfairly slanted against conservatives should take note - it is not, it is slanted against *professional politicians* and at the end, it is all about the attempt of the common man to rise about the pettiness of it all.
By the way, do not fail to read the HYSTERICAL piece at the end "A Note on the Type." I usually read the paragraph describing the typeface, so when I noticed how long this was, I was intrigued - don't skip this, you won't regret it!
Book Description
Crush Price Objections offers the reader immediate relief from the most frustrating and persistent objections that salespeople hear. Customer price objections are the number one profit piranha companies face. And 80% of salespeople discount their goods and services unnecessarily. This book teaches salespeople how to persist when buyers resist.
Book Description
When Linda Kaplan’s husband quit his law firm in Des Moines and bought Panther Creek, a vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Kaplan went along for the ride, though she couldn’t tell an earthy wine with a hint of cherries from a glass of grape juice. It didn’t matter: They were going to make pinot noir in a small town, and they would learn how or go crazy trying. Kaplan wryly reveals in her memoir that the result was a bit of both.
There are chapters on the science of wine, on the oddballs who show up for harvest, on telling a good grape from a great grape, and a good wine from a great wine. Kaplan sheds light on the mysteries of marketing wine, the connoisseurs who like to test the newcomers, and the messy business of stomping grapes barefoot. There’s even a recipe for making thirty-six thousand bottles of Panther Creek’s fine pinot noir.
But Kaplan wasn’t only learning about wine. She was also learning about life, about getting along in her new hometown, McMinnville, which seems ripped right from the script of television’s Northern Exposure. Panther Creek has since become an award-winning vineyard, its wine on Wine Spectator magazine’s list of the Top 100 Wines of the World.
Customer Reviews:
My First Crush--delightful and informative reading.......2007-08-23
This is a book that I will re-read as there was much information that I could use over and over. Definitions, relationships between grape and final product, explainations of wine content and chemical content. Not to mention a GREAT read!
A wine reader's Cuvee........2005-05-28
If you live in the Northwest and have any interest in wine, this is a book for you! It is what I call a "great read"(a "must" read if you will). It captures the flavor of real winemaking with a background of facts (vines, soils, geology, geography, climate and latitude), a sustained taste of optimism with a strong aroma of humor throughout. Real people, real places, real wine--this book is the real deal! Try it, you'll like.
Interested in Wine and the People Who Make It?.......2005-05-18
Linda Kaplan's book, "My First Crush," is a fun and informative romp through Oregon's wine country. From the colorful town and townspeople of McMinnville to the creepy crawlers on the grape sorting line (and I don't just mean insects), Linda is able to bring winemaking to life.
Inserted throughout the memoir style writing are helpful sidebars which describe winemaking and wine drinking in more detail. From the way that soil and microclimate affect the grapes to holding your own tasting.
I couldn't put this book down and I don't even know that much about wine. I have to say, I know more now.
Book Description
Richard Siken’s Crush, selected as this year’s winner of the Yale Younger Poets prize, is a powerful collection of poems driven by obsession. Siken writes with ferocity, and his reader hurtles unstoppably with him. His poetry is confessional, gay, savage, and charged with violent eroticism.
In her introduction to the book, competition judge Louise Glück hails the “cumulative, driving, apocalyptic power, [and] purgatorial recklessness” of Siken’s poems. She notes, “Books of this kind dream big. . . . They restore to poetry that sense of crucial moment and crucial utterance which may indeed be the great genius of the form.”
Customer Reviews:
Blarg!.......2007-07-03
Siken's book is both over-hyped and over-dramtized. His poems are little more than language masturbations and like some regrettable one night stand leaves the reader feeling empty inside. I bought this book on recommendation from a friend who loves it --and indeed there are many who do--but his poetry strikes me as dangerously self-serving, with little to impart on the reader. I cannot for the life of me imagine Louise Gluck choosing this book - as someone who favors and employs what is "unspoken" in her work, Siken is an overwritten, screaming babe.
A Beautiful Violation.......2006-11-16
Richard Siken's Crush is urgent, its voice an aggressive invasion. From the first sentence of his first poem, the reader engages death, love, and longing. "Tell me about the dream where we pull the bodies out of the lake / and dress them in warm clothes again" (3). There are no subtleties here, only language that literally forces the reader to engage the writing and the beauty of the rhythm on the page. It is in this language and rhythm that Siken develops a very tight and eloquent structure.
Siken's voice is consistent throughout the collection - at times raw, uninhibited, escaping the clothed bitter aftertaste of conventional language and in other parts soft, rhythmic, alliterative, and safe. "The Dislocated Room" is crafted in just such a manner. It begins on a beautiful evening where it would seem all is at peace:
It was night for many miles and then the real stars in the purple sky,
like little boats rowed out too far,
begin to disappear.
And there, in the distance, not the promised land,
but a Holiday Inn.
(46)
But the dislocation begins. The reader quickly peels back the layers of the poem and finds something sinister and raw in a Holiday Inn somewhere, anywhere in America.
This is the in-between, the waiting that happens in the
space between
one note and the next, the part where you confuse
his hand with the room, the dog
with the man, the blood
with the ripped up sky.
He puts his hands all over you to keep you in the room.
( 47)
The sky is no longer purple with stars "like little boats rowed out too far" but violated, filthy, stained.
Yet, what still pulls the reader further inside the poetry is Siken's use of "you". We feel a part. It's as if an anonymous ghost haunts the page and Siken continually addresses it. We welcome this ghost and, eventually, feel that when Siken uses "you" he is speaking directly to us, the reader.
In "Boot Theory", for example, Siken uses repetition to provide a certain structure. "A man walks into a bar and says:" (20). These are simple words, simple declarative statements, but what follows, explores, crosses boundaries, creates an invasion of sorts, and seeks to develop the ghostly "you".
You take him home, and you make him a cheese sandwich,
and you try to get his shoes off, but he kicks you
and he keeps kicking you.
You swallow a bottle of sleeping pills but they don't work.
Boots continue to fall to the floor
in the apartment above you.
(20)
It isn't the repetition of "A man walks into a bar and says" that is attractive about this particular poem, but rather the repetition of "you" because it allows the reader to walk into the poetry and become its words. Towards the end, the man in the bar becomes "you" and the transition completes itself - the reader sees a man in a bar, "you" take him home, but then eventually "you" become him, sad and alone. The eloquence is in the fact that the repetition gives the reader an attachment and forces them to react emotionally to Siken's poetry.
Crush, then, is a gripping portrayal of what can happen when a poet unclothes, determined to write not for audience approval, but for the sake of expression, voice, and self. It is because of this nakedness that the reader reacts emotionally to the text, draws meaning from this aggressive invasion of the psyche and walks away feeling they have experienced a beautiful violation.
Siken.......2006-11-14
Richard Siken's "Crush," touches upon the themes of need and lust with a voice that is quick, witty, somber, sarcastic, and direct. Sarcasm comes out in poems such as "Litany in Which Certain Things. Are Crossed Out," with lines like "Dear So-and-So, I'm sorry I couldn't come to your party./Dear So-and-So, I'm so sorry I came to your party," along with his wit, with lines like, "Inside your head you hear a phone ringing/and when you open your eyes/only a clearing with a deer in it. Hello, deer."
He often begins a poem as a simple narrative, telling the reader exactly where he is. In "Straw House, Straw Dog" he begins with, "I watched TV," and from there, complicates and enriches the theme of loss and need by making the narrative grow into lines like "I swallowed crushed ice/pretending it was glass and you're dead." The building of narrative integrates the reader into the story at the pace Siken chooses.
Siken often uses the second person to address issues, such as sexual relationships in "Boot Theory." By using the second person, Siken is able to guide us in a story about ourselves, even when it is not something that we may have personally experienced. He tells us what we did, what we want. It's a powerful tool to bring the reader into the poem and keep one's attention. His particular ability in manipulating the "you" in his poetry is that he make subjects such as same-sex love and lust part of our immediate knowledge base. His use of repetition, such as in "Scheherazade," allows Siken to snag the big, almost unwieldy emotions before they float away. In "Scheherazade," the phrase "tell me" is used to grab the unraveling of thoughts before they get out of hand.
Siken is a unique pleasure to read. He allows the reader to be a participate in experiences that might otherwise be unavailable to them.
Trust.......2006-10-08
One of the best first books of poetry I've read in a long, long, x.
Great Poetry.......2006-08-07
This is a great, readable collection. From the wonderful, short Scheherezade, to the longer works that ensue, all are very enjoyable and easy to digest. These poems are not as dense as much of modern poetry (see Jorie Graham), and thus do not require a half hour to fully understand one poem. This whole collection can be completed in a couple of hours, though you will want to go back to re-experience some of the fabulous lines. I am so glad to have discovered Richard Siken. I await his next collection with an eager eye.
Customer Reviews:
Short and Steamy Guilty Pleasure.......2006-07-25
If you've ever read any of the other 'Bad Boy' anthologies out there and liked them, you won't be disappointed with this one. This book contains six super short (50 pages each) and steamy contemporary romances. All are written well and a breeze to read. They're sort of like a snickers bar for your libido -a little guilty pleasure. Some are laugh out loud funny and some will make wish the book was water-proof for a cold shower. Nice beach read -on second thought you may not want to read these stories in public if your prone to blushing.:)
Momentary Relief from Real Life.......2006-07-24
Romance writers know how to fantasize and then put their imaginations on paper with extraordinary flair. Six of them make this compilation of skin tingling stories possible to be consumed by particular group of readers. The title of the collection is appropriate although the short narrations of attractions and entanglements could be savored more before turning in at night. Leave it to one's mind to be tickled by the fantasies where sweet dreams take over as the eyes closed shut after a long grueling day. Each story is a dilly.
Forget the sand and enjoy the read!.......2006-07-16
A really great collection for summer reading. Each story stands alone, though one or two are connected to other stories by the same author. Each story is just long enough to deal with attention span problems brought on by the heat! enjoy!
quick and fun!.......2005-07-14
This anthology was unlike any I'd read before. There are 6 authors, and at first I wasn't certain I'd feel fulfilled. However, it turned out to be a fun book. The stories are quick and if you are like me, sometimes it's nice to take a break from the long, intense romance stories and read something you can finish in one sitting. As a mom, I don't have loads of time to read, so this was a nice change of pace for me.
The most exciting stories were Foster's, McCarthy's, and Denison's. Those women know how to write a quick romance and leave you with a feeling of contentment.
Fast Fun Stories For The Road!!
The title of this book says it all !!.......2004-07-30
PERFECT FOR THE BEACH is truly the book to take to the beach with you. The story is very entertaining !!
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