The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World

Book Description

A groundbreaking examination of the psychology of homosexuality, why it leads to shame over one's identity and how to overcome it

The gay male world today is characterized by seductive beauty, artful creativity, flamboyant sexuality, and, encouragingly, unprecedented acceptability in society. Yet despite the progress of the recent past, gay men still find themselves asking, "Are we really better off?"

The inevitable byproduct of growing up gay in a straight world continues to be the internalization of shame, a shame gay men may strive to obscure with a faade of beauty, creativity, or material success. Drawing on contemporary psychological research, the author's own journey to be free of anger and of shame, as well as the stories of many of his friends and clients, The Velvet Rage outlines the three distinct stages to emotional well-being for gay men. Offering profoundly beneficial strategies to stop the insidious cycle of avoidance and self-defeating behavior, The Velvet Rage is an empowering book that will influence the public discourse on gay culture, and positively change the lives of gay men who read it.

Customer Reviews:

Another self-help book this is not!.......2007-09-20

From the first day I came out 6 years ago to today, I've been all too familiar with the LGBT self-help books displayed prominently on bookstore shelves. For 6 years, I've been disappointed with what I have found. I find them to be repetitive, lacking nuance, and not very insightful. So, I've found myself going about my life left only to my own personal insights and experiences. Until now.

The Velvet Rage has given word to the countless abstract notions and ideas of my sexuality that have been floating around in my head for years. The book is insightful, manageable and interesting. I see deep parallels between myself and the words on the pages of this work. I truly suggest it for those looking for a deeper understanding of themselves and in filling the emptiness they may still feel as a gay man. I already feel I am on my way to a more fulfilled, peaceful and authentically happy life! And, no one even paid me to write this review!

Read the book twice.......2007-09-05

I've read it cover-to-cover and I've started to read it again simply because I was taken aback by how much I actually related to the experiences of the author and the patients he's treated over the years.
I cried in certain parts and has made me think as to how I could have handled things differently in my past and present with the people I love. I also realized "what was I even thinking??".....that thought rang right through me.

Its made me think an aweful lot about me, my behavior, how I see people, trust and those around me now and those that will be in the near future. I realize that I have a lot to learn, but I have always stated it back then and even now that when you don't listen to your gut, that's when you get screwed royally. When you do however, in the end you know what you are doing is right. But in this case I'm learning that doing and saying anything was it all worth it? The price I paid cost me dearly.
I just have to figure out how to ACT not REACT and I'm learning how to do that.

I'm in the process of "letting go" of years of sheer pain and heading towards the road of healing. It's going to take me a while but I know I'll find it. This book along with the struggles I've had over the past 3 years has really been helpful.
I've shared this book with one other person whom I consider my best friend and care deeply about after a good friend of mine that I've known over 10 years suggested I read it. I think EVERY person out there needs to read this book INCLUDING gay men.
We NEED to understand each other and heal ourselves before we find each other.

A Contemporary Must Read for Anyone.......2007-07-27

The Velvet Rage was recommended to me by Davis Mallory of MTV's Real World: Denver, and I have to say this book is a must read. Author Alan Downs of Santa Fe, New Mexico, puts primary components of the homosexual lifestyle into perspective for a myriad of readers. The book is divided into three stages based on shame, rage, and contentment with a life lived by so many males. Downs, a clinical psychologist, provides detailed personal faux pas and timeless reflections of arguably truthful testimony from some of his own clientèle. His introduction will grab any reader immediately as he opts to describe the contemporary gay lifestyle as being "a culture of [our] own." He ends The Velvet Rage with his longest chapter delineating 10 profound life lessons applicable to gay men who are cycling shame continuously. Gay males will find this book invigoratingly refreshing while the heterosexual counterparts will grasp abundant information and practical knowledge for personal growth and development in understanding the homosexual male characterization that Downs has offered. Quite frankly, The Velvet Rage should be used as a resource for educational and entertainment purposes, but hopefully, all readers will gain a more positive outlook on life after reading Downs' book.

Something for Everyone...Sort Of.......2007-07-16

As a gay white man, I found a lot in the book that I could say "yeah, that's right". about. At the same time, The absence of the mention of the experience of women, people of color or of pratically anyone else who was not also a white middle class or wealthy gay male was missing from the text.

I still think that this is a book to read...and re-read. Most of what the author talks about are universal issues...with a gay slant. It can be read by anyone who has grown up in in a straight WHITE man's world, including many (most?) straight white men.

Yes, my growing up experience has been difficult - and there are a plethora of books out there that focus on growing up female, non-white, poor, overweight, etc, etc. I'd say give this book a good read, and "fill in the blanks" whenever the references to gay men don't apply to you. It is well written and has many good anecdotes, suggestions and insights - enough to make me want to look up and see what else the author has written.

Insightful Reading.......2007-06-27

I really enjoyed reading this book, once I was done I had both my parents read it as well. They said it helped them a great deal to understand me a lot better, not only now, but why they couldn't always "reach me" when I was younger.

Average customer rating:

Women of the new millenium take heed....
LOVED IT
BLUNT!!
This is pretty bad
Can totally relate to this book!

Straight Up and Dirty: A Memoir
Stephanie Klein
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060843276
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Book Description

"I did have my own friends, my own salary, my health, and TiVo: all the important things we're likely to take for granted. Still, when it hit that I'd now have to date again, I panicked. Dating meant nightclubs, heels, and black. It meant, 'No, thank you. Really, I'm full.' It meant matching bras and underwear. Clothes with the micro used to describe them. Because until you date again, people will hiccup lines about getting back on horses. So you invest in an Agent Provocateur whip and a subscription to an online dating service. . . ."

--from Straight Up and Dirty

She had every girl's dream: the perfect marriage to the perfect guy in the perfect apartment on the Upper East Side. Marriage fit Stephanie Klein like a glove . . . but unfortunately it fit her husband like a noose. And then, just like that, Klein found herself "divorced when you're firm, fashionable, and let's face it—fetching."

Celebrated bloggist, photographer, and freelance writer Stephanie Klein lets it all hang out in this juicy tell-all tracing her jump back into single life following her divorce. On the dating advice of her therapist, Klein attempts to keep "a pair and a spare" of men always on hand and has lots of bawdy fun along the way. But when the anniversary of the devastating breakup from her "wasband" forces her to revisit what happened, she finds herself wanting more than her therapist's recommended gimmick to keep her emotionally safe.

Straight Up and Dirty demonstrates that the true measure of success isn't what's crossed off life's to-do list. It's having the grace and fortitude to move through change, curls intact and smiling

Customer Reviews:

Women of the new millenium take heed...........2007-08-14

The message I got from this book, toward the end, is to not become so focused on coupling to find happiness in your life. It can lead to bad choices and emotional upheaval. Finding happiness and learning to love yourself is a process we must all go through before we can truly grow up. I'm 39 and I'm just getting all this stuff figured out - to read a candid, laugh out loud funny, gritty and real memoir about a woman whose experiences closely match my own made me feel good because we've all been there - or most of us anyway. I highly recommend this book for a laugh, for a peek into the single in New York lifestyle, for a peek into recovering from an emotional trauma and coming out the other side a much stronger and wise person than you were before. There's a lot of entertainment in this book, but there's also some great wisdom.

LOVED IT.......2007-07-10

I adore Stephanie Klein's style of writing- very honest and straight to the point. While reading this book, I found that I've gone through MANY of the same situations, met the same kind of men, and had the same kinds of thoughts about dating and life in general. I have already recommended this book to my sisters and a close friend, and I would recommend it to many more.

BLUNT!! .......2007-06-29

If you don't mind profanity and prefer to read someone's true thoughts (which, isn't that what a memoir is supposed to be?), you'll probably find this as a fun read. Some said Stephanie is self-absorbed and that the book is all me,me,me...memoirs are SUPPOSED to be about the author! I believe that we can learn from each others experiences. Some will relate and others won't. I related to so much of it and felt like I knew her when I was done reading it. I blinked my eyes out of disbelief a few times and laughed out loud. My favorite kind of read! It's not some sugar-coated memoir where the author is trying to be someone she isn't. She's straight up and dirty about everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It takes courage to write that way. I loved it!

This is pretty bad.......2007-06-12

This is the first book I ever put down the trash shoot (literally - I would not recommend this to anyone I know). I payed only $4 for it so it's not that bad, but I feel that I wasted my time which is way worse. Who would decide to publish this? And I like her blog, so don't call me a hater. But this is just an ordinary experience told in an ordinary way, plus some designer fluff and that's it. Really boring and shallow. I am being REALLY generous by giving this 3 stars (I think 2 is much more realistic), but this is because I do sometimes read her blog and I even like it (sometimes). I don't even feel like spending time reviewing this but I want to tell people that I don't think this is worth the $$.

Can totally relate to this book!.......2007-05-30

I think that this book strikes a cord with any young woman who has loved and lost! It's funny and captivating (I couldn't put it down), still touching on the not-so-fun reality aspects of going through a divorce at such a young age. I recommend this book to anyone that needs a little pick me up after a heartbreak!

The Girls' Guide to Guys: Straight Talk for Teens on Flirting, Dating, Breaking Up, Making Up & Finding True Love

Average customer rating:

Great book!
THIS GUIDE ROCKED!
Everything You Need To Know About Guys
Filled with knowledge every teen girl should know!
Honest & Straight Forward

The Girls' Guide to Guys: Straight Talk for Teens on Flirting, Dating, Breaking Up, Making Up & Finding True Love
Julie Taylor
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0609805053
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Book Description

Tired of wandering through the uncharted territory of guys and dating? Are you in need of the ultimate roadmap to this foreign landscape? Want to get pointed in the right direction by someone other than your mother or your trusty (but inexperienced) friend?

When it comes to guys, relationship expert Julie Taylor has all the answers -- and she'll give 'em to you straight. Think of her as an older sister (a fun older sister) who will tell it like it is, one who knows that you aren't a little kid anymore, especially when it comes to the opposite sex. Julie will guide you through the highs and lows of a killer crush, help you conquer first-date jitters, advise you when it is time to promote him to official "boyfriend" status, reveal the realities of a summer fling, and more. Plus, each chapter ends with a quiz to help you determine the answers to a variety of questions essential for any girl with a one-way ticket to Guyville, such as:

Who's your dream date?
Is he second date material?
Are you ready to commit?
Is it time to give him the boot?

And if the stud turns out to be a dud, Julie preps you on when and how to dump him or how to survive when you're the one getting dumped. After all, they're just guys, and dating should be fun! So, read up....Next stop, Guyville!

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2006-12-08

This is a great book. If you liked this book, you will also love 7 SECRETS FOR GIRLS ~ SIMPLE SOLUTIONS TO SURVIVE BOYS & STAY SANE!

THIS GUIDE ROCKED!.......2005-05-30

This is a great guide for girls with unaswered questions about guys,It talks about breaking up,hooking up,rape,depression,first dates,crushes. It has it all you could think of.I read it so many times, I t really helps you through it. All u girls out there should buy it.It wont let you down!

Everything You Need To Know About Guys.......2002-04-23

When I was recommended this book I thought it was going to exactly like the other books about dating that I've read. Boy was I wrong. This book was more informative, and wasn't written in a way that feels like you're being talked down to.

"The Girls Guide To Guys" features chapters ranging from flirting, to physical and mental abuse, and rape. This is a must read book for all teen girls who want to learn more about guys and dating, or for anyone looking for a fun and easy book to read during the summer.

Filled with knowledge every teen girl should know!.......2001-05-19

When I first saw this book I thought it would be interesting to see what other girls think about guys. Julie Taylor has a very interesting perspective and I enjoyed reading her book. Girls like to pretend they know everything about guys, but really, the truth is, we don't. But with this book, you'll definitely be clued in on basic topics involving guys. Do you need to know some good pick-up lines? They're in this book! Want to know who your ideal guy is? Find out in this book!

Honest & Straight Forward.......2000-12-19

I bought this book for my boyfriend's 15-year old sister. I read it first to make sure that it was something that I wanted to give her and that her mother would also be okay with. It definitely was. The author obviously remembers what it was like to be in high school and confused about guys, dating, and sex. At the beginning of the book, the author states that she will not "talk down" to the reader. She definitley lives up to that promise. One of the messages that reappears throughout the book as an underlying theme is "listen to and follow your heart - be true to who you are". At times light and fun, the author also delves into heavier issues such as rape and abuse. The author adds in bits and pieces of her own experience, but emphasizes that what may have been right for her (e.g. waiting until she was 20 and with someone she loved and who loved her back and treated her with respect to have sex but not waiting until she was married) may not be the right choice for everyone. I felt comfortable giving this book to this 15-year old girl, who is binging raised in an open-minded but Christian environment, and who, if she is anything like me and every other girl I knew at her age, could use a few words of wisdom on the topics so adeptly covered by the author.

Letters to a Young Artist: Straight-up Advice on Making a Life in the Arts-For Actors, Performers, Writers, and Artists of Every Kind

Average customer rating:

Narcissistic
Great Advice For Artists Old And Young
Paradoxes in looking at art and life
Bedside Reading
(RAW Rating: 4.5) - A Must Read

Letters to a Young Artist: Straight-up Advice on Making a Life in the Arts-For Actors, Performers, Writers, and Artists of Every Kind
Anna Deavere Smith
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400032385
Release Date: 2006-01-24

Book Description

From the most exciting individual in American theater” (Newsweek), here is Anna Deavere Smith’s brass tacks advice to aspiring artists of all stripes. In vividly anecdotal letters to the young BZ, she addresses the full spectrum of issues that people starting out will face: from questions of confidence, discipline, and self-esteem, to fame, failure, and fear, to staying healthy, presenting yourself effectively, building a diverse social and professional network, and using your art to promote social change. At once inspiring and no-nonsense, Letters to a Young Artist will challenge you, motivate you, and set you on a course to pursue your art without compromise.

Customer Reviews:

Narcissistic.......2007-07-25

Letters to a Young Artists is not worth reading. Anna Deavere Smith is a gifted artist herself, but her book inevitably springs from the assumption that she has profound wisdom to bestow. She never gets out from under that narcissism. I lost respect for her after reading her book.

Great Advice For Artists Old And Young.......2007-05-07

I bought Anna D's book at age 55 because I wanted to have a little inspiration from one of the great theatre artists of our time...I only wanted a little -- she gave me a lot. If you need an encouraging word at this point in your career -- whatever point that is, and I say, "who doesn't?" -- you must buy Anna's words asap. I got the audio version because to be surrounded by her ringing and truthful voice speaking the words she wrote is REALLY something. Reviewed by Katherine

Paradoxes in looking at art and life.......2007-04-08

Actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith wrote a series of letters, collected as Letter to a Young Artist (2006; Anchor Books) about "the rules of the road in the business of making and selling art." Certainly the book has received high praise from sources including actors, editors, authors, and museum directors. I found my own reactions more ambivalent, partly due to a prejudice I have regarding how people in the arts tend to talk about themselves and their work. Let's get that out first. Mind you, I'm a writer, photographer, and am often involved in various ways in theatre, so I'm not indifferent to the arts. Yet I dislike the term artist, because its context has come to emphasize the individual at the expense of the craft. But to many, the label is important and they tend to focus on the primacy of the "artist," not the art. Sometimes in the book that is the sense I have of Smith. For example, she writes:

"I think of art as work, so I worry about going off into the stratosphere with theoretical questions like, 'What is art? What is truth?' ... If we get caught up in pondering these questions, we sell ourselves short. How we live, and how we treat one another, is what is at issue."

Yet then she goes on to nothing less than questioning the nature of art. Although she is trying to pass something on, I had the sense that she really usually doesn't know the answers and often is as puzzled as the fictional BJ, whom she addresses. That, to me, made the book intriguing. At times I found the contradictions gave me material for thought. In one section, she discusses the fictional difficulty that BJ faces when his or her school is about to turn a painting studio into a state-of-the-art biology lab and move the studio into a basement. On one hand she arguing about the uselessness of such a lab "ridiculous." Nevertheless she still goes on to write:

The awareness of the importance of the artist's vision always needs to be enhanced in schools. it is shocking to me that the argument continually needs to be made--but it does.

Now think of the biology students who for some apparently extended period of time had to make due with second-rate facilities. Also, it is easy to take some of her stated reactions, like being spell-bound by a given recorded performance of a song, and as self-indulgences unless you can remember having similar moments. (I can remember once being so floored by hearing a guitar transcription of Bach's Goldberg Variations that I stood still for a while just listening, and then immediately bought a copy.)

There are times that I got the sense she was missing the very point of an experience that she was trying to communicate, such as her father telling her, "Don't take it too hard," on finding that she didn't win a Tony. "I could feel his resignation about his failures in his own life," Smith wrote. Maybe that's what he felt, or perhaps, in his 70s, he knew that the real failure is to take such ephemera as important when in the most profound sense they mean nothing. After all, when Herman Melville died, the critics had long written him off as an unimportant writer, rather than one of the foundations of American literature. J.S. Bach in his day was considered a second-rate composer. How foolish on reflection is our collective wisdom, and how more foolish to spend precious life paying attention to it.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of good in the book. Smith well understands the practicalities of art - that there are power structures one will deal with and that a Tony might well mean the difference between a show continuing or closing. Those are certainly lessons that those in the arts need to learn, that they will be engaged in commerce, whether they like it or not. Ultimately, I found that reading the book and engaging with the author led to my rethinking things, and whether I agreed with Smith or not, as always it is a useful exercise.

Bedside Reading.......2006-10-09

Anna Deavere Smith knows what it's like--the struggle of the artist, the cold night of the soul when sometimes you feel punished for being a visionary, and she gets a lot of it down on paaper in this book of letters modelled to a certain degree on Rilke's famous LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET. She's seen it all in her multi-tasking career, and if she doesn't know it, she has a host of excellent friends to ask, everyone from Wynton Marsalis to Paul Van De Carr. James Baldwin, whom she met when she was just a struggling actor, told someone that she reminded him of "Lorraine" (Hansberry, the playwright who wrote A RAISIN IN THE SUN) and this overheard compliment sustained Anna Deavere Smith through many a disheartening audition. She's been on THE WEST WING and she played the mother in the movie of RENT. It's a bedside book you might give to any young friends you might have, or hope to influence. They'll read a few passages and take heart.

It gets docked one star for its relentless name dropping. We know she's at the very top of the tree, but she doesn't miss a beat about talking about famous friends, or people she's met in the publis sphere, and some of her enthusiasms get a little embarrassing. Did she have to tell us that Lauren Hutton should win Kennedy Center honors for her smile? That's the kind of thing Louella Parsons used to say, and it didn't sound any more sincere the first time around. And her inability to say a negative thing about any of her friends grows tiresome, especially when she says that "Naomi Campbell has presence" or brags that Condoleeza Rice came to one of her performances when they were colleagues at Stanford. Please, ADS, draw a line somewhere!

Though to be fair she does spoof her own propensity for the spotlight. She's not without humor, it's just a little weird to be writing a whole book of letters to an imaginary young girl, or is it? I think the scheme helps her incorporate different journalistic assignments she's been given over the years. For example, the imaginary teen is supposed to be a painter, so ADS gives an account of interviewing Brice Marden, "and just like you guessed, he is indeed tremendously sexy." Such double dips are a commonplace in occasional books of this kind, but we expected a little bit more from the genius who gave us TWILIGHT LOS ANGELES and FIRES IN THE MIRROR.

(RAW Rating: 4.5) - A Must Read.......2006-06-17

Actress, teacher, and creator of an acclaimed series of one woman plays, Anna D. Smith gives some valuable incite about artist and their world. This book consists of a series of letters she writes to an imaginary young artist she calls BJ. But the letters are for artists of all ages and of any art form. She shares the rules of the road in the business of making and selling art.

Ms. Smith's stories are about her life, the influence by other artists, students, scholars, and activists. About how to unleash your potential, awaken your self mastery, and cement your power base. And about how to corral the phenomenal influence from audiences and people you may never meet.

With two Obie Awards and nominations for two Tony Awards, she challenges the next generation to believe in their vision as well as their dreams. It is her belief that an artist should take what is complex and make it simple. And to do that it takes skill, human understanding, stamina, courage, and heart. LETTERS TO A GREAT ARTIST is direct, personal, and encouraging. This is a must read, particularly for aspiring artists.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! Easy Hors D'oeuvres, Delicious Drinks, and Inspired Ideas for Entertaining with Style

Average customer rating:

What am I missing?
Classy, easy, and fun
Great book for those who like to throw parties
Great tips!
I love this book!!

Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! Easy Hors D'oeuvres, Delicious Drinks, and Inspired Ideas for Entertaining with Style
Lauren Purcell , and Anne Purcell Grissinger
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 076455896X

Book Description

Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! is the ideal book for hosts and hostesses who have full-time jobs, not full-time help and who want to entertain stylishly without hocking the family heirlooms or having a nervous breakdown. Sister team Lauren Purcell and Anne Purcell Grissinger’s sophisticated yet down-to-earth style, reassuring tone, and truly practical advice reflect their 12 years of entertaining together in New York City, where they’ve thrown countless cocktail parties—without caterers, decorators, or a big budget.

Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! features 12 of the authors’successful, gently themed parties, each with delicious signature cocktails, a suggested menu with hors d’oeuvre recipes that can be made ahead, and foolproof ways to make sure your guests get into the swing of things.

Plus, each chapter is full of helpful tips and tidbits that will help you navigate the finer points of throwing a successful cocktail party, from before the first guest arrives (there’s a foolproof party timeline) until the last one leaves (you’ll find tips for how to end a party gracefully). Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! is the ultimate blueprint for creating parties infused with satisfying conversation, genuine laughter, and a relaxed elegance—and guaranteeing that hosts collect compliments at the door.

Customer Reviews:

What am I missing?.......2007-06-28

I guess I didn't pay enough attention before I made this purchase. I read the positive reviews and since I like to entertain I ordered it. I found it very disappointing. It's an odd size paperback with smallish print. There are no photos, just some tiny abstract purple hors d'oeuvres, which cover most every half page.

I can't for the life of me understand why everyone is so enamored with this book. I wasn't interested in the ridiculous "gently themed" party ideas, (which uses props like ping pong balls and pink and blue marbles) but hopefully to find some great new appetizer or hors d'oeuvres. I was hoping for some clever quick shortcuts, or savvy entertaining tips. If I gave a cocktail party using these suggestions/recipes my friends would laugh me off the loft!

The suggestion that "Guests love hors d'oeuvres that they can "customize" to their own taste" leads to a recipe where you boil new potatoes and cut an X in the top. The idea is for guests to pinch the potato open so they can top it with crème fraiche or sea salt. That's it? In the Wine-Tasting Party menu they list Wine Crackers. Turns out you are to simply place bowls of oyster crackers throughout the room.

Honestly, I tried to find something new I would use to entertain my guests but I just didn't. If using Styrofoam coolers placed in your bathtub is the method you want to use for cooling champagne then this book is for you!!

Classy, easy, and fun.......2007-04-03

Want to host a fabulous cocktail party? This book will jump start anyone new to planning a cocktail party, and for those who are known for awesome entertaining, it will provide you with marvelous ideas to enhance your party repertoire. It is a must have for those of us who enjoy filling our homes with friends by hosting a stylish cocktail party.

Great book for those who like to throw parties.......2006-11-10

This book had a ton of great (and easy) recipes and tips on how to make entertaining easy for the host. We always have people over to our house and I'm always looking for new recipes that won't keep me in the kitchen. Also, it has lots of basic information on things like how much ice to buy, how to convert a single drink recipe into a pitcher and so on. The party ideas were kind of themey for my group but you can easily pick and choose what to use. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves entertaining.

Great tips!.......2006-07-22

Great tips in this book and quite a fun read! Some of the recipes were a little too involved for me, but still something to try when you are not rushed for time. A ton of ideas for working on things ahead of time so the day of the party will be stress free, but most involved freezing the food on cookie sheets until the party. I have a side-by-side fridge and cannot fit a cookie sheet. Such a shame because some of their ideas were quite appetizing!

I love this book!!.......2006-05-11

I have been awaiting entertainment help like this forever! The tips shared by the Purcell Sisters are priceless - modern, easy, and fun! Just reading the book makes me want to throw a party.

Everything is arranged in a way that is easy to follow. From styles of parties, appropriate food to match the theme, and drinks that are sure to captivate the guests (and imagine this: they even give you recipes to make pitchers of these drinks, NO THOUGHT PROCESS WHATSOEVER!).. they offer suggestions on how to get your guests mingling, even the shy ones - and how to create a fun or sexy atmosphere, depending on what you're looking for.

This book is the best! I'm so glad i found it.

Whiskey Straight Up: A Whiskey Mattimoe Mystery

Average customer rating:

A hilarious cool read on a hot day!!!
i know this is fiction but....
Whiskey Wins Again
whiskey straight up
Clever, enertaining mystery that men and women will love!

Whiskey Straight Up: A Whiskey Mattimoe Mystery
Nina Wright
Manufacturer: MIDNIGHT INK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0738708550

Book Description

Nearly drowning in an icy lake isn't Whiskey Mattimoe's favorite way to celebrate the season. Neither is finding the mayor dead at Magnet Springs' annual Ice Fishing Jamboree. And then there's the problem of locating Chester, her precocious eight-year-old charge, who has run away. . . or was he kidnapped? This is how Whiskey, an eternally disheveled, mid-thirties realtor, is drawn into another rollicking adventure with her purse-stealing Afghan hound. Other eccentric characters abound in this Michigan resort town, such as the police chief with a gift for tuning into the town's magnetic energy and the adorable vet with an unfortunate speech impediment. Amid the uproar, Whiskey also makes a surprising discovery that-for the first time since her husband's death-she's ready to dip her toes into the whimsical waters of love again.

Customer Reviews:

A hilarious cool read on a hot day!!!.......2007-08-23

I took this book to the pool on a recent 115 degree day. The cover alone helped cool things down. And Wright's rapid-paced tale of kidnapping and murder made me forget the heat. The scene where a certain body slides into frozen Lake Michigan is as thrillingly written as any action sequence I've ever read.

i know this is fiction but...........2007-06-08

I can't believe that an author would write a book about a main character who is so clueless about children. Even though the author creates a very self-sufficient boy, it's the actions of Whiskey that are off-base. When Whiskey finds out through a note she receives from a ex-con that the boy who is in her care is missing, does she start looking for the kid? No, she goes back home and gets drunk and half-naked with her ex-husband. In the morning when the kid still hasn't shown up, does she start looking for him? No, she and her equally clueless employee go on a helicopter ride, where she finally sees the kid being pulled at by a stranger. I know this is purely fiction, but even in fluff like this, one doesn't expect the main character to be that stupid.

Whiskey Wins Again.......2007-02-09

Whiskey Mattimoe rides again (and helicopters, snowmobiles, ice-skates) in this funny and action-packed sequel to Whiskey on the Rocks, and it's fabulous! This time the smart, sassy realtor (and reluctant guardian, stepmother, and dog-owner) finds herself up a--frozen--creek, when a Winter Jamboree complete with ice-fishing and snowball fights, offer a far more chilling event: murder.

Add kidnapping, the return of the ex-con who shot her late husband, the romantic attentions of her first husband and an animal-activist vet . . . plus the antics of the irrepressible afghan, Abra, with her pup Prince Harry, and you can bet Whiskey finds herself in a blizzard of trouble.

The resort setting of Magnet Springs, replete with quirky characters from the (seriously) "magnetic" Chief of Police, to the staff of Mattimoe Realty, and the New Age local entrepreneurs, remain as charming and offbeat as ever--the perfect cast for this great comic mystery.

Pull on a parka, pile up the snowballs (and a few dog biscuits), fix yourself a hot toddy--and settle in for a great read. Nina Wright has another winner!

whiskey straight up.......2007-01-28

I'm always looking for a new mystery series, and I just happened upon this book. I'm definitely hooked. I loved the main character, and I also loved the small town setting. I think the supporting cast was great, and I even liked them more than the mystery.The novel itself is fast paced, and it revolves mainly around Whiskey's lost charge, Chester.

Clever, enertaining mystery that men and women will love!.......2007-01-27

I like lots of kinds of mysteries, from literary to chick-lit. Although this series features a chick-lit type heroine, it's better written and has broader appeal. In fact, I gave copies of this book to several male friends and male family members; they all liked it a lot. The reason? The heroine, Whiskey Mattimoe, is the kind of gal men like. She makes 'em laugh; moreover, she's smart, athletic, and independent enough to earn their respect. This is also a well-constructed mystery with enough suspense to keep you turning pages way past bedtime.

A 5 Is Against the Law! Social Boundaries: Straight Up! An honest guide for teens and young adults

Average customer rating:

Very useful!
Excellent Resource
This book is a "must have" for parents and teachers!

A 5 Is Against the Law! Social Boundaries: Straight Up! An honest guide for teens and young adults
Kari Dunn Buron
Manufacturer: Autism Asperger Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1931282358
Release Date: 2007-01-01

Product Description

Kari Dunn Buron has done it again. Building on her popular 5-Point Scale, A 5 Is Against the Law! takes a narrower look at challenging behavior with a particular focus on behaviors that can spell trouble for adolescents and young adults who have difficulty understanding and maintaining social boundaries. Using a direct and simple style with lots of examples and hands-on activities, A 5 Is Against the Law! speaks directly to adolescents and young adults. The notion behind the 5-point scale is to take an idea or behavior and break it into five parts to make it easier to understand the different degrees of behavior and, eventually, the consequences of one's behavior. A section is also devoted to anxiety and how to cope with this emotion before it begins to escalate, often leading to impulsive and unacceptable behavior. Throughout the book, the reader is encouraged to think about and create his own behavior and anxiety scale that applies to his particular emotions and situations.

Customer Reviews:

Very useful!.......2007-05-25

This book is so useful for people with autism spectrum disorders that I wonder why there were no books that are this useful until very recently. As someone with Asperger's Syndrome myself, I realize how much sooner I would have learned good social skills and appropriate behaviour if there had been books like this 30 years ago! For much too long, I was a very marginalized member of society, and this was because nobody gave me the help that I needed in order to know what behaviour is appropriate in what situation. Instead, people just kept me out of situations in which my inappropriate behaviour mattered.

Excellent Resource.......2007-03-09

This is a very nice resource for the older child with Asperger's or socialcognitive difficulties. There is a lot of flexibility for the skilled educator to adapt the scales for a variety of situations. It is also useful for the inexperienced teacher to use a direct model.

This book is a "must have" for parents and teachers!.......2007-03-08

This book is one of the best resources for teens with ASD. The author presents real life social scenarios and uses a simple behavioral approach to helping teens understand how to make an appropriate response. It is effective as an instructional tool (and therefore preventive) or as a strategic process to remediate negative social interactions. I highly recommend this book!

Straight Up or on the Rocks: A Cultural History of American Drink

Average customer rating:

Fascinating -- and concise -- history of the cocktail.
Entertaining and informative.

Straight Up or on the Rocks: A Cultural History of American Drink
William Grimes
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails : From the Alamagoozlum Cocktail to the Zombie

ASIN: 0671767240

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating -- and concise -- history of the cocktail........1999-12-30

William Grimes does a great job summing up the allure of the cocktail in American culture. Too bad the book came out before the big cocktail boom in England during the 90's, or that would have made an excellent chapter. Not just for bartenders or restaurant owners, but the perfect gift for anyone interested in American popular culture!

Entertaining and informative........1998-04-28

With an emphasis on the cocktail, Straight Up Or On The Rocks is a solid and entertaining history of drinking in America. Grimes' appreciation for a good cocktail is evident, and while he has his opinions on certain drinks, you understand why he has them. This could be very useful for restuarant and bar professionals. The drink recipe section in the back, while short, is very good.

Average customer rating:

Life-Changing!
The elegant prose will keep the pages turning.
Characters stay with you
RAW TRUTH AND BEAUTY, WITH A JAGGED EDGE
Read this book

Straight Up
Lisa Samson
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578568862
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Book Description

They are living lives they were never meant to live.

Georgia Bishop, a could-be jazz great, has thrown away her life, her marriage, and her talent for her drinking habit. Her cousin, Fairly Godfrey, is living the good life in New York but wonders if deeper meaning exists beyond the superficial world in which she finds herself.

It takes a Congo refugee, a soul food chef, a persistent husband, and one desperate night on the brink of freedom for Georgia and Fairly to realize how far they have come from their God-given purposes. When they face the most difficult choices of their lives, only the power of grace can bring them to true healing.

Customer Reviews:

Life-Changing!.......2007-06-12

This isn't necessarily an easy book to read; you'll need to know this up front!

Many people have mentioned some of the incredibly bad choices these characters make, and that can be frustrating; many people have mentioned how gritty, pull-no-punches this story is, and that can be disturbing; but overall, if you can make the trip that Georgia makes, you'll never be the same for the experience. Many of us are haunted, in our dark moments, by visions of "what could have been" and the "if only"s of our lives; this book takes those ideas out, turns them over, probes and examines them, and gives the reader an unstinting view of several lives that fall short...yet in the end, this is a hopeful book as well. Not easy to do, in a book that spends much of its time inside the brain of an alcoholic!

While many of the secondary characters in this book I could have taken or left, and while some of them I just plain couldn't identify with, the emotion and the spiritual journeys they go through resonate regardless.m Georgia's story, above all, still resonates with me...and I finished the book weeks ago. A book to read, with an aftermath that will linger in your life. Brava!

The elegant prose will keep the pages turning. .......2007-06-06

Lisa Samson's delightful prose and interesting, gritty characters propel STRAIGHT UP, a novel about choices and consequences, the could-have-beens and should-have-beens, grief over wasted opportunities and our need for community.

Talented 32-year-old jazz musician Georgia Bishop has chosen the bottle over her music, rejecting her handsome husband Sean for a life of sitting alone at a bar and drinking away her potential. Her cousin, Fairly Godfrey, has her own troubles: at 26 she has lost her parents and her husband is hovering at the brink of death, and the solace of vintage clothing and antique furniture isn't enough to fill the gaping holes. The seemingly stable Uncle Geoffrey ("Uncle G") tries to glue the cousins back together when the trajectory of their lives intersects in Samson's hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. But will his love, the strength of his faith and his gentle acceptance be enough? The consequences of choices don't always have happy endings, and admirably, Samson portrays this without flinching as Fairly inadvertently brings things to a tragic climax.

In Samson's fictional world, food and coffee are the great consolers, and readers will salivate over the delicious culinary details throughout. Della-Faye bakes scrumptious peach cobbler and to-die-for fried chicken at the restaurant down the street, and Solo, a Congolese refugee, is quick to whip up an espresso when his friend Fairly is feeling low.

Samson is the veteran author of 18 books (including WOMEN'S INTUITION and CLUB SANDWICH) and is not afraid to take risks in her writing. Characters come in a rainbow of ethnicities, and Samson treats interracial couples in a matter-of-fact way rather than making race a point of tension --- something welcome and still fairly unusual in faith fiction.

The best moments revolve around Samson's portrayal of the community of faith --- a sometimes loose conglomeration of the walking wounded, the displaced, the neglected and abused, and the artistic misfits. There's quite a bit of the supernatural thrown in, especially toward the end, but nothing preachy or cliché. Book discussion groups will be delighted at the opportunities for debate on topics such as alcoholism, widowhood, race, caring for the wounded and the abused, medical ethics, marriage and spiritual calling, using or wasting our talents and gifts. What comes powerfully across is the potential each of us has to help change the life of another for the better. What also comes across is our ability to choose to reject this help.

One reason I love reading Samson's novels is her fresh and invigorating prose, which is in full evidence here. Lines such as "Twenty-two years later and the day she died still feels like stepping on a nail" provoke an almost physical reaction from the reader. Tropical fish "tinsel up a tank" and artists flow through a place "like warmed butterscotch over ice cream." On fried chicken: "That first bite is as good as a blanket out of the dryer after sledding or a gulp of cold Coke after a day of yard work." Hair is "rivered with silver." In describing herself, Fairly notes, "People see me as a birdbath. I am a well." I could read for pages for nothing else but the promise of more descriptions like these.

The constant switching back and forth between points of view and time periods are sometimes confusing and choppy, but hang with them: the characters are strong enough to move the book to its redemptive yet unsentimental conclusion, and the elegant prose will keep the pages turning.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

Characters stay with you.......2007-05-16

This was my first Lisa Samson read - it will not be my last. She does her craft well.

Georgia and Fairly are unforgetable characters - their relatives and friends and situations are equally memorable. Georgia's thoughts and experiences while in a coma are worth contemplating.

Life is messy - messier than we like to face and admit, but there is always grace and hope. Samson helps us see this on these pages.

This is a simple yet profound read.

RAW TRUTH AND BEAUTY, WITH A JAGGED EDGE.......2007-03-07

Although I'd experienced Samson's prose years ago with The Living End, I was totally unprepared for the ride she took me on in this book.

Her lyrical phrases are a joy to read: "Artists flowed through that place in a steady stream like warm butterscotch over ice cream." Another: "Robert Darling lived alone ... except for twenty-two tropical fish that tinseled up the tank, their colors shimmering under the fluorescent light overhead."

Georgia, a child protégé of jazz piano, squanders her potential on alcohol. Even when rescued by the people who love her most, Georgia must make a choice, and her decision becomes yours and mine as well. What will you decide?

Samson's novel allows us to experience this jagged-edged moment of truth from the safe distance of fiction.

--Christian Women Online Book Buzz

Read this book.......2007-01-29

Straight Up may very well be Lisa Samson's best serving of literary delight. Samson has a knack to zero in on the characters she creates in an honest and profound way. Her writing allows you to connect with the good, bad and ugly in her story world--so much so that you want to reach out to hug one character when she needs it or scold another on the choices being made. Straight Up draws you into the lives of three members of a dysfunctional family and illustrates the need for hope and grace in all of our lives. The best part of Straight Up is the "ah-ha" feeling you're left with--a lesson we all need to learn.

Algebra (Straight Forward Math Series/Book 1)

Average customer rating:

Clear, uncluttered, step by step progressions
For BOTH parents, teachers, and homeschoolers
Excellent book

Algebra (Straight Forward Math Series/Book 1)
Stephen B. Jahnke
Manufacturer: Garlic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1930820046

Product Description

Beginning Algebra. Topics include: Distributive Law. Linear Equations. Properties of Exponents. Polynomials. Factoring Polynomials. Topics are defined, modeled, shown with examples, and practiced.

Customer Reviews:

Clear, uncluttered, step by step progressions.......2006-10-07

I am delighted to use this excellent, thin (77 page) algebra text with my son. I have been homeschooling my five children beginning in 1993. After dragging through Saxon Algebra with my two daughters, I was weary of the cluttered, text-rich format that covered way too much material. In about a month and a half, we will have covered this book completely. I look forward to receiving Algebra Book 2.

I plan to supplement with Saxon and Barron's Algebra the Easy Way for word problems. However, I want a clear initial presentation of the basics that progresses logically. This book delivers in a very pleasing way.

Thank you, Stephen Jahnke!

For BOTH parents, teachers, and homeschoolers.......2004-11-07

This series is designed for anybody who works with students in upper grades.

BOOK 1 covers the Distributive Law, linear equations, number lines, properties of exponents, polynomials, and factoring polynomials. (Much easier than it sounds.)

Includes Answers and a Pre-Algebra Review. Excellent!

Excellent book.......2004-07-11

This series starts with the ultimate in basics and moves rapidly, in a well ordered fashion, to the essence of Algebraic concepts. The book takes what you learned in Arithmatic and shows you how it applies to upper Mathematics. The explainations are clear and precise with no fluff. We used it when my daughter was struggling with the conceptual jump from Arithmatic to Mathematics. The book leaves no gaps or guess work. When she was through with the exercises in book 1 she tested into the upper half of Algebra 1. I highly recommend it for any student. Forget the expensive, boring, repetitive, & typically hated curriculums. We did follow it with the second book which is equally as well done.

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