The Best American Erotica 2005

Simon & Schuster Adult Publi, 2005. Fine. Thirteenth dip by sexologist Bright (Full Exposure, 1999, etc.) into the bi g pool of Americans groping for skin under the surface of society and findi ng plenty of strong feelings and slick flesh. Outstanding contribution here is an excerpt from Pulitzer-winner Jane Smiley's Good Faith, which is so w ell written that a page about snowfall outside the Hilton Hotel on 54th Str eet is sexy and fulfilling even before the lovers' joining. Cecile Tan's tw o pieces, "Seduction" and "The Magician's Assistant," are less about sex th an about fearful virginity and being ignored. Other impressive entries incl ude the kickoff story by Steve Almond, "Slippy for President," in which a l oser college student moves into an off-campus house full of beautiful blond es and gets teased about never eating "pussy" or smoking pot. Then the lose r and three blondes take Ecstasy: What happens next is quite literate and a musing. While most of the contributors are new names, all write with verve. P.S. Haven's "Charles Sykes' Spirit of Ecstasy," "Robots of the World, Uni te" by Karl Iagnemma, and Lana Gail Taylor's "Genuflection" should not be m issed. Also gripping (so to speak), is Bright's account of her days as a re viewer of XXX videos, watching dozens of tapes at breakneck speed to make h er deadline with a notebook-and a hand-in her lap. A tasteful pillow book.