title: Things I'll Never Say: Stories About Our Secret Selves
author:  Ann Angel 
description: Gr 10 UpIn this collection of dramatic short stories by various authors, all of the protagonists have secrets, though some are more intense and life-altering than others. Other than fulfilling this unifying theme, the entries are quite diverse. They span across several genres, including realistic, paranormal, and historical fiction. Regardless of the setting, these tales tackle often taboo subjects, such as inappropriate relations with teachers, gender issues, and mental disorders. Inclusion of drugs, alcohol, swearing, and liaisons between teens and more mature adults make this work appropriate for older readers. As with any short story collection, the quality of writing varies from one story to another. Some are well written like Chris Lynch's atmospheric and well-paced "Lucky Buoy," while others are poorly executed, like Ron Koertge's "Call Me!" with its feeling of not-quite-coherent randomness. Overall, this collection will resonate with many young adults who have their own secrets as well as readers who vicariously live through the risqu lifestyles of others. VERDICT A very discussible title for fans of Chris Lynch's and Ellen Hopkins's hard-hitting realistic fiction.Carol Hirsche, Provo City Library, UT
zlib_text: THE LAST TIME I WAS ME
  
  Books by Cathy Lamb
  JULIA’S CHOCOLATES
  THE LAST TIME I WAS ME
  And in the Anthology
  COMFORT AND JOY
  “Suzanna’s Stockings”
  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
  
  THE LAST TIME I WAS ME
  CATHY LAMB
  KENSINGTON BOOKS
  www.kensingtonbooks.com
  
  For my mother-in-law, Doris Mae (Lindsay) Lamb
  1925-2002
  and to her son, Bradford Howard Lamb,
  with love and laughter
  
  Contents
  CHAPTER 1
  CHAPTER 2
  CHAPTER 3
  CHAPTER 4
  CHAPTER 5
  CHAPTER 6
  CHAPTER 7
  CHAPTER 8
  CHAPTER 9
  CHAPTER 10
  CHAPTER 11
  CHAPTER 12
  CHAPTER 13
  CHAPTER 14
  CHAPTER 15
  CHAPTER 16
  CHAPTER 17
  CHAPTER 18
  CHAPTER 19
  CHAPTER 20
  
  CHAPTER 21
  CHAPTER 22
  CHAPTER 23
  CHAPTER 24
  CHAPTER 25
  CHAPTER 26
  CHAPTER 27
  CHAPTER 28
   
  EPILOGUE
  A READING GROUP GUIDE
  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  
  CHAPTER 1
  Women can look so innocent.
  And a few of them might be. Innocent, I mean.
  Most aren’t.
  Most have secrets. Pretty big ones, if I do say so myself.
  They silently nurture raging passions they’ve smothered for years
  because life has insisted 