Monthly Archives: July 2012

My Big Kinky Erotica Post, Part One

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There are many books considered to be “erotic classics,” far too many to list all in one post.  These are the books still whispered about and passed among friends, the ones that have titillated readers for decades.  Maybe you’re heard of these books but never got around to reading them.  Maybe you noticed them tucked in your mom’s sock drawer years ago.  But since the resurgence of erotica in mainstream publishing, these classics are once again becoming popular.  So here is my take on some of the most popular titles in erotic literature.  Enjoy!

Story of O by Pauline Réage (1954)

The ultimate kinky classic!  How could I start this list with anything other than this scandalous BDSM masterpiece?  Originally published in France and later translated into English in 1965, Story of O is every bit the shocking and sinfully enjoyable book its reputation states.  Not so much for the sexual acts described in the book (although the sex is quite graphic), but for the psychology of the protagonist O.

Story of O is about a young Parisian fashion photographer who willfully surrenders herself to slavery and debasement at the hands of her lover René.  O lets René take her to a château in the country where she is used for the sexual gratification of him and three other men.  For two weeks she is routinely bound, flogged, and made to perform various sex acts on demand.  After her stay at the château, O’s journey into total submission continues when René gives her to his best friend and tells her “you belong to him now.”

The sex got my attention, but what held my interest was how the story delved into O’s psyche.  Because even more unsettling that the acts committed against O was her willingness to submit to them.  So desperate to please René was she that she let him use her in any way that he saw fit.  Even when he gave her to other men to beat and abuse, she derived happiness in the knowledge that she was obeying his wishes.  All she desired was reassurance that he still loved her, and she would be happy to endure anything he asked.  And indeed René did insist many times that he truly loved O.  But his love came with a price: absolute obedience, which she freely chose.  It’s a perverted sort of romance, but fascinating nonetheless.

So does Story of O stand the test of time?  Absolutely.  The language is pretty clunky at times (keep in mind it is a translated work) and some of the terms are a little archaic, but the themes it discusses are timeless.  Is there happiness in slavery?  Is total submission the ultimate expression of love?  It’s a heavy story with a ton of kink and even more substance.  Read it slowly, savor it, let it seduce you.  You won’t soon forget it.

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A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter (1967)

Another erotic tale set in France!  Written by American author James Salter, A Sport and a Pastime is the story of an affair between a young American man and a French girl.

Philip Dean is a Yale dropout.  He’s handsome, charming, and privileged.  While vacationing in France, he begins an ill-fated affair with a local girl named Anne-Marie.  Together they travel around the French countryside, and their relationship intensifies as they find new ways to explore their sexuality.  The details of their physical relationship are graphic but not shocking, thanks to Salter’s beautiful and tasteful prose.

We soon see that the relationship isn’t picture-perfect.  When they’re not in bed together, Dean seems disenchanted by Anne-Marie.  He disdains her lack of pedigree, even thinking to himself that her pierced ears make her seem cheap.  He also resents her for being needy and clingy (at least by his perception), and often treats her coldly when they are in public together.

What’s most interesting about A Sport and a Pastime is that it is narrated by a third party who claims to be Dean’s friend.  The book takes on an unsettling voyeuristic aspect when the narrator describes Dean and Anne-Marie’s sexual acts, events he could not have actually witnessed.  Indeed, even the narrator admits that this story is partially his own fantasy of what Dean and Anne-Marie’s relationship was like.  The unreliable narrator adds a unique dimension to this short and sad tale.

While the reader may be wondering which details of the couple’s affair are true, there is one truth that shines through in this book: relationships based solely on sex rarely end well.  When Dean and Anne-Marie were in bed together, they were free and open in their passion for each other.  But in public, social pressures and class prejudices took their toll on the affair.

Some think that A Sport and a Pastime is outdated.  But while some of the language may be a little passé, I think the story itself is timeless.  The book is being republished as an ebook by Open Road Media, and will hopefully attract new readers.

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Nine and a Half Weeks by Elizabeth McNeill (1978)

Written under a pseudonym, Nine and a Half Weeks is a first-person account of a New York woman’s two-month affair with a man she meets casually.  During this time, he comes to dominate every aspect of her life.  He feeds her, bathes her, dresses her, tells her what to do, and yes, he even inserts and removes her tampons for her.  No, I didn’t throw that in there to make sure you were paying attention.  Though the woman’s lover also uses light bondage and corporal punishment on her, the main focus of the book is his emotional dominance over her as opposed to their sexual practices.

In terms of kink, Nine and a Half Weeks is pretty tame in comparison to Story of O.  This book’s controversy lies not in its sexual content, but in its protagonist’s willingness to surrender all her autonomy to her lover.  She writes how adulthood is a burden to her, and what a relief it is for her to let her lover make all her decisions for her, even when it comes to simple things like choosing clothes.  In the 1970s, when feminism was in full swing in the US, this is a bold statement to make.

It’s an interesting book, but for me, Nine and a Half Weeks didn’t have the substance that Story of O  or A Sport and a Pastime had.  It wasn’t quite as deep, I wasn’t drawn to the character in the same way I was drawn to O, and I found the writing style to be pretty flat.  Still, it’s an erotic classic, and worth reading as such.

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Little Birds by Anaïs Nin (1979)

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For those of you looking for short erotic stories, look no further!  Anaïs Nin has long been considered one of the masters of erotic literature, and this volume showcases the sensuality and beauty of her writing.

The thirteen stories in Little Birds deal with a range of sex-related topics, including virginity, sexual passivity/dominance, lesbianism, and even pedophilia.  Many of the women in these stories find themselves experimenting with new sexual experiences and learning to open themselves up to their own desires.  One of my favorites was “The Maja,” in which a seemingly prudish woman discovers her sensual side after she discovers her artist husband has been secretly making nude paintings of her.

The writing style of Little Birds is beautiful in its simplicity, and the stories are a lot deeper than you would think at first glance.  It’s a short volume, but not one to be read through quickly.  Perfect for those who prefer softer erotica, and a great way to introduce yourself to the writing of Anaïs Nin!

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I hope you get a chance to check out these old classics.  Maybe they will become your new favorites.  Or are you looking for something a little more modern?  Stay tuned for the follow-up to this post, where I talk about some newer erotic titles!

Book Review: Tigers in Red Weather

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Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann (pub date 7/17/12)

“Houses, husbands, and midnight gin parties. . . Nothing’s going to change.  Not in any way that really matters.  It will be like always.”

I love novels about dysfunctional families, probably because it’s nice to think that there are families more messed up than my own.  I kid, I kid.  But for me there’s something so satisfying about a book in which family secrets are slowly revealed, and the characters show their true selves.

Tigers in Red Weather is just such a book.  Set in post-World War II America, Tigers tells the story of cousins Nick and Helena and twenty years of their family drama.  At the beginning of the novel, Nick and Helena are having one last drink together before they separate for the first time in their lives.  The cousins are moving away to join their respective husbands: Helena is moving to Hollywood to marry the enterprising Avery, while Nick is moving to Florida to live with her Navy veteran husband Hughes.

Little do they know that that night might be the last time they were truly happy.  After years of disenchantment with marriage and motherhood, Nick and Helena find themselves changed, and find their once close relationship strained beyond recognition.  The rest of the novel takes place in the family’s cherished summer home on Martha’s Vineyard, known as Tiger House.  Things change for Nick and Helena when their twelve-year-old children, Daisy and Ed, discover the body of a murder victim on the island.  That one event shakes the family to its core, uncovering years of resentment, secrets, and infidelities.

The book tells the story from the separate viewpoints of the five main characters and jumps around in the timeline, going back and forth between the 1940s, 1959, and 1967.  The changing perspectives and non-linear storytelling help build the drama and give the reader a more complete understanding of the book’s events.

While I enjoyed Tigers in Red Weather very much, it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be.  The plot description would have you believe that kids finding the dead body was the main plot point, but it was really just a catalyst that leads to this family’s undoing.  But with its great writing and well thought out characters, I was far from disappointed.  This is another example in which the characters make the story, and that story is definitely intense and at times disturbing.

With an air of mystery and a touch of faded glamour, Tigers is a great dramatic story.  A perfect summer read for those looking for an alternative to the usual “beach reads.”

Book Review: How To Be a Woman

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How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (pub date 7/17/12)

“What is feminism? Simply the belief that women should be as free as men, however nuts, dim, deluded, badly dressed, fat, receding, lazy, and smug they might be.  Are you a feminist?  Hahaha.  Of course you are.”

Caitlin Moran is my new personal hero, and I only just heard of her four days ago.  She’s a British journalist, broadcaster, and TV critic with one hell of a personality.  And she worked for “Melody Maker” magazine in the 90s during the height of the Britrock era, which was my absolute hands-down dream job all throughout eight grade and most of high school.  But I digress…

Aside from living the life I wanted during my pubescent years, Moran is the author of this part memoir, part feminist manifesto How To Be a Woman.  First published in the UK last year, this hit title made its way across the pond this week.

In her book, Moran shares her most memorable personal experiences from age thirteen to adulthood, experiences that shaped the woman she became.  From discovering the joys of masturbation, to body image issues, sex, marriage, pregnancy, and her first encounters with sexism, Moran relates her life to the bigger issues women face every day.  She ponders the things that are supposed to make us “womanly,” like Brazilian waxes, big weddings, and an interest in fashion.  She also argues the pros and cons of strip clubs, and lists the best and worst words to call your vagina.

What I loved most about this book was its perfect mixture of humor and seriousness.  While Moran’s hilarious observations had me cracking up, her chapter on abortion was reverent and thought-provoking.  And while she is a mother of two, I still want to give a big thumbs-up and thank you for her chapter defending the childfree lifestyle.

So what is the book’s overall message?  Every woman is a feminist!  Moran asserts that if you have a vagina and want to be in control of it, you are a feminist.  It’s not about maintaining a certain image or about hating men (this is NOT an anti-man book, just in case you were wondering), it’s about freedom and equality.

I don’t read many memoirs, but I loved How To Be a Woman.  If you’re a woman, you should read it.  There will definitely be something in it that you can identify with.  Fans of ‘The Bloggess’ Jenny Lawson will be able to appreciate this book’s sense of humor.  Some people may find the British slang a bit tricky, but it won’t affect your understanding of the book.  And if you’re thinking that you’re not a feminist, you need to read this book even more, because you’re the ones it was written for.

Interview With Author Ben H. Winters!

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It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Ben Winters and also of his publisher, Quirk Books.  I loved Bedbugs, his release from last summer, and last week I reviewed his new title The Last Policeman.  I also got to be a part of his blog tour, which I’m thrilled about.  Here is my Q&A with Ben Winters…enjoy!

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1. How did you get started as a writer?

There are a lot of different answers to that — I’ve always been a writer by inclination, I guess, or at least a voracious reader. I started my career more interested in writing for performance, doing standup comedy and writing plays and musicals. I think as I got a little older I was less interested in being in front of people and getting that immediate thrill of watching people react to what you write, and more interested in the complex overlapping challenges of writing long fiction. I was lucky enough to forge a relationship with Quirk Books, borne of a shared sensibility and proximity—my wife and I were living in Philly for a year while she pursued a clerkship, and literally moved across the street from Quirk. So over the years we did a few nonfiction things together, and then they offered me to the opportunity to write Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, which was my “big break,” I guess you’d say. But like most big breaks, it came after a lot of years of small breaks, frustrations, and steps in the wrong direction.

2. What made you want to write a pre-apocalyptic story as opposed to a post-apocalyptic one?

Don’t tell anyone, but I was actually less interested in creating an interesting universe for this story to take place in, and more interested in creating an interesting hero.  I admire writers who creates detectives that readers fall in love with, or at least who we enjoy following around. So the setting for the book really emerged from my attempt to craft an interesting psychological profile — who is the guy who stays at work? Who continues to care in bad circumstances? So that portrait requires me to create the worst possible circumstances. Ergo, pre-apocalypse.

I think that’s how it went. Something like that.

3. You did a lot of research on astronomy for this novel. Can you describe what the research process was like for you? How did it affect you?

Research, I have to say, is a pretty boring thing to describe. I called a bunch of people. I read a bunch of books. I watched internet stop-motion animations in which rocks of various sizes smash into the planet. Research, even more than providing the interesting details that make a book good, is how I get excited and stay excited. The more I know about reality, the better the fiction will be. I hope.

4. You’ve written books in several different genres: YA, parody, horror, and now sci-fi/mystery. Is one genre more challenging for you than others? Which genre is your favorite to write?

Genre, as a concept, is I think more useful after the fact — in terms of marketing, and talking about the book — than it is during the writing. Like, Bedbugs (which you very correctly label as horror) and The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman (YA) are both mysteries in their own way, just as much as the Last Policeman. It may be reductive, but I think that all really good books are mysteries—even if the mystery to be solved is as simple as, How does this turn out? Is this girl going to be OK? Where the hell are all these demon bedbugs coming from?  

5. The Last Policeman is very different than your previous book Bedbugs. How was your writing process different when you wrote this book as opposed to when you wrote Bedbugs? 

Not as different as you might imagine. I mean, I researched different things — entomology and mythology on the one hand, forensic pathology and astronomy on the other hand— and I took inspiration from different sources (Rosemary’s Baby on the one hand, PD James and Russell Hoban on the other), but the basic process is the same: research, think, read, research, tentatively outline, write, rewrite, revise outline, research more, drink too much coffee, start over, procrastinate, tentatively outline. Repeat. Right now, at this very minute, I’m working on the Policeman sequel, and drinking too much coffee and actively procrastinating by doing this blog interview.

6. Hank briefly mentions that his favorite book is Watchmen, and I can definitely see him as sort of a cross between Nite Owl and Rorschach. Was Watchmen your main inspiration for Hank’s character, or did he also come from other sources?

Tons of sources. Like all detectives, he owes a debt to Sherlock Holmes and his heirs. Plus there’s a lot of my dad in there, a lot of Batman, a bit of Adam Dalgleish, a bit of myself. Who knows where characters come from, ultimately. Hopefully they eventually just present themselves as their own cats. And he’s definitely more compassionate than Rorschach, more competent that Nite Owl.

7. When society falls apart, Hank seems to be one of a very few decent people left. Would you say your book paints an optimistic or pessimistic view of humanity?

Nope. I refuse to say. You tell me. And by “you,” I mean you, Jen, and also everyone who reads it. I’m actually sort of curious what the mood is this things settles onto folks—I know it’s pretty grim, but I like to think of old Hank as a beacon of light, in his own quiet way. Whether that small light makes for a sunsent kind of book, or a dawn kind of book, I don’t think I can say.

8. Can you tell us when the next book is coming out, and/or any details about the plot?

Comes out exactly one year after this one, so July 2013. (And any luck the third one a year after that.) I  can only tell you that Hank is on a new case, and Maia is a couple months closer, so the world is a couple months more of a wreck.  Now I’m going to get back to work, so I can tell you more about it at some point soon!

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A big thank-you to Mr. Winters and Quirk Books for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour!  And for the record, I  personally feel that The Last Policeman is a mostly optimistic book.  Something as monumental as Maia would naturally bring out both the best and the worst in people, but it also gave Hank the chance to become a hero.  Maybe he can’t stop Maia from coming, but he is a hero because he stands for justice and order in a world that’s in chaos.  And I think that shows that people are basically good, and can remain good people even in the face of catastrophe.

The book is out in stores now, so please read it and tell us what YOU think!

Early Review: Fifty Shames of Earl Grey

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Fifty Shames of Earl Grey by Andrew Shaffer (pub date 7/31/12)

You know you’ve really made it when people are mocking you.  And this Fifty Shades of Grey parody is merciless when it comes to making fun of its source material.  But you know what?  EL James is still laughing all the way to the bank!

Fifty Shames of Earl Grey is not the only parody written since James’ infamous trilogy exploded into pop culture.  But it does seem to be the one most hyped about.  It was featured at this year’s BEA, and author Andrew Shaffer even made an appearance to sign advance copies.  Sadly, I was unable to attend the day he was there, but I did get to download a copy of the book from NetGalley.

Fifty Shames tells the story of Anna Steal, a college senior who falls in love with the handsome and obscenely wealthy Earl Grey.  After interviewing him for Boardroom Hotties Magazine, Anna becomes infatuated with him.  In turn, Earl shows his affection for Anna by purchasing the company she works for so she can have the day off, buying the house she lives in and having it fitted with surveillance equipment, and saving her time and again from her unfortunate clumsiness.  Eventually, Earl tells Anna about his fifty shames, one of which is BDSM…and no, it’s not what you think!  Despite the warnings from her inner guidette, Anna begins a strange affair with the mysterious Earl.

My description can’t even do it justice.  As a parody, Fifty Shames is spot-on.  Its humor is completely suited to its source material, and it brutally lampoons the sillier aspects of the original Fifty Shades trilogy.  Among other things, it mainly pokes fun at Ana’s naïveté, her contstant pining for Christian, and also Christian’s wealth, tempestuous nature, and never-ending supply of condoms.  It also mocks some of the more unrealistic plot points in Fifty Shades; my favorite line is about how Anna gets a job at the Amazon warehouse but hopes to work her way up to editor.  The first few chapters closely mirror the first few chapters of the original Fifty Shades, but after that, the book goes off in its own crazy direction, and will crack you up the whole way through.

Unlike the original books, Fifty Shames is super short; you can breeze through it in one day.  It’s totally hilarious, but I will say that you should only read it if you have a sense of humor about the real Fifty Shades trilogy.  If you’re like me and loved the books but can admit that they’re pretty ridiculous, then you’ll definitely enjoy Shaffer’s parody.

Early Review: The Light Between Oceans

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The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (pub date 7/31/12)

“Right and wrong can be like bloody snakes: so tangled up that you can’t tell which is which until you’ve shot ‘em both, and then it’s too late.”

We’ve all bent the rules a little at some point in our lives.  Face it, who hasn’t ever taken a long lunch at work, embellished their resume a little, or kept the extra change we got back from the clerk at the grocery store?  Most of the time, no one notices these minor transgressions.  But what happens when our little lies get bigger and start hurting other people?

The main characters in The Light Between Oceans find themselves in that very situation.  They are the perpetrators of a lie told with the best of intentions that ends up causing more harm than good.  Tom and Isabel Sherbourne live on Janus Rock, a tiny island half a day’s journey off the western coast of Australia.  Tom, a World War I veteran, is the lighthouse keeper and his devoted wife Isabel dreams of starting a family.  But after multiple miscarriages, Isabel wonders if she will ever be a mother.

Then as if Heaven-sent, a boat washes up on their shore, containing a dead man and a living infant girl.  A stickler for the rules, Tom wants to report it immediately.  But Isabel has already fallen in love with the baby, and she tries to convince Tom that it would be kinder to keep her than to report the incident and send her to an orphanage.  Though against Tom’s better judgment, the couple keeps the baby and names her Lucy.

For a few years the little family thrives on Janus Rock.  But as Lucy grows, so do Tom’s guilt and Isabel’s denial about whether they did the right thing.  They soon make a discovery that shows them the consequences of their lie, and the aftermath threatens to tear them apart forever.

The Light Between Oceans is a beautifully tragic story.  It’s a real human drama about right and wrong and the difficulty we often face in telling the difference.  Tom believes in rules and order; he thinks that having rules is what makes people civilized.  But after seeing his wife in agony over not being able to have a child, he decides to break the rules out of love for her and the baby.  Isabel, on the other hand, completely denies any wrongdoing.  In her mind, she was destined to be Lucy’s mother and committed no sin in raising the child as her own.  Their actions leave the reader wondering “what would I do in this situation?”

This book reminded me of House of Sand and Fog, another story which blurs the line between right and wrong.  If you’re looking for a moving, dramatic story, I would highly recommend this novel

Early Review: The Siren

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The Siren by Tiffany Reisz (pub date 7/24/12)

I’ve never reviewed a Harlequin book before, but I figured it might be good to branch off to other genres.  Plus I could use a little light reading this week!  I heard about this book through NetGalley and seeing that it seemed similar to Fifty Shades, I thought I would give it a try.

The Siren is the first installment of a new romance/erotica trilogy called “The Original Sinners.”  One review quoted on Amazon said this book is as dangerous and subversive as Fight Club.  Um, not really, and let’s not get carried away, shall we?  Still, this book was a decent erotica story, short and sweet, and pretty fun to read.

In The Siren, thirty-something erotica author Nora Sutherlin is working on her fifth novel, and is on the verge of securing a deal with a new publisher, Royal House.  This deal will make or break her career, and she wants to work with Royal House’s best editor.  Enter Zach Easton, an editor with a reputation for being demanding and controlling, and who is anything but excited to work with a “trashy” writer like Nora.  Though reluctant at first, Zach finds Nora’s quirks (like living with a teenage boy) oddly appealing, and agrees to work with her on the condition that she rewrite her entire manuscript to his satisfaction.

This manuscript turns out to be more personal than anything Nora has ever written before.  It’s her way of expressing her confusion and guilt about love and her past relationships.  She reveals to Zach that she still has feelings for her ex-lover Søren, with whom she had a long-term D/s (Dominant/submissive) relationship.  Zach, still hurting after his wife left him, soon starts to wonder if he has feelings for Nora.  Unable to resist her charms, Zach allows Nora to introduce him to the secret world of BDSM, and finds himself taking on more than he thought.

Though not as steamy as Fifty Shades in the bed department, this book has an OK story and some pretty fun sex scenes.  The “book within a book” format was a little distracting at times, but for the most part it was effective at conveying Nora’s character traits.  The main plot revolves around a typical love triangle, or in this case, a love quadrangle.  What I did enjoy most about this book is that it explores the psychology of the BDSM lifestyle and the D/s relationship, something that Fifty Shades quickly glossed over.  Nora’s character is decently developed, but most of the other main characters didn’t blow me away.  Honestly I thought that Søren was the most interesting character in the whole story, but I can’t say why without giving too much away.  The complexity of both his character and his relationship with Nora was the best thing about this book.

The second book in the trilogy, The Angel, is due out in September 2012, and I certainly hope that Søren is featured more in it.  It would give me an excuse to keep using that awesome little ‘ø’ symbol.

Since reading the Fifty Shades trilogy and The Siren, I’ve become more interested in reading other erotica titles and doing a giant post on which ones I enjoyed the most.  So stay tuned for more kinky fuckery ahead!

Early Review: The Last Policeman

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The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters (pub date 7/10/12)

 

“People are building rocket ships, people are building tree houses, people are taking multiple wives, people are shooting indiscriminately in public places, people are setting fire to themselves, people are studying to be doctors while doctors quit work and build huts in the desert and sit in them and pray.”

What would you do if you knew the world was going to end in six months?  How do you think the rest of the world would react?  In this “pre-apocalyptic” novel, Ben H. Winters (author of Bedbugs) poses these very questions.

The Last Policeman is about a world on the brink of collapse.  Set in the present day, an asteroid nicknamed “Maia” is on a collision course with Earth, and will cause devastating damage to the entire planet when it hits in about six months.  Needless to say, almost the whole world’s population has gone into panic mode.  Major economies have collapsed, communications services have deteriorated due to neglect, and suicide rates are sky-high.  Most people are going “bucket list” and quitting their jobs to pursue their own passions before their imminent demise.  But Detective Hank Palace has a “keep calm and carry on” attitude.  For him, every day is just another day on the job, and that job includes solving a murder that he believes was made to look like a suicide.

When a man is found hanged in the bathroom of a fast food restaurant, Hank suspects foul play and launches a thorough investigation.  As he uncovers clues, he faces resistance and ridicule from his fellow police officers, who don’t see the point in solving the case when the world is going to end anyway.  Gradually, the story points to larger questions: the value of human life, the value of maintaining composure in the face of disaster, and the value of being a good person even if it doesn’t seem to matter.

The first in a trilogy, The Last Policeman is imaginative and absorbing.  I was so engrossed in it that I finished it in less than 24 hours.  It’s well researched, smart, and exciting at the same time.  Hank is an interesting character, but also a tough nut to crack.  He’s a good man, but not above bending the rules a little for the greater good of solving the crime.  We’re given a little taste of Hank’s past and how it affected him, but ultimately we don’t know that much about him.  Since there is a trilogy planned, I’m hoping to see more of Hank’s character development in the second book.

If you enjoy science fiction, mysteries, or just plain good storytelling, you need to read this book.  I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that there is much more to the story than the murder mystery, and when these other storylines are fleshed out I think the trilogy will be amazing.

**Want more?  Be sure to read my interview with Ben H. Winters, coming later this month!***