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Book Review: The Bottoming Book

August 24th, 2009 | Category: bondage,book review,relationships,review

bottoming book

My latest book I’ve been able to add to my bibliophile collection is none other than The Bottoming Book, written by Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy. Sound familiar?  Same authors as The Ethical Slut (a book on non-monogamy that also has a place on my bookshelves).  However, The Bottoming Book has a bit more of a BDSM flare, as do many of their other works.  Oddly enough, it’s place under the anal sex book category, although anal sex is barely, if at all, touched on.  So if that’s the kind o’ book you’re looking for, I suggest looking elsewhere.

Book wise, I feel it is organized fairly well, with a nice lead in. However, over all, it seems as though this book is written for bottoms (also submissives, slaves, service people, etc) who are already aware of their bottom-ness, and may already have done some of their own kink discovery before making it to the book. So while you don’t need to be a kink or bottoming expert to read get something out of this book, you definitely should be a complete n00b, or this may go right over your head.

Information wise, I appreciate the switching of pronouns (indicating that gender does not indicate top or bottom tendencies), the discussion of switches (who often get left out in many kink commentaries), and talks about the spectrum of kink, from sensual players to heavier players, and many many more. However, this book is almost a decade old…which is sometimes a hinderance.  For example, it talks about the brilliance of the new internet, describes what a website is, and goes in depth into chat rooms. In today’s day and age, where the internet is accessible by almost anyone, and there are few chat room, and lots more kink-geared sites like CollarMe.com and FetLife.com, it just was kind of amusing to read.

Overall, it was a pretty good book. A slow read, but good to read a chapter at a time – I kept my copy in my purse.  However, I was driven crazy by the “overuse” of “quotation marks” through out the entire “book.”  While quotation marks are occasionally useful, these were used regularly in every bloody  paragraph in a completely “inappropriate” manner.  I would like to meet whoever copy-edited the book.

I give the book 4 stars (out of 5). It’s definitely great info, but not in the best format.  Worth getting, but could certainly be a little more smoothly written.

Click here to get your own copy of The Bottoming Book, or a plethora of other sex toys.

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Pleasurists #42

August 19th, 2009 | Category: book review,linkage,pleasurists,review,Swag,toys

 

via Darker Sights & Sounds

 

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #41? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #43? Submit it here before Sunday August 16th at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

On to the reviews…

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Pleasurists #41

August 12th, 2009 | Category: book review,linkage,pleasurists,review,Swag,toys

 

via Breathtakers

 

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #40? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #41? Submit it here before Sunday August 16th at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

On to the reviews…

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Dildos

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Lube, Massage Oil, Bath Stuff, & etc.

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Pleasurists #40

August 05th, 2009 | Category: book review,linkage,pleasurists,review,Swag,toys

 

back

via taraxos

 

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #39? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #41? Submit it here before Sunday August 9th at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

On to the reviews…

Editor’s Pick

  • Femblossom with heat by Carnivalesq

    • I really did not think I was going to like the heat feature. I thought it would be too hot, or that the heat just wouldn’t be my thing, or that the Emotional Bliss people were downright weird for making a heated vibrator. I’m so glad to tell you kind folks that I was dead wrong.

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Pleasurists #39

July 29th, 2009 | Category: book review,erotica,linkage,pleasurists,review,Swag,toys

 

curves

via yimmyayo

 

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #38? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #40? Submit it here before Sunday August 2nd at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

On to the reviews…

Editor’s Pick

  • JimmyJane Form 6 by Joan Price

    • What makes a vibrator worth $185? Granted, that’s a lot of money for a vibrator. The Jimmyjane Form 6 Waterproof Rechargeable Vibrating Massager is a luxury item, a sexy gift for the sensual woman in your life (maybe yourself!), and it gives a lot back for that price.

    Editor’s Note: As I was informed of in the additional message when this review was submitted: “Joan Price’s blog celebrates sex after 60. Her reviews reflect the perspective of sex-positive seniors and elders.” How could I not highlight a great review and a blog whose subject matter is wonderful albeit somewhat unusual to see?

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Book Review: Best Lesbian Erotica 2009

July 21st, 2009 | Category: book review,review

I love hot dyke sex. I mean, who doesn’t? (ok, I know lots of people don’t, but it’s a figure of speech)

However, I was excited to get to review a copy of Best Lesbian Erotica 2009 for more than just the hot dyke sex.

Why? Cause I’m the star of one of the stories.  Yeah, that’s right. Check out the story Diner on the Corner, and you tell me if the rockabilly femme with vibrantly colored hair doesn’t sound just a littttttle bit familiar.  Yup, that’s me!

Ok, you say, you’re biased. You’re a erotica star, so of course you like the book.

Nay! I say. I am biased about THAT story, but not about the WHOLE book. And let me tell you, ME-OW!

There is a huge variety of stories here, from Butch/Femme to D/s, and all over the rest of the incredibly hot lesbian sex spectrum.  There is a plethora of amazing authors, including some of my all time favs; Zaedryn Meade, Sacchi Gre, Radclyffe, Shanna Germain, Rachel Krammer Bussel.

I think my favorite story in the whole book (other than The Diner on the Corner, of course) is Lipstick on Her Collar.  Back in HS, before I came out, I used to love reading historical romance novels, because it was history AND sex, which are two of my favorite things. In Lipstick on her Collar, Green combines the history (Vietnam Era) and the hot dyke sex, making it both and interesting and incredibly arousing story.

Also, I liked Tough Enough to Wear a Dress (by Teresa Noelle Roberts), which delved into the pyschological side of of relationships and sexuality and how things from our pasts color our relationships and futures. Plus, the visualizations that she creates are absolutely scrumptious.

This book has a mouth watering variety of stories, that I’m pretty sure it’ll appeal to a schmorgasboard of readers.  

But as Lavar Burton used to say on Reading Rainbow, you don’t have to take my word for it!

Get your very own, panty wetting, clit throbbing (cock throbbing too probably), fuck me now copy of Best Lesbian Erotica 2009 by clicking here.

-Essin’ Em

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Pleasurists #36

July 08th, 2009 | Category: book review,review,Swag,toys

 

heels

by Massimo Innocenti

 

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #35? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #37? Submit it here before Sunday July 12th at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

On to the reviews…

Editor’s Pick

Vibrators

Dildos

Anal Toys

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Pleasurists #35

July 01st, 2009 | Category: book review,review,toys

 

temptation

by Matt Miller

 

Pleasurists is a round-up of the adult product and sex toy reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #34? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #36? Submit it here before Sunday July 5th at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

On to the reviews…

Editor’s Pick

  • Sublime by Carrie Ann

    • Insertion with this toy is wonderful. Thrusting is amazing. It’s girthy yet not huge, filling but not uncomfortable and the bumps and bulges really stimulate the inner labia and vaginal entrance.

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Book Review: Opening Up

June 30th, 2009 | Category: book review,non-monogamy,review

I don’t get the opportunity to book reviews as much any more, but I just couldn’t keep quiet about this one.  Opening Up, by Tristan Taormino is an absolutely brilliant book. Brilliant. It’s about non-monogamy and open relationships, but I would highly highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of their own personal relationship status.  It’s a good way at looking at polyamory/polyfidelity/swinging/non-monogamy/etc, whether you personally participate in it, or are looking to do so, or to learn about it to understand more about the lifestyle’s of your friends, etc.

Like many sexuality minded people, I have read The Ethical Slut (considered to be one of the main texts for those exploring non-monogamy). In fact, I had it assigned for one of my classes in grad school.  At the time, it was mind blowing.  A book, where people talked about having sex with multiple partners, who they cared about, in a completely non-judgmental sense. Ka-boooom! I started exploring my non-monogamy around the same time.

Only one problem. The Ethical Slut, while a good book, seemed to be a) a bit old-fashioned, and b) only seemed to cover the kind of open relationships practiced by the authors, which wasn’t *my* kind of non-monogamy. I kept my copy, lending out to friends (including my lovely Moose), but I wasn’t satisfied.

And then, Opening Up came into my life. Tristan is one of my favorite sexuality educators, and she certainly doesn’t disappoint.  For her book, she interviewed over one hundred people who practice non-monogamy in a variety of different ways. She has a great introduction, an interesting background on the history of non-monogamy/swinging, and a nice primer on “are non-monogamous relationships right for you?”  The questions in this section are great, and I actually sat down with Q (having been in a non-monogamous relationship with her for quite some time), and really enjoyed the discussion that resulted from these questions.

Following that, she breaks down the book into chapters about different kinds of non-monogamy, from swinging to polyfidelity, to partnered non-monogamy (which is similar to Q and my relationship) to solo polyamory. Each section talks about the history, brings up important points of the relationship type, has a mini-story about a couple/group/person who practices that type of non-monogamy, and things to think about if that’s what you’re looking for.

Q and I read through some of these chapters together, and discussed our personal responses to many of the questions and statements. Many of the exercises in this book were “easy” and non-invasive enough for someone who isn’t the biggest communicator, but is trying her best to really talk and communicate.

I loved this book. I’ve already lent out my copy to Q and another friend. My Moose is next on the list, since she just finished the Ethical Slut. Tristan has never let me know with either her books or her movies, but this one really went the distance.  Five out of five stars.

Get your own copy of Opening Up at Babeland, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

-Essin’ Em

5 comments

Pleasurists #34

June 24th, 2009 | Category: book review,linkage,pleasurists,review,Swag,toys

 

candles

from dockera.com via art or porn

 

Pleasurists is your round-up of the adult product reviews that came out in the last seven days from bloggers all around the sex blogosphere. Did you miss Pleasurists #33? Read it all here. Do you have a review for Pleasurists #35? Submit it here before Sunday June 28th at 11:59pm PDT. Please re-post this list on your own blog if listed.

Note: Monday the 29th is the editor’s birthday, Pleasurists #35 may be delayed next week.

Want to win some free swag? All you’ve got to do is enter.

Madame Editrix

Scarlet Lotus St. Syr

On to the reviews…

Editor’s Pick

  • Dream Massager G by Sleeping Dreamer

    • I love this vibrator for it’s power. Yes, these vibrations carry throughout the entirety of my vaginal canal and even vibrate down into my ass. I can feel the vibrator through the mattress, yea, that good. The Dream Massage G is to my vagina what the Hitachi is to my clitoris.

Vibrators

Dildos

Anal Toys

Toys for Cocks

Lube, Massage Oil, Bath Stuff, & etc.

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Adult Books/Games

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