Customer Reviews

Best Sex Writing 2005

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked up this book after attending a reading by several of the authors. I could tell that this was less about erotica and more about the socialogy of sexuality. If you're looking for dirty stories, you probably won't enjoy this (but there are other books by/edited by Violet Blue that you may like better). But if you want some real insight into subjects ranging from visiting the Kinsey Institute, to working for an escort service as a client-booking agent, to trolling for Stormtroopers at a sci-fi/gaming con, then you need this book. My personal favorite stories were the ones by Carol Queen, Annalee Newitz, Chris Ohnesorge and Paul Festa.

Often these collections of sexy short stories have maybe one or two decent pieces surrounded by dull, cliched rush-jobs that are about as exciting as cardboard.

Not so with this book. I read the entire book, cover-to-cover, in one sitting as each storie left me panting for more. My favorite story overall is "Dick Check" by Chris Ohnesorge. If you've ever wondered what it could be like working the door to an all-male sex club, "Dick Check" will definitely quench your curiosity. I also loved "Sex with Storm Troopers" by Annalee Newitz which provides some insight into the sexiness of sci-fi conventions and also "Hooker Booker" by K. St. Germaine. I had always wondered about the ins and outs of the call girl business...

Bottom line, buy this book. It's a steal at $10 and will be a staple in your erotica collection.

This book is hard to categorize, because it covers such a range of styles. I was blown away by the variety of it, and pleased that the writing is of exceedingly high quality throughout. Not every essay is for everyone, but it's overall an excellent book. I especially liked the confessions of a sperm bank teller and the article about sex at a sci-fi convention, and Patrick Califia's piece is as disturbing as it is thought-provoking and heartfelt. Challenging, creative, memorable and sexy writing.

Ok, here's my big confession - I do a ton of reading about sex. This collection fell so far below most of what I've read in virtually every department - titilation factor zero, writing styles dull and unremarkable, insights into sex industry/sexual encounters almost nonexistant. The best piece by far is Patrick's Califa's and I would just recommend buying a book written entirely by him if you want to read something provacative & original. (Or something written entirely by Carol Queen, Susie Bright, etc.)This collection would only be appropriate for someone who is looking for a superficial account of some different facets of sex-related businesses, and to me the title "Best" suggests something beyond a sort of sex primer. At the risk of pissing off some of the many Violet Blue fans, bad editing is clearly to blame. By the way, the entirely uninspiring section by "Shirley Shave" (an alleged female porn star) has been subsequently revealed to be a James Freyish stunt. The person behind the pen name, a male fiction writer, came out as fabricating the entire blog from which the writing was taken. I hope that gives you some idea of the quality of this book's content.

As a writer that was included in this book I have to say I was heartbroken when I realized that an early and incomplete version of my story was included in this collection. Violet never checked or even read the file that was sent to her by my editor- instead sending it straight to her publishers to print. I hate the version that was included in this collection- so when Violet implored me to write a review of this book here at Amazon in hopes that it would help her get an IPPY, I declined.
I hate this book. It represents my years of work in the sex industry in a trite fashion and makes me sad to know that I trusted someone with my story only to have it misrepresented in this collection.
K. St. Germaine

I found this interesting but only from an academic perspective. While the brain is supposed to be the biggest sex organ I found few of the stories did anything more than stimulate grey matter. Given the reviews and description of this work online, I expected hot and interesting. I sent it back because the copy I had was missing the last page of a story and like many of the other stories, I didn't care to know the end of anyway.