Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!) [Paperback]

Douglas Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2009

Even though it feels like there’s never enough time or energy, trust Annie and Doug...THERE IS!

Creeping into middle age and saddled with work deadlines, child rearing, homemaking, and fourteen years of togetherness, an ordinary, happy but harried couple set an outlandish goal: to have sex for 101 consecutive days–no excuses (not even the flu, late-night child wanderings, or flat-out exhaustion).

What ensued is by turns hilarious, tender, and seductive–including sexual romps in hotels, at an ashram, in a basement, and atop boulders, but most often in their own bedroom, which they dubbed the “sex den.” As Doug and Annie Brown literally screwed their way through months of a cold Colorado winter, they turned up the heat by attending the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas; taking Bikram “hot” yoga to get limber; and stocking up on candles, Viagra, lube, lingerie, and sex toys galore.

In addition to the awe found in their ability to get it on day after day–and actually enjoy it–they were more surprised and touched by how much closer it made them. As Doug Brown lays everything bare, we get an inside look at the male mind and discover that a good husband and a good dad can also be one hell of a lover.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a long-winded tome that would have made a much better article, Brown faithfully recounts the trials and tribulations of sticking to a 101-day schedule of once-a-day sex with his wife of 14 years. Work, two young children, illness and other distractions loom, but the couple bravely soldier on. Weekend getaways, a trip to a porn convention and experiments with Viagra amuse, and the Browns' open-minded approach and healthy sense of humor keep things light. The sex isn't uniformly great, of course, but the duo perseveres, discovering better communication and a more adventurous sense of sexuality. Though commendably honest, the book reads more like a well-written diary free of any analysis; lacking conflict and any real story arc, it's a limp read. Virtually all their takeaways-tell your partner what you like, talk about your feelings, don't be afraid to try new things-have been repeated ad nauseum in other, better books (and countless magazine articles).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"101 straight days of sex between any two people is an impressive feat, but add the elements of encroaching middle age, fourteen years of togetherness, a couple of demanding jobs, and two small and willful children, and that feat becomes something extraordinary. Here, Doug Brown faithfully chronicles the happy consequences of this kind of radical pact, which turn out to be less about reaching sexual heights and more about the power of consistent intimacy to cement all that's good between two people."
—Lauren Dockett, co-author of Facing 30 and Sex Talk

“I laughed so hard tears came to my eyes. And when I finished the book, although I haven't smoked in over a decade, I wanted a cigarette. Doug has hit the mark and done it in a way that appeals to both sexes and many generations. The only problem will be putting down the book long enough to ‘Just Do It’ with the one you love.”
—Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., MFT, author of Emotional Fitness for Couples

“For their inspired every-day-for-100-days performance, Doug and Annie Brown have earned a place in the Harried Married Parents’ Hall of Fame!”
—Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O’Neill, and Julia Stone, authors of Babyproofing Your Marriage

“If you're one of the millions of couples who are saying, "Gee, how come we're not making love so often any more," you HAVE to read this book. Many of us have thought of taking this journey, but only Doug and Annie have had the guts to do it and the grace to write about it.”
—Mira Kirshenbaum, author of Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay and When Good People Have Affairs

“Just Do It is an exciting and hilarious story about a busy couple taking the time to put the passion back into their marriage. It's a fantastic read--very funny, and a touching story. I hope this inspires everyone to rediscover the intimacy in their relationships, even if they don't go to these extraordinary means!”
—Harry Fisch, MD, author of Size Matters and The Male Biological Clock


From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307407179
• ISBN-13: 978-0307407177
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #818,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly moving, June 25, 2008

By 

Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!) (Hardcover)

How brave Doug and Annie Brown are! They made a pact to make love every day for 100 days, and then Doug wrote this book about it. The result is this funny and revealing story, which entertained me and, in the end, moved me.

This long-married couple achieved a magical sort of intimacy they didn't have before the three-month marathon. "We touched more," Doug writes. "Our conversations seemed easier and more lit with honesty. I felt I understood Annie's interior world better than ever, and she felt the same about me."

The book includes frank talk about all sorts of different ways the Browns spiced up their lovemaking, including Brazilian waxes, lingerie, massages, dirty movies, Viagra, yoga and Doug throwing away his comfy but icky sleeping pants. More important was the ever-present good humor and laughter, and the deep affection the two share.

Here's the chapter list:

1. What Will Help Us Cross the Finish Line?
2. I'm Going to Like It
3. Don't Wait for Chemistry
4. Screwing Ourselves Together
5. Nasal Shrapnel
6. Catcalls of the Past
7. Scat
8. The Power of Love
9. The Singing Heart
10. The Common Good
11. The First Move
12. The Reading of the Lists
13. To Bask on the Island of Our Own Creation
14. Making Love in the Afternoon
15. That's Sexcellent

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My husband & I are so competitive that we're trying to top 101 days!, July 15, 2008

By 

S. Wood "Health Fanatic" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!) (Hardcover)

So, we're on day 25 today. I read this book cover to cover and relate to so many of the issues that Doug and Annie have gone through. Our family is the same size (2 kids ages 4 and 7). My husband is in his 40's and I'm in my 30's. We're going for 102 days! Even though we have only been married for 8 years we were definitely in a rut.

I felt the book was well written and interesting enough to keep me hooked until I was done. Like several other reviewers, I had some real laugh out loud moments too! I thought Doug was humorous and real in the way he recaptured their adventure and I highly recommend this to anyone who is in a relationship and feels that there could be more spice between a spouse or partner.

After 25 days, we are planning weekends together and dreaming of things we want to do some day (not even sex related!). I, like Annie, feel so much sexier. I went from dreading sex (because of being too tired or busy or just wanting to be alone) and feeling guilty (was I pleasing my husband enough?) to stress-free and relaxed and so much more in love than I was before. We both agree that this adventure has brought elements back into our relationship that had been long gone.

39 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars entertaining, but don't buy it for the sex, June 27, 2008

By 

womyn_green (Maryland) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!) (Hardcover)

What this book is:
Cute anecdotes from a Denver journalist who has a sex column. He and his wife have a sex marathon for 101 days. They get emotionally closer as a result. They decide "sex" means intercourse. They keep it basic, usually quick ins and outs late at night after they put the kids to bed. They have an occassional weekend away. They watch porn. They try out a vibrator and a cock ring and some herbs and viagra.

The book is filled with cute stories about their kids and their work lives. The author deeply loves his wife and family, and is very cheerful and very careful with what he writes about them.

What it isn't:
There isn't detail about the actual sex other than the conversations they have before and after, and a quick description of how they "do it". It is a very PG book, very clean and pc. It definitely isn't a deep exploration of the emotional landscape they traverse. The author's tone is light and chatty throughout. No problems or doubts or challenges ever surface. Which comes across is if not unbelievable, then at least somewhat whitewashed.

The sex isn't that adventurous. I imagine most college kids would have more variety in their history. This couple has sex in the basement once. And outdoors once. That's about it for creative approaches. There is very little sharing about their positions or techniques. And certainly nothing shared about what works for Annie. Sex is basically described as kissing, intercourse,sometimes with an orgasm,then sleeping (for about 200 pages). I'm sure a lot more may have occurred, but the author doesn't reveal it here.

It is definitely NOT like being a fly on the wall in someone else's sex life.

Overall, it's a cute book. Entertaining fluff. They seem like a really great, likeable couple. I enjoyed reading about their relationship, their conversations and their kids. But not about their sex.