The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide [Hardcover]

Evany Thomas (Author), Amelia Bauer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2006

Some couples wonder if they have the mettle for a committed relationship, or the momentum for long-distance love, or the reflexes for fighting crime. Unsure couples waste years looking for answers in each other's eyes, or in the offices of behavioral therapists. And yet, each night their sleeping bodies reveal more than any doctor or private detective could ever discover.

With this book, a couple can unlock the meaning of their chosen pose. All thirty-nine poses (including Classic Spoons, the Tobogganer, and Softserve Swirl) come with easy-to-identify illustrations, detailed descriptions, and training tips. Handy icons indicate which positions are most therapeutic for snorers, outdoorsmen, or those who work on their feet.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Secret Language of Sleep is oddly and deeply romantic. -- SF Weekly

For mates completely stuck in their Pinching Koala and Tree ways (lots of knee squeezing) or who are avowed Ticket Punchers (plenty of hot toe-on-toe action), Thomas purports to explain what each snuggle means using a mixture of research ranging from hard science to soft tarot, with a sprinkling of survival guides, yoga and ventriloquism thrown in for good measure. -- New York Post

Hugely entertaining and deadpan smart! -- O Magazine, December 2006

Thanks to Thomas's cool dissection of shared sleep strategies and Amelia Bauers' clinical illustrations, you can finally ask with authority, "What happened? Why ... don't you Springloader me anymore?" -- V Magazine

Ultimately, this is the message Thomas wants readers to take from her book: Flexibility and open-mindedness are essential when it comes to sleep poses. Falling into a sleep position rut could prove detrimental not just in a relationship, but in all aspects of one's life. -- The National Post

About the Author

Evany Thomas is a writer living in San Francisco. She sleeps on her side with her left arm folded into a pillow.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 95 pages
• Publisher: McSweeney's (March 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932416471
• ISBN-13: 978-1932416473
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing in my Sleep, April 24, 2006

By 

S. Anacker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide (Hardcover)

The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide to the Thirty-Nine Position is the Gibbon's History of the Roman Empire of sleeping position guidebooks. Every possible couple sleep position is covered in wonderfully designed detail (except for the taboo and sometimes painful Tongue-in-Cheek position, which is illegal in 45 states, anyway).

Yes, this cute little blue book is funny-- very funny-- but the more you read the more actual insights you'll discover. Well-written and beautifully illustrated, this handy guide should be on every couple''s bed side table (note: one for each side table for Cliffhanger couples).

I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to any of my friends who sleep or are considering sleeping in the future. And as a side bonus, this book could come in handy when trying to break up with a partner; simply find your preferred sleep position and explain how his or her position is not compatible with yours.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serious and a Parody at the Same Time, August 5, 2006

By 

Wildness (Colorado Plateau) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide (Hardcover)

At first glance, this book looks like a parody of the many sex positions books on the market...and on one hand, it is just that. The text that accompanies each of the well illustrated images of couples (both opposite sex and same sex couples are used) is written with an eye towards recreating the same type of pseudo intimate language used by sex position books, which makes it a delightfully funny book in its own right.

But, beyond the parody, this book actually does delve into couple dynamics and how these dynamics are represented by the way we sleep - actually sleep - together. And, it pays attention to some of the details that couples may have missed themselves when thinking about how they sleep together; throughout the book, there are examples of the way touch in our sleep. Even when we are separated by distance in many of our sleep poses, there is the presence of touch if only through the touch of toe to toe or back to back.

I highly recommend this book for couples as way to understand AND laugh at the way they sleep together. And, as another reviewer suggested, Cliffhangers should get one for each side of the bed.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, April 22, 2006

By 

DKC (Chico, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide (Hardcover)

What a fun read. A highly entertaining, tongue-in-cheek analysis of the 39 positions of sleep, this little book is a delight. It had me laughing out loud! Kudos to Thomas and Bauer. You have a winner!