Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Lusty Lady Does It Again...

Well, Rachel Kramer Bussel has done it again. A prolific erotica writer herself, Rachel gathers 26 other uninhibited women in her new collection from Seal titled Dirty Girls: Erotica for Women. Love that the book flap answers Freud's infamously infuriating question, "What do women really want?" with the following: "They want it all." Because "it all" is pretty much what you'll find between these covers. And believe me, if you read it, you will only be left wanting one thing: More.

The collection is, as Rachel notes in her intro, "dirty and sweet, wrapped up in one." Like Rachel herself--who also runs a cupcake blog (anyone catch her recent appearance on Martha Stewart? for reals). This recipe for good erotica starts, of course, by dutifully deconstructing "dirty." Writes Rachel:
"All too often we denigrate the dirty girls--the ones who dare to publicly show their naughty sides--as incorrigible sluts rather than realizing just how exciting it is to tap into our lustiest selves. Once you crack the surface of those who are seeingly prim and proper--the demure suburban housewife, the suited up banker, the quet secretary, the curious bookworm, the shy computer nerd--you'll very likely find that the simplicity of the word 'dirty' doesn't go anywhere near far enough to describe the kinds that lurk within them."
Ultimately, Dirty Girls is playful, yet hot. As couples therapist Esther Perel has noted elsewhere, democracy isn't always the hottest thing when it comes to the bedroom, and the stories here are loath to follow any PC guidelines. Thank goodness. The result? A book filled with "erotic adrenaline." Full of fantasy, yet real. Which, btw, reminds me of another recent nonfiction title, which I hear reads like a modern-day McKinnsey study, full of to-the-minute kinks. It's called America Unzipped. I'd be eager to hear what Rachel has to say about it--in fact, I bet she's blogged about it over at Lusty Lady. I'm off to check out the latest on her awesome (and inspiring!) blog.

For those who are local, Rachel is throwing a book party here in NYC on Thursday, where there will be BOOB cake from Moist and Tasty. At Sutra Lounge, 16 First Avenue off First Street, Thursday, April 10, 7-9, FREE, 21+. She'll also be hitting Atlanta, where she'll be talking, with others, at Sex 2.0. CONGRATS, Rachel, and thanks for giving us this book!

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