Obsessed: Erotic Romance for Women

Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Cleis Press, $14.95, 248 pages

Obsessed: to haunt or excessively preoccupy the mind. Who is the lover who has obsessed you, the one you can’t stop thinking about, the one who could get you to do anything?

This is what’s being explored in the stories included in Rachel Kramer Bussel’s erotic collection titled Obsessed: Erotic Romance for Women. How does a lover drive you crazy? Get under your skin, with love, anger, longing, confusion and is there the possibility of a happy ending? Our deepest desires are laid bare with these sizzling stories, rekindled sparks and bare bodies that take place across all landscapes of love and explore the levels of taboo and obsession. This isn’t an obsession for stiletto heels or a silver Audi, but a deeper craving, giving power over ourselves to another person, exploring the twist from master to slave and back again, the power of the mind and body over the heart. How does obsession begin, grow, end, enslave? These are the questions addressed and answered in this anthology of daring women who peek into the Pandora’s Box of their desires and embrace what they find there, pushing the reader to perhaps take a look at what gets them obsessed.

Reviewed by Axie Barclay,

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How to be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving

By David Richo
Shambhala Publications, $15.95, 265 pages

How to Be an Adult in Relationships by David Richo is a book of the belief that you must be whole yourself to have a healthy relationship. The book walks through several concepts on how to recognize strengths, weaknesses, patterns of behavior and other actions that started when you were a child and evolved into adulthood. The author discusses how these characteristics affect relationships and what do about the effects, whether positive or negative. The primary concept of the book rests on the “5 As.” They are affection, attention, acceptance, allowing and appreciation. The author explains how these concepts effect people and can be used to build more positive and stronger relationships. The book is organized in an almost chronological sense, starting with the reader’s childhood, moving to the first relationships, addressing conflict and commitment, and also devoting a chapter to the end of relationships. This reviewer found the writing to be overly done at times and indirect in its message. However, the root lessons of the novel are of good value and useful to all persons in any kind of relationship from friendship to more.

“The fully actualized self can acknowledge and experience the entire range of human feelings.”

Jina Oravetz

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Why Do Fools Fall in Love: A Realistic Guide to Romance

By Anouchka Grose
Tin House Books, $15.95, 232 pages

Why do we fall in love? What function does it serve and how does it make us so crazy? Who should we love, what are our options for loving, what happens when love is over or isn’t returned? And, most importantly, just what the heck is up with limerance?

“Realistically, silliness is all we have.”

Anouchka Grosse tries to answer these and other questions about love and romance in Why Do Fools Fall in Love: A Realist’s Guide to Romance. From defining love, to being unhappy in love and why it drives us insane, especially when we aren’t loved back, Grosse covers love side to side, top to bottom. Straight talking and empathetic, Grosse’s humor and savvy guides the reader through the ups and downs of love, from monogamy, to polyamory, friends with benefits, swinging, love and hate, through men and women in relationships, and breaking up, hate, and silliness, Grosse attempts to answer, with salty realism, once and for all, just what is this wacky thing called love, what are our options, and just what can we do about it.

Axie Barclay

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Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who has Ever Lost a Pet

By Gary Kowalski, New World Library, 176 pages – Compassion and Comfort for a Difficult Time –

What a really difficult subject to address! However, author Gary Kowalski does an excellent job of it in Goodbye, Friend; Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who has Ever Lost a Pet. This is thoughtful, intelligent writing without platitudes. Among the points Kowalski addresses are; how to talk to children about death, letting the animal itself decide when it’s ready to go, and the benefits of ceremony or ritual to give honor, meaning and closure to a pet’s demise. Concepts of animal souls in major religions of the world receive in-depth review and though Kowalski refers to God any number of times, the book is not noticeably based on a particular religion. Rather, it is both spiritual and philosophical in nature and the only people who may not relate to it would be non-pet lovers and atheists. Fine black and white photographs displaying a variety of companion animals are included between the chapters and add finesse to a book that is both beautiful and helpful. In fact, in spite of its sad topic, Goodbye, Friend is a feel good book which this reviewer would highly recommend to anyone facing the death or imminent death of a pet. It would also make a fine and thoughtful gift for a friend in need.

Reviewed by Rosalie West

Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Romance

Edited by Kristina Wright

Cleis Press, $14.95, 256 pages

What do dirigibles, steam engines, corsets, gears, romance, sex, and love have in common? You can find them all in the new anthology, Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Romance. Kristina Wright, the editor, is also an author and steampunk fan. If you’re not sure what it “Steampunk” is, start with H.G. Welles and Jules Verne as a reference, with a retro-technological bent. Kristina Wright’s anthology adds romance and erotica to the mix, it is what makes this anthology different in a time when this genre is rising in popularity.

Wright invited 14 fascinating women to write short stories centered on female characters who enjoy explorations, Victorian costumes, and romance. The protagonists range from human to automaton, and are as unique as their creators. Because these are short stories, the authors have made every word count and the details are vivid. Erotica fans are sure to find many arousing scenes in the collection. The erotica ranges from flirty to steamy. Adults are invited to visit steamlustanimation.blogspot.com to view a creative video that highlights these stories. Be prepared for a wild and romantic adventure.

Elizabeth Franklin

Love & War: Find Your Way to Something Beautiful in Your Marriage

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Waterbrook Press, $14.99, 224 pages

Subtitled Find Your Way to Something Beautiful in Your Marriage, this husband and wife couple have found considerable joy along the bumpy road that marriage can take between a man and a woman. Told through anecdotal incidence reports, they take turns kissing and telling through the good times and the bad. Both agree that if there is one way to make it, it’s got to include their rock, savior and marriage counselor, Jesus Christ. Turn it over to Him, they advise. In fact turn it all over.

In one interesting section they advocate that men and women – they make no secret that “Real”  marriage can happen only between opposite genders – get married in order to serve as witness to each others’ lives, quoting Genesis 2:18, that it is not good for man to be alone. In fact it isn’t enough for man to be together since, in the eyes of the authors, he is a leaky cup or sandy soil. He must develop a real relationship with Jesus. This is the greatest gift one can give to a marriage. In the opinion of the authors, it’s a gift one is obligated to give if one wishes to keep romance alive. Written earnestly but with insistence, this couple has only one meaningful thing to say. Jesus can handle your marriage. If He can’t, forget about it.

Bryan Burch

Ask Elizabeth: Real Answers to Everything You Secretly Wanted to Ask About Love, Friends, Your Body…and Life in General

by Elizabeth Berkley

Penguin Young Readers Group, $16.99, 240 pages

Elizabeth Berkley is probably most recognized for her starring role as Jessie Spanno in the teen sitcom Saved by the Bell.  Today, she is admired for her work with the nonprofit organization “Ask Elizabeth” whose goal is to provide self-esteem workshops to young women all over the country. Ask Elizabeth is based on the most frequently asked questions from her workshops. Topics include family, dating, beauty, friendship, goal-setting, bullying, nutrition and body image. Elizabeth is gentle with controversial subjects like sexual orientation and eating disorders. Copies of actual letters written by teens from her workshops add to the authentic feel of Berkley’s book. It reads like a diary – open and honest. She includes hand written sections and even little doodles that will bring readers in. Elizabeth answers questions herself, includes peer answers, and offers suggestions from experts in different fields. She provides positive feedback, non-judgmental answers and gives tools to girls to empower them. Readers can pick it up and open to any page to find information relevant to their lives. Her book is a safe place to go to look up questions and get answers.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Franklin

The Ultimate Guide to Orgasm for Women: How to Become Orgasmic for a Lifetime

by Mikaya Heart

Cleis Press, $17.95, 250 pages

Why can’t these sex books just be a little more interesting? With a title like The Ultimate Guide to Orgasm for Women: How to Become Orgasmic for a Lifetime, one would really expect something titillating, exciting, perhaps even sexy. However, unfortunately, The Ultimate Guide to Orgasm for Women is none of these things. As is far too often the case with sex “tip” books marketed towards women, this book reads more like a textbook than anything else, and is sorely disappointing as a result.

Perhaps there is some use in the book for people who want to read other women’s descriptions of their orgasms or learn about feeling safe in sexual situations and its role in the female orgasm, but if someone is looking for the tips that are all but promised in the title…well, keep looking, fair reader. It is important to know about the psychology of sex, about safe sex, and the anatomy of your own body, but there is nothing in this book that hasn’t been written about a million times before and can’t easily be found in an internet search. What a shame, the title seemed so promising.

Reviewed by Ashley McCall

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef

by Shauna James Ahern, Daniel Ahern

Wiley, $29.95, 288 pages

The subtitle says it all: “A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes.” This very unusual cookbook is a serial love story in which the senior author tells one- or two-page episodes from her life and her relationship with the junior author and husband. These stories and other informative culinary information are woven with recipes throughout, taking up about a quarter of the book.

Since she must be on gluten-free diet, all recipes are gluten-free and not very different from recipes in any good cookbook but ingredients used eliminate flours and grains containing gluten. Nine gluten-free flours and many gluten-free grains take place of the missing items.

The recipes are very good, varied, well written, and a snap to follow with red subheadings outlining each recipe step. The layout is convenient. Most recipes are printed on a single or facing page. Nice quarter-, half- or full-page photo illustrations adorn the volume. Each recipe gives a brief variation on the theme, some with additional suggestions. Informative sidebars are equally helpful. The good subject index is cross referenced, and a Recipe List also helps readers find things quickly. This book is a good addition for anyone on gluten-free diet.

Reviewed by George Erdosh,

Shut Up & Dance! The Joy of Letting Go of the Lead – on the Dance Floor and Off

by Jamie Rose

Penguin Group, $16.95, 288 pages

When author Jamie Rose signed up for Argentine tango lessons, she learned that letting someone else occasionally take the lead isn’t giving up, but rather, letting go. In her book  Shut Up & Dance, Rose combines the self-help and memoir genres. You don’t have to be a dancer to benefit from her insights and advice. Her useful lessons apply to dance, relationships, and life. Peppered with quotes from other dancers, Rose’s tone is conversational and informal. Treat any conversation like a dance. In order to keep it flowing, both partners must communicate so the movement doesn’t stop or become a power struggle. There are some old-fashioned parts of Rose’s theory (a man needs to be able to fulfill his yearning to be a knight in shining armor and an empowered woman means a disempowered man) and Rose acknowledges this. It is what has worked in her life. She counters that following does not mean having no opinion. It is more about balance. The book has some noticeable grammar errors and at times the text gets repetitive. Shut Up & Dance is one woman’s approach to life and love. Take a dance class and see where it leads.

Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin