Tag: sexuality

New on our bookshelf today:

In Bed with Strangers: Swinging My Way to Self-Discovery

by Casey Donatello

The term “swinging” calls to mind a bygone era of 1970s sexual liberation—images of shag carpet, hot tubs and married couples swapping motel keys. The Internet age has made swinging widely accessible and discreet to a broad range of participants, married or single, and of any sexual orientation. Some people pursue the excitement of spontaneous, noncommittal sex with strangers, while others seek a certain intimate connection they find unattainable by conventional dating or romantic relationships.

Casey Donatello’s frank memoir describes her transition from inexperienced 20-something through the ups and downs of her introduction to swinging as a couple with her boyfriend to her maturation as a single female swinger—known in the lifestyle as a “unicorn”—in her 30s. Her explicit account goes beyond the physical acts to explore the psychology and life lessons of self-discovery through sex.

 

New on our bookshelf today:

A Brief History of Oral Sex

by David DePierre

The ancient Greeks and Romans considered it degrading to both parties yet depicted it prolifically in art and literature. The Early Christian Church called it “the worst evil,” punishable by seven years of penance and fasting (murder was one year). Nearly all of the 13 original American colonies had laws against it—except Georgia. A Victorian handbook for young brides advised how to “dampen his desire to kiss in forbidden territory.” Attitudes about oral sex have varied through the centuries and across cultures—a death sentence in some nations, a religious practice in others. This book explores its history as well as its impact on world events.

The bulk of David DePierre’s manuscript about the history of oral sex has just arrived.  Tentatively scheduled for fall 2017 or spring 2018 and tentatively titled A History of Oral Sex, his work examines the general rise, fall, and renaissance of oral sex in world history.  In addition to an overall perspective of the practice by various cultures, the book covers specific times that fellatio or cunnilingus altered the history of people and nations. Reasons for the decline and rebirth of the practice as well as explanations for the different views of oral sex across the globe are examined.