NIGHT IN THE AFTERNOON: And Other Erotica
By Caroline Lamarche
Publisher: Grove Press
ISBN: 0802137091


Translated from the French by Howard Curtis, NIGHT IN THE AFTERNOON by Caroline Lamarche contains the longer title story and four short pieces of erotica. Lamarche's writing is quite lyrical --- all of her stories are stark, blatant, and deeply sexual and will leave readers breathless. Her novella centers on a disturbed young woman who loves her mild-mannered married lover but yearns for something more. She finds this in the form of a personal advertisement. A "masterful man" is looking for a "docile" woman. Feeling a thrill of anticipation and fear, she answers the ad and her masochistic journey begins. This story and the other selections are very sophisticated, artful pieces of erotica that will satisfy anyone who enjoys intense and sensual fiction.

NYMPH
By Francesca Lia Block
Publisher: Circlet Press
ISBN: 1885865309


Francesca Lia Block has proven herself in the Young Adult fiction genre with her magical and fantastical tales of the glittering Los Angeles dreamscape she calls "Shangri-LA." Her first collection of erotica is a departure for her --- in genre and in publisher --- but she glides through it easily and beautifully, incorporating her usual colorful characters and purple prose with shots of sex, glamour, and fantasy. Each story runs into the next, making the collection one cohesive tapestry woven together with Block's gossamer threads. There's a nurse who treats her patients with a different kind of medication, a surfer who falls in love with a mermaid, a woman who has the gift of helping people find true love, and many more beautiful characters.

AQUA EROTICA: 18 Stories for a Steamy Bath
Edited by Mary Anne Mohanraj
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
ISBN: 0609806564


Water is the basis for this steamy, sexy collection of erotica --- as the editor Mary Anne Mohanraj says in her foreword, water can be inherently sensual when it's warm and bubbling, when it's coursing and caressing. But water can be dangerous too, when it's cold and deep, dark and murky. The stories in this collection range from sprightly water tales such as Francesca Lia Block's "Mer," about a mermaid and a surfer who fall in love and lust, to something more sinister such as "In Deep" by Simon Sheppard, which tests the bounds of consent and control. The most unique aspect of this book is that it's completely waterproof --- you can do as the title suggests and not worry about crinkling the edges of this special plastic paper that feels so real.

THE BEST AMERICAN EROTICA 2000
Edited by Susie Bright
Publisher: Touchstone Books
ISBN: 068484396X


Nationally recognized "sexpert" Susie Bright knows erotica --- she has written a number of bestselling books in addition to editing six previous editions of THE BEST AMERICAN EROTICA and writing online articles for Salon and Playboy. Like I said, Susie Bright knows erotica and proves this yet again in her 2000 edition. After combing magazines, online sites, journals, and short fiction collections, Bright found 31 incredibly diverse and cutting-edge stories that will arouse, titillate and amuse women and men of all libidos and preferences. Be prepared to be delightfully shocked and, of course, aroused.

NEUROTICA: Jewish Writers on Sex
Edited by Melvin Jules Bukiet
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell
ISBN: 0767906500


After you stop laughing at the cover of NEUROTICA --- a shiny green pickle --- get ready for a collection of funny, powerful, tragic, outrageous and intense stories all about sex. This book strives to bring a variety of people's sexual experiences into one place and it succeeds. It doesn't hurt that this collection is graced by renowned writers such as Woody Allen, Erica Jong, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, and Nathan Englander to name just a few. There are short stories, excerpts from novels, and even a one-act play. NEUROTICA brings together talented storytellers at their most artistic and honest.

THE CLITORAL TRUTH: The Secret World At Your Fingertips
By Rebecca Chalker
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
ISBN: 1583220380


Ah, the lovely, confusing clitoris --- dismissed and misunderstood for centuries, the clitoris is the one part of the female body whose sole purpose is pleasure. Author Rebecca Chalker makes the case for the clitoris in her riveting and very educational new book. Chalker explains that before the 18th century the clitoris and the penis were in fact considered equal --- but afterwards this knowledge was repressed and forgotten. Women made strides after the 1960s, but despite several decades of feminism, women's sexuality is still perceived as less significant while men's sexuality is touted as universal. Chalker argues that we must extend our definition of sex to go far beyond just vaginal intercourse --- the type of sex that many perceive as the only kind of sex. She uses the clitoris to embrace women's sexuality and pleasure center by exploring it in detail and in relation to women, not in relation to men, or to intercourse necessarily. In addition to a very intriguing historical and social commentary, Chalker also includes passionate personal accounts, in-depth surveys of female sexuality resources, and bold illustrations. While not exactly part of the erotica genre, reading THE CLITORAL TRUTH can be even more erotic and steamy than fiction because it's real.

--- Reviewed by Veronika Mansfield

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