Rachel Kramer Bussel

When I saw that my fave Tamsen Parker had a short story in this collection, I jumped on it! She is always apart of the best compilations and anthologies, so this book became a must read for me. And of course, this book did not let down! There are stories for every erotica lover (whether you love the crazy hot and heavy, or the sensual and romance).

The best part about this collection is that there are so many varieties of stories. Not only does this introduce the reader to each author's work, but it's just enough to get your mouth watering for more. When I read anthologies like these, I love picking out new authors to follow. You can test the waters with each little story to see the true potential of each author to open up your bookshelf for a few more readers.

I definitely had my faves from the collection - Tamsen Parker, Alessandra Torre and Mica Kennedy to name a few - but they were all fantastic! I think this is the best way to check out some new authors without committing to 12 300 page novels.

Each story had a few chapters to sink the reader's teeth into, and all of them were spicy! The diverse types of stories is also a nice touch - BDSM, existing couples, new couples, experimenting, kinks and more! It dabbles in each "category" of erotica to spice up the reader's life.

Overall, I think this is an excellent collection. There's a little bit of erotica for every type of reader and it is truly the best way to find a new author (or two!) to add to your collection.

Five out of five stars!

I received an ARC of this book from the editor.… (mere)

It's simple math, isn't it? Start off with Rachel Kramer Bussel, add in Susie Bright, mix in the sex and you have yourself Best Sex Writing 2012.

Susie Bright selected the best of the best of the year passed, and her ability to read and choose has not waned since her departure from - and the untimely death of - The Best American Erotica. And Rachel Kramer Bussel is equally awesome.

The collection contains articles, essays, and pieces by Thomas Roche, Amber Dawn, Joan Price, Marty Klein, Susie Bright, and Rachel Kramer Bussel. The wind range of topics extends (no pun intended) the idiocy behind banning circumcision to rape culture to growing up queer in the Meatpacking District.

In Marty Klein's piece, "Criminalizing Circumcision: Self-Hatred as Public Policy," follows San Francisco's insane idea to outlaw circumcision in infants. It's the first - can I call it pro-circumcision? - positive circumcision piece I've read. It addresses the myths that anti-circumcision "activists" tout, and explains that any "physical" lacking a circumcised man feels is strictly psychological.

In "Losing the Meatpacking District: A Queer History of Leather Culture," Abby Tallmer reminiscences about growing up in the Meatpacking District in the midst of the queer and leather nightclubs, reminding us to never take our presents for granted because they can simply be erased.

Both Susie Bright and Thomas Roche pieces attack the laughable "news reporting" of major newspapers that fail at fact checking and op-eds how the media fails our sexual society by filling people's minds with the Christian Right-wing agenda.

Greta Christiana, on the other hand, reports how a secular lifestyle might improve your sex life over a religious one. In "Atheists Do It Better: Why Leaving Religion Leads to Better Sex," we learn that secular households tend to do it, well, better. Not only in the bedroom, but with raising children, as well. (You'll have to read the piece.)

"Grief, Resilience, and My 66th Birthday Gift" teaches us the sex life of an older woman and author, Joan Price. From finding someone to spend her life with, to the dynamic of her sex life to the grief she felt when he passed to regaining her sexual self afterward. The piece is possibly the best in the collection - in my humble opinion, anyway.

All in all, Best Sex Writing 2012 is worth the read and a place on your shelf or e-reader.… (mere)

As you probably know, we don't review much erotica. But ever since I was handed one of her anthologies in my days at Heroes & Heartbreakers, I've followed Rachel Kramer-Bussel's work with Cleis Press. Kramer-Bussel's curation of these anthologies, particularly the Best Women's Erotica of the Year series, is what really makes them sing. The collections are diverse in both authorship and content and while most readers won't love every story, there's something for everyone in them--as with most anthologies. They're also loosely organized around a theme, this time it's "Outrageous."

These books aren't cheap, but wow have I stumbled across a lot of poorly written stuff on Amazon. I've picked up a few on sale, too. And if you're reading this in December 2019, we're running a giveaway! Head down to the end of the post for the link.

So this time the author lineup is:

Sierra Simone
Alexa J. Day
Sabrina Sol
Angel Leigh McCoy
Justine Elyot
Balli Kaur Jaswal
Kathleen Delaney-Adams
Lee Minxton
Loretta Black
Something New
The Summer of 1669
Broken Thing Fixed
One Interpretation
A. Zimmerman
Quinn LeStrange
Angora Shade
A.Z. Louise
Caridad Piñeiro
CD Reiss
Joanna Angel
Lauren Emily

I was going to go into a few of the standout stories, tell you what was fun about them... but that's so subjective that I'm not sure it'd be of much value. There are mixed pairings, with some group scenes and solo activities. Erotica doesn't follow romance beats and you shouldn't expect an HEA. Some of the stories are about established relationships, some about something new, some are about a fleeting encounter. They're not all explicitly consensual, though most are. For example, in a story about a group scene in a cupcake shop, the boss and a client are getting it on right in full view of all the employees, who eventually get into their own scene, but there's no discussion of consent. Because this is erotica and the rules are different. But in another story, a man and his nonbinary partner who are in a long-term relationship engage in sex featuring humiliation kink, and it's been negotiated in the past.

Anyway, the anthology is great and you can skip around to different stories to find what works for you.

The book releases on December 10th and I have a print copy courtesy of the editor to give away! You should know that I also got a digital review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.… (mere)