Tasting Her - book discontinued by Cleis Press Inc. - review by Airen Wolf

"Tasting Her; Oral Sex Stories" is a compilation of short stories by 20 different authors, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel all about the joys and discoveries of the journey of oral sex with women. A few of the authors were familiar to me but for the most part this book was a lovely introduction to new and exciting erotic short story writers. I have read short stories and the book "Afternoon Delight" written and edited by Alison Tyler so I was eager to read her short story "Spill" included in this compilation. As I suspected it was quite the panty scorcher! A story of benign cruelty it struck a chord with me because Sigel is adept at this form of dominance and submission. Branching out from that story I discovered oral sex from almost every angle possible!
Jeremy Edward's took me on an erotic adventure through the landscape of his lover's pussy in the story “Cavanaugh's Ridge". I read all about the guilty pleasure of snooping through a lover's porn collection from Donna George Storey's "Snatch". There was even a really wildly out-there trip into labia piercing in the story "The Goth Chick" by Lisette Ashton. This book has something for everyone.
I am starting to get to the point where I am looking for compilations instead of novels or novellas mainly because I get a short teaser of many authors work and then I have the joy of looking for their solo work. Since I enjoy reading mainly by author this has been a great journey.
Rchel Kramer Bussel has chosen a selection of stories and arranged them in an easy to read format that seems to flow from one story to another without the jarring interruption prevalent in so many other story collection type books. There is a short biography at the back of the book about each author and some of them have included their websites or email addresses should the reader wish to comment about their work or inquire about other books and stories.

This is a collection of short stories all about cunnilingus written from just about every perspective. All types of writing styles are represented here and the authors weave a fascinating web around the topic that left me at points dazed and at others reading passages of it aloud just for the sheer joy of hearing the words spoken out loud. The scorching collection appealed even to Arch who isn't a fan of the smell or taste of pussy!

The topic is covered from every angle except what is normally seen in skin rags where the woman is "forced" to like it. In these stories if the woman is reluctant then she is lovingly and patiently introduced to the intoxicating pleasure of pussy licking by a devoted teacher. She is taught how much pleasure the giver can derive from the experience and that pleasure is vividly described for the reader in such a way as to leave no doubt that the lesson was for all of us. Orgasms from cunnilingus, in this book are explosive, gentle and, above all, loving which made it amazing for me as this is the total of my experience with oral sex in general making it very easy for me to relate to the women in the stories and upping the hotness factor!

The stories are covered from all perspectives as well, the giver's perspective, the receiver's perspective and even a few stories from the observer's perspective. Hot lovers, casual friends and even total strangers share their stories of oral sex to the reader's delight.

This book should appeal to anyone who is curious about or actively loves cunnilingus. The subject is very tenderly handled leaving the reader with no doubts as to whether the author enthusiastically loves the act. Even the eager learner will appreciate this book as a casual teaching tool, in fact I recommend the story "Cunnilingus 101" by the editor, Rachel Kramer Bussel for a quick easy read about a guy who is eager to learn how to please a woman in this most intimate way. It is a great book for couples to read together especially if they enjoy cunnilingus or are interested in the subject.

The book doesn't have a terribly explicit cover and I felt confident to read it in public until I was reading it as we went through a fast food take out window. I saw the look on the guy's face when he read the cover of the book. So I would have to say that based on that experience this isn't a book that's safe for the office unless you put a book cover on it.
The book cover has a picture of an attractive woman's face, eyes sensuously closed and obviously enjoying herself. In the background you can just make out the face of the guy who is pleasuring her. The title is written in hot pink and red in lowercase letters "tasting her" and in white "oral sex stories".

The book is very sturdily made and should last a long time with proper care which is a good thing cause it has great re-read potential! The pages are a creamy yellow color which made it easier on my eyes by cutting down the white page glare.

The layout of the book is great and makes the reading seem to flow naturally. The editor's foreword leaves you anticipating the first story and from there it is just like eating a great piece of cake, sweet and satisfying. At the end of the book, to cap off the experience is a little blurb about each of the authors as well as some contact information should you be interested in more. Even the editor has her space, making finding more work by each artist easy and seamless.

This collection of stories, more than any I have read recently, sparked me and left me ready to grab Sigel by the hand and re-enact the stories. I finished the book while visiting Arch and shared some of the stories with him as well. It stood up to the "double guy" test. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is even vaguely interested in the subject!