Sexual Intelligence review

I picked up Sexual Intelligence last month. The main reason for my purchase was because I love Kim Cattrall; Samantha on Sex in the City is vibrant, sexy, and intuitive. She's the woman I always wanted to be and I was thrilled to discover that the character we see on tv translates over into who Kim is off-screen.

The material within the book was mildly entertaining. While there were chapters discussing the many aspects of sex, within the chapters were little segments that stood alone on their own two legs. Each little segment could be read within a few minutes which inspired me to put the book in the bathroom to replace our quirky Uncle John's bathroom readers. Sexual Intelligence ended up staying there and has been a source of conversation and debate amongst our friends whenever they come over because hey, everyone always ends up in the bathroom at one point or another! It's gotten far more attention sitting in the bathroom then it ever did sitting on our coffee table.

This book really is in no way a guide, it didn't give me any tips on how to perfect my sex life but it give hints and clues into the history of why my husband and I engage in the acts that we do. It also gave insight into why things are now considered taboo, such as with the fall of Rome came the fall of phallic worship. Each passage was intelligently written with high intentions of keeping the reader entertained and informed.

One thing that I hated were the personal responses to chapters by a core group of "ordinary people". Some of their responses were downright laughable while others were so blunt or rude they made me want to turn the page. This book's intention seemed to be more about the history of sex then people's personal opinions of it, their little quotes mirrored the street interviews they do of "real people" on HBO's real sex. I would have much rather have read Kim's opinions than theirs. One thing however that made up for the personal quips were the incredible photos of Kim Cattrel herself. She did photo shoots to incorporate into the book and some were downright phenomenal. One in particular was of her sitting on a beach in a gold lame bathing suit holding a snail's shell, she didn't have make-up on and her hair was towel dried. It went along with the topic of "Aphrodite's Appetite" and she looked gorgeous.

While I enjoyed the book it didn't leave me feeling very satisfied. Every time I found a passage I enjoyed (The Mermaid Myth in particular), it would end without much resolve or more in depth discussion. Unfortunately, when I finished with the book I felt as if I should have just gone out and bought the many books they cited and quoted instead. However, it was an entertaining light read and would make a fine addition to anyone's coffee table or bathroom. To me it doesn't feel like it deserves to be in any respected sexual aficionado's library so if you buy it, buy it solely for Kim and the many photos of her that await you at the turn of the page.

I just want to add a much better book of Kim's to pick up is 'Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm'.