The Cosmo Kama Sutra - erotic book by Hearst - review by mpfm

What it is and What it is Not
The Cosmo Kama Sutra is a sex positional guide for heterosexual vaginal intercourse offering 99 different positions. Each position is identified by a cute name such as Couch Canoodle, Sensual Spoons, and G-spot Jiggy. Each position is illustrated with a colorful silhouette drawing. The illustrations show the general idea, but are not as detailed as photos would be. The drawings may be a plus for couples who do not enjoy graphic photos. Others might prefer photos to drawings. Although it contains plenty of intercourse positions, it does not contain positions for oral, anal, same-sex, threesomes, or any other other kind of sex. It's strictly vaginal intercourse for two. Scattered throughout the book are a few pages that address other topics such as lube, finding your G-spot and foreplay. The colorful guide has 99 positions for browsing. This is an updated version from their book published in 2009 with only 77 positions.

Despite its name The Cosmo Kama Sutra, it does not reference the Kama Sutra anywhere. If you are interested in a book on the Kama Sutra, look elsewhere. However, this is a fun book with lots of fun position possibilities. This would be a nice addition for any hetero couple wishing to expand their position repertoire.

You might wonder whether it's possible to actually have that many different positions. Wouldn't they start to repeat themselves with just small variations. The answer is yes. In any positional book/guide I have seen, many positions are just variations of each other. For example, you will see straight missionary, missionary with legs of shoulders, missionary with one leg on shoulder, etc. Some might question why they are listed. I think it is good to list variations. Small changes can make big differences in how it feels. It really is worth exploring lots of options to find what works best.

Book Layout
Each position has a two page spread devoted to it. On the left is the drawing. The drawing pages are very colorful with alternating pages of blue, purple, green, yellow, and red. On the right are written explanations. There are three sections on the informational page labeled Erotic Instructions, Why You'll Love It, and Cosmo Hints. The explanations are clear and thorough. Also at the top of the right hand page is a carnal rating system ranging from two peppers to five peppers. The rating is based on difficulty and hotness or at least what the Cosmo editors deem as difficult and hot. The book is clear and concise making it very easy to use.

The book features two indexes. One lists every position in chronological order as it appears in the book. A second index has them listed under these categories: Missionary with a twist, Girl-On-Top, Doggie-Style/From Behind, Sideways, Sitting or Kneeling, Standing, Just Add Water, and Most Challenging. A minor quibble is that the index is not alphabetized. However, it's pretty easy to find specific positions under the category index. If you know your favorite is a variation of doggie, it's easy to find the correct one under the doggie heading. If you're looking for something brag worthy, just check out the Most Challenging section.

Book Quality
A nice feature is that the book has its own hot pink book cover. The cover is a one piece heavy duty box like structure for the book. It's a nice touch and will keep the actual book in good condition. The book itself is hardcover and printed on durable quality paper. It's nice size for a picture book at 7.5 inches high by 7.5 inches wide and 223 pages. It will fit easily on a bookshelf. The pages lie flat fairly well. It's an easy book to flip through.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Cosmo. I generally do not look to Cosmo for sex ideas. Fortunately I was pleased with this book. I own several position guides and this is a nice addition to my small collection. Leafing through it I found several of our stand-bys, a few forgotten gems, and new things to try. We spent a very enjoyable weekend canoodling and getting jiggy.