Five Minute Erotica - book discontinued by Running Press Book Publishers - review by ViVix

The authors of these stories consist of several experienced writers, a few first-time writers, and four couples. As this was the first erotica book that I had ever purchased, I had never read previous work from any of the authors and wasn't exactly sure what to expect. As of now, I know that the editor is well-liked even by critics.

Just a taste of the authors:
*Cecilia Tan is a well-known and liked author that has written about things as diverse as her new project, gay-themed baseball erotica, to actual baseball articles. She even does Tarot readings.
*Greta Christina is an atheist blogger. She blogs about everything from politics to her own experience with cancer.
*Charlie Anders is an award-winning writer and magazine publisher, and she writes everything from science-fiction to satirical websites.

It's apparent that these authors are controversial and downright sassy at times.

The editor, Carol Queen, is a former Playboy writer who has a doctorate in sexology, had authored 3 books and edited four at the time of this book release, and who owns a sex toy and book shop for women called Good Vibrations. From writing about gender identification to exhibitionism, she tackles a little bit of everything and earns high praise while doing it.

*In the story "Seduction" (pg. 9), a girl loses her virginity to a stranger.
*In "Dear Marla" (pg. 10), a husband writes to his wife about how sex has gotten better over time.
*In "Bad Kitty" (pg. 13), a woman dresses up and acts like a cat including purring and meowing.

One of my favorite stories is "Restaurant Opening" (pg. 48), in which a wife who is being taken for granted by her husband masturbates under a table for another man to see. She then wipes her hand on a napkin, and drops it on the other man's table on her way out.

From being watched to role play to double penetration, this book offers something for every heterosexual couple or single heterosexual individual. However, it disappoints with a lack of appeal for the LGBT community. It's really a shame, and it is the reason why this book is 4 stars instead of 5. The stories are also short...meant to be quickies. For this reason, they generally only run about a page or two and don't have enough of a plot to even be appreciated for their sexuality by non-heterosexuals. However, I would consider the short stories to be a pro for most of the intended audience members. No one is too busy to read a story from this book.

This is another paperback book, as most of the erotica books on Eden tend to be. I have definitely worn my copy a bit due to this. However, the binding seems to be done well, and after all this use, I haven't lost any pages. There is a "Notes on Contributors" part in the back of the book, which talks about many of the authors and is especially useful if you read a particular story and want to find more works from that particular author. As noted on the cover, there are 35 stories, and I believe they are varied very well from slow and sensual to hot and passionate. I was a bit disappointed by the cover, which is basically a picture of a girl's bellybutton. Finally, there are no photos within this book, but I think that illustrations sometimes rob the imagination and prefer my erotica unillustrated.

There are definitely stories within this book that can be duplicated in real life. I personally find it to be a turn on when things don't get so wild that they seem to be impossible. I also think that the short length of these stories make them perfect for reading to a partner, which can be a big perk for long-distance couples who only have short periods of time to talk. Erotica in general is also a good way to get creative in the bedroom and to work on dirty talk, and this book is fairly simple and non-intimidating. I like to randomly flip to a page and see if the scenario sounds like a good one to re-enact, which makes it more surprising. I've also really been surprised to see how many men are actually interested in erotica stories and seem relieved to have the pressure of creativity lifted off of their shoulders.