Seal it with a kiss - book discontinued by Cleis Press Inc. - review by ToyQuest

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I requested "Seal it with a kiss" by Violet Blue. Would I read something that would blow me out of the water? Would there be things that I'd never thought of before? Or would the book just reinforce what I already know and do?

Violet Blue is an excellent writer, and she's clearly put a lot of thought and effort into "Seal it with a kiss." The writing is easy to read and very light. Blue inserts humor where appropriate, and is tasteful about her humor. She breaks up the semi-serious tone of the book with little jokes or obvious faux pas. I appreciated the lightness of the book.

Blue discusses everything from the most basic of kissing tips and techniques to the more advanced and intense kissing techniques. Most of the tips and tricks discussed in the book seemed obvious and logical, but a person who is a bad kisser probably wouldn't know it until the person realized that they do the 'don'ts' highlighted by Blue in her "Kissing Dos and Don'ts" list.

There was a fun quiz at the beginning of the book to figure out what kind of kisser you are. It is surprisingly accurate, and most of the tips to fit a particular kissing style are in line with the person's personality. Also, who doesn't enjoy taking random funny quizzes?

At the very end of the book, there are different games that can be played in groups or as a couple. The group games seemed rather juvenile to me - most of them were themes and variations on spin-the-bottle. The suggestions for kissing games for just a couple were not juvenile. Some of them sound like they might actually be fun. With any luck, I will get to try a game or two in the near future.

My favorite part of the book was the section on what to do when you have a terrible kisser on your hands. Blue addressed ways to get out of kissing, but also on ways to remedy the situation and maybe tactfully teach the other how to kiss.

My least favorite part of the book was that it is entirely geared toward women and heterosexual women at that. Blue assumes that her readers are all kissing men. And there really is not much in the way of tips for men, who I think could use a book like this. If a man were to read the book, he might get tipped off on things that women might like, and how women view particular types of kisses, like a kiss on the forehead ("I really care about you").

All of the tips and tricks in the book are easy to follow and understand. There was nothing in the book that I did not already know, but that being said, it was still good to see it articulated so well, and to think about some of the different things that can be done while kissing.

Over all, I would say that this is a fun read, even if it does not offer helpful or novel tips to a more experienced kisser.

I read this book to a friend on a somewhat long car ride. We agreed that nothing in it was new to us, and that most of it is logical. It was fun to read an talk about though, and think about the tips and the reactions we've gotten from them. I would recommend reading this book just for fun. I was surprised and pleased with the quality of writing.

I've read another book by Violet Blue and she really is fantastic. I hosted a toy party with a friend for my classmates and the quizzes in this book were a hit. I definitely recommend this book, it's just a fun read.