The Best of Best American Erotica 2008 - erotic book by Touchstone - review by Sundae

To be honest I don't make a habit of buying erotica - I don't often have a budget which stretches to encompass it. I also have a vivid imagination, which I generally chose to use in bed as it saves me from the hugely taxing tasks of turning pages or even having my eyes open. Of course I have dabbled in my fair share of internet erotic lit and have been guilty of stashing Mills and Boon-esque books from the library away in my purse to snicker at on the bus or pass the time in airports. Therefore, my choice to purchase this particular book was rather out of character, but I'm very glad I did so.

I was partially influenced by the little I knew of Susie Bright. As a very active sex-positive writer/speaker/icon I felt confident that she knew her erotica and could put together a book of stories guaranteed to please, whilst also being unique and interesting. In fact, she's been doing just that with the American Erotica collections for over 15 years. As with any compilation of stories there will be some which capture and thrill you and others which don't exactly spark your fire. I can say of the 23 stories in the book all of them were definitely entertaining and original. After each story there is a short word from the author about their inspiration and the tales behind each piece. This was really interesting for me to read and put some of the stories in a whole new light.

The stories themselves were hugely varied, with homosexual couples, virgins, twins, toys, obscene callers, transsexuals, amputees - to name but a few - appearing as characters in some intriguing situations. The only downside for me were the stories which seemed to merely be sex themed rather than geared to arouse the reader. This doesn't mean they weren't enjoyable to read, but in a book of erotica I'd prefer to find things which are going to rile me up for play rather than leave me reflective or unsettled.

The collection opens with a beautiful and very intimate story of male and female twins Tavis and Minna and their story of sexual discovery. Written by Rowan Elizabeth

'Our separation was horrible, and it seemed that nature conspired with Grandmother to increase our suffering. Our bodies changed, and we could not revel in those changed with each other. I'm sure Tavis noticed my developing chest, just as I took in his peach fuzz across the breakfast table...Tavis began making low sounds. I watched in amazement of his obvious pleasure. I wondered if his thighs tingled like mine did when I touched myself, like they were at that moment.'

Joe Maynard's story 'Fleshlight' will probably bring a smile to the face of more than one reviewer here as it's his true account of using a Fleshlight for the first time.

'I open the bottom of the Fleshlight to discover a hard plastic tube that runs down the center. I pull on it and it sort of sticks to the pink, sticky "flesh". "What is that?" she mutters. "Vulva-on-a-stick?" I look at the brochure. "The stick maintaints the 'vulva's' shape.". She runs her fingers through her hair and squints at the ceiling. "How symbolic."'

'It's Never Too Late In New York' by Nelson George was also an enjoyable read as a middle-aged man has his first foray into the world of threesomes (and more) helped out by a wealthy and worldy friend.

'After a while, it felt like I was standing outside the pile, just marvelling at the beauty of these five undulating brown bodies. It was gorgeous in the way of some erotic African wood carving - the kind they keep under wraps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art...It was sex, but not sex as I'd experienced it in my thirty-plus years. It wasn't just fucking - it was a fully-fleged never-to-be-forgotten freaky-deekey-funkadelic jam. I was already nostalgic for it, and the night wasn't even over.'

I think my favourite out of all of them would have 'The Program' by G. Bonhomme. It's a suspenseful, sexy and totally captivating take on the dynamics of pleasure in male/female sexual relationships.

'And you see this absolute babe standing next to you: miniskirt and gray tit-hugging sweater, breasts like mangoes, perfect ass, looking like a younger, short Cindy Crawford - way out of your league..."Listen if I did the Program - would you go on a date with me?" And get this. She blinked. She looked you up and down - SHE looked YOU up and down - and a slow smile spread over her face, like a cat looking at a canary whose cage just popped open. And she said. "Hell yeah."'

Though I definitely enjoyed reading all of these stories and relished the variety provided, those which didn't really have an arousing 'core' to them sort of left me wanting a little, at least in the context of the 'best of the best' erotica collection. Bright has chosen the stories from a really talented pool of writers and this definitely shows, but if you're keen for some saucy bed-time tales, then don't rely on this particular compilation to keep up the sexual excitement all the way through.