Giving Up: The Last Days of Sylvia Plath


Jillian Becker - 2002
    Abandoned by Ted Hughes, Sylvia found companionship and care in the home of Becker and her husband, who helped care for the estranged couple’s two small children while Sylvia tried to rest. In clear-eyed recollections unclouded by the intervening decades, Becker describes the events of Sylvia’s final days and suicide: her physical and emotional state, her grief over Hughes’s infidelity, her mysterious meeting with an unknown companion the night before her suicide, and the harsh aftermath of her funeral. Alongside this tragic conclusion is a beautifully rendered portrait of a friendship between two very different women.

Loving Sex: The book of joy and passion


Laura Berman - 2011
    And yet many couples find themselves too time-starved and intimacy-shy to enjoy it to the full. Loving Sex helps couples to overcome these barriers with advice from a renowned sexual health counselor.Loving Sex offers a friendly, frank exploration of what sex means as part of a loving relationship, and how you and your partner can experience it to its full potential. Free from unrealistic media representations of perfect bodies and porn-star practices, Loving Sex shows you the positions that work, helps resolve common problems without blame or embarrassment, and explains just how important sex can be to long-term loving happiness.Each of the 11 chapters explores a different aspect of sexuality, from the anatomy and physicality of arousal and orgasm, to the psychology of lust, love, and partnership. Candid explanations of sexual practices and positions are supported by photography and illustrations, allowing couples to relish foreplay, explore new positions and techniques, and experiment with exotic practices, from dressing up to Tantra. The final chapters offer tips on safer sex, and explore the ways in which an enduring sexual relationship can be the foundation for a lifetime of loving intimacy.

The Little Book of Hugs


Kathleen Keating - 1986
    Hugged, hugging, hugs. To clasp or hold closely, especially in one's arms: embrace or enfold as in affection.hug n. An affectionate embrace.What dictionary definitions fail to point out is that hugging feels good and that, among its many benefits, a hug can dispel loneliness, overcome fear, help curb appetite and even slow down aging. With a cheerful mix of whimsy and seriousness, Kathleen Keating provides in this collection a small armoury of affection which is guaranteed to promote health and happiness and to equip the reader with the restorative skills of a qualified hug therapist.

Against Love: A Polemic


Laura Kipnis - 2003
    Love is, as everyone knows, a mysterious and all-controlling force, with vast power over our thoughts and life decisions.But is there something a bit worrisome about all this uniformity of opinion? Is this the one subject about which no disagreement will be entertained, about which one truth alone is permissible? Consider that the most powerful organized religions produce the occasional heretic; every ideology has its apostates; even sacred cows find their butchers. Except for love.Hence the necessity for a polemic against it. A polemic is designed to be the prose equivalent of a small explosive device placed under your E-Z-Boy lounger. It won't injure you (well not severely); it's just supposed to shake things up and rattle a few convictions.

New Joy of Sex/More Joy of Sex


Alex Comfort - 1975
    Manual for teaching yourself and your partner about sex.

A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women: Essays on Art, Sex, and the Mind


Siri Hustvedt - 2016
    She is a lover of art, the humanities, and the sciences. She is a novelist and a feminist. Her lively, lucid essays in A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women begin to make some sense of those plural perspectives.Divided into three parts, the first section, “A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women,” investigates the perceptual and gender biases that affect how we judge art, literature, and the world in general. Among the legendary figures considered are Picasso, De Kooning, Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, Anselm Kiefer, Susan Sontag, Robert Mapplethorpe, the Guerrilla Girls, and Karl Ove Knausgaard.The second part, “The Delusions of Certainty,” is about the age-old mind/body problem that has haunted Western philosophy since the Greeks. Hustvedt explains the relationship between the mental and the physical realms, showing what lies beyond the argument—desire, belief, and the imagination.The final section, “What Are We? Lectures on the Human Condition,” discusses neurological disorders and the mysteries of hysteria. Drawing on research in sociology, neurobiology, history, genetics, statistics, psychology, and psychiatry, this section also contains a profound and powerful consideration of suicide.There has been much talk about building a beautiful bridge across the chasm that separates the sciences and the humanities. At the moment, we have only a wobbly walkway, but Hustvedt is encouraged by the travelers making their way across it in both directions. A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women is an insightful account of the journeys back and forth.

Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality (Science Masters)


Jared Diamond - 1997
    Here is a delightfully entertaining and enlightening look at the unique sex lives of humans.

Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility


Edward Sri - 2007
    His analysis of the true meaning of human love is life-transforming and practical, shedding light on real issues between men and women.Edward Sri unpacks the contents of this great work, making it accessible to every reader. The author emphasizes the down-to-earth nature of Love and Responsibility, helping readers appropriate practical information on such topics as:● how to determine if a relationship is one of authentic love or is doomed to failure● the problem of pornography● the meaning of friendship● how to achieve greater intimacy in marriage and much moreStudy questions with each chapter make this a valuable resource not only for individual personal reading but also for small group study.

The Curious History of Dating: From Jane Austen to Tinder


Nichi Hodgson - 2018
    The heroines of Regency novels could teach today's young women a trick or two'Sunday TimesWhat if Mr Darcy had simply been able to swipe right?'This book was a real education for me. It's like a Lonely Planet guidebook to dating.'Gilo'Lessons to learn for committed singletons and happily married alike, and everyone in between.'Anon'I loved it.'Adele Taylor'I found it hard to put down.'richie666Dating has never been easy. The road to true love has always been rutted with heartbreak, but do we have it any easier today? How did Victorians 'come out'? How did love blossom in war-torn Europe? And why did 80s video-dating never take off?Bursting with little-known facts and tantalizing tales of lovelorn men and besotted women, Nichi Hodgson's intriguing history of amorous relationships, from enamoured Georgians to frenziedly swiping millennials (and everyone in between) may leave you grateful that you live - and love - today.

Liberty or Love!


Robert Desnos - 1927
    Mystery, the marvellous, a city transmuted by love, Sanglot's pursuit of the siren Louise Lame, such are the essential ingredients of this the last masterpiece of early Surrealism to remain untranslated into English. It was originally published in 1924 to immediate and lasting acclaim - except from the public authorities who immediately censored whole sections (here restored). Impossible to describe a novel of such virtuosity and bravura, and one which consistently refuses to behave as one expects, characters appear and vanish according to whim or desire, they walk underwater, nonchalantly accept astounding coincidences. It's a hymn to the erotic, an adventure story darkly illumined by the shades of Sade, Lautreamont and Jack the Ripper, a dream both violent and tender, an obsession, in fact the perfect embodiment of the Surrealist spirit: at once joyful, despairing, and effortlessly scandalous.

Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia


Ronald K. Siegel - 1994
    Delusions and hallucinations feed on each other, flourishing with amazing speed. Locked in a new mode of thinking the paranoid views life as from a cell. In a dozen case studies Dr. Ronald Siegel takes us on a chilling but mesmerizing journey into the dark mysteries of the human mind.We meet a woman who hears her teeth whispering; a beautiful ballet dancer who is in love with a shadow; a UCLA student who believes Hitler is speaking to him through a stolen computer program; and a cocaine addict for whom the invasion of imaginary bugs was strong enough to drive him to commit murder.A dedicated and compassionate scientist, Dr. Siegel follows his patients into the shadowlands where paranoia flourishes--drug addiction, prison, organized crime, and terrorism often at risk to himself. He explores mild cases of patients who vaguely believe something is stalking them to serious cases of patients with apocalyptic visions so intense that they shake the foundations of an entire community. Fascinating, enlightening, and immersive, "reading Whispers is like reading about an exotic and dangerous travel adventure" (The Washington Post).

Slow Sex: The Art and Craft of the Female Orgasm


Nicole Daedone - 2011
    Slow Sex can change that. Better sex is about one thing: better orgasm. This life-altering guide teaches men and women how to use the practice of Orgasmic Meditation-or OM-to slow down, connect emotionally, and achieve authentic female sexual satisfaction. The promise: In just fifteen minutes every woman can become orgasmic. And, with the right partner and the right technique, that orgasm could last and last! For more than a decade, Nicole Daedone has been leading the "slow sex movement," which is devoted to the art and craft of the female orgasm. OM is the act of slowing down, tuning in, and experiencing a deeper spiritual and physical connection during sex. Slow Sex reveals the philosophy and techniques of OM and includes a step-by-step, ten-day OM starter program, as well as OM secrets for achieving ultimate satisfaction. It also includes exercises to help enhance readers' "regular" sex lives, such as Slow Oral for Her, Slow Oral for Him, and Slow Intercourse. This book is the argument for daily intimacy, and for paying attention as the foundation of pleasure, all with a focus on the female experience.

French Women Don't Sleep Alone: Pleasurable Secrets to Finding Love


Jamie Cat Callan - 2009
    French women believe that the gift for attracting men has nothing to do with beauty, work, or even motivation. There are no Rules. And they don't listen to Dr. Phil's advice. They don't worry about the care and feeding of their boyfriend. And they certainly don't travel to Mars to communicate with men. On the contrary, French women's love lives are romantic, sensual, playful, and intense. They conduct their relationships with the same unique sense of originality and artfulness that they choose their clothes and accessories. For the first time ever, Jamie Cat Callan gives readers a personalized, guided tour through the corridors of French love.Discover the secrets to:Why French women always feel sexyThe French art of flirtationWhy French women walk everywhere and love to be seenWhere French women meet menWhat French women do when their man misbehavesJust as we've learned to stop torturing ourselves with fad diets and have relearned the art of eating, this witty, insightful, and candid book strives to show American women how to cultivate and enjoy the pleasures of love, romance, and marriage. Includes delicious recipes for the perfect, amorous meal! "Adorable!" --Erica Jong, New York Timesbestselling author ofFear of FlyingandFear of Fifty"Attention single ladies: here's a new way to meet men and drive them wild! Jamie Cat Callan reveals sexy French secrets for upping your confidence and attracting potential mates. Your inner goddess will rejoice--and so will your new boyfriend! Ooh la la!" --Bonnie Fuller, former CEO of American Media, former editor-in-chief ofStar Magazine, and author ofThe Joys of Much Too Much: Go for the Big Life--The Great Career, The Perfect Guy, andEverything Else You've Ever Wanted"No matter where you were born, every woman can now be a little bit French, thanks to this delightful book, French Women Don't Sleep Alone. Jamie Cat Callan helps women to look at their love lives and marriages with new eyes;love and marriage are not jobs but arts." --Nahid Rachlin, author ofPersian Girls"Entertaining and informative!" --Helena Firth Powell, author ofAll You Need To Be Impossibly French

My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up


Stephen Elliott - 2006
    My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up follows the narrator on a dizzying ride through past and present, from a group home for troubled adolescents in Chicago where he loses his virginity to shooting galleries and homeless encampments in San Francisco where he searches for deeper and darker thrills. In “Other Desires,” a flood of unsettling memories backgrounds the narrator’s involvement with a loose-knit family of lost souls. “Tears” explores the disturbing complexities of an S/M Internet hook-up. Several of the stories feature the enigmatic Eden, the narrator’s polyamorous mistress. With My Girlfriend, Elliott confirms his status as a major young writer of a kind of literary fiction that recalls the work of Genet and Bukowski.

The King and Mrs. Simpson: The True Story of the Commoner Who Captured the Heart of a King


Erin Frances Schulz - 2008
    Simpson recounts the extraordinary love story between the popular King and the enigmatic woman that began at a party in England and culminated with the downfall of his reign nearly six years later.The King and Mrs. Simpson reads like a story and is sized like a novella, but still captues the historical detail that makes their story one of legend. The King and Mrs. Simpson offers a reader the chance to learn their story in just a few hours. A reader does not have to love or even like history to enjoy this short book about the greatest romance of the twentieth century. The King & Mrs. Simpson is a concept the author terms "beach history": creative nonfiction that reads like a story, but retains the accuracy found in traditional texts. Finally, a new way of reading and learning about history has been launched!