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Mentioned On the Podcast:
Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns
The Romance and Sexual Sorcery of Sadomasochism
Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns will tell you all about sadomasochism. We made it light-hearted and fun to read because SM is fun to do. That’s why we do it. But fun is only SM’s overture; for those who grasp its message, SM is sexual magic. Allow us to guide you through the captivating realms of sensuality, dreamed of by millions, realized by few, and understood by fewer still.
The Erotic Mind
Unlocking the Inner Sources of Passion and Fulfillment
Challenging accepted theories about what makes for terrific sex, “The Erotic Mind” is a breakthrough exploration of the least understood dimensions of human sexuality—the psychology of desire, arousal, and fulfillment. A great book for understanding your desires and how to work with them.
Eros the Bittersweet
An Essay
The insights presented in the volume are many and wide-ranging, recognizably in tune with the subtlest modern discussions of desire (such as triangulation. or loving what others love), yet offering new solutions to old problems, like the proper interpretation of Plato’s Phaedrus. On the frequently discussed effect of literacy on Greek civilization, the book offers a fresh view: it was no accident that the poets who invented Eros were also the first readers and writers of the Western literate tradition.
Kintsugi: Powerful Stories of Healing Trauma
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of using gold (and other precious metals) to repair broken pottery. The ritual is complex, intentional, and contemplative. Upon completion, the once-broken vessels are made whole. They are stronger and possess a different type of beauty than before. Kintsugi is the perfect metaphor for healing trauma. This collection is designed to highlight the varying approaches to healing and to honor our individual needs along the way.
A Year of Mr. Lucky
When Meg Weber–a recently divorced, queer, single parent – realizes she’s ready to date again, she comes across the profile of Mr. Lucky. He’s a smart dominant with similar interests, but not all goes as planned. In her memoir, A Year Of Mr. Lucky, Meg takes us through her journey of erotic encounters, pain and pleasure, explorations of self-worth, submission, yearning, and healing.
The Ethical Slut, Third Edition
The classic guide to love, sex, and intimacy beyond the limits of conventional monogamy has been fully updated to reflect today’s modern attitudes and the latest information on nontraditional relationships.
Science for Sexual Happiness: A Guide to Reclaiming Erotic Pleasure
New scientific understandings of the brain and nervous system can guide us in creating expanded sexual happiness. With accessible theory, real-life stories, and over 100 evidence-based practices.
The Come as You Are Workbook: A Practical Guide to the Science of Sex
A practical companion to the bestselling guide, filled with new activities, prompts, and thought-provoking examples to help you exercise and expand on the knowledge you’ve learned.
Come as You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life
Features new information and research on mindfulness, desire, and pleasure that will radically transform your sex life. Recommended in S2 Ep2 and consistently on “best sex books” lists.
The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity
A provocative look at relationships through the lens of infidelity. An affair: it can rob a couple of their relationship, their happiness, their very identity. And yet, this extremely common human experience is so poorly understood. What are we to make of this time-honored taboo—universally forbidden yet universally practiced? Recommended by numerous show guests.
Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence
A New York City therapist examines the paradoxical relationship between domesticity and sexual desire and explains what it takes to bring lust home. Recommended by numerous show guests.
The Jealousy Workbook: Exercises and Insights for Managing Open Relationships
A counselor and nurse specializing in polyamorous singles, couples and groupings, Kathy Labriola has spent many years helping people to understand and manage their jealousy. This book is a compendium of the techniques and exercises she has developed, as well as tips and insights from the polyamory community’s top educators, therapists and authors.
Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life
Author and interviewee Christie Tate’s absorbing memoir about the quest for intimacy. Group is a deliciously addictive read, and with Christie as our guide–skeptical of her own capacity for connection and intimacy, but hopeful in spite of herself–we are given a front row seat to the daring, exhilarating, painful, and hilarious journey that is group therapy–an under-explored process that breaks you down, and then reassembles you so that all the pieces finally fit.
The Chronology of Water: A Memoir
This is not your mother’s memoir. In The Chronology of Water, Lidia Yuknavitch expertly moves the reader through issues of gender, sexuality, violence, and the family from the point of view of a lifelong swimmer turned artist. Recommended by author Christie Tate.
Queer: A Graphic History
Activist-academic Meg John Barker and cartoonist Julia Scheele illuminate the histories of queer thought and LGBTQ+ action in this groundbreaking non-fiction graphic novel. Recommended by sex educator Sarah Sloane.
Sex for One, The Joy of SelfLoving
Confronting one of our last and most deeply rooted taboos—masturbation—noted sex expert and pro-sex feminist Betty Dodson, Ph.D., takes the shame out of self-love by creating a straightforward and appealing guidebook that reveals masturbation as a satisfying, vital form of sexual expression.
Wait, What?: A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up
Great for preteens and developmentally disabled adults.
S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties
A wonderfully nuanced and comprehensive book on sexuality for everyone.
The Conscious Sexual Self Workbook
Explore your own sexual history, values, and desires to discover the richness and passion of your own unique and dynamic sexuality.
Sexual Outsiders: Understanding BDSM Sexualities and Communities
Sexual Outsiders: Understanding BDSM Sexualities and Communities delves into the unique experiences of individuals in BDSM communities. While misunderstandings surrounding these communities prevail, BDSM sexuality cuts across race, gender, nationality, and sexual orientation.
Header photo by Ergita Sela on Unsplash
