Seriously sexy reads wanted for the beach
June 9, 2010 2:12 PM Subscribe
Summer Reading-Filter, bis: what contemporary fiction or non-fiction can I get for our week in the sun that will be decidedly erotic, pornographic even, but still have some literary merit? My husband thinks Dan Brown is really enjoyable whereas I cringe at that kind of writing - my preferences go towards Booker Prize-type stuff. Separate recs for each of us, I expect.
Have you tried Henry and June?
Anais Nin is my go to for literary smut!
posted by chatongriffes at 2:26 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Anais Nin is my go to for literary smut!
posted by chatongriffes at 2:26 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
tom robbins' books have always put a tingle in my bottom and twisted my brain with his wordsmith ways.
posted by nadawi at 2:30 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by nadawi at 2:30 PM on June 9, 2010
Seconding Anais Nin.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 2:53 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 2:53 PM on June 9, 2010
Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, like a lot of his other books, is pretty erotic in places (but also heartbreaking, be warned).
posted by cirripede at 3:02 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by cirripede at 3:02 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
I have yet to read it, but Palimpsest by Cat Valente is supposed to be fantastic.
It was recommended by a number of readers whose opinions I trust.
posted by bibliogrrl at 3:04 PM on June 9, 2010
It was recommended by a number of readers whose opinions I trust.
posted by bibliogrrl at 3:04 PM on June 9, 2010
Singular Pleasures by Harry Mathews
Its short, but great.
posted by OmieWise at 3:07 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Its short, but great.
posted by OmieWise at 3:07 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Anything by Sarah Waters,
Perhaps also The Bride Stripped Bare by Nikki Gemmell (though you tend to either love or hate it), Playing by Melanie Abrams (can be a bit cheesy)
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
posted by pixiecrinkle at 3:11 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Perhaps also The Bride Stripped Bare by Nikki Gemmell (though you tend to either love or hate it), Playing by Melanie Abrams (can be a bit cheesy)
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
posted by pixiecrinkle at 3:11 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Seconding Sarah Waters. She writes compelling historical fiction that focuses on lesbian characters ("lesbian fiction" is too narrow of a classification for her detailed work). This one is a good place to start.
posted by cndelia at 3:30 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by cndelia at 3:30 PM on June 9, 2010
Best answer: Nicholson Baker, "the Fermata" and / or "Vox".
posted by radiosilents at 3:32 PM on June 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by radiosilents at 3:32 PM on June 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, How to Save Your Own Life, and Parachutes & Kisses constitute a sort of ongoing saga that's rather delightful to read straight through. (Heh—Amazon even has a special box recommending that you buy the three together.)
posted by limeonaire at 3:36 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by limeonaire at 3:36 PM on June 9, 2010
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson is smart, sexy, frequently disturbing and really, really well written. I recommend it.
posted by sarastro at 3:38 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by sarastro at 3:38 PM on June 9, 2010
Oh man, you know what else is awesome? True Porn. And True Porn 2.
posted by limeonaire at 3:42 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by limeonaire at 3:42 PM on June 9, 2010
If you like fantasy, I'd say Jaqueline Carey's Kushiel series. Start with Kushiel's Dart. Very steamy.
posted by spatula at 3:55 PM on June 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by spatula at 3:55 PM on June 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Also, this is emotional (if not necessarily all erotic) porn: Committed: Men Tell Stories of Love, Commitment, and Marriage. Another good anthology (from the opposite perspective): The Other Woman: Twenty-one Wives, Lovers, and Others Talk Openly About Sex, Deception, Love, and Betrayal.
Other great love stories that are sort of...mentally erotic, if not sexually erotic—"soulmate porn," you could say: Richard Bach's The Bridge Across Forever, One, and (to a lesser extent, but it completes the sort of "trilogy") Running from Safety. Also Richard Matheson's What Dreams May Come and Somewhere in Time. Also the Twilight series. Also Paul Auster's The Brooklyn Follies.
Oh, back on actual literary porn (in graphic novel form): Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's Lost Girls.
posted by limeonaire at 4:04 PM on June 9, 2010
Other great love stories that are sort of...mentally erotic, if not sexually erotic—"soulmate porn," you could say: Richard Bach's The Bridge Across Forever, One, and (to a lesser extent, but it completes the sort of "trilogy") Running from Safety. Also Richard Matheson's What Dreams May Come and Somewhere in Time. Also the Twilight series. Also Paul Auster's The Brooklyn Follies.
Oh, back on actual literary porn (in graphic novel form): Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's Lost Girls.
posted by limeonaire at 4:04 PM on June 9, 2010
nthing Anais Nin.
And I'm likely to get booed for this, but the Beauty trilogy by Anne Rice (under pseudonym A.N. Roquelaure) is surprisingly well written. Chock-full of pretty serious kink, if that's your thing.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:07 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
And I'm likely to get booed for this, but the Beauty trilogy by Anne Rice (under pseudonym A.N. Roquelaure) is surprisingly well written. Chock-full of pretty serious kink, if that's your thing.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:07 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I was actually going to recommend Anne Rice, as well. There's definitely some good erotic writing in her oeuvre.
Also, I'm not sure what this says about me, but I always thought the word "oeuvre" sounded vaguely erotic.
posted by limeonaire at 4:10 PM on June 9, 2010
Also, I'm not sure what this says about me, but I always thought the word "oeuvre" sounded vaguely erotic.
posted by limeonaire at 4:10 PM on June 9, 2010
If you like fantasy, I'd say Jaqueline Carey's Kushiel series. Start with Kushiel's Dart. Very steamy.
posted by spatula at 5:55 PM on June 9 [+] [!]
This. MEOW!
posted by CwgrlUp at 4:12 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by spatula at 5:55 PM on June 9 [+] [!]
This. MEOW!
posted by CwgrlUp at 4:12 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Oh, and for your husband: Michael Crichton's Disclosure is rather erotic in spots, in a cheap thriller sort of way.
posted by limeonaire at 4:13 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by limeonaire at 4:13 PM on June 9, 2010
If you're looking for something light, Eric von Lustbader's Ninja series (the only title I can remember at the moment is The Miko) definitely floated my boat for delicious eroticism gift-wrapped with a plot.
posted by Ys at 4:15 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by Ys at 4:15 PM on June 9, 2010
Strongly seconding Tom Robbins.
posted by Aizkolari at 4:34 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Aizkolari at 4:34 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
seconding Nathan Baker's Fermata. It made me blush reading it on the train.
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 5:03 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 5:03 PM on June 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
I just read Don DeLillo's Amazons (written under the pseudonym Cleo Birdwell), a fake memoir about the first woman to play in the NHL. And oh my god, there is a steamy sex scene in every chapter. It's not exactly DeLillo's finest, but it has some very funny stuff in it. Also, Pynchon's sex scenes are pretty wild -- see e.g. Against The Day, but they are buried within a 1000+ page book with a lot of other stuff going on.
posted by statolith at 5:24 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by statolith at 5:24 PM on June 9, 2010
For the serious-er reader: What I Have Written by John A. Scott.
posted by CutaneousRabbit at 7:09 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by CutaneousRabbit at 7:09 PM on June 9, 2010
Although the ratio of NSFW : SFW is way too low for this thread, I have to throw in a good word for Doctorow's Ragtime, on account of one wildly sexy passage. Occurs reasonably early in this absolutely fantastic book, if you are interested in absolutely fantastic books.
posted by schmichael at 8:54 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by schmichael at 8:54 PM on June 9, 2010
Response by poster: Wow, so much fun stuff to sift through, thank you! Can't wait!
posted by Dragonness at 9:22 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by Dragonness at 9:22 PM on June 9, 2010
thirding Fermata by Nicholson Baker
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:23 PM on June 9, 2010
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:23 PM on June 9, 2010
Just read TC Boyle's book The Inner Circle.. a fictional account of Kinsey's sex research. Praise on the cover says "should be read naked!" Totally agree. Very literary, as well.
posted by brynna at 6:27 AM on June 10, 2010
posted by brynna at 6:27 AM on June 10, 2010
Jumping on the Tom Robbins bandwagon. Specifically, his older books, like Jitterbug Perfume, which features a centuries-long romance, and Still Life with Woodpecker, which muses colorfully about the nature of sexual attraction. Lots of sexy time in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, but personally I find that one mildly icky.
posted by mneekadon at 6:51 AM on June 10, 2010
posted by mneekadon at 6:51 AM on June 10, 2010
Anything by Sarah Waters,
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
posted by pixiecrinkle
Pixiecrinkle hit both of what I was planning on suggesting.
posted by Windigo at 8:36 PM on June 10, 2010
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
posted by pixiecrinkle
Pixiecrinkle hit both of what I was planning on suggesting.
posted by Windigo at 8:36 PM on June 10, 2010
Best answer: James Salter: A sport and a pastime.
Very erotic novel with considerable literary merit. Salter's efficient use of language has drawn comparisons to Hemingway. The action of the story centers on two young lovers but is told through a voyeur's point of view. It is set in France so it may not match your beach setting but is well worth reading.
posted by blairsyprofane at 8:22 AM on June 15, 2010
Very erotic novel with considerable literary merit. Salter's efficient use of language has drawn comparisons to Hemingway. The action of the story centers on two young lovers but is told through a voyeur's point of view. It is set in France so it may not match your beach setting but is well worth reading.
posted by blairsyprofane at 8:22 AM on June 15, 2010
Response by poster: Okay, I got Baker's Fermata and Salter's Sport and a Pastime, based on the votes here and the fact they're contemporary.
(I don't see why my husband couldn't enjoy some quality writing too.)
I plan to go through more of the recs as time permits.
Thanks for all your enthusiastic responses! This is why I HEART Metafilter!
posted by Dragonness at 10:29 AM on June 21, 2010
(I don't see why my husband couldn't enjoy some quality writing too.)
I plan to go through more of the recs as time permits.
Thanks for all your enthusiastic responses! This is why I HEART Metafilter!
posted by Dragonness at 10:29 AM on June 21, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Elsie at 2:25 PM on June 9, 2010