The Big Bang: Nerve's Guide to the New Sexual Universe

Nerve.com's popular sex columnists Taylor and Sharkey (""Em & Lo"") offer here a candid--and we mean really candid--guide to the bedroom (and the bathroom, and the kitchen, and the backseat...). Just about every topic that a nervous beginner or an intermediate practitioner might wonder about is covered: there are chapters on masturbation, foreplay, anal sex, oral sex, female ejaculation and even fisting and BDSM (""i.e., bondage & discipline, domination & submission, and sadomasochism""). There's also a very thorough chapter on sexually transmitted diseases, as well as ones on safer sex and sexual fitness. The latter contains some interesting factoids--who knew, for example, that men could do kegels too? The book covers a lot of ground, but this strength is also a weakness; anyone who really wants to try the more advanced techniques discussed here would do well to get a book with more detailed coverage. The good news is there's a bibliography to point the curious in the right directions. The authors use cutesy names for body parts and sex acts far too often--""friggin' your riggin',""""polishing your china,""""southern comfort,""""doing the hand jive"" and""testing the plumbing"" all substitute for masturbation in an irritatingly short space. The photos, which feature beautiful skinny hipsters, are arty and softcore; drawings are only a little more graphic. Though the tone grows tiresome,""no ifs, ands, or butts about it,"" this is a good, cheeky introduction for the sexually inquisitive. Photos.