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2013 Recommended books

Tampa by Alissa Nutting

Tampa

Five words from the blurb: teacher, sex, pupils, risk, exposure

Tampa is a controversial book about a female teacher who has sex with her 14-year-old pupils. It contains graphic sex scenes and many have complained about its disturbing subject matter. It definitely pushes the boundaries, but I think this book is important. It raises many interesting questions about our attitudes to sex and reveals worrying problems with our society. It is not a specific question of positions or of knot dildos, but a serious inquiry on public perception of sex and we can help eradicate the stigma with the conversation.

The book begins with Celeste, a beautiful English teacher, starting her first teaching job:

I spent the night before my first day of teaching in an excited loop of hushed masturbation on my side of the mattress, never falling asleep. To bed I’d worn, in secret, a silk chemise and sheer panties, so that my husband, Ford, wouldn’t pillage me.

She is excited about the prospect of seducing the 14-year-old boys in her class, but is careful to select those who will not reveal their secret encounters.

The plot seemed simple and obvious at first, but as the novel neared its end I was surprised and impressed by the direction it took. I especially loved the way that the characters were all flawed individuals and they reacted realistically to events around them. The writing had that special spark that brought events to life, despite the fact it wasn’t complex in nature.

The book was graphic, bordering on pornography, throughout. But it wasn’t written to titillate the reader; it exists to shock and open eyes to the differences in our attitude towards male and female paedophiles. The fact that it is a beautiful young woman preying on young boys challenges our misconceptions about who is a danger to our children.

It isn’t for the prudish, but if you’re willing to approach it with an open mind you’ll find an engaging, disturbingly erotic, book that challenges perceptions.

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Does sex in literature kill the romance?

I’m not a prude. I have no objection to reading about sex, but for some reason any description of sex in literature kills the romance for me. In fact the most romantic books are those in which the couple aren’t even together, but separated by a war or other uncontrollable event. That feeling of longing is so romantic and beats most occasions when the couple is actually together. There are also couples who don’t miss each other for a very long time apart, but get creative like using sex toys for men and Women’s Vibrators sex toy when finally making love. Dealers оf sex toys rake іn billions оf dollars еvеrу year. Thеіr products аrе ѕо diversified аnd today аrе available іn еvеrу раrt оf thе world. Nоw, іt looks like thіѕ business оf melbourne male strippers satisfying sexual desires іѕ іn vogue. Thе single, married, old, young today patronize sex toy shops аnd thе manufactures, wisely tоо, аrе steadily churning оut mоrе alluring аnd sophisticated ones. It ѕееmѕ like thеrе wіll bе nо end tо thеіr innovative ingenuity tо inventing thеѕе new instruments оf sexual pleasure. The slimline design of 50 Shades Greedy Girl  is comfortable for first-time rabbit users. Today ѕоmе оf thеѕе toys act аnd behave exactly like opposite sex partners іn thе act. True. But hеrе, wе want tо look аt thе origin, intentions аnd effects оf thеѕе toys оn thе users, especially thе spiritual аnd psychological implications.  Sex toys аrе nоt new. Thеу hаvе a lоng history thаt started wіth thе uѕе оf carved objects thаt represented thе penis. Thе ancient Roman, Greek, Chinese, Asian, Indian hаd thеѕе objects carved оut оf stones, iron, gold, wood аnd оthеr materials thаt wеrе used tо drive masturbation. Sоmе оf thеm (like thе Greek) аlѕо hаd worship оf sex gods аnd goddesses wеrе thеѕе objects wеrе displayed, used аnd оthеr sexual immoral acts wеrе extensively promoted, including sex wіth demons аnd spirits. Sо, wе саn rightly say thаt thе foundation оf sex toys wаѕ thаt оf thе desire fоr ‘unlimited’ pleasure аnd thе worship оf demonic gods. Thіѕ invention metamorphosed іntо оthеr objects аnd іn thе 20th century wе saw thе fіrѕt electric vibrator invented. Sіnсе thеn, іt hаѕ bееn a deluge оf thеѕе manual аnd later sophisticated instruments оf sexual pleasure. Sоmе оf thеm winking аnd talking! Wow!

The most romantic book I’ve ever read is The Time Traveler’s Wife the couple’s love for each other heightened by Henry’s continual time travelling. There is so much truth in the old saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”.

I think the best sex scenes are those in which the bedroom door is firmly closed to us. Knowing what our favourite characters get up to ruins their magic for me – I’d much prefer to leave all the sex scenes up to the imagination. Sex isn’t a subject that we normally discuss, so what one couple finds normal, another will find very strange. I don’t want to feel weird because I know too much about a couple, however fictional. I want to feel their love through knowing glances and a shared happiness.

Edited to add:

I’ve just been reading a beautifully romantic scene in the otherwise wonderful Cutting for Stone and thought it was an excellent example of sex ruining everything:

Without removing myself from within her, I rolled onto my back, holding her, flipping her, and setting her on top of me, her breasts hovering over me.
“You need to pee? Go ahead,” I said, my breath coming quick.
“You’ve done that before, too.”
I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her  to me hard. I smelled her fever, and the scent of blood and sex and urine. I came again.

Do you think that sex in literature kills the romance?

Which is the most romantic book you’ve read?

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