Nina Hartley’s Incredible Sex Guide

First of all, I must admit that I am addicted to sex books. I love books, I love sex, and their marriage, when done right, can push this self-proclaimed sex geek over the edge. It’s phenomenal. I could take a photo to show just a portion of the sex-related books and DVDs (yes, I own them, too) that I treasure, but you’d think I’d be a sex addict. (Not to say I’m not, but if I am, I haven’t fully accepted it, so I’ll admit there’s a small chance I’ll deny it.)

Either way, I came across Nina Hartley through an interesting conversation with a friend of mine. She is an open-minded sexually free spirit, so I tend to trust her opinion on these matters. When he mentioned her name, I was reminded of all the times I’d flipped through a Playboy Store catalog or “window” sex stuff on Amazon and completely skipped over her products. Given our wild sexual kindred spirits, I decided to take her advice a bit and checked out Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex (a book, though he preferred the DVD). Needless to say, she did not disappoint.

Quick summary:

Bisexual adult film star Nina Hartley breaks down the ins and outs of sex for a general adult audience who want to improve sexual knowledge and performance with a lover (or two, and maybe three or more at once) or on their own. themselves. The chapters are divided to discuss various sexual topics in a detailed and unhurried manner that is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic that can enhance, refresh, or illuminate the reader’s current knowledge.

Nina Hartley’s Total Sex Guide: Candid Book Review

Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex was one of the most comprehensive and entertaining sex-related reads I’ve experienced in quite some time. Hartley and her co-author, IS Levine, clearly know how to describe and explain the teachings of the goddess of sex in a light-hearted, friendly, and sometimes even comical way.

Advantages:

* Unabashedly pro-sexual and liberating. A self-proclaimed “unabashed sexual liberationist,” Hartley encourages taking erotic responsibility for your “sexual actions and intentions,” which is empowering, especially if you’ve dealt with negative social and cultural conditioning about what sex and sexuality should be like.

* Promotes “know yourself” beyond mirrors and masturbation. We’ve all gotten the proverbial suggestion to “look in the mirror and engage with your vagina,” along with “masturbate often” as the primary path to discovering your sexuality. There is nothing wrong with this, however, the most powerful sexual organ of all, your brain, is ignored. Going beyond this useful but relatively superficial advice, Hartley tells you to be honest about your own sexual identity, as it is “vital to establishing an erotic bond with another compatible person.”

* Organized, entertaining and detailed. As a bisexual adult actor, Hartley literally writes from his experience in an intelligent and candid way that is peppered with personal anecdotes and steers clear of clichés. Fully written and detailed, GTS is over 350 pages, separated into 18 chapters that are divided and organized into 3 sections: Basics (including orgasms, masturbation, foreplay, sexual positions, and anal sex), Extras (toys, swinging, threesomes), and Options (BDSM, and each letter has its own chapter). It is an interesting read or an accessory for the coffee table.

Cons:

* Too much information for too general an audience. Although Hartley’s book provides an excellent resource for the general public, I prefer specialized reading in most cases. It might have been helpful for her to have three separate books: one book for beginners and newbies, another for intermediate lovers, and to place her extra kinky writings of hers in an entirely separate book. Some of the information is sometimes too basic, and other times too shocking, which, even when separated, can confuse the reader.

* Not enough images. In fact, there aren’t really any pictures, which might break the monotony of the consistent (but thoroughly engaging) text that comprises this 350-page sex manual. Then again, to be honest, I hate blurry black and white photos; they make a book look 10 years older than it really is.

Final word: Nina Hartley’s Total Sex Guide is almost a must-have for any sensual connoisseur’s bookshelf. Witty, honest, engaging, and informative, Hartley’s paperback offers a near-perfect intersection of sexuality, education, and intelligence that can’t be found so easily these days. While some chapters may be too appealing for some precious eyes and ears, Guide to Total Sex is one of the most authoritative and trustworthy guides to human sexuality she’s ever come across.