As we mentioned in our last post, Wicked Grounds is running a sale on all kink & sexuality books now through September 30th — just use code HOTNHEAVY at checkout to get the discount applied. Orders over $200 always ship free (or get some e-books for instant gratification!) Take me directly to the books! And now for the fun part — some book recommendations from Mir! We’ll roughly match this up to the categories in our class roster. <figure>Our old bookshelves at Wicked Grounds, with a legacy Wicked Grounds black ceramic mug in front!</figure> S/m & the physical side of play Want to explore impact play hands on? Janet Hardy’s Spanking for Lovers is a great place to start! Want to learn about CBT? Hardy Haberman’s Family Jewels will allow you to proceed safely and with pleasure — from soup to nuts! Curious about medical play? Just need enough information to know whether or not to learn more? Check out The Toybag Guide to Medical Play to learn the basics. Bondage & Fetish We love, love, love Shay Tiziano! We are out of stock on physical copies at the moment, but we have her Tying and Flying as an e-book available immediately! (If you order a paperback as well, please be patient!) Sexy times We are huge fans of Erica Moen’s Oh Joy Sex Toy, and her sex education book Drawn to Sex: The Basics is a delight. (Just one in stock!) No partner? No problem! Carlyle Jansen has the solutions in Sex Yourself! Spice up your solo sex life and be your own best date! Meika Hollender’s Get On Top is a straightforward take on female sexuality, navigating periods, safe sex, self pleasure, and all the other aspects you might not have thought about until this book. Great sex isn’t just for younger folks. Michael Castleman’s Sizzling Sex for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Maximize Erotic Pleasure at Any Age will help you adapt and renew your sex life for every life stage. When sex is challenging . . . Over half of women report having a sexual complaint, whether that’s lack of desire or difficulty reaching orgasm. Sarah Barmak takes the issue seriously in Closer and promotes an entire re-thinking of how we approach and center women’s sexual pleasure. Did the pandemic blow a hole through your libido? That’s understandable and not uncommon. Want it back? We have a couple of books that might be useful. Look into Jill Blakeway’s Sex Again: Recharging Your Libido, Laura Zam’s The Pleasure Plan, and particularly Jill Notte’s The Monster Under the Bed: Sex, Depression and the Discussions We Aren’t Having. STDs have been shrouded in mystery and taboo for centuries. Why do we know so little about our cooties? Strange Bedfellows ventures far beyond the bedroom to examine the hidden role and influence of these widely misunderstood infections. D/s & the mental side of play Our single most recommended D/s book is Anton Fulmen’s The Heart of Dominance. Hands down, this is my favorite D/s title — funny, accessible and descriptive without being prescriptive. Fulmen breaks down six distinct styles of D/s and why they work for the people they work for, so that you can find the ones that work for you! We’re out of stock on the physical book right now, but you can get the e-book immediately. Another Wicked Grounds instructor on D/s is the amazing Auntie Vice, who brings us The Big Workbook for Submissives, which we offer as an e-book or in softcover. Looking to find your sense of dominance as a woman in the scene? Lady Green’s The Sexually Dominant Woman is a classic for a reason. Joyce Snyder takes an amusing look at the relationships between dominant women and submissive men in Mistress Pussycat. Self-knowledge, negotiation & consent I’m basically just going to recommend everything Faith Harper has written here. So, here goes: Unfuck Your Consent Unfuck Your Intimacy Community: Friends, dating, relationships & kink culture! It’s marketed for women, but The Kinky Girl’s Guide to Dating contains good advice for everyone. Just ignore the dated technology recommendations (AOL!) and focus on the evergreen wisdom of safety and navigating the scene. Curious about navigating kink dating and relationships as an autistic person? You are not alone! Faith Harper and Joe Biel have some great advice in our inexpensive e-book The Autism Relationships Handbook: How to Thrive in Friendships, Dating, and Love Polyamory & Ethical Non-Monogamy When you’re ethically non-monogamous, you probably get a zillion questions about what your life is like. It’s Called Polyamory is what we call an emotional labor book — it’s the one you hand out when folks ask you these questions for the zillionth time. Beyond the basics of polyamory lies a complex web of negotiations, agreements, pitfalls and rewards. Kathy Labriola, a relationships counselor who has worked for many years with singles, couples and groups in polyamorous and open relationships, sets forth some of the realities of alternative lifestyles in Love in Abundance Are you interested in a frank discussion of open relationships among gay men, paired with photos of popular porn stars in their underwear? Open Love is the book for you! Magick & Occult (with Magickal Crossroads) Actually, I’m going to recommend you bop over to MagickalCrossroads.com for stock on hand. We’re running a sale over there for 18% off with code BIBLIOMANCY at checkout now through Sept 4th! — And of course we have a lot of other titles over at WickedGrounds.com right now. Head on over and make this 20% discount yours with code HOTNHEAVY!
