Winter cries out for an open fire and a good, lusty book. No better way to avoid the family than by throwing yourself into a naughty story about dykes in love, or, preparing for Valentine’s Day to remember (yes, it’s coming up — are you ready?)

CURVE’s Sonia Kreitzer, Catherine Plato and Diane Anderson-Minshall compiled a few hot tomes — from classic lesbian romance to down and dirty sex guides — to get your motor running. (Did we miss one? Email us at letters@curvemag.com and tell us about it.)

Hot (and Relatively New) Lesbian Romance Novels

Extreme Passions: Erotic Interludes 4, Radclyffe, Stacia Seaman (Bold Strokes): This new collection of naughty lesbian stories from the Lambda Award-winning erotic series combines stories from lesbian writers of different repute, including Rachel Kramer Bussel, Kim Baldwin, Saskia Walker and JD Glass. (boldstrokesbooks.com)


First Instinct, JLee Meyer (Bold Strokes): Leigh Grove is an on-the-way-up whiz kid at an investment house, but when the woman she’s got a jones for—a forensic software investigator—finds things amiss, murder and mayhem ensue and Grove must step in to save her (and her heart). (boldstrokesbooks.com)


Fresh Tracks, Georgia Beers (Bold Strokes): Beers is back with another nuanced lesbian romedy, this one about Amy Forester, her wife of 15 years, their niece Darby and four of their friends — all camping and sharing a healthy dose of dyke drama in a cabin in the woods. Full of secrets, broken hearts and lesbian possibilities. (boldstrokesbooks.com)

Mulligan, KG MacGregor (Bella Books): Louise Stevens’ retirement dreams were shattered when she suddenly loses her partner. But when she meets tempestuous golf pro Marty Beck, all of that changes. Lovely tome about lesbian love in the twilight years. (Bellabooks.com)

Storms of Change, Radclyffe (Bold Strokes): Author of over 20 lesbian romance novels and anthologies, Radclyffe — and her Bold Strokes Books publishing house—sets the gold standard for contemporary lesbian romance. In her latest, war abroad and upheaval at home put Reese Conlon and Tory King’s relationship to the test in Provincetown. Meanwhile a new art dealer in town, Ricarda Grechi, has underworld connections but that doesn’t stop police detective Carter Wayne from falling for her. A passionate must-read about four women weathering changes — romantic and otherwise — in their lives. (Boldstrokesbooks.com)

Romancing the Zone, Kenna White (Bella Books): Liz Elliot, a successful single mom on the verge of the big 4-0, has a college basketball star daughter who encourages her to go back to school herself. Liz, herself a former baller whose athletic career ended in shame, gets back in the gym, too, and sparks fly her secret bubbles to the surface. Plausible midlife crisis drama. (bellabooks.com)

Writing My Love, Claire McNab (Bella Books): McNab, best known for her inspector detective Carol Ashton mysteries, offers up her third romance novel. In it, Vonny Smith is a best-selling, Lamdba-winning lesbian romance novelist whose latest book, Torrid Hearts, garnered the best reviews of her career. But the motivation around the book has less to do with reviews and sales than it does with her being in love with her editor, Diana K. Broswell. McNab paints a amusingly witty and thoroughly engaging romance novel that goes behind the scenes of lesbian romance novels in a easy but ingenous way. (bellabooks.com)

The Secret Keeping, Francine Saint Marie (Spinsters Ink): As author of Keeping Mr. Right, Dr. Helaine Kristenson is the authority on secrets of the heart, but her own relationship — super hot model Sharon Chambers — is on the rocks. Enter investment strategist Lydia Beaumont and a gaggle of reporters keen on exposing the love triangle that Dr. Kristenson finds herself in. (Spinstersink.com)

Passion’s Bright Fury, Radclyffe (Bold Strokes Books): If you like your romances with a bit of intrigue and fiery career-driven dykes (and minus the florid prose normally common in the genre), this is the book for you. It follows trauma surgeon Saxon Sinclair and indie filmmaker Jude Castle whose burgeoning personal and professional relationship is anything but easy. (boldstrokesbooks.com)

Books With All You Need to Know About Sex

Fetish Sex: An Erotic Guide for Couples, Violet Blue (Daedalus): Ever have a desire to dress like a baby or a giant stuffed panda as a way to erotically express yourself? Then queer sexpert Violet Blue has some advice for you in this just-the-facts-ma’am book that demystifies erotic fetishism in a queer and transfriendly fashion. (daedaluspublishing.com)

A Year of Spicy Sex: 52 Recipes to Heat Up Your Sex Life, Gabrielle Morrissey, Ph.D. (Marlowe and Company): It’s written with straight couples in mind, but with a little imagination dykes too can learn from celebrated sexologist Morrissey who offers some creative suggestions — not really "recipes" — for getting down and dirty. The ideas include more romantic games and gestures than actual gender-specific sexual technique, but be forwarned that there is penis talk aplenty. For example, assuming you’re neither straight nor British, you might cringe a little at the suggestion to "take your knickers ... and wrap them around his dick." Give it a chance anyway; you’re likely to find some good way to make up for that lame Valentine’s Day.

The Pleasure’s All Mine, Joan Kelly (Carroll & Graf): Think sex worker meets geek chic with this witty, self-reflective feminist memoir about a college girl who discovers that working as a professional submissive in a private LA dungeon was the perfect outlet for her pent up desires. A contributor to Bust, Kitchen Sink and Ben is Dead, Kelly is an engaging author who, though not necessarily gay, can spin a queer little yarn—even if it is true. (avalonpub.com)

The Best Sex Writing 2006, ed. Felice Newman and Frederique Delacoste (Cleis): A host of female writers make this delightful one-handed read, with contributions from Susie Bright, Annalee Newitz, Tristan Taormino, but it’s essays like lesbian author Emily DePrang’s essay on being accused of sexual harassment make it more than that. (cleispress.com)

The Smart Girl’s Guide to Porn, Violet Blue (Cleis): One of the more interesting reads this month tackles women and porn from a post-feminist, feminist approach: we like it, we make it, we just want stuff that works for us. And, a little information goes a long way when it comes to the new world of porn, as Blue shows, in this nice little book which references lesbian porn makers like Fatale and Erocktivision, offers advice for women who aren’t sure about porn and details a few sexy, chick-centric porn games. A great, lesbian friendly book. (cleispress.com)

Lesbian Sex 101, Jude Schell (Hylas Publishing): Ever want to dip into Priscilla’s Punchbowl or try Back Door Imperialism? Schell’s book offers up lesbian sex from the inentive to the tried and true as well as a fun new dyke lexicon where Maryann and Ginger aren’t just girls on Gilligan’s Island. (hylaspublishing.com)

Sex With the Lights On, Ducky DooLittle (Avalon): Why should we care about her answers to 200 illuminating sex questions? Because the funny, sexy and whip-smart DooLittle isn’t just a sex journalist. This performer began as a peepshow girl and an educator at lesbian owned sex toy store Bableand and currently works as a sexual assault and violence intervention counselor. When it comes to sex, and our issues around it, DooLittle has matter of fact answers about it. And she knows that sex isn’t just about pleasure for women; it’s a matter of physical health so numerous sections are dedicated to actual medical questions like what to do when antidepressants kill your sex drive or how to finda sex positive doctor. Lesbian, bi and other queer women get equal billing too. (avalonpub.com)

Intercourse, Andrea Dworkin (Basic Books): It probably seems surprising to find what Germaine Greer called “the most shocking book any feminist has yet written” in a list of (mostly lighthearted) books about knocking boots. But really, the book that split the feminist movement apart, by arguing rather eloquently that sex between men and women constitutes a central part of women’s subordination to men, is a must have on any smart sex positive feminist’s bookshelf — even if you think, like many do, that Dworkin got it all wrong. (basicbooks.com)

Sex Toy and Rec Sex, Em and Lo (Chronicle Books): The authors of The Big Bang: Nerve’s Guide to Sex Etiquette, Em and Lo break down the hot hardware in Sex Toys — detailing and profiling everything from strap-ons to remote control toys — and, in Rec Sex, they tackle sex lexicology, defining everything from toothing to the Daily Show Factor. Great, naughty stocking suffers. (chroniclebooks.com)

Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex, Nina Hartley with I.S. Levine (Penguin): It takes one to know one, so they say. This being the case, who is a better candidate for giving sex advice than porn queen, feminist, and Boogie Nights cameo star Nina Hartley? If you want the goods, you gotta go to the pros and Hartley is giving out pure gold. Detailed
tips for the kiddies on basic sex and foreplay comprise the first half off the expose, while chapters such as "Erotic Spanking: Naughty, Naughty" and "Swinging: Strangers at the Party" make part deux extra special. Informative, hot and fun for everyone. (penguingroup.com)

Girl Meets Girl, Diana Cage (Alyson): There’s something deliciously wicked about Diana Cage’s hilarious new lesbian dating survival guide. From the opening admonishments (“Go down on a bicurious girl today!”) to more advanced lessons in lesbian attraction (turns out dykes don’t care if you look like Brando in Streetcar or Brando in Island of Dr. Moreau as long as you have confidence), Cage’s witty little book is a must-have pocket guide to all things dyke amour. A perfect read for anyone who wants to navigate the brave new world of lesbian dating, Girl Meets Girl will help you fall in love, deal with the exes and do all the naughty things in between. Cage is witty, snarky and effective, and by the end this book will have you, too, screaming, “Show me the pussy!” (alyson.com)

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