Tag: sex

Catalogue of Desire and Disappearance

Set in the time of ‘’Cold War’ East Berlin and modern day, Ana Wolfe is a librarian who has little, if any self-worth. She is 28 years old, still living at home and has no real desire to move out or get a boyfriend or even consider marriage.

She is walking home from a late evening at the Lichtenberg Public Library where she works, when she thinks she sees a body of something small lying at the base of trash bin; this turns out to be a pile of rubbish, an old marble statue and a pile of papers that look like they are handwritten. On closer inspection they seem to be some sort of diary.

So begins a most intriguing tale Catalogue of Desire and Deception that is captivating, with a very strong link to the history of the very frightening days of the Cold War, where to be different, to enjoy any aspect of life, to be a ‘gay or lesbian couple’ was to invite serious trouble.

Gabriella Meyer was a sex therapist, a woman who loved to help others, to make them as happy and enchanted with their partners in a loving and sexual manner, as she was with her beloved husband Berndt. It is her diary Ana has found and finds intriguing, fascinating and also very worrying.

As Ana becomes more involved with Gabriella’s story so she becomes more concerned about what happened to her and Berndt; she also begins to further explore who she is and slowly venture into the world of dating and sexual discovery.

Ana Cruz has crafted very real characters who become alive on the pages, as they develop the characteristics that make them seem familiar, very much like people we all know. The story flows effortlessly segueing between the years with graceful aplomb to deliver a very easy, light read with a somewhat unexpected twist at the end.

August 30, 2023
SEX, DRUGS AND A BUDDHIST MONK

A STEPPING STONE TOWARDS A SILENT MIND.

Luke Kennedy was a man who walked on the very tough side of town. Hard drinking, drug using, street fighting and general thuggery was an everyday part of his life. Obese and in a state of depression he was seriously considering and working hard, at getting his life in order, but decided he would have one last fling on the wild side and headed for Thailand.

On a visit to ‘Khaowong Phrachan Temple’ Luke was standing behind a Buddhist monk when he felt an amazing sense of peace descend upon him. As the monk climbed the stairs Luke followed, asking questions all the way until he was asked to stop, to ‘Just be silent’, as the monk was a devotee on a pilgrimage.

He continued to party hard and after a huge row with his brother Ruben, jumped on his motorbike and ended up crashing which saw him land in a Thai hospital, broken and dispirited. This proved to the pivotal point in his life as nothing went even vaguely according to plan from that point onwards. Not only did his travel insurance fall short of covering his medical bills, he ended up still in Thailand but far from healed.

Discharged form Hospital with a huge debt, he and his brother Ruben decided to try and get a flight back to Australia but plans once again were thwarted with a major protest at the Airport, and life went downhill from there; back into the old world of drugs, sex and violence Thai style.

From that seriously ‘rock bottom moment’, Luke truly began to turn his life around and is now a sought after speaker, mentor and much more to trouble youth from all walks of life.

His story is perhaps not so remarkable in some ways, as it could almost be the story of so many young men and women who push back at society, who walk down a troubled and violent pathway. It is inspirational in that it does show that with determination a destructive life pathway can change.

Sex. Drugs and a Buddhist Monk is an inspirational read and one that has been told from an almost cathartic perspective, truthful and fascinating. It is an interesting side note that when he was at his lowest point in Thailand he began to look back at his family, the influence they had on his early life, his childhood religious beliefs and their place in his life, then realized that family were perhaps by far one of the most important aspects of his life.

November 5, 2022
How to Mars

If ever a story was hanging around waiting to captivate what could be a cult following How To Mars is or could be the perfect story, one that was inspired by an advertisement for six people to take one way trip to Mars; six people with not just a desire to go to Mars, but with the necessary scientific skills to be able to set up, run and maintain the small community.

This totally abstract idea, which was real, but failed to gather the necessary momentum, captured Edenback’s imagination which expanded a random thought into, well, what if, resulting in How To Mars, a story that in so many ways could almost be true! Add in a reality TV show and really Mars is the very limit, or is it.

Carefully selected, three men and three women are choosen from a grueling selection process to travel to Mars. The rule book is very explicit about every aspect of life on Mars, with the most important rule of all, No Sex! Why, because most everything else could have predictable outcome and as it is one-way trip, the Marsonauts would not return, thereby leaving a child or young person up in space, on Mars to be exact, on their own.

But you guessed it, the unthinkable does happen and despite all the odds, operations and inability to have children on earth, Jenny falls pregnant to Josh and life on Mars becomes very interesting, as the reality is, life on Mars is very boring. Control is NOT happy at all, the other team members have various reactions and all of a sudden there is a massive revival in the reality TV show ratings, as those on earth wait to see the outcome of this new, unexpected aspect of life on Mars.

Without giving too much away life does indeed get interesting as the pregnancy advances, with crew members all trying to adjust, relate to a pregnant woman and also find ways of getting ready for the birth of a child, as well as create the variety of things that child would need in the not too far distant future.

Add into the mix a slightly unstable engineer, who is simply not coping with any sort of change, never really was, and the totally unknown aspect of giving birth in a far from normal situation and you have a vastly entertaining journey into an alternate universe, or possibly the future!

In another aspect of the storyline the quirky nature of humanity is explored which relates to how we, as normal everyday people, which these Marsonauts are, each hiding secrets, each battered and bruised by life, all having their own reasons for wanting to take a one way trip to Mars, work through and learn to creatively cope with change.

Grab a copy, enjoy a very funny, tongue-in-check read which may turn out to be eventually, in the maybe not too far distant future, not so fanciful after all! How to Mars, get your copy now!

September 9, 2021
Death in the Ladies’ Goddess Club

Digging deep into the dark heart of Sydney, King’s Cross in particular, during the dissolute years of what could almost be considered as unbridled debauchery and crime of the 1930’s, Julian Leatherdale has carefully pieced together a slice of history to create an engrossing novel of passion, bohemian culture and corruption.

Death In The Ladies’ Goddess Club offers a peek back at a time when history was in the making, politics was as corrupt in many ways, as the Police force and unbridled, exotic and drug fueled violence was overseen by drug lords and cartels operating out of Kings Cross; a time when life was lived on a knifes edge, as the central character Joan Linderman is soon to discover, when her life as a ‘crime writer’ becomes a little too real for comfort.

A sub-editor in her day job with a prestigious women magazine and aspiring crime writer by night, Joan and her flatmate Bernice Becker flirt with the bohemian side of life in King’s Cross, living life to the fullest. It is not until she finds her neighbor Ellie dead, definitely not from natural causes, she decides the best way to become a realist crime writer, is to take on the job of trying to find Ellie’s killer. Meanwhile Sergeant Lillian Armfield has been assigned to the case, and as she is a woman, she is not expected to discover the killer, after all Murder is men’s work!

As layer upon layer of the underworld become exposed in Joan’s hunt for the killer, she begins to realise that nothing is as it seems, and that the King’s Cross she thought she knew was nothing more than a shallow façade, designed carefully to cover up blackmail, drugs, sex cults and murder.

So many strands of a history that still permeates Kings Cross today come vividly to life, as Joan and Lillian struggle to solve what is rapidly becoming far more than a simple murder, which eventually will see a side of Joan’s family revealed in the most shocking manner.

Brilliant, riveting and fascinating, this historical fiction set against the flamboyance and decadence of King’s Cross during the 1930’s will have a wide appeal to lovers of noir literature, as the facts interwoven within the fiction present a situation that was more than likely all too real in those dark, destructive and divisive days of Australian politics.

June 15, 2020
Devotion

Ella is 26, and alone in New York. She has been existing for weeks on alcohol and pastries. Today, she has been given a job. Lonnie, a well to do housewife with everything, has been searching for a nanny to care for William, son of James and Lonnie; and so, the story Devotion, begins.

The two women are the same age but come from enormously different backgrounds. Lonnie is confident and sure of herself, used to every indulgence that life can bring. Ella was brought up in a small town in Oregon. Her mother left the family when Ella was young, and poverty was a way of life. Lonnie has decided to write a book and needs Ella to mind her son, William.

William quickly takes to his new nanny which is lucky because there doesn’t seem to be much parenting from James, and sporadic attention from Lonnie.

The story is told within a border of tension and anxiety. It is narrated by Ella who is desperately trying to understand how she and Lonnie have become such different persons, while having so much in common. Her curiosity is boundless, and she snoops mercilessly into the diary and notes of Lonnie. She listens behind doors and is often at home when Lonnie, very drunk, gets back from a luncheon.

Gradually a friendship builds up between the two women. It is evident that Lonnie is desperately unhappy, and her husband rather disinterested. Sexual tensions build up between characters and Ella continues her snooping. She and Lonnie go away for a short break to a writers Camp, and it is here that Lonnie suggests that Ella pretend to be her.

Because all of the characters are living in a fragile situation, something has to change and predictably, it will not be for the better. One feels sad for the little boy William, who is cared for but not really loved. Rather than titivated the reader feels dismay at the shallow nature of the individuals portrayed here.

January 9, 2020
Banging Denmark

Banging Denmark is a work that totally lives up to the connotations drawn with the front over, that of sex, more sex and the sad and political state of the young men who seem to think notches on the bedpost makes them men, as do some young women who by the same yardarm, seem to think the same notches make them some sort of sex goddesses.

Written as a direct result of watching one of her friends fall for nothing more than a pick-up artist, Van Badham has taken this tragic practice out into the open in what could almost be considered as a farce, based on a pick-up artist Guru Guy De Witt, otherwise known as Jake Newhouse. Jake aka Guy de Witt, discovers a woman at the library he desperately wants to get to know. She is not falling for any of his many touted pickup lines.

In desperation he tracks down feminist academic Ishtar (Ish) Madigan, a woman he has previously sued for her attack on his lifestyle, sending her broke. She is discovered living in the photocopier room at her University, relying on friends to supply her with food.

Anne Toft, a librarian and the woman ‘Guy’ wants to know better, is on study placement from Denmark. She is shrewd, knowledgeable and not all that interested in men, especially Guy and his tired old pickup techniques.

As the story unfolds, a story which takes a little time to understand, the sad reality of life as a pick up artist, and a Guru in the field, becomes very transparent as nothing more than a hollow shell; a world that is more often than not inhabited by men who are ‘úbergeeky’ and women who are happy to use them for their own reasons and vice versa. And then of course, there are all the others!

Based around the book The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists from investigative journalist Neil Strauss written in 2005, with a follow-up in 2007, Banging Denmark fast becomes a somewhat hilarious romp, using polar opposites in Jake and Ish to make the point that desperation for intimacy comes in many styles, but should not ever been seen as a ‘game’, because that too comes with its own destruction.

A most intriguing read on the very modern world of dating, sex and expectation which has the wonderful benefit of turning the tables on one Guy De Witt, Guru of the pick-up artist, lifestyle coach and manosphere sex guru!

As a book it is a fascinating, but somewhat sad read, as a play, with the flamboyant additions of the actors, some of the more outrageous lines and a minimalist set, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions, Banging Denmark should/would/could be a huge success.

August 29, 2019
Tantric Sex and Menopause Practices for Spiritual and Sexual Renewal

Any woman approaching or in the menopausal time of their life really should go out and purchase a copy of this ground-breaking work Tantric Sex and Menopause by Diana Richardson and Janet McGeever, as it lays out the natural process of growing up and moving onto another aspect of life, taking all the dread, horror, old wives’ tales and much more, away from a subject which to some degree has always been taboo.

Tantric Sex and Menopause are both areas that are often not discussed by couples or medical professional unless there are some serious issues to be addressed, but in this liberating look at what can be considered as a major change in a woman’s life, Richardson and McGeever show that menopause should not be something to be feared, quite the opposite, it should be embraced for the freedom, passion and pleasure to be discovered.

Offering a comprehensive approach to aging they present, in a very intelligent and forthright manner, the stages a woman progresses through as she moves from peri menopause, through menopause towards a very positive outcome, via a pathway of understanding, Tantra and acceptance.

They present a positive, holistic and proven way forward which, with a little bit of effort and a genuine desire to make a positive change towards an exciting and fulfilling time of life, will bring great benefits for a woman and her partner which can be happily and enjoyably be achieved.

Exploring the options Tantra offers across the broader health spectrum begins with the benefits of health and happiness, better self-esteem, at a time of life when self-esteem can be at its lowest, self-control and a far better emotional balance to be achieved, all of which will lead onto improved relationships, a happier and more balance sex life and a wonderful life balance.

Tantric Sex and Menopause should be classed as recommended reading for women of all ages Tantra does not just have to be understood and used leading up to or during the menopause years. Tantra is a practice which can be undertaken at any age, at any time, helping to remove the ‘performance’ issues and pressures often detrimental to the pleasure and enjoyment to be found in a healthy, enjoyable sex life.

The Chinese consider ‘Menopause is a time of rebirth……. a second spring’ which offers a wonderful and fulfilling way of viewing intimately changing times with positivity. It is time, your time, for a fresh viewpoint, it is time to change and embrace growing older and the wonderful, hidden benefits that come with growing up, not necessarily growing older!

October 22, 2018
Body Music

Love in all its many aspects has been gathered together in this intriguing collection and revealed under the guise of Body Music, pen and ink, comic book graphic art style to confront, reflect and enjoy.

Following on from her bestselling work, Blue is the Warmest Colour, Maroh has once again taken what has become worldwide the topic of sex, lesbian, gay, hetro, transgender or whatever style you prefer and asks the question, what really is Love?

Love is as always,different for everyone: in this series of essays, she has managed to capture that very significant difference. In What Do We Do With Last Nights Passion? Maroh has captured the moment to perfection when the lovers discover they are not what is at first perceived, but regardless, go on to enjoy a night of passion. Come the morning, what do we do next is, as always, the question considered as the new day arrives and the mystique, the passion of the night, crashes into reality.

‘On The Importance of Laughter’ is a beautifully poignant piece where a mother and her son talk about her husband and his father after his death. She talks about the many aspects of their love together, and the small things that kept them going over the years. The way they would laugh and laugh at the many strange things life put their way and the real and true meaning of mourning.

Set in Montreal, the work looks at young love, new love, old love and discovering your own sexuality. Raw and almost disturbing, and to a point surreal, she has taken all the elements, treating them with a nativity, which in many of the essays is perhaps the most powerful aspect of the storyline.

Maroh’s ability to be able to capture the various faces of each of the characters portrayed in different mood swings certainly helps this style of work, as it gives a more personal aspect to the characters, a realism, rather than the standard ‘graphic novel images’ that are almost stereotyped.

As you move through the various topics covered, there is a very real chance that you will, over and over again, recognise yourself, therefore immediately the book changes nuance, becoming personal, far more intimate and perhaps confrontational.

Quirky, unusual and interesting, somewhere along the way you will discover what it really is to fall in love, whether it is for one night or a lifetime together, and what it is to truly be alive, to enjoy both life and love to the absolute fullest.

Body Music is not perfect, not brilliant, but real, poignant, simple, deep, intricate and destructive, and definitely, very definitely, just like love.

February 28, 2018
Love, Sex, and No Regrets for Today’s Teens

The foreword in this book has been written by Steve Biddulph, one of the most highly regarded experts on the raising of children. He is enthusiastic in his praise of the contents and says, “The problem we have in the world today is not that there is too much sex in our faces everywhere but that it’s not really sex at all, it’s just – I don’t know – lost people getting more lost . Sad and empty people humping and pumping….” What Elizabeth Clark has done here is to clinically set out how to show girls (and boys) how to enjoy the whole experience of meeting the opposite sex, getting to know them, then deciding what your boundaries will be, and when is the right time to step over them.

The first consideration for girls is to become confident young ladies who have strong opinions about their bodies and their worth. They need to have thought about being a happy and healthy member of their family, and to learn to laugh. Prior to meeting someone, being confident and well adjusted, will help the person to make decisions more easily when it comes to relationships. Because teenage years are associated with lack of confidence and uncertainty, now is the perfect time to plan how your first sexual experience can be pre- planned so there is no lack of direction in the heat of the moment!

The author considers this planning to be similar to a baseball game, so that before the person gets to first base, all the thinking and prioritizing has happened. The following chapters refer to developing relationships teens will have, and how to manage them effectively and happily. To be able to express your feelings easily, and discuss with a partner what you want to do, is a great step.

Most teenagers today have seen porn on their computers. “This is a problem because porn sexuality is nothing like good sexuality.” Porn promotes the ideas that anyone will do as a sex partner, and that sex will be instantaneous when you meet someone. There is no emotional connection, no eye contact and no loving words. So many young men have had this education as their only guide, as have young girls who then accept and expect nothing more, if they have not been taught the joy and expectations of a loving and mutual association.

There is an amazingly powerful message in this book for all teens and one that needs reading and discussing with families and friends.

June 7, 2017
No Virgin

No Virgin should be essential reading for teenagers regardless of their gender, as it highlights social issues that happen all too often, but very seldom see the light of day, when teens feel they are no longer part of the family, that they don’t count.

A powerful statement is made with the words ‘My name is Stacy Wood and I was raped,’ which puts you on notice for what is to come. Stacey’s home life is anything but perfect, in fact far from it. Her parents have divorced some time ago and her beloved father has recently begun a new relationship. Her younger sister Jodie has fallen pregnant at 14 years of age and expects Stacey and their Mum to look after her son Tyler, while she does as little as possible.

The situation at home comes to a head when Stacy discovers not only has Jodie been in her room she has also been through her things.

She storms out, deciding staying overnight at her father’s house. Rather than go on to school the next day she makes the fatal decision to go into Shoreditch instead, where she meets Harry, who it would also seem, is wagging school but is from a very different element of society altogether.

By meeting Harry she immediately feels like she is moving on with her life; that she is grown up enough to take a risk and enjoy what he has to offer, at least for today, as it all seems to be harmless enough. But as the day moves along she discovers that perhaps things are not as they seem and the people she is meeting seem to know something she does not.

Things do not turn sinister until Harry shows little interest in her in a sexual way and she overhears a conversation with someone she presumes to be his brother, Terry, whom she has met earlier, with Harry saying he really likes her, calling her sweet, and nice.

Terry turns up at the flat, which would seem to be not so unexpected by Harry, which is when the situation gets out of control, with Stacey realising what a colossal mistake she has made, electing to spend the night and time with a boy she knew nothing about.

Hard hitting and very true to life, Anne Cassidy has laid bare the very real issues that many young girls face, when life changes perhaps a bit too rapidly for them, the basis of their world is not stable and they face life head on, from an emotional perspective. It also showcases what happens when children and young women are groomed for sexual purposes and emotional pressure they face to be able to talk, to tell, what has happened.

‘My name is Stacey Wood and I was raped.’ This is my story.

February 24, 2017