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Hot Books for the Kinky Community: Fiction & Non-Fiction The Book Nook |
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 Books about gay leathersex - SM, BD, kink, fetish, what have you - are numerous enough to fill a small bookcase. They range from Larry Townsend's classic novels and Leatherman's Handbook (thankfully still in print) to the late Geoff Mains's Urban Aboriginals and the Mark Thompson-edited Leatherfolk.
Simon Sheppard seems suitably qualified to carry the torch of Townsend, Mains and Thompson. Not only is Sheppard "one of the kinkiest denizens of San Francisco" (a distinction he denies), but he is also the author of Hotter than Hell and Other Stories (see below) and the co-editor (with M. Christian), of Rough Stuff: Tales of Gay Men, Sex, and Power. Sheppard's latest book, Kinkorama: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Perversion (Alyson Books; 200 pages; $13.95), is a "travelogue" to the world of kinky sex. "Like all of us, I'm just a tourist on the highway of life, each of us on his own journey of erotic discovery. Many of us will settle, happily, for absolute vanilla. But a goodly number of us will visit one place or another in the Land of Kink, if only for vacation, a tour de perv." There is nothing in Kinkorama that will enlighten the experts in their chosen fetish. Rather, Kinkorama serves as a useful introduction to a wide variety of perversions and obsessions. Even the most jaded Bike Daddy or leatherboy will learn something new about something from this book. "One of the beautiful things about kinky sex," writes Sheppard, "maybe the most beautiful thing - is its inherent weirdness." - which is perhaps why it freaks a lot of people out. These people want sex to be orderly and with a purpose; not sex for its own sake and certainly not sex that allows one to lose control and reach other states of reality and consciousness. The sex in Kinkorama range from group sex and bathroom sex to "Kink, Fisting, flogging, pain, piss, feet, father/son....," you get the picture. Sheppard has covered the sexual waterfront, and Kinkorama is his tour of every dock and pier. One fetish that seems to have escaped Sheppard's tour is human dog training, which author Michael Daniels defines as "the process of one person assuming the role of Handler and another assuming the role of human dog."
In Daniels's words, "The primary purpose of human dog training is to change or mold the human dog's behavior, through positive reinforcement and discipline, to meet the expectations and goals of the Handler," which is also the way one would train a Canis familiaris. Though the author's preferences made the facts in Woof! specific to male Handlers training male dogs, the facts in this book can be used as a guide for Handler-dog combinations of any gender. It covers such diverse but important topics as ethics, roles, human dog behaviors, gear, care, training and scenes - house pet, pack, breeding, vet and dog show. Woof! also has a series of explicit drawings, a list of references and resources, and even a short story: "A Dog's Tail: by pup don. What more can a pound puppy want? The Nazca Plains might remind some of animal-like drawings that can only be seen from an airplane, but to those of us in the know it is a small publisher that specializes in kinky fiction and non-fiction. In addition to giving us Woof! the Nazca Plains Corporation has published two collections of short stories by Tim Brough: Black Gloves, White Magic and Sgt. Viengles' Revenge and Other Abuses of Power (160 pages and $14.95 each). Brough has written for several fetish magazines and edited Rubber Rebel and Vulcan America, from which many of these stories were taken. As the titles of the magazines indicate, many of Brough's stories deal with rubber fetish, but the versatile Brough goes beyond the confines of one hand fiction to include elements of magic, psychology and philosophy.
Comic fans will rejoice at the publication of Winston Leyland's latest Meatmen: Special SM Comics Edition (Leyland Publications; 160 pages; $18.95). This Volume 26 is the third one to feature "SM Comics", and it hits the ground running with part two of Stepan Zubinski's SM sci-fi, Newcomer. Between this and the obligatory "AIDS Risk Reduction Guidelines" that close the book, Meatmen 26 features steamy comics and stories by Belasco, David Barnes, Greg Garcia and Osze; as well as funny funnies by Farraday, Gerard Donelan and "Mike." Recommended for everyone who enjoys kinky sex. 
My Favorite Book coincidentally comes from author Tim Brough, and it deals with a book by another author featured in this column. Brough's favorite book is Hotter Than Hell and Other Stories by Simon Sheppard (Alyson, 2001). "How can something this dirty be so brainy? That is the gauntlet laid down by self professes 'smut hound' Simon Sheppard in this collection of his own works. Don't be surprised if you remember reading a few of these in old and long lost magazines of yore. Mr. Sheppard has contributed to some of the best. That his stories were memorable enough to rekindle some of my archived and plastered over memories of late night solo reading is testament to how powerful many of these stories are. Multilayered, multicultural and even multigenerational (the great Queer Studies), Mr. Sheppard will delight your private parts and your frontal lobes." I couldn't say it any better myself. If YOU have a favorite book, e-mail me the title and the author; a sentence or two telling me why you like that book so much; and a name that I can use to jessemonteagudo@aol.com . Subject: "Book Nook Favorite Book."
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Though this phenomenon might seem weird to some, it is in fact one that's increasingly popular in the leather/SM/BD and kink communities. It is so popular that Daniels decided to write a book about it, namely WOOF! Perspectives into the Erotic Care and Training of the Human Dog (The Nazca Plains Corporation; 160 pages; $14.95). "The human dog or pup is a unique creature - part boy, part dog; part companion, part servant; protective yet in need of supervision - a playful guardian to his Master. Add a compulsion for leather and kink and the mix becomes even more rewarding - and complicated."
Even if you don't share Brough's particular kink(s), you will be able to appreciate his brilliant writing and intimate knowledge of what makes folks click. And did I mention that Brough's stories are HOT? Read at your own risk.
Jesse Monteagudo is a nudist leather bear and freelance writer who lives in South Florida. Write him at