The BDSM Book Club Discussion Thread
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FurryFury
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neonflux said:I would love to read either of these two.
Neon
P.S., Just finished "Sleeping Beauty."
Thanks for your input!
Oh good you finished it! I can't wait to discuss it.
I will keep your picks in mind!
Anyone else have a comment?
FurryFury
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graceanne said:
1.) Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
2.) Heir To The Shadows, by Anne Bishop
3.)The Challenge (Mass Market Paperback) by Susan Kearney
4.) Wild Women : Contemporary Short Stories By Women Celebrating Women. edited by Sue Thomas.
6.) 'Scandal' by Amanda Quick
11) The Dark Garden by Eden Bradley
14. Submission: A Novel by Marthe Blau
16. Two Moons: Worthy of a Master Book One (Paperback) by Chelsea Shepard
23.) Night Prowler by Paddymellon http://www.bdsmlibrary.com/stories/...php?storyid=334
Got it!
It looks like, 4.) Wild Women : Contemporary Short Stories By Women Celebrating Women. edited by Sue Thomas. is wiling so far. For me it has the added bonus of being at my library.
I'm not a huge fan of short stories but I'm willing to give it a go.
We'll see what other votes we get. If it's just us three then Wild Women will win.
FurryFury
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Wild Women : Contemporary Short Stories By Women Celebrating Women, edited by Sue Thomas, is our August 2007 selection.
Discussion of our July 2007 selection, The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A. N. Roquelaure AKA Anne Rice, can begin at midnight your time tonight!
Discussion of our July 2007 selection, The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A. N. Roquelaure AKA Anne Rice, can begin at midnight your time tonight!
neonflux
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Regarding Beauty...
Did you like the book overall or not?
Regarding her use of language, it was well written. However, it had a hard time keeping my interest. I can definitely see why some fans would enjoy the read – the idea of being nothing more than a sex toy or spending one’s days in training sex toys is an appealing fantasy. I also found the characters one dimensional, as though drawn from a poorly written children’s story.
Do you feel it portraits BDSM in a real way, a positive way and/or your way?
It was utter fantasy, but then again, as a fairytale, it wasn't meant to be anything else. One thing I did appreciate is the emphasis on the idea that one gains strength, character, and complete sexual fulfillment through submission. I also liked the "protocol," reminded me of the "old guard."
I kept hoping for more than spanking and quickly tired of it’s use as almost the only pain-related punishment (yes, there was some bondage, but…). The pony play wasn’t all that interesting to me either – and I am fascinated by those folks who get so deeply into animal play that they become pre-verbal. (Now THAT might have been an interesting side twist.)
Did you like the sex scenes in the book?
I enjoyed the broad spectrum of gender roles/sexual desires– the existence of women dominants and male submissives, the pansexual attractions – actually found the few male-male scenes pretty hot.
One thing that really, really bugged me and that took away from my enjoyment of the novel - the idea that these young men were able to keep their erections for so many hours at a time. Kept thinking of those Viagra ads are correct - erections that last for longer than 4 hours really can lead to nonreversable degradation/death of erectile tissue!
Sometimes it’s hard being a health educator! *sigh*
Did you like the rest of the book, the story in it?
Not trying to be catty, but what story?
Would you be interested in reading another book by this author?
Of course! I like Anne Rice. I will probably force myself to read the rest of the series at some point. I was born with that unfortunate gene that compels me to find out how every story ends, even when I don’t enjoy any of the journey - arghhh! (For instance, hated Gunter Grass’ “The Rat.” Took me 10 years but I did finish it, LOL.)
What did you like best about this selection?
Please see above.
What did you like the least?
Please see above.
How would you have changed the story?
Better character development, more variety in the BDSM play, more depth in the exploration of BDSM themes.
Neon
P.S., Hope I didn't offend anyone! I know that a lot of people really like this book. It's just my 2¢ *shrug*
Did you like the book overall or not?
Regarding her use of language, it was well written. However, it had a hard time keeping my interest. I can definitely see why some fans would enjoy the read – the idea of being nothing more than a sex toy or spending one’s days in training sex toys is an appealing fantasy. I also found the characters one dimensional, as though drawn from a poorly written children’s story.
Do you feel it portraits BDSM in a real way, a positive way and/or your way?
It was utter fantasy, but then again, as a fairytale, it wasn't meant to be anything else. One thing I did appreciate is the emphasis on the idea that one gains strength, character, and complete sexual fulfillment through submission. I also liked the "protocol," reminded me of the "old guard."
I kept hoping for more than spanking and quickly tired of it’s use as almost the only pain-related punishment (yes, there was some bondage, but…). The pony play wasn’t all that interesting to me either – and I am fascinated by those folks who get so deeply into animal play that they become pre-verbal. (Now THAT might have been an interesting side twist.)
Did you like the sex scenes in the book?
I enjoyed the broad spectrum of gender roles/sexual desires– the existence of women dominants and male submissives, the pansexual attractions – actually found the few male-male scenes pretty hot.
One thing that really, really bugged me and that took away from my enjoyment of the novel - the idea that these young men were able to keep their erections for so many hours at a time. Kept thinking of those Viagra ads are correct - erections that last for longer than 4 hours really can lead to nonreversable degradation/death of erectile tissue!
Sometimes it’s hard being a health educator! *sigh* Did you like the rest of the book, the story in it?
Not trying to be catty, but what story?
Would you be interested in reading another book by this author?
Of course! I like Anne Rice. I will probably force myself to read the rest of the series at some point. I was born with that unfortunate gene that compels me to find out how every story ends, even when I don’t enjoy any of the journey - arghhh! (For instance, hated Gunter Grass’ “The Rat.” Took me 10 years but I did finish it, LOL.)
What did you like best about this selection?
Please see above.
What did you like the least?
Please see above.
How would you have changed the story?
Better character development, more variety in the BDSM play, more depth in the exploration of BDSM themes.
NeonP.S., Hope I didn't offend anyone! I know that a lot of people really like this book. It's just my 2¢ *shrug*
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ecstaticsub
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I am running a little bit behind schedule. I haven't quite finished rereading the book, which I need to do before discussing it. I read it the first time 2 years ago.
I had to finish reading HP first..now back to Sleeping Beauty. I do look forward to discussig it.
I had to finish reading HP first..now back to Sleeping Beauty. I do look forward to discussig it.
graceanne
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Did you like the book overall or not?
No.
Do you feel it portraits BDSM in a real way, a positive way and/or your way?
None of the above - it was a wanker story.
Did you like the sex scenes in the book?
Um. At first, but after a while they became redundant
Did you like the rest of the book, the story in it?
Not really - it was boring and monotonous. It was all about sex and stuff, and their was huge abrupt changes that came from no where.
Would you be interested in reading another book by this author?
Not really.
What did you like best about this selection?
Um. Well at first the sex scenes were good. Then they got boring.
What did you like the least?
The lack of plot line and the same sex scenes over and over
How would you have changed the story?
can I just second what neon said?
No.
Do you feel it portraits BDSM in a real way, a positive way and/or your way?
None of the above - it was a wanker story.
Did you like the sex scenes in the book?
Um. At first, but after a while they became redundant
Did you like the rest of the book, the story in it?
Not really - it was boring and monotonous. It was all about sex and stuff, and their was huge abrupt changes that came from no where.
Would you be interested in reading another book by this author?
Not really.
What did you like best about this selection?
Um. Well at first the sex scenes were good. Then they got boring.
What did you like the least?
The lack of plot line and the same sex scenes over and over
How would you have changed the story?
can I just second what neon said?
midwestyankee
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Did you like the book overall or not?
I read this book when I'd first become interested in bdsm and so it carried a little more weight with me than it might if I'd picked it up in the last month. At the time, I found it to be an enjoyable read.
Do you feel it portrays BDSM in a real way, a positive way and/or your way?
It's a fantasy that contains absurd scenes of punishment, discipline, and some bondage. If this represented reality I doubt if many people would ever become interested in bdsm. Who among us wants to live like a cartoon character in a universe that barely contains two dimensions?
Did you like the sex scenes in the book?
A few were very good. As Neon pointed out, some of the male/male scenes were especially hot. However, by the mid-point in the book most of the sex scenes felt redundant. By some measure this improves in the two later books in the series but that doesn't help Claiming, does it?
Did you like the rest of the book, the story in it?
Story? It was difficult to see what motivated the plot and after a while I began to think that Rice had put different bdsm scene components on a dart board and used it to select her plot elements. Unfortunately, I concluded that she can't throw darts for beans.
Would you be interested in reading another book by this author?
I'm not sure. I've read all three of the Beauty books and they haven't given me much reason to explore anything else that Rice may have written.
What did you like best about this selection?
Some of the punishment scenes were imaginative - though impractical and not likely very safe.
What did you like the least?
Beauty seemed like such a twit and - dare I say it here - she often acted like the stereotypical B movie blonde.
How would you have changed the story?
I'd have given Beauty a mind to match her body.
I read this book when I'd first become interested in bdsm and so it carried a little more weight with me than it might if I'd picked it up in the last month. At the time, I found it to be an enjoyable read.
Do you feel it portrays BDSM in a real way, a positive way and/or your way?
It's a fantasy that contains absurd scenes of punishment, discipline, and some bondage. If this represented reality I doubt if many people would ever become interested in bdsm. Who among us wants to live like a cartoon character in a universe that barely contains two dimensions?
Did you like the sex scenes in the book?
A few were very good. As Neon pointed out, some of the male/male scenes were especially hot. However, by the mid-point in the book most of the sex scenes felt redundant. By some measure this improves in the two later books in the series but that doesn't help Claiming, does it?
Did you like the rest of the book, the story in it?
Story? It was difficult to see what motivated the plot and after a while I began to think that Rice had put different bdsm scene components on a dart board and used it to select her plot elements. Unfortunately, I concluded that she can't throw darts for beans.
Would you be interested in reading another book by this author?
I'm not sure. I've read all three of the Beauty books and they haven't given me much reason to explore anything else that Rice may have written.
What did you like best about this selection?
Some of the punishment scenes were imaginative - though impractical and not likely very safe.
What did you like the least?
Beauty seemed like such a twit and - dare I say it here - she often acted like the stereotypical B movie blonde.
How would you have changed the story?
I'd have given Beauty a mind to match her body.
FurryFury
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Did you like the book overall or not?
Not really, no. However, let me say, anyone who did like it and still does, we want to hear from you too!
Do you feel it portrays BDSM in a real way, a positive way and/or your way?
No. It has some nice eroticism at times but mostly it's just ridiculousness. I guess I like more realism in my fantasies. I was told it was a good BDSM book but you see that requires consent IMO from all parties which was NOT in this book.
I was quite shocked the girl was only 15! That's really off putting. I'm not into pedophilia at all.
Did you like the sex scenes in the book?
I liked some when I could get past the pedo and other negative aspects. I did not buy that a 17 year old boy would be that self possessed. I thought he was disgusting and unbelievable as a character. He clearly was into necrophilia and pedophilia. May I say, ugh? Yes, I can!
I did like some of the man on man stuff too. The horsey stuff just seemed silly to me. A lot of it seemed silly.
Did you like the rest of the book, the story in it?
No. I don't buy that "serving" in that queendom would improve anyone and so on. I didn't like the age issues. I didn't buy the, hey, you know what, I want to the worst punishment there is, ending either.
Would you be interested in reading another book by this author?
Not her "erotic" stuff, no. However, I've read a butt load of her other works. I would read more. I've consider the latest book about Jesus.
What did you like best about this selection?
Some of the sex when I could get past the unsavory aspects.
What did you like the least?
Other than the things I mentioned already, I kept thinking if I was kept naked constantly what all would end up in my holes. Not good things but rather long hairs and such. Ucky!
You can't be doubled for that long at all. That will send you to the hospital.
You can't stay shackled constantly or have nipple rings on for hours. This will damage you.
You can't have sex with just anybody and everybody or have wooden things stuck up your ass with no cleaning and no lube without serious health problems.
I don't understand enjoying seeing people crying while eating.
I don't understand why so much damn work was done to keep attacking people and how EVERYONE seemed to enjoy it.
Isn't there a Queendom to run? I mean, really, that's pretty boring if that's all you/they do.
How would you have changed the story?
I'd have put in more realism, more layered characters, and more story.
Not really, no. However, let me say, anyone who did like it and still does, we want to hear from you too!
Do you feel it portrays BDSM in a real way, a positive way and/or your way?
No. It has some nice eroticism at times but mostly it's just ridiculousness. I guess I like more realism in my fantasies. I was told it was a good BDSM book but you see that requires consent IMO from all parties which was NOT in this book.
I was quite shocked the girl was only 15! That's really off putting. I'm not into pedophilia at all.
Did you like the sex scenes in the book?
I liked some when I could get past the pedo and other negative aspects. I did not buy that a 17 year old boy would be that self possessed. I thought he was disgusting and unbelievable as a character. He clearly was into necrophilia and pedophilia. May I say, ugh? Yes, I can!
I did like some of the man on man stuff too. The horsey stuff just seemed silly to me. A lot of it seemed silly.
Did you like the rest of the book, the story in it?
No. I don't buy that "serving" in that queendom would improve anyone and so on. I didn't like the age issues. I didn't buy the, hey, you know what, I want to the worst punishment there is, ending either.
Would you be interested in reading another book by this author?
Not her "erotic" stuff, no. However, I've read a butt load of her other works. I would read more. I've consider the latest book about Jesus.
What did you like best about this selection?
Some of the sex when I could get past the unsavory aspects.
What did you like the least?
Other than the things I mentioned already, I kept thinking if I was kept naked constantly what all would end up in my holes. Not good things but rather long hairs and such. Ucky!
You can't be doubled for that long at all. That will send you to the hospital.
You can't stay shackled constantly or have nipple rings on for hours. This will damage you.
You can't have sex with just anybody and everybody or have wooden things stuck up your ass with no cleaning and no lube without serious health problems.
I don't understand enjoying seeing people crying while eating.
I don't understand why so much damn work was done to keep attacking people and how EVERYONE seemed to enjoy it.
Isn't there a Queendom to run? I mean, really, that's pretty boring if that's all you/they do.
How would you have changed the story?
I'd have put in more realism, more layered characters, and more story.
FurryFury
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Oh and WTF was with all those people sticking a finger in Beauty and saying shit like "Oh you are special?" I mean, it's a vagina, how fucking different could her's be from any one else? Was it gold plated or something?
*confused*
*confused*
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midwestyankee
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This behavior reminded me of all the wanker books I read when I was in high school and college. Every heroine was a nymphomaniac who had the soft body of a virgin, the skilled mouth of an experienced whore, and a sweet vagina that could only have grown on a peach tree. Give me a f*&^ing break!FurryFury said:
I honestly think that Rice was working from a very limited knowledge of bdsm and had influences from some of the most flaccid wanker porn ever written. I hear that her vampire stories are pretty well done but as I'm more than a little skittish about punctures and blood, I'm happy to take others' word for it.
FurryFury
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This was not Anne Rice's best work that's for sure. My ex was very into these books. That made me think he might have been into BDSM but if he was, he totally missed the consent part.
What Anne Rice is good at is making the extraordinary seem understandable. Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat and a few others of her books are really great fun for me. Of course, biting doesn't bother me, or blood for that matter.
What Anne Rice is good at is making the extraordinary seem understandable. Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat and a few others of her books are really great fun for me. Of course, biting doesn't bother me, or blood for that matter.
midwestyankee
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FF, is there some aspect of Claiming that you'd like to discuss that isn't covered in the quesionnaire or that you'd like to dig into a little more deeply?
FurryFury
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midwestyankee said:
Well, I do know a lot of people just LOVE and identify with this book, so I'd like to hear from more of them.
Hell, I just like talking and talking about books is one of my fav things.
*smiles*
I'm not a very deep thinker or person in general though.
*chuckles*
Okay, I want a show of hands on this:
Who would enjoying watching someone be spanked and cry while they were eating a meal???
I'm really curious.
midwestyankee
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I think that it would take a certain amount of dissasociation to be able to enjoy a punishment scene while eating. That said, wouldn't that be just a matter of degree difference from watching a scene at a play party while sipping a soft drink?FurryFury said:
I picked up the Beauty books initially because I'd heard that they were popular among newbies to the lifestyle and was curious. I don't read much popular fiction at all because I despise formula books and I found all three of the Beauty books to be written at the level of formula pieces. But that's just me and I regularly get accused of being an eastern snob.
FurryFury
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midwestyankee said:
Not for me, sipping a drink is far easier than eating and can be done from nervousness .
Also, scenes at play parties I've been to, rarely involve crying and are as far as I can tell, done consensually.
Even so, I'd rather not eat during any of it. Observing can sometimes teach me about things I do want to learn.
Maybe I'm strange about these things. It's possible!
ecstaticsub
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I personally loved the book. It is obviously a fairy tale and very far from reality. Maybe that is why I like it? I love role-play and fantasy.
My Dom told me to read it shortly after I was collared. The fact that it was absurdly extreme and unreal somehow made it more fun. And what is wrong with wanking material? LOL I fully admit to frequently having to stop reading to play. It also served a purpose for us as a way to discover what things turned each other on when my Dom and I discussed the book. We do some role-play in real life when we get together.
I have never read any of Ann Rice's other books. (other than the 2nd and 3rd book in this series) The second book was my favorite and the 3rd was my least favorite.
What I liked best was the fairy tale aspect of it. For a newbie the reality of BDSM cas seem a little intimidating and scary even though I had fantasied about it for at least 30 years of my life..lol Seeing it as a far-fetched story and discussing it and then discussing it as it pertains to reality made the jump from my own fantasies to reality less terrifying.
What I didn't like?....hmmmm maybe that the physical punishments were way too much...but it's fantasy, so no big deal.
It in some ways fits my own personal version of my D/s relationship in that my Dom and I share our own over-the-top fantasies and role-plays along with our real life interactions. We share a D/s relationship that is very playful.
My Dom told me to read it shortly after I was collared. The fact that it was absurdly extreme and unreal somehow made it more fun. And what is wrong with wanking material? LOL I fully admit to frequently having to stop reading to play. It also served a purpose for us as a way to discover what things turned each other on when my Dom and I discussed the book. We do some role-play in real life when we get together.
I have never read any of Ann Rice's other books. (other than the 2nd and 3rd book in this series) The second book was my favorite and the 3rd was my least favorite.
What I liked best was the fairy tale aspect of it. For a newbie the reality of BDSM cas seem a little intimidating and scary even though I had fantasied about it for at least 30 years of my life..lol Seeing it as a far-fetched story and discussing it and then discussing it as it pertains to reality made the jump from my own fantasies to reality less terrifying.
What I didn't like?....hmmmm maybe that the physical punishments were way too much...but it's fantasy, so no big deal.
It in some ways fits my own personal version of my D/s relationship in that my Dom and I share our own over-the-top fantasies and role-plays along with our real life interactions. We share a D/s relationship that is very playful.
FurryFury
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Ecstaticsub,
Thank you so much for putting in your POV! I am glad to see it through your eyes. What you wrote makes sense to me.
There is nothing wrong with wanking material, I agree! I even think I've written some.
I wanted to hear from someone who loved it because that's what I've mostly heard from folks about this book, how much they loved it.
*hug*
Thank you so much for putting in your POV! I am glad to see it through your eyes. What you wrote makes sense to me.
There is nothing wrong with wanking material, I agree! I even think I've written some.
I wanted to hear from someone who loved it because that's what I've mostly heard from folks about this book, how much they loved it.
*hug*
ecstaticsub
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FurryFury said:
I've written a bit myself too
...Which was another great result of reading these books. I had never shared my truly naughty/nasty fantasies with anyone (including my husband-he would be turned off by them) until my Dom started to encourage me to share them with him. Now I write stories frequently for him that tend to be a little extreme but turn us both on.
