As with any collection of stories, you will have some that are better than others. The editor of Tasting Her, Rachel Kramer Bussel, has done a good job or selecting good writers (male and female, straight, bi and lesbian) who can sustain the erotic intensity in their stories. There are 22 contributors to this collection (including one from Ms. Bussel). There is a listing of the contributors at the end of Tasting Her, so you can seek out additional works by your favorite authors.

Not surprisingly, Tasting Her is about cunnilingus. It's about the thrill (and sometimes the anxiety) of both performing it and receiving it. The stories are not grouped into any particular order, although the first half is mainly of straight couples and in the second half the stories expand to include all-girl scenes, threesomes and openly bisexual characters. Overall, regardless of your sex and orientation, if you like cunnilingus, as a giver or a receiver, there is something in this collection for you. For those who think of cunnilingus as just part of foreplay, this collection shows over and over again that tasting a woman can be a main course by itself.

This book is about learning about other people's experiences. I like that you don't have the stories grouped in preset ways that might make you focus only on what you think you want to read about. I'm not into goth scenes generally, but The Goth Chick by Lisette Ashton was particularly hot. I'm glad there wasn't a "goth" section, because I would have skipped over it. The cover art is an appealing shot focusing in on the face of a woman being tasted by a guy who is in the background. However, be warned, it's not all that discreet if you are reading it in public. The quality of the material and binding is good. It's what you generally expect in paperback. The pages stood up well and the book handled normal wear well. I carried it around in my messenger bag for a few days while I was reading it and it still is in good condition.

I thought this was a great collection of stories. I liked the wide variety of scenarios presented. There were five in particular that really stood out: (1) Suspension (by Craig J. Sorenson)- an artist and his model collaborate to create a memorable piece of art for a demanding client; (2) Happy Hours (by Adelaide Clark)- a husband has to serve as his wife's slave by providing a willing tongue for happy hour gatherings at a BDSM convention; (3) The Goth Chick (by Lisette Ashton)- woman at a swingers convention discovers the joy of getting around her partner's chastity device (leather labial stitching); (4) The Vitality of Youth (by Joanna Christine) great story about a woman and her gardener on a rainy day; and (5) All About the Girls (by Shanna Germain)- a seasonal bisexual has hot bathroom action with a woman she meets in a coffee shop- hot even though the scene includes a dental dam [I tend to eliminate thoughts of stds from my fantasies]!

I read this over a few days while on my commuter train. I definitely had to stop reading at least a few minutes before my stop so I could give my erection time to subside. While I have always appreciated cunnilingus, these stories made me want to give it more importance in my life- and to appreciate it as more than just a step on the road to penetration.

I have to share my favorite quote:

"Thanks to Leesa, I've become a connoisseur of cunt fluent in all the major dialects, but I'm always learning and discovering new things by keeping an open mind between an open pair of legs, and always, always, taking the time to read her lips." (from Read Her Lips by Stan Kent)

It seems to me, that's what it's all about!