One thing I really love about Eden Fantasys is that they consider educational books as sex toys too, which is in my mind, a fundamental truth that many people just don't see. As a sex speaker once said, the best sex toy in your box (of toys that is!) is your mind. I feel it's just as important to read up on sex, sexuality, and even some new tricks as it is to whip out the handcuffs, Hitachi magic wand and get down with your honey.

My current sex toy to review is a book, but a different one than I'd expect to find on a sex toy site. It is entitled "Mating in Captivity" and seeks to "reconcile the domestic and the erotic" - basically, keeping the sex spark alive in your long term relationships.

As someone who has been lucky enough to never really experience "bed death," I wasn't exactly sure how to read this book. Should I pretend that my partner and I had lost our appetite for the voracious sex we have on a regular basis? Or maybe look at it from a more academic standpoint? I figured I'd start reading and figure out from there.

This book is strangely written. While it seems to be marketed as a self-help book, it doesn't really read like one. It is chock full of client stories that the author experienced while in private practice as a therapist, however it doesn't really explain her rationale in the methods she used with these couples. This book isn't organized in a typical manner with sections devote to one type of problem. Rather, the chapters blend together, and it was pretty slow going. I felt more like I was trying to plow through a book assigned for class than an exciting sexual aid to add vitality to my sex life. I can't honestly see two partners trying to read this book (or even parts of it) together in order to improve their domestic and erotic lives.

I might recommend this to a therapist, particularly one who specializes in relationship or sex therapy, mostly to look at the possible scenarios that might occur. I don't think this book would be a huge amount of help to a random long term couple improve their sex lives... and frankly, to someone who is in the field of sexuality, and reads lots of pop culture and academic books, this one is pretty boring. Learning about sex and sexuality shouldn't be a chore, and I had to force myself to get through this book. Unless you like dry books, I'd say use your time and money for counseling, or pick up a better book, like I Love Female Orgasm or Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex, both of which I have also reviewed, and both of which rocked my casbah.