Seriously, I've never read one before. I think it's mainly because there isn't enough erotic novel writers around.

Anyone have any recommendations for this genre?

Seriously, I've never read one before. I think it's mainly because there isn't enough erotic novel writers around.

Anyone have any recommendations for this genre?

Darrell Bains & Jeanine Berry have co-authored some interesting SciFi/Errotica books - The Sex Gate series. More Scifi than Erotica but enough of the latter to offend some. If you've read any of Jack Chalker's books, Darrell's are not quite that "wierd" but he's the closest to Jack that I've read. Personally I much prefer Darrell's work and he is prolific & easily found in ebook format.

Check out the late 1800's book (???) "Fanny Hill". It was a lot more than I expected. (I didn't finish it.....) It's among the free stuff around.

Thanks guys. I was checking your recommendations... And just found out how powerful Amazon really is. The books that you recommended... were $3-$4USD. Although Amazon advertise convenience, It just struck me that if I had whispernet here in Canada, I would have ordered it and could very well be reading the books by now. Anyways, i'm going to now check for the free version.
I'll definitely be on a lookout for The Sex Gate as well.

edit: found both, Thanks.

I've uploaded Cleland's Fanny Hill some months ago.
Also Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs.

I've uploaded Cleland's Fanny Hill some months ago.
Also Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs.

And, of course, Lady Chatterly's Lover would rank in there somewhere.

SPIRITS
When I was doing a search on Mobipocket site under "Romance" I was surprised at the content it displayed. Pretty saucy material there. There is also a catagory on their menu for Erotica. Same on Fictionwise, and probably all eBook sites I should imagine.

Mag.

Go to www.fictionwise.com and check out the erotica category.

Check out the late 1800's book (???) "Fanny Hill". It was a lot more than I expected. (I didn't finish it.....) It's among the free stuff around.

You're about 150 years out - it was published in 1748.

I think most modern readers would find it more amusing than erotic.

...I think it's mainly because there isn't enough erotic novel writers around...
... perhaps you have never heard of Harlequin?

a quote from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_Enterprises)
...
the company publishes approximately 120 new titles each month in 26 different languages in 109 international markets on six continents. These books are written by over 1,300 authors worldwide, offering readers a broad range of fiction from romance to psychological thrillers to relationship novels. With 131 million books sold in 2006
...

Here is their Erotic Fiction book e-directory
http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?vcid=55
There you can read excerpts to see if the romances are erotic enough. Harlequin has a reputation for publishing very "tame" romances/erotic books.

They sell Harlequin e-books on Sony Connect store.

SPIRITS
When I was doing a search on Mobipocket site under "Romance" I was surprised at the content it displayed. Pretty saucy material there. There is also a catagory on their menu for Erotica. Same on Fictionwise, and probably all eBook sites I should imagine.

Mag.

I've seen some there that "saucy" doesn't even approach as an adequate description for the erotica section, but interesting.:o

The website for the Erotica Readers and Writers Association has a number of links to erotica e-publishers.

He clicked on the thread.
"Surely I shouldn't be able to get a wireless connection out here at sea on my pirate ship, but here I am...surfing the MobileRead forums on my hand-carved laptop that I carved myself with my rough, forceful - yet gentle - hands," said Spooky69, captain of the SS Barbarossa. "What would my dead wife say if she knew about this?"
"Your dead wife isn't here," said my sultry, sexually attractive female poop deck commander Ms. Livingstone, "But I am."
"I'm aware of the laws of only being able to exist in one place as a living person and not being able to exist in a place at all if you are dead (with the understanding that this is all in reference to the conscious, human, Earth-bound mind only), but this damn oceanic map that I was also focusing on just won't decipher itself with the compass that I am using in the 1800s."
"I think what you need, kind Captain, is a sextant."
"I already have one of those, too, and it's extremely useful, but I have needs that extend far beyond the walls of describable words and feelings...emotional needs that allow me to emphasize the desirable aspects of male sexual desire without questioning all the awful, immoral things that many women do in order to stimulate themselves sensually."
"Oh, Captain!" Hexandra Livingstone exclaimed, "What would my husband, who attends to my intellectual needs but hasn't adequate concern for the rebellious tendencies of my female treasure chest, say?"
"Hexandra..." Spooky69 said plainly, "I don't give a damn what your husband, or even the boringly boring people at your work, think about my desires...I...I...I...I...I...I...I must satisfy you right now...sexually."
Then my big tall mast flapped her sails around a little bit. I mean, it wasn't really nothing to write home about and then wait until you actually got home and then hand over what you wrote in person, but, I mean, it was okay. I mean, I think I was pretty good here, but she really just kind of laid there and made quiet noises and obviously wasn't that into it. I mean, that's fine, but I'd had my eye on this chick for a while and I guess I was expecting her to be a little better in bed...pirate ship straw bed over ropes.

The End

My personal favourite in english is the work of Anais Nin, most notably: "Little birds" and "Delta of Venus". Don't know whether they're available as ebook however...

Hi, on www.memoware.com there is a novel, O+F, that has been downloaded more than any other but one in the romance category. I wrote it. Every good novelist has to deal with the biggies: love, sex, death, and evil sooner or later. O+F was my shot at sex and the overlapping borders it has with love. It's free in six different download formats. John Moncure Wetterau

What, as a matter of interest, is the difference between an "erotic novel" and pornography? Serious question.

What, as a matter of interest, is the difference between an "erotic novel" and pornography? Serious question.
The United States Supreme Court's collective opinion. Serious answer.

Hi, on www.memoware.com there is a novel, O+F, that has been downloaded more than any other but one in the romance category. I wrote it. Every good novelist has to deal with the biggies: love, sex, death, and evil sooner or later. O+F was my shot at sex and the overlapping borders it has with love. It's free in six different download formats. John Moncure Wetterau
I, too, have written excellent trash. My trash has been the inspiration for more imagined sex than any other porn writing on some website that I've never heard of.
Sometimes I imagine that I could promote my ideas on sex simply by writing an uncompelling sex story and then giving it a really ambiguous yet arousing (to trained apes who judge eroticism based on the shape of vague initials and their possible implied sexual meaning that you will soon understand only as soon as you download my free porn story) title.
Now, don't get me wrong, my sex stories are not just about sex. There's a really poorly written regular story hidden within my sex story that actually builds up the anticipation of the sex parts through disgustingly basic innuendo and allusions to non-sexual concepts. But trust me: when that sex part hits you...ohhh man!
Now, don't get me wrong; this popular sex story that I wrote and actually fantasize about people reading as part of my own desire for arousal is not just about sex; far from it.
Instead, my sex e-book is about passion; love; bondage; love; sexual activity; romance; sex; indulging yourself in the most basic of urges; passion; sensuality; sex.
Now, don't get me wrong; I'm no pervert. I mean, would a pervert spend hours and hours contriving a scenario that gets him/her off and then write it out and then write things that kind of don't get him/her off in order to maintain the appearance of not being completely masturbatory? Would a pervert try to subtly express their own subtle sexual deviances subtly by not having them be in a visual format but a textual one? Would a pervert write sex stories that are kind of classy yet still obviously entirely centered around the sex parts and not the plots? Surely not.
Now, don't get me wrong; I write sex porn stories. Still, my stories contain elements that are vaguely disassociated from sex and therefore this is an actual book that I wrote and not a non-book that is just porn and is probably really bad despite being a popular sex book.
The point is that my sex book is barely about sex, except for the parts where it is describing sexual concepts that get me off, in which case it is about sex, but in an extremely tasteful and literally valid manner. But still kinda sexy.

What, as a matter of interest, is the difference between an "erotic novel" and pornography? Serious question.

Isn't pornography supposed to 'corrupt and deprave' in UK law?

I tend to think erotica is a bit more subtle, and engages the imagination, more than pornography.

Nabokov's 'Lolita' is erotic, but not pornographic imho, because it is sensuous but not explicit (even though it's undeniably depraved :eek:).

Isn't pornography supposed to 'corrupt and deprave' in UK law?

Is it? The porn movie industry is huge, and those tend to be bought by a wide cross-section of "normal" people for the purposes of, er, "pleasure". I don't think the typical porn film "corrupts and depraves" people, does it?

That's why I was asking whether there was a difference between "legal" pornography (which now in the UK covers an extremely wide range of material, sold through licenced sex shops) and erotic literature. They seem to me to be merely two different aspects of the same thing - to bring the reader/viewer a form of pleasure. I certainly don't see them as either corrupt or depraved, but perhaps I've just been so corrupted and depraved through my viewing of such material that I no longer notice :).

Is it? The porn movie industry is huge, and those tend to be bought by a wide cross-section of "normal" people for the purposes of, er, "pleasure". I don't think the typical porn film "corrupts and depraves" people, does it?

:smack: Sorry, I got confused between 'pornography' and 'obscenity'. :o

You and me both, friend.

What, as a matter of interest, is the difference between an "erotic novel" and pornography? Serious question.

It has about the same relation as (on the woman's side) as the difference between marriage and prostitution. Serious answer. Or, if you prefer, between a democratic form of government and a dictatorship.

What, as a matter of interest, is the difference between an "erotic novel" and pornography? Serious question.

An erotic novel is pretending to take the moral high ground.
Pornography is being honest.

"I didn't read this erotic novel for the sex, I read it for it's weak plot and character non-development. It also gave me an insight into what happens when a plumber comes round and her husband is at work"

Edit : And before anybody goes and gets offended (Not my intention). I'm meaning what I saw when I looked at mobipockets "Erotica" books.

http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/Category.asp?Language=EN&categoryId=31&Name=Erotica

They're just porn.

If you are interested in erotica check Mr. Moynihan site, Olympia Press, where there are tons of 1$ multi-format classics of the genre.

http://www.olympiapress.com/catalog/

What, as a matter of interest, is the difference between an "erotic novel" and pornography? Serious question.

A good question. Pornography has a single purpose: turn the reader on. An erotic novel is a story that contains sexually explicit scenes. These scenes serve the story rather than the other way around (pornography). The border between the two is unmarked and is sometimes decided in the courts.
Oliver (O) is a late bloomer, half Japanese, who misses his stepfather and has never met his father. He falls in love with Francesca on first sight. The story is about sexual awakening, love, and father-son relationships. It moves around from Maine to the west coast to Hawaii. O+F is not pornography. It is not up to Anna Karenina, but it is honest, written well, and well-intended.

I've had people tell me porn is images and erotica is words. Personally, if it's explicit, I consider it to be porn. Not that it matters what you call it, it is what it is.

I think if the main goal is to tell a story (good reason to write a book), then you don't need the explicit scenes. I think they are simply there as a cheap way to get your attention (maybe so you don't notice how much the story sucks) and are unnecessary to telling a story. I feel the same way about movies.

I've had people tell me porn is images and erotica is words. Personally, if it's explicit, I consider it to be porn. Not that it matters what you call it, it is what it is.

I think if the main goal is to tell a story (good reason to write a book), then you don't need the explicit scenes. I think they are simply there as a cheap way to get your attention (maybe so you don't notice how much the story sucks) and are unnecessary to telling a story. I feel the same way about movies.

You could say this about anything. You don't need Indians in a western, "they're simply there as a cheap way to get your attention", likewise horses, six-guns, etc.

Sex is obviously a fact of life, otherwise none of us would be here. As a part of life, it is a part of any life story. You may consider it to be an ugly or "not to be talked about" part of life but nevertheless it is a part of life. We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend it isn't there, but it is. Sometimes it does enliven the story and makes a significant point. Sometimes it is just filler and carries no real importance to the story being told. And sometimes it is the thrust of the story. (No pun intended.)

The main difference between what any of us define as pornography and erotica is that one is usually more subtle, gentle, and socially accepted than the other. I'll let you decide which is which. :chinscratch:

You could say this about anything. You don't need Indians in a western, "they're simply there as a cheap way to get your attention", likewise horses, six-guns, etc.

Sex is obviously a fact of life, otherwise none of us would be here. As a part of life, it is a part of any life story. You may consider it to be an ugly or "not to be talked about" part of life but nevertheless it is a part of life. We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend it isn't there, but it is. Sometimes it does enliven the story and makes a significant point. Sometimes it is just filler and carries no real importance to the story being told. And sometimes it is the thrust of the story. (No pun intended.)

The main difference between what any of us define as pornography and erotica is that one is usually more subtle, gentle, and socially accepted than the other. I'll let you decide which is which. :chinscratch:

Excuse me, you're making some big assumptions. I don't pretend there is no such thing as sex. I know some people are like that, I'm not one of them.

Anything in a story that isn't part of the story and is intended simply to sensationalize and get your attention doesn't belong there, in my opinion. A good story doesn't need that. You can discuss sex and have mild scenes that are not explicit in a movie or book that fit in very well and are possibly necessary to the story. You don't need the explicit graphic details. And I find 90% of the time the sex scenes are gratuitious (particularly in movies). I'm not surprised people will defend them - they're being put there because they're popular and they work.

If you're watching or reading something for the sex scenes, fine, but call it what it is, don't call it a quality story. I think a good story will stand without cheap attention grabbers.

edit:
Some stories are not meant to be good stories. Some are all about sex, some are all about violence and gore, some are all about comedy. That is their point. That's fine when I'm in a mood for sex, violence, or comedy. I'm saying a good quality story doesn't need the graphic details; spewing blood is an attention getter, not a necessary part of a good story. I think it cheapens a good story when it's included.

You could say this about anything. You don't need Indians in a western, "they're simply there as a cheap way to get your attention", likewise horses, six-guns, etc.

Sex is obviously a fact of life, otherwise none of us would be here. As a part of life, it is a part of any life story. You may consider it to be an ugly or "not to be talked about" part of life but nevertheless it is a part of life. We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend it isn't there, but it is. Sometimes it does enliven the story and makes a significant point. Sometimes it is just filler and carries no real importance to the story being told. And sometimes it is the thrust of the story. (No pun intended.)

The main difference between what any of us define as pornography and erotica is that one is usually more subtle, gentle, and socially accepted than the other. I'll let you decide which is which. :chinscratch:

I think you're missing the point entirely. I was trying to say that the Porn that's labelled as "Erotica" is trying to pass itself off as something it's not. It's porn.

I'm not saying that porn is ok, or it isn't ok. And it's probably not an argument that could be settled here anyway :)

I think you're missing the point entirely. I was trying to say that the Porn that's labelled as "Erotica" is trying to pass itself off as something it's not. It's porn.

I'm not saying that porn is ok, or it isn't ok. And it's probably not an argument that could be settled here anyway :)

Whether it's ok or not is a matter of opinion. I do think it needs to be kept in a way that children or anyone not interested won't be faced with it unexpectedly. That's just being respectful and responsible.

I totally agree that most "erotica" I've seen is really porn, that's why I call it porn. I've had people tell me porn is images so it's not porn. I also agree with some of the comments that some scenes can be erotic without being pornographic (explicit), but most times "erotica" is porn. In my opinion.

cmbs & Halk, you remind me of the US Supreme Court Justice who said, "I may not be able to define pornography but I know it when I see it." Pornography, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. As you have said there is often "stuff" in books and in movies that is just there to "grab your interest". I, for one, would never read a book or go to a movie that didn't grab my interest. It would be very boring, like watching grass grow. No pornography there but very uninteresting. Also some people accept some things as normal whether it be their society, religion, customs, or whatever that would be highly offensive to others. The key in this, as in everything, is to enjoy the things you find enjoyable and to allow others to enjoy what they enjoy.

For example, Harry T seems to enjoy reading the "classics". I don't, but we both contribute to the Mobileread society in our own way. If you look closely enough, you will even find things in religious books, art museums or other socially accepted arenas that some could consider pornographic, violent, or otherwise extreme and that they are there "just to grab your attention".:chinscratch:

Well, the judge is right. It's not particularly easy to define - perhaps impossible. My point is those books listed as erotica aren't erotica though, they're just simply porn. I don't think anyone is going to read them for a purpose other than they'd watch a porn film. Which is a shame because it means any actual erotica is going to get lumped in along with them.

Wikipedia makes a reasonably good explanation.

Pornography's objective is the graphic depiction of sexually explicit scenes. Erotica, on the other hand, seeks to tell a story with sexual themes.

cmbs & Halk, you remind me of the US Supreme Court Justice who said, "I may not be able to define pornography but I know it when I see it." Pornography, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. As you have said there is often "stuff" in books and in movies that is just there to "grab your interest". I, for one, would never read a book or go to a movie that didn't grab my interest. It would be very boring, like watching grass grow. No pornography there but very uninteresting. Also some people accept some things as normal whether it be their society, religion, customs, or whatever that would be highly offensive to others. The key in this, as in everything, is to enjoy the things you find enjoyable and to allow others to enjoy what they enjoy.

For example, Harry T seems to enjoy reading the "classics". I don't, but we both contribute to the Mobileread society in our own way. If you look closely enough, you will even find things in religious books, art museums or other socially accepted arenas that some could consider pornographic, violent, or otherwise extreme and that they are there "just to grab your attention".:chinscratch:

I defined it - it's explicit. It's graphic details designed to grab your attention (and possibly distract you from the fact the story sucks) which don't move the story forward and are thus unnecessary.

If this type of attention grabbing amuses you, you are not alone. That's why they do it - people go for it.

Well, the judge is right. It's not particularly easy to define - perhaps impossible. My point is those books listed as erotica aren't erotica though, they're just simply porn. I don't think anyone is going to read them for a purpose other than they'd watch a porn film. Which is a shame because it means any actual erotica is going to get lumped in along with them.

Wikipedia makes a reasonably good explanation.

Pornography's objective is the graphic depiction of sexually explicit scenes. Erotica, on the other hand, seeks to tell a story with sexual themes.

I agree except for the part about it being hard to define.

Erotica as a genre is code for porn, and it does mean that true erotica can't be easily distinguished by genre.

I have that problem with historical fiction. I like fiction written to bring to life the lives of real historical figures, fiction that tries to stay close to historical facts. Unfortunately for me, most "historical fiction" are romances set in the past (ie historical erotica). It's very hard to find books which I might be interested in reading within this genre because they're all lumped together.

I agree except for the part about it being hard to define.


Well, again I'm perhaps not as clear as I'd like to be. It's possible to define. But the definition is subject to opinion. E.g. it's my opinion that this piece of media is purely for graphic depiction... or not.

What, as a matter of interest, is the difference between an "erotic novel" and pornography? Serious question.

It's the difference between Arabian Nights, Golden Lotus/Chin P'ing Mei, Sade, P. Louys, A. Nin, G. Bataille for example, and the current porn magazines.

Ultimately as with all art my strong belief is that only time is the real quality judge, and those authors/novels mentioned above stood the test of time until now quite well.

It's the difference between Arabian Nights, Golden Lotus/Chin P'ing Mei, Sade, P. Louys, A. Nin, G. Bataille for example, and the current porn magazines.

Ultimately as with all art my strong belief is that only time is the real quality judge, and those authors/novels mentioned above stood the test of time until now quite well.

Oh, I get it now. Old or ancient pornography is art where more recent pornography is "porn". :thumbsup:

I defined it - it's explicit. It's graphic details designed to grab your attention (and possibly distract you from the fact the story sucks) which don't move the story forward and are thus unnecessary.

If this type of attention grabbing amuses you, you are not alone. That's why they do it - people go for it.

By that difinition, a modern art composition of bright colors is porn since it has "graphic details designed to grab your attention."

By that difinition, a modern art composition of bright colors is porn since it has "graphic details designed to grab your attention."
Discussions work better when people deliberately misstate others' opinions and the respond to those opinions in a non-constructive manner!

Seriously, though, I was going to post the "know it when we see it" thing as being pretty similar to how I define pornography. I won't say that pornography isn't art (it's surely a form of creative expression), but there's just something about focusing on sex so much that strikes me as kind of "lower-minded." That is to say, I think there's a pretty distinct division between an academic exploration of sexuality through art and what basically amounts to a chimpanzee sitting around playing with its genitals. Also, as has been stated, the main purpose (by far) of erotic literature is to induce sexual arousal, and presumably the author is trying to make that stimulation as powerful as they can for the reader. Trying to create an erotic reaction in the person experiencing a piece of creative expression is a well-recognized and valid part of some artistic statements, but when the entirety of a literary work is intended to create a strong erotic reaction in the reader/yourself, you're pretty clearly caught up in your dirty monkey brain and ignoring some shades of subtlety in the world around you in favor of focusing in on an aspect of human psychology whose biological purpose doesn't extend beyond a mechanism to encourage the passing on of genetic information. Immersing yourself in the stimulation you get from pandering to that drive has about as much artistic merit as smoking a joint.

I won't say that pornography isn't art (it's surely a form of creative expression), but there's just something about focusing on sex so much that strikes me as kind of "lower-minded." That is to say, I think there's a pretty distinct division between an academic exploration of sexuality through art and what basically amounts to a chimpanzee sitting around playing with its genitals.

Are you aware that this typically only occurs to chimps or monkeys in captivity? What conclusions can you draw from that?

We each read books that we find entertaining. Some like romance, some like westerns, some like SciFi, some like non-fiction, some like religious, etc. To each his own. Personally I like a variety but tend toward SciFi from back in the days when SciFi writers had to be good to survive - i.e. before the Star Trek & Star Wars phenomina. It was easier to find well written books more quickly in the SciFi section back then.

Oh, I get it now. Old or ancient pornography is art where more recent pornography is "porn". :thumbsup:

Surviving old erotica that people kept printing and reading over the ages is art because there is something at the core of it - which can be very dark as in Sade or Bataille, or exotic for us here in the West in Arabian Nights or Golden Lotus - that resonates.

Sadly these days the pendulum has swung too much towards cheapening sexuality with lots of unfortunate results too. Though at least people make their own misery rather than having it enforced by the powers to be...

By that difinition, a modern art composition of bright colors is porn since it has "graphic details designed to grab your attention."

Ok. You are purposely twisting and misunderstanding what I've said quite clearly for the purposes of trying to fight. I'm not interested. Thanks. But you go ahead.

Off on another tangent . . .

de Sade wrote some of the least erotic porn I've ever read.

I agree except for the part about it being hard to define.

Erotica as a genre is code for porn, and it does mean that true erotica can't be easily distinguished by genre.

I have that problem with historical fiction. I like fiction written to bring to life the lives of real historical figures, fiction that tries to stay close to historical facts. Unfortunately for me, most "historical fiction" are romances set in the past (ie historical erotica). It's very hard to find books which I might be interested in reading within this genre because they're all lumped together.

You've put your finger on a major problem: reviews. How do you filter out the junk? Sooner or later there will be sites that specialize in reviews (maybe they exist already) in various genres. Any book reviewed would be presumed to be up to some standard established on the site. A short review would describe the content and slant of the book and add a brief reviewer's opinion. I would love this, as a writer and a reader. Maybe you could do this for historical fiction.

You've put your finger on a major problem: reviews. How do you filter out the junk? Sooner or later there will be sites that specialize in reviews (maybe they exist already) in various genres. Any book reviewed would be presumed to be up to some standard established on the site. A short review would describe the content and slant of the book and add a brief reviewer's opinion. I would love this, as a writer and a reader. Maybe you could do this for historical fiction.

I do have a book blog, and if I could find any historical fiction I think I'd be interested in reading, I'd read and review it. Some of my favorite books are of this type. I expecially like the ones where the author researched and tries to stick close to facts. But I have a hard time finding new ones to try. I get very sick of sifting through a bunch of romances set in the past, which I am very much not interested in reading (which is not to say they're bad, only that I'm not interested). I did buy "Pompeii" by Robert Harris which I haven't read yet.

I defined it - it's explicit. It's graphic details designed to grab your attention (and possibly distract you from the fact the story sucks) which don't move the story forward and are thus unnecessary.


Like, for example, the "Song of Solomon" in the Bible? That's "erotic" material by anyone's definition - presumably "porn" by yours? Completely gratuitous sexually explicit material which doesn't move the story forward in the least!

Like, for example, the "Song of Solomon" in the Bible? That's "erotic" material by anyone's definition - presumably "porn" by yours? Completely gratuitous sexually explicit material which doesn't move the story forward in the least!

Yes Harry, that's exactly what I mean. So don't read your bible, it's filled with evil porn. Might corrupt your mind, and I would hate for that to happen.

Shouldn't you be off disputing evil truths about bookeen? Proclaiming that your cybook is perfect? Making irrational claims about things crashing your cybook? (Not bookeen's fault of course. MY fault!)

<sigh>

If the Gen3 is so awful, Christine, why don't you sell it? You appear to be "torturing" yourself with this terrible machine that you obviously loath so much. You've a ready market there waiting - get rid of it!

It seems to me that what IS irrational is to keep on using a system that you clearly find to be so unsuited to your needs! Why do you carry on using it? You'll easily get back the price that you paid for it if you sell it.

Anyway, must get back to preaching the Bookeen gospel!

Are you aware that this typically only occurs to chimps or monkeys in captivity? What conclusions can you draw from that?
Didn't know that...the next funny story I post in this thread might involve a bunch of sex story authors on display in a zoo.
You asked what conclusions I can draw from this...I'd say it's like that the correlation with idle masturbation among confined chimps is probably indicative of an aberrant mental state brought on by the type of stimulation, or lack thereof, that chimps get in captivity. You could probably make the leap that sex story authors would tend spend a lot of their time in a limited and unnatural social setting and are probably, on average, pretty crazy bastards who've been subjected to some sort of polarizing trauma for an extended period of time and haven't used their human judgment and free will to direct their energies toward developing a richer and more diverse set of interests than one where getting themselves off is the most rewarding activity they can be engaged in.

What, as a matter of interest, is the difference between an "erotic novel" and pornography? Serious question.

Serious answer ?

Pornography is " in yer face " , often crude , degrading and disrespectful - especially to women ;

Erotica is more subtle .

Interesting discussions so far - but still a bit light on actual recommendations :)

We've had a few erotic classics mentioned, but who writes the good stuff today?

Interesting discussions so far - but still a bit light on actual recommendations :)

We've had a few erotic classics mentioned, but who writes the good stuff today?

Hlo Sparrow, see my post #15. Thx

well, i don't know if this is quite what you are looking for, but Nicholson Baker has written one or two books that can be considered erotic (i think) : Vox, and The Fermata.

Nicholson Baker is an excellent writer regardless of genre, i highly recommend his other books as well ; i started with Room Temperature and then Mezzanine and they are both brilliant.

Hlo Sparrow, see my post #15. Thx
By the way, I do apologize for savaging post #15 and engaging in the same type of mischaracterization that I criticized later in this thread. I definitely understood the fact that your sex story was meant as more of an artistic exploration, but I just kind of got into a groove there, man. You might say that a certain part of my male anatomy was aroused (brain) and I just couldn't let my line of thought go until I'd gotten some things off of my chest and just kind of thrown them out there for people to taste.

We've had a few erotic classics mentioned, but who writes the good stuff today?

Jacqueline Carey. I don't know that I'd classify her works as erotica, but her Kushiel series is classic adventure/fantasy fare and contains varying (but non-trivial) amounts of sex and BDSM, which are both hot and relevant to the story. Be warned that some of her books can get dark and uncomfortable in places, but they are well worth any time and money you choose to invest in them, IMO.

Hlo Sparrow, see my post #15. Thx

Thanks - tried getting it yesterday but kept getting redirected to a different server where nothing happened.
It's working ok today though, and I've just grapped a copy - :thumbsup:.

<sigh>

If the Gen3 is so awful, Christine, why don't you sell it? You appear to be "torturing" yourself with this terrible machine that you obviously loath so much. You've a ready market there waiting - get rid of it!

It seems to me that what IS irrational is to keep on using a system that you clearly find to be so unsuited to your needs! Why do you carry on using it? You'll easily get back the price that you paid for it if you sell it.

Anyway, must get back to preaching the Bookeen gospel!

You assume that if I sold it I would suddenly not care about prospective buyers, and would stop telling them the truth about this product. Right? Or, I'm assuming that incorrectly?

All I'm doing is telling them problems that are real, and the fact that the company doesn't respond well to customer concerns, and the fact that I think it's mighty overpriced for a product with many problems and bad customer service. Why does this bother you so much? It's not like I'm making things up. But you go around insisting yours is perfect and you never have any of the problems others have, and in fact, bookeen answers your email in 2 minutes! Other than you being on the payroll, I can't think of why you're so determined to make them appear to be so perfect when they clearly aren't.

Has it occurred to you that if you'd stop saying how they and their product are perfect, and you admitted some of the problems, I wouldn't feel the need to keep pointing them out?

I have never seen another e-book reader in my life besides my own, but the PRS-505 must surely exist as the best current dedicated e-book reader despite some really retarded flaws becauuuuuuseeeee the thing itself does always work.
I'm also a proponent of call-outs, so any blood-shedding only feeds my desire for more mobile reading discussion.
On the other hand, I think Harry T is a pretty good arbitrator on these forums and I've never seen him display a real agenda. Then again, why would I have?

Jacqueline Carey. I don't know that I'd classify her works as erotica, but her Kushiel series is classic adventure/fantasy fare and contains varying (but non-trivial) amounts of sex and BDSM, which are both hot and relevant to the story. Be warned that some of her books can get dark and uncomfortable in places, but they are well worth any time and money you choose to invest in them, IMO.

I agree completely. In addition, IMO, the Kushiel series is a well written set of stories.

You assume that if I sold it I would suddenly not care about prospective buyers, and would stop telling them the truth about this product. Right? Or, I'm assuming that incorrectly?


No, not at all. I'm just surprised that you carry on using a device that you're so unhappy with. If I was as dissatisfied with a book reader as you give the impression of being with your Gen3, I'd ditch it and get something I was happier with. Why keep something that you seem to hate so much?

I have never seen another e-book reader in my life besides my own, but the PRS-505 must surely exist as the best current dedicated e-book reader despite some really retarded flaws becauuuuuuseeeee the thing itself does always work.
I'm also a proponent of call-outs, so any blood-shedding only feeds my desire for more mobile reading discussion.
On the other hand, I think Harry T is a pretty good arbitrator on these forums and I've never seen him display a real agenda. Then again, why would I have?

My cybook always works, it just has some problems that I think are serious and that I think should have been taken care of before the thing ever went on sale. Certainly should have been taken care of by now. Bookeen's very terrible habits of ignoring customer emails and neglecting to share important information with all their customers just make me angrier; where if they instead chose to show they cared, it'd alleviate some of my displeasure.

As far as blood shedding and Harry T's agenda, you simply should read more in the cybook forum. ;)

Bookeen's very terrible habits of ignoring customer emails

They've got a heck of a lot better at answering e-mails in the last month or so - they seem to have taken on more customer support staff. Eg, this morning's e-mail, asking about the firmware upgrade, I sent at 8:42am and got a reply at 9:53am. If there are questions you've asked in the past and not had a reply to, it would probably be worth asking again.

A suggestion: I know that you have an issue regarding not finding words in the dictionary you bought. That issue seems to be unique to that specific dictionary. Have you asked the store you bought the dictionary from if they'll issue you a refund so you can get a different dictionary? Most eBook stores are pretty good at doing that kind of thing when books have problems with particular devices (and that does happen quite a lot).

Wow, between you, Harry and you, Christine, I would have to say that, unless you are both planning a very emotional reconciliation soon, this is the very worst erotic novel I've ever heard of. ;)

Cheers,
Marc

Wow, between you, Harry and you, Christine, I would have to say that, unless you are both planning a very emotional reconciliation soon, this is the very worst erotic novel I've ever heard of. ;)

Cheers,
Marc

Could get a bit messy !

Wow, between you, Harry and you, Christine, I would have to say that, unless you are both planning a very emotional reconciliation soon, this is the very worst erotic novel I've ever heard of. ;)

Cheers,
Marc

There was going to be a steamy make up scene, but you've ruined the mood. We're going to eat pizza and watch CSI instead.

Well, there's a lot to be said for friendship too. And pizza.

Here's the Wikipedia lists of erotic writers for anyone wanting to look:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_authors_of_erotic_works
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Erotica_writers

There was going to be a steamy make up scene, but you've ruined the mood. We're going to eat pizza and watch CSI instead.

What's Grissom wearing, and what kind of pizza? (Don't skimp on the details)

;)

Cheers,
Marc

If you're brave enough you can always pop into literotica . com for juicy stories and poems , though be aware it does cater for more than the written words .......... though I don't think any of the written stuff is available in any form for e-readers .

My cybook reads txt and html, and both are easily converted to prc. Takes a few seconds to grab a page of txt and save it to the cybook, same for saving as html.

My cybook reads txt and html, and both are easily converted to prc. Takes a few seconds to grab a page of txt and save it to the cybook, same for saving as html.

Exactly what I thought - but didn't want to say it in case someone gets upset ! :rofl: