Men Don't Read Sex Novels...Or Do They?

It is a known fact that men are turned on by visuals, which is why so many of them spend hours in front of a computer screen watching pornography or looking at dirty pictures. Women on the other hand, women are turned on by words...we love to hear how sexy we are and more importantly we love to read about romance.  So many women have read Fifty Shades of Grey, really that's how it became so popular, but no one ever stopped to wonder how many straight guys sit down to read a romance novel, let alone a sex novel.  While browsing the internet, I found an article in GQ written by Tom Bissel about his take on Fifty Shades and sex novels in general.  Although Bissel was not the fondest of Fifty Shades, saying "the only way it could be worse is if it ended with 'Heil Hitler'" and later describing the narrator Anastasia Steele as "a charmless dolt who doesn't like to dance, wear nice clothes, have sex, or say interesting things".  He recommended a list of books that would actually get a man turned on; books he says "master the fine are of Erotic Cooperative Reading". 

#1. Couples by John Updike
A story about a group composed of ten couples living in a seaside New England community who make a sex cult complete with rituals, games and even a priest.

#2. The Fermata by Nicholson Baker
The story of Arno Strine, who has the ability to stop time in which he calls "the Fold".  During this time, he likes to undress women, touch them, and masturbate.

#3. The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst
A novel about the friendship between William Beckwith, a gay aristocrat who lives a life of privilege and promiscuity, and Lord Nantwich, an old African man searching for a someone to write his biography.  The novel is said to be a tale of erotic homosexuality before AIDS.

#4. Girls by Nic Kelman

An erotic novel about older men having sexual relations with younger, mostly prostitutes  women.  The books switches between detailed sex scenes and episodes of sociosexual horror.

#5. A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter

The story of the love affair of a Yale dropout and a young french girl, however the novel is told by a nameless narrator which give the story a dreamlike sense.  

To read the entire article visit: 

 http://www.gq.com/entertainment/books/201212/reading-guide-to-dirty-books#ixzz2MPFvAGLR

-Liz Harrison