I’ve been on a bit of a reading kick lately, as you may have noticed from my recent tweets and Tumblr posts. I’ve mentioned before how much I love to read erotica, and I just finished Orgasmic: Erotica for Women from Cleis Press.

There are 25 short stories in this collection edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, and they all focus on women having orgasms in many different ways. The scenes are unique and the characters diverse, and by depicting women having orgasms from such a variety of stimulation, the stories in Orgasmic show that there is no right or wrong way to have an orgasm.

The stories are well-written and very titillating. Quite a few feature the creative use of toys, and I’m all for that. There’s even a custom built fucking machine chair.

Rather than post a brief blurb about each story, I’m going to tell you about my favorites. While I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the stories and learned a few things from many of them, these are the ones I liked so much I read more than once.

• “Fixing the Pipes” is a realistic–yet still sexy–glimpse of a married couple dabbling with role play. I love how the husband playfully seduces his wife, knowing that it will take a little creativity and initiative on his part to get her in the mood. His efforts show how much he desires her, and that’s reassuring since they’re also parents of young children, and it’s easy to forget about making time for each other when kids take over your life.
• “Share” is a woman’s fantasy while she’s using the Fun Factory Share dildo. Fun Factory is one of my favorite sex toy companies, but I haven’t tried the Share. Somehow I don’t think I’d enjoy it as much as the main character, who has quite a vivid imagination.
• Set in 1959, “Old Faithful” is about a housewife who is frustrated. When a toy robot and then the washing machine let her down, a vacuum cleaner salesman appears at her front door with what she needs.
• “The Big O” is a good reminder why it’s important for us to do our kegel exercises, and I actually learned a new way to to them. I doubt I’ll ever be the PC muscle queen that the main character becomes, but I love the description of how sex feels once her pelvic floor muscles get strong.
• “The London O” is a tube ride made all the more interesting with magic knickers. After buying the main character a pair of panties with both a textured clit stimulator and a vibrating dildo attached, her boyfriend takes possession of the remote control and makes her wear them home.
• “Making Shapes” combines art and sex. Or maybe reveals the art in sex, or something. A custom dildo maker is left with an unclaimed piece. Thinking it will never get picked up, and remembering how attractive the subject was, she decides to try out her creation.
• Honorable mentions go to “First Date with the Dom” for quite possibly being one of the hottest stories I’ve ever read, “Paying it Forward” because the world needs more women like that, and “Fight” for the energetic sex and exciting competition.

“Frosting First” was plenty erotic, but I had trouble letting go of the thought of all that sugar going where it shouldn’t and how yeast infections are truly miserable. Along the same lines, “Taking the Reins” should have been an obvious favorite because I love horses, and I really dig the smell of leather, but the equestrian in me can’t get past the thought that if the saddle is hitting her that way when she rides, then it doesn’t fit.

In addition to a nice introduction by the editor, the back of the book has “About the Authors” and “About the Editor” sections, as well as information about other book titles from Cleis Press. Rachel Kramer Bussel also has a blog promoting this book.

Thank you to Cleis Press for sending me Orgamic: Erotica for Women to read. You can get a copy directly from the Cleis Press website, or it’s available on amazon.com, both in paperback and Kindle.