Why am I passionate about this?

Before children, I had a robust sex drive. When my second daughter was born, poof—it disappeared. Upon asking, I discovered that my friends were also struggling. I immersed myself in the research literature and found solutions—yet was dismayed that this information wasn’t readily available to women. So, I translated the scientific literature into an accessible self-help book. My passion was ignited. I immersed myself in sex education and therapy, publishing my second book based on the experiences of students in a university-level human sexuality course I teach. I find deep meaning translating sexual science for the lay public and helping people gain knowledge and comfort with sex.


I wrote

Book cover of Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It

What is my book about?

Mainstream media and porn teach us that sex = penis + vagina, and everything else is secondary. Yet, penetration is…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman

Laurie Mintz Why did I love this book?

This book is written for men about how to pleasure women (with oral sex).

The author, a well-known sex therapist, reveals at the start of the book how he discovered the art of cunnilingus. He suffered from premature ejaculation and thought he could thus never please a woman—until he discovered (in his own words) that “the tongue is mightier than the sword!” 

Ian writes from a knowledgeable, compassionate voice, giving readers information and skills to please their female partners. I’ve recommended this book to countless individuals. The term “cliterate” first appeared on the back of this book cover.

When I wanted to use it on my book cover, I called Ian and asked his permission. He graciously said, “Of course! The more cliterate people in the world, the better!”

By Ian Kerner,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked She Comes First as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Every man’s must-read. Tell your guy to put down the remote and pick up She Comes First.”
—Cosmopolitan

 

Ian Kerner offers a radical new philosophy for pleasuring women in She Comes First—anessential guidebook to oral sex from the author of Be Honest—You’re Not That Into Him Either. The New York Times praises Kerner’s “cool sense of humor and an obsessive desire to inform,” as he “encourages men through an act that many find mystifying.” An indispensable aid to a healthier, more fulfilling sex life for her and him, She Comes First offers techniques and philosophy that have already earned raves…


Book cover of Better Sex Through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire

Laurie Mintz Why did I love this book?

Mindfulness is a powerful practice, proven to decrease stress and help us live more in the present moment. Acclaimed psychologist and researcher Dr. Lori Brotto is the brilliant pioneer to apply mindfulness to sexuality.

Dr. Brotto had been using mindfulness with great success to help her patients and she thus wrote a book to spread the word more broadly. In this book, she explains the reasons people have sexual problems and provides easy, effective exercises to help them. And, even if a reader doesn’t have a sexual problem, mindfulness can simply enhance sexual pleasure and satisfaction.

I have recommended this book to countless clients and students. I meditate each morning and practice mindfulness myself, inside and outside of the bedroom, and I’ve learned a lot from Dr. Brotto’s work.

By Lori A. Brotto,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Better Sex Through Mindfulness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

AS SEEN IN "THE PRINCIPLES OF PLEASURE" ON NETFLIX

ALSO FEATURED IN BUSTLE * DAN SAVAGE LOVECAST * JEZEBEL * NEW YORK TIMES

Find out how mindfulness is the key to cultivating desire, increasing sexual pleasure, and finding joy in intimacy.

Studies show that approximately half of all women experience some kind of sexual difficulty at one point in their lives, with lack of interest in sex being by far the most common and the most distressing. And when sex suffers, so do all other areas of life.

But it doesn't have to be that way. In Better Sex through…


Book cover of Guide to Getting It on

Laurie Mintz Why did I love this book?

I consider this the most comprehensive book on sex that exists.

It is chockful of knowledge and sage advice, all based on science, yet written in a manner that will make you laugh out loud. If I have a question about sex that I don’t know the answer to, this is the first book I open. I also often recommend this book to clients who simply need to get comfortable talking about sex as the tone is so accepting and fun.

I also quote this book quite often in my undergraduate Psychology of Human Sexuality class and the students love it so much that on the last day, I raffle off several copies.

By Paul Joannides,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Guide to Getting It on as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“You've never read a manual as warm, friendly, liberating, thorough, and potentially sex-life-changing as the Guide To Getting It On! Neither had anyone in our office―which may be why our copies keep disappearing.” ― Oprah Magazine

“Finally. A book about sex you'll actually want to read!” ― Playboy

Few people had heard of Bumble and Hinge when the last edition of the “Guide to Getting It On” went to press four years ago. No one would have guessed that Chaturbate would become the 28th most popular website in the US, or that women in college would pay for their tuition…


Book cover of Desire: An Inclusive Guide to Navigating Libido Differences in Relationships

Laurie Mintz Why did I love this book?

When I chatted with the authors about their motivation to write this book, they said that they wanted to write a book on desire that they’d feel comfortable recommending to diverse clients, as none currently existed.

I not only agree with their assessment, but I was excited to see that they accomplished their goal! As a sex therapist, I can affirm that desire is one of the most confusing and troubling issues that individuals and couples bring to therapy.

This book explains desire, normalizes desire differences, and provides an inclusive and compassionate road map to clients struggling with it. I plan to recommend this book to many clients for years to come.

By Lauren Fogel Mersy, Jennifer A. Vencill,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Desire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A radically inclusive, sex-positive guide to managing the inevitable libido differences in our relationships, authored by two certified sex therapists who are passionate about good sex

Desire invites readers of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship structures to shed the shame and misinformation that surround the topic of sex and instead learn from 2 certified sex therapists about how libido really works. Desire differences are one of the most common relationship issues, yet, with fewer than 1,100 certified sex therapists in the country, it can be difficult to find help. This essential book breaks the mold of the sex…


Book cover of Sizzling Sex for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Maximize Erotic Pleasure at Any Age

Laurie Mintz Why did I love this book?

I wish more people in general and men in specific knew about this book. It includes an enormous amount of information, all based in science (which is really important when it comes to sex education), yet written in a compassionate, clear, and understandable way. 

While this book is written to help men with their sexuality, the women in their lives will no doubt benefit from what they learn. I truly think that if all men read this book, both they and their partners would have fewer sexual issues and much more pleasure and connection.

By Michael Castleman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sizzling Sex for Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Michael Castleman, the world's most popular sex expert, has written the most comprehensive, authoritative, reassuring, and practical guide to lifelong pleasure for men and the women who love them. Library Journal calls him "one of the nation's top health writers."
Medical journalist Michael Castleman has answered more than 12,000 sex questions throughout his career, including on his website GreatSexGuidance.com, through his "All About Sex" blog on Psychology Today, or even when he used to answer all the sex questions for Playboy's "Advisor" column in the '90s. From his numerous years of experience comes this, the most thorough consumer sexuality guide…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It

What is my book about?

Mainstream media and porn teach us that sex = penis + vagina, and everything else is secondary. Yet, penetration is how men—not women—most reliably achieve orgasm. Most women need external clitoral stimulation to orgasm, yet society tells us penetration is how we should orgasm. The result is an orgasm gap between women and men.

In Becoming Cliterate, I expose the cultural problems perpetuating this gap, and provide proven skills women and men can use to close this gap. I am thrilled that published research shows it works! Women who read it become more orgasmic, aroused, satisfied, sexually confident, and comfortable with their bodies. They also improve their communication skills. The revolution is Cuming and Becoming Cliterate is leading the charge.

Book cover of She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman
Book cover of Better Sex Through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire
Book cover of Guide to Getting It on

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Why am I passionate about this?

I read and write to better understand people. Why do we do what we do, feel what we feel, hide what we hide? Any book that illuminates these questions and their answers draws me in. Reading and writing are ways that I can attempt to walk in someone else’s shoes and see the world through their eyes, expanding my own understanding of the world. Perhaps the books on this list will offer you the same opportunity.

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Rooted in Sunrise

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"A loving coming-of-age story for women in mid-life. Brava!" -Adriana Trigiani, Author of The Good Left Undone

". . . captures the true meaning of resilience-something so many women strive to know in the depths of their inner-self." -Sister Robbie Pentecost, OSF former Executive Director of the New Opportunity School for Women

Ava Winston likes her life of routine in Lexington, Kentucky. Each day, she goes to the place she's worked for twenty years, then returns home. On Sundays, she has dinner with her daughter, Juniper. It's a little boring, but as Ava nears fifty-five, she deserves a bit of…


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Interested in sex education, health, and sexuality?

Sex Education 11 books
Health 121 books
Sexuality 48 books