Suurepärane lugemine, meelelahutus ja uued teadmised ühekorraga. Naljakas ja õudne samuti ühekorraga: neid kohti, kus kahe käega peast haarad ja ägad, et kuidas see kõik ometi kunagi võimalik oli, ikka jätkus, lõpuni välja.
Autor võiks nüüd asja kümnendite või teemade kaupa uuesti ette võtta ja veel põhjalikumalt lahti kirjutada, päris mitmes kohas jäi kripeldama, et jah, aga mis edasi sai? Või miks, ja kuidas, ja kellega siis?
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I learnt way more than I bargained for while reading this. Ask my partner - there were times I was reading this in bed next to her and would just gasp or look at her with total shock at what I was reading and how awful some of it was. I would laugh uncontrollably at some of the anecdotes. I told all my friends and even some family members about the sheer absurdity of some of the beliefs that people of the past held. I loved this book so much. It's equal parts entertaining and shocking - one chapter I'm learning about the intertwining of sex and bicycles in Victorian England, the next I'm learning about the horrors of historical douching. I loved every page, I learnt stuff I had no idea about, and I feel like a better person for having read this. If you're interested in history and sex, you have to give this book a go. ( )

After reviewing a book about death, I thought my reading schedule could do with a little lightening up and what's the opposite of death? Life of course, but also sex!

Listening to the audiobook for A Curious History of Sex by Kate Lister is akin to watching an episode of Embarrassing Bodies; it was informative and educational and I enjoyed the creator's cheeky sense of humour.

Covering subjects like: aphrodisiacs, condoms, douching, impotence, menstruation, orgasms, pubic hair, self care, sex work, sex dolls, STDs, Viagra and vibrators, Lister manages to dispel several myths from the Victorian era, shine a light on stereotypes and attempt to debunk some long held views.

Given my previous reading experience and interest in history, there wasn't much in this book I didn't already know and I didn't find any of the content curious. Had I read this at the age of 20 though, I would have had an entirely different reading experience. I would have found the etymology of the 'C' word incredibly illuminating for a start and seized on the slang terms for areas of the body readily.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy the author's writing style, like this example in the chapter about the history of the clitoris and the discovery that the G spot was actually the C spot all along:

"...like a kind of clitoral Scooby Doo ending to a debate that has raged throughout medicine for centuries." Chapter 3

A Curious History of Sex by Kate Lister is recommended for fans of Ruth Goodman and Bill Bryson and the audiobook narrated by the author herself was a great listen. ( )

Brilliant! ( )