Brief Encounters – Emily Dubberley

I’ve covered one of Dubberley’s books before (see You Must Be My Best Friend…Because I Hate You!) and what I like most about her writing style is it’s totally accessible. Although this book is a factual book, it’s not written in a formal style, so you can simply enjoy what you’re reading and take it in without feeling as though you’re being lectured.

Brief Encounters – The Women’s Guide to Casual Sex is definitely a joy to read, and an education. It covers all aspects of casual sex and is broken down into manageable chunks so you can easily dip in and out (if you’ll pardon the pun), or just read the sections that you feel are relevant to you. Absolutely everything you may encounter in casual sex is covered (in fact, there’s probably a lot you won’t encounter, but as they say, it’s always best to be prepared), and there is also lots of practical safety advice, for example your personal safety (i.e. if you’re meeting someone new then take every precaution and have a friend ring to check up on you) and also the all-important STI checks.

Overall, I think Dubberley is under-selling this title by marketing it at those interested in casual sex, because there’s lots in this book that anybody who enjoys sex, whether they’re in a long-term relationship, single, etc, can learn about. The sections on masturbation in particular I found interesting, and there are certainly some fetishes and kinks mentioned in the book that I’d never even heard of!

I’d recommend this book to any woman who wants to learn more about sex. Obviously it’s not marketed as a sex manual, but anyone interested in sex may find themselves considering casual sex at some point in the future, so it’s always worth having a copy of this book on your shelf. It’s interesting, informative and a pleasure to read. Also, each copy sold means a share of royalties goes to SEXplained.com – a charity which promotes safe sexual and reproductive health. And anything that prevents ignorance in matters of the “bits” can only be a good thing.

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