Review- Sex and Cupcakes: A Juicy Collection of Essays by Rachel Kramer Bussel!

Title: Sex and Cupcakes: A Juicy Collection of Essays
Author: Rachel Kramer Bussel
Format: Kindle Edition, 64 pages
Pub. Date: October 16th 2014
Source: Thought Catalog Books & Rachel Kramer Bussel


Book Description via Goodreads:

Sex and Cupcakes is a collection of essays from writer Rachel Kramer Bussel reflecting on her years as a sex columnist and cupcake blogger, detailing her dirty and sweet sides as well as sexual adventures, politics, heartbreak, tattoos and more. Sex and Cupcakes reveals the woman behind the stereotype, one far more complex than Carrie Bradshaw and her Manolos, a woman willing to expose herself, on paper and in the flesh, who takes risks and gets hurt and keeps on searching for love, sex, passion and happiness. Includes essays such as “I’m Pro-Choice and I F***,” “Wearing My Tattooed Heart On My Sleeve,” “My Boyfriend’s Fat,” “Champagne Sex,” and “Monogamishmash.”

Review:

★★★★

Sex and Cupcakes is a collection of thoughtful and thought provoking essays from erotica writer (and so much more) Rachel Kramer Bussel. I've read a countless number of her short stories, articles, and anthologies, but this collection of essays is the one that most connected me to her. I feel like these essays act as a window into what makes Rachel, well, Rachel, and it was definitely an interesting read.

What I like about these thoughts is their honesty. They cover a wide range of topics, from body image to erotica writing to cupcake blogging, and each chapter serves to talk about a different facet of life. It kind of underlines the fact that each of us has so many different sides and pieces and masks that we show to different people. What makes me most appreciate her honesty is that it is done with utmost respect while still not sugar coating anything. For example, in one of the essays she talks about how her experience with polyamory was not a good one and that it didn't seem to be for her. However, while talking about that, she never insults the culture or the people in it, which is sadly something that happens a lot when people offer their opinion. It was something that I definitely noticed, in a positive way.

This collection of essays is a sincere one that is fairly quick to read, but offers a lot of information. I've toyed around with the idea of writing erotic short stories myself, but I always somehow manage to talk myself out of it. Rachel offers advice and tips on how to go about writing and getting published, and honestly she made me have a motivation, a want to test my writing skills to see what I could do. Props for that.

I also liked that these essays had citations/recommendations. If she thought a topic needed more exploring, she provided names of books or authors so the reader could go and investigate further. If she had something to say in response to a particular book or article, it was quoted and cited and then intelligently responded to.

This collection gives an interesting insight into the world of erotica, sexuality, and writing in general. I'd recommend it to those in the erotic writing field or to fans of Rachel Kramer Bussel's other works.

Thanks to Thought Catalog Books & Rachel Kramer Bussel for my copy in exchange for my honest review.