Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm

Pleasing color sketches and simple diagrams adorn the pages of Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm by famed Sex and the City actor Kim Cattrall and her husband, jazz musician Mark Levinson. The fact that Cattrall's character on the show, Samantha Jones, is a sexual giantess is likely to bump up sales a notch for this attractive, children's-size book, but nevertheless it's a very worthwhile read.

Simple concepts--open communication, trust, love, and a consistent interest in pleasing one another--are the ingredients for an enriching and fulfilling sex life that can bring two people ever closer, according to the text. The facts speak for themselves: when pressed, women will confess in droves that they are sexually frustrated. It's tricky to communicate one's carnal desires to one's lover, yet both parties must be open to this type of ongoing discussion for the formula to work.

Meanwhile, a little education for men can go a long way. The concepts are basic--anyone who isn't a virgin probably knows them. But the rub lies in the consistency, the selflessness, and the patience required of the man. Cattrall and Levinson ask their male readers how they'd feel if they experienced some physical pleasure during lovemaking but never got to climax; they would likely get frustrated after a while. So an abiding devotion to pleasing the woman is a basic assumption throughout, and one that isn't commonly pointed out in such an open way elsewhere. Some readers may think Cattrall and Levinson's approach offers nothing new or exciting, but this honest reminder of what it takes to be a sensitive and satisfying lover is just what the doctor ordered. --Teri Kieffer