This review is the first in a series. I have to admit that I have never read a pop astrology book in my life, let alone one about sex and seduction. I always looked down on most books that you would find at a Barnes & Noble. However, life should be fun, and there's something to be said for introducing astrology in a tasty package.

Sexscopes: How to Seduce, Stimulate, and Satisfy Any Sign is one of those books. If you're looking for heavy-duty analyses of aspects between your Venus and his Mars, look elsewhere. This book is unabashedly about Sun signs, with a little bit of planetary rulership thrown in for semi-respectability.

Stuart Hazleton has written for Cosmopolitan. He may have had to use sexual innuendos for the magazine, but in this book he's virtually pornographic. I have to admit that I found myself getting steamed up while reading this book in the subway, and had to put the book away because it felt inappropriate to get hot and bothered in public. (Could it be my Virgo Rising?) Needless to say, you'll learn about every sign's proclivities towards oral sex and more in this volume.

Stuart structures SexScopes by devoting a chapter to each sign. He starts with Sex Stats, outlining the sign's ruling planet, trademark color, favorite position, ultimate outfit (for each gender), favorite music for the bedroom, best sex toy, and preferred post-coital cuisine. He provides an introduction to the sign, followed by what to expect from, say, an Aries man in contrast to an Aries woman. This is insightful, as an Aries woman has to negotiate expressing an assertive, "masculine" identity in a female body, and often does not get the same response an Aries man would for similar behavior.

Stuart then provides ways to break the ice with each gender. If you want a pick-up line to get a conversation going with the sign of your choice, you will at least have a springboard from which to jump.

The only planetary astrology involved comes into play when the author discusses decanates. What is a decanate? Each sign comprises 30 degrees of the zodiac, and can be divided into three 10-degree subsections. Each of these decanates relates to the element (fire, earth, air, or water) of the sign. For example, Aries is a fire sign. Aries also relates to the first 10 degrees of this sign, and is subruled by Mars. The second 10-degree group relates to Leo, and is subruled by the Sun. The third group relates to Sagittarius, and is subruled by Jupiter. Providing birthdays so you can easily identify your lover's subruler, Mr. Hazleton provides more detailed information about how they express their Sun sign. For example, an Aries with a Jupiter subruler will be more playful than one with a Mars subruler.

Stuart provides compatibility guides, both for sexual and long-term compatibility. Taurus and Aries may initially experience fireworks in the bedroom, but will drive each other crazy outside of it.

Finally, the author provides astrologically accurate erogenous zones for the sign in question. (For example, Aries rules the head, Taurus rules the throat, and so on.) A list of celebs of that sign ends each chapter.

One plus of this book is that Stuart is gay-inclusive, making sure to provide graphic examples for gay men, lesbians and heteros. Most importantly, he is an entertaining writer. As long as you're not put off by terms like smutty samba, mounting, and muff diving, you'll enjoy yourself thoroughly, and even learn something in the process.

Buy Sexscopes: How to Seduce, Stimulate, and Satisfy Any Sign at amazon.com

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Labels: astrology, book review