The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek. Translated from German by Joachim Neugroschel

Published by Grove/Atlantic Inc

Erika Kohut is a 38-year-old piano teacher who shares an apartment with her mother. A mother who seems to live through her daughter, micromanaging every aspect of her life right down to the clothes she wears and what happens to her wages. She bullies, screams, slaps, and shouts at her daughter while simultaneously declaring her love and that all her words and actions stem from her love for her offspring.

Erika appears to remain the perfect daughter while struggling with both sadistic and masochistic tendencies. She ventures to a seedy part of town to take in a peep show after work sometimes, visits the cinema to view brutal, dark and violent movies featuring S&M, other times she prefers spying on unsuspecting lovers in the woods. When a 17 year old student of hers shows an interest in her and also displays an unwillingness to give up on his desires she wonders if this could be the one, the man with the unbending will, the one who can give her all she needs and who will understand her darkest desires.

A friend of mine, who lives overseas, had mentioned this book to me a few times. I finally bought it and I am so thankful I did. So many books can lose a certain quality when being translated to other languages (A prime example is the Mercy Room which I reviewed a while ago) but The Piano Teacher is certainly not one of those books. I read it from cover to cover within 48 hours. It was one of those books that left me wishing I didn't need sleep and could just stay up and finish it. In an ideal world I would have done just that.

The writing is fantastic, the characters are excellently developed, and the reader can't help but be pulled in by the story. As I was reaching the last few pages, I wished that the book could have magically sprouted a few more chapters. This is my first book by this author but it will definitely not be my last. I love the cover on this book too.

Permanence: Tattoo Portraits by Kip Fulbeck

Published by Chronicle Books
Distributed by Raincoast Books

While tattooing is becoming increasingly popular there is often still a great amount of stigma surrounding those who decide to decorate their bodies in this fashion. Kip Fulbeck takes images of a diverse group of these people and puts them into this book along with their own stories regarding their experiences with ink.

Whether you sport tattoos or not, you are sure to find this book an eye opener. Great photography and a very voyeuristic look into the personal choices behind each piece of art. A great gift for those who are into body modification and for anyone who has a curiosity as to why anyone would get inked.

Myself, I have three tattoos though it looks like two. I have a wolf with native feathers on my right arm and later had my husband's name placed alongside. Both of those are a symbol of my commitment to him. I also have a more personal tattoo on the back of my neck to remind me of my spirit and strength.

I loved this book and hope it is the start of a new trend. I would love to see more books on the subject of body modifications.

Bad Sex: We Did It, so You Won't Have To by the writers of Nerve.com

Published by Chronicle Books
Distributed by Raincoast Books

Most adults can share at least one or two personal bad sex stories, though admittedly many would be too embarrassed. The writers of Nerve.com have put together this collection of their own dodgy experiences which are funny, sad, and often just plain weird. There is the guy who ejaculates so often that he could probably put a fire out quicker than the local fire department, a sleeping cat (easily my favourite story!), intimidating vibrators, drunk sex, and the handjob from hell. These are just a few of the situations that arise in this slightly naughty, greatly voyeuristic read.

Bad sex stories. Many of us have them. There is the time I had a knock on the door and opened it only to find that my ever-so-helpful neighbours had called the police in concern for my safety. Imagine my surprise when they asked if I was okay, and their surprise when I answered with a perfectly straight face that I was just having sex. Then there is the drunken exchange with a younger guy which has led some of my British friends to repeatedly sing Paul Hardcastle's song "19" at me just so they can see me blush. Or perhaps the bondage scene in the woods where I packed everything we could need including a spare blouse since my husband was going to cut mine off. Imagine his amusement, and my horror when I realised that I had left it at home on the arm of the couch which was thankfully only a short distance (and a VERY fast sprint through the yards of 4 neighbours) away.

Your enjoyment of this book will depend on how adventurous you are. I am admittedly a little too adventurous at times and I think that is a big part of why I found some of the stories (okay, a lot of them) fell short of the entertaining mark. To someone else, they could be pretty shocking and funny. That said, the book can also be looked at as a way of discovering things to try and those not to. A perfect example would be the licking of eyeballs as foreplay. (In my wildest dreams I could never have thought to do that!)