During a recent romp in San Francisco, I stopped by a store (not necessarily a bookstore in the convential sense) and I picked up a volume titled Erotic Fairy Tales: A Romp Through the Classics by Mitzi Szereto. I was going to pick up another erotica title, but then I caught sight of this one and, after a quick glance at the introduction, decided that this would be more fun to read.

I mean, after all ... erotic fairy tales?!? I figured most good fairy tales had a hint of the naughty in them anyway!

Well, this book is just an absolute treat. The author seems to have done research on fairy tales throughout the ages and different countries. She's picked out about a dozen or so fairy tales and rewritten them into an erotic genre -- not that some of them (i.e., Little Red Riding Hood) needed much revision.

Szereto provides a very nice introduction at the beginning of the book, then before each story gives a brief 1- to 2-page history on that particular story and its variations. Each fairy tale is tastefully done. There is no vulgarity or overt sexual encounters or acts unlike some erotica -- just a lot of innuendo, nicely worded analogies and general good storytelling. And it's just hilariously funny to read.

It's a fun reading experience, and it goes by amazingly fast. Each tale is somewhat short, maybe 10 to 20 pages long, so it's easy enough to put down, pick up and put down again, especially when you have cats that want attention or friends dropping by on a holiday weekend.

I really like this book.