When you are reading a book

and it goes off the from the main story, and does the sex scene, does it add to the story for you or just get in the way?

It usually just gets in the way for me. Especially the graphic ones, and the ones in books where they use terms like 'squelching'.

I remember seeing one of the TV shows, Have I got news for you, I think it could have been, where they were taking the mick out of Alan Titchmarsh's book, which contained something about squelching, and it wasn't when the characters were gardening in the rain or anything.

I preferred films in the old days where they disappeared into the bedroom and shut the door. The next scene would be back to the story.
Unless the sex scene is relevant to the film but it rarely is. Mostly its just for titillation.
Luckily these days I can fast forward and if truth be known that's probably how long the sex lasts in real life.

A lot of the books I read such as the History of German Battleships don't seem to contain any sex scenes lol.

I used to like the days of Mills & Boone where everything was " above the waist"... it was romantic rather than just sex and would leave a woman reading it, going "aaatrh" ... or a man ( if men read M & B) saying for " gods sake get on with it."

M & B, is that the Mitchell and Butler brewery magazine ?.

I'm clearly reading the wrong type of books - sex scenes seem too few and far between.

I get bored with sex scenes in books, it often seems that the author is stuck so they make the characters have sex which seem a very lazy way of writing to me, it also feels masturbatory and I'm an unwilling voyeur, so I skip to the next chapter or paragraph. I don't mind sex scenes in films, tv or books when its in context, but like I said before so often it just seems lazy.

I agree with WH, sex scenes are sooo boring. I've just read a book called the Irish Cottage which is the first of a series but I won't be reading the rest - much too explicit. It was on kindle and at the end the author made the 'mistake' of asking for opinions - she got mine and I doubt she'll like it. As Vic says much better left to the imagination.

If you read a book with a sex scene on a kindle - does the sex scene come to life it you tap the screen?

I believe that it ruins a good story and distracts from it. I prefer everything to be more subtle if needed at all. I have given up reading books in the past, as from the write up on the back, were entirely different inside. I know one book quite a while back, I had thought was going to be more like 'Little house on the Prairie' instead it turned out more like, time for bed in detail on every other page. I gave up by the second chapter.

I'd probably throw the kindle at the wall if it did Timmee lol

I believe they have literary competitions for the worst sex scene. I seem to remember that Melvyn Bragg was once a contender. One of my favourite novels is about the lack of sex - 'On Chesil Beach' by Ian McEwan.

Sea Urchin,

I reckon you picked up the book The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas by mistake.

Timmee,

As someone who lives on Chesil Beach, I can assure you that as a prop for turning a woman's eyes all misty and dreamy, the painting of any romantic picture where Chesil Beach is involved, delivers nothing but a great big PLUS in the eyes and hearts of a romantic girl / woman.

Mentioning the spectacular local flora, fauna, geology, ancient history and prehistory is a sure way to melt an 'outdoorsy' girl's heart.

As proof, I have an exciting weekend lined up in the next few days ... and can thank the conversations I've been having, (with my new date), on a national daily newspaper dating site as the reason for that success. :-)

Well you say that, but it singularly failed to work in the cased I mentioned LOL.

So, obviously none of you have read Lady Chatterley's Love thru to the last page then ???

I think this is an 'age' thing - do you remember being kids and turning down the corners of the 'sexy' pages !!!

If the story does require a sexual scene then I'm OK. With it. If it doesn't require a sexual scene, it's just a wastep of film or print. I assume it's been added as a selling point and the author/creator hasn't got much belief in their own work. At this point the book goes to the charity shop or I switch to something with more meat on the bone.

Talking of meat on the bone, and not wanting to digress too much from the OP, I was reading some books by Stuart McBride .. crime novels.

They were pretty horrific in the descriptions of what the perps did to their victims. When I got to book 4, I think it was, I gave up because the reviews indicated that you needed a really strong stomach.

It really depends on the context for me. I can't see anything in the likes of 50 shades of shite and those that insist on adding fcuk for the sheer hell of it. However, there have been the odd literary masterpieces like Richard Adams' Maia that if read in context can be gripping reads. He manages to eschew the use of blatant smut and makes adept use of euphemism to cloak the raunchier episodes with the use of more genteel language. It's a book that seems to split opinions down the middle with his use of political commentary and empowerment.

ah yes, I have some sweet memories of Chesil Beach, one moonlit night.

Squelching isn't a good word, so no wonder Alan got ribbed, but I do think that Parky was unnecessarily nasty to him, as indeed he has been with a number of his guests in the past.

Sex is a part of life, in fact each of us wouldn't have come into existence without it. So its natural to expect that it should be represented in all forms of art. I agree that its representation does need to be appropriate and justified, and not simply for the reasons of titillation. Some observers will always enjoy it for the simple pleasure of their own titillation, but curiosity is also part of human nature.

I've always been very intrigued by the films of the director Peter Greenaway, and amongst their many common themes are death (the unavoidable) and sex (a driving element of life). I've always thought that he incorporated the sex element very well.

Slightly off-topic, sorry tumbles ..

When I finished my book the other day, I did shout ye e es!, accompanied by a fist pump as the nasty man got his comeuppance from an unexpected source.

.. and me such a shy retiring type ... ;-)

This reminded me of my dear old Mam, when we were young and watching television if a love scene
such as a gentle kiss come on the scree she would change channels or send us to bed, and she had six of us rugrats. :)
God bless Mam.