I recently came across the book “Spoon Me, Fork Me”, and it seemed like kind of a fun idea for a cookbook.  The entire book is dedicated to recipes that inspire lust, complete with sensual photos to enhance the reading.  On the upside, who doesn’t love both food and sex?  The downside, though, is that combining sex with food means you may never get to the actual meal.

If you think you’re capable of multi-tasking, you may enjoy one (or all) of the books below.

Fork Me, Spoon Me: the sensual cookbook - Author Amy Reiley includes recipes for Hot Honey Nuts, Vanilla-Scented Sea Bass, Moist Mango Meatloaf, Ginger Mojitos, and Persian Love Cake.

The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook - Authors Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge include recipes for Strawberries Drenched in Honeyed Cream, Orange Blossom Panna Cott,a and Grilled Vietnamese Gingered Beef Rolls, along with dozens of sensual photographs.

The Erotic Cookbook - Christina Moles Kaupp offers 100 recipes that draw inspiration from Europe and Asia, including “Catch-Me” Crab Soup to “Up All Night” Espresso Mousse.  Somehow, anything dealing with sex that includes the words “catch” and “crab”seems a little unappealing to me, but you may see things differently.

The Seduction Cookbook: Culinary Creations For Lovers - Oh, how silly.  The description for this one says the book includes a little “fork-play” with appetizer recipes like Chile Lime Shrimp, Rocket Salad with Black Mission Figs and Ahi Tuna Ceviche with Advocado.

Will Cook for Sex: A Guy’s Guide to Cooking - This one’s unique in that it was actually intended for guys.  I got a chance to read through a copy a while back, though, and even as a woman, I enjoyed it.  The recipes were relatively simple, but always impressive.  Author Rocky Fino also put together a cocktail guide, Will Mix for Sex: Twenty-one Classic Cocktails to Set the Mood.

Cooking with Aphrodisiacs: Create Passion on a Plate - This one’s actually a DVD, but it definitely fits the theme.  As you can see from the front, even the pears get turned on by Cooking with Aphrodisiacs.

Booty Food: A Date By Date, Nibble by Nibble, Course by Course Guide to Cultivating Love and Passion Through Food - Author Jackie Malouf mixes dating etiquette, tips, and cooking advice in this steamy title.

The moral of the story?  Even if you don’t find your way into a man’s heart with these meals, you’ll probably find your way into his pants.  If that’s what you’re looking for.

If a person was so inclined, he or she could read a new business book every day, never leaving enough time to get around to actually doing business. Sadly, I know a few people who do that, and every time I talk to them, they ask me why they never get promoted, even though they work so hard…but that’s another story for another time.

I try to limit myself to one business book every month or two, and right now, I’m working on Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back.  The title is kind of a mouthful, but so far, I’m thoroughly impressed by the book.  Although it is a business-specific book, there’s actually a lot of psychology included, so it’s actually an interesting read for almost anyone.  If nothing else, it will give you some insight into the types of things companies do to win your business and attention.

I’ll admit that I initially picked it because I loved the cover art (what can I say, I’m a sucker for chickens), but I’m actually really glad that I did.

In case you didn’t know it, I’m a huge sucker for anything with pictures of birds, trees, or fish. Seriously, it’s almost dangerous. When I head into a cute card shop, I always bring a friend who cuts me off if I get too crazy. On the Internet, I have no such monitor. Here on the information superhighway, it’s just me and my credit card.

This morning I happened upon the website for Pinecone + Chickadee, and sure enough, they have bird notebooks. This time, instead of irrationally buying, I’m going to try something new. I’m going to put up a picture of this adorable notebook and let it taunt all of you instead. That way, I get to “ooh” and “ahh” about how cute it is without actually having to buy it. Of course, if everyone writes back and agrees with me about how cute it is, we could have trouble.

Anyway, what do you think? Just click the picture if you want to check it out on the retailer’s site.

There’s no point in looking fantastic if the whole effect is shot to hell when you open your mouth. I love looking good and having nice things as much as the next girl, but I also make a point of reading at least 2-3 books each week. Although I know not everyone has that kind of time, I can’t be alone in my desire to improve my mind.

For that reason, I’m going to start sharing the highlights of my reading list in hopes that someone else can enjoy the books as much as I did. First up - one of my all-time favorites, Frank Herbert’s Dune.

I’ll warn you right now that Dune is a sci-fi classic. That said, you’d be making a terrible mistake to avoid it for that reason. If you’re not accustomed to reading sci-fi or fantasy novels, you’ll probably find the first 20-30 pages to be a little rough. Once you get a feel for the world Herbert’s created, though, you’ll be right at home.

I first read Dune when I was about 11, and I didn’t really understand a lot of what I read. It was a great story, but when I re-read it recently, I was blown away all over again. If you enjoy stories of power struggles with a lot of underlying psychology and spirituality, you’ll love Dune.

Girl tip for reading sci-fi: Picture the lead male (and the lead is nearly always a male) as the hottest man imaginable - your imaginary fantasy man or future husband. Sci-fi heroes tend to be incredibly brainy, dashing, amazing men, so getting a good mental picture going from the start is a sure-fi way to add another element of awesomeness to the reading experience.