The 30 Most Erotic Books You Will Ever Read
Snuggle up with one of these good, good sex reads, that spans different decades of sexual exploration. No one needs to know what you do under those covers, but these books all know how to get your heart racing. Sometimes that's by hammering down on taboos like merman sex or orgies that include over a hundred people. There's even a book that spans the length of a single blow job.
This list includes a genderqueer retelling of Peter Pan and a gender-swapped update of Pretty Woman. There are pulpy novels that are straight-up smut (Oh, hello, Anne Rice!) and novels that take an intellectual look at female sexuality. Some will get you off, while others, well, won't. Alissa Nutting's Tampa isn't exactly erotica, but it will definitely make you wonder why Lolita is.
That's kind of the fun of the list. Your kink might not be someone else's, but there is nothing sexier than sex positivity. So cue Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" and start clicking through this slideshow. A one-handed act that will leave your other hand free to do whatever you like.
At Refinery29 Australia, we're here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team, but we may earn commission or other compensation from the links on this page.
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Forbes
20 hours ago
- Forbes
AMC's The Vampire Lestat Proves Prestige Can Be Niche And Loyal
With the recent announcement that the third season of Interview with the Vampire will be retitled The Vampire Lestat, taking its name from Anne Rice's second book in the Vampire Chronicles series, AMC has demonstrated that this change is both strategic and narrative. In the current era of streaming, AMC chooses to fully commit to its niche by focusing on its compelling and gothic-infused storytelling rather than on awards and an overwhelming volume of content. The latest installment in the series will focus on Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), who now takes over the narrative from his former lover Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), the main character and, occasionally, unreliable narrator of the first two seasons. This shift, which fans have been speculating about since the end of season 2, fits seamlessly into the already established canon, with character-driven stories that may not appeal to everyone, but are essential for the viewers who resonate with them. AMC, which is no stranger to turning books into shows and harnessing passionate fanbases like in The Walking Dead, continues this tradition with The Immortal Universe. This includes Interview with the Vampire, Mayfair Witches, and the upcoming Talamasca: The Secret Order, all based on late Anne Rice's books. This strategy responds to Netflix's market saturation and HBO's critically acclaimed blockbuster-style programming. Instead of targeting just a wider audience, AMC recognizes how much fans have craved the stories they have planned; they understand that fans want specificity. For example, when the first season of Interview With the Vampire aired, it received decent linear ratings. However, it still managed to break records on AMC+, with nearly 75% of streamers for the first episode being new subscribers to the platform. Then, in 2024, when the first season was added to Netflix, sign-ups for AMC+'s app nearly quadrupled as new fans of the show discovered that Netflix only had the first season, not the second, which was exclusively streaming on AMC+. This demonstrated that, while there are benefits to creating content that appeals to a broad audience, there is real staying power in developing stories that can only be told through a specific niche and perspective—namely, through co-dependent, emotionally immature vampires with undeniable physical appeal. Following the Netflix streams and the additional AMC+ sign-ups, the show now attracts 17.8 times the audience demand of an average series in the United States, ranking among the top 2.7% of shows at its peak. The series has received praise from fans and critics alike for its story, writing, and heartbreaking performances by Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson, and, recently, Delainey Hayles for her portrayal of Claudia in the second season. Despite this, the show has yet to win an Emmy despite its nominations, unlike its competitors, such as Netflix, which has canceled many of its award-winning and fan-favorite shows, including The OA, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and Julie and The Phantoms. Too often, fans invest in a show with the lingering fear that it will be canceled after its first season, accompanied by the thought: 'If only more people had found it.' AMC counters this by emphasizing its strong writing, production, and actors. Recognizing that its story's niche might not lead to immediate success, the network commits to slow-burn growth, trusting that the audience will come if the story speaks for itself and stands on its own. Like the first two seasons of the show, The Vampire Lestat continues to follow the example set by prioritizing brand consistency. Lestat, a flamboyant, morally grey vampire rockstar, embodies everything that AMC knows its audience loves. They don't need to tone him or their other stories down to appeal to the masses; the numbers already prove their worth. And while prestige doesn't need to appeal to everyone, shows can succeed if they find a way to connect deeply with someone, and if the recent trailer of The Vampire Lestat is any indication, AMC is going all out to reinforce that commitment.
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Gizmodo
‘The Vampire Lestat' Cast Breaks Down the Next Chapter of AMC's Anne Rice Immortal Universe
During San Diego Comic-Con, io9 was invited to a press conference for The Vampire Lestat, the latest Anne Rice Immortal Universe series for AMC. And don't get it twisted, this is not Interview With The Vampire season three; this is officially the Lestat show, as he takes the mic to tell his story and put some misconceptions about himself and his past to rest—that is, until they rise from the dead or awaken… Star Sam Reid (Lestat de Lioncourt) was joined by Jacob Anderson (Louis de Pointe du Lac), Eric Bogosian (Daniel Molloy), and the show's creative team to break down the slew of announcements and teases hot off the SDCC panel. Fans of the show will recall that season two of Interview With the Vampire ended with a seeming reconciliation between Lestat and Louis, but their honeymoon phase was likely short-lived once Daniel Molloy actually published his book, if the teaser screened at the convention is any indication. It cold-opens on Louis and Lestat in separation proceedings with their lawyers. 'We're in a divorce era.' Reid smiled. 'The [Interview With The Vampire] book is still quite a large hurdle to have gotten over. At the end of season two, neither of them had read the book, and so there's obviously the fallout of that.' Anderson jumped in, 'That scene that you see in the teaser was mad. I won't talk too much about the whole scene, but I was a bit shaken after it… I was like, 'What am I doing?' I feel like we had to do a different thing in that scene than we've done before.' Reid continued, 'Yeah, well, you kind of have the history of two seasons and a lot of previous experience and a lot of weight like that that exists now between the two characters that we get to carry on to every scene, so it's really fun that the layers just become deeper and deeper. It's really fun. There's endless possibilities that you can do with these two characters [who] kind of really burn each other's houses down and rebuild them back together block by block, only for somebody to come in with a demolition crew and do it all over again.' And that someone was Danny Boy Molloy with his book. Molloy returns as he's recruited to document Lestat's musical side of the story in a visual medium through the Brat Prince's words and music. And yes, there will be a lot of songs about Louis and the fallout of their break-up. 'It's the love of his life. How could he not be influenced by Louis in his songwriting?' revealed composer and music supervisor Daniel Hart, who said he pulled musical influences from Led Zeppelin to Robert Plant, to classical to jazz, to even modern music. 'I think it's fair to say, and I think I'm allowed to say, he's written songs in season three specifically about Louis. You will know that they are songs about Louis. There are other songs about many other subjects. Lestat has many thoughts and feelings. But when we were working on the songs at the beginning, I think the thing we found was the most helpful in trying to find music that would embody the spirit of Lestat, was to try and avoid doing what most musicals are required to do, which is to further the plot in their lyrics.' Showrunner Rolin Jones elaborated that it all comes to a head as Lestat is living through quite an identity crisis between 'the performative vampire and actual vampire,' and explained that after an event in episode one, Lestat begins questioning everything. 'There's a little bit of the portrait of the artist and throwing yourself out there, right? And you put this music out there; you put, like, 'This is how I'm going to tell my story. I'm gonna tell it this way' This music is putting himself out there as an artist [and] opens him up to a level of introspection that is dangerous, thrilling, very, very terrifying, and that he's not prepared for, and so you know we're in a real Hamlet situation here. I think that he's going after the really, really big things, and I think he's charging forward with abandon, and does that mean trying to end it? Don't know. Does that mean he's trying to get to the other side of this? What is all this acting out? What is this longing for extremity? This thing that's within him cracks it all open.' And since it's been confirmed that Akasha's blood is within him, it begs the question if this thirst for the unknown is what could be driving him. We don't know yet who's playing the Queen of the Damned, the first of their vampire kind; Jones has said an offer was made to an actress, but she has yet to be revealed. Reid, however, played it coy on whether or not Akasha's influence plays a part in how Lestat takes to fame. 'With the blood of Akasha, does he feel like he's invincible? Basically, yes, I would say so, yeah, and to [a] fault. I think he's blindsided by how much power that he has. I think like an important key [about Lestat] when you have that much power, he doesn't really feel lovable because it feels like, 'If I showed all of the power, people would just be scared of me.' That's a big dynamic between [him and Louis] and [he] hides so much of himself from Louis so that he feels like he can't be truly loved, and then it ends up being catastrophic in his own right. And if you feel invincible, why not dive headfirst into the concrete and see what happens? And carrying along the effects of that, it's his crux, I suppose. It's where we begin the season.' The Vampire Lestat returns in 2026 on AMC. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Refinery29
a day ago
- Refinery29
The 30 Most Erotic Books You Will Ever Read
At this point, the sexcapades of Fifty Shades Of Grey are starting to feel a wee bit tired. Sorry, not sorry Christian Grey. For those looking to update their shelves with one-handed reads that hit all the erogenous zones, we've put together a list of the 28 sexiest books you will ever read. Snuggle up with one of these good, good sex reads, that spans different decades of sexual exploration. No one needs to know what you do under those covers, but these books all know how to get your heart racing. Sometimes that's by hammering down on taboos like merman sex or orgies that include over a hundred people. There's even a book that spans the length of a single blow job. This list includes a genderqueer retelling of Peter Pan and a gender-swapped update of Pretty Woman. There are pulpy novels that are straight-up smut (Oh, hello, Anne Rice!) and novels that take an intellectual look at female sexuality. Some will get you off, while others, well, won't. Alissa Nutting's Tampa isn't exactly erotica, but it will definitely make you wonder why Lolita is. That's kind of the fun of the list. Your kink might not be someone else's, but there is nothing sexier than sex positivity. So cue Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" and start clicking through this slideshow. A one-handed act that will leave your other hand free to do whatever you like. At Refinery29 Australia, we're here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team, but we may earn commission or other compensation from the links on this page.
