Polyamory Books, Magazines, Websites

River

Active member
This topic/thread is for posting book review links, magazine article links, essay links, website links, and the like -- and for discussing reading material.

Here's a book review:

Opening Up: Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships
By Tristan Taormino
http://www.ejhs.org/volume11/openup.htm
 
I'm waiting for the arrival of Polyamory: Roadmaps For The Clueless And Hopeful by Anthony D. Ravenscroft, will let you know what I think once I've read it.
 
Yes. Please do. I'd also like to read that one.
 
I just ordered Pagan Polyamory: Becoming a Tribe of Hearts by Raven Kaldera. It got a good review on Amazon, and I liked the way the first pages sounded.

ETA: I'm finding this book very insightful and informative. From the standpoint of a person just coming to accept polyamory, it has definitely explained many things to me in a way that helped me understand better. I enjoy that it has a section on polyamorous parenting. My one complaint is that I wish it would go into more depth on many of the issues; some of the chapters felt rushed, or would have benefitted from relating more examples. While I think that it could certainly be used by non-Pagans, it is most relevant to Pagans and may not be comfortable for someone unfamiliar with Pagan beliefs. There are spells included at the end of most chapters, and there is an appendix at the end of the book with instructions for astrology and tarot layouts relating to polyamory.
 
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Intimacy and Solitude by Stephanie Dowrick is not a book about polyamory, but I'd recommend anyone to read it. Stephanie's premise is that our happiness depends on a healthy balaance of intimacy and solitude (that is, being happy to be intimate with others, being happy to be intimate with ourselves), but that for reasons of fear etc. we often tend to settle for attachment and isolation instead, as poor subtitutes that we believe will keep us safe.

This book has certainley helped me in considering why I want to be in the relationships I want to be in, and why I want to be on my own :).
 
It seems to me that any bit of knowledge, skill, or awareness that helps us have better and healthier relationships, whether with ourselves or with others, will be useful to anyone wanting to practice an -amory, whether it be a monoamory or a polyamory. So that book does sound apt, Yoxi. I went looking for it at my public library, and sadly it wasn't there. Maybe I'll put in a recommendation at the library, which usually does honor such requests. (I need to excercise restraint about buying more books these days. I have hundreds of them!--many awaiting attention.)

I'd be happy to hear from you more about the book, as I find the basic premise fascinating.
 
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I just finished up Tristan Taormino's Opening Up and I'd definately recommend it. I wouldn't say it focuses specifically on polyamory but is more of an overview of several different varieties of nonmongamy.

I read The Ethical Slut by by Dossie Easton and Catherine A. Liszt as well, it's also mostly a nonmongamy overview that touches on various different varieties, but I didn't find it to be as in depth as Opening Up was.... However, I did find it to be a much more relaxed, faster read.
 
I just ordered Pagan Polyamory: Becoming a Tribe of Hearts by Raven Kaldera. It got a good review on Amazon, and I liked the way the first pages sounded.

ETA: I'm finding this book very insightful and informative. From the standpoint of a person just coming to accept polyamory, it has definitely explained many things to me in a way that helped me understand better. I enjoy that it has a section on polyamorous parenting. My one complaint is that I wish it would go into more depth on many of the issues; some of the chapters felt rushed, or would have benefitted from relating more examples. While I think that it could certainly be used by non-Pagans, it is most relevant to Pagans and may not be comfortable for someone unfamiliar with Pagan beliefs. There are spells included at the end of most chapters, and there is an appendix at the end of the book with instructions for astrology and tarot layouts relating to polyamory.

Oh goodness, I knew Raven from like 20 years ago. I just looked at this thread. I never heard that s/he (not sure how s/he identifies these days) wrote a book! I'll have to check it out.

Edit: Raven is a guy now... good for him!
 
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I'm Pagan and I've avoided the book because it has spells included and astrology layouts and so forth. That spells are included suggests that many of the suppositions underlying the text are geared to a particular subset of Pagans, a subset that doesn't include me.

I do actually have it on my list to buy and review at some point. I just don't expect much from it.
 
While not directly speaking of polyamory, Thomas Moore's "The Soul of Sex" touches on the benefits of having more than one partner. The book is an involved, positive discussion of sexual matters.
 
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