Navigate Books of the Month: Intro 10 books with "sex" in their titles Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brien The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy Nerve: Literate Smut edited by Genevieve Field and Rufus Griscom SEXlife magazine Breakup: The End of a Love Story by Catherine Texier Devil Babe's Big Book of Fun by Isabel Samaras Previous Books of the Month: July: AMERICA June: SUMMER May: WOMEN

THE SEXUAL (MAGAZINE) REVOLUTION SEXlife magazine Zygote Inc., 68 pages, $4.95   Every women's magazine on the market has at least one article per month devoted to sex and relationships. Meanwhile, the majority of sex commentary available to men is a brief Q&A column sandwiched between beaver shots. Enter SEXlife, a new magazine based in Mountain View, Calif., that's geared to both gals and guys. SEXlife's apt subtitle, "Don't have sex in the dark," embodies its practical yet playful attitude. Less pretty than Glamour or Mademoiselle, SEXlife is erotic without centerfolds or bunnies, delivering titillating partner photographs, product reviews on cock rings and a very direct guide to cunnilingus all in the same tight package. In its fourth and latest issue, SEXlife features an article on domestic violence that offers advice to perpetrators and friends of abusers, as well as to victims. The product review elevates cock rings from kinky, illicit toys to tools of unique pleasure when properly used (don't wear them for more than 20 minutes at a time and avoid if taking blood-thinning medication). An editor's commentary laments SEXlife's struggle with stores and printers who balked at the magazine's content, but it's not hard to find in our enlightened town: Rich's, Powell's and Borders all carry it. $4.95 may seem a bit steep for a domestic magazine, but it's a small price to pay for a better orgasm. --Christina Melander   originally published August 26, 1998