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Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!) | 
 enlarge | Author: Douglas Brown
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $14.93
You Save: $7.02 (32%)
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Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 19901
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1
ISBN: 0307406970
Dewey Decimal Number: 646.780973
EAN: 9780307406972
ASIN: 0307406970
Publication Date: June 24, 2008
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Product Description
Outside of her family and close friends, Annie had not mentioned the sexathon to anybody, which probably was the best way to go. I, however, had blathered on about the endeavor to anybody with ears. It was the whole Heisman Trophy thing. On this, my first day back in the office after kicking off the sexpedition, my boss blushed when she saw me. Another boss reddened as well. Yet another beheld me, took a few steps back, and asked, “Uh, how’s it going?” He actually circumnavigated me after I answered, like I’d morphed into some hellion driven by fierce, feral loin power . . . I felt stronger. I felt suave. I felt—gasp—Mediterranean. I’d instantly become an objectified sexual being: That man had sex last night! He is going to do it again tonight! Wow!
—From Just Do It
Creeping into middle-age and saddled with work deadlines, child-rearing, homemaking, and fourteen years of togetherness, an ordinary, happy but harried couple set an outlandish goal: to have sex for 101 consecutive days—no excuses (not even the flu, late-night child wanderings, or flat-out exhaustion).
What ensued is by turns hilarious, tender, and seductive, including sexual romps in hotels (both cheap and classy), at an ashram, in a basement, atop boulders and unstable easy chairs, but most often in their own bedroom, which they dubbed the “sex den.” As Doug and Annie Brown literally screwed their way through months of a cold Colorado winter, they turned up the heat by attending the Adult Entertainment Expo in Vegas (the Oscars of the porn world); taking Bikram “hot” yoga to get limber; and stocking up on candles, Viagra (just in case), lube, lingerie, and sex toys galore.
But besides the awe in their ability to get it on day after day—and actually enjoy it—they were more surprised and touched by how much closer they became, relishing conversations, holding hands, hanging out in hip coffee shops together instead of in the aisles of Target, and firming up (no pun intended) a relationship that already seemed as good as it could get.
Seeking out babysitters, getting fit, and dressing up, these two forty-year-olds began courting each other the way they did when they first met in their twenties, only seven moves and two pregnancies later. As Doug Brown lays everything bare—from his triumphs to his tanks (yes to making love on an exercise ball; no to Tantric sex tricks), we get an inside look at the male mind and discover that a good husband and a good dad can also be one hell of a lover.
The jolt that every marriage needs and longs for, Just Do It proves that even when it feels like there’s never enough time or energy, trust Annie and Doug...THERE IS.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 good story but no sex November 4, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was a boring story did little for my sex life.It didn't really cover how they really did it ,if they really did do it.It was more of a story about a married couple and their kids.Don't waste your money.
 He Did It. October 31, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book.
I was afraid that the only thing that would leap out at me was the unflagging author's...*ahem.*
But it's not that kind of book, and that certain, ah, shall I say, instrument is actually incidental and serves more the function of a literary vehicle of sorts (that you can't help but cheer for as if it's Herbie the Lovebug at a Nascar race).
This is a literary romp that celebrates--above all else-- the love and devotion that this intrepid couple has for one another, and how they work together--to their mutual benefit-- to succeed in their challenge to turn a sad trend of sexless marriages that they heard about on its head (and sideways, and upstairs, and downstairs, and outside, and in another state...).
And here I thought that bachelors got all the action.
And it even serves, ultimately (and somewhat surprisingly, to be sure), as a wholesome morality play, and indeed conducive to Family Values:
The secret to their succesful marriage is not consistent, mind-blowing sex on a daily basis, because that, quite naturally, doesn't happen everyday, anyway (though the smile on these happy campers grow wider when it does happen, to be sure).
The secret--that's apparent from the beginning--is the love and respect these two have for one another.
Though the copulating in and of itself does create a real renewal of romance and bonding that is conducive to any relationship (they find themselves touching each other more and more as the story progresses, between the daily quota), and despite the endeavor having mechanical aspects to it when the adventure traverses a plateau and becomes almost routine, it is the couple's emotional devotion off the bat which shines through, for each other, and their children, and which ultimately subordinates the sexuality of the mission.
Quite simply, this is a racy--if not risque'--love story of a monogamous, middle-aged couple who decide to embark on an adventure--a rather prodigious sexual feat, actually, under oftentime stressful circumstances-- that makes the honeymoon of their youth just a preliminary warm up by comparison.
In the process, the likeable couple cement an already well-glued bond for the longer haul, which is a very good thing.
And they prove that today's 40 is indeed yesterday's 30 (if not 20).
Indeed, as a cultural indicator, this book is at the vanguard of the changing demographics that are raising the bar on our traditionally youth-centered culture upward as the boomers age (and refuse to go quietly into the night), and *Just Do It* is to Mr. Brown's generation what the 60+ and still-rocking Rolling Stones (who were rather recently touring and looked great) and 60+ Sylvester Stallone (who rather recently proclaimed "I Am" by robustly reprising his alpha male roles as Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, and looked great) are to theirs.
And, coinciding with all of that, and apart from the politics of it, is the presidential campaign of John McCain, who is the oldest presidential nominee in American history, and yet is enjoying strong support from many (especially from his boomer generation) who don't consider him--or themselves, for that matter-- "too old" at all.
That's not a delusion. Indeed, like Rocky Balboa against the young champion Mason "The Line" Dixon-- but in reality, not fantasy-- McCain is going toe-to-toe with the much younger Obama all the way to the closing round.
All of that reflects the cultural bar raised by retiring boomers entering seniority with an excellent--and unprecedented-- quality of life for their age group, and extended lifespans, and that demographic seachange has produced a book--not fiction, but nonfiction-- written by a 40-something (one generation behind the boomers) who could very well have been telling the rollicking tale of a pair of concupiscent college students on Spring Break that lasts for a hundred days.
The book has energy, and the energy is youthful (and contagious, if sales to other married couples are any indication).
Mind you, these are middle-aged adults with full-time jobs, mortgages, and school-aged children, yet behave like teenagers in love.
And it is that--the unflagging energy and determination--that leaps out of the pages, but not just of the characters themselves, but the energy, determination, and agility of the writing itself (among *ahem* other agile things).
This writer was dealing with a sensitive subject, sharing the most intimate aspects of marriage, and yet he remains decent and respectful--both to his wife and children, and to the reader--throughout, which is not an easy task when considering the subject matter.
It is not blandness. On the contrary, it is *Tom Jones* with Albert Finney in its serial libidinousness, but it demands discipline and a deft ability and sensitivity with language to narrate the exuberant and repetetive indulgence of the primal urge without ever once entering the realm of [...] (the actual field trip to the porn convention in Las Vegas notwithstanding), and that in itself is a writing accomplishment which is probably overlooked in the whirlwind of the plot.
Think about it: A novel about a man copulating with his wife for 100 days straight and presented in such an inoffensive and even playful way that it could very well make a priest chuckle, at least here and there. (They are, after all, happily married.)
And yet, one senses, by the very exuberance of the mission, the reverberating, primal urge driving it, the courage needed to write such a book, and the control required to tame the language that's chomping at the bit while writing it, a tension within this author that wants to break out of convention and let loose, exuberantly and courageously, and with an adventurous imagination that is now primed for fiction.
This is a first novel. Watch this guy. A word to the wise: Get your hands on the first printing of the first book of what is the golden ring of a budded author newlywedded to the literary world.
And if the honeymooning debut is any indication, this groom will not only do his duty and deliver, but is just warming up.
Way too long! October 31, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is the true story of how a busy couple with two demanding young daughters managed to have sex every day for 101 days, and in the process strengthened their marriage and rediscovered each other. Sound intriguing and possibly a tad titillating? I thought so too! Unfortunately, this book was about 280 pages too long. Let's be honest... myself and most people reading this book want the sordid details and perhaps a warm fuzzy feeling when the couple grows closer and rediscovers why they fell in love in the first place, but what we get instead is many scenes of childrens' misbehavior and illness, descriptions of chores facing a mostly stay at home mom, and many mentions of yoga. The titillation factor is definitely approaching zero - there are more descriptions of foot massages than erotic massage, and the author's attempt to describe their love-making gives me that same awkward feeling as when my parents kiss a little too long in front of me. (Don't take me there!) I also wonder how accurately the author gauges his wife's satisfaction - almost all the chapters have a happy ending for her (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) unless someone is physically ill.
The point of this book is that couples, especially parents and professional couples, need to make their relationship and time together a priority. And physical intimacy can lead to greater emotional intimacy. However that story could have been told in a more concise manner. I would have preferred to skip the descriptions of target lingerie and discussions of how the author styles his hair to appeal to his wife. (If you have the hard cover edition of this book with the picture of the author and his wife you will see that he has a very, very high forehead - based on the picture I don't think some of his hairstyles would have been very flattering. Indeed I found my mind wandering while reading this book and returning to pondering the size of the author's forehead.)
This would have been a great magazine article, but there was not nearly enough insight to hold my interest for 300 pages.
Enjoyable read. September 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this book because I read it was more a light-hearted memoir, not a "how-to" for spicing up marriage. Douglas Brown and his wife, Annie, are a couple I could relate to-- dealing with life, work, children, while trying to manage "adult" time. They seemed to be a laid back, traditional couple, who really love their kids. I think I enjoyed learning about their family as much as I did the purpose for the memoir. Of course, it was fun reading about their trials in "sexploration." There were several "LOL" moments, particularly when struggling through sex during sickness and snot. Brown's knack for humorous writing made this a joy to read.
 Well, sure, but... August 22, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Cute book, but it had some flaws. Unlike "Julie and Julia" this read like it was straight from some blog. Near the end (ahem), the author inserted (sorry) emails from his wife that weren't all that relevant to the story and felt like a lazy way to fill space.
The big problem I had was that the authors seemed to make use of hot and cold running childcare. Free care from his parents, who would fly in for weekends, then eventually a paid nanny. The kids never seemed to mind being left, never cried, showed very little resentment. We could take out a 2nd mortgage and do the same thing, but my kids would have thrown hissy fits every time. Of course, the Browns could write off the cost of each sitter and hotel because it was an expense related to the book. The rest of us have to make do.
Interestingly, they were back to once or twice a week after the "marathon" ended.
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