May 18, 2012 | Arts / Entertainment

Naughty bestseller turning people on to kink

Move over Harry Potter, Twilight and the Hunger Games; there's a new book in town and it's for adults only.

Fifty Shades of Grey, by author E L James, is filled with bondage, spanking, and masochism. It has found its way to the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list and is currently the most talked about book in the media.

The novel is the first part of a trilogy that centers around the sadomasochistic relationship between characters Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. And yes, it has already been optioned by Universal Pictures so you'll get to see how Hollywood handles what is basically an x-rated novel.

Interestingly, the book is having some real world ramifications. In Britain, at least, people are becoming more sexually curious. Sex toy sales have increased, as have the number of people visiting sex clubs.

Renée Denyer even started to offer spanking classes at London’s Sh! boutiques. And they are becoming more popular as people read the book.

“Most people are not as hardcore as Christian Grey in the novels, they’re just getting into it,” explained Denyer.

Writer Barbara Amiel, the 71-year-old wife of defamed media mogul Conrad Black, admitted to being a fan. She recently stated that “the question of whether it is truly sexually gratifying to have a Wartenberg pinwheel roll over your nipples while handcuffed to a stretcher bar with a ball gag in your mouth is something I hadn’t really thought about in the sheltered life I lead.”

[Flash Video]

The bottom line: the rise of sado-masochism in London [London Evening Standard]