12 books I want to read

Firstly, happy July! I'm excited because Baby Got Back: Anal Erotica will arrive this month, and I get to send out 50 copies (my second favorite thing about a new book I've edited, the first being simply opening the box and seeing the finished book in final form). My boyfriend's directing Never Sleep Alone by Daniel McIvor July 18, 19 and 20 (come check it out if you're near Princeton, NJ, more info on Indiegogo, and I'm plotting how to get myself to Edinburgh Fringe Festival (both how to afford it and pitching stories about it).

One of my favorite things to do is reading. It might actually be my favorite thing to do. So here are 10 books I'm looking forward to reading. I usually post my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads if I liked the book. These are in no particular order - I want to read them ALL! And yes, I'm linking to Amazon because I get a tiny kickback but I do also encourage you to support your local bookstore; IndieBound lets you search by zip code and title. This list is heavy on YA; I discover a lot of these when I can't sleep and am browsing Amazon or book blogs.

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How the Lights Gets In: Writing as a Spiritual Practice by Pat Schneider (Kindle edition)

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Fame Shark by Royal Young (Kindle edition) - love the title, the name change, the topic and that it's about NYC. Read an excerpt here and an interview with the author here.


The Stud Book by Monica Drake - got this free from Amazon Vine. Great cover. (Kindle edition)


Tampa by Alissa Nutting - I don't think this is the actual cover, but I found this version on Goodreads. This novel about a female sex offender has been getting lots of buzz and sounds disturbing and fascinating. See interviews at Salon and Cosmopolitan. (Kindle edition)


Ghosty Men: The Strange but True Story of the Collyer Brothers, New York's Greatest Hoarders: An Urban Historical by Franz Lidz - part of my studying of hoarding, which I'm trying to add to my beats, since I know it pretty well from my own life. (Kindle edition)


The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Robin Palmer - I'll read anything Robin Palmer writers, and bought this not even knowing what it was about. Turns out it's about the teenager daughter of an alcoholic former A-list actress who starts attending Alateen meetings and figuring out who she is separate from her mother. With the trademark humor I've come to expect from her books, with more depth. I'm halfway through, great so far. (Kindle edition)


Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg - a teen is tired of being "the gay guy" at school so pretends to be straight at his new boarding school. (Kindle edition)


Since You Asked... by Maurene Goo - YA! Learn more about it and enter to win a copy at the awesomely named Book Nerd Tours (Kindle edition)


This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales (Kindle edition)


OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu (Kindle edition) - Other books about OCD I recommend: Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying (Among Other Things) by Abby Sher (see my Daily Beast interview with her) and OCD, The Dude, and Me by Lauren Roedy Vaughn


Confessions of a Hater by Caprice Crane (Kindle edition)


Born of Illusion by Teri Brown - I got an ARC of this YA novel about Harry Houdini and magic at RT, and once left it in my boyfriend's car and once left it at a nail salon. I have it back and am looking forward to finally finishing it! (Kindle edition)