With a reading list I’ll never finish because it grows faster than I read, I did not accomplish much this year. Most of my reading time was spent finishing the list in 2015, “educating” myself in the coming election, and I also got Netflix and Hulu on a regular basis. So…. yeah. But that shall not stop me from doing the exact same thing and expecting a different result. So with no further ado and in no particular order, here are my most wanted books I’d like to read in 2017:
1. Dangerous by Milo Yiannopoulos
If you don’t have an opinion on this outspoken activist, you’ve never seen one of his YouTube videos. The ultimate “love him or hate him” icon, he got me by proclaiming that laughter is the best weapon against authoritative dictatorships – which he also follows.
But before you do go and Google him, be aware that I first came into knowing him when he came to my alma matter, the University of Houston, as part of his “Dangerous Faggot” tour. See what I mean?
The book is already a best seller and has a description that contains the publisher’s name and a stock tagline.
2. Approaching Footsteps by Various
I’ve been wanting to read this little doozy since it came out late last year. With it, you can read four compelling novellas by talented women in my local area of Houston that will keep you guessing. I love a good spin with a strong yet flawed woman at the wheel, and this book stands to deliver.
Best of all, it’s published by Spider Road Press, an indie outfit that focuses on stories by and/or about strong women who has a self-imposed mandate to share a portion of its profits with related charities.
3. Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer by Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer
I love a good, true crime story. But only when the killer is not glorified nor made to be the hero. It’s fine for fiction, but far less so in real life. Ann and Phelim are a married couple with a mission to reveal what the mainstream will not, and did they ever drop the ball with a killer to make Dahmer look like a boy scout. They have produced a movie of the same name and have exposed not only Gosnell’s horrific crimes but the establishments effort to minimize them if not outright cover them up.
It’s not out until late January, but I can’t wait to read the true story account of “America’s most prolific serial killer.”
4. Blood on the Potomac by Melissa Algood
If her book-length work is as good as her short stories, we are in for one engaging, yet horrific ride that should be much like riding a roller coaster with a blindfold.
The book follows Matthew Hale, ex-navy SEAL, and Samantha Locke, rogue assassin, as they shift through a web of lies of what is hopefully each other’s lies. Of course, they develop an attraction, but with a questionable trust, can they find a way to be together or be torn apart?
If this was some other dip-s**t MOW, I would already know the answer. But since Mel is as unpredictable as her hair color, I am happy to say: “I have no idea what will happen!”
5. He Killed Them All by Jeanine Pirro
It’s a shame to admit, but Judge Jeanine Pirro’s opening statements can be the highlight of my Saturday night. The passion combined with the legal knowledge make for a great combination that I can only hope makes it into this book. Fine, it was published a while ago, but I only recently heard about it.
Often cast as the bad guy, then district attorney Jeanine Pirro reopened the 15 year old cold case of Kathleen Durst, a beautiful med student who disappeared without a trace in 1982. Her husband was a millionaire real estate heir and son of one of the wealthiest families in New York City, helping him escape investigation. Another great in the true crime story entries, I am looking forward to following a younger Jeanine face insurmountable odds in bringing a really bad guy to justice.
What about you? What’s your most anticipated read in the coming year?
Lilia Fabry is the author of Ordinance 93, a novel set in a world where having a baby without permission is against the law and the first four people to break it. She also writes about everything from reaction injection molding to low fat recipes while indulging her need for creative outlets including novels and screenplays. Find out more on Twitter.