I’m not one of those people who romanticise the past. I don’t get all nostalgic for the ‘good old days’ while watching Mad Men (ew at everyone who does to be honest), I get mad when people babble on about how the internet is killing communication (the internet allows me to communicate with hundreds of people who I would otherwise miss out on getting to know. Technology rules, ok?) but for some reason I can’t quite embrace the e-reader. I don’t really know why, I don’t get all preachy about the feeling or smell of books or anything. I think it’s probably something to do with the few times I’ve downloaded an eBook and then tried to read it directly from my computer screen and ended up hurting my eyes. Even though I know e-reader screen are vastly different from MacBook screens (or something? dimmer lights? whatever) I think I’m still a little scared it will be like reading a computer screen. I think I’m about ready to bite the bullet and buy one soon though because my Book Depository wish list is getting out of control and I can’t afford to buy all the books I want to read. Here is a (slightly edited to delete the really embarrassing stuff) copy of my wish list:

• Lethal Marriage – Nick Pron (About the famous ‘Ken and Barbie killers’ Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo. I’ve read one other book about them, ‘Invisible Darkness’ but apparently this one is better.)
• Everybody Loves Our Town – Mark Yarm (Oral history of Seattle/grunge. I love oral histories, it’s like listening in on conversations between (usually) cool people talking about awesome stuff.)
  
• Letters To Kurt – Eric Erlandson (Collection of prose-poems/letters by Hole’s former guitarist, Eric Erlandson.)
• Full Frontal Feminism – Jessica Valenti (I’ve heard some good things about this and I’ve also heard some bad things about how Valenti is only really interested in college educated, white, cis, middle class women’s feminism so I want to read it so I can properly make up my own mind.)
• Polaroids From The Dead – Douglas Coupland (Short stories with topics like Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe’s grave and the O.J. Simpson murders.)
• Geek Love – Katherine Dunn (I’ve been told to read this by at least five different people.)
• Upper Cut – Carrie White (Carrie White the Hollywood hair stylist, not the Stephen King character. Cat Marnell recommended this book on xoJane one time so of course I want to read it.)
•  The Secret History – Donna Tartt (I found this for $3 at a secondhand store near my house the other day. I read it in four days and I loved it! Highly recommended.)
• Pixie – Andrea Mohr (Australian prison memoir. With the exception of the Chopper Read books there don’t seem to be many books about Australian prisons/prison life so I think this one sounds really interesting. Even more so because the author was in prison with Caroline Reed Robertson whose crimes were the focus of the 2009 film ‘In Her Skin‘ and who I’ve always wanted to know more about.)
• The Last Victim – Jason Moss (The author corresponded with Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez, Charles Manson and John Wayne Gacy while studying for his honours thesis, the book is mostly about his relationship with Gacy.)
• Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood’s Darkest and Best Kept Secrets – Kenneth Anger (I once saw this in an op shop (aka thrift store) for $1 and didn’t buy it and I still regret it.)
• Growing up Underground – Jane Alpert (Jane Alpert was involved with bombing some buildings in NYC in the 60s, then she went into hiding, later she became a radical feminist and I think was involved with the Black Panthers at some point. This is her memoir.)
• Strange Piece of Paradise – Terri Jentz (The author was camping with a friend in the 1970s and a man in a truck deliberately drove over them in their tent. The driver/attempted murderer was never found. I watched a documentary/interview with the author a while ago where she returned to the spot where it happened in present time and ever since I’ve wanted to read the book and find out more about it.)
• Paradoxia – Lydia Lunch (It’s Lydia Lunch, I don’t think I need to say anymore.)
• The Devil’s Cinema – Steve Lillebuen (About Mark Twitchell who was way too ‘inspired’ by the TV show Dexter.)
• Cindy Sherman – Cindy Sherman (Cindy Sherman is amazing.)
• Girl in the Flammable Skirt – Aimee Bender (Short stories.)
• After The Witch Hunt – Megan Falley (Collection of Megan’s fantastic poetry. I especially love ‘The Honest House‘.)
• How to be a Woman – Caitlin Moran (NOPE. Not anymore, not after this mess.)
• How to Stop Smoking and Stay Stopped – Gillian Riley (Although I have been a pretty much non-smoker for about a month now so maybe I don’t need it.)
• When I Grow Up – Juliana Hatfield (How could you not want to read Juliana’s memoir? Remember The Juliana Hatfield Three?! I sure do.)
• Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution In Music – Marisa Meltzer (it’s about the Riot Grrl movement, enough said.)
• Grapefruit – Yoko Ono (If you hate Yoko you are probably a sexist jerk.)
• Karma Cola – Gita Mehta (About the cultural appropriation of India in the 1960s and 1970s by Westerners.)
• Red Rain – R.L Stine (Yes, the same R.L Stine who wrote Goosebumps! It’s a horror story for adults and I am excited to read it in case it’s actually like Goosebumps for adults.)
• Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story Of Rock N Roll’s Famous Neighbourhood – Michael Walker (I love trashy shit, ok.)
• When Marina Abramovic Dies: A Biography – James Westcott (Marina Abramovic is so incredible that I don’t even know what more to say about this.)
• Dream School – Blake Nelson (The sequel to ‘Girl’! I didn’t even know this existed until a few weeks ago!)
• Life After Death – Damien Echols  (I loved the Paradise Lost documentaries so obviously I want to read this. Free the West Memphis Three! Oh wait, they already did!)
• Language of Fear – Del James (Full disclosure – I want to read this because the Guns N Roses song ‘November Rain’ was based on one of the short stories in this book.)

You should be able to find all of these books on either Book Depository or Amazon or from wherever you buy/download e-Books.

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