Sometimes it can be difficult to read for pleasure when you’re faced with so many demands in your personal and professional lives. Be sure to take a book with you the next time you can fit the beach or the pool in to your schedule. Get some sun and catch up with some very engrossing reads! Here are ten that I think you’ll be interested in.
Play With Me! The Complete Guide to Sexual Role Playing
If you dare to kick the heat up a notch, this new release by Bruno Gmünder will be one you just can’t put down. If you want to spice up your love life, read this book, which gives you a number of hypothetical situations you can use in your bedroom. If the scenarios aren’t enough to whet your appetite, there are even illustrations, so it is easier than ever to ensure you’ll have an electrifying sexual experience. ($34.99, brunogmuender.com)
The Satyr of Capri
Swiss-born author Zack brings you the second novel in the “Boys of Imperial Rome” series, The Satyr of Capri. If you love historical fiction and paperback romance novels, this one will be very enjoyable. Lovers Quintus and Rufio have no choice but to figure out the Satyr’s secret. Is he harmless or does he bring death and danger? Find out in this book, which is equal parts intrigue, fantasy, and of course sex. Another release by Bruno Gmünder. ($16.99, brunogmuender.com)
The Right Side of History: 100 Years of LGBTQI Activism
As the Maude theme song tells us, “Isadora was the first bra burner.” Did you know that the bohemian way of life that Isadora Duncan personified in the early 20th century gave birth to the first gay group in the United States? That’s one of many facts you’ll learn when you read Adrian Brooks’ chronicle of a century of openness and activism. You’ll read about Harvey Milk, Edie Windsor, and others that you may know well, and some unsung heroes you may not know. ($18.95, cleispress.com)
Time on Two Crosses: The Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin
This book was originally released over a decade ago and won the Lambda Literary Award then. Now, in its second edition, this book of Bayard Rustin’s essays and articles boasts prefaces by Barney Frank and President Barack Obama. One of the heroes of the civil rights movement, Bayard Rustin was unabashedly and openly gay, which sometimes put him at odds with civil rights leaders. His letters give us insight into what it was like to be gay, black and an activist from the 1940s through the 1980s. ($21.95, cleispress.com)
The Back Passage
This very sexual walk through the quaint English countryside follows the travails of young “Mitch” Mitchell, who loves solving crimes almost as much as he loves steamy encounters with any man in his path. When an acquaintance of Mitch’s is found dead, and the aristocracy attempts to cover up the real culprit by railroading an innocent manservant, it’s up to Mitch to find out the real killer’s identity. This mixture of mystery, murder, intrigue and sex will prove addictive to every summer bookworm. ($13.95, cleispress.com)
Forbidden Child
This offering is the first from Florida author James Aiello, who has since enjoyed exposure and accolades at book festivals across the country. Everyone knows the rumors surrounding President John F. Kennedy and blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. What if their love child is out there today? Christina Powers threatens to give up all her wealth for love, turning her back on her Mafia family in the process. Will this be a decision she will eventually regret? Will she find out who her true parents are? ($17.95, forbiddenchild.com)
Anything Could Happen
In a small town, a teenage boy falls in love with his straight best friend. In his quest to keep his same-sex desires secret, he decides to live a lie, and rather loudly. (Poor girl at the bookstore…she has no idea!) But all things eventually come to the light, and perhaps it is better to build a foundation of truth and love from the rubble. In this page-turner written by Will Walton, we get the chance to revisit our own first loves, how great it felt to be a teenager in love, and the crushing lows that result from an unrequited romance. ($9.95, amazon.com)
The Manservant
If you loved seeing The Butler at the movies, or seeing Downton Abbey on television, you won’t be able to get enough of this book, written by Michael Harwood. Servant Anthony assists people at a top London hotel who have…intimate needs. That is, until he’s found out and forced to flee to the countryside, where he takes a job as butler to the formidable Lord Shanderson, who has quite a few dirty secrets of his own. At the end of it all, it’s the fiery temper of Lady Shanderson that promises trouble in paradise. ($8.25, amazon.com)
Lead Like it Matters – Practical Leadership Tools to Inspire and Engage Your People and 
Create Great Results
Roxi Hewertson knows a thing or two about business. Ivy League-educated, she has had over 20 years in leadership roles and is the CEO of two companies. Now she brings all of her secrets for business directly to you in her new book. Did you know only 30 percent of American employees are engaged or inspired at work? Roxi tells you how to capture the hearts and minds of your workers, because failing to do so is not just uncaring, it’s costly: to the tune of $550 billion per year nationwide! Roxi will tell you how to “lead like it matters.” ($19.80, amazon.com)
More Happy Than Not
In the future, the Leteo Institute has patented a way to forget about memories and emotions that bother us. It seems too good to be true for teenager Aaron, who has lived in The Bronx his entire life and has a lot more bad memories than good ones. But what happens when a cute new guy moves to the block? It brings up a lot of feelings for Aaron, which complicate things with his girlfriend and will definitely be looked down upon in his tough neighborhood. Aaron decides the best thing to do is to forget homosexuality, but at what cost? This is author Adam Silvera’s debut work. ($13.40, amazon.com)
Which books are you reading this summer? Tell Mike! E-mail him at mike@hotspotsmedia.com and let him know.
