The Unofficial Official Hairpin 3.0 Book Club: The Orange Eats Creeps

Welcome back to the Unofficial Official Hairpin 3.0 Book Club, also known as that excuse where I finally get to the books I’ve been meaning to read for years and invite you to join me.

It’s a new month, which means it’s time for a new pick. I can’t promise that all my choices will lead to film adaptations with gratuitous dong shots, but who even knows what’s in the works in Hollywood.

February’s pick will be announced…right after this commercial break.

*puts on falsetto voice and starts to improvise fake commercials* *realizes absolutely nobody is impressed and is in fact giving dirty looks*

K fine. February’s pick is The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich (Two Dollar Radio, 2010).

This is one of those books that all the coolest nerds have been raving about — The Believer, The Millions, Bookforum. Ashley Crawford at 21C Magazine said it “screams with a post-punk adrenaline, like Nightwood on really bad acid.” Chuck Palahniuk recommends it, but I swear to you I picked this book before I learned that. Anna McConnell, who, let’s be real, is maybe the best writer named Anna at Rookie, said this book is “to die for.” I haven’t died for any books — I’ve killed for a few magazines, sure, but the really fancy kinds they print on special paper.

Buy it directly from Two Dollar Radio’s website and get a 25% discount. We’ll meet back here in — let’s say two weeks, February 18th — to have a spoiler-free discussion. It’s a short book, though. Cancel your hot Presidents’ Day plans to read it.