It’s National Masturbation Month… Are You Ready To Fap It?

There are many reasons to love May: Mother's Day, Memorial Day weekend, the first few hints of summer weather—but the most important one of all is that it's National Masturbation Month.

Yes, it is that time again: and though we're sure most of you don't really need a special month to teach you about your special place, why not take some time to celebrate the greatest love of all? (And if you happen to let your celebration continue beyond the month of May, well, we're pretty sure that's okay too.)

Learning to Love Yourself More: Sure, most of us learn the techniques of self pleasure through trial and error—but reading up on technique might give you some ideas for how to switch things up, or even help you find your new favorite thing. Em and Lo's "Sex: How to Do Everything""Joy of Sex" both have sections on masturbation; Jamye Waxman's "Getting Off" is, quite literally, a guide to masturbation for women (it even says so in the title!). And if you'd prefer to spare some trees, Let's Masturbate and About.com offer all sorts of good info online.

The Girl (Or Boy) With The Most Toys: You may not need a toy to get off, but this is a masturbation celebration, so why not go the extra mile and give your parts the very best? Our favorite toys include the SaSi, the Babeland Nubby G, the GiGi, the Curve, and the Tristan plug—but any toy that makes you feel tingly is a good pick as far as we're concerned.

Little Help? True, you can hardly click a hyperlink without running into some free porn; but to truly make the most of the month, choose quality over quantity. Some of our top picks for DVDs include "Bad Girls," "Champion," and "The New Romantix." (Though if you're feeling strapped for cash in these recessiony times, our Flesh Flicks are always here for you.)

Come Together: If celebrating by yourself doesn't feel special enough, why not join in with a group? Masturbate-A-Thons are scheduled this month in Portland and San Francisco (where Crush Object April Flores will be co-hosting). Can't get to either of these celebrations? Get a few friends together and host your own!

And remember: there's no wrong way to celebrate National Masturbation Month... as long as you're masturbating.

· Thumbnail star: Yurizan Beltran (incrediblecontent.com)