Spreading the AWESOME

Hopefully, it’s Monday May 3rd, and you guys are reading this blog post.

Why, you ask?

I just moved into a new house and am currently without internet – this excludes the few snippits (glances at my email/twitter) that I get from my phone. But blogging from my phone is impossible. I don’t even respond to emails/messages (which I’m so sorry about and will respond to as soon as my internet is back!) It’s just that I hate typing on that little keyboard with my thumbs. I feel like a horse learning to cross stitch.

So I tried posting my blog at Starbucks, but of course that means this is one of the nights that their internet is on the fritz. Now, I’m sitting on my front porch (it’s nearly midnight) freezing my arse off, straining to catch my neighbors’ unsecured wifi. I know, I know, shame on me but the internet is scheduled to be turned on tomorrow and I’ll never do it again. *pinky swears*

Anyway, on to the real point of this blog.

The always fab Elana Johnson has deemed today the official day of SPREADING THE LOVE OF BOOKS COVERED IN AWESOMESAUCE. Okay, so Elana can say awesomesauce and make it sound cool. Me, not so much. The point is, though, everyone involved in the festivities of authorly love are posting blogs declaring their adoration for a particular book, and some (myself included) are giving away books. Did you hear me? I said, GIVING AWAY BOOKS!!! So make sure you follow the link at the end of my blog to the next person on the chain so you can enter everyone’s giveaways for the optimum chance of winning books. Suh-weet!

My book shout out goes to ALBATROSS written by the charming Josie Bloss. I picked it up from the book store because I dug the interesting cover. (I’m a sucker for a stellar cover.) As I climbed into bed I thought I’d read a chapter before lights out. What really happened is I devoured the entire thing in one sitting. It was that amazing.



I read on Josie’s website that she was tired of obsession being portrayed in YA literature as “romantic”. She wanted to show the dark/dangerous side, and let me tell you, she succeeded and then some.

ALBATROSS is about the dangers of obsession and psychological abuse – something that is not addressed nearly enough, nor do I think the signs are as easily recognizable as, say, physical abuse.

Everything about the book rang familiar with me. When I was a freshman I started dating a good-looking moody boy, a boy that my friends warned me about and my mom hated. But I dug the bad boy thing at the time and was convinced that everyone was wrong about him – just like the female MC in ALBATROSS. And just like her, I soon found myself cut off from my friends, my family, watching what I wore, who I talked to, and even what I ate – all of this to make HIM happy.
I’d like to think that I would have wizened up overtime and left this guy – my saving grace was the fact that my step-dad got a job transfer and we moved clear across the state. But the fact is, I’m not sure that I would have. These guys are masters at manipulation. Their every move, every word is calculated.

Personally, I think books like ALBATROSS should be required reading for all high school aged kids and their parents. If anything, so they’d be able to recognized the warning signs before it’s too late.

ALBATROSS is gripping. Literally stealing my breath away at moments and twisting my gut into knots. It’s an important novel with a powerful message, and that’s why I’m giving away a brand new copy of ALBATROSS to one lucky reader! All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog to be entered. Wednesday, May 5th, I’ll draw a random name and that person will win the book!

Also, be sure to check out Dawn Metcalf’s blog. She’ll be posting her love for A.S. King’s DUST OF 100 DOGS.