Girl Parts by John M. Cusick + Contest!

Published August, 2010.

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David's parents present him with a hot Companion bot designed to encourage healthy bonds and treat "dissociative disorder," he can't get enough of luscious, redheaded Rose - and he can't get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Parted from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up to her, knowing that she isn't real. With Charlie's help, the ideal "companion" is about to become her own best friend. (book back blurb)

Personally I don't think that blurb does the book much justice because it's so much more than what it's letting on. What this book really is is a satire of internet life. A finger poke to the eye of the digital generation that's more comfortable interacting with inhuman machines than with each other. Instead of attacking this supposed dissociative disorder with genuine human interaction and parenting, the parents are removed and human interaction is replaced by, of course, another computer that looks like a human.

David's a dick. His parents are dicks. And they all stay that way throughout the entire book. But they're compelling. And that's not to say David doesn't go through any kind of change. He certainly does. But it's the result of being a dick. So does it count that he de-dicks to an extent but it's only after he turns into a mega-dick? I'm torn on that one. But while he's a dick, he's human. He's multidimensional. He's not just some popular rich jerk. Towards the end, Rose really does her job in helping David come out of himself and act more human. So despite what they say, I don't think she failed at all.

Charlie I was kind of impartial on. He's your typical outcast but he's still a sweet guy. I really didn't find anything about him that stood out as miraculous to me. Not that I'm saying he had to be a dick like David, but I think Charlie acted in a way that you might expect a character like him to act. So for me Charlie was my least favorite character. I saw him as the least dynamic. Don't get me wrong. He, too, developed as a character but I didn't feel like it was as profound as David's development. Still, Rose did her job with Charlie too. Go Rose.

Rose is awesome. Cusick did an awesome job of bringing this bot to life and making me feel for her. I absolutely had to keep reminding myself that she wasn't human. But I guess that was the point. The more humans this Companion interacted with, the more human she became. She emoted just like anyone else. She felt fear, pain, despair, happiness. She was more human than Charlie and David. This humanoid bot was the one that made the humans feel human. Think on that one for a second. I was upset with the way her story ended, though. It is rather depressing and it's both inconclusive and conclusive at the same time. You're left with enough hanging around that you can safely insinuate just what happened to her but it's sad and you will feel bad for her. If you don't, then you need to re-read the book and take some lessons from her.

As amazing of a story this book is, I loved it even more for it's social commentary. Unlike other books I've read, I didn't feel like I was getting preached to or talked at. I didn't feel like I was having a point hammered down my throat. The message was subtle and expertly woven into the plot itself. The story was first. The message was a few steps down but even down there, I got it and I loved it. If you want a story that puts this digital age into perspective a little while at the same time reading an amazing story about amazing characters, pick up Girl Parts. I can't say enough good things about this one.

Contest Time!!!

Want my ARC? All you have to do is fill out the form below for your chance to win. Open to US residents 13 years of age and older only. One entry per person per email address. Duplicate entries will be deleted. Contest ends January 4th at midnight, EST.

Bites Heart Halloween Contest!

Okay, so while not nearly as epic as last year's, it's what I can muster with the limited funds I have. So here's what's up for grabs.

The first place winner gets to choose between the following -

A copy of Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Or $25 to spend at one of my favorite perfumers -

While her shop is closed until November 1st, she will re-open and you'll be able to see all the glorious things she has in there. Plus her Halloween line (which is awesome) will be available for two extra weeks because of the closure. I own nearly all of her scents so if you want recommendations, just yell.

The second place winner will receive whichever of the above is left. And then I have some signed We Hear the Dead swag for four other winners!

So what do you have to do to enter? Well, aside from filling out the form below, you are required to write a scary poem. I'm not looking for Shakespeare here. It can be a haiku, something with a rhyme scheme or prose-style. It can be about zombies, vampires, ghosts, demons, or whatever eerie thing you can think of. That's it! Any questions, just ask.

Open to US residents 13 years of age and older only. One entry per person per email address. Duplicate entries will be deleted. A poem must be entered in order to qualify. Entry into this contest is giving me permission to post your poem on this website. Contest ends October 25th at midnight, EST.

Does this new blog design make me look fat?

At first I thought it might hug my hips a little but ultimately, I think it looks freakin' awesome! Are you looking at it? Do you see what I see? Is it as awesome to you as it is to me? Danny over at Twispired Blogdesign is a genius, I swear. I picked an awesome kit, I gave her my ideas for what I wanted and it's like she crawled around in my head and saw everything. I couldn't be happier. I seriously just want to sit here and stare at it for a little while, I'm just so amazed with it.

And look! I have buttons now! You can grab my butt . . . on! I think my favorite part is the post divider. I love the reflective branches and the book. *squee* And I have a favicon! A little clock favicon! Gah! I love it! All of these crazy elements are actually from an Alice in Wonderland-themed kit. It was just the sort of demented type of look I was going for. No cutesy, none of that. Kind of twisted, wholly imagination love and book-touched. Have I said I love it?

And did you check out my new bite ratings? While I love my little Scrat, it didn't quite fit with the new theme but lo and behold, Danny and I put our minds together and created something equally as awesome. And equally as relevant. I am so, so, SO happy with the outcome of everything!

In fact, I'm so happy with it that I'm giving away Danny's Pink Package so you can make over your own book blog! She has a slew of kits to choose from so you'll be sure to get something wholly original. It's a $40 value and if you want to add on little extras, they're very reasonably priced. Or if you want to upgrade to the Green Package (which is what this blog is on plus a little), you'll only have to pay $25 as I'm footing the bill for the first $40. The work she does is amazing (obviously!) and is totally worth the money!

The only stipulation I have for this is that you be a fellow book blogger active for at least 3 months with a posting schedule of at least 2 to 3 times a week. Essentially I don't want the design to be wasted or abandoned. I want it to be loved and treasured like it truly should be! So just fill out the form below to enter and good luck! Ends June 5th at midnight, EST.

Albatross by Josie Bloss + Contest!

Published February 1, 2010.

Everyone at Tess's new school warns her that Micah is bad news - a heartbreaker. And a girl named Daisy is acting like she owns him. Still, Tess can't ignore her attraction to this brooding, brilliant, friendless emo-guy who can turn on the charm - or heart-shredding scorn - at a moment's notice. Starting over in a new town after her parents' split isn't easy for Tess, and Micah feels like her first real connection. But then their bond suddenly feels like shackles.

Caught in an obsessive triangle of jealousy and codependence, can Tess learn to break away and find herself again? (book blurb)

Here is what the press release that came with the book had to say about this title:

Despite pop culture's obsession with brooding, supernatural antiheroes like Edward Cullen, one of the most common critiques of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series is the unhealthy relationship between Bella and Edward - that Edward is a bully and Bella is a doormat. Yet teen girls thrive on this unbalanced relationship dynamic. Perhaps this is because they so rarely find an alternative in the literature of today.

As a response to this trend, young adult novelist Josie Bloss penned Albatross (Flux, February). A complete departure from her previous, lighthearted Band Geek books, Albatross is a dark and tense story of codependency and psychological abuse in teen relationships. The distinguishing element is that the ultimate message is one of hope, but not without some truly distressing poor decisions made on the part of the protagonist.

I have never read a release about a book that was so accurate it could have knocked a fly off of a cliff from 3 miles away. This book is everything Twilight needs to be. I read through this one in a day (would have been a sitting had I not had to work), I couldn't get enough of it, probably because I saw a lot of myself in the protagonist. While I didn't come from the same type of family situation save for the divorce (my dad is nowhere near a prick like Tess's is), I was of a similar temperament in high school. I dated guys that weren't good for me, that treated me like crap but I was so desperate for the attention that I took it and asked what I was doing wrong when something completely out of my control happened. It was eerie and at points I was actually nauseous, it hit that close to home.

It's funny how when you see such a prick of a character like Micah from a third person perspective, it really easy to see how much of an asshole he really is. And holy shit is he ever. But standing in Tess's shoes, and I can see myself doing this at her age, you eat it up. You want this unattainable person. Don't you always want what you can't have? He keeps himself distanced from Tess, taunting her, teasing her and leaving her wanting to come back for more. But while the secondary characters (mainly Tess's friends) say that Micah destroys any girls he touches, I think he just has a knack for attracting vulnerable girls. Or they're drawn to him, either way. Because they're so vulnerable (like Tess having to deal with a divorce and a schmuck for a father), and they're vying for attention, what he gives them, they take.

You can clearly see the Bella and Edward dynamic in Tess and Micah and I really hope anyone that reads this book that loved Twilight and loved Bedward's relationship will see how it really is and how destructive it is. It's easier to match symptoms when you have something to match them against. Being in it you may be blind to it but relating with Tess and seeing what she's going through, maybe it'll help some girls escape a destructive relationship that's been romanticized by current YA fiction.

The writing is simple yet poignant. It tells the story in Tess's words and how only she would see it. It hurts to be inside her head when she's struggling with her feelings for Micah. It'll make you want to shout at the book to drop him. You'll be right along with her inner voice telling her to run away and you'll get disgruntled when she caves yet again. The story rips at you and, hopefully, will make you evaluate your relationships a little more thoroughly. Is that guy of yours pushing and pulling at you? Maybe it's time to drop him. The parallels between Tess and her mother are scary but disturbingly true so many times yet so many fall to repeating history on a subconscious level.

The ending is very Lifetime movie but not sickly sweet. It's positive without being sappy and leaves you with a good feeling that everything will work itself out. There isn't a prince that saves Tess's day. Only Tess did that and that just reiterated the overwhelmingly powerful message this book has. No one else can get you out of it except you. You need the strength to do it. You just need to listen to that inner voice of yours.

I absolutely loved this book. If you're looking for an antithesis of Twilight, you will too.

Contest Time!!!

Fill out the form below for your chance to win a copy of Albatross!

Added to the Halloween Pumpkin Pot!

Oh yeah. I went shopping. My bank account is chagrining right now. But dudes, consider all this fun stuff added to the winner's pot for my Halloween contest. One lucky winner will get all of this, plus what's already listed. Posting a picture or writing a short story doesn't look like so much work now, does it? :)

Here's what we got--

Stuff--

A bag of gummy brains and fangs (seriously, how could I pass that one up?)
A Skelanimals keychain of Kit

DVDs--

Hocus Pocus (while not horror, quite possibly one of my favorite Halloween movies ever, I even bought myself a copy because I only have a VHS)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original grainy one that scares the shit out of you because you can't see what's going on)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the original move the series was based on, because it kicks total ass)

Books--

The Vampire Survival Guide by Scott Bowen (yeah, I bought a copy of this for myself too)
The Werewolf's Guide to Life by Rich Duncan and Bob Powers
Zombies for Zombies by David P. Murphy
Goosebumps - Monster Blood Collection by RL Stine
Goosebumps - Welcome to Dead House by RL Stine
The Monster Book of Zombies edited by Stephen Jones
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The New Vampire's Handbook by The Vampire Miles Proctor (OMFG it cranks on Twilight and Twimoms! Ha! Yeah, snagged a copy for myself.)
Ghosts of Fear Street - Hide and Shriek and Who's Been Sleeping in My Grave? by RL Stine

Is that kick ass or what? And I'm not done. It's only the third! So be sure and check back often and make sure to get all your entries in by midnight on October 31st!

To see the rest of the list of stuff to win, check out the original post--