SINCERELY, CEE | A letter from yours truly to Mosquitoland and David Arnold

Dear David Arnold and Mosquitoland,

Gah, Who knew I was going to be excited about a book with that name? Not I!

[quote cite=”Goodreads” url=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21921204-mosquitoland”]”I am a collection of oddities, a circus of neurons and electrons: my heart is the ringmaster, my soul is the trapeze artist, and the world is my audience. It sounds strange because it is, and it is, because I am strange.”

After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the “wastelands” of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland.

So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.

Told in an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic voice, “Mosquitoland” is a modern American odyssey, as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.[/quote]

Let me tell you why I need this book:

• ROAD TRIP! Road trips are awesome! You get to see beautiful (and not so beautiful) scenery, and you get to meet fellow travelers and such. It’s such a wonderful experience, or so I’ve been told or read. I have yet to go on one of my own, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be excited about it. I’m living vicariously through all the books until my best friend comes back to the States. And when she does, ROAD TRIP TIMMMMMEEEE.

• Quirky fellow travelers? Um, yes please! I want to meet this eclectic group of travelers that Mim comes across. Are they with her throughout her entire journey? Or do they come and go? Every time I read books that have the main character meeting a group of people, my heart jumps on it because possible found family? Maybe? I hope? Yes please? If not, that’s okay. Because TRAVELERS, YA’LL.

• Mim Malone. I’m already invested in her and her journey. I just want everything to be okay for her, but obviously, things will not. She sets out to get back to her mother, to her home, and just—Oh god, I’m already overcome with emotions because I NEED THIS. I need to read what she learns, what thoughts enter her head, what kind of demons she’s confronting. EVERYTHING.

• I hear it’s hilarious and heartbreaking. I’m not sure if I’m prepared for the latter, but bring it on. Can you imagine you’re laughing in one moment and the next, you’re crying? It’ll be one rollercoaster; one I hope I don’t regret getting on.

• The book cover is pretty! Illustrated covers ftw! Plus, the way this is illustrated isn’t something you see on book covers. It almost looks like something you’d find in a graphic novel. Love it!

• 2015 Debut Authors tell me that I do. Whatever they say goes.

So, how about it? Are you convinced?

Sincerely,