News on a Saturday

Hello my lovelies. Once again I wanted to share with you some great things I've been reading about lately. Also I recently read and reviewed Transcendence and Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, and these are two books you must read. They were fab.

So this week, my boss forward me this article about Google becoming an extension of your brain. On one hand it's a little creepy, on the other hand it sounds totally awesome. I think the fact that it may lead to people becoming even more dependent on electronics like that. This sort of goes along with this article about whether or not the internet is causing mental health issues, like insanity, memory loss and just plain stupidity. I think that this could be a relevant issue, but I'm not 100% convinced that it's not limited to only people who have addictive personalities to begin with. I mean if crack was as readily available and socially acceptable as the internet, would these people be drug users instead. You can also watch this video from Jenna Marbles about how apps are ruining her life. What do you guys think about these articles? Would you get a pair of Google glasses?


I also wanted to mention a couple of fellow YA bloggers who have been talking about some issues they have with book content. Nicole at WORD for Teens posted about Slut Shaming and how there's too much of it in YA. I have to agree with Nicole that it doesn't add anything to the story. I guess if it's just one character being a prick that's one thing, but when the whole book has preachy overtones it can be a bit much. I liked Purity for this reason, in the beginning there was a lot of worry and pressure about losing your virginity but the characters sort of evolved past that.

Then we have Donna from Bites who posted about YA Boys That Make Shitty Toys. Her post talks about the abusive relationships that crop up in YA a lot, but aren't construed as such. Like Patch from Hush, Hush or the dread Edward Cullen ;) I agree that it's strange that authors give a normal feel to these relationships in their books but I loved these characters too. Now, I was in an abusive relationship for a long time, so I wonder if maybe this has skewed my views of things. I in no way support abusive relationships, but I wonder if I don't realize that these characters, like Patch and Ash, are abusive, because it seems normal to me? Or at least it is something I'm familiar with, it's not so shocking. I wonder if the people who pick up on these things right away have never been in an abusive relationship. Maybe Team Ash is filled with people who have been with a dickhead before. Just my thoughts. What's your take on abusive relationships and slut shaming? Do you notice the more subtle abuse in YA or only the ones like Bitter End and But I Love Him?