I really should have called in sick

March 2nd should have been a sick day.
I never call in sick.
Sounds like hyperbole, but it's true.
I was raised to believe that if you're sick you go to work; if you're too sick to go to work, you go anyway and prove that you can't continue.
Silly, I know, but who wants to be a sick bay commando?
But on March 2nd I was tempted to call in and stay home because I had bought a new book.
Stop the presses - breaking news, right, I know.
But this wasn't just any book - this was Rachael Herron's just-published book, How to Knit a Love Song.
Anyone who reads Rachael's blog, Yarn-A-Go-Go knows what this means - another blogger has struck gold.
She is now officially a published author.
Draft a new CV please.
On March 2nd, however, I was interested to see how well she did, and I certainly wasn't disappointed.
The book engaged me from the start; the writing is fresh and natural, and the characters are real.
Some knitting books are so focused on showing how cool they are that they conspicuously drop the names of knitting celebs and their blogs into the narrative, but Rachael doesn't have that problem.
Abigail, the protagonist, is likeable without being overly cloying, and Cade, well, if he comes to life please give him my number.
Not only is her writing refreshing, but even though she could name drop, Rachael really doesn't do that. She pays subtle homage to important knitting figures, but really just writes a damn good story.
Do you get now why I wanted to stay home and read?
I ordered the book for my Kindle (why yes, I have a Kindle) at 5:00 in the morning and started reading.
I read up until I had to get ready for work, and then I read a chapter while sitting in my car just before going into work.
I was hooked.
And when I finished I almost sent Rachael an email and DEMANDED a sequel.
I highly recommend this book, and it is worth a second read, especially to get the advice from EC headlining the intro to each chapter.
Who is EC?
I'm not going to give anything away.
Read the book yourself and find out.
Many congrats to Rachael!