50 Book Challenge

Books 124-135

2008-07-27T04:47:15Z

Haven't been reading as much as usual, but at least this batch wasn't as bad as some of the things I'd been sorting through and donating earlier this summer.

126. Love Pistols Vol. 3-5 by Tarako Kotobuki
127. Reborn Vol. 1 by Akira Amano
128. Skip-Beat! Vol. 9 & 10 by Yoshiki Nakamura
129. From Far Away Vol. 1-14 by Kyoko Hikawa
130. To Trade The Stars by Julie E. Czerneda
131. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
132. Ai no Kusabi, Volume 3 by Reiko Yoshihara
133. Bride of the Water God Vol. 1-4 by Mi-Kyung Yun
134. The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton
135. Snow White, Blood Red by Ellen Datlow

Books # 126
Love Pistols Vol. 3-5 by Tarako Kotobuki
BL Manga
Grade: A
Thoughts: This mangaka comes up with some of the strangest premises to base a series of and makes it work. The art took awhile for me to get into but these books are steamy, funny, interesting, and when it comes down to it between this, her Concrete Garden book and Dogla+Magla I'd have to say she's one of my favorite manga artists right now.

Books # 127
Reborn Vol. 1 by Akira Amano
Shounen Manga
Grade: B-
Thoughts: Though this series has a pretty solid fan base I have to say the first volume wasn't all that amazing in my opinion, despite how may of my friends kept pushing me to pick it up. You have an idiot who is being groomed to be the new head of the mofa, yadda yadda yadda~ I'm told the second half picks up a bit but this isn't a series I'll be going out of my weay to read more of anytime soon.

Books # 128
Skip-Beat! Vol. 9 & 10 by Yoshiki Nakamura
Shoujo Manga
Grade: A
Thoughts: An amazingly crack-tastic shoujo series by my all time favorite shoujo artist. The series is still holding strong at the 10 volume mark with the same biting humor, action, and drama that got me hooked on her earlier series Tokyo Crazy Paradise.

Books # 129
From Far Away Vol. 1-14 by Kyoko Hikawa
Shojo Manga
Grade: B+
Thoughts: Sweet old school shoujo fantasy romance that I was re-reading for the third time and was still entertained and enjoyed. Defitly a keeper, and it makes me want to go and read more of Kyoko Hikawa work.

Books # 130
To Trade The Stars by Julie E. Czerneda
Sci-Fi
Grade: A
Thoughts: Third book in a series my sister gave to me earlier this summer and that I ripped through in days... only have to wait a few more when she forgot to give me this one. Well worth the wait, this book tied things together and made it a series I'll prob want to own myself as well as read again in the future.

Books # 131
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
Historical Time Traveling Romance
Grade: B
Thoughts: Better written than many romance novels this re-read was a mindless and entertaining. Some parts annoyed me, though that just seems to be how I roll as far as this genre is concerned at this point, but I didn't feel the need for brain bleach afterwards and then ending was very sweet.

Books # 132
Ai no Kusabi, Volume 3 by Reiko Yoshihara
BL Novel
Grade: C+
Thoughts: The quality of the editing and interpretation of the speach and writing has jumped up quite a bit in this third translated novel, but I think that the way it was originally written is very stiff and strange and still feels very much like a serial smut fic. Slogging through messy dialogue and the same points said in different ways over and over again, it is interesting to read the novel the classic BL OVA Ai No Kusabi comes from and really understanding all the backstory that the anime assumes you already know.

Will probably continue skim reading these things just to tie things together that I didn't feel were explained enough in the OVA rather then real pleasure reading, if that makes sense.

Books # 133
Bride of the Water God Vol. 1-4 by Mi-Kyung Yun
Girls Manhwa
Grade: B+
Thoughts: The art is lovley and though the plot is strange and windey at times, things to progress enough that I will continue reading this series for the time being.

Books # 134
The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton
...
Grade: B-
Thoughts: Re-read this one for the heck of it, and must say that the Anita Blake character is so much weaker to me in this book then the earlier ones. Sure, she has her 'his-am' (male harem) but they seem so 1D, dull, and I was most exited about Edward returning to the books then any Anita drama.

I also have no desire at all to read the 16th book at all when the writing and editing quality have deteriorated enough that I can't even get worked up over the characters in this series anymore.

Books # 135
Snow White, Blood Red by Ellen Datlow
Dark Fantasy Short Stories
Grade: Ao
Thoughts: I love the idea of re-inventing and paying homage to the dark gritty fairy tales of the past. Of being expected to think as an audience, even if it' be be creeped out by a story, as long as it's told well. Needless to say I enjoyed this book and hope to find more like it.

Currently Reading:
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Neverwhere

x-posted to my group 100ormorebooks

16. in the woods & 17. no one belongs here more than you

2008-07-27T04:45:57Z

16. in the woods, tana french 3.5/5
im kind of disappointed with this book simply because of the ending. like a jelly donut with no gem in the middle; really exciting until you realize they forgot the best part. it was about ireland & irish detectives with guns & wry witticisms tucked up their sleeves. also about young archaeologists a little too. i read the whole thing in a very wrong but pretty comfortable accent. in 1984, i learned on the first page, 3 little dubliners went missing. they were little, like 12, they were missing in a wood. 2 of them disappeared forever, 1 was found with no recollection of what had happened. his fingernails were stuck in a tree & he was half catatonic. he grew up normal however & became a detective, like a real live cliche. i read on! i encouraged him through his biggest of big cases, a girl found dead on a bronze age sacrificial altar on a archaeological dig site. our brave boy eventually solved it after 400 pages of legwork. BUT: the mystery that birthed him, the mystery about the woods & the tree he was stuck to & the memory that he lost, was never solved. even though the author led me to believe that was the point of reading the book: a case gone dormant for 20 years then BOOM hard igneous evidence. the yung dumb girl could have rotted on that new millenium altar stone for all i cared. i feel very ripped off. i intend to write her, tana french tricky writer extraordinaire, a letter regarding my dissatisfaction. i take things very seriously, especially fiction.

17. no one belongs here more than you, miranda july 3/5
i read this in one sitting. july has a really cool writer's voice & i enjoyed that, buttt...the overall sexual tone of the it sucked. cos the tone was lost after the 3rd chapter even though it always remained there, like a ghost that forgets to surprise you or intrigue you & just hangs out instead. too much sex sux amen.

Book #25

2008-07-27T04:28:22Z

Book #25
Book Title: The Silver Kiss
Author: Annette Curtis Klause
Category: fiction; romance
# of pages: 198
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: C
Short description/summary of the book: (taken from amazon.com):Zoe is 16 and facing bereavement: her mother is dying of cancer, and her father seems to be excluding her from her mother's hospital bedside. No one dares speak to Zoe about the family tragedy, and she is isolated by grief, anger and fear. Then she meets the alluring, enigmatic Simon ("His eyes were dark, full of wilderness and stars"), who has an uncanny ability to recognize her feelings. After a series of nocturnal meetings, Zoe learns that Simon is a vampire kept alive by his thirst to avenge the death of his own mother three centuries ago. Drawn to him by an empathy charged with both longing and fear, Zoe agrees to participate in a dangerous scheme to trap Simon's mother's supernatural killer. The two emerge from their encounter able to mourn and acknowledge their losses. First-novelist Klause is excessively ambitious in her juggling of genres and themes; as a result, her suspense is uneven, her love story inadequately rooted and her resolution just a bit pat. Nevertheless, the use of the vampire figure to exorcise Zoe's complex feelings and often striking prose attest to an intelligent and original eye.

My Thoughts: This is a mediocre book with mediocre characters. Blood and Chocolate was a much better read.

Books read this year: 25/50. I'm 50% done!!!

Next read(s): I just started rereading Twilight and I am still reading Into Thin Air.

Books 16-20

2008-07-27T02:05:53Z

Finished another 5 books so now it's time to post 'em.....

16. Victorian Murderesses: A True History of Thirteen Respectable French and English Women Accused of Unspeakable Crimes by Mary S. Hartman
ISBN #: 0860513432
This was an fascinating study about how these women were both typical and atypical representatives of the women in the Victorian era. The author used crime documentation and books from the time to state her case. Great read!

17. Poison: A History and A Family Memoir by Gail Bell
ISBN #: 0312306792
This is another book in a series that I've read recently--I wanted to really like this book but it was not written well. The family memoir part of the story was really cool--apparently, her family would have rather thought that the paternal grandfather poisoned his two children than accept the truth. The author solved the mystery (although obviously couldn't completely confirm it--most of the people involved were long dead)of what really happened. The second part--the history of poisoning--seems to have been added to make a complete book out of this instead of a magazine article. It failed--the author is not a good writer and her "history" of poison and poisonings was mostly gleaned from crappy true crime books and drug reference books. If someone does want to read this, please note that there seems to have been a change for the paperback version--the book may now be known as "The Poisoner"--it doesn't look any different except for the title.

18. The Fasting Girl:A True Victorian Medical Mystery by Michelle Stacey
ISBN #: 0756782422
This book looks at the phenomenon of hysteria in Victorian times through the study of one person: Mollie Fancher, who claimed that she did not eat for over 12 years. The author did a lot of work studying the world around Ms. Fancher, but because Ms. Fancher was only a minor celebrity (and pretty quickly forgotten apparently), you only find out a lot about the time period and very little about Mollie Fancher. This was an interesting read, but not a keeper.

19. The Little Book of Pandemics: 50 of the World's Most Virulent Plagues and Infectious Diseases by Dr. Peter Moore
...yeah, it's time for a little light reading. Actually, this book was pretty lightweight--it gave quick descriptions of different infectious and non-infectious diseases. It's always "fun" for me to look at the subject that I (god willing) will be studying someday but this book was merely okay. I'm keeping it because it's a good, quick memory jogger but there are better books on diseases out there.

20. Buried in Treasures:Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding by David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee
ISBN #:0195300580
Sadly, I was looking for a book about other people who are hoarders, not trying to cure my own hoarding habits. Taking the tests I was relieved to find that at worst, I have a mild case of compulsive hoarding and probably don't even suffer that much. If you are a hoarder, this book may help you, although I think you would probably need more than this book to get started. Another book that is not a keeper.

20 / 50
(40.0%)

I follow your sign, wherever it leads I go.

2008-07-27T00:39:47Z

23) Avalon High – Meg Cabot

I was on a major Meg Cabot binge and began reading whatever I could find. Out of all the books I've read of hers I seem to enjoy her fantastical type more then I do her teen or adult books. Maybe it's because I'm a fantasy addict at heart. A very original story and witty as usual. Bravo!

24) Austenland – Shannon Hale

About three years ago I read Hale's Goose Girl and I fell in love. Again a fantasy addict. After reading Goose Girl I read the Princess Academy and Enna Burning. They didn't charm me half as well as the Goose Girl. So when I saw Austenland at Borders I was really eager to begin reading it. Oh my, I could not stop laughing. I adore witty writers and she definitely is one. It was corny to a fault but it was enough for a Mr. Darcy obsessive reader such as me.

25) To Do List – Sasha Cagen

This was another of my random finds in a discount box. I myself am a compulsive list writer, I mean here I am on 50 books listing all of the books I can finish in a year. I've been this way since I learned how to read and write. So when I saw To Do List I was intrigued. To Do List is a book that features people's lists from various times in their life which are then separated into categories. It's almost similar to reading Post Secret, it's refreshing to know that there are people who are crazier out there then you are.

Books 23 - 29

2008-07-26T23:03:20Z

The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin - A mystery set in 1830's Istanbul by a guy who is a scholar of this era. fantastic detail, and great characters. I don't know much about this time or place, so the mystery was a complete surprise to me also. I'm going to look for the sequel.

Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl by Anonymous - I picked this up because it was a dollar. It reads like a blog put into print, mostly because it is: http://www.belledejour.co.uk/ I liked it, but I don't think I would have paid more than a dollar for it.

Travels in a Thin Country by Sara Wheeler - I can't afford to go to Chile, so I read this book instead. I highly recommend it.

Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation by Olivia Judson - Fruit fly sex! Yikes! I wish this had been the recommended reading for my behavioral ecology class. I liked this a lot. Very funny.

Fire Study by Maria Snyder - Last book in the trilogy. I LOVE this trilogy.

Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions by Charles Gallenkamp - This could have been a very dry history but it wasn't. I do wish they spent more time with Dinosaurs and less with political maneuverings of the times.

What the Dog Did by Emily Yoffe - VERY funny & realistic view of dog ownership.

Book 83: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn.

2008-07-26T22:58:00Z

Book 83: Silent in the Grave.
Author: Deanna Raybourn, 2006.
Genre: Historical Fiction. Mystery.
Other Details: 534 pages.

"To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor."

So begins this delightful and very readable début novel by Deanna Raybourn. Set in London, 1886 it is narrated by Lady Julia Grey, who has been recently widowed after her husband collapsed and died at a party held at their London home. Lady Julia is the daughter of Lord March and part of an upper class family known for their eccentricities and some rather notorious ancestors. However, Julia had sought a quieter life marrying her childhood friend, Sir Edward Grey. He was known to suffer from a weakness of the heart and so no one questioned his death was from anything other than natural causes. No one except Nicholas Brisbane, a private inquiry agent who reveals to Lady Julia that he had been retained by Sir Edward to look into a series of threatening letters he had received. He suspects that Sir Edward was murdered. However, Lady Julia is outraged by this suggestion and dismisses Brisbane from her presence.

Almost a year later she comes across one of the letters and realises there may have been something to Brisbane's claim after all. She contacts Brisbane with a request that he look into her husband's death. Naturally she also involves herself in the investigation and there are plenty of 'penny dreadful' aspects such as gypsy curses, secret societies and deeds of a nefarious nature to entertain the reader.

Amazon recommended this to me as I've been buying a number of Victorian mysteries recently. I also read a glowing review on a blog about the same time. So I was quite keen to get hold of a copy. I found it a very engaging read with interesting characters, a satisfying plot and a well-observed period setting. It is full of sparklingly wit mainly via the internal dialogue of Lady Julia Grey. She is very modest and proper as befits a Victorian lady though allows herself some rather immodest thoughts about Nicholas Brisbane. Not that I blame her because Raybourn has created a perfect foil for Lady Julia in Brisbane, who is everything a romantic hero should be - tall, dark, handsome, honourable, intelligent and of course brooding with a mysterious past thrown in for good measure. The romance aspect was present but kept quite low key and teasing rather than overt. This is to be the first in a series of novels and I already have the second Silent in the Sanctuary lined up for later in the year.

Opening chapter of Silent in the Grave can be read here.

'Fool Moon' by Jim Butcher

2008-07-26T20:05:16Z

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

From the back of the book:

Business has been slow lately for Harry Dresden. Okay, business has been dead. Not undead - just dead. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work - magical or mundane.

Just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise. A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange looking paw prints. A full moon.

Take three guesses. And the first two don't count...

My thoughts:

Ok, so I'm hooked. This is hokum, but it's good hokum. Butcher's writing is still a bit dodgy in places, and Harry Dreseden is still a chauvinist (although he does get called on it by the female characters), but even though I knew who the real bad guys were (I've just watched the TV series) the story still kept me reading to the very end. I'm not sure why I liked this book as much as I did. The romance/sex was rather contrived and emotionless, there was a little too much exposition in places, and the female lead was a little shallow, but the action scenes were great: fast and furious. I guess it is just pure escapism and good fun.

Fiction List (8/50)

#42: "Little Earthquakes" by Jennifer Weiner

2008-07-26T20:05:03Z

Why did I buy this book at a thrift store? I don't even like chick lit! And this book reminded me why.

It's well-written, covering the travails of a cluster of impending mothers and how they cope during their babies' first year. The author is indeed witty and makes some good observations. It's just... they annoyed me (Kelly especially). Their experience was nothing like my experience in becoming a mother and I had difficulty relating to some of their problems. There were so many brand names dropped in this book I wondered if the publisher was getting kickbacks. I can see why this was a bestseller and why many enjoyed it, but it's just not for me.

Corpse Candle

2008-07-26T18:10:32Z

43. Corpse Candle, by Paul Doherty. 343 pages. (2001)

Grade: B-

Evidently this volume is in the middle of a series about a medieval detective, Sir Hugh Corbett, and his minions, Ranulf atte-Newgate and Chanson. He is sent to the Abbey of St. Martin's-in-the-Marsh in the late autumn of 1303 to discover who murdered the Abbot, the personal friend of King Edward I. And then the other leading monks of the abbey start being murdered.

Average or slightly less - the voice didn't "ring" as very medieval to me. However, it was a free book, so all's well.

I'll be taking it to the local used bookstore, though.

41 of 50 2008 challenge:I Remember by Joe Brainard

2008-07-26T18:04:44Z

One of the challenges facing us in the 21st century is that we have too many reading choices; each year (yes each year) around 320,000 books hit UK and USA bookstores alone. And the pace of this is increasing with smaller and smaller print runs meaning more and more specialised segmented reader markets. Don’t know about you, but over my allotted 70-80 years I may manage 1001 books to read before you die; meaning that over my life tsunami of published books, I will read a passing sip of around 0.1% only. Think about all those great books that you are going to miss because of the noise from the ones with the best marketing budgets. Or from reading, what you always read.

I Remember by Joe Brainard is one of those books that was buried with the fishes a long time ago yet deserving of a wider readership. Ok let us get to the killer; its poetry linked to the New York School of the 1950-60’s, which had a massive influence on contemporary music, art, dance, prose, and poetry. The ‘movements’ approach was observational, physical, using contrasting vivid imagery to shock the observer, listener, or participant into an emotional response that enables a revitalised experience of the world. The poetry of the ‘movement’ was a reaction to the confessional styles of poets such as Sylvia Plath who tended to write about their inner struggles.

Before you think, I sip Earl Grey tea in some fancy café jabbering on about the prevenient nature of the stanza or the catachrestical no-no, of the imagery let me tell you otherwise. My last experience of any poetry was 1975 when I did English Lit O level and although I enjoyed T.S.Elliot and Sylvia Plath, poems on seeing daffodils or Nightingales croaking did zilch for me-and rhymed couplets, please give a guy a break.

To my horror, I discovered I have to write an 80-line poem for my University Creative writing course in the autumn. Reading the course materials calmed me down. The course teaches you to start with an image or word and then free write a story. This triggers decisions on line, stanza, metre etc depending on the mood and scope of the poem. Suddenly it started to make sense so much so that I wrote my first poem in over 40 years. It was doing the background reading that led me to I Remember by Joe Brainard, which is poetry in ways you don’t imagine.

He was a major painter, as well as poet, with a keen interest in collage and assemblage. One of his central works was a collection of over 3000 postcard size images that reflected the public-private experience of living in New York. The book reflects this technique by assembling hundreds of lines starting with I Remember. You may recognise it as a well-known technique for teaching children poetry. The lines list the fashions and fads, public events and private excesses of his 40's and 50’s childhood as well as his creative life of the 60’s and 70’s in simple, honest and witty lines that spin off from each other. In reading, you are hooked into a poetry biography like no other.

You may never have given avant-garde 70’s poetry a thought before but make it one of your 1001 books to read if you get the chance. It’s only a 175 page slurp of a book readable in 1-2 hours as you surf through lines like this:

I remember when babies fall down “oopsydaisy”

I remember, with a limp wrist, shaking your hand back and fourth real fast until it feels like jelly.

I remember trying to get the last of cat food from a can.

I remember when a piece of hair stands up straight after a night of sleeping on it wrong.

I remember before green dishwashing liquid.

I remember a free shoehorn with new shoes.

I remember never using shoehorns.

Not convinced? Let me leave the final word with Paul Auster.

I Remember is a masterpiece. One by one, the so-called important books of our time will be forgotten, but Joe Brainard's modest little gem will endure. In simple, forthright, declarative sentences, he charts the map of the human soul and permanently alters the way we look at the world. I Remember is both uproariously funny and deeply moving. It is also one of the few totally original books I have ever read.

Book 43: July Challenge

2008-07-26T16:29:20Z

A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines (1968)

A Kestrel for a Knave was the very first topic I studied in GCSE English. I can still remember the title of the essay I wrote on it ('Discuss the presentation of three of Billy Casper's teachers'), and that the essay covered ten handwritten sides of A4; contained too many extended sections of quotation; and introduced all the supporting evidence in the same way ('Barry Hines shows us this...').

Why I never got along with this novel, I'm not sure. It's probably because, at the time, I was heavily into reading fantasy (I still am, but not to the exclusion of almost all else!), and Hines's book is pretty much the opposite of that. It is the story of Billy Casper, a young lad living in a South Yorkshire mining town. His father has left home, his older brother is a bully, and his mother has no time for Billy, being more occupied with a string of affairs. School is no better: Billy can barely read or write, is often picked on by the other boys, and the teachers (with the exception of one) treat him as a no-hoper. Although he's about to leave school, Billy has no idea what he'll do next. But there's one good thing in the boy's life: Kes, the kestrel Billy has trained himself and is highly adept at handling.

Writing that has made me think of another reason I may not have been keen on A Kestrel for a Knave -- it is pretty miserable. I wasn't alone in my opinion of the book at school -- even one of the other English teachers didn't like it that much -- but I wanted to give it another chance. I like to think I've grown as a reader in the last ten-and-a-bit years, so perhaps I'd get more out of the novel this time.

And so... Well, there's been no great conversion; but I do appreciate the book more than I did. I appreciate it as a study of a character who's been prevented by circumstances from making the most of (or perhaps even recognising) his talents. And perhaps it's not quite as miserable a novel as I once thought. But there's nothing cosy about it: as Hines says in his afterword, Billy is 'more Artful Dodger than Oliver Twist' -- when the world kicks him, he kicks right back. And Barry Hines shows us why.

You see your world on fire, don't try to act surprised.

2008-07-26T13:48:08Z

28. Vampire Hunter D, Vol 5.: The Stuff of Dreams Hideyuki Kikuchi [7/10]
Another fantastic edition to the Vampire Hunter D series, but not the best of them. I really liked the idea behind the plot line, but it was kind of confusing at some points. But I really enjoyed it just the same. This tale takes place in a small village where the Noblility and humans have coexisted for years in peace, and a girl has been sleeping for 30 years from a vampire's kiss without aging or waking. I don't really know what else to say about it without spoiling it, so I'll just leave it at that.

29. Maledicte Lane Robins [5/10]

Seething with decadent appetites unchecked by law or gods, the court of Antyre is ruled by the last of a dissolute aristocracy. But now to the kingdom comes Maledite, a handsome, enigmatic nobleman whose perfect manners, enchanting charisma, and brilliant swordplay entice the most jaded tastes... and conceal a hunger beyond reckoning.
For Maledicte is actually a woman named Miranda - a beautiful thied rasied in the city's vicious slums. She will do anything - even promise her soul to Black-Winged Anu, the most merciless of Antyre's exiled gods - to reclain Janus, her first love, whose kidnapping still haunts her dreams. As her machinations strike at the heart of Antyre's powerful noble houses, Miranda must battle not only her own growing bloodlust, but also Janus's newly kindled and ruthless ambitions. As Ani's force grows insatiable, Miranda has no choice but to wield a weapon that may set her free... or forever doom her and everything she holds dear.

I thought it sounded like a good read. Well let me say this. Good reads don't take long to read because generally, you have a hard time putting down good reads. Good reads don't get interupted by every new book you purchase and end up taking a year to finish. This one did. It really wasn't any good. It didn't get interesting until the Dark Solstice, which happened a little more than halfway through the book. Not to mention the ending was extremely disappointing.

30. The Crow J. O'Barr [4/5]
I really enjoyed reading this, because I really enjoyed the first movie. This was a lot darker than the movie, and I noticed a lot of differences. The art wasn't that great, but it was an excellent story just the same.

30 / 50
(60.0%)

Now I'm reading whatever I can to kill time [aka Dune] until the release of Breaking Dawn, which I have preordered :] Excitement!

that's all for now folks.

50bookchallenge @ 2008-07-26T16:31:00

2008-07-26T06:32:19Z

BOOK 37: The Company by Max Barry (humor)
This book is a great read. It is about a company and all the politics that goes on within it. At first it seems like any other company with its petty arguments over who's eaten someone else's donut but what lies beneath the surface? A funny read.

BOOK 38; The Butler did it by Kasey Michaels (romance)
This book was a waste of time and I really didn't like it at all. It had a lot of interesting characters in it but it just didn't work for me. It was about what happens when a butler decides to use his bosses home as a rental property while he;s away. Set in regency times with balls and escapades .I was glad when I finished this rubbish.

BOOK 39: My Sister Keeper by Jodi Picoult (drama)
A work mate told me to read Jodi's books as she is a great fan of hers. Although I found it incredibly sad and distressing at times the book was certainly worth reading. It explores moral dilemmas and how people deal with them. Very interesting but very sad.

BOOK 40; The five people you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom (spiritual)
Another book given to me to read. It is a tiny book which is easy to read. It explores the reasons why we are put on this earth and explores spiritual issues. I wouldn't say it was the best book I've every read but not too bad either.

BOOK 41: The Pact by Jodi Picoult (drama
I found this easier to read than My sisters keeper and not as draining. Again it explores deep moral topics and what it means to love someone. I would certainly recommend it.

books 19 and 20

2008-07-25T22:52:35Z

20. When you are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. A short collection of essays. Some of them you can tell he's reaching for things to write about, but most of them are as funny as past collections.

19. The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum. Second Book in the Bourne Series. Much better and very different from the books. It seems like most of the movies were pulled from the first book. I'm in the middle of Ultimatium now.

18. Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original "Psycho" by Harold Schechter. A harrowing tale, the guy confessed several times in round about ways, and people blew it off as him being weird. Good book.

17. Don't get too Comfortable by David Rakoff. Very good, very snarky book of true short stories. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED,great if you will be interupted often, but need a book

16. Polygamy's Rape of Rachel Strong by John R. Llewellyn. This book isn't as much a personal story as I thought it would be and is instead, more of a platform for an anti-polygamy rhetoric. The personal story that is included is all third person, via 'interviews' that happened.

15. More, Now, Again: A Memoir of Addiction by Elizabeth Wurtzel. This is the story of her ritalin addiciton, and the journey it took her on. It's like reading a train wreck, in a friends words.

14. Cut by Patricia Mccormick. A book about a girl named Callie who's in a place called Sea Pines, for cutting. It's the story of Callie's journey to wanting help.

13. I Hate Other People's Kids by Adrianne Frost. A cute book about all of those things that bother us about kids in public. At the movies, at dinner, etc.

12. Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. The first in the book of the Bourne series that the movies are based off of. The books are much better!

11. A Matter of Destiny by N. L. Williams. A book written by a ham radio operator who decided to pull ham radio into a murder mystery. It was a good book, it threw me for a loop with they broght in ET though.

10. Cross by James Patterson. The book that caused me to read all of the other Alex Cross novels, but felt I had to read the others before I got to this one. It was worth reading all of those books. It's a very very good book.

9. Mary Mary by James Patterson. Alex Cross starts this book on a vacation that ends really quickly, When a killer identifying herself as Mary Smith strikes in Hollywood. Then he's on the hunt again, trying to balance home and work once again.

8. London Bridges by James Patterson. Alex Cross continues in his search for the Wolf in this book. It read really well and I was hooked quickly.

7. Murder in Brentwood by Mark Fuhrman. The story of the Nichole Simpson and Ron Goldman murders from the eyes of Mark Fuhrman, one of the detectives. Fuhrman also discusses the so-called coverup and his point of view.

6. Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris. The story of Hannibal the Cannibal as a child and young man. It explains a lot about his later character and is great! I highly recommend it!!

5. Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson. Chasing a guy who calls himself the Wolf, Alex discovers that his new job with the FBI has more resources but can be just as frustrating as the DC force was at times.

4. Four Blind Mice by James Patterson. This book teases with the end of Alex Cross's series by saying he might retire and this is his last case. However, it's a really good book.

3. Violets are Blue by James Patterson. A book in the Alex Cross detective series. A continuation of the Roses are Red book. It was a really good book.

2. Roses are Red by James Patterson. A book in the Alex Cross detective series. I like this one, but if you've followed the series get ready for a shocker ending.

1. Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson. A book in the Alex Cross detective series. Very good and written in the style of the others. I don't like what this did to the personal relationship of the main character though, it seems he can't catch a break.

Books Read

20 / 50
(40.0%)

Pages Read

7,213 / 15,000
(48.1%)

I Am America by Stephen Colbert; Women & Money by Patricia Ann

2008-07-25T21:38:33Z

38/50
12,268/15,000

37. I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
- Political Satire (240 pages)
-Realizing that it takes more than thirty minutes a night to fix everything that's destroying America, Colbert bravely takes on the forces aligned to destroy our country—whether they be terrorists, environmentalists, or Kashi brand breakfast cereals. His various targets include nature (I've never trusted the sea. What's it hiding under there?), the Hollywood Blacklist (I would have named enough names to fill the Moscow phone book), and atheists (Imagine going through life completely duped into thinking that there's no invisible, omniscient higher power guiding every action on Earth. It's just so arbitrary!). Colbert also provides helpful illustrations and charts (Things That Are Trying to Turn Me Gay) [and] a complete transcript of his infamous speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner [...] all of which add up to a book that is sure to be a bestseller. -from Amazon
-It was like his show in book form. Fun, but you have to be in the mood for it. (3.5/5)

38. Women & Money: A Practical Guide to Estate Planning by Patricia Annino
- Personal Finance (228 pages)
- Too often, women ignore the state of their financial affairs and/or depend on others in their lives to keep them in order. It is only too late that they (or their dependents) realize the significance of having their affairs in order not only in case of untimely death, but with increasing life spans and advances in medical care, in case of incapacity from illness or dementia. Annino, with 20 plus years of experience in estate planning, offers a book that explains, step by step and across many different living situations, why being prepared is necessary and how to determine your specific wants and needs in order to plan appropriately. - from Amazon
- My boss gave this to me to read and I was surprised to find it interesting. Mainly you should make a will and pick your power of attorney (financial and health care). And when you die put your estate in a trust (with the people you want to have your estate in charge of it). Get life insurance, disability insurance and long-term care insurance (lots). (3/5)

50bookchallenge @ 2008-07-25T14:58:00

2008-07-25T19:58:44Z

Book #81 -- Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book, 337 pages.

I think this is the first time I've read a book by Neil Gaiman aimed specifically at Young Adults. The plot of the young orphan boy raised in a graveyard by ghosts is a really quite macabre version of the 'it takes a village to raise a child' idea, and the whole book is quite fun, but being Neil Gaiman he has to do one better by brining in all kinds of notions about the nature of Life and Death and Change and Growth. I may even have to buy a copy of the official release when it comes out, because the cover says "with Illustrations by Dave McKean", but of course the ARC doesn't include the illustrations, and I'd love to see what McKean does with some of the characters.

Progress toward goals: 207/366 = 56.6%

Books: 54.0%

Pages: 22052/50000 = 44.1%

2008 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

update

2008-07-25T19:22:52Z

I'm not even sure what was the last book I posted, but I think it was somewhere around here.

23...Dreamcatcher...Stephen King...6/5
24...Blood Noir...Laurell K. Hamilton...6/30
25...Animal Farm...George Orwell...7/1
26...Sula...Toni Morrison...7/8
27...Pride and Prejudice...Jane Austen...7/24

Having never read Animal Farm, I picked it up at a book sale and figured it would make for good summer reading, which it did. It's a classic and I recommend it, but I wouldn't read it again. I was too put off by the demise of a certain character!

Sula had been sitting around my house for years. I think I bought it for some college class, but never got to it. Another book I would recommend, with a warning of a few disturbing scenes.

Pride and Prejudice, of course, whoops them all to shame and then some. This classic should not be missed by anyone, and is now among my favorite books. (But Jane Eyre still holds number one.)

50bookchallenge @ 2008-07-25T14:23:00

2008-07-25T18:36:09Z

I must hurry and review the rest of the books I've been avoiding before I slip and read something else. Let's go in order of awesomeness, shall we?

God's Demon by Wayne Barlowe was a reasonably decent piece of work, though not particularly my thing. It's the story of a demon in hell trying to regain Angel status. A pretty good story with interesting concepts of hell and quests for forgiveness. Kind of interesting, but not, as I said, really my thing.

The Duke of Uranium by John Barnes struck me, at first, as highly mediocre. I rolled my eyes and kept reading and, by the end, was surprised to find that I had thoroughly enjoyed it. It's old-school sci-fi, mostly, with spaceships and whatnot, and though it's not exactly comic, by the end it had me giggling like crazy, mostly because of the religion/philosophy referred to as "The Wager" (Pascal's wager? I wonder? That's where Pascal said "God may or may not exist. If he does exist and you live according to his laws, you go to heaven. If he does exist and you don't live according to his laws, you go to hell. If he doesn't exist and you live according to his laws, you've lived a good life. Therefore, why not live according to his laws?"), which has a bunch of tenants, quoted through the book, some of which are very funny. The plot was kind of weak, but the presentation was highly entertaining. I'd read other books by this author, provided I don't have to buy them.

Charisma by Steven Barnes utterly wowed me. It wasn't as amazing as World War Z (my obsession of late) but it was GOOD philosophically. Unfortunately, I don't really want to say anything at all about the plot since it was really neat the way things came together through the book, but let's just say it's about a group of extra-intelligent kids who may or may not have been abused in pre-school. They're showing signs of abuse (violent nightmares involving rape and torture) but show no physical evidence and do not remember being abused at all. It's definitely science fiction, but tends more towards the possible than the extreme. No spaceships, no aliens, just slightly advanced science in the present-day, and most of that is medical. It flirts with, but ends up avoiding, any jaunts into the painfully cliche, which is lovely. Would make a really good movie, actually.

61/75

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (26)

2008-07-25T17:53:46Z

I really enjoyed reading this book. It looks long (544 pages), but many (most?) of them are drawings that look like camera work - panning across a scene or starting further away and moving closer and closer like they do in movies. It works well because it's about movies (and a retired movie maker and an automaton and some other things).
The title character, Hugo, keeps the clocks in a Paris train station running after his uncle's disappearance. He also has a secret - a marvelous clockwork automaton that was destroyed in the fire that killed his father. I love stories about automatons, so it made me happy.
It did take a little getting used to, though; it takes awhile to get to any text and then the main plot doesn't start until later than that. Once you get into the swing of things, however, it's a quick, enjoyable read with an interesting presentation. (It reminded me of a silent film which, of course, was exactly the point of doing it the way it's done.)

Books 51-55/74

2008-07-25T16:49:24Z

Book 51: Me Talk Pretty One Day
Author: David Sedaris
Genre: Essays, Non-Fiction
Summary: ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY contains far more than just the funniest collection of autobiographical essays - it quite well registers as a manifesto about language itself. Wherever there's a straight line, you can be sure that Sedaris lurks beneath the text, making it jagged with laughter; and just where the fault lines fall, he sits mischievously perched at the epicenter of it all.
My Rating: 7/10
My thoughts: I have to say that I wasn't overly impressed with this book, although I enjoyed it. It was good, but it wasn't great, funny but not hilarious, different, but not entirely unique. I would still recommend it, though. I also plan to check out more of Sedaris's work.

Book 52: The Virgin Suicides
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Genre: Fiction
Summary: The Virgin Suicides is the 1993 debut novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides. The story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers around the suicides of five sisters. The Lisbon girls' suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for the acts.

The novel is atypical in that it was written in first person plural from the perspective of an anonymous group of teenage boys who became infatuated with the girls, a style mirroring a Greek chorus. The narrator(s) rely on relics and interviews gathered in the two decades after the suicide to construct the tale. The novel is rich in descriptive detail, using observations about the state of the Lisbon house and the contents of the girls’ rooms to advance the plot. The effect is that the reader glimpses the novel’s main characters as if he or she were one of the neighborhood onlookers.
My Rating: 6/10
My thoughts: My honest thoughts? I was disappointed. As usual, I loved the author's writing style, but the book just didn't do it for me. Which is kind of a disappointment, considering the rave reviews I had heard. I mean, it wasn't one of the worst books I've ever read; there were definitely some good parts, and Eugenides creates some very intriguing characters. But if you're looking into reading one of his works, I would definitely say to go with Middlesex, a work much superior to and more enjoyable than The Virgin Suicides.

Book 53: Someone I Loved
Author: Anna Gavalda
Genre: Fiction
Summary: ...A spare, dialogue-based tale of a young, abandoned wife. Chloé, mother of two, is in shock after her husband, Adrien, leaves her for another woman. In an improbable move, her laconic father-in-law, Pierre, rescues her, driving Chloé and her daughters to his country house, where they spend a few surprisingly therapeutic days together. While in the country, Pierre gives Chloé an extended account of an extramarital affair of his own. His dalliance was based on real love, and this, ironically, comforts Chloé.
My Rating: 8/10
My thoughts: This book was very good. My only complaint? The length. I turned the page to what I thought was the middle of the book...only to find out that it was the end! What appeared to be the second half of the book was simply the entire work in its original French. That aside, however, this was a highly enjoyable work. Gavalda's style of writing is truly unique; she is well on her way to becoming one of my favorite authors. I am very disappointed that I only have one more of her books left to read.

Book 54: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Genre: 1001 Books to Read Before You Die, Classic, Fiction
Summary: George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture. It is the account of the bold struggle, initiated by the animals, that transforms Mr. Jones's Manor Farm into Animal Farm--a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. Out of their cleverness, the pigs Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as leaders of the new community in a subtle evolution that proves disastrous. The climax is the brutal betrayal of the faithful horse Boxer, when totalitarian rule is reestablished with the bloodstained postscript to the founding slogan: But some Animals Are More Equal Than Others. . . .
My Rating: 8/10
My thoughts: An extremely interesting read. I would have to say that I prefer 1984, but this one was very good as well. It really makes you think, which is always a good thing.

Book 55: Atlas Shrugged
Author: Ayn Rand
Genre: Classic, Fiction, Philosophy
Summary: The astounding story of a man that said that he would stop the motor of the world-and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read.
My Rating: 9/10
My thoughts: Phew! Now this is a heavy read. When I started Atlas Shrugged, I was absolutely sure that I would not enjoy it as much as The Fountainhead. By the time I finished, I was astounded to find that I had enjoyed it just as much, if not more. It was an excellent read. All of the characters were well developed, and the book itself was absolutely fascinating. I didn't give it a 10/10 simply because it dragged a bit at times. I mean, love words and all, but a 55 page monologue is just a bit excessive. Overall, it is definitely recommended.

55 / 74 books. 74% done!

Book 32

2008-07-25T16:20:48Z

The Visible World - Mark Slouka

Broken into three sections, this emotional - and unfortunately often sentimental - book dances the line between memoir and fiction.
The narrator, like the author, is the son of Czech refugees from World War II, trying to understand how their past has shaped his life. In the first section recalls what was likely the childhood of the author and narrator, growing up in an immigrant community. It is vivid, poetic and at turns even funny. Alas, it is all too short.
The second section shows us the same boy in adulthood, having traveled to Prague to try to understand his mother's suicide and his father's stoic and loving tolerance of the man whom his wife loved during the war, before settling for him. Here is where Slouka starts to play too heavily on his themes of submerged worlds and lives and creating long-winded, if elegantly written, descriptions of where he goes and what he sees and cannot see.
Finally, in the third section, Slouka fills in the gaps of the mystery surrounding his mother and the other man. In the form of fiction, Slouka imagines the story has to do with the resistance fighters who assassinates Nazi henchman and butcher of Prague, Reinhard Heydrich.
His device is clear: he takes the true story of heroes and adds a non-existent eighth fighter, as the man his mother loves.
Sadly, the story he creates is too romantic, to fantastic, to be seen as credible. This fighter and his mother, both committed to fighting for the future of their country, somehow ignore other responsibilities and promises for no reason. Their initial coupling is devoid of emotion, perhaps because Slouka is trying to paint a couple destined to be together, with no need for explanation.
But, it falls flat. For all of the effort Slouka puts into his scenario, it is a disappointing end to an otherwise carefully crafted work.

45/50

2008-07-25T01:43:42Z

Current tally - 45/50

Previous tally - 37/50
01 - Kinfolks falling off the family tree - by Lisa Alther
02 - The Jesus Mystery - by Lena Einhorn
03 - Axel of Evil - by Alina Adams
04 - Carved in Bone - by Jefferson Bass
05 - A Bright Silver Star - by David Handler
06 - Murder on the Celtic - by Conrad Allen
07 - Evan's Gate - by Rhys Bowen
08 - Her Royal Spyness - by Rhys Bowen
09 - Grave Apparel - by Ellen Byerrum
10 - Cold Blood - by Aaron Elkins
11 - Little Tiny Teeth - by Aaron Elkins
12 - Bad Blood - by Geraldine Evans
13 - The Lark's Lament - by Alan Gordon
14 - The Serpents Trail - by Sue Henry
15 - Hard Row - by Margaret Maron
16 - Bones to Ashes - Kathy Reichs
17 - The Cemetery Yew - by Cynthia Riggs
18 - A Hole in Juan - by Gillian Roberts
19 - Streets of Death - by Dell Shannon
20 - The Careful Use of Compliments - by Alexander McCall Smith
21 - Murder on K Street - by Margaret Truman
22 - The Genetic Strand - by Edward Ball
23 - A Canticle for Leibowitz - by Walter M Miller, Jr.
24 - Faithful unto Death - by Caroline Graham
25 - The Color of Magic - by Terry Pratchett
26 - Europe's Last Summer - by David Fromkin
27 - The Glass Castle - by Jeannette Walls
28 - The Journal of Arizona History Spring 2008
29 - Good Calories, Bad Calories - by Gary Taubes
30 - A Nice Derangement of Epitaphs - by Ellis Peters
31 - Sweet and Deadly - by Charlaine Harris
32 - The Book Thief - by Markus Zusak
33 - Going Postal - by Terry Pratchett
34 - The Death of a Joyce Scholar - by Bartholomew Gill
35 - Break No Bones - by Kathy Reichs
36 - Old Wounds - by Vicki Lane
37 - A Christmas Beginning - by Anne Perry

38 -Santa Cruise - by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark
This is a light mystery on a cruise ship but very nice. The plot was interesting if a bit too complicated for the story.

39 - This is a Tory Travers/David Alavarez mystery set in El Paso, TX. It's an interesting look at what can look like affirmative action, yet isn't and the reactions it sets off in various people.

40 - The members of the Murder by the Yard club in Amarillo TX find not only a body but two, one of them more than a century old. This is a nicely done mystery about both bodies. If find the "romantic detecting couple(?)" to be a bit irritating but they are still interesting characters.

41 - This is a very interesting book about why christians should be environmentalists. It's not so they can save the world, but because they are told to be not only good stewards, but to witness to the kingdom of God regardless of whether they actually make a difference. Excellent viewpoint.

42 - Ellie Haskell gets called to help her old school, which she dreads returning to, but feels she must as a very good friend asks for her help. She struggles to make sense of a Nun's ghost, a hateful theft, the byplay between the staff of the school and the neaby benefactress. She not only untangles the mystery but finally realizes how much the school meant to her.

43 - Another interesting look at Lieutenant Luis Mendoza, his interesting family and his co-workers at Central Homicide LAPD. One of my favorite police series as they seem so normal, unlike the officers in some police mysteries. They have the usual run of stupid murders and some not so stupid including the shooting of a conman with too many suspects.

44 - This is based on a missing play by Shakespeare and whether Shakespeare really wrote the plays. It flashes back to when King James ruled after Queen Elizabeth toward the end of Shakespeare's life. It's a very interesting telling of an ongoing debate. Somewhat unrealistic, but then, if people called the police when there was trouble, like I would, we wouldn't have such interesting books, would we?

45 - Another police series by Dell Shannon, written under the name of Elizabeth Linington with Maddox, D'Arcy, Carstairs and rest of the Homicide department in the Hollywood precinct. The usual police work with some interesting twists and the terrible disappearance of a baby from in front of her parent's apartment. The resolution of all their mysteries was well done.

45 - And yet another police series by Dell Shannon, writing under the name of Lesley Egan. It is also set in the Los Angeles area, in Glendale and follows detectives O'Connor, Varallo, Rhys and Riordan as they try to keep their personal lives on keel while working with murder and mayhem. They try to find a man terrorizing older people, a widow disappears leaving no trace, cat about to have kittens in the police station, a dog who thinks he belongs with the detectives and a very loud bird found with a dead lady who no one wants (the bird, not the lady).

Books 32, 33, and 34

2008-07-24T23:03:59Z

32. Oceans of Fire (Paranormal Romance) – Christine Feehan
Rating: 5
And again we rejoin the ever so perfect and magical superpowered Drake sisters and the perfect, handsome and powerful in whatever they do men that love them. See, I accept that these are all 'mary sue' books, and normally I adore them; the author is quite good at writing interesting characters, even if they are perfect, and the plots carry you along happily. Not this time. The plot was a bit slow, the interactions a bit annoying and so help me I wanted to shake the main female lead until her head popped off with her whining. Normally the Drake family sees through any facade to understand the Hero really is a Good Man but this time the heroine was going out of her way to be a pigheaded, annoying twerp who only saw HER problems, and HER weakness and HER failing-- but that all of those things were in reality HIS fault. ::headdesk:: I kinda want to read book 4, but since for some stupid reason the publisher has that SOLE volume not available to the Kindle, looks like this is my last wallow with the Drakes.

33. Twilight (YA) – Stephanie Meyer
Rating: 1
For those of you rabidly in love with this series, please do NOT read my review. Sadly I was eager to read this book. All the great reviews, all the slavering fangirl praise, even the media going bananas made me think this might be a wonderful book to read.

EPIC FAIL!

OK, first off, it amazes me that *anyone* could deal with the perfection that is Bella and not want to drown her for all her whining and sniveling. She is a Mary Sue of Mary Sues-- she is so lovely a whole TOWN of young men want her, even if SHE insists she is ugly... she is so brilliant it takes a aged vampire pretending to be a teenager (oh sure, that would be MY pick, if I was a super powered creature... lets go back to HIGH SCHOOL -gag-) to be even her mental equal. Bella is also the most desirable thing ever for all vampires, and even other paranormal creatures feel some odd need to protect and care for her. The ONLY thing going for her is that, like so many other emo teenagers, she whines... often. And then we have Edward the Perfect. Beyond model looks, beyond Einstein brains, able to pilot a car at 900 MPH perfectly, and he can read almost any mind out there (Except... DUH... BELLA'S) so he knows INSTANTLY the right thing to say or do in any and every situation. Oh and he has a family of other vampires who are also super attractive, super powered, and so smart it hurts to look at them in the daylight. No, really-- that's not snark; they SPARKLE in the sunlight. ::headdesk:: Oh, and because they are GOOD vampires, they only eat animals... and, get this-- the vampires that LIKE Bella also have psychic gifts, while the ones that do not are denied. ::shudders::

This book wasn't just bad, it was .. oh hell, I have no words to explain how bad it was. I kept reading it because I kept hoping to find WHY everyone raves about it... and never found out why. The ONLY reason it got a 1 and not a negative rating was that there were a few small scenes that amused me, and SURPRISE, those were scenes with very little Bella and Edward in them.

34. Assassin’s Apprentice (Fantasy) – Robin Hobb
Rating: 9
A bastard to the heir to a throne is allowed to live as he becomes a tool to the throne. I'd like to say more, but it would give things away that you NEED to discover. This was a very good fantasy novel-- a bit dark, but we're talking assassins here, not someone who makes balloon animals...

34 / 50
(68.0%)

#19 World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

2008-07-24T22:25:23Z

This is another novel I read due to the posters in this community. Having not read any other of Brook’s books, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The fact that the back cover reviews for a book about zombies were from The Wall Street Journal and NPR was intriguing.

The story reads as a series of interviews and flows more like a CNN interview or military history than a novel. Usually, this would turn me off a book, but Brooks made it work. The plethora of characters jump continents, political status and military ranking. The undercurrent of the story is one of the human will to survive. What I really appreciated about Brook’s format was that it was a progression, much like how real life events would unfold. He provides depth and thought to each situation, the fictional world war becoming very believable rather than gore and horror without substance. The extent of his research is evident in historical and cultural references as well as weaponry.

I am by no means a zombie aficionado; I don’t watch the movies and have not read other zombie books. I did thoroughly enjoy this one. Its post apocalyptic kind of feel reminded me of McCarthy’s the Road.