Poems of Emily Dickinson

Title: Collected Poems

Author: Emily Dickinson

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 212

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mixing it Up - Poetry; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it

I've always liked Emily Dickinson and her poetry. I think there's something about her morbid outlook that speaks to me. I am not an optimist and I have a feeling she wasn't either. Her poetry itself is often disjointed, but it all seems to go together. This is one of those volumes that I pick up every few years. It's a comfort read, an old friend, a reminder of my past. Dickinson is not for everyone, but she's definitely for me.

My favorite: Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Title: A Wrinkle in Time

Author: Madeleine L'Engle

Publisher: Bantam Doubleday 1962

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 198

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Classics -- Award Winner; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it

Fifty years ago, Madeleine L’Engle introduced the world to A Wrinkle in Time and the wonderful and unforgettable characters Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe. When the children learn that Mr. Murry has been captured by the Dark Thing, they time travel to Camazotz, where they must face the leader IT in the ultimate battle between good and evil—a journey that threatens their lives and our universe.

This is technically a re-read but it's been a while since I read it. This is one of those books from childhood that I enjoyed, but didn't love completely. I thought it was a bit fantasy adventure fun. Reading it now, I see the whole story as a more interesting discussion about destiny, good and evil, science, and philosophy. What do we make of Mrs. Which, Whatsit, and Who? Are they good beings or just self-interested beings? What about It? Is It completely evil or having the potential for good? I think this brings in a ton of questions. I've never read the rest of the series. J tells me that the next two are decent reads, but the last two are throw aways. Reading this volume again, I am interested in reading the rest of the series. Maybe next year...

Time Quintet

#1 A Wrinkle in Time
#2 A Wind in the Door
#3 A Swiftly Tilting Planet
#4 Many Waters
#5 An Acceptable Time

Pericles, Cymbeline, and Othello by Shakespeare

Title: Pericles, Cymbeline, Othello

Author: William Shakespeare

Genre: Classic Plays

Pages: 147, 137, 163

Rating: 3/5 3/5 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Shakespeare; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

I finished three Shakespeare plays this week, and I have to say that I need a Shakespeare break. The first two plays were just so-so for me. Othello is brilliant, but I already knew that as I read it back in college and loved it. Besides the brilliance of Othello and especially the character of Iago, I can't find much to say about the plays. Does that make me less of a bibliophile? I think I'm craving more time with interesting characters and maybe more action. I don't know... I do know that my next selection is finishing The Wrinkle in Time that I started before flying out.

As You Like It by Shakespeare

Title: As You Like It

Author: William Shakespeare

Genre: Classic Plays

Pages: 133

Rating: 3 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Shakespeare; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

I must say that isn't my favorite Shakespeare play. It was good, but something just didn't click with me. After thinking on it awhile, I think I've decided that these aren't the best characters Shakespeare ever wrote. I couldn't get behind the naiveté of Celia or the goody good of Rosalind. They just weren't the best characters. And I'm sure that I've seen this story too many times by this time in my life. I just didn't really enjoy this one as much as the others...

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Title: Kidnapped

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Genre: Classics

Pages: 218

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Classics -- International; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it

The young orphan David Balfour is sent to live with his Uncle Ebenezer. When he discovers that he may be the rightful heir to his uncle's estate, he finds himself kidnapped and cast away on a desert isle. A historical adventure novel originally intended for a young-adult audience, Kidnapped deals with true historical events relating to the Jacobite Rising, and has won the admiration of an adult audience.

This may be considered a classic, but I just didn't love it. I couldn't really get into the adventures. I didn't feel anything for David. I thought he was naive and silly at many times in the books. Not that I wanted Uncle Ebenezer to win, but David just wasn't the easiest hero to like. Overall I thought the writing was stilted and pretty dry. Maybe it's the time period. I just am not a fan of Stevenson's writing at all. Not my cup of tea.

Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott

Title: Flower Fables

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Genre: Classic fairy tales

Pages: 140

Rating: 2 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Telling Tales; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it!

Flower Fables is a treasury of six different stories penned by Louisa May Alcott. These old-fashioned fairy tales have been compiled and edited by Daniel Shealy, who has done editing on several Alcott books. The text is very readable, and has magic flavor added via the font's joining together of several letters. Today's children, like many children of the past, will enjoy meeting Alcott's fairies, sentient flowers, and other real and imagined characters. Illustrator Leah Palmer Preiss has filled the book with delightful and interesting fairies and other creatures. The illustrations are bright and full. Readers may want to watch for the bonuses of quotations and tiny portraits of those who influenced Louisa May Alcott. This book would make a good bedtime storybook, and like many tales of old, has good morals that children could take away with them perhaps without even realizing there was a lesson involved. The afterword is also interesting as it shares interesting details about Miss Alcott. For example, she wrote these tales when she was 16. Another bonus at the end of the book is the biographies that go along with the quotations and miniature portraits. -- FromIndependent Publisher --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Bored. That's my initial thought after reading this volume. I'm bored. These tales just aren't interesting or exciting to me. I don't want to read anymore. And I love old fairy tale stories. These just lacked any oomph. That's all. Boring.

An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

Title: An Offer You Can't Refuse

Author: Jill Mansell

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2008

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mixing it Up - Romance; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it!

Nothing could tear Lola and Dougie apart, except his mother…
Seventeen-year-old Lola has no intention of accepting when her boyfriend's snobbish mother offers her a huge bribe to break up with him. Then Lola discovers a secret that makes her think again, and the only way she can help one of the people she loves most in the world is to take the money and break Dougie's heart.
Ten years later, when Lola meets Dougie again, her feelings for him are as strong as ever. She'll do almost anything to get him back, but she can never tell him the truth. Can she overcome his bitterness and win his heart? She's attractive, persuasive, and endlessly optimistic, but even Lola's got her work cut out for her this time.

This is my fifth (fifth!) Mansell books I've read. And I've loved every single one of them. This one wasn't any different. Sure, they're predictable. But sometimes that's what I need: a good fluffy happily-ever-after romance. It's like curling up with your favorite movie or making an ages-old dish for dinner. It's all about comfort. Jill Mansell's books are my comfort. Every once in a while I need that comfort. This book was absolutely perfect for this week. I dove head first into a great fun romance. I called the pair ups within the first 50 pages. But that was okay. I wanted to see how they got to the endings I predicted. It was great fun. And if I see another Mansell book sitting in the used book store, it's mine!

The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall

Title: The Jewel of St. Petersburg (Russian Concubine #3)

Author: Kate Furnivall

Publisher: Berkley Trade 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 432

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Historical Fiction; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it!

Russia, 1910. Valentina Ivanova is the darling of St. Petersburg's elite aristocracy-until her romance with a Danish engineer creates a terrible scandal and her parents push her into a loveless engagement with a Russian count.
Meanwhile, Russia itself is bound for rebellion. With the Tsar and the Duma at each other's throats, and the Bolsheviks drawing their battle lines, the elegance and opulence of Tsarist rule are in their last days. And Valentina will be forced to make a choice that will change not only her own life, but the lives of those around her forever...

I finally completed the Russian Concubine trilogy. It had been on my radar for a very long time, the volumes sat gathering dust in a box, and yet I bypassed them for other reads. I forced myself to start the book and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed this novel much more than any of my recent reads. I even liked this one more than The Girl from Junchow. Somehow I grew to love Valentina much more than I loved Lydia. Valentina's struggles to survive and thrive in revolutionary Russia struck my heart more than Lydia's struggles in China. While the previous book was gray, gray, and more gray, this one has pops of color. The mood wasn't always desperate. I knew what was coming but still there was hope in the story. I loved seeing Alexei and Liev and Jens younger and full of life. Plus, the actual historical elements of the Russian Revolution wove seamlessly throughout the story. I definite recommendation for lovers of historical fiction and great stories.

Russian Concubine

#1 The Russian Concubine
#2 The Girl from Junchow
#3 The Jewel of St. Petersburg

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Genre: Classics

Pages: 533

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mixing It Up -- Classics; Mount TBR; Books2Movies; Fall into Reading

This is one of those classics that I just never got around to reading, and it's all because of Wuthering Heights. I read Wuthering Heights back in high school and absolutely hated it. It was dull. the characters were stupid, the story wasn't anything exciting. That experience turned me off to all the Bronte sisters' work. And so I never actually read Jane Eyre. Of course I knew the story and saw the movies, but I never read the book. That all changed today.

I read it and actually liked it. It doesn't beat Jane Austen, but I did grow to love Jane Eyre. She's an odd character, meek yet strong, naive yet worldly. Mrs. Fairfax is a bright spot in the gloom of Thornfield Hall. Adele is a bit annoying, but thankfully she's only occasionally mentioned. And Mr. Rochester is very dreamy. I didn't care for the autobiographical style of the novel. It seemed very silly to me throughout. I would have rather had third person storytelling. At times Bronte rambles, but overall I enjoyed the novel.

Movie version (2006 mini-series):

This was the first one that I saw. I loved this adaptation so much. Jane is just plain enough, but has that spirit. I loved the moody atmosphere of the mini series. Toby Stephens has a great ability to switch from moody to light-hearted in an instant. Plus, that painting in the corridor... creepy creepy creepy. Out of the two adaptationsI like this one more.

Movie version (2011 film):

I was excited to see this one as it starred Michael Fassbender, but I wasn't completely sold on the movie. I did not really like the changes in timeline in telling the story. Starting with Jane's running away seemed like an odd choice. Mia Waskowska just didn't sit right with me as Jane. She as too withdrawn. I wanted someone a bit more feisty. Just not the best. But I must say that Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax is just awesome.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Title: The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern #1)

Author: Shannon Hale

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2005

Genre: Fairy tales

Pages: 400

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Telling tales; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it!

She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? Get ready for a fine adventure tale full of danger, suspense, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion. The engaging plot can certainly carry the tale, but Hale's likable, introspective heroine makes this also a book about courage and justice in the face of overwhelming odds. The richly rendered, medieval folkloric setting adds to the charm. Anne O'Malley

I was wary at the beginning of this book. I haven't had much luck with retellings of fairy tales. They've been way too shallow with uninteresting characters and predictable storylines. I just wasn't loving them at all. And then Shannon Hale comes along and renews my faith in fairy tales. She crafts a beautiful growing up story of a shelter princess betrayed and left to fight on her own. I loved Ani (or Isi) and her fight to survive. I grew to love the other workers. I especially loved Finn and Enna. Great characters! Even though I figured I knew the ending, the story still kept me on my toes until the very end. I'll be sure to grab the other books in the series for next year's reading.

Books of Bayern

#1 The Goose Girl
#2 Enna Burning
#3 River Secrets
#4 Forest Born

The Girl from Jungchow by Kate Furnivall

Title: The Girl from Jungchow (Russian Concubine #2)

Author: Kate Furnivall

Publisher: Berkley Trade 2009

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 500

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Historical Fiction; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it!

China, 1929. For years Lydia Ivanova believed her father was killed by the Bolsheviks. But when she learns he is imprisoned in Stalin-controlled Russia, the fiery girl is willing to leave everything behind- even her Chinese lover, Chang An Lo.
Lydia begins a dangerous search, journeying to Moscow with her half-brother Alexei. But when Alexei abruptly disappears, Lydia is left alone, penniless in Soviet Russia.
All seems lost, but Chang An Lo has not forgotten Lydia. He knows things about her father that she does not. And while he races to protect her, she is prepared to risk treacherous consequences to discover the truth.

A slow start, but ultimately a good historical fiction read. I admit that Lydia isn't my favorite literary character. It's the other characters that roped me into the book. Liev's stubbornness, Alexei's mystery, Elena's hardness, Antonina's fragile nature, Edik's need for a place, even Chang's honor. Those characters kept me reading each chapter, wanting to see where life took them. The contrast is setting also grabbed my attention. While The Russian Concubine was set in China, the second book is set squarely in Stalin's Russia. Like Lydia, I yearned for the colorful warm China. Russia is gray, gray, and more gray. I did appreciate the descriptions of settings and building. Overall I didn't like is more than The Russian Concubine, but it definitely kept my attention for the third book.

Russian Concubine

#1 The Russian Concubine
#2 The Girl from Junchow
#3 The Jewel of St. Petersburg

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Title: Snow Crash

Author: Neal Stephenson

Publisher: Bantam 1992

Genre: Science Fiction (Cyberpunk)

Pages: 440

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Science Fiction; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: J owns it!

One of Timemagazine's 100 all-time best English-language novels.Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparison—a writer so original he redefines the way we look at the world. Neal Stephenson is such a writer and Snow Crash is such a novel, weaving virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cybersensibility to bring us the gigathriller of the information age. In reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he’s a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that’s striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse. Snow Crash is a mind-altering romp through a future America so bizarre, so outrageous…you’ll recognize it immediately.

This is one of those books that took me awhile to get into. The universe building is a bit extensive. I was confused about how all the pieces of the puzzles and all the characters would eventually come together. But I shouldn't have worried. I was satisfied. What really got me latched me onto the book was the connections between religion, culture, and technology. The way the author talks of technology, it is a complete society. It has a language, it has creation stories and myths, it has characters, it has an evolution. I loved the scenes between Hiro and the Librarian when they were discussing Sumeria and viruses and the connections to Snow Crash. Sounds confusing until you read the book and then make all the connections. I went into the book turned off by cyber punk fiction, but I found this great symmetry between it and history and anthropology. This review has turned into babbling (ha ha Babel!), but I truly did enjoy the novel. For a better explanation, check out the Wikipedia page.

P.S. A movie version is supposedly in the works, directed by the same director as Attack the Block!

The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison

Title: The Princess and the Bear (Princess #2)

Author: Mette Ivie Harrison

Publisher: HarperTeen 2009

Genre: Fairy Tales

Pages: 327

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Telling Tales; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: Library Loan

He was once a king, turned into a bear as punishment for his cruel and selfish deeds.
She was a once a princess, now living in the form of a hound.
Wary companions, they are sent—in human form—back to a time when magic went terribly astray. Together they must right the wrongs caused by this devastating power—if only they can find a way to trust each other.
But even as each becomes aware of an ever-growing attraction, the stakes are rising and they must find a way to eliminate this evil force—or risk losing each other forever.

Meh... It wasn't great, it wasn't bad. It was just meh. I think I might have liked this book more if I read it back in middle school. I wasn't a big fan of either main character. I didn't necessarily like the back-and-forth points of view. I wasn't that emotionally invested with anyone. I just didn't love the book. I think I will be stopping with the series now. On to better reads...

Princess

#1 The Princess and the Hound
#2 The Princess and the Bear
#3 The Princess and the Snowbird
#4 The Princess and the Horse
#5 The Princess and the Wolf

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison

Title: The Princess and the Hound (Princess #1)

Author: Mette Ivie Harrison

Publisher: HarperTeen 2007

Genre: Fairy Tales

Pages: 410

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Telling Tales; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: Library Loan

He is a prince and heir to a kingdom threatened on all sides, possessor of the forbidden animal magic.
She is a princess from a rival kingdom, the daughter her father never wanted, isolated from all except her hound.
In this lush and beautifully written fairy-tale romance, a prince, a princess, and two kingdoms are joined in the aftermath of a war. Proud, stubborn, and bound to marry for duty, George and Beatrice will steal your heart—but will they fall in love?

I actually grabbed the second book in this series, but stopped before reading it. I went back to the library to grab the first one in the series. A retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't expecting that, but was pleasantly surprised. The book is told mostly from the side of George. it took me many pages before I figured out that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I was thrown by the concept of animal magic and the gender role switch. After settling into the idea, I started to really like the story. I loved George's struggle between who he is and who he thinks he should be. It was a nice internal struggle. I wish that we could have gotten to know Beatrice/Marit better. It seems that George falls in love with her, but I couldn't pinpoint why. For the ambiguous love, I dropped the book a star. I just had too many questions at the end of it. Maybe the second book will answer some of those for me.

Princess

#1 The Princess and the Hound
#2 The Princess and the Bear
#3 The Princess and the Snowbird
#4 The Princess and the Horse
#5 The Princess and the Wolf

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Author: Rebecca Skloot

Publisher: Broadway 2011

Genre: Nonfiction - Biography/Science

Pages: 382

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall into Reading

How I Got It: Loan from a friend

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

A friend gave me this book to read for our newly formed book club. I had seen it on a ton of book lists. I had heard that I should read it, but just didn't get around to it. Even J's friend told J that he had to read it. So I dove in without many notions of what it was actually about. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it.

My thoughts:

Skloot flips back and forth between the science of the HeLa cells and the life and rediscovery of Henrietta Lacks. I instantly latched onto the science chapters. I loved hearing the story of the HeLa cells and their impact on science and medicine. I loved reading about the ensuing controversies over contamination, informed consent, and ethics. I had known about the Tuskegee syphilis studies, but didn't realize how many more unethical experiments that were done in science's name. I also had no knowledge of the so-called Nazi Law. It was a revelation. I felt that i added another piece in my understanding of society. It was a fascinating read. I would have loved to read what Skloot felt about the controversies, but she seemed to keep those parts much more factual. The parts about Henrietta's life and death were heartbreaking. The levels of misfortune, segregation, discriminationand just back luck pained me. And then to see the cycle continue with her children was almost too much to bear. At points the biography sections felt almost made up because they were so fantastic. And yet, the characters inhabiting the story were all fantastic in their own ways. True life can be more unbelievable than science fiction in many ways. A fascinating book, now I'm off to book club to discuss.

Book club thoughts:

I'm back from book club to share some of our thoughts on the book... We had a great discussion about many aspects of the book. It's funny that the other ladies really loved the biography sections of the book and I gravitated toward the science sections. But it did lead to some great discussions about the world of medicine and informed consent. It seems we still don't have the issue clear. Anyway, I had a lovely time and can't wait until the next meeting. We're reading The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott for December.

Blackout by Mira Grant

Title: Blackout (Newsflesh #3)

Author: Mira Grant

Publisher: Orbit 2012

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 660

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Zombie; Mount TBR; Color Coded - Black; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it!

The year was 2014. The year we cured cancer. The year we cured the common cold. And the year the dead started to walk. The year of the Rising.
The year was 2039. The world didn't end when the zombies came, it just got worse. Georgia and Shaun Mason set out on the biggest story of their generation. The uncovered the biggest conspiracy since the Rising and realized that to tell the truth, sacrifices have to be made.
Now, the year is 2041, and the investigation that began with the election of President Ryman is much bigger than anyone had assumed. With too much left to do and not much time left to do it in, the surviving staff of After the End Times must face mad scientists, zombie bears, rogue government agencies-and if there's one thing they know is true in post-zombie America, it's this: Things can always get worse.

What a conclusion to the trilogy! I am blown away. I couldn't have imagined that the conspiracy went so deep and was so insidious. I love that this series, while keeping the zombie scares, involves a huge political thriller. This was definitely a departure, especially a departure from my last series (As the World Dies from Rhiannon Frater), but I loved it. I loved seeing more of my favorite characters, loved Maggie so much! I loved seeing more action sequences, love the shooting! I loved hearing more witty quips, hello Alaric! I must caution readers that this series is super addictive and super dense. While I flew through the pages, I sometimes needed to take a moment to let certain events and revelations sink in. A very well-written complicated zombie thriller.

Newsflesh

#0.4 Apocalupse Scenario #683: The Box
#0.5 Countdown
#0.75 San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats
#1 Feed
#2 Deadline
#3 Blackout
#3.5 How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea
#3.6 The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell
#3.7 Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus
#4 Rewind

Deadline by Mira Grant

Title: Deadline (Newsflesh #2)

Author: Mira Grant

Publisher: Orbit 2011

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 624

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Zombie; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it!

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

The second part of this series continues the saga. I love this series. We get away from the political intrigue, or do we? As much as I missed Georgia, I really grew to love Shaun in this book. Even his crazy conversations with Georgia added a great character flaw. And we get to meet some of the beta bloggers who become alpha bloggers. I especially loved Maggie and all her crazy teacup bulldogs. Of course, the conspiracy keeps getting deeper and deeper. I loved the science involved in this series. The zombies are scary, but I'm more scared of the humans involved. I stayed up last night way too late trying to finish this book. I got to the end and sat in my chair stunned. I knew there would be a cliffhanger, but good graciousness that was big cliffhanger. Now I must start Blackout.

Newsflesh

#0.4 Apocalupse Scenario #683: The Box
#0.5 Countdown
#0.75 San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats
#1 Feed
#2 Deadline
#3 Blackout
#3.5 How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea
#3.6 The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell
#3.7 Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus
#4 Rewind

Feed by Mira Grant

Title: Feed (Newsflesh #1)

Author: Mira Grant

Publisher: Orbit 2010

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 600

Rating: 5 /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Zombie; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it!

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

A different type of zombie novel, less concerned about the horrors of the zombies and more concerned about the horrors of uninfected humans. The novel focuses on politics and the news media. We see how the world post Rising has resorted to fear and false security. We see groups and individuals fall into the extremes in thinking. We see a group of bloggers attempting to give people the truth no matter the cause. I loved every minute of this book. It shocked me, but deep down didn't surprise me how low some the characters could go in their effort to "save America." In no way was this book predictive. I was stunned at every twist and turn.

Except for the comment about zombies, this is a very appropriate comment on the news media and the truth. I see this everyday. Scary that things in a post-zombie apocalypse world have so much in common with the state of the world today. Something to ponder. And go read this book!

The trouble with news is simple: People, especially ones on the ends of the power spectrum, like it when you're afraid. The people who have the power want you scared. They want you walking around paralyzed by the notion that you could die at any moment. There's always something to be afraid of. It used to be terrorists. Now it's zombies.

What does this have to do with the news? This: The truth isn't scary. Not when you understand it, not when you understand the repercussions of it, and not when you aren't worried that something's being kept form you. The truth is only scary when you think part of it might be missing. And those people? They like it when you're scared. So they do their best to sit on the truth, to sensationalize the truth, to filter the truth in ways that make it something you can be afraid of.

If we didn't have to fear the truths we didn't hear, we'd lost the need to fear the ones we did. People should consider that. (pg. 346)

Newsflesh

#0.4 Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box
#0.5 Countdown
#0.75 San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats
#1 Feed
#2 Deadline
#3 Blackout
#3.5 How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea
#3.6 The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell
#3.7 Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus
#4 Rewind

Siege by Rhiannon Frater

Title: Siege (As the World Dies #3)

Author: Rhiannon Frater

Publisher: Tor Books 2011

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 364

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Zombie; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I won it

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits. Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juan—Travis’s righthand man—are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and commanding the remnants of the US military. What’s left of the US government has plans for this group of determined survivors.

What a conclusion! When I go into a zombie novel, I kinda root for a happy ending, but realize that isn't not necessary for a good book. Without giving away details, this series has a relatively happy ending. I am satisfied. Throughout the series, I grieved over the loses. And yet I rejoiced at the triumphant moments. Overall I think the series is a story of hope. Even in the zombie apocalypse, we must have hope. While the religious areas got a bit cliched, the overall message of hope was nice to hear from the survivors. The characters are real people to me now. I see each of them in my mind. I want to be friends with Katie and Jenni. I want to play with Jack. I want to help Jason build his contraptions. I want to train with Nerit. I want to gather in the dining all with all the residents. I want to sit in Juan's memorial garden and reminisce about those we lost. For me to get so deeply into the world of the series, I know it's a great one. Check it out!

As the World Dies

#1 The First Days
#2 Fighting to Survive
#3 Siege
#4 Untold Tales Volume 1
#5 Untold Tales Volume 2
#6 Untold Tales Volume 3
#6.5 Deadly Night: Jenni and Katie's Untold Tale

Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater

Title: Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies #2)

Author: Rhiannon Frater

Publisher: Tor Books 2011

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Zombie; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I won it

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

And the saga continues. Oh my this one was a roller coaster. I still absolutely love the characters in this series. Katie is amazing and full of heart. Jenni is growing on me. She isn't as annoying as in the first book. Nerit is just awesome and stoic and a sniper! Travis is a great addition for the women heavy cast list. Juan also grew on me throughout the book. The plot is full of twists and turns. Every time things seemed to calm down in the fort, another threat popped up. I loved the crazy action scenes. But I also got very connected to the quiet moments. The deaths of the likable characters really hit me. Overall this volume was amazing. Can't wait to dive into the conclusion.

As the World Dies

#1 The First Days
#2 Fighting to Survive
#3 Siege
#4 Untold Tales Volume 1
#5 Untold Tales Volume 2
#6 Untold Tales Volume 3
#6.5 Deadly Night: Jenni and Katie's Untold Tale