What Makes a Family?

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about this question. What makes a family? Is it just blood? Do we include friends? What about all those step and half relations? Where do we draw the line? What's our criteria for claiming family? We we look at blood, I have a pretty small family. But then start adding all the half and step and suddenly my family tree looks more like a family bush. But do I really claim all those people? There are definitely branches in there that I don't really keep in touch with. There are branches that I wish I didn't keep in touch with. And there are others that I love and see often.

But it's not just about who's related to me. There's all those friends. Some of who I would claim over many of my blood relatives. Many of those friends are the ones that have been there for me. Often they are the ones I turn to when everything gets too much. They are here, not out of family loyalty, but because they want to be here. It's a choice. In many ways, that's more important to me. I think the families of the 21st century are going to be by choice, not necessarily by blood.

My immediate family (the boys and myself) has been going through a lot lately. We are living in a place of limbo. We don't know what the future holds. But I do know that I'm grateful that I have them.

Keys to the Repository by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Keys to the Repository (Blue Bloods novel)

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Hyperion 2010

Genre: Vampire; Young Adult

Pages: 227

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; YA; Vampires; A to Z Titles: K

More of a companion to the Blue Blood series than an actual novel. De la Cruz states in her introduction that she always loved that Stephen King wrote a letter to his readers in the beginnings of books, so she wanted to write a letter to her "constant readers" giving them a glimpse of the world of the Blue Bloods.

I like the little tidbits of information. Mostly I remembered as I have read the first four books back-to-back. Still it was nice to see all the information in one place. I skimmed through the story recap to get to the family profiles. I still have trouble remembering all the past names of each of the characters. Thankfully the family profiles highlighted all the names, past lives. It was also nice to skim the glossary and list of characters (Blue and Red Bloods). Writing the Repository reports in the voice of various conduits and historians was a great touch. It was funny to notice their limited (obviously as they're characters also) knowledge. I especially loved the little side comments, especially in Kingsley Martin's profile.

Overall, a cute little companion book to the series. A nice afternoon reading. The library didn't have the next book, Misguided Angels, to check out, so I had to put it on hold. Hopefully I get it in the next few days. I'm dying to find out what happens to everybody...

Blue Bloods

#1 Blue Bloods
#2 Masquerade
#3 Revelations
#4 The Van Alen Legacy
#4.5 Keys to the Repository
#5 Misguided Angel
#5.5 Bloody Valentine
#6 Lost in Time
#7 The Gates of Paradise

Quote Wednesday - Zinsser

Words are the only tools you will be given. Learn to use them with originality and care. Value them for their strength and diversity. And also remember that somebody out there is listening. -- William Zinsser

Lately I've been thinking about what I want to do, on a day-to-day basis and in the larger sense. I've been mulling over my options. A part of me wants to teach again. A part of me wants to go law school. A part of me wants to try something completely new. A part of me wants to get a stupid job just to pay the bills. And then there's this little part of me that wants to write. Since jumping into the blogging world, I feel the need to write on a daily basis. Sometimes it's an interesting story and sometimes just a little blurb about my day. But the point is that I'm using my voice.

I've been reading a ton lately (notice all those book reviews). I find that I crave good writing. There's so much bad writing out there, I try to seek out the good. When find an author that writes well, I do a little mental happy dance. The crafting of sentences, paragraphs, chapters, books, whether fiction or non, is the goal. I think I want to be part of that. So I'm going to commit myself to writing on a daily basis. Big or small. Fiction or nonfiction. A journal entry or the start of a book. A blog entry (of course) or a post on someone else's blog. I feel like I need to use my voice. So here I go....

The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods novel)

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Hyperion 2009

Genre: Vampire; Young Adult

Pages: 369

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; YA; Vampires

And the series takes a dark turn. You had to know it was coming. I mean, this is a series about vampires with references to them fighting Lucifer (their former master). Vampires and human have died in past books, even some central characters. This one has turned dark, and I must say, I like the change. Don't get me wrong, I liked the previous books. They held back, understandably so. We got to know the main characters. We connected to the main characters. And now we are really moving with the larger story. I love it.

I started the book yesterday. Read a bit at the coffeehouse, then put it away to do my errands and volunteer hour. I picked it up after the boys went to bed and couldn't put it down. I read, and read some more, and read a bit more. I kept telling myself, I will stop and finish the book tomorrow. But the chapter endings were so suspenseful, I just kept reading. And before i knew it, the book was over. I sat there and only one word came to mind "Wow!" That was a great book. And then "Do I have the next book?" I actually have the next two. Alas they are more background stories and side information. Interesting, but not finishing up the big storyline for me. For that I have to wait until the next book comes out, sometime this year.

Side note: I wonder why the cover art depicts Mimi. (Read the book, you'll get the connection). I can't stand Mimi, but have grown to understand her character. But putting her character on the cover is a little strange for the storyline. I would have preferred a sword (a much more important part of the story) or maybe a gate...

Blue Bloods

#1 Blue Bloods
#2 Masquerade
#3 Revelations
#4 The Van Alen Legacy
#4.5 Keys to the Repository
#5 Misguided Angel
#5.5 Bloody Valentine
#6 Lost in Time
#7 The Gates of Paradise

Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Revelations (Blue Bloods novel)

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Hyperion 2008

Genre: Vampire; Young Adult

Pages: 264

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; YA; Vampires

Wow!! I am so in love with this series. I love the characters, the twists and turns, the mythology. I can't say enough about this series. And the third book has blown me away. I am so invested in these characters. I am shocked by the revelations (hee hee) in this book. I am wondering where de la Cruz is going with this. What's going to happen? Who's going to die next? Who's going to be revealed as a traitor? I don't know but I want to find out.

This morning I was about halfway through the book. I went to the coffeehouse, checked my mail, checked Facebook, and wrote my Music Monday post. Since no one was here, I thought "I'll read a bit." A bit turned into finished the book all in one shot. Now that's what I call getting sucked into a book. Everything else fell away. I wasn't even listening to any music. I just sat and read, finished the book, and really wanting to dive into the fourth book in the series. But I should take a bit of a break. Finish checking my mail. Apply for a few more jobs. The usual. But I promise I will get to the fourth book today. Possibly within the hour.

Blue Bloods

#1 Blue Bloods
#2 Masquerade
#3 Revelations
#4 The Van Alen Legacy
#4.5 Keys to the Repository
#5 Misguided Angel
#5.5 Bloody Valentine
#6 Lost in Time
#7 The Gates of Paradise

Music Monday - Jack's Mannequin "Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)"

Hmmm... Jack's Mannequin. When did I meet you? I can't actually remember, but I do know that I love you. Your melodies, your lyrics, your voice... I love it all. Especially "Hammers and Strings". I think it's my absolute favorite Jack's Mannequin song. I blast it in the car and sing a long at the top of my lungs (badly, but it feels so good). Listen to the lyrics... so much sadness, but there's an element of hope in there. I love sad songs with a bit of hope. Kinda feels a lot like my life most days. I put two versions of the song one here. The first is straight off the album with the lyrics on the screen. Cheesy, but you get the great audio from the cd. The second is a live version. The best live video I've found. Most of the others on YouTube have way too much talking from the audience. Enjoy! You know I'll be singing along.

Don't blame me if it gets stuck in your head! Happy Music Monday!!!

Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Masquerade

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Hyperion

Genre: Vampire; Young Adult

Pages: 307

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; YA; Vampires

Very excited about this book. I thought the first in the series, Blue Bloods, was an interesting take on vampire mythology. And then I read the second one and absolutely loved it. All the twists and turns of the larger mythology. All the interesting characters. The moody scenes. The descriptions of the ball. The book was amazing. I loved every page of it.

The second book took an interesting turn. I still love Schuyler and Oliver and I think I love them more. I still hate Mimi, but now I understand her more. And I'm pretty sure Bliss is now my favorite character in the series. I won't give away any of the spoilers, but I will say that the inclusion of a new character, Kingsley Martin, really throws the entire series. We now have another force to deal with. One that we don't have resolved at the end of the book, but one that I am sure will be back soon.

I definitely will be reading the third book, Revelations, next...

Blue Bloods

#1 Blue Bloods
#2 Masquerade
#3 Revelations
#4 The Van Alen Legacy
#4.5 Keys to the Repository
#5 Misguided Angel
#5.5 Bloody Valentine
#6 Lost in Time
#7 The Gates of Paradise

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Blue Blods

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Hyperion 2006

Genre: Vampire; Young Adult

Pages: 302

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; YA; Vampires

This series appeared on so many book blogs, I had to pick it up. When I start a series, I want to be able to read the entire thing back to back. Thankfully, the library had five books in this series, so I got them all. And read the first one in 4 hours.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Loved the characters (loved Oliver and Bliss and Schuyler and hated Mimi). Loved the different vampire mythology. Loved the setting (upper class vampires in NYC, obvious now that I think about it). Loved the cliffhanger (great set up for the rest of the series). The inclusion of dog familiars was a great addition.

I definitely want to start on the next book in the series. Thank goodness I got it from the library.

Blue Bloods

#1 Blue Bloods
#2 Masquerade
#3 Revelations
#4 The Van Alen Legacy
#4.5 Keys to the Repository
#5 Misguided Angel
#5.5 Bloody Valentine
#6 Lost in Time
#7 The Gates of Paradise

Awesome Video of the Week!

I found this on multiple book blogs. Just thought I would share this awesome video. Enjoy book lovers!

Bonk by Mary Roach

Title: Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science of Sex

Author: Mary Roach

Publisher: W.W. Norton 2008

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 319

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; A to Z Authors: R

I gravitate toward books about taboo subjects: tattoos, body modifications, feminism (hee hee), conspiracy theories, mermaids, vampires, and especially zombies. I loved Mary Roach's earlier books (Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife) so I jumped at the chance to read her new (well, new to me) book about sex. It certainly didn't disappoint.

Roach has a great way of injecting humor into her recapping of scientific evidence. I've read many scientific papers in my years in academia, but I still find them really dry. The book was exhaustive. I think Roach found every study having anything remotely to do with sex throughout history. She even has writings from Aristotle and Hippocrates. I found humor in her wonderful footnotes and personal adventures while writing the book. However, it is definitely not for everyone. Some of the passages get pretty graphic (in a "eww" way not a "I'm really turned on way") and some are down-right hard to read (who knew how creative scientists get while trying to avoid the word "sex?").

I enjoyed the book and texting J interesting factoids, but feel like it's time to get back to some fiction. I think I'll start a series next...

BTT: Multi-Tasking

Do you multi-task when you read? Do other things like stirring things on the stove, brushing your teeth, watching television, knitting, walking, et cetera?

Or is it just me, and you sit and do nothing but focus on what you’re reading?

(Or, if you do both, why, when, and which do you prefer?)

To be honest, I do both. It really depends on how engrossed I am in the book. If it's a book that really grabs my attention or has difficult language, I focus only on the book. On the other hand, if it's a fun read or an episodic read (short stories, nonfiction knowledge books) I can be watching tv (read during commercials) or cooking dinner. I have even been known to walk and read, but I don't do that anymore. I think I have become more clumsy in my old age. Really looking at my behavior, most of the time I just read. I like to get sucked into the world the author created. And if it's really good I lose all track of time and just read. Those are the best books...

Fish Out of Water by MaryJanice Davidson

Title: Fish Out of Water (Fred the Mermaid #3)

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Publisher: Jove Books 2008

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 270

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; March Fantasy Month; A to Z Titles: F

Fred the Mermaid has taken the bait and chosen to date Artur, Prince of the Black Sea, over human marine biologist Thomas. And just in time. The existence of the Undersea Folk is no longer a secret, and someone needs to keep them from floundering in the media spotlight. Fred has all the right skills for that job, but has a hard time when her real father surfaces and tries to overthrow Artur’s regime.

The conclusion to Fredrika the Mermaid's story was a fun read for the day. During the second book, I was concerned about the direction of the love story. Thankfully, the love story righted itself and ended well. A fun fantasy with a failed royal coup and the appearance of long-thought-dead relatives. I really enjoyed reading Fred's journey out in the open. Now, I really think it's time to move on to something a bit more deep.... (wait for the next review, you'll get the joke)

Fred the Mermaid

Swimming without a Net by MaryJanice Davidson

Title: Swimming without a Net (Fred the Mermaid #2)

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Publisher: Jove Books 2007

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 271

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; March Fantasy Month

As Fred the Mermaid tries to fit in with her own kind, she finds herself hooked on both Artur, the High Prince of the undersea realm, and Thomas, a hunky marine biologist. She's also caught between two factions of merfolk: those happy with swimming under the radar-and those who want to bring their existence to the surface.

Another fun breezy read. This one focusing on Frederika Bimm's introduction into the Undersea Folks' world. It was interesting to see how she attempted to fit into the Undersea Folks with the discussion of her background and her bio-dad. And the addition of some new characters like Tennian and King Mekkam breathed new life into the story. Read in a day... not too memorable, but a good rainy day's read.

Fred the Mermaid

Quote Wednesday -- Picasso

"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." -- Picasso

There's something very poetic about quote. it makes me feel all inspired and creative; things I don't think I am. it is true that looking at a great piece of art, or hearing a beautiful piece of music, or writing a descriptive paragraph uplifts me. I can escape the "dust' of daily life and enter into a whole different world. A world where things like doing laundry just don't exist. A world where I can really stop and appreciate the beauty of everything around me. A world where worrying has no place. Where tears are only expectable if they are because the beauty is too much to handle. I need to visit there every once in a while. It's like getting a battery charged. It helps me get through the rest of the crap that I encounter throughout the week.

Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson

Title: Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid #1)

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Publisher: Jove Books 2006

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 268

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; March Fantasy Month

Fred is not your ordinary mermaid. She's not blonde. She's not buxom. And she's definitely not perky. In fact, Fred can be downright cranky. And it doesn't help matters that her hair is blue.
While volunteering at the New England Aquarium, Fred learns that there are weird levels of toxins in the local seawater. A gorgeous marine biologist wants her help investigating. So does her merperson ruler, the High Prince of the Black Sea. You'd think it would be easy for a mermaid to get to the bottom of things. Think again.

Fun book. Reminded me of Davidson's Alaskan Royal Family series. Lighthearted most of the time, a cute love story, a steamy sex scene (one and not even involving the man character) and a sort of wrap-up. A fun, distracting read for a icky day. Davidson is definitely a go-to author of light breezy entertaining reads.

There's not a whole lot to say about the book, but I did enjoy it. Of course there are two more books in this series. And I have both from the library. So, guess what I'm reading next? Yep, next up is Swimming without a Net.

Fred the Mermaid

Sleeping with the Fishes
Swimming without a Net
Fish Out of Water

Top Ten Tuesday - Dynamic Duos

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

Hmmm... this week was way hard. I didn't just want to highlight love story duos, so I wanted to branch out.

1. Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - A slightly out of the loop Englishman and an alien in disguise... match made in heaven. I love their interactions. Unfortunately, past the first book, we lose the perfect pairing. I still love these two characters. And the movie version with Martin Freeman and Mos Def was perfect casting.

2. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson - They are a pair. Without Watson's level-headed realistic approach, Holmes would just be an ass and no one would want to read him. They level each other out. And the new BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman is perfect casting. (I think I have a thing for Martin Freeman. And he's supposed to be playing Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit)

3. F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald - I know not literary characters, but they were a dynamic (if completely crazy) duo. The perfect marriage of 1920s excess. So sad when Zelda went completely crazy and committed suicide. At least we have their books.

4. Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester - I know, a love duo, but I see them more than just a love story. They are a match, both as a friendship and a romance. I like their quiet relationship, even if Rochester is an ass throughout the middle of the book.

5. Tweedledum and Tweedledee - Funny twins, I had to add them to the list.

6. Superman and Lex Luthor - Not exactly literary, but they are a perfect duo. A yin and yang of two sides.

7. Jo and Laurie from Little Women - They should have ended up, but that's okay. They were still a beautiful pair of friends.

8. Elizabeth and Jane Bennet - Sisters who were made for each other. A great balance of outgoing, no hold's barred personality and shy, bashful, demur personality.

That's all I got for this week... But I do like my list.

Sex and the Single Vampire by Katie MacAlister

Title: Sex and the Single Vampire (Dark Ones #2)

Author: Katie MacAlister

Publisher: Leisure Books 2004

Genre: Fantasy; Vampire

Pages: 326

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; March Fantasy Month; Vampires

An undying classic from Katie MacAlister, Sex and the Single Vampire is a paranormal romance lover’s delight, ideal for fans of Lynsay Sands and her Argeneau vampire family novels. This perennial New York Times bestselling author knows what readers are hungry for: sexy and funny tales of otherworldly passion featuring hot, dark, immortal alpha heroes searching for their happily forever afters. In Sex and the Single Vampire, MacAlister’s Dark One is an arrogant, studly romance novelist whom struggling “summoner” Alie mistakes for a specter…and recognizes as the fantasy man who has lately been invading her dreams!

Definitely loving the Dark Ones Novels now. The first one, A Girl's Guide to Vampires, was interesting, but not amazing. I liked the mythology of the Dark Ones and found the characters mildly interesting. Then i read a Dark Ones short story in Cupid Cats and really started to get into the series.

This one was much more entertaining than the first one. Partially because there were vampires, demons, and psychics. I liked the expansion of the universe. There was even a few references to werepeople (highlighted in the Cupid Cats story). I loved the two main characters. Allegra is such a strong character, I instantly loved her. And Christian is just the right amount of dark and mysterious. On a weird side note, my mental picture of Christian is very different in this book than the first one. I know he is a side character in the first book, but somehow it doesn't feel like the same person. Along those same lines, even though I liked Joy and Raphael in the first book, I wasn't too keen on their characters in the second book. Otherwise, I really did like the characters. Even the demons were interesting.

Now I really want to read the rest of the Dark Ones novels, but I think I need a change. More fantasy on the list, but maybe not more vampires for a while.

Dark Ones (DNFed series)

#1 A Girl's Guide to Vampires
#2 Sex and the Single Vampire
#3 Sex, Lies, and Vampires
#4 Even Vampires Get the Blues
#4.5 Bring Out Your Dead
#5 The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires
#5.5 Cat Got Your Tongue
#6 Zen and the Art of Vampires
#7 Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang
#7.5 Unleashed
#7.8 Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend
#8 In the Company of Vampires
#9 Much Ado About Vampires
#10 A Tale of Two Vampires
#10.5 Shades of Gray
#11 Lifestyles of the Rich and Undead

Music Monday - Damien Rice "Volcano"

I still remember my first introduction to Damien Rice. B and I had gone to see the movie Closer. While The movie itself wasn't amazing, the song playing at the end of the movie hit me. I just had to have that song. We sat through all the credits (something I hardly ever do) to figure out who sang the song. B kept saying she thought she knew the song, but couldn't remember who. As the music credits finally came up, the song was "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice. To which B exclaimed, "I own that, that's how I know the song." And then we dissolved into giggles. But I still had to have the song. So we traveled directly to Best Buy to see if they had the cd. Thankfully, they did and I bought it on the spot. That entire album is awesome, but I would have to say that my favorite song is "Volcano." There's something about the melody, his voice, and the lyrics that hit me every time. I love it! Reading the lyrics over and over, it's such a sad song. Two people and one doesn't need the other, but keeps wanting them. It's like watching two people that really shouldn't be together anymore, but they're stuck still. So sad, yet so beautiful!

Lyrics:

Don't hold yourself like that You'll hurt your knees I kissed your mouth and back But that's all I need Don't build your world around volcanoes melt you down

What I am to you is not real What I am to you you do not need What I am to you is not what you mean to me You give me miles and miles of mountains And I'll ask for the sea

Don't throw yourself like that In front of me I kissed your mouth your back Is that all you need? Don't drag my love around volcanoes melt me down

What I am to you is not real What I am to you you do not need What I am to you is not what you mean to me You give me miles and miles of mountains And I'll ask what I give to you Is just what I'm going through This is nothing new No no just another phase of finding what I really need Is what makes me bleed And like a new disease she's still too young to treat Like a distant tree Volcanoes melt me down She's still too young I kissed your mouth You do not need me

And just for fun! I love this version...

And another just for fun. "I Remember"

Highlight of the Week - My Birthday!

Saturday was my birthday! I'm officially 29! Not yet 30, my palm's not flashing yet, but getting up there. For my birthday I had a great Friday night out with friends and a mini trip with mom. On Thursday, mom and I went up to Four Winds and Blue Chip for a two day mini trip. Me being not so interested in gambling, mostly people watched and relaxed. The hotel room was gorgeous with an awesome bathroom and shower! Plus, we had a great view of the nuclear reactor across the town. I swear it was right there out of the window.

Friday night, I met some friends out at J.K. O'Donnel's for a beer and desert. Mmmmhhh Double cream stout beer and triple layer chocolate stout cake! Great food and some great friends. And then we moved on to Wrigley Field for my dose of Cougar Hunter 80s spandex craziness. The guys in the band knew it was my birthday, but thankfully I didn't get embarrassed. I got a bit extra attention, but nothing I couldn't handle. Just the usual craziness stuff! Great food, great music, and some awesome friends!

Autumn by David Moody

Title: Autumn (Autumn #1)

Author: David Moody

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books 2010

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 308

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; Zombies: March Fantasy Month; A to Z Titles: A

A bastard hybrid of War of the Worlds and Night of the Living Dead, Autumn chronicles the struggle of a small group of survivors forced to contend with a world torn apart by a deadly disease. After 99% of the population of the planet is killed in less than 24 hours, for the very few who have managed to stay alive, things are about to get much worse. Animated by "phase two" of some unknown contagion, the dead begin to rise. At first slow, blind, dumb and lumbering, quickly the bodies regain their most basic senses and abilities... sight, hearing, locomotion... As well as the instinct toward aggression and violence. Held back only by the restraints of their rapidly decomposing flesh, the dead seem to have only one single goal - to lumber forth and destroy the sole remaining attraction in the silent, lifeless world: those who have survived the plague, who now find themselves outnumbered 1,000,000 to 1...
Without ever using the 'Z' word, Autumn offers a new perspective on the traditional zombie story. There's no flesh eating, no fast-moving corpses, no gore for gore's sake. Combining the atmosphere and tone of George Romero's classic living dead films with the attitude and awareness of 28 Days (and Weeks) later, this horrifying and suspenseful novel is filled with relentless cold, dark fear.

One day 99% of the world's population drops dead. A few days later, about a 1/3 of the dead get up and start walking around. Ahhh... the zombie apocalypse, my favorite genre. And this book was awesome!

Told from the viewpoint of a few survivors in a small English village, they struggle to understand and then make the next move. I liked that the book was told from a limited perspective. The reader and characters have no clue if this is a worldwide phenomena or just extends to the next village. Once three of the survivors leave the village, we don't know what happens to those remaining at the community center. We only find out later when Carl tries to go back. While the characters themselves are incredibly memorable, they represent more of archetypes. Examples for the reader of how people react in extreme circumstances. We don't need to remember to the specific character because we connect to their emotions, the struggle to live or not live in this new landscape.

The book is sufficiently scary. More with the constant threat of the "undead" than any immediate attacks. That would be the worst thing about the zombie apocalypse, the constant feelings of unease. You could never feel safe, even in a barricaded farmhouse.

Overall, a very good book. I guess the book was made into a movie a few years back and I saw it from Netflix. All I remember is watching about 15 minutes, getting fed up with the horrible sound and picture quality, and turning it off. Sorry to the filmmakers, but it was a dud. Thank goodness the book was awesome.

Autumn:

#1 Autumn
#2 The City
#3 Purification
#4 The Human Condition
#5 Disintegration
#6 Aftermath