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Monday, May 25, 2015

Which F@!%ing Book Should I Read?


It's Monday, which is usually when we tell you to


But we're switching it up a little bit this week.

May is Zombie Awareness Month and it got me thinking that I really haven't read many zombie books. The ones I have read usually have an unusual take on the zombie mythos, rather than anything you might find on The Walking Dead. I loved Rachel Caine's Revivalist series, for example.
So this week I'm asking
Which F-ing Book should I read?
Here are some suggestions from my co-bloggers to get it started:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9475392-warm-bodies  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7094569-feed  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5899779-pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies
Recs From Rose Red:
I actually haven't read a lot of zombie books but I've loved the ones I have. My favorite has to be Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. It's basically a zombie rom-com that I didn't know it was something I needed in my life until I read it. This book was cute and fun and it made me giggle in more than one spot. It was made into a movie so it's a great one to read the book then go see the movie.

If you want a zombie novel that is more thought provoking and less lighthearted, I'd recommend picking up Feed by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire). This book is the first book in a trilogy that is equal parts a zombie apocalypse story, a political thriller, and a cautionary tale about the state of our modern media. The heroes are three bloggers who are dedicated to letting the masses know about the zombie outbreak that's occurring instead of letting them get eaten like the mainstream media is. It's delightfully campy and has several references to popular zombie movies. It's fantastic!

My final recommendation would be Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. This book was a delightful twist on a classic story. I laughed so much while reading this book! Elizabeth Bennett has decided to vanquish the zombie hordes that have taken over Meryton. She just didn't plan on having to do it while exchanging barbs and banter with a certain Mr. Darcy. It's a fun and hilarious read!





Guidance from Goldilox:
Like Rose Red, I haven't read that many zombie books, but the ones I have read I've loved. Let's start with the White Trash Zombie series, which begins with My Life As A White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland. Rowland's zombies have all the typical zombie tropes: they eat brains, they rot away if they don'y eat regularly, they have extra strength, etc. What makes these zombies different is that they can be walking around like everyday people living fairly normal lives. The main character is a reformed loser who has been turned into a zombie without her knowledge...and she is freaking hilarious. Angel is blunt and nothing ever goes the way she plans. She's a fantastic leading lady...er...zombie...and I adore this series. 

Next up is a zombie book that shook me to my core. This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers kept me awake and reading until four o'clock in the morning. This is a young adult, stand alone book (there is a novella sequel). In this book our main character, Sloane, wants to die so the zombie apocalypse doesn't really concern her as much as it provides a possible opportunity for her suicide. This book is really more about Sloane's desire to die versus the fear of the zombies. She spends most of the book barricaded in a high school gym with other students, ones who actually want to live, and trying to find a way to get herself killed...until she develops feelings for one of the other students...

Finally we have a more traditional zombie series, As the World Dies. The first in this series is The First Days by Rhiannon Frater. This book introduces us to two women who come across each other in the first days of the zombie apocalypse while running for their lives. We follow them as they arrive at a bit of a safe haven of sorts, which is where we meet lots of other interesting side characters. This series has all the gross eating of body parts, bashing zombies with various homemade weapons, and character deaths that most people equate with zombie stories. Fans of The Walking Dead would probably enjoy these books, although I caution readers to check out the books and not the audios as I did not care for the narrator at all.

Tell me your favorite zombie book or series and why I should add it to my TBR mountain.



5 comments:

  1. I avoid zombie books. I just can't find anything interesting when the characters are dead and rotting. I did like Dearly, Departed and Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel though. Happy reading!

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  2. I love White Trash Zombie series. The audios for that series are great. Narrator is perfect for the heroine. I haven't read any other zombie books, but I want to try Feed. I've heard good things about it.

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  3. I love the White Trash Zombie books (Diana Rowland) and As the World Dies (Rhiannon Frater), as already recommended. The White Trash books are much more fun and light-hearted, but I wouldn't recommend reading As the World Dies before bed unless you want massive nightmares.

    I also love the Ashley Parker series that starts with Plague Town, they have a great kick-ass heroine who is so much snarky fun.

    Feed is on my to read list because the author is Mira Grant also known as Seanan McGuire whose books I loved. Personally, I did not enjoy This is Just a Test because it really isn't about zombie at all, they are a side plot in a teenage drama about a girl who wants to kill herself.

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  4. The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey is a totally different zombie novel. Two words: zombie children. It is super smart and funny while also being horrifying in a Walking Dead kind of way. I listened to the audio version and it was really good!

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  5. The Flesh books by Kylie Scott is an awesome zombie series! They are HOT and steamy and the first time I'd read zombie books.

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