The Martian by Andy Weir

Book: The Martian

Author: Andy Weir

Why I Read It: Because I am a nut for anything space related. And I'd heard this was exceptional. 

First Line: "I'm pretty much fucked."

First Impression: Ha! This guy is funny! 

Last Impression: Wow. That was fun. Predictable, but not disappointing. And a little bit more dry technical content than I expected. But very very good. 

Ratings

Overall – 5 The praise for this novel is well-earned. It's sharp, witty, scientifically accurate, believable, addicting, riveting, and funny. It gets a bit dry toward the end as Mark Watney, our stranded Marstronaut, continues technical explanations when the reader is itching for focus on the action. However, these explanations are necessary, add accuracy, and make the entire scenario plausible. So, if the worst thing about this book is it is works a little too hard building credibility, that's not that bad at all. 

Characters – 5 The Marstronauts are diverse and interesting. The ground crew is less engaging than the characters in space, but they are still well-rounded and interesting. But these characters all pale against the likability of our main character. Mark Watney is the all-American underdog we all want to root for. And with each page and every Martian obstacle, we are all rooting for him.

Story – 5 Though predictable in places, every part of the story feels new placed against the unforgiving Martian backdrop. Each new challenge makes us hold our breath and each quip from Mark keeps us hopeful and turning the pages. 
Narration – 4 The only place this novel doesn't earn 5 stars is here, as the pacing could have been improved. The technical facts that keep him alive in the beginning lose their draw the more often they surface, though they remain just as true. 

Read Again? Definitely. It was satisfying and enjoyable. Once it's had long enough to rest, I'll revisit it again. 

Tell Others to Read? Absolutely! However, with the movie coming out soon, I'm sure most people will hear Mark Watney's story one way or another. 

Excerpt: I'm pretty much fucked. 
    That's my considered opinion. 
    Fucked. 
  Six days into what should be the greatest month of my life, and it's turned into a nightmare. 
   I don't even know who'll read this. I guess someone will find it eventually. Maybe a hundred years from now. 
    For the record . . . I didn't die on Sol 6. Certainly the rest of the crew thought I did, and I can't blame them. Maybe there'll be a day of national mourning for me, and my Wikipedia page will say "Mark Watney is the only human being to have died on Mars."
    And it'll be right, probably. 'Cause I'll surely die here. Just not on Sol 6 when everyone thinks I did. 
     Let's see . . . where do I begin?
    The Ares program. Mankind reaching out to Mars to send people to another planet for the very first time and expand the horizons of humanity blah, blah. The Ares 1 crew did their thing and came back heroes. They got the parades and fame and love of the world. 
     Ares 2 did the same thing, in a different location on Mars. They got a firm handshake and a hot cup of coffee when they got home.
    Ares 3. Well, that was my mission. Okay, not mine per se. Commander Lewis was in charge. I was just one of her crew. Actually, I was the very lowest ranked member of the crew. I would only be "in command" of the mission if I were the only remaining person. 
What do you know? I'm in command. 


                                                                                                                                   Content property of Broadway Books

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Book: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, and Other Things that Happened

Author: Allie Brosh

Why I Read It: The Under 30 Author square on my #ReadingBingo. Plus I love her blog. Ordered this book in the mail and couldn't wait for it to get here.

First Line: It seems like there should be some sort of introduction to this.

First Impression: Yay! It's here!

Last Impression: Hmm....a lot of this was already on her blog. And it loses its edge in the printed form. Sad day.

Ratings

Overall – 4 Heart Skipped a Beat Turns out, her work doesn't translate all that well to the printed page. If this was a rating on her blog, 5. A rating on how funny she is, 6. But as a book, it just didn't hit all the right notes. Pacing is so important in humor and seeing the hilariously awesome images before she's fully built up why they are hilariously awesome kills the moment.

Characters – 5 The dogs are the best characters ever, especially the Simple Dog. And the Alot is grammar joke gold.

Story – 3 Repeated content from much of her blog. Great stuff, just not new.

Narration – 5 She builds stories so very, very well. Comedic genius.

Read Again? Yeah. Mostly the dog ones.

Tell Others to Read? The book? No. The blog? Abso-frickin-lutely.

Excerpt: I can't. The images are mandatory in this situation. Thankfully, many excerpts (and really most of the book content) can be found here: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Book: Let's Pretend This Never Happened

Author: Jenny Lawson

Why I Read It: #ReadingBingo - Filling in the "Funny" square.

First Line: Call me Ishmael.

First Impression: Witty, biting humor. It can come off as overly snarky if read in a bad mood, however.

Last Impression: Quite the crazy life she's had and the sense of humor to survive/retell it.

 

Ratings

Overall – 4 Heart Skipped a Beat It was quite funny. Her sense of humor requires a particular mood from the reader and the novelty of her life wears off, but she still is a delightful narrator and you genuinely care about her and her wacky life.

Characters – 4 The people in the book come alive on the page and it is easy to envision her crazy father actually waking them up with a disembodied squirrel puppet.  

Story – 5 I wavered here because the book wavered. At times it was a 6, others it was a 3. Overall, her life is too strange to be fiction and fun to journey through.

Narration – 5 Her voice reaches the female audience quite well, but may not translate as well to the male audience. Check out the excerpt, which is taken from the first page of the book, to get a sense of what I mean. The rest of the novel continues in much the same direction. But, being a woman, her narration and style resonated with me. Thus the rating.

Read Again? No. I know the punchline/crazy experience already. But I enjoyed it.

Tell Others to Read? Every woman should read this, and open-minded guys as well. It's exceptionally funny, but some of her best moments are geared toward the females. 

Excerpt:...it makes a way more respectable beginning than the sentence I'd originally written, which was about how I'd just run into my gynecologist at Starbucks and she totally looked right past me like she didn't even know me. And so I stood there wondering whether that's something she does on purpose to make her clients feel less uncomfortable, or whether she genuinely didn't recognize me without my vagina. Either way, it's very disconcerting when people who've been inside your vagina don't acknowledge your existence. Also, I just want to clarify that I don't mean "without my vagina" like I didn't have it with me at the time. I just meant that I wasn't, you know...displaying it while I was at Starbucks. That's probably understood, but I thought I should clarify, since it's the first chapter and you don't know that much about me. So just to clarify, I always have my vagina with me. It's like my American Express card. (In that I don't leave home without it. Not that I use it to buy stuff with.)

Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury

Book: Shadow Show

Author: A collection of short stories by many authors, including Neil Gaiman, Audrey Niffenegger, Dave Eggers, Sam Weller, Mort Castle, and Alice Hoffman.

 

Why I Read It: It's a collection of short stories in celebration of Ray Bradbury, who I love. Also, I was traveling at the time and a book of short stories travels easier than one long novel sometimes.

First Line: Hmmm, doesn't really apply because there are 26 first lines.
 

First Impression: Oh my. So very very dark. And creative.

Last Impression: This was truly an homage to Bradbury; emotional, unique, unexpected and human.

 

Ratings

Overall – 5 Heart Racing As it usually is with a collection of shorter works by different authors, this book provided a mixed hat of tales. Some truly struck a chord with me and some I trudged through to get onto the next story. However, the overwhelming feeling was one of deep satisfaction.

Characters – 3 With short works such as these, it is the story that pulls the reader forward, rater than the characters, so many times they were forgettable.

Story – 5 Unabashedly brilliant. Though most of the 26 tales were a delight, a few stood out as exceptional: The Girl in the Funeral Parlor by Sam Weller, The Companions by David Morrell, Little America by Dan Chaon, Young Pilgrims by Joe Meno, and The Tattoo by Bonnie Jo Campbell stand out as truly memorable.

Narration – 4 Again, varied by work, but these artists are all experienced and each story is masterfully crafted.

Read Again? Absolutely. And again. And again.

Tell Others to Read? I recommended this book as I was still traveling through its pages. It is a very specific readership however, and is best enjoyed by true Bradbury fans (those who have read beyond Fahrenheit 451).

Excerpt from the Introduction:

      In Shadow Show, this celebration of Ray Bradbury, artists who have been profoundly influenced by him pen their own short stories in homage, stories that through image, theme, or concept are either ever so obviously or ever so subtle "Bradbury-informed." From the lyrical magic of Dandelion Wine, to the shifting sands of Mars, to the rolling mist of The October Country, Bradbury's literary achievements in all their scope are honored by a host of today's top writers. Shadow Show presents our most exciting authors, who, like the honoree, are not contained or constricted by category or locale, as they touch the Bradbury base for inspiration to explore their own singular, wildest imaginings.

     The stories in this volume are neither sequels nor pastiches but rather distinctive fictive visions by writers inspired by a single common touchstone: the enduring works of Ray Bradbury.

 

 

Content property of HarperCollins.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Book: The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern

 

Why I Read It: I wanted to read a fantastical period piece.

First Line: "The circus arrives without warning."

 

First Impression: Oh. It's about dueling magic, not a circus.

Last Impression: Wow. That was.....sad and unexpected and romantic and hopeful. Just beautiful.

 

Ratings

Overall – 4 Heart Skipped A Beat The story was certainly unique, but not what the title and visuals led me to expect. Those who pick up the book prepared for a magical love story will have expectations set accordingly and be instantly entralled.

Characters – 4 The cast is small and you get to know each character intimately. Their quirks breathe life into them and you are drawn in deeper as you progress, addicted to their world and desperate to discover their futures.

Story – 5 Hands down, completely amazing. So many unique wonders soar across the page, from the clock to the duel to the twists Morgenstern slowly unravels. I will say little to keep the discovery and anticipation intact. Just know it will be unlike anything you've read before.

Narration – 4 The world was picturesque, but the language that carried it was utilitiarian in comparision. It moved the story along, and painted the world in blocks of black and white and red, but could have given more.

Read Again? Most certainly. Not quite sure when the desire to visit this world again will capture me, but I am sure that it will.

Tell Others to Read? Yes. It is refreshingly different, easy to read, and well written.

Excerpt: Herr Friedrick Thiessen receives an unexpected visitor in his Munich workshop, an Englishman by the name of Mr. Ethan Barris. Mr. Barris admits that he has been attempting to track him down for some time after admiring several Thiessen-crafted cuckoo clocks, and was pointed in the right direction by a local shopkeeper.

     Mr. Barris inquires as to whether Herr Thiessen would be interested in making a special commissioned piece. Herr Thiessen has a constant stream of custom work and tells Mr. Barris as much, indicating from a shelf of variants on the traditional cuckoo clock that range from simple to ornate.

     "I'm not certain you understand, Herr Thiessen," Mr. Barris says. "This would be a showpiece, a curiosity. Your clocks are impressive, but what I am requesting would be something truly outstanding, das Meisterwerk. And money is absolutely no object."

     Intrigued now, Herr Thiessen asks for specifications and details. He is given very little. Some constraints as to size (but still rather large), and it is to be painted solely in black and white and shades of grey. Beyond that, the construction and embellishment is up to him. Artistic license, Mr. Barris says. "Dreamlike" is the only descriptive word he uses specifically.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Book: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Why I Read It: Because everyone else was. I frequently give into reading peer pressure because 1) I love to read and 2) that many people usually aren't wrong.

First Line: "Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death."

First Impression: I liked his Author's Note. Heartfelt and a great attitude toward writing and fiction in general. Good start.

Last Impression: So, it was a book about kids with cancer falling in love. The ending was what I expected, the tone was what I expected, but it was a new place and I was glad he brought me there.

Ratings

Overall – 4 Heart Skipped a Beat This book is not the story of cancer, but the story of the people. In the book, Gus observes that there aren't paintings of the sick dying, people who died "of" something, but there are scores of artworks depicting heroic deaths (conquerors, explorers), people dying "from" something. Usually the only time death stories are told is when it's heroic and the only time a cancer story is told is when it's of a survivor. There is not much out there in terms of cancer "havers". This tells that story.

Characters – 5 The most well-written character is a secondary one, Isaac. The moments with him are the most honest and don't feel like an attempt to show teens with cancer, but rather like a glimpse into real moments. The main character, Hazel Grace, was inconsistent for me. A socially awkward 16 year old girl doesn't use "circle jerk" as part of her internal vernacular. But, Green did capture the otherwordlyness of a silent but connected phone line and his development of Hazel as a maturing, though dying, woman improved as the novel progressed.

Story – 3 In a book about kids with cancer falling in love, it's pretty clear how the plot will play out. It was clear pretty early on (spoiler) in which order they would die (sorry, but since there is yet to be a cure for cancer, it is the expected ending) and how they would interact with one another. The plot was predictable for the main characters; the interaction with secondary characters brought the depth and realism that just wasn't quite there between the lovestruck teens.

Narration – 4 Honest. The dialogue was natural and believable from everyone but Augustus. But with a name like Augustus, he's allowed to be a bit odd. It's written in straightforward language that reflects the tone and feel of the novel but still dotted with beautiful, meaningful lines that are popping up on T-shirts.

Read Again? No. Once was enough.

Tell Others to Read? For the adults: If they haven't already, probably not. I won't discourage it, by any means, but won't be rushing out to tell others about it. For the young/preteens: Yes. It's a unique view of falling in love. And they should see how lucky they are and how hard life can be and view all of the facets of life they possibly can. And this one should definitely be included.

Excerpt: "I nodded. I liked Augustus Waters. I really, really, really liked him. I liked the way his story ended with someone else. I liked his voice. I liked that he took existentially fraught free throws. I liked that he was a tenured professor in the Department of Slightly Crooked Smiles with a dual appointment in the Department of Having a Voice That Made My Skin Feel More Like Skin. And I liked that he had two names. I've always liked people with two names, because you get to make up your mind what you call them: Gus or Augustus? Me, I was always just Hazel, univalent Hazel.

     "Do you have siblings?" I asked.

     "Huh?" he answered, seeming a little distracted.

     "You said that thing about watching kids play."

     "Oh, yeah, no. I have nephews, from my half sisters. But they're older. They're like --DAD, HOW OLD ARE JULIE AND MARTHA?"

     "Twenty-eight!"

     "They're like twenty-eight. They live in Chicago. They are both married to very fancy lawyer dudes. Or banker dudes. I can't remember. You have siblings?"

     I shook my head no. "So what's your story?" he asked, sitting down next to me at a safe distance.

     "I already told you my story. I was diagnosed when - "

     "No, not your cancer story. Your story. Interests, hobbies, passions, weird fetishes, etcetera."

 

 

 

Excerpt content property of Dutton Books

Christine by Stephen King

Book: Christine

Author: Stephen King

Why I Read It: I was on a scary book binge.

First Line: "This is the story of a lover's triange, I suppose you'd say--Arnie Cunningham, Leigh Cabot, and, of course, Christine."
 

First Impression: Well, I like old cars. This might be okay.

Last Impression: Oh my. So long winded and boring.

 

Ratings

Overall – 3 Resting Heart Rate The first 276 pages bored me to tears. It was clear what was happening to the car, to Arnie, to their friendship, to all of Christine's victims. Everything was evident, though his prose implied he felt it was suspenseful.

Characters – 2 The human characters were flat and boring. Christine, however, was a strong character, and that's what really matters as she is our main character. Still, she was very outnumbered in the novel, and the rest of the cast isn't engaging.

Story – 3 The majority of the story felt overly long and had no suspense, but the end of the book had me on the edge of my seat. The wrap-up was poetic and realistic.

Narration – 3 King is truly a great writer, but sadly not as talented as an editor. If he had cut the book by about 300 pages, I would have been there 100%.

Read Again? Most definitely not. I didn't enjoy it the first time, and there are much better Stephen King books out there.

Tell Others to Read? The one thing about Stephen King is you don't tell others to read him, you ask what they've already read. This book is a classic, for many good reasons, and I'm sure it sits on may shelves, well-worn and well-loved.

Excerpt: She was a bad joke, and what Arnie saw in her that day I'll never know. The left side of her wind shield was a snarled spiderweb of cracks. The right rear deck was bashed in, and an ugly nest of rust had grown in the paint-scraped valley. The back bumper was askew, the trunk lid was ajar, and upholstery was bleeding out through several long tears in the seat cover, both front and back. It looked as i fsomeone had worked on the upholstery with a knife. One tire was flat. The others were bald enough to show the canvas cording. Worst of all, there was a dark puddle of oil under the engine block.

     Arnie had fallen in love with a 1958 Plymouth Fury, one of the long ones with the big fins. 

 

 

 

 

 

Room by Emma Donoghue

Book: Room

Author: Emma Donoghue
 

Why I Read It: I loved one of her other books, Slammerkin, and I was enamored with the idea of writing about the experience of abuse and captivity from the view of a child.

First Line: "Today I'm five."

First Impression: Wow. This is so realistic. And depressing.

Last Impression: Wow. This is so realistic. And depressing. And DAMN can she write!

 

Ratings 

Overall – 5 Heart Racing I was surprised by how true to life the situation felt; how they play Scream, how he has to hide every night in case Old Nick visits, how detailed the minutia of each day is because it is all they have.

Characters – 3 Ma and Jack, our main characters, create their own little world in room. Jack narrates, so Ma is only viewed in the mothering role. Her other female experiences are on the periphery, making the abusive situation easier to tolerate, but also leaving her flat and underdeveloped. Old Nick is a disembodied voice but functions in the role of the abuser. Jack is the driving force of the book and much of his personality is shown through his insights.

Story – 5 The story carries itself much further through the action than I anticipated.

Narration – 4 The narration suffers from inconsistency part way through the book, and Jack's voice feels less organic and a bit forced. But the idea of narrating the abusive situation through his naive view is brilliant.

Read Again? Absolutely. It was inspiring to ingest such a well-written, refreshing and engaging story. I was on the edge of my seat.

Tell Others to Read? Yes. But I will warn them. It is a lot and hard to handle. You have to be prepared to read about a woman who has been raped and abused on a very regular basis. You have to be prepared to accept this as her existence and read on anyway. You have to be prepared to watch suffering and hope and despair interact in a very believable way.

Excerpt: "Monday is a laundry day, we get into Bath with socks, underwears, my gray pants that Ketchup squirted on, the sheets and dish towels, and we squish all the dirt out. Ma hots Thermostat way up for the drying, she pulls Clothes Horse out from beside Door and stands him open and I tell him to be strong. I would love to ride him like when I was a baby but I'm so huge now I might break his back. It would be cool to sometimes go smaller again and sometimes bigger like Alice. When we've twisted the water out of everything and hanged them up, Ma and me have to rip off our T-shirts and take turns pushing ourselves into Refrigerator to cool down.

     Lunch is bean salad, my second worst favorite. After nap we do Scream every day but not Saturdays or Sundays. We clear our throats and climb up on Table to be nearer Skylight, holding hands not to fall. We say 'On your mark, get set, go,' then we open wide our teeth and shout and holler howl yowl shriek screech scream the loudest possible. Today I'm the loudest ever because my lungs are stretching from being five.

     Then we shush with fingers on lips. I ask Ma once what we're listening for and she said just in case, you never know."

 

 

Excerpt content property of Little, Brown and Company

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Book: The Eyre Affair
Author: Jasper Fforde

Why I Read It: Because I LOVE Jasper Fforde. I found the Thursday Next series abandoned at the thrift store and I scooped them all up. This is book one.
First Line: "My father had a face that could stop a clock."

First Impression: How delightfully playful!
Last Impression: I had a pretty good idea how this book would end, but I very much enjoyed getting there.

Ratings
Overall - 5 Heart Racing Delightfully engaging and addictively playful.
Characters - 5 Each character is fun and believable with quirks that bring them to life.
Story - 5 The story is unsurpassed in playful creativity; how many of us would have loved to transcend reality and find ourselves within the pages of our favorite books? Not only do these characters have the opportunity to do so, they get to see the jet-flying, tourist-planning secret side of classic Bronte and Austen novels.
Narration - 5 I haven't fallen in love with narration like this since I first read Douglas Adams (the ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't). It's quick and witting and a delight to read.

Read Again? Absolutely! This is joining my "Favorites" shelf. I will probably read this at least two more times.

Tell Others To Read? Yes and Yes. Fforde crafts alternate realities with such care and depth you truly are transported away. The Thursday Next adventure is no different.

Excerpt: "I was what we called an 'operative grade I' for SO-27, the Literary Detective Division of the Special Operations Network based in London. It's way less flash than it sounds. Since 1980 the big criminal gangs had moved in on the lucrative literary market and we had much to do and few funds to do it with. I worked under Area Chief Boswell, a small, puffy man who looked like a bag of flour with arms and legs. He lived and breathed the job; words were his life and his love - he never seems happier than when he was on the trail of a counterfeit Coleridge or a fake Fielding. It was under Boswell that we arrested the gang who were stealing and selling Samuel Johnson first editions; on another occasion we uncovered an attempt to authenticate a flagrantly unrealistic version of Shakespeare's lost work Cardenio. Fun while it lasted, but only small islands of excitement among the ocean of day-to-day mundanities that is SO-27: We spent most of our time dealing with illegal traders, copyright infringements and fraud.
     I had been with Boswell and SO-27 for eight years, living in a Maida Vale apartment with Pickwick, a regenerated pet dodo left over from the days when reverse extinction was all the rage and you could buy home cloning kits over the counter. I was keen - no, I was desperate - to get away from the LiteraTecs but transfers were unheard of and promotion a nonstarter.


Content property of Penguin Books.

The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch

Book: Journal of Best Practices

Author: David Finch

Why I Read It: I love reading pretty much anything related to psychology.

First Line: "I was thirty years old and had been married five years when I learned that I have Asperger syndrome, a relatively mild form of autism."

First Impression: I love the layout and format of this book.

Last Impression: This was amazing. Such an uplifting read full of valuable insight and useful tips for respecting the requirements of marriage. Finch discusses the needs of yourself and your spouse, the weight of 'what marriage is supposed to be,' balancing love and family, communication and the commitment of two people despite the difficulty of the situation.

Ratings

Overall – 4 Heart Skipped A Beat It is heartfelt, insightful and great advice for every married couple, even us "neurotypicals" as Finch refers those without a syndrome or imbalanced neurochemistry.

Characters – 4 David portrays his wife Kristen in a very realistic way, and speaks about himself just as honestly. It would be easy to paint himself as a hero, but he doesn't pull any punches and relates events in a way that lets the reader understand Kristen's frustration. 

Story – 4 The novel is about the discovery of Finch's Asperger syndrome at a moment of crisis in his marriage. It's more soul searching journey than story and pulls you in.

Narration – 4 Finch is straightforward and poetic in relating his impressions of the world and how he interacts with it.

Read Again? Unlikely, but simply because I don't reread memoir or nonfiction very often.

Tell Others to Read? Yes and yes. This was a well-written easy read from a unique perspective on a topic many of us can relate to.

Excerpt: Then we married each other and things changed. When you're in love, you can't beat the motion of two souls uniting, two lives becoming forever one. Sooner or later, though, the romance fades. one day you realize you are two souls united...but there's only one cupcake left in the Tupperware container in the fridge. That's when reality sets in: We're going to have to deal with stuff, and it might not be easy. Whether Kristen and I were ready for it or not (which, clearly, we were not), our relationship changed after we were married, and the nature of what we needed to express changed with it: How shall we handle our finances? What's your philosophy on child rearing? What do you mean you have interests and aspirations beyond being my wife?!
     We weren't alone. Most couples don't consider or discuss these types of things until they have to, until they're both staring at the same cupcake, wondering what they've gotten themselves into. Kristen and I would learn that these were the things we would have to talk about if we wanted our marriage to work. As we got farther into married life, we'd also discover that I was particularly unprepared - unequipped, it seemed - to do that.


Content property of Simon and Schuster.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Book: Warm Bodies

Author: Isaac Marion

Why I Read It: My little sister loves romance movies and I love zombie books, so this was the perfect entertainment for us to share. We agreed to read the book and then see the movie together.

First Line: "I'm dead, but it's not so bad."

First Impression: Huh. I am genuinely surprised by how funny this guy is. I'm liking the zombie sense of humor.

Last Impression: Oh, so close! There was a great idea here but just not enough follow through. They keep saying they are going to change the world, but have no ideas, no direction and no clue that it is already happening.

 

Ratings

Overall – 3 Resting Heart Rate As a huge zombie fan, this felt like a combination of the movies Fido and Wasting Away, with a little bit of Shaun of the Dead sprinkled in. I love the dialogue about humanity. What makes us human? Is it the desire to connect with one another or the blood in our veins? Here it's the desire to connect and embracing the idea that love can heal all wounds; even being undead. It's not on the same level as other zombie texts, such as World War Z, but it's playful and unique. 

Characters – 4 The main character, R the zombie, is definitely a 5 for me, but Julie, her father and other main characters were 2s and 3s, so we're settling on 4. R is an engaging, funny and refreshing protagonist. Everyone else is mainly around to keep him company.

Story –  3 The story was a bit typical for the zombie overridden post apocalyptic world. She's the daughter of the deranged general running the zombie-free zone, he's a zombie. It's not stretching very far beyond the typical tragic archetypes, but it works.  

Narration – 4 I loved the language. I was not expecting much in terms of elegant phrasing from a teenage zombie love story, but Marion continually surprised me. The tone was somber yet light-hearted and felt genuine. The main character, R, related social faux pas, the daily routine, and emotional experiences of the zombie world.

Read Again? No. There is only enough substance for one read through, but it was a great read.

Tell Others to Read? If they are zombie or romance fans, yes. If not, then no. 

Excerpt: "No one I know has any specific memories. Just a vague, vestigial knowledge of a world long gone. Faint impressions of past lives that linger like phantom limbs. We recognize civilization - buildings, cars, a general overview - but we have no personal role in it. No history. We are just here. We do what we do, time passes, and no one asks questions. But like I've said, it's not so bad. We may appear mindless, but we aren't The rusty cogs of cogency still spin, just geared down and down till the outer motion is barely visible. We grunt and groan, we shrug and nod, and sometimes a few words slip out. It's not that different from before.
     But it does make me sad that we've forgotten our names. Out of everything, this seems to me the most tragic. I miss my own and I mourn for everyone else's, because I'd like to love them, but I don't know who they are."


Excerpt content property of Simon and Schuster.