World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War- Max Brooks

I have a lot of thoughts about this book… So many that I started keeping notes in my phone as I read. Not only is it an interesting plot, playing directly into the zombie obsessed America we’re currently living in, it’s told in a way that is exceptional to how many books are written: retrospective, as a reporter has been traveling around the world to interview subjects of the war (hence the subtitle). 

World War Z takes place in the not too distant future, shortly after Earth has narrowly survived a virus that creates the undead, which then bite uninfected humans to continue the virus’ spread across the world. The plot device is an unnamed and rarely heard from (except in occasional questions) reporter, interviewing subjects affected by the war, progressing from infection to the aftermath. The story is cynical. Kind of unbelievably so, and especially towards politics, the media, and the way that the general population treats and reacts to news. However, because of this, it is extremely interesting and can easily be applied to a life unaffected by a zombie apocalypse. It’s desolate, desperate, and horrifying. So much so that I’m not sure I want to see a movie based on this book. But you know the humans win. And you wonder the whole time how in the world they got out of it. So you keep reading. Usually I can't get involved in a story without any real main characters or plots, but this one is different. If there are books written like this about real wars I would be interested in reading them. It’s a documentary in book form.

The only thing keeping this book from a five is that I kept getting pulled out of the story. I don’t know if it was due to the way it was told, the specific person’s interview I was currently reading, or distractions in general, but I had occasional trouble with remembering who was talking and how they fit into the overarching plot. When I put the book down, it was hard to get back into. And the middle was by far the best part of the book. All in all though, a really interesting book, and recommended if you like this sort of thing. 4/5

Quick Hits for June

Read 6/2/13- The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss- Sequel to The Name of the Wind, and equally, if not more enjoyable. Still really loving Kvothe and his travels, especially as we hear more and more about his adventures away from school that lead him to where he is at the time of the book’s telling. Extremely disappointed I have to wait for book three!! 4/5

The Mystery of Mercy Close- Marian Keyes

Finally! The much anticipated (in my head anyway) fifth Walsh sister book. Helen's book wasn't quite as enjoyable as Claire, Rachel, Maggie (Margaret), or Anna’s before her, but I am pleased to discover that it doesn’t matter too much. Still a great book, worthy of placement alongside the other four.

Helen Walsh is having a tough time. After losing her apartment and any source of income, she moves back in with her parents and takes a job from her ex-boyfriend to track down a missing member of a reuniting boy band. No one knows where he has gone, and the reunion concert is looming. We follow Helen through her investigation into his disappearance, with the usual cast of crazy characters filing in as she goes. Similar to her sisters before her, there is twist of darkness to Helen and the events surrounding her, but this one was especially heavy, I think mostly because so many of the Walsh family members were MIA throughout the book. We saw appearances from Claire, Margaret, and Mammy Walsh, but with Anna and Helen herself being absent as comic relief, the sinking depression that Helen is battling with casts a significantly somber tone over the book.

Having said that, this was still a good showing from Marian Keyes, and I think that my anticipation for a new Walsh sister book was a bit unrealistic. This one didn't have quite the same amount of humor as her other books, but all in all it was well written and enjoyable, and I’ll definitely be reading it again. 4/5

Quick Hits for May

Read 5/6/13- This One is Mine, by Maria Semple- Not really sure why I liked this so much... All of the characters are deplorable for the majority of the book. But here I am two days later and I'm already done with it. Really well written and a quick and addictive read for sure. I'm still trying to decide between a 4 and a 5. I liked Bernadette better, but Bernadette was easily one of my favorite books in recent memory. Maria Semple impressed me again with this one. 4.5/5

Read 5/11/13- The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green- I don't have a lot to say on this one, but that’s not because I didn’t like it. It was really well done, but also sad, as you'd expect from a book about teenage cancer patients. Glad I read it for sure though, and I’d definitely recommend it. 4/5

Read 5/18/13- The All of It, by Jeannette Haien- I did not care for this book, our May book club selection. Not sure in general how it won so many awards, as it was essentially a 150 page conversation. And not a particularly interesting one. Lots of potential, and I think if it was told differently I would have enjoyed it more, but all of the suspense promised was gone after about 20 pages, and after that it was a tedious read. 2/5

Wool- Hugh Howey

Wool is a book in its own class. Self published author Hugh Howey slowly released five parts of the same overall story onto an unsuspecting internet, and came out of it with a following. The copy I ended up with is the omnibus- all five parts in one book. So to review, I thought I’d do things a little differently, and break the book down by its stories, each with a reaction I had after finishing…

Part 1 surprised me, and was the first indication that I was in for a futuristic book like I’d never read before.

Part 2 cemented that. Bleak and upsetting, life in the silo is progressively getting stranger.

Part 3 begins with a bang, a one page chapter that I literally had to read twice to believe. This is where I really started to get engrossed in the story, the mystery, the depths that the antagonists would go to keep the secrets of the silo safe. Part 3 ends with a bang as well, and I was clambering to get to the next part.

Part 4 changes the story entirely. It's the best part yet and that says something. I have been having trouble physically tearing myself away from the book.

Part 5 was the best part of the book. I was up really late. Enough said. 

Incredible. I can't wait to read more of Hugh Howey's work. Just... Unreal. I really enjoyed Wool, and that doesn’t even begin to explain it. I had to digest this for a little while. But easily one of the best post apocalyptic books I've read. 5/5

Quick Hits for April

Read 4/7/13- The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss- Very much enjoyed this book and looking forward to the sequel. Started out a bit slow for me, took some time to get into the story but once it got moving, it stuck with me. Kvothe is such a badass character. I am excited to find out what has been hinted at and what has made him become the man he is as he narrates the book. 4/5

Read 4/12/13- The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald- April’s book club book was a re-reading of the classic, The Great Gatsby. Even better the second time through. I forgot how much I enjoyed this book! 4/5

Read 4/16/13- The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin- I wanted to like this more than I did... Gretchen Rubin's happiness project is a novel idea and has a lot of good things to say, but she says things that are fairly self-explanatory in a way that makes it seem like she has never heard them before or as if they are revelations... For example, that money helps to keep you happy. She is a bit irritating and occasionally insufferable. That said, some good advice here and I'm glad I read it. 3/5

Where'd You Go, Bernadette- Maria Semple

Where’d You Go, Bernadette is quite possibly my favorite book of 2013. And I think that says something, considering I’ve already had a string of major successes that would be my favorite in any other year. Silver Linings Playbook, Language of Flowers, Pillars of the Earth, all were current favorites, and now WYGB has surpassed all of them.

Told in the voice of a 13 year old girl, WYGB is almost entirely unique. It’s honestly like nothing I’ve ever read before. It has bits and pieces of narrative style that I’ve seen done in other ways, but here, it’s taken to a new level. Agoraphobic Bernadette Fox, mother to Bee, has disappeared. For the first half of the book, we are treated to emails, reports, notes, etc compiled to describe the events leading up to Bernadette’s disappearance, interspersed with Bee’s commentary, which is one of the most clever and fun ways of telling a story I’ve ever seen. Then Bernadette disappears. Where did she go? Bee will find out. And the answer is entirely unpredictable, as is every revelation we’re given throughout the book.

Comedy, mystery, emails, technology, architecture, scathing commentary on busybodies and Seattle = one fantastic book, which seemingly has it all.

I really can’t stress enough how much I loved this book. I loved it so much that within weeks of finishing the hard copy I listened to it on audiobook (also awesome, if you’re interested in those kinds of things). It’s a keeper, and one worth reading over and over. 5/5

Language of Flowers- Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Our March book club book was a pretty fantastic pick. Language of Flowers is a book that will stay with me for awhile. It’s told in alternating perspectives: Victoria as a foster child, and Victoria in the current day, beginning with her emancipation into the world at large, and follows her throughout her life, so the reader can see how she got where she starts the book from, to finding her way through life and its struggles.

I don’t want to say much about the plot of this book, as I really enjoyed discovering the facets of Victoria’s life without knowing what was coming. I admit that I’m somewhat of a sucker for books told this way: alternating perspectives or characters, etc, so likely that was part of my gratification with the book. The pacing of the book was perfect, giving away just enough of the mysteries of Victoria’s young life to keep you interested, but simultaneously explaining why she is the way she is in the current day. We had some conversations at our book club meeting about the way it portrays the foster system, Victoria herself, and her choices that, if possible, added to my enjoyment of the book.

Highly recommended. Go read it now. And if you’re looking for a book club pick, start with this one! 5/5.

Quick Hits for March

Read 3/3/13- Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn- OMG. What is the matter with Gillian Flynn that makes her come up with this stuff? Holy crap. Disturbing but riveting. I think I still liked Gone Girl better, but this one was good enough to make me want to check out Sharp Objects. 4/5

Read 3/4/13- The Bungalow, by Sarah Jio- Predictable and somewhat repetitive, but maybe that was more obvious because I listened to this instead of reading it. The plot was decent until it tried to be too much and I saw the ending coming. Disappointing. 2/5

Read 3/5/13- Spin, by Catherine McKenzie- Flew through this one. Quick and entertaining read that reminded me somewhat of Rachel's Holiday, which could be why I enjoyed it so much! 4/5

Read 3/10/13- Genghis: Bones of the Hills, by Conn Iggulden- Third in the series of novels about Genghis Kahn, this one is similar to #2. A good read, definitely interesting, and I wonder how much is true and what is embellished. As with #2, I wish this had fewer battles and more politics. In particular, the relationships between Genghis' sons were well written and engrossing; I could read another few books about them, and will. Worthwhile read, but the first one is still by far the best. 3/5

Read 3/28/13- Spring Fever, by Mary Kay Andrews- Listened to this one and enjoyed it... pretty decent chick lit and I will definitely check out more Mary Kay Andrews books! 3/5