Dearly Departed by Lia Habel

Before starting I must thank Hannah at Once Upon a Time for the book. I won it, but I still owe her a nod. And we had both thought the cover wasn’t great. But owning it and looking at it, I think it’s really quite nice. It’d stylised and in a weird way suits the story. I said it: I like the Orange Cover.

4

Dearly Departed is book, impossible to categorise, about a steampunk, dystopian world where there are zombies who are also civilised. And, to top it all, it’s a romance story.

The first issue I had to (mentally) tackle with this book was the romance between a zombie and living girl. I know the saying “Love conquers all” but never had I considered a human/zombie pairing. Frankly, the idea freaked me out and got me curious; would it work? I’m going to say yes. For the first three hundred pages or so, I kept changing my mind but then I just suddenly got over it. I think what I figured out was that it wasn’t something completely strange and the zombie-ism was just an element of Bram’s personality. I cottoned on that this was just another obstacle in romance, as a protective father or social climbing mother might be. At the end of the day, it didn’t really matter. I think that if you read the description of a human’s love for a zombie and recoiled, or had the curiosity I did, you have to read this. More than any romance I’ve read, this has changed my perspective on any and all love. It’s something we can’t explain away, and we have to accept that it’s about feeling and not all that nonsense with ‘hotness’ or other physical things.

After that, I enjoyed the book much more. The zombie-ism itself was well explained. I accept that it’s an unrealistic thing to ever happen in our world, but the idea that it is a prion in the body constantly trying to multiply and survive fits in with the biological idea of the world. The survival element of the gene is what embodies the uncivilised zombies, since that is all they care about. The civilised ones are those concerned with the survival of others above themselves. Everything made sense, which I like in any dystopia/post-apocalyptia/zombie novel.

The story itself is fine, but mostly unremarkable. It’s quite surprising sometimes, but there is so much going on that you forget to be surprised. It follows three sets of characters, one set made up of two viewpoints. So in way there were four linear storylines to follow as they ran alongside one another and crossed occasionally. It wasn’t confusing, but when you came back to a viewpoint you had to play mental catch-up before continuing.

Perhaps the only smidge of an issue I had was that it felt as though the book was trying to be funny too much. Occasionally this was one joke too many, but other times it was a complete change in tone. It was minor thing though so I shan’t dwell.

There nothing else to say except I loved all the little twists in the story and I couldn’t help but be drawn into this amazingly written story. It doesn’t feel like romance book (I think) and neither does it feel like a zombie or dystopia book. By combining everything as it did, it somehow managed to establish its own platform. It’s kind of wonderful.

Top Ten Authors I Want At My Thanksgiving Dinner (and a Challenge)

We don't actually have Thanksgiving, but its the top American Celebration I wish we did have. It seems so pleasant and honest (and kind of like an early start for Christmas). This is kind of my Disclaimer.

1. This has to be JK Rowling. She is the epitome of my second most favourite series and I could ask her a truckload of question- Harry Potter ones as well as about reading, her life, opinions- because as well as a being a good writer, she's marvellously opinionated. She's just a great Human Being.
2. David Eddings. He's dead, I think, or at least very old. This is a sad thing because he is the author of my favourite series, and I'd love him to tell me about how he wrote the books, the inspiration and also what he was like when younger. Mostly I want him to tell me more stories within the world he created.
3. Veronica Roth. Divergent's probably my favourite book this year, and I follow her blog, so I think I have an idea on this Lady's opinions and stuff. Mostly I'd just like to hear more about them. She's sounds relatively similar to me so I'd like to see how far this extends (and whether I'm just complementing my ego).
4. Muriel Barbery, as the author of my favourite book, also would have to be there. She's another of those really intelligent ones and someone who makes me think with almost every point she makes and question everything I do. I'd be self-conscious with her there, but I'd also be the better for it.
5. I have to invite Suzanne Collins too since I have to know about her books. I know where she got her inspiration, but I have to know what drove her to finish as she did. Theorising is great and interesting, but I want to hear it from the horse's mouth. Why did she write as she did in the last book?
6. Stephen Fry is kind of a solely English Celebrity (though I think most people do know him in the English-speaking world). He's intelligent, witty and just a mesmerising speaker who uses the most resonant vocabulary known to man. He's just...I don't know. I am in awe to a point of speechlessness.
7. Jenny Lawson (AKA The Bloggess) because she could make me howl with laughter, but would also say something really sweet and thought-provoking. Also, as much as I love them, the above writers probably have a tendency to withdraw into their own little worlds and Jenny would draw them out and we could all be outrageous, yet happy, fools together. There's the problem that she doesn't like lots of people but I'd get around that. She isn't actually published but will be soon!
8. Allie Brosh, who write Hyperbole and a Half (if you didn't know), is another really funny writer who hasn't really finished her book yet, but has lots of material online. She's be a hoot and I'd love her to tell us all some funny (hyperbolic) stories too. And she's been absent online for a while, partly due to depression. I need my hyperbolic fix, and maybe I could help her in some manner. 
9. Kathryn Stockett, who wrote The Help, is also a necessary addition because she moves me and wrote another of my favourite books from this year. I'd just have to hear about her experience while writing and the what Mississippi was like when she was there.
10. My final is Jane Austen. Of all my authors, she'd the least likely to even consider coming. Not that any probably are, but bar one, she's the only one who is undeniably dead. Makes it kind of hard. But she wrote amazing books: romances that I enjoyed. I'd want to know what she thought of the people in her time and how she would react to our modern society.

That's the cut off point. I can think of at least 5 classic authors I would invite too, but I tried to concentrate on modern writers. Jane Austen is there because no way could I miss her. She's my favourite Classic writer for the time being. Anyway, part two of the post.

I've decided that I'm going to take part in the Shakespeare Reading Month hosted by Allie at A Literary Odyssey. Shakespeare is a writer I really like and respect, and I'm disappointed I've hardly read him. I've read A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet, but they were both with the school. I also argue that I've read Hamlet, since I saw the play done (without cuts) and it had the lines coming up on the sides, which I read. Hence, I read it. But that is a fraction of his work. I've seen more that I've read (Richard III, Titus Andronicus, MacBeth, King Lear) but that's still only a total of 7 of 38 (not including other poetry), perhaps a fifth of them. I need to rectify this.

I've heard it said that you should read the Bard not just to understand; that it is even advisable to read merely for the pleasure of fluent writing and enrapturing imagery. To read him merely for the experience. I have no illusions that I'll read loads: I'm aiming to read but one if I can. For that reason, I will be taking part. 

Happy reading!

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

5

Inheritance is the final book in the Inheritance Cycle (formerly a trilogy) and similar to the rest of the books in the series: it doesn’t have the deepest, most riveting story, but it’s an enjoyable Epic Fantasy.

The story again follows Eragon and, as in Eldest and Brisingr, the Point-Of-View jumps between other characters for the ‘insight’. If you’ve read the other books, and a bit more Epic Fantasy/High Fantasy on the side, you’ll probably predict where everything is going. Paolini seems to really like the idea of foreshadowing, destiny and all that so the hints are all there. It doesn’t take away from the story, in my opinion, but I wouldn’t expect any moments of intense surprise.

The characters are great, but sometimes seem to change dramatically for the sake of the story (I’m thinking of Arya here). And Eragon is a bit…angst-y. I do tend to like Eragon, but sometimes I think he’s too worried what everyone thinks and what he’s expected to do. As everyone says to him, he should just stop worrying and try to get on with defeating Galbatorix. I like Arya and Nasuada more (though they both seem to revamp their personalities at the end for no apparent reason), but my favourite character has to be Angela. The one person I know in real life who reads these agrees, and I ask anyone who has read this to tell me who their favourite character is. I’m looking for some Angela love her.

I like her because she’s so quirky, yet powerful. Better yet, we know absolutely nothing about her, except that she’s older than she looks and incredibly intelligent. I actually have, after this book, a suspicion of who she may have been. Regardless of who she is, every scene that has Angela in just lights up for me because she’s the only one who can make me life or make me terribly confused. She’s wonderful, and I’d read these books again just for her.

There’s not much I can say without ruining the story, but I think the book is satisfying. I give it 5 because I really like the series for its straight-forward, sorcery and shield Epic Fantasy story, and I think this last book sticks to that. The ending itself had me a little disgruntled, but I can see why he did it. Other bits, too, felt rushed; but again I got the gist of what he was trying to write and say.

So it’s a story with a few (predictable) twists, with lots of magic, swords and dragons. I enjoyed the series, and I’d advise most people to at least give it a go, but I, for one, think that it’s a good thing the series ended. Had it continued, I may have not.

NB I also adore the covers of these books. I can literally spend hours staring out those Dragons on the front.

Checking In

Okay, hi!

I formally announce that I am here to make an excuse for being AWOL on the internet almost completely.

I've been busy (I sound like a broken record) so even though I'm most keeping up with reading and life and other things, my social networking participation has plummeted recently. I check up on Twitter, but I ain't active and I'm only just on top of blogs. Life's too hard I tell you! It's good thing I didn't do NaNoWriMo otherwise I'm sure I'd be a festering puddle of fungus on the floor by this point.

Anyway...

I've got two reviews I hope to get up this week, but after that things will likely slow down. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know I surpassed by 50 book-mark for this year, and I'm now on 51. Doing the maths, it's obvious I only read about a book a week; which is quite good I think! I tell you this since I likely won't be getting two reviews a week at least until Christmas. To compensate, I'm going to try and do at least one hop a week to show that I'm still alive and a book lover. I might try and read some short books but I don't know.

And, to forewarn you, I'll be taking time off blogging come December 20th until about Mid-January for two reasons. One is that I'll be busy over Christmas with family, friends and other things that will mean I'll struggle to sit down and get too much done. The second reason is that come January I have three A-Level exams. (Which, if you're not aware of British schooling, are the exams after turning 16 but before University). They're Maths, Further Maths and Physics. Most of you will look at that and exhale like you've just been punched in the stomach, but I am good at them. Maths and Further Maths will be a walk in a windy park (mildly challenging) but Physics is going to require a fair bit of work and practise.

Thinking about it, I may not completely disappear because I'll need a way to unwind without de-stimulating my brain so blogging might cut it, but I can't promise it. I only mention this now so it doesn't seem out of the blue. It really jolts me when bloggers disappear suddenly. There is nothing wrong with that, and I understand there are unforeseeable circumstances in the future, but I still feel a tad deserted. I'm just trying to avoid that.

Anyway, happy reading!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

4

This is a zombie apocalypse novel were bleak doesn't even cut it. The story is of Mary, a girl living in the last refuge of humanity ruled by The Sisters, and how she tries to live in this environment. Up until the zombies get into gear, this story is also very dystopian.

I just can’t write this without feeling depressed all over again (and slightly nervous). It’s truly a great story, and as someone who doesn’t like zombies, it credit to how easy it is to be drawn in. I never knew what to expect from the book: the cover gives nothing away and Mary herself is unpredictable because she constantly strives to fit in with society; all she really wants is to see the ocean since, to her, it is the only place truly untouched by the Unconsecrated.

At the start, the mechanics of the village are stiflingly dystopian. The Sisters rule with iron-clad authority and the Guardians are their hands. It appears to be a working society, but then Mary finds out some things, some by accident, and she begins to see the Sisters more as like occupying, brain-washing force than a force for God. She half-respects the sisters, especially Sister Tabitha, for their dedication, but it is something she doesn’t share. This kind of difference is what makes Mary so strange to the other villagers. Whereas they are happy to live, breed and help maintain human life, she wants more. She wants to be herself and not just a tool for humanity’s survival.

There were some really horrible moments in this book. The Zombie in red? My skin crawled every time she was mentioned. This one meant bad news whenever she was around, and seeing her destroy herself was even terrifying. And worse still: zombie children. This is a bit of a spoiler thing, but anyone who is thinking of reading this must know there are zombified children- even newborns. It made me sick to read, partly because I stick to books where children are safe even if deprived. But as ever, it was captivating.

Romance was kind of important in the book. The idea is that each girl in the village either marries and copulates or becomes a Sister: romance is only good luck. So when Mary finds love, it reiterates the oddity of our protagonist that I could I actually didn’t mind. For once, when I was told she’d loved him for a long time I didn’t groan since from what I already knew, it made sense. And it could have stayed that way, except a love triangle was introduced, and I kind of didn’t believe in Harry loving her. It struck me more as loyalty and friendship, which to him meant love. But not to Mary, and not to me. Travis was better in my mind because he understood her. As you may imagine, the love is going to cause a bit of pain.

I disliked three things, which are minor things depending on outlook. The first was the the pacing felt a bit odd. They’d be fighting and running for chapters, then they would just stop somewhere for ages. It felt a bit jumpy and annoying. But I get the constant moving; if they dwell, everything will catch up with them, literally and figuratively. I also disliked the battles themselves: at one point Mary just picks up an axe and starts swinging it a lot to kill loads of zombies. That sounds too simplistic to me, but I think that’s my fantasy roots showing through and wouldn’t bother most people. The final qualm and the biggest was that when our little group stops at one point, the men make the fire and the girls make the food. Earlier on, the men all took the weapons as well. Okay, the men were trained fighters unlike the women, but the feeling of sexism was kind of annoying. But I think Carrie realised this since it was written in a slightly clipped way, so I assume it was put in to conform to the society she made.

All in all, it was a good book. I was breathless reading it (seriously) and I had to stop sometimes to mentally prepare myself for whatever happened next. The use of the Sea also kept me reading: in these dire circumstances it was understandable why she had to believe this. (I actually have an analysis in my head of why she needed the sea, and why no-one else had dreams like her, but that would be too spoilery.) I imagine a lot of people have read this, but those who haven’t have been warned that this is a traumatic kind of book that has been superbly done.