Books: All zombies, all the time

My zombie reading continues with these two, neither of which thrilled me too much. I'm especially disappointed with Blackout, because it didn't live up to its predecessors in the series.


Contagion, by L.I. Albemont

and

Blackout, by Mira Grant

Book: March Violets

March Violets by Philip Kerr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved the noirish tone of this mystery, which deals with a former cop/current private eye in pre-WWII Germany (after Hitler's rise to power but prior to the Czech takeover). One of the things I appreciate most in a good mystery is the ability to provide information about a particular point in time and place within an entertaining wrapping. Kerr certainly delivers in that regard, portraying this time in Berlin as one of uncertainty and danger (the title refers to latecomers to the Nazi cause who do so mainly for their own safety) for Germans of all sorts. Our detective's main work in the book is finding missing Jews, a harbinger of what is to come. Looking forward to the next book in the series.



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Book: A Feast for Crows

Book 4 in the Game of Thrones series. Loved it, although it was hard not knowing what happened to the other characters, most of whom show up in A Dance With Dragons.

Book: Dead Things

Dead Things by Matt Darst

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Wish I could give this 3.5 stars. For what it was, Dead Things was actually pretty good. Had a decent storyline with only a few cliches here and there, interesting characters, and fairly indiscriminate about who bit the dust. There were a few mistakes that a decent copyeditor would have caught, and the climax was pretty improbable, even for a zombie book. Also, I wish that some novel in which main characters hook up would NOT end with a freaking babe in arms (Suzanne Collins, I'm looking at you). Throw a bone to the childfree, will you?



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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


F-ing brilliant book about the power of words in WWII Germany.



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How's this for screwed up?

When pondering what I wanted to read next, I decided that a book about the American healthcare system (Lionel Shriver's So Much for That) was more anxiety inducing than a zombie novel. Of course, zombies are somewhat less likely than having to use your retirement money and then some after a life of cubicle dwelling to care for a terminally ill partner. The fact that the last Lionel Shriver book I read left me in an emotional state akin to a crumpled up paper towel may be related.

Book: Arctic Rising

Arctic Rising by Tobias S. Buckell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A fascinating scifi-ish speculative roller coaster thriller about the polar ice caps melting and the repercussions thereafter for the people of planet earth. As an airship pilot tries to find who shot her ship down, we're introduced to shifts in the balance of power in the world (eg, native peoples in the Arctic), the role of nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, human migration, war (official and otherwise), and even personal relations. The issues aren't black or white here, and neither are the characters, but I found it all fascinating.



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