I can't believe how much I enjoyed this book, and for the first time in so long, I did not want to put it down. Already I want to recommend it to everI can't believe how much I enjoyed this book, and for the first time in so long, I did not want to put it down. Already I want to recommend it to everyone, even if you think zombies are not your thing - which is not to say exactly how I felt before I picked this up - but horror reads in general are a genre I typically don't read.
So, zombies and all that are a very terrifying force, and Max Brooks has made them a reality. I've spent hours talking with my boyfriend about how to survive and what to do if a zombie apocalypse were to occur, and as silly as it sounds, I feel adequately prepared.
The most terrifying element about this book is that zombies - unlike werewolves, vampires, Frankensteins, etc. - are closest to what us humans can be, and perhaps this is why the subject of this book is such a frightening thought. They aren't individual attackers, as one would think a vampire is. And there is no way to avoid their wrath or to stop them without a swift blow to the head (brain, specifically).
I love how Brooks answered so many of my questions as the book moved along. What about people in space? How did they react to the zombie apocalypse? What about dogs? Do dogs become zombie dogs when they are bitten? When people die, can they still become zombies even if they weren't bitten before their death?
I have so many questions still about zombies - it's absolutely ridiculous. And yet, Brooks writes so that I can't feel silly about it. I, the innocent reader, feel like this could be a real, legitimate threat, to the point where I have developed a looming zombie-apocalypse evacuation plan. Or at least thought about it, seriously, and consulted some very smart people.
And perhaps that's also why this book is so great: the speculation of it all is fun, the "What if?" factor. Because really, who knows what kind of apocalypse could hit us next, be it zombie or plague or nuclear.
Absolutely breathtaking. I cried continuously for the last 30 pages; I don't think I book has ever made me this emotional in my 20+ years as a reader.Absolutely breathtaking. I cried continuously for the last 30 pages; I don't think I book has ever made me this emotional in my 20+ years as a reader....more
In need of a quick fix after I finished another book faster than I anticipated, my Californian friend recommended Zorro from her own bookshelves. As aIn need of a quick fix after I finished another book faster than I anticipated, my Californian friend recommended Zorro from her own bookshelves. As a fan of the occasional swashbuckling romance, this was all the more appealing because of how California history is also a prominent feature of the book.
And what a delight Zorro was. Colorful, epic, and virtuous, this book is a perfect filler for the in-between stages, the times when you're not sure what to read next, since you've just finished a masterpiece and don't think anything else can measure up. Well, the beauty of this book is that Allende writes with a style that will keep you entertained and invested, her characters complex and defined. At times the tale can get a little tedious, but what I enjoyed about Zorro was that I could put it down and easily pick it up several days later. I attribute this to the fact that the book is not told in chapters; it simply keeps going, one long tale after another until the story of how Zorro came to be has run its length.
As a fan of the old Disney black-and-white television show, I loved reading Allende's version of the rise of Diego de la Vega, the by-day identity of the masked man to his late night, Robin Hood-type escapades. Allende has left nothing out: Zorro is a well crafted and finely edited number that will entertain a wide audience, since there truly is a little bit of everything for the well read reader to appreciate.
If you enjoyed this book and are looking for something to follow-up, I also recommend checking out The Scarlet Pimpernel - a swashbuckling favorite of mine with another charming, swoon-worthy male lead....more
I think I enjoyed this book more for my friend's recommendation of it than the actual characters themselves. Mostly, I had fun imagining her sitting aI think I enjoyed this book more for my friend's recommendation of it than the actual characters themselves. Mostly, I had fun imagining her sitting and reading, so absorbed and aggressively underlining passages and sentences that spoke to her. At times, I found myself thinking about her doing this more than the actual book's passages, and maybe that's ok. It's still a three-star reading experience for her observations I thought about as well as the classic narration that was so engrossing....more
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