World War Z by Max Brooks

4/5 stars
****

I liked this book. I really really did. Zombies that actually become scary is a rare commodity in this world and let me tell you, when you live alone, and you have cats with a penchant to knock things over unexpectedly, this book becomes terrifying.


Told post the War, World War Z does an exemplary job on describing events that we, as a reader, need to believe changed our entire world. It isn't just one country effected. It wasn't just one category of people. This books spans a variety of cultures and gives voice to several different groups who are now forever united together in a single events that was meant to destroy them. In moments that are blindingly terrifying, this novel portrays zombies in a refreshing way. It does not spend hours focusing on how the zombies move or give us countless images of them gnawing on torn limbs, blood staining their face. It instead focuses on the survivors, what they think, what they had felt during the time, who they were concerned about and whether they thought the entire scenario was a joke or not. This leaves countless things up to the readers imagination and in this scenario, it works. This is the type of novel where less is a hell of a lot more because what the brain can conjure is always going to be much more personal and much more skin crawling, than what an author can try to give you.


What I think impressed me most about this book was that there was something for every type of reader. World War Z. Brooks had a story for every type of reader here and switched between voices with conviction and ease. That alone makes me sit back in awe of him. He didn't just have one story he set out to tell in this novel. He had dozens.

For example, I do not enjoy politics. When that point in most novels is reached where the authors spends pages going over a political structure or the on going push and pull between two parties, I zone out. It is a necessary thing to have in novels, especially ones that are trying to set up and brand new world. Often you'll see me complain about this because I am not the type of reader who cares how the world functions so much as how the people inhabiting it do. My brain registers the hints of a political rant or even a financial explanation, and starts to wander to more exciting moments that I wish were taking place instead. Max Brooks had his fair share of stories told from a politician or someone who knew way more about economics or even how the business aspect of the world worked. He also had stories about parents trying to keep their children alive just one more day, computer geeks escaping from a four story apartment complex, and pilots who became so delirious that they could not explain how they even logically made it out of the war zone alive. This type of story works in the structure that Brooks has set up and does not detract from the overall enjoyment of

I am genuinely excited to see the movie adaptation of this and am looking forward to buying the audio book to enjoy this experience all over again. World War Z was a novel that I did not expect to enjoy, nor did I expect the range of emotions that poured out of me while reading. It is one of the first critically acclaimed novels that I've read in quite a while, that actually lived up to its hype.

If you want to see what else I'm reading this month, visit here: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-book-reads.html

And don't forget to like me on facebook.  Also, if you like the Zombie propoganda posters that you see here, visit their website.  There are plenty more where these came from. http://www.behance.net/gallery/WPA-Style-Zombie-Survival-Guide-Posters/9388537

Much Ado About Nothing and Everything at Once

Most people, if they are English majors, are forced to read obscene amounts of Shakespeare. And when I say read, let's face it, I mean skim and find summaries for each Act online. For years, English has been my main subject. I've flopped back and forth between teaching it and just taking the classes to have that little piece of paper that says “Congratulations on your degree, now go get a real job”. All of which is a mask for the fact that I want to write for a living. Due to this, Shakespeare and I have become really close. I consider him that distant stepbrother that I kind of don't like but need to take an interest in his life because mom and dad tell me I do. (Dear stepbrother – I don't feel this way about you. It's okay). In preparation for the upcoming Much Ado About Nothing film, I decided to try and put my feelings for Shakespeare aside and *gasp* read one of his stories all on my own. A funny thing happened during this process. I enjoyed it.

I'm a firm believer that Shakespeare is to be seen, not read. Reading Shakespeare often results in blurry eyes and the feelings of fatigue for me. Much Ado was pleasantly surprising, though. It was witty and at times laugh out loud funny. I don't generally associate classics with that. The dialogue here was smart, however, and when I finished the play, I wanted more. Now, maybe this is the English student in me coming out, but I found myself actually sitting over a cup of coffee and arguing the merits of why this was a good play. When someone declared to me that Beatrice and Benedict couldn't possibly be in love and that their delusions of love were too quick to be believable, I heard myself answering in kind with textual evidence as to why this person was wrong. I don't know whether to feel ashamed that I had obviously thought long and hard about this situation, or extremely pleased.

From the beginning, the film adaptation has looked great. It's directed by Joss Whedon so I don't know how it won't be. If you haven't seen the trailer, I recommended viewing it now (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAMsDP_DMHE). After reading this book, I find myself even more excited for the release date. The clever and quick barbs between Beatrice and Benedict are sure to be amusing and Claudio's... faults (we'll go with that so as not to spoil) are ones that I'm eager to see played out on screen. If there is a Shakespeare play that was hand written for Joss Whedon to direct, it would be this.

So, if you can get passed the Elizabethean dialogue, I recommend a quick run through of Much Ado About Nothing. It's not like the previous plays I've read. If you cannot and think that I'm lying and just trying to get you to join my pain, at least go see the new movie. It's bound to be enjoyable. 

Furthermore, please tell me someone else out there has had this experience as well?  Have you ever had an author you hate but begrudgingly love all at once?