Book# 68 for 2011...

Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban

From Goodreads.com:

A brilliant, unique, and completely realized work of fiction, "Riddley Walker"--first published in 1980--is set in a remote future in a post-nuclear holocaust England (Inland), where humanity has regressed to an iron-age, semi-literate state, represented by a language created especially by Hoban for the book.

My take:

1 out of 5 stars. I didn't read much of this book. The phonetic spelling that the author chose to write this book in made it really hard for me to read it. I get that it's supposed to be the first written word in 100's of years but I just couldn't get into the story because I spent so much time trying to figure out what each and every word was supposed to be. I gave up after about 60 pages of trying to muddle through.

This book is on the list for my 50 book challenge but since I finished the challenge on the book I posted about yesterday, I didn't really feel like bothering to try to force myself to keep reading a book that I just wasn't enjoying. Ah the joys of a library book...don't like, return it and check out a new book. No money outta pocket (not counting the property taxes I pay to support this type of public service).

Book#50 of the 50 Book Challenge

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

From Goodreads.com:

As the days pass, the situation has gone from frightening to terrifying. Kids are being picked off the streets; the barricaded teens are surrounded by flesh-eating zombie adults. When a mysterious traveler arrives with an offer of refuge in London's Buckingham Palace, they realize that they have no other option. What they can not yet understand is that their intense challenges will not end with their harrowing trip... Another hard-pulsing teen thriller by the author of the Young Bond series.

My Take:

5 out of 5 stars. Good, quick read. Lots of action and a cliff hanging ending.

Book# 49 of the 50 Book Challenge

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

From Goodreads.com:

Something very peculiar is happening in Stockholm. There's a heatwave on and people cannot turn their lights out or switch their appliances off. Then the terrible news breaks. In the city morgue, the dead are waking up... What do they want? What everybody wants: to come home. 'Handling the Undead' is a story about our greatest fear and about a love that defies death.

My Take:

3 out of 5 Stars. It was a decent story but it just petered out at the end, no real wrap up.

Book# 48 of the 50 Book

Divergent by Veronica Roth

From Goodreads.com:

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

My take:

5 out of 5 stars. Excellent book. It only took me two days to read this book, I couldn't put it down. I requested this months ago from the library and was on a hold list so long that you couldn't see where it ended to get this book. After reading it, I know why the hold list was so long. Lots of action, adventure, mystery and just a touch of romance for the teenager in all of us. Good book.

I can't believe that I'm almost to the end of this challenge. 2 books to go. I'm starting to look forward to reading whatever I want...not that I haven't been in addition to the books in my challenge. But it will be nice to request whatever catches my fancy.

Book# 47 of the 50 Book Challenge

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

From Goodreads.com:

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

My take:

4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. Lots of action and it totally set it up for the next book, Dust and Decay. I've already requested it from the library!

Book# 46 of the 50 Book Challenge

Patriots by James Wesley, Rawles

From Goodreads.com:
"Part novel, part survivalist-handbook, Patriots tells of a small group of friends facing every American's worst nightmare - the total collapse of society. The stock market plummets and hyperinflation cripples commerce and then a seemingly isolated financial crisis passes the tipping point when an unprepared government fails to act. Practically overnight, the fragile ...more"Part novel, part survivalist-handbook, Patriots tells of a small group of friends facing every American's worst nightmare - the total collapse of society. The stock market plummets and hyperinflation cripples commerce and then a seemingly isolated financial crisis passes the tipping point when an unprepared government fails to act. Practically overnight, the fragile institutions of democracy fall apart and every American is forced to survive on their own." Evading mobs of desperate, out-of-control citizens who have turned Chicago into a wasteland of looting and mayhem, this novel's protagonists make their way to a shared secure ranch in the wilds of northern Idaho. Here the survival-driven group fends off vicious attacks from the outside and eventually assists in restoring order to the country. The compelling, fast-paced action-adventure novel has readers jotting notes and referencing the book's impressive index for informative survivalist tips on everything from setting up a secure shelter to treating traumatic flesh wounds.

My take:

4 out of 5 stars. It was a good book but I found it interesting that the author seems to think that all the good guys will be christian after the fall. Over all I liked the book but I could have done without the, what seemed to me, forced religious lessons.

Bringing My Reading List Up to Date

The last two books to bring my reading up to date...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

Book# 45 in the 50 Book Challenge...

From Goodreads.com:

A beautiful new trade edition of the original science fiction masterpiece that inspired the cult movie classic Blade Runner. By 2021, the World War had killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacrae: horses, birds, cats, sheep . . . even humans.

My Take:

2 out of 5 stars. I don't know why they say this book is classic science fiction. Not my cup of tea. Honestly, it was a waste of my time to read it, not to mention the time I spent carrying it around in my purse.

Richter 10 by Arthur Clarke and Mike McQuay

From Goodreads.com:

Lewis Crane lived through the devastating Los Angeles earthquake of 1994. He survived, but his family didn't—and at ten years old, his life was ripped apart.At the age of thirty-five, Lewis has devoted himself to the study of the most powerful force on Earth: earthquakes. He is the foremost expert in the field of seismology; and when he predicts a gigantic quake, everyone prepares for disaster. But to his relief and dismay, the quake never occurs, and suddenly Crane is the subject of ridicule from scientists around the world. Then he discovers a mistake in his calculations, and realizes that the "Big One" is just around the corner. The clock is ticking as he attempts to convince the world that this time, catastrophe is certain.Richter 10 is vintage Arthur C. Clarke—a fast-paced novel of ideas and near-future imagination, realized by McQuay's talent for characterization and ingenious plotting—and is the major science fiction event of the season.

My take:

3 out of 5 stars. It was ok. The plot was really slow and didn't pick up until the last 100 to 150 pages. Not great but not horrible.

Have I read anything lately?

I was thinking that I haven't finished reading any books lately and it turns out that I've finished a few that I never posted anything about. Here's two of them...

Dying to Live by Kim Paffenroth

From Goodreads.com:

Jonah Caine, a lone survivor in a zombie-infested world, struggles to understand the apocalypse in which he lives. Unable to find a moral or sane reason for the horror that surrounds him, he is overwhelmed by violence and insignificance. After wandering for months, Jonah's lonely existence dramatically changes when he discovers a group of survivors. Living in a museum-turned-compound, they are led jointly by Jack, an ever-practical and efficient military man, and Milton, a mysterious, quizzical prophet who holds a strange power over the dead. Both leaders share Jonah's anguish over the brutality of their world, as well as his hope for its beauty. Together with others, they build a community that reestablishes an island of order and humanity surrounded by relentless ghouls. But this new found peace is short-lived, as Jonah and his band of refugees clash with another group of survivors who remind them that the undead are not the only—nor the most grotesque—horrors they must face.

My take:

4 out of 5 stars. I really liked it. I know it's not intellectual reading but I love my zombie books. I wonder a lot what life will be like after the end of the word, granted chances are there won't be zombies but for some reason I love the books. This book was a fun, fast read. The main character Jonah was intresting and daring. Not a dull moment.

The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway

Book# 44 of the 50 Book Challenge

From Goodreads.com:

A wildly entertaining debut novel, introducing a bold new voice that combines antic humor (think Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut) with a stunning futuristic vision (ᠬa A Clockwork Orange and 1984, with a little Mad Max thrown in) to give us an electrifyingly original tale of love, friendship, and the apocalypse. There couldn't be a fire along the Jorgmund Pipe. It was the last thing the world needed. But there it was, burning bright on national television. The Pipe was what kept the Livable Zone safe from the bandits, monsters, and nightmares the Go-Away War had left in its wake. The fire was a very big problem. Enter Gonzo Lubitsch and his friends, the Haulage & HazMat Emergency Civil Freebooting Company, a team of master troubleshooters who roll into action when things get particularly hot. They helped build the Pipe. Now they have to preserve it—and save humanity yet again. But this job is not all it seems. It will touch more closely on Gonzo's life—and that of his best friend—than either of them can imagine. And it will decide the fate of the Gone-Away World. Equal parts raucous adventure, comic odyssey, geek nirvana, and ultra-cool epic, The Gone-Away World is a story of—among other things—love, pirates, mimes, greed, and ninjas. But it is also the story of a world, not unlike our own, in desperate need of heroes—however unlikely they may seem.

My take:

1 out of 5 stars. Horrible. So horrible that I couldn't get past the first 100 pages. I finally gave up and returned it to the library. I'm sure there are people out there that love this book but I just couldn't get into the story. The part I did read had no action and wasn't engaging at all. All I can say is that I'm glad it was a library book and not something that I wasted my money in purchasing.

Book #43 of the 50 Book Challenge...

City of the Dead by Brian Keene

From Goodreads:

This terrifying new novel picks up where The Rising leaves off after a plague has turned nearly all of America's population into zombies.

My take:

3 out of 5 stars. Meh. It was ok. Nothing really to write home about.

Book #42 of the 50 Book Challenge...

Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne

From Goodreads.com:

START INTERCEPT

SPORADIC NEW REPORTS INDICATE CHAOS AND VIOLENCE SPREADING THROUGH U.S. CITIES. AN UNKNOWN EVIL IS SWEEPING THE PLANET. THE DEAD ARE RISING TO CLAIM THE EARTH AS THE NEW DOMINANT SPECIES IN THE FOOD CHAIN.

INTERCEPT COMPLETE

SURVIVOR,
In your hands is the handwritten journal depicting one man's struggle for survival. Trapped in the midst of global disaster, he must make decisions; choices that ultimately mean life, or the eternal curse to walk as one of them.

ENTER IF YOU WILL INTO HIS WORLD. THE WORLD OF THE UNDEAD.

My take:

5 out of 5 stars. Loved it. I love it so much that I picked this book up from the library on Friday and finished it on Saturday. Loved it. The format is in the form of a journal which made it different then any other zombie book I've read so far. Great descriptions and interesting characters.

Book #41 of the 50 Book Challenge...

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

From Goodreads.com:

"War," says the Mayor. "At last." Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge - the electrifying finale to the award-winning "Chaos Walking" trilogy, Monsters of Men is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war.

My take:

4 out of 5 stars. This book is supposed to be the conclusion to the Chaos Walking Trilogy. But the ending leaves it wide open for another book. I like this series. Todd struggles to be the man he wants to be all the while fighting the Mayor and his ownself. Viola fights for what she beleives to be right all the while blaming herself for the position that she's in. I just don't understand why in the concluding book the author decided to leave Todd in such limbo. I really want there to be another book to tell me what happened.

Book #40 of the 50 Book Challenge... Hater by David Moody

From Goodreads.com:

REMAIN CALM DO NOT PANIC TAKE SHELTER WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS THE SITUATION IS UNDER CONTROL Society is rocked by a sudden increase in the number of violent assaults on individuals. Christened 'Haters' by the media, the attackers strike without warning, killing all who cross their path. The assaults are brutal, remorseless and extreme: within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people become frenzied, vicious killers. There are no apparent links as a hundred random attacks become a thousand, then hundreds of thousands. Everyone, irrespective of gender, age, race or any other difference, has the potential to become a victim - or a Hater. People are afraid to go to work, afraid to leave their homes and, increasingly, afraid that at any moment their friends, even their closest family, could turn on them with ultra violent intent. Waking up each morning, no matter how well defended, everyone must now consider the fact that by the end of the day, they might be dead. Or perhaps worse, become a killer themselves. As the status quo shifts, ATTACK FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER becomes the order of the day... only, the answers might be much different than what you expect.... In the tradition of H. G. Wells and Richard Matheson, Hater is one man’s story of his place in a world gone mad— a world infected with fear, violence, and HATE.

My take:

4 out of 5 stars. I liked this but the more I read books by British authors, the less I like the writing style. For some reason I have trouble following the story or really getting into and losing myself in the story line. Not sure why that is. But this was good. Cliff hanger ending.

Book #39 of the 50 Book Challenge...

Greybeard by Brian Aldiss

From Goodreads.com
The sombre story of a group of people in their fifties who face the fact that there is no younger generation coming to replace them; instead nature is rushing back to obliterate the disaster they have brought on themselves.

My take:

2 out of 5 stars. The story never seemed to go anywhere. I just didn't really enjoy the book. Considered classic science fiction but it lost a lot of that feeling of complete hopelessness that most books from the 1960's seemed to have.

Book #38 of the 50 Book Challenge....

The Passage by Justin Cronin

From Goodreads.com:
An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy–abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl—and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

My take:
5 out of 5 stars. The next book doesn't come out until next year and I'm dying already. Great book. I can't belevie that I read this book in just 10 days. It's a huge book, over 700 pages. But I guess when you take a sick day from work and just stay home reading all day you can get pretty far in a good book. I'm putting the sequal on my list for when it comes out next year.

Book #37 of the 50 Book Challenge...

The Conqueror Worms by Brian Keene

From Goodreads.com:

One day the rain just didn't stop. As the flood waters slowly rose and coastal cities and towns disappeared, some people believed it was the end of the world. Maybe they were right. But the water wasn't the worst part. Even more terrifying was what the soaking rains drove up from beneath the earth -- unimaginable creatures, writhing, burrowing...and devouring all in their path. What hope does an already-devastated mankind have against...the Conqueror Worms?

My Take:
5 out of 5 stars. This is the first book in a long time that has actually scared me. It gave me horrible nightmares after I finished the book. I couldn't put this down. I read it in two days and stayed up really late at night to finish it over memorial day weekend. It was a good thing thing that I didn't have to work the next day. I didn't turn out the light until around 2am. I never stay awake that late but I was dying to find out what happened. However after finishing the book, I still wonder what happened to Kevin and the girl after they drove away and left the old man. It's not a flaw in the book, it's just that the story is told from the old mans perspective and he doesn't know what happened to them. But still I wonder what happened to them.

Book#36 of the 50 Book Challenge...

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

From Goodreads.com:

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

My Take:
4 out of 5 stars. A very thought provoking look at what could happen if the our fight over the right to life were taking to next level, war and the result there after. Scary stuff.

Book #35 of the 50 Book Challenge...

The Enclave by Ann Aguirre

From Goodreads.com:
WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first she thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

My Take:
5 out of 5 stars. Great book. The Character of Deuce is very intriguing and makes you want to be her despite the fact that she lives in world that is dying. I know that it's yet another young adult book but I love these books. Quick reads, down and dirty descriptions and none of the crap that seems to clutter up a lot of adult science fiction books. No dirty sex scenes that make me blush when I'm reading them at work. Not a lot of swear words. Both things I don't really like in books. I know how sex works, I know about cussing so most of the time I find that those things don't really enhance a book but detract from the story line.

I'm looking forward to reading the next in this series, Outland by the same author. I've got it on my "to read" list.

Book #34 of the 50 Book Challenge...

The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness

From Goodreads.com:
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order.

But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer?

And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...

The Ask and the Answer is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure. (Plot summary taken from: http://www.patrickness.com/books.html)(less)

My take:
4 out of 5 stars. I'm liking this series. But honestly, I finished this book a while ago and other then liking the book I don't remember that much about the book. It has the same two main characters as as the first book, The Knife of Never Letting go. But I missed the dog, Manchee, that was in the first book. Otherwise it was a good book.

Book #33 of the 50 Book Challenge...

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

From Goodreads.com:
"Special Circumstances":
The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor -- frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary.

And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.
Still, it's easy to tune that out -- until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.

My Take:

Three out of 5 stars. I liked it but I didn't love it. They took away a lot of what made Tally Youngblood, Tally Youngblood. Still decent story, Just not great.

Book #32 book of the 50 Book Challenge...

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

From Goodreads.com:

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.
When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

My take:

4 out of 5 stars. I have to be honest, I had very low expectations for this book since I didn't like any of Stephanie Meyers Twilight books but I loved this book. Very good. Totally left me wanting more. I will be looking to read the next installment of this book when it comes out.