Growing up during the zombie apocalypse

Review:

I think God took all the good people away. If there is a God. I'm not so sure anymore. Wait, will I go to hell for thinking that way?
-- Decay of Innocence

When the Dead walk the Earth, the REAL demons emerge...
-- Death of Innocence

First, I need to point out that these books were originally published as 6 separate graphic novels, Kellie's Diary #1-6. Then they were published as two compilations. Kellie's Diary - Decay of Innocence (Kellie's Diary #1-3) and Kellie's Diary - Death of Innocence (Kellie's Diary #4-6). I was confused about this and ended up buying Kellie's Diary #2 after reading Decay of Innocence. When I started reading, I was like, wait I already read this.. I eventually figured it out. Looking back, I don't know what confused me so much.

Decay of Innocence starts off in January of 1993. At the start of the book, Kellie is 9-years old and she is living a fairly normal life. Gradually, we hear that more and more people are getting sick. By Chapter 5, we realize that something is terribly wrong. Kellie is stuck by herself at school and trying to escape the zombies.

Kellie is very smart and resourceful, even though she doesn't seem to know anything about zombies. Her first goal is to get to her house. Once there, when she doesn't find her family, her goal is to get to Oregon (to where her grandfather lives). She is hoping to find someone from her family alive.

Throughout the series, Kellie is very strong and does what she needs to in order to survive. She protects those she loves and tries to protect herself as well. She meets many people along the way, some good and some bad. And it seems like the zombies are not the worst thing left in this scary world.

I enjoyed this series very much. I started reading the Decay of Innocence during the Readathon last Saturday and when I finished, I immediately bought Death of Innocence and kept going. It was hard to read about the abuse Kellie suffered. No child should be forced to deal with such evil. It was interesting to read about the zombie apocalypse from a child's point of view (a child who manages to survive on her own for quite a while).

Recommended to:
Fans of graphic novels and apocalyptic stories. This is definitely an adult book. There is a lot of graphic violence including child abuse and sexual abuse.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1275137/growing-up-during-the-zombie-apocalypse

Wait... What???

Review:

Wow. This book. It is scary, creepy and gross all at the same time. Dane is a terrifying character and what he does to people... let me just say ewww. His nickname is the Rest Stop Dentist because he takes his victim's teeth and leaves them in a trail leading to the body. Dane has been executed by the state of Arkansas, but that doesn't stop him from taking his revenge.

The book is told alternately through Dane's mother Ella's eyes in the present day and in flashbacks to when Ella & Dane's father met and Dane's childhood. By doing this, Lorn allows us to see the sweet, innocent boy that Dane was.

I felt sorry for Dane and was scared of him at the same time. He wasn't born a serial killer. He suffered horrific abuse from his father growing up. It was quite difficult to read about at times (children are a soft spot for me, along with dogs). His mother (Ella) stood by and let it happen. I can't even imagine how she could allow Dane to suffer such abuse. I would never let anyone touch my children if I was around to stop them. Yet somehow Lorn made me feel sorry for Ella even as I wanted to smack her and make her realize what she was doing to her son.

This is a dark book, with graphic descriptions of violence committed by Dane, alive & dead. It is very intense and hard to put down. I loved every minute of it and I couldn't have predicted the end in a million years. After I read the end, I had to go back and read it again. I just couldn't believe what happened.

Recommended to :
Fans of horror and serial killer stories. The surprise ending with leave you with your mouth hanging open....

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1274640/wait-what

Gross, but accurate....

In fact, the air was uncomfortably warm, like sitting down on a public toilet and finding the previous user's body heat radiating up into my own butt.

-page 3

Maybe this is crazy, but I love this description. I knew exactly what the author meant and this made me laugh. That is an awful feeling and I'm sure anyone who has experienced it will agree. But I have never seen it in writing before.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1270002/gross-but-accurate

It's a matter of trust...

Review:

Last month, Gordon Korman came to visit our school. He spoke to the students in grades 3 through 8. It was a great experience. He even had writing sessions, where he taught the kids how to come up with their own stories. I only read one of his books, so I decided to read a few more.

As usual, I didn't read the synopsis of this book before I started. I like going into books without knowing what direction they will take. So, I was surprised when the accident happened and by the direction the book took afterwards.

This is one of those books where, everything that can go wrong does. The three boys face quite a few obstacles during their journey. I enjoyed following their journey and rooting for them to succeed. The boys each have their own unique personality and together they make quite a team.

This is a satisfying book about the opportunity for redemption and how important it is not to give up.

Recommended to:
Readers who enjoy realistic stories about second chances. Good for grades 4-8.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1267922/it-s-a-matter-of-trust

Read the book or Watch the movie??

Review:

They say no plan survives first contact with implementation. I'd have to agree.
-- Mark Watney, Chapter 5

I'm such a dumb-ass for not thinking of it! And my dumb-assery almost got me killed.
-- Mark Watney, Chapter 5

Ok, so I've had this book on my Kindle for months and months. I've seen several reviews and I was looking forward to reading it, but I kept getting caught up in book club reading or series finishing... Anyway, when I saw that the movie was coming out this month, I knew I needed to read the book now. The movie previews looked great and I didn't want to hear too much about the book, or miss seeing the movie. So, I read the book quick and then saw the movie.

The book is amazing. Mark Watney is a such a likable character. He never gives up, no matter what Mars throws at him. He uses bravery, humor and ingenuity to attempt to survive in a nearly impossible situation. At times, the book gets too much into the science of things and I had to zone out a bit. But, it never kept me from reading because I really wanted to see what Mark would do next. And by the way, kudos to Andy Weir for putting so much effort into making this book so realistic and finding out the science and figuring out possible solutions to all Mark's problems.

The movie is intense. Matt Damon did a fabulous job. We laughed when he laughed and cried when he did. He played the character so well, I can't imagine anyone else as Mark. Rooting for him on Mars was the most fun I had at a movie in quite a while. As always in movies, many details from the book were left out. Some of the scenes they left out were very important to me in the book and I did miss them. But, I did not miss the overwhelming amount of scientific information. In this case (and I haven't said this more than once or twice in my life), the movie may be a bit better than the book for some people. It moves faster and you still get the feel of the overall adventure. If someone other than Matt Damon was playing Mark Watney, maybe the effect wouldn't have been the same. I felt like Mark was talking to me when he was recording his journals and between that and the scenes with NASA, I didn't feel like the movie was about one man alone (like Castaway).

So, if you don't mind an abundance of scientific jargon, then read the book first. But still see the movie. And, if it sounds to you like the excess science would make the book drag too much, then just see the movie. You will not regret it.

Recommended to:
Adults who enjoy intense survival stories with realistic science behind them.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1266925/read-the-book-or-watch-the-movie