{Book vs. Movie} World War Z

For those of you who have not yet had the chance to both read the book and watch the movie, I am just going to start off by saying that World War Z, the novel, and World War Z, the motion picture, both tell completely different stories. They do share a few aspects in common (like the fact that there are zombies, and that a more global, rather than local, perspective is shown), but for the most part I felt as though they were two separate and distinct depictions of the same Zombie War.

The Book

In his novel, Max Brooks plays the part of a traveling journalist, journeying through a world that is just starting to piece itself back together during the aftermath of a long and tedious zombie war. He is collecting accounts of the war from several key players, who range anywhere from the Vice President of the United States to a young otaku from Kyoto, in an effort to share their stories with the rest of the world.

Overall, I felt as though I were reading through actual accounts from an actual war - it had a very realistic feel to it. It helped that all of the stories, while very different, were told in similar tones, since they were all told to the same narrator: Max Brooks, journalist (who I pictured as Brad Pitt while reading, since, hey - it's my mind and I can imagine who I want, hehe). My favorite was the story of Tomonaga Ijiro, a blind man who decided to ride out the zombie apocalypse in the wilderness of Japan, armed only with a shovel (seriously bad-ass!).

I also loved that I got introduced to some aspects of a zombie apocalypse that would never have crossed my mind before, such as quislings: humans who have become so psychologically broken that they themselves start acting like zombies and eating flesh, despite still being living beings.

The Movie

In the film, instead of Max Brooks: Journalist, we have Gerry Lane: Former UN Investigator & Proud Papa (Brad Pitt!). Hoping to leave his UN glory days behind him in an effort to spend more time with his family, Gerry Lane is pretty much blackmailed into returning to his former position after the zombie outbreak occurs (his family is offered a safe place to stay on a Navy Airship in exchange for his cooperation). Thus, Mr. Lane makes his way across the globe, trying to find out where exactly the zombie outbreak originated, and if there is a cure for it. (A big job for just one man, really. He must have been an insanely talented investigator in his heyday.)

Image from PerezHilton.com

While the book focused a lot on the politics and military strategies of the war, the movie was more about the action and drama that occurred during Gerry Lane's "Race for the Cure." Yes, political and war strategies were depicted, but only as a backdrop that tied-in with Gerry's adventures. In short, the film played out as if it was one of the many accounts featured in the Max Brooks novel, rather than a depiction of the novel as a whole. Apparently they're making this film a trilogy, so I'll have to wait and see how it all plays out.

The Scoreboard

Action: I think the book actually moved slowly, whereas the movie was chocked-full of amazing zombie scenes.  Book - 2.5/5   Movie - 4/5

Story: The book featured many strong accounts that tied together to successfully show humanity's effort to survive a zombie apocalypse. The movie showed one man's journey to find the answers necessary to survive the war. Book - 4.5/5   Movie - 3/5

Characters: There were many interesting characters featured in the novel, but I didn't feel like I learned anything about the characters in the movie. Book - 4/5   Movie - 2/5

The Verdict

There are so many differences between the book and the movie that it felt like they were totally unrelated. In most cases it's easier to have a clear winner, but in this instance I enjoyed both the characters & stories of the novel, and the zombie action & effects of the movie. I think they're both worth checking out!

{Waiting on Wednesday} Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano

Nearly Gone

by Elle Cosimano

Expected Publication: March 25, 2014 by Kathy Dawson Books

Bones meets Fringe in a big, dark, scary, brilliantly-plotted urban thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end.

Nearly Boswell knows how to keep secrets. Living in a DC trailer park, she knows better than to share anything that would make her a target with her classmates. Like her mother's job as an exotic dancer, her obsession with the personal ads, and especially the emotions she can taste when she brushes against someone's skin. But when a serial killer goes on a killing spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic ads in the newspaper that only Nearly can decipher, she confides in the one person she shouldn't trust: the new guy at school—a reformed bad boy working undercover for the police, doing surveillance. . . on her.

Nearly might be the one person who can put all the clues together, and if she doesn't figure it all out soon—she'll be next.

Why I Can't Wait To Read This:

That synopsis should be enough of a reason - I mean, wow! Bones meets Fringe? With a bit of  21 Jump Street thrown in for kicks? I'm always on the lookout for YA books that seem to deviate from the normal YA books, and this sounds like it may be right up my alley. Plus, YA fiction could really use more paranormal mystery/suspense/thrillers.

What do you guys think?

If you haven't done so already, feel free to link-up your own Waiting on Wednesday post at Breaking The Spine. And if you add a link to your WoW post in the comments, I'll be sure to check it out.

A To Z: A Bookish Survey

Okay, so Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner just posted a really awesome book survey on her blog, and I just couldn't pass up the chance to join in! I always loved filling out surveys on social networking sites, so I was glad to see this one on Jamie's blog. If you'd like to join in, feel free to make a post on your own blog and link to it in the comments section of the original post, as well as down below in my own comments section - I'd love to see what responses you came up with!

Author You've Read The Most Books From:

Ann M. Martin - I devoured The Baby-Sitters Club series when I was growing up.

Best Sequel Ever:

Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi - I was blown away by how good this sequel was, and how faithful it was to the feel & tone of the first novel. It felt like I was still reading the first book!

Currently Reading:

World War Z by Max Brooks - This is nothing like the movie, but I'm enjoying the different accounts of the zombie war (fictional, of course). It's taking me a while to get through this, though, as the pacing is rather slow.

Drink Of Choice While Reading:

Tea!

E-Reader Or Physical Book:

I love my Kindle, but I still prefer the feel of an actual book in my hands.

Fictional Character You'd Have Dated In High School:

Oh, for sure Park from Eleanor & Park - He would have been easy to talk to since I also enjoyed similar music and comics, and I really was attracted to the nice, geeky, music-loving, loner-type guys.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Hidden Gem Book:

Singing The Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman

Important Moment In Your Reading Life:

Deciding to become a blogger. It was never about gaining followers for me - it was about re-discovering the joys of reading. When I started blogging, I became more conscious of my reading habits, ended my reading slump, and went back to devouring books like I did as a child. I will always be grateful for that.

Just Finished:

The Legacy Lost novella by Anna Banks - Now I'm excited to start Of Poseidon!

Kinds Of Books You Won't Read:

I'll read almost anything, but religious non-fiction does not appeal to me at all. Neither do books that focus on substance abuse, whether fictional or not.

Longest Book You've Read:

I'm going to count The Lord of the Rings trilogy because I own it as a one-volume omnibus, and it's well-over 1,000 pages long. Otherwise I would guess Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (870 pages).

Major Book Hangover Because Of:

I could never get over Harry Potter...never!

Number Of Bookcases You Own:

Only one, but I use some shelves on my entertainment center for books as well (as well as any other available space in my room I can find).

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

Preferred Place To Read:

Outdoors - though I don't do it often enough.

Quote That Inspires You/Gives You All The Feels:

“Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” -- John Green in Looking For Alaska (That whole book made me break down more than anything ever has.)

Reading Regret:

That period of time during my teenage years when I stopped immersing myself in books as I did when I was a child.

Series You Started & Need To Get Around To Finishing:

The Blood Ties series by Tanya Huff - I just need to read the last one! It's actually been so long that I may have to re-read the whole series (there are six books in all)....I just didn't want it to end!

Three Of Your All-Time Favorite Books:

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

John Green. I just love the man!

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Into The Still Blue by Veronica Rossi - The wait is excruciating!

Worst Bookish Habit:

It's very hard for me to stop reading a book, even if I'm hating it - I need to learn when to give up on a novel I dislike, otherwise I'll just keep on wasting my time.

X Marks The Spot - The 27th Book On Your Shelf:

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Your Latest Book Purchase:

Ink by Amanda Sun

Zzz-Snatcher Book (Last Book That Kept You Up WAY Late):

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - I made the mistake of starting this one before going to bed, and by the time I was finished the sun was already up.

{August Releases}

Wow, I can't believe it's already August! It still feels as though the year had just started, but now there are only five months left to it. I have to apologize for all of my infrequent posting lately - so much has been going on in my life that I really haven't had time to make any decent posts. Plus, I'm back to job-hunting again, as I am no longer in Nevada, but back home in Texas (finally!). Let me tell you, it is not a good time to be unemployed. But here's hoping - wish me luck! In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of the August book releases that I'm looking forward to the most:

*Click on the covers to view the books on Goodreads*

I think I'm most curious to read Relic, as the plot sounds very intriguing - people make a living extracting magic from the bones of long-extinct magical creatures, and then they either sell that magic or harness its power for their own use. I hope it's as good as it sounds! So far, the reviews look promising (29 five-star reviews out of 39 ratings on Goodreads!) 

Which August release are you looking forward to reading the most? Please let me know in the comments below, even if it isn't one of books shown above. 

Top 10 Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

A Meme By The Broke and the Bookish

Celis T. Rono is the author of The Julia Poe Vampire Chronicles, a series which depicts a world in which vampires have taken over, and hunt down humans to use as "cattle" for their blood. I purchased a paperback copy of the first book on a whim from Amazon after reading through the great reviews, and I am so glad that I did! I enjoyed the universe that Rono had created, and I found Julia to be a very kick-ass, spunky heroine.

Perry Moore's Hero has to be one of the most fun books I have ever read. It basically reads like a comic book, but manages to blend in cool superhero action with a glimpse of what it's like to be a gay American teenager, worried about being outed to his father (not only as being gay but for having superpowers). I was saddened to learn that Moore had passed away in 2011 - I would have loved to have read more from him. His author bio on Goodreads states that a movie is in the works with Stan Lee, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that something actually comes of it.

Bill Konigsberg has a way of connecting to readers through his writing that I don't often see enough of in today's YA world. In Openly Straight, I found that I was able to strongly connect with the main character, Rafe, despite seemingly having nothing in common at first glance. Since I read a lot of romance-y or dystopian YA novels, I don't often identify with the emotions a main character is feeling, so this was a pleasant surprise. It seems that Konigsberg hasn't forgotten what it's like to go through the stages of growing up & trying to "find yourself."

Cat Clarke is a UK author, and I wouldn't have heard of her if not for the power of my fellow book bloggers. I just think that she comes up with some great plots, and has a way of writing stories that get you thinking.

I know that I've seen Sangu Mandanna's name around the blogosphere a lot, which why I picked up her debut novel, The Lost Girl, and fell in love. I'm so surprised that this novel hasn't even reached 2,000 reviews on Goodreads - I really had thought it had made a bestseller list, as it was a truly unique and well-written novel. At any rate, I look forward to seeing what Ms. Mandanna comes out with next!

I'm just gonna come out and say that I am now a huge Rhiannon Frater fan thanks to her As The World Dies trilogy. Frater knows her way around the zombie apocalypse genre, that's for for sure. I'm glad that the series has made it to mass-market paperback, and I hope that this will allow her fan-base to grow even larger, because her stories are truly deserving of it.

Okay, so these Elliot S! Maggin novels may have been out for a while (Last Son of Krypton came out in 1978), but I still think that they are worth having more people check out. If you're a fan of the Superman comics, then you'll be happy to hear that these read just like they're out of the Silver Age of Comic Books. I know Maggin has contributed to other works as well, but so far these are the only two I've looked into.

Kelly Thomson is an author I talk about frequently, as I am not only a big fan of her debut novel, The Girl Who Would Be King, but also of the way she decided to self-publish her novel through Kickstarter, which is an amazing resource for indie authors that are able to gain a wide enough reach. If you are a fan of action, superheroes (or villains), and good-vs-evil-type stories, then you should definitely check Thompson's debut out.

I don't know what made me decide to read a Tosca Lee novel, but I'm glad that I did! I may not have a religious affiliation, but that doesn't mean that I'm not interested in the stories that were created from the various world religions. Ms. Lee's novels all stem from Christianity, and I think they're all quite fun to read. It just fascinates me to read the tales she weaves from the biblical stories of Judas, Adam & Eve, and even Lucifer. I wonder which story she'll tackle next...

I've always thought that Janette Rallison was pretty well-known, but I guess she isn't as read as I thought she was - maybe it's just in the blogosphere. I always enjoy reading her novels, but it's her My Fair Godmother series that I love the most. Rallison really knows how to have fun with her writing, and it shows in these particular twisted-fairy-tale novels.

{Waiting on Wednesday} Alienated by Melissa Landers

  

Alienated

by Melissa Landers

Expected Publication: February 4, 2014 by Disney Hyperion

Interplanetary relations have never been more exciting! The first in a funny, romantic YA sci-fi series.

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Why I Can't Wait To Read This
Aliens!!! Plus, how does the above synopsis not sound interesting?! I just love that description! At first glance it brought to mind Singing The Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman, but once I actually read through it I saw how different it actually seems - for one, it seems that this series may actually have some romance, whereas Goodman chose to focus on the friendship between a human girl and a male alien (which I loved, btw). I think I must be in some sort of phase or something in which books about aliens on Earth sound very appealing. At any rate, I just really want to read this! Too bad it won't be out until 2014...

What do you guys think?

If you haven't done so already, feel free to link-up your own Waiting on Wednesday post at Breaking The Spine. And if you add a link to your WoW post in the comments, I'll be sure to check it out.

Dead Sea by Brian Keene

Amazon | Goodreads

The streets of the city are no longer safe. They are filled with zombies -- the living dead, rotting predators driven only by a need to kill ... and eat. Some of the living have struggled to survive, but with each passing day, their odds grow worse. Others have fled, frantically searching for a place to escape, even briefly, the slaughter around them.

For Lamar Reed and a handful of others, that safe haven is an old Coast Guard ship out at sea, with plenty of water separating them from the grasping hands and tearing teeth of the dead. These desperate survivors are completely isolated, cut off from the dangers of the mainland. But their haven will soon become a deathtrap, and they'll learn that isolation can also mean no escape!

Holy crap. I just finished this one, so excuse me if I'm still trying to process it. I've only read a handful of zombie novels, but I can easily say that this was one of the freakiest. It starts out with this guy named Lamar, a gay African-American who is hiding out with his neighbor, Alan, during the zombie apocalypse. Alan unfortunately gets bitten at some point, and Lamar goes off on his own until he into a couple of kids that he takes under his wing. They receive help from another man, Mitch, and the group of four run towards the harbor and join more survivors on board a ship that's heading out to sea. 

What makes this book stand out from the plethora of zombie novels out there is that not only can humans become infected and turn into zombies, but animal species, as well. According to Lamar's character, this disease, dubbed 'Hamelin's Revenge,' first appeared in rats, and then spread to humans as the rats began attacking people. The disease would periodically jump from species to species, until even fish weren't safe from catching it. 

I think the reason I found this book to be creepy was because of how the disease began infecting animals. It's scary enough trying to imagine surviving and fighting off hordes of human zombies, but what about zombie sharks? Or zombie birds? What the heck do you do then?!

This novel was a quick read, with lots of suspense, but admit that I soon find myself visibly cringing while reading certain scenes - after all that Lamar had witnessed, he still seemed to let his guard down at the worst possible moments. For one, he shrugged off a gaping wound on a fish they had caught, which is not something you should do when you know that with a wound in any other species your first thought would be "zombie!" It's the middle of the apocalypse, for Pete's sake! Then, while knowing that zombie fish actually were roaming the seas, Lamar put his freakin' hand into the ocean, just to feel the water on his skin! C'mon! How could you possibly forget about the fish?! 

At any rate, despite the fact that Lamar was clearly very lucky to make it past the first day, let alone the first chapter, I still enjoyed reading this book. It was unique, and really made zombie apocalypses sound even scarier than they normally do. I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of the genre!