Tuesday, 7 March 2017

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! http://www.brokeandbookish.com/

From now until the TTT official hiatus is over, I'll be continuing on with my own topic choices. This week: Another Ten Popular Authors I just don't like reading! 

 As some people ignored my warning on last weeks's post, I'll say it again. I'm not saying these authors are crap, just that I personally don't like them. I'm happy for readers to give their own thoughts on the authors and which books they liked and didn't like but don't start the 'but how can you say you don't like him/her' or 'really? you don't like it?' as comments like this piss me off and you will get called out on it. This is my blog and these are my opinions and whining about what I say will NOT change my opinion of anything except maybe the comment poster. If you can't respect my right to have different tastes from you, don't comment at all!

Shall we proceed? I think so!

1) Chuck Palahniuk
I did like 'Haunted' which amused me when I read it years ago so I bought a pile of others on a whim and I hated every one of them...the plot, the characters, the writing. I really did not like Fight Club and it stopped me ever trying to watch the film! I plan to reread Haunted at some point to see if I still like it or not.

2) Douglas Adams 
Everyone seemed ro rave above how creative and funny Hitchhikers Guide was but when I read it I just didn't get it. I didn't find it funny, I found the characters annoying...I just didn't like anything about it and never went near the author again. I know he's popular but not my thing!

3) Joseph Heller
My dad hated Catch 22 more than any other book on the planet and he laughed when I got it in a charity shop, telling me I'd hate it. And I did. I still rate it as one of the worst books I've ever tried to read but as I say, that's just my opinion of it. I despised the characters so much that I wanted to scream!

4) JR Ward 
Everyone raved about BDB and I liked the sound of it but it wasn't for me at all. I could not be bothered with the gangsta rapper dialogue and soundtrack, the portrayal of the women or the fact that the bad guys smell of baby powder. I could not take the bad guys seriously! I tried four books in the series and gave up on each.I don't think it's awful just not for me.

 5) Sherrilyn Kenyon
I read this/JR Ward etc during a PNR spell I had years back before my blog existed but this was one author that I just found rather bland. I never got into her books or bonded with the characters or anything. Couldn't find anything different or original to like.

6) Gregory Maguire 
I so much liked the idea of these books but when I read them I was really disappointed. I felt the characters lacked depth and liking but it was really the plot that annoyed me. Nothing interesting ever seemed to happen and I found it so dull and boring! No I have no plans to ever watch the Musical!

7) Philip Pullman
I liked the polar bears, the daemons, the kids being held hostage and certain characters like Lee but overall I was disappointed. The plot was too choppy, the dust thing I seriously didn't understand a word of, MCs I couldn't be bothered with, plot holes...I just expected so much more and didn't much enjoy the series. I hated books 2 and 3.

8) Alice Sebold
I really hated these books. The characters seemed to be the worst pieces of human filth ever and I hated them all. They were so depressing and grim. I refer only to her fiction work here because I read her biography and it was gripping and so well written. If you get a chance to read it, read Lucky.

9) John Saul 
I got a few of his books through bookcrossing and I didn't like any of them. Some books are slow but these dragged and they were monster sized books to start with. It took an eternity for anything to happen and the plots were so dull. If this is classic horror then you can keep it! 

 10) Emily Bronte
When I say I hate the classics it is because I tried them and didn't enjoy them. I hate hearing that this is a doomed romance when it is two demented psychos in a relationship of domestic violence. The staff were so rude so I hated every character and WHAT was Joseph even saying half the time?  Gah, no more classics for me!
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Monday, 6 March 2017

Has the zombie apocalypse begun???

I saw a very disturbing video this week of a man reportedly shot in the jaw in Brazil and his actions and expressions are like some kind of zombie. Pretty disturbing footage. It seems doctors and nurses at the hospital were running away from him. No offence to the guy but I would have run too...When his eyes go wild he looks like the demon in the film Demons 2 that climbs out the tv. This totally freaked me out.


 
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Book Review: Dead Country by Bonnie Dee


Zombie-fighting and romance. There’s room for both in Dead Country. This story is set in the same terrifying world as Bonnie Dee’s bestselling After the End, but follows the adventures of new characters.

Brian Pasman is stuck in his hometown of Durbinville, Kansas—again. On the cusp of graduating from Caltech when a family illness brings him home, his life is changed forever by the zombie apocalypse. Several months into the invasion, order is slowly being restored, but this small town is not a priority and the citizens are left to fend for themselves behind a ramshackle barricade.

Into the routine horror of zombie-killing which has become Brian’s life rides a force of change on a Harley. Ashleigh Jennings has been on her own most of her life. She's been a maid, a waitress and an exotic dancer but dreams of a singing career. Her lively personality shakes Brian awake, making him appreciate life more than he had even before the nightmare struck.

The motorcycle group’s arrogant leader clashes with the equally domineering head of the town council, but the two groups must join forces when a new wave of the undead sweeps across the prairie. Can Brian come up with a battle plan to save the town or is his education in probabilities only good in theory?

My Review: 
This is the second book by the author set in the zombie apocalypse, the first being 'After the End' but these are all totally new characters.

Brian and Fes are part of a zombie killing patrol in their home town of Durbinville and are fearful when Ashleigh's motorcycle group approach, looking for somewhere to rest for a few days on their journey south. The group are allowed to stay but unknown to the town they are concealing a sick child, bitten by a zombie. Despite the differences between the new group and the townspeople, when packs of zombies start threatening the town, everyone has to work together to survive.

The actual plot was good. Brian was at college, living the dream of escaping his dull town when he came home for a visit just as the apocalypse came, leaving him trapped. Fes was never able to escape the town and wonders now if he ever will. They are doing patrols to kill any zombies outside the town fences to keep everyone safe when the motorcycles pull up. When they realise the strangers mean them no harm they escort the group to town and they are reluctantly given sanctuary if they help with the coming harvest, which is agreed. However a sudden zombie attack in the fields takes everyone by surprise and the survivors are quarantined, leading to angry exchanges between the town council and the strangers. Attacks on the town increase and nerves are on edge as Brian battles to come up with a plan to save them.

I liked Brian as a character. He's smart and could be doing a lot more to help the town instead of just zombie patrol, something soon realised by the town council after the field attack. I also like Fes, who is devoted to his town and doing whatever is necessary to keeping it safe. Janice, the head of the council, is quite happy to issue orders and sleep in her bed at night while ordinary people do all the work to keep them safe. I hated the lazy bitch. Ashleigh also annoyed me. She is always getting annoyed by Daylon not taking her seriously and moaning that she wants to be an independent woman who doesn't rely on men to take care of her but the first thing she does when she meets Brian is try to seduce him so he will take care of her. She is happy to use her looks and body to get what she wants then whines about men only seeing her that way. Shut up and stop moaning you stupid tart!

What did drive me crazy were the motorcycle group. First they lie about having a bitten child so they can get into the town and enjoy food, water, beds, showers and electricity. They are quite happy to endanger the whole town and betray the goodness of Brian who vouched for them. One of them who is believed dead in the field attack turns up alive days later and is furious that no search team was sent out to find her. Yeah, everyone that got back to town escaped by the their skin and the zombie's teeth and they would endanger a whole new group of people by sending them out there for someone believed dead? Selfish much? They whine about working to earn their keep despite the fact that they offered to work! The strangers kick off about going into quarantine after the attack to be checked for bites and act as if the town are being unreasonable about protecting their citizens. When the concealment of the infected child is discovered and the group are told to leave, they think they are being badly treated! They are a bunch of rude ungrateful tossers!

Putting aside some real idiots amongst the characters there is some decent zombie action in the book set against a backdrop of a community fighting to survive. There is tension as each night gunshots are heard on the town boundaries with the odd zombie getting in and having to be put down. I liked the scenes with the attack in the fields and of course the big finale. They were quite well written and enjoyable.

There are a few sex scenes which I don't think add much to the overall plot and I just skipped them. I didn't feel any real chemistry between Brian and Ashleigh and I think he could've done better for himself. But this is marketed as zombie romance so I just skipped the bits that bored me. Not the best in the genre but a decent enough read.
Read March 2017. 
star rating photo: Three Star Rating 3stars.png
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Chuckles Retro Reads: After the End by Bonnie Dee


Zombies are on the loose and the world is falling apart. In the tradition of apocalyptic novels such as Stephen King’s THE STAND, a group of strangers on a Manhattan subway are brought together in the name of survival. The group follows the lead of Ari Brenner, a young man who doesn’t recognize his own leadership qualities and believes they follow him simply because he wears an army uniform. Lila Teske, a college student studying philosophy, finds her non-violent beliefs tested in the crucible of a zombie attack. There are other members of the diverse group, but the focus of the story is on Ari and Lila, two young people who learn about sacrifice and inner strength through the ordeal.

With the city’s infrastructure down and communication with the outside world curtailed the survivors head toward the nearest marina. When they meet a lab tech who may have a solution to the virus, they know his safety is paramount and it’s more important than ever that they get off the island. But zombies aren’t the only danger that impedes them on their perilous journey.

My Review: 
After seeing a lot of less than positive reviews of this book, I approached it with a feeling of inner doom...but I actually enjoyed it which I was pleased about!

The book begins with a zombie attack on a subway train which leaves a group of people running for their lives, following a young soldier as he leasds them through the sewers and back up to a city that has literally gone to hell. There are a mixture of people in the group and I liked them overall. Ari, the young soldier who feels the weight of the safety of the group on his shoulders. Lila, the student who is determined to pull her weight. Deb, strong and capable who only wants to find her girlfriend Julie who is working in the city, Ann who is scared to the verge of panic, Patricia the wise old woman, Hector who wants to go and find his family, Derrick the computer nut trying to look after little sister Ronnie, and Joe the dermatologist. I liked all the characters, and the way their panic ebbed and flowed depending on each crisis they faced. It felt like the realistic way that a group of strangers would react to what was happening and I enjoyed their interactions.

It is a proper zombie book, meaning there are lots of zombies in it, and danger lurks around every corner as they plan to make their way to the marina and take a boat to safety. Tension builds throughout as they have to find supplies, hide from the living and the dead, and find safe places to sleep each night. At times it was real edge of the seat stuff and I was caught up in the survival of this group of people, meaning that the author did a good job of developing these characters to make me want them all to survive. The zombies are also traditional zombies, attracted by noise, movement and blood, which are my favourite kind and I was happy at the amount of different zombie attacks there were. Lovely!

There is an attempt amongst the group to exchange theories about the zombies and how they infect. The debate over bites and blood chemistry was actually quite interesting and the ideas about a possible cure were born which affects the direction that the mission took. I like these additions to the plot.

There were a couple of things that did annoy me though. It starts with a prologue set about 5 days or so after the outbreak and shows a very important piece of plot featuring several characters. I HATE started with what is in effect a spoiler, especially when the book jumps back to then cover every detail of the last five days, rejoining that scene in the prologue and then continuing with the rest of the story from that point on. So why do it? It gives you the death of a character at the very start of the book, then goes back and shows you that person, alive and well! It ruined the story a bit as you knew roughly when this person was going to die. It seemed an odd thing to do and it did nothing for the plot! I really hate it when authors do this. I'd have preferred to just have the story unfold normally, starting with the outbreak.

My second niggle was the love story subplot with Ari and Lila mooning over each other when zombies are all around them. It seems to be an obsession amongst female authors that their zombie books must have a romance in it for some reason. I find it annoying at the best of times. Thankfully it is not graphic and the rest of the writing for me was strong enough to carry the plot and not have it spoiled by a lacklustre love story.

There are a few minor errors where character names have been mixed up which was slightly confusing for a moment but nothing too serious. Mixing up Ari and Derrick is like confusing prawns with chocolate!

I was a little bit miffed by the ending of the book when I realised book 2 follows a totally different set of survivors. So what happens to everyone? Is there another book that joins the survivors of both books or something? Not sure but I certainly want to know what happens to the people.Anyway, I liked this book enough to buy the paperback of it and the follow up book, which should keep me amused until I see if more zombie books from this author are coming!
star rating photo: Four Star Rating 4stars.png
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Saturday, 4 March 2017

Stacking the Shelves #171


Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves-physical or virtual. You can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! Click on the link under the book to find its page on Goodreads or Smashwords. 

Please note that I leave a message on your STS/SP if you visit me, but if you use DISQUS or similar third party I will not do so. I don't allow any company access to my social media accounts and I certainly don't allow them to edit and take over the way DISQUS does. So if you use DISQUS, I can't leave comments on your page so I can't follow you back, sorry! (see below why I say NO)

Authorize DISQUS to use your account?
Disqus is a service and tool for web comments and discussions.
This application will be able to:
*Read Tweets from your timeline.
*See who you follow, and follow new people.
*Update your profile.
*Post Tweets for you.

I'm noticing that some blogs set with Google Plus are trying to force you to open a Google Plus or Facebook account before you can leave a comment. I have no interest in joining them so if your blog uses this set up, I won't be following it or commenting! Sometimes, I have problems leaving messages on blogs hosted by Wordpress-they try to block me so there might not be a message from me some weeks or you might get a double message sometimes! Blame them, not me but I will persevere as it only happens the odd time!
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Urgh another depressing week. Still going through this stupid withdrawal nonsense and feeling like a tank ran over me. I'm fed up being tired and unable to DO anything except sit around like a sloth! I haven't been able to cook a meal in two weeks, get any housework done or even go out anywhere. I feel like I'm in some contagious Ebola quarantine. It's really affecting my mood and I'm moaning about it constantly and driving my dad mad I think! My online activity has dipped due to lack of energy and concentration but I'm doing as much as I can and at least keeping up with answering comments and doing blog visits. Still, nothing to do but wait and hope it goes soon. On the plus side, my lack of appetite and alternative diet means I've lost over half a stone AND I can still eat white chocolate which I love as it has no caffeine!!! Par-tay...
 
The book side of things is much better! Switching to my Monster Month of March and reading some short zombie books has helped focus my reading and I'm back on track with only a blip. Yea! I'm well on track so far to get a pile of books read this month. My book cull removed about 40/50 ebooks on my tbr that based on reviews of others, I no longer want to read ie tropes I don't like. So that helped! I'm also trying to clear some space on my shelves in my bedroom but that will be an ongoing struggle! Too many books, not enough space so those I doubt I'll read again even if I once liked them, they need to find new homes. I feel like a mean landlord evicting helpless books! The books I ordered last week arrived and to cheer myself up I ordered more yesterday which will be next week's STS.
 
DOWNLOADS:
 
 
 
 
 
PAPERBACKS:
I loved the title of these apocalypse books 'Fortress Farm' and took a gambled splurge on just buying the series as book therapy for my woes! As you do...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COLOURING BOOK:
 
 


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