eilonwyhan

Ani Romero has returned to high school, along with the classmates she infected with Zombie Virus. Amid court battles over zombie "personhood," these teens have been allowed to return, but to an isolated classroom nicknamed "Special Dead". This is the follow-up to Twice Shy, which I did not read. It doesn't matter, since Freivald deftly recaps the events from the first book.

The story, and the idea of courts having to decide whether zombies should retain full human rights, was very good. I think it could have really benefited from being told in the first person, in Ani's voice. The only "thought bubbles" we had were Ani's, no other character's, so it seems like Ani should have just told us the story herself. It would have ironed out some of the awkward passages, and would have helped make some of the seemingly extraneous action more meaningful. Part of me suspects that using the third person was a way of getting to call Ani's mom "Dr. Romero" as often as possible, but maybe that's the "Night of the Living Dead" fan in me.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and would probably hand it to a teen zombie fiction fan. There's enough detail in the restrictions the zombies would live under that it makes a thought-provoking read. Who else in our society would we consider "other" enough to do this to?

This review is based on an uncorrected advance copy received from LibraryThing Early Readers.

Time-traveling serial killer is tracked by the one woman who survived the attack. Plucky heroine can’t believe her own crazy suspicions. Nail-biting!

Somehow, Lauren Beukes managed to put a new, fascinating spin on murder mysteries, and I just fell for it! During the Great Depression, Harper finds himself in possession of a key to a house…a house that does something fantastic. Harper can choose any date within a 70-year span, open the front door, and find himself in a new time. So, being the creative thinker he is, Harper decides this is a great way to commit murder. He chooses female victims, all of whom “shine”. To cultivate the darkness inside himself, Harper decides to extinguish these women’s light, but only after he plays a game of cat and mouse with them. Until one victim survives his attack.  Kirby will never feel free until she finds her attacker. The pattern she finds is impossible, but it's her only lead.

What I liked about this book was the straight-forward language telling an impossible story. There is really no need for flashback, since time travel exists in Beukes’ world, and we can witness the events first hand. We never get an explanation of why this particular house in Chicago has this power, or how Harper came to understand its power. But it doesn’t really matter. It’s like asking why people do the things they do. They just do.

Although Kirby is the only victim we get to know in any real sense, we learn enough about the others to understand why Harper views them as such threats. They each shine in their own way. One shines because of her glamour. Another shines because of her strong work ethic and quiet dignity. Kirby shines just because her spirit is so indomitable. That life force is what kept Kirby alive when she should have died. And let me just say: when I finally read the story of Kirby’s attack, I was left horrified. I had to put the book down until the next night so I could try to purge the images from my head. This from a woman who devoured Stephen King as a kid!

If you are looking for a quick read for the summer, this is definitely a good one to try. Murder, romance, time travel: what’s not to like?

Funny and frank observations of 21st century American life from an 18th century Parisian street vendor reincarnated as a fly. Enjoyable!

Jacob Cerf aka Gebeck aka Le Naif died in 1773 Paris. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself reincarnated as a common housefly in 21st Century Long Island! He is immediately drawn to a man named Leslie Senzatimore, an all-around good guy who helps everyone around him. Jacob doesn't dislike Leslie, but he has an unbearable itch to knock Leslie off his pedestal. Jacob is also fascinated by a young woman who is an observant Jew, but has lost her direction. Jacob decides to help her find her way in this brave new world. Jacob's scheming brings these two people together in what he hopes will be a cataclysmic moment, ruining one and freeing another.

Throughout Jacob's modern-day narrative, he also tells us of his life in 18th Century Paris, where he was met with suspicion and rancor because of his religion. He was a street vendor, married to a mentally challenged girl whose family bullied him. A strange viscount takes him on as a valet, educating him and insisting he cast aside his religion. Jacob's voice is frank and funny. He is telepathically linked to Leslie and Masha, so we get glimpses of their innermost thoughts and motivations. Leslie's drive to help people makes Jacob crazy; he can't believe anyone can be this good without something dark inside. Through Masha and her family, Jacob is reminded of the God he abandoned. He literally is the fly on the wall in these people's lives, and because of that, we get to understand these characters and how they change. In many ways, Jacob is not a very likeable character, but maybe that's why his observations are more believable and funny.

Melanie Warner had heard the rumors that Twinkies would never spoil, so she decided to test that theory. Using different processed foods (cookies, burgers, chicken nuggets), Warner started a little laboratory in her home. She left the food undisturbed and unrefrigerated, and cataloged the results.

From mildly amusing (huh, those Oreos haven't really even gone stale) to downright repulsive (completely liquefied frozen organic chicken nuggets), the results spoke for themselves. Truly unprocessed food would succumb to the normal process of decomposition via bacteria or molds, just like any other organic life-form. But the highly processed foods did not culture anything that could break them down. Very unnatural.

Warner treads a lot of the same ground that Michael Moss covered in Salt, Sugar, Fat, and even references some of the same stories. What I found interesting was her description of the chemical processes involved in creating the flavors and textures that we have come to expect in convenience foods. While I agree with Warner's conclusion that it is within our own power to change what kinds of food we insist upon eating, I still think that too many people will say it's too difficult and inconvenient to select and purchase fresh food, and then cook it. Again, I think books like these preach to the choir.

We drive ourselves to work without thinking about how to get there. We take a break mid-afternoon for a cookie and a chat with co-workers. Some people seem to really excel in life, while others spin their wheels. Why is that? Habit.

Charles Duhigg takes a fascinating look at what makes a habit, and why developing good habits can make people more successful and less frustrated. It is possible to create a good habit to supplant a bad one, if you know the cycle: cue, routine, reward. Duhigg gives examples of large corporations that changed one habit, leading to more changes that turned the organizations around. If ALCOA can do it with thousands of employees, certainly an individual can, too.

Not meant to be a self-help book full of quizzes and worksheets, The Power of Habit is an insightful explanation of our daily routines, and how they help or hinder us.

Ignatius J. Reilly is not like anyone you have ever met. Over-educated (according to him), opinionated (his life is one big episode of schadenfreude), and celibate. He lives with his mother and has quite a cozy existence, holed up in his room and writing in his notebooks. Until his mother needs him to get a job to help pay for damage she inflicted with her car. Then everything goes to hell.

Reilly has many adventures in New Orleans, courtesy of his visits to the Night of Joy bar, his job at Levy Pants, and his stint as a hot dog street vendor. None of these experiences alter Reilly's world-view; in fact, he becomes more and more convinced of his moral and intellectual superiority with every passing day. His distraught mother ultimately decides it is time Ignatius gets a "rest" at the Charity Hospital, but he will have none of it. He makes his escape via deus ex machina, in the form of his ex-girlfriend with whom he has refused all sexual contact.

I started this book some time ago, and I really enjoyed it. It is full of interesting characters and hilarious situations. I hate to admit it, but I wonder if it took me so long to complete the book because I saw myself in Ignatius, and I really didn't like what I saw. I hope my world-view changes as my life goes on, but every time I encounter cretinous behavior in public, the image of me dressed in Reilly's green hunter cap and snow boots rears its ugly head.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss chronicles the food industry's quest for our dollars, at the cost of our health.

It turns out that salt, sugar, and fat are not just mere flavorings that make our food taste good. They are key to creating crisp crackers, golden brown bread crusts, and shelf-stable foods that last the months it takes to get from factory to dinner table. Fat makes food feel rich in the mouth, and combined with sugar, is virtually undetectable to our brains. Eliminating or altering the amounts of any of these key ingredients changes the food in ways consumers won't buy.

Moss’s interviews with food industry chemists and researchers are enlightening. These interviews -- combined with documents obtained from the FDA, USDA, and the food companies – paint an unflattering portrait of effective marketing strategies and the drive for profits at the expense of consumers’ health. Until people start making time for cooking food from scratch at home, and until they are willing to pay a little extra for fresh whole foods, I don't know that all this research will make a bit of difference. Sure, convenience foods are cheaper per calorie. But having more calories is not a problem in this nation. Whole foods are cheaper by weight, but they take time to prepare and don't have the same ratios of salt, sugar, and fat that we've become accustomed to.

And healthcare costs keep going up because of all the diseases related to these food-like substances: diabetes, heart disease, cancer. What a mess.

Mary Roach’s scientific curiosity seems to know no limits, and her sense of humor is boundless. With her typical aplomb, she delves into the most taboo of subjects: our guts.

Roach explores the human digestive system in all its glory. Her musings on our guts are divided into chapters about food, saliva, digestion, flatulence, and the anatomy and physiology that make all this possible. Her sense of humor might seem, at first, inappropriate, but it does not interfere with Roach’s in-depth research and interesting interviews. Potty jokes aside, Roach discusses all the ways our digestive system is amazing—when it works. She also talks about what happens when it does not work properly, and all the incredible research being done to decipher that percolating labyrinth we have inside.

Roach is a keen observer as well as an astute interviewer. She is willing to try things only the researchers dedicated to this topic might dare. She asks the questions others might be embarrassed to ask. But you know you want to know the answers.

It is amazing to read this novel, plus ten stories, and realize just how much Matheson wrote for Hollywood.

This is the first time I've read I am Legend, and I really understood why Charlton Heston was cast as Neville in The Omega Man. He really captured Neville's tortured psyche and sense of survivor's guilt. Neville tended toward histrionics in his inner monologues, perfect for Heston's scenery chewing. The vampires are different from those portrayed in the Heston movie, mainly in appearance. Also, it seems that no film (I haven't seen the Vincent Price version) has addressed the idea that there were two types of vampires. The Will Smith version made the vampires into creatures that do not even come close to resembling human beings.

Matheson has a fluid style that really set me into the story. I felt the claustrophobia Neville experienced when he felt trapped inside his home for too long. I understood his desperation for companionship, even from a dog he was pretty sure had been infected. Sometimes I got a little lost in the flashbacks, but maybe Neville did, too.

The short stories were a delight, and it was fun to recognize them. One paragraph into Prey, I said to myself, "This is like the killer doll segment of Trilogy of Terror." Three paragraphs in I said, "This is the killer doll segment of Trilogy of Terror!" I recognized Dance of the Dead from the Tobe Hooper episode of Masters of Horror, which I watched on Netflix within the last year. The basic idea of briefly reanimating the dead for entertainment was there, but in my recollection, much of the story line was altered.

I think this collection of stories illustrates why Richard Matheson is such a mainstay for Hollywood film and tv writing. Excellent stories that are well-told and offer a different way to view the world. I can also see why many writers cite him as an influence.

Vampires in the Lemon Grove is a collection of quirky, thoughtful short stories. There were some I enjoyed more than others, which I guess is true of any collection of stories. The stories ranged from sweet to weird to spooky.

My favorite story was "Barn at the end of our term." Rutherford B. Hayes, along with 10 other former presidents, has been reincarnated as a horse. The farmer has given them horsey names like Gingersnap, but inside, these horses know that they were the leaders of our nation. Some of them, like Eisenhower and Grant, are plotting to escape and run for re-election (there must be some sort of loophole to allow this, since technically, they are dead and in a new body). Hayes just wants to find his beloved wife Lucy, and becomes convinced that she is a sheep on their farm.

I also enjoyed "Reeling for the empire", in which young women are recruited to work in the silk mills. Little do they know that the tea they drank upon recruitment will forever change them into giant silkworms. One worker has different plans, and refuses to live her life in this horror show.

"Seagull army descends on Strong Beach, 1979" reminded me Daphne DuMaurier's "The Birds" in a way. Although in this case, the seagulls are stealing bits of people's lives from them and hiding them in a spooky tree. The lost trinkets change the course of the characters' lives, but even knowing this, the main character can't seem to make things right again. This was not my favorite, but I can't really put my finger on why.

The spookiest story was "Proving Up". It took place during pioneer days, when the frontier was wide open. Part ghost story and part tall tale, this one gave me the shivers. It reminded me a little of the Robert E. Howard story I read in Dark Horse Book of the Dead.

I liked the ideas behind all the stories. Each had a unique, creative view of the world. There was always a moment that made me say, "huh." But overall, I didn't finish any of the stories completely satisfied that the ideas had been fully executed. Russell is a beautiful writer, but I found myself skimming, and in short stories, probably not a good sign.

Valley and her brother Bo have been raised by their survivalist father. Away from civilization. Distrustful of government. They witness their mother's death at the hands of Those People in the black helicopters. Most of America is oblivious to the existence of the black helicopters, but Da, Valley, and Bo have been working hard to wake people up. In simple language, Woolston builds a whole world just outside our own. A world where people are willing to sacrifice their own children to expose a "truth", to provide "proof" of a danger they know to be real.

Valley never explains who Those People are. Given that it seems to take place in contemporary America, I can only guess that her dad is the most extreme of the anti-government, no interference with personal liberties kind of quack. This guy makes the Unabomber look rational. At least Ted Kaczynski didn't raise his children to be his own personal militia.

I watched the movie Carrie again recently, and was again struck by the people who were genuinely trying to be nice to Carrie White at the prom. People who were genuinely horrified by the pig's blood prank. And yet Carrie, through years of conditioning, looked at that crowd and saw everyone laughing at her. Those prom-goers were Those People. Valley is a lot like Carrie. Paramedics who were genuinely trying to help her get blown up, because Valley has been so isolated, she has no empathy. If psychopaths can be nurtured, Valley is a prime example.

Chip Linton, an experienced commercial jet pilot, cannot let go of the terrible accident that cost the lives of 39 passengers and crew. He and his wife Emily decide to move the family to a small town in New Hampshire, and start over again. While Emily and their twin daughters settle into a new job and a new school, Chip is left alone at home to deal with the renovations--and his demons.

The people in town immediately take the family under their wing. Women with baked goods and dinners show up frequently, and it is not long before the Lintons feel secure in their new town, and grateful for the warm welcome. But there is something a little off with some of the women in town: they seem a little too interested Garnet and Hallie, the Linton twins. And Chip is becoming increasingly unhinged by what he's found in the basement, and by the visitations from three of his dead passengers.

A very spooky read reminiscent of Ira Levin. Shades of The Stepford Wives color the book, and it almost felt like Roman Castavet from Rosemary's Baby made an appearance. Whenever the town patriarch, John Hardin, had dialogue, I heard Sidney Blackmer's voice in my head. I appreciated Bohjalian's style, and I will be picking up more books by him in the future.

Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that makes interpersonal interactions difficult for those affected. Difficult, but not impossible.

With humor and personal examples from when she had missed the mark, O’Toole (herself an Aspie) explains the social rules that everyone needs to know. She gives tips on how to interact with NTs (neurotypical people) on a daily basis. The book is arranged in mini-chapters, covering such topics as saying thank you (and meaning it), apologizing (and meaning it), and working in small groups. She also has practice scenarios at the end of the book.  The resources list in the back of the book covers topics such as dating, fashion, and gift giving.

Frankly, this book is not just for teens with Asperger syndrome. In reading it, I found it to be a great reminder of how being polite isn’t about just saying the “pleases” and “thank yous”; it’s about interacting with people so they feel special, appreciated, and validated.

Through research, personal experience, and interviews, Susan Cain makes a strong case that introversion is not a sickness or weakness in a society that prizes extroversion. She points out that not everyone is all introvert or all extrovert. Everyone displays their own spectrum, many times depending on the setting they find themselves in.

Cain points out the strengths most introverts have: perseverance, focus, listening skills, observation, and the ability to formulate solutions on their own. Many introverts prefer to sit back in a meeting and listen to all the ideas, formulating responses in their heads before joining in. Introverts are keen observers and can readily empathize with other people.

Introverts will recognize themselves when reading "Quiet." Extroverts will gain new insight in working with the people who hold back in meetings and large social gatherings. An interesting read, even if you don't agree with all of Cain's conclusions.