30 Days of Books - Day 3
Day 03 - The best book you’ve read in the last 12 months
Sadly, I haven't read that many books in the last year - partly because I was doing my honours in 2009 and therefore I was reading research only, and partly because four years of University had managed to train me out of buying new books, when I knew I wouldn't have the time to read them.
It was only a couple of months ago that I finally started buying books for enjoyment again. I went all out and bought five books or so pretty much at the same time. Most were catch-up books - books from series' that I had fallen behind on but one or two were standalone novels. Of the two, the best that I have read is Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest. At its heart, it is a steam-punk, zombie horror novel but there is much less steam-punk than you would think and much more of a focus on a quite novel zombie experience (if you'll excuse the pun).
The zombies are, much to Simon Pegg's dismay I'm sure, runners; that is, they don't shamble slowly and inexorably towards their prey, they run - hell they sprint. But Priest's understanding of how horror works overcomes this change, indeed, she turns it into a positive.
The first rule of horror is: don't let the audience see the monster straight away. Let the tension and fear build with hints and glimpses. Priest does this with her blight-turned zombies or 'rotters' by hinting at their origins and recounting tales, then building with noises and movement before finally revealing the monsters. Even then - she never really allows the reader a good, long look at the rotters and that is a sign of a good book - one that presents the reader with many details but only a few concrete conclusions and thus allows the reader to make their own deductions and follow their own paths of logic.
In addition to the horror themes, there are some wonderful, fascinating characters within the blighted city that have learned to adapt to their scary world. The main characters share the spotlight of the story, chapters swinging between the two, and both face different elements of the city as they strive to find each other beneath the streets and over the rooftops.
I know that at the end of the book, I was sad to leave this tiny, intense microcosm of a world and would love to be able to revisit it and see how those hardy characters have continued to deal with their dangerous world.
Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 - The best book you’ve read in the last 12 months
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 - A book or series you hate
Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 - A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A book that disappointed you
Day 12 - A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 - Favorite character in a book (of any sex or gender)
Day 15 - Your “comfort” book
Day 16 - Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 - Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 - Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 - Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 - Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 - Most annoying character ever
Day 24 - Best quote from a novel
Day 25 - Any five books from your “to be read” stack
Day 26 - OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 - If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 - First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 - Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 - What book are you reading right now?
Sadly, I haven't read that many books in the last year - partly because I was doing my honours in 2009 and therefore I was reading research only, and partly because four years of University had managed to train me out of buying new books, when I knew I wouldn't have the time to read them.
It was only a couple of months ago that I finally started buying books for enjoyment again. I went all out and bought five books or so pretty much at the same time. Most were catch-up books - books from series' that I had fallen behind on but one or two were standalone novels. Of the two, the best that I have read is Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest. At its heart, it is a steam-punk, zombie horror novel but there is much less steam-punk than you would think and much more of a focus on a quite novel zombie experience (if you'll excuse the pun).
The zombies are, much to Simon Pegg's dismay I'm sure, runners; that is, they don't shamble slowly and inexorably towards their prey, they run - hell they sprint. But Priest's understanding of how horror works overcomes this change, indeed, she turns it into a positive.
The first rule of horror is: don't let the audience see the monster straight away. Let the tension and fear build with hints and glimpses. Priest does this with her blight-turned zombies or 'rotters' by hinting at their origins and recounting tales, then building with noises and movement before finally revealing the monsters. Even then - she never really allows the reader a good, long look at the rotters and that is a sign of a good book - one that presents the reader with many details but only a few concrete conclusions and thus allows the reader to make their own deductions and follow their own paths of logic.
In addition to the horror themes, there are some wonderful, fascinating characters within the blighted city that have learned to adapt to their scary world. The main characters share the spotlight of the story, chapters swinging between the two, and both face different elements of the city as they strive to find each other beneath the streets and over the rooftops.
I know that at the end of the book, I was sad to leave this tiny, intense microcosm of a world and would love to be able to revisit it and see how those hardy characters have continued to deal with their dangerous world.
Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 - The best book you’ve read in the last 12 months
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 - A book or series you hate
Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 - A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A book that disappointed you
Day 12 - A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 - Favorite character in a book (of any sex or gender)
Day 15 - Your “comfort” book
Day 16 - Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 - Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 - Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 - Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 - Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 - Most annoying character ever
Day 24 - Best quote from a novel
Day 25 - Any five books from your “to be read” stack
Day 26 - OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 - If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 - First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 - Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 - What book are you reading right now?